cracked claw, what can be done?

[MuleShack]

My gsp has a crack in his front foot claw that goes vertical.

He still runs, but you can tell it bothers him cause he licks it occasionally.

I have tried cutting it back, but he is really protective of it. I mean it is a pain trying to clip his claws normally, but this is 10 times worse. Someone told me to soak it in salt water but can't get him to stand still long enough.

Any other thoughts?

[hanson]

Ouch.

My Lab must have "stubbed" one of his toenails at some point on something because out of the blue one day, his nail was pointing 90 degrees sideways. I freaked out. I'm thinking dislocated toe or who knows what. Of course he wouldn't let me touch or look at it either.

When I did get a good look at it, the nail came off and he had a new one growing in underneath.

The old nail eventually fell off and he is back to normal now.

Maybe yours has a new one growing in under that one already?

[JosMN]

Depending on how deep the crack is, it should grow back just fine. One of my buddies has a couple Weimaraners. His older one caught a nail on a dock and completely tore it out. It has since not grown back very well, if even at all, but in your case it should be fine. I would try your best to trim it back, have someone else hold him down, do what it takes. For some reason, both of my Vizslas have been very good with me trimming their nails. They just lay there, which surprises me with my 7 yr old since she is running no matter what, from doing horseshoes on the couch in the house, chasing squirels, or just flat out being nuts.

[MuleShack]

Thanks,

I got a piece cut off of it last night when he was napping :sneeky: but after that he bolted.

I'll try again tonight and see if i cant get his foot in a bucket for a while to clean it up.

[JosMN]

The main thing is to get it cut down to a point where it will be harder for him to catch it on something and break it, or rip it down. Once you get the crack cut down low enough, it will have a harder time spreading all the way to the base. Good luck

[tybo]

I have slid the end of a pill capsule filled with super glue over the nail and held it in place until it set. It is tricky and I recommend some assistance if the dog is in pain. Try to fit a capsule before you fill it with glue to make sure it fits. It has worked once on a minor split but didn't on a more serious split. With the minor split the nail was cracked down the middle. With the more serious crack the nail was split down the middle and one half of the split was cracked across the nail partly so one side of the split was barely attached. With that one I just cut back as much as I could to minimize it getting caught.

[LatLong]

I don't know if this will help in your case but my lab cracks his nails on a fairly regular basis. It usually happens if his nails get a little long. His usually crack horizontaly. I get some stuff from the vet, can't remember what it's called but it's a thick liquid made to keep the quick moist and protected and to promote healing. Couple of times i've had to bandage his foot for a little while until the quick skins over.

[Tom7227]

Folks, you have finger nails. A dog has claws.