I have a lab that loves to dig. Well, he was digging in his outdoor kennel and somehow he got one of his claws stuck in the chain link and the claw ripped off. All that is left is a bloody nub. This was a couple days ago and now it is oozy and a little infected. Is this cause for worry? I hate going to the vet for something so petty, when homecare can do the trick. Any suggestions??
2006-11-13 05:28:36 · 21 answers · asked by james v 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
It sounds infected. The cost of a few antibiotics now will probably be cheaper than a bigger infection down the road. Call the vet and tell them - maybe you can pick up the meds if they don't think they need to see the dog and save yourself the office visit fee.
2006-11-13 05:34:11 · answer #1 · answered by dobes 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
yes you should worry. if the nail is ripped out all the way to the nail bed then the nail is not going to grow back.
it is infected and needs antibiotics.
If you are not able to take it to the vet then you could try antibiotic salves and bandages to keep the dirt and other debri out of the open wound.
You need to clean the wound at least 3 times a day. You can use dial antibacterial soap to clean it. Make sure to get all the soap off of the paw because it will dry the skin out and make it itch and he could reopen a wound that is healing.
when you wrap the wound you need to wrap it so that it is tight enough to not slide down and loose enough so that it does not cut of circulation. wrap it loosely and then using tape go around the top, bottom and middle of the wrapped area not pulling hard on the tape. repeat this at least 3 times a day.
to keep him from chewing on the bandage spray some hot sauce on the outside of the bandage. not enough so that it soaks through the bandage
2006-11-13 13:39:09 · answer #2 · answered by Pamela P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Awww... poor doggie!! My dog ripped a nail off in the ice once. Following the advice from a vet, I first stopped the bleeding by packing the nail in Corn Starch. If you ever have a bleeding problem with a dogs nail and don't have what they use in the vet's office (who does??) then use Corn Starch. It is very important to get the bleeding to stop. A dog can bleed to death from it's nails.
Next, I went to the drug store and got gauze and self-adhering athletic tape. I made sure the corn starch was completely packing the nail, wrapped the gauze around the toes and wrapped it all up with the self-adhering tape. I changed this two times a day, until the nail started growing back over the nub.
Best of luck to you, I hope your best friend gets better soon!
2006-11-13 13:35:51 · answer #3 · answered by ktan_the_siren 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I have a Border Collie and she pulled a claw off, we rushed her into the vet and was lucky. She had very little bleeding but they where able to give me antibodies for her and she never had any swelling or infection...
If his wound is oozing then why is he not at the vets, you want your dog to lose his paw... Common Sense would have told you that when it happened to take him to the Vet at once....
What kind of a pet owner are you, if your child was injured would you not take them to a Dr. Duhhhhhhhhhhh. think about it....
2006-11-13 13:39:09 · answer #4 · answered by Angell 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You can try to disinfect it with peroxide and putting anti biotic ointment/cream on it and wrapping it so he can't chew it. If after you do this and it doesn't look better in a day or two, you may need to call the vet. It's not petty. It would be petty not to call them, and make your dog suffer needlessly.
2006-11-13 13:38:38 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Do you have a local grainery around you?If so they should sell a cream that is called fera-zone it's about $5 but lasts a really long time and it works.It's a strong antibiotic cream.They recommend this cream for farm animals as well as domestic.You can also try bag-balm alot of places like Wal-mart sell it.
2006-11-13 13:40:49 · answer #6 · answered by Amy_Sue 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A ripped claw is not small or petty. It can easily get infected. Take the dog to a vet, have them clean the wound, and get some meds in him.
When ever something is oozing, its probably infected.
2006-11-13 13:33:54 · answer #7 · answered by robin 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
You should definitely take him to the vet. Now that it's already infected, he will probably need to take antibiotics (in pill form) rather than being able to treat it with a topical antibiotic. It's probably pretty sore for him too.
2006-11-13 13:44:26 · answer #8 · answered by Katie M 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Treat it with a disinfectant, but if it's still oozing after a few days it's time to go to the vet. The claw will eventually grow back.
2006-11-13 13:31:35 · answer #9 · answered by Blue Jean 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
If you believe it's infected, you'll probably have to go in so that the vet can check it and give antibiotics.
The easiest thing to do is to call your vet, tell them what you said above and find out what they think you should do. Being in the business, they probably see alot of this type of thing I would think .
2006-11-13 13:31:30 · answer #10 · answered by BVC_asst 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋