Dog's paw injured, cracked nail, bent toe. What to do without a vet?

Question

Hello. My small dog had a ball thrown at him last night. There was much blood dripping from his foot. After cleaning with hydrogen peroxide, I placed neosporin with topical pain relief on it and wrapped it in a bandage. I could see the nail is cracked mid way. The toe next to the nail seems to bent to the side. I can not get too close to it because he tries to bite me. He is hopping with the leg lifted and keeps trying to lick the wound. What can I do? Unable to see vet at present. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 2 years and 9 months old | 12 lbs

Dr. Strydom, DVM · Accepted Answer

It sounds like his toe may be broken. It is not an emergency but you should take Frecky to your vet for an exam when you can. Often times broken toes are not fixed surgically but they do need to be immobilized in order to heal. This entails putting him in a splint bandage for a month or so until the fracture is healed. A soft bandage is not enough support as he can still move the toe. Every time that toe moves, the fracture moves and therefore it does not heal or it won't heal straight. It may be that only the nail is broken. That would be the best case scenario. In this instance the broken portion of the nail needs to be removed and then a soft bandage can be applied just to protect the nail for a few days and then it can be removed. Your vet can also prescribe some pain medications as obviously he is in pain based on your description. If you absolutely cannot get him to the vet then all you can do is what you have already done. Don't continue to put peroxide on it as that will delay healing. You can apply Neopsorin and wrap it up but that is not going to fix a fractured toe. DO NOT give him any over the counter medications (like aspirin, etc) unless you talk to your vet first. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Dog's paw injured, cracked nail, bent toe. What to do without a vet?

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