My Dog's Nail Was Falling Off, So I Took Him to the Vet...Now what?

Question

I'm a college student that lives away from home with my family's dog, so our vet is about an hour and a half away. Anyway, my dog's nail cracked, so I was wrapping it with gauze, and putting peroxide/styptic powder on it until I could take him to the vet. This morning, his nail was hanging off, and twisted to the side - it looked painful, though he didn't seem to mind at all. I dropped him off at a vet that I was referred to at 11:30am, and they said they were going to numb him, cut it off, then bandage him up. I didn't think it would take that long, but they told me to leave a number, and to come back. I just called, and they said that they bandaged him up and what not, but that I can pick him up between 5 and 6. It's 1:20pm here, what could they possibly be doing that I can't come and get him? He's a diabetic, so I'm just nervous about him getting some water and food. Also, how much is this going to cost me? (Estimates from prev experience). They said the office visit is $68.

Hmm, seems some people don't actually read the question.

Anyway, I don't care about the price, because I didn't have the stomach to cut it off myself. I'm just nervous about him being there. Not to mention when he goes to the bathroom, it's like a waterfall, not a puddle - I guess this is because of the diabetes.

I also forgot to mention that he doesn't lift his leg to go to the bathroom - he just stands there and let's it rip. The problem that I've been having is that he urinates on his foots - usually that one. What can I do to make sure that he doesn't do this, because I'm guessing that will cause infection?

Also - should I buy anything to make him more comfortable while I'm waiting for him?

Oh - and it's not going to be $68 - I know, because that's usually just the base fee for just coming into the office. I'm not complaining, because the other place I called first said their office visits were $140. I just don't want them to be taking advantage of me, because I'm young, as I've left another vet's office for just an annual appointment with a $700 bill.

Answer 1

It would cost twenty five office call plus another $5 or so antibiotic salve at the clinic here. And it would take less then ten minutes. The vet would just snip it off quickly and apply a styptic pencil to it.

Answer 2

While I have since lost this dog (he sadly had to be put down last year...), he would at times break his nail running when he got a bit older. He was a larger dog and I was positive he'd chew off any bandage I made for him, but surprisingly, he left it on until it seemed he knew his toe was healed. Dogs have the tips of their toes in their nails. This is why you have to be very careful trimming because you can cut that tip and cause considerable bleeding. Typically, walking, running and general play are enough to keep a dog's nails trim, but sometimes older dogs don't get enough exercise and more trimming is needed. If not, it can break. It may look bad, but it's really not. The nail is just barely attached. I cleaned my dog's foot as best as I could, then wrapped it with a some paper towels and tape. After a few days, this came off, along with his nail and all was fine. If your dog is very old, he might be scraping his toes along the pavement as he walks due to arthritis. My dog had this too and frequently had bleeding toes. But it doesn't sound like your dog has reached that point - he basically broke a nail. It will heal. Good luck!

Answer 3

Just the office visit is $68? Yikes. It's only $35 at my vet clinic.

Anyways, the procedure probably isn't taking that long, but you have to keep in mind that they have a lot of scheduled surgeries and general appointments, so sometimes even a basic procedure can take a while before it's completed.

The reason they're holding him until the evening, is to insure that there's no bleeding or other complications with the nail removal.

The vet will provide water, and if you request it, they'll offer some food, as well (although it may not be the same as what you feed, so you may not want them to do so, in case your pup gets an upset stomach).

Answer 4

They may just be cautious due to the diabetes and want to keep an eye on him. Typically nails are not that big of a deal, but they may have found something with the nail they want to watch.

Or, in some cases, a vet will only accept dogs for drop off between certain hours and will only allow pick ups during certain hours. This way, the vets and folks in the office can focus on the injured animals coming in and not deal with outgoing pets and paperwork at the same time. This may the case here.

As for price, all vets can set their own price, so it's hard to tell how much your particular vet will charge.

Answer 5

You didn't drop him off until 11:30, so that sounds pretty reasonable to me. The vet probably had to finish appointments, get to drop-off patients, and then to surgery. They might have had to sedate or anesthetize him, I would think. So say with vet techs rotating lunches, scheduled drop-offs, appointments, and surgeries, your dog is knocked out at 1 or so. Then they perform the procedure, let him wake up, check and re-bandage the wound, and issue any take-home instructions and meds. Our surgeries were always in the middle of the day, and unscheduled non-emergencies were last on the books, so I can see this as fair. As long as you told them he's diabetic, they'll be on the lookout for any complications, and that could also contribute to keeping him longer.
I have no idea about the cost, especially since your office visit fee is over twice my average locally.
Urine is sterile. I'd ask when you pick him up, but it's probably just a matter of cleaning and/or re-bandaging or re=applying meds that may be washed off.

Answer 6

Why are you asking US the questions you should ask the vet or his staff? Did you tell the vet the dog is diabetic? As a diabetic dog, how often does he have to eat food?

The vet's office knows the full costs. Ask them ! The office visit is $68, but you need a full breakdown, so ASK THEM!
The vet's office knows why they want you to pick him up at 5-6. Ask them!
You should ask them if he's got water since he's diabetic.
If the dog requires lots of small meals, ask if they will be giving him a bit to eat because of this.

If they gave the dog any anesthesia, they probably want it to wear off under observation before you pick the dog up.

Answer 7

Sounds like they're being cautious b/c of the anestesia they used. When this happened to my Golden's nail, they just snipped it off (but way down by the toe) applied styptic, and we went on our merry way. No anestesia was used and she was fine.

While most vets aren't "out to get you" or your wallet, you do need to ask better questions next time. When you dropped him off, you should have been asking why you couldn't pick him up earlier. It probably is because it was a last minute appt (?), and they do surgeries/ procedures like this at a certain period of the day when there's no appts in the book.

Call them and make sure they know he's diabetic. Believe it or not, vets are usually pretty savvy on how to care for dogs, even ones with issues like this.
;-)

Answer 8

Sounds to me like they are making a mountain out of a mole hill.

I would call the office or clinic & see if I could pick the dog up earlier than then told you to. It doesn't take but a minute or two to remove the nail & bandage it. Don't know why they had you drop off your dog for such a simple thing.

You didn't even really need to take the dog to the Vet to get this done. You could have done it yourself. Don't bandage it, the dog will rip off all the dressings & keep it clean himself. He will limp but when it heals things will go back to normal.

Had this happen when hiking in the mountains with my dogs. I just yanked off the nail & kept on hiking. Yeah, the nail bled but it is a none threatening thing.

The only thing I would worry about is how much they are going to charge you for such a simple thing. Vets are getting rich at our expence.

Answer 9

maybe they had to sedate him or maybe their pick up times are between 5 and 6 so they have time to talk to you or maybe they just want to monitor him to make sure his foot is ok and he is going to leave the bandage alone.

as far as the cost i imagine that includes an exam, nail trim, sedation or numbing agent, cleaning the foot, bandaging it, and antibiotics and pain meds. $68 is actually pretty cheap for treatment of a cracked toe nail.

also, they will offer him some food and water since he is diabetic- dont worry on that.

Answer 10

Ask if they have taken care of the nail and you are coming to get him. Don't ask when, just say you are coming..period.

But maybe they have all the procedures scheduled at a particular time for the convenience of the clinic and he is just in a crate holding right now. Most clinic do group procedures for the efficiency of the clinic and doctor's time. Tell them that he is diabetic so that they take good care of his needs. I don't think they would like to put him into shock from lack of proper care.