My dog's nail is ripped and twisted. How can I protect his paw?

Question

My dog somehow ripped the entire upper part of his claw off, and it's raised and twisted. I spoke with a friend who's also a vet tech who told us to not mess with it, and the upper part of the claw would fall off eventually. I'm afraid of it getting caught on anything, and it doesn't bother him unless we try to touch it. Advice? Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | neutered | 10 months and 26 days old | 60 lbs

Amber Da Silva, DVM · Accepted Answer

Ouch! Poor Jaxxon! These can be very painful, so I'm not surprised he won't let you touch it. It will eventually fall off as the nail grows out, but I usually try to at least clip the broken part so that it doesn't get caught on anything and tear even more. If he doesn't allow you to do that, you could try applying a topical triple antibiotic ointment to the broken nail and bandaging the paw to protect it and keep it clean. If you do notice increased pain, swelling, discharge or a bad odor, these are all signs that the nail has become infected. If that happens, I would recommend taking him to your vet as he may need oral antibiotics to treat the infection.

My dog's nail is ripped and twisted. How can I protect his paw?

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