Dew claws are the smallest toes on the inside of your dog’s feet. These non-weight-bearing toes are prone to injuries and will often get cracked or broken. Most of these incidents lead to blood loss but sometimes, damaged dew claws may not bleed. Read on to learn how you can take care of a broken dew claw that’s not bleeding.
What Should I Do if My Dog has a Broken Dew Claw?
If your pup’s nail is cracked and not bleeding, it won’t require a lot of treatment. You just need to keep the claw clean until it starts healing and give your dog some pain relief. However, you can consult your vet about minimizing the chances of infection in your dog’s paw. The following are some steps that can help you take care of a broken dew claw.
- Clean the affected area and cover it with gauze to keep the dirt out.
- Tightly wrap a bandage around the affected paw for providing support to it.
- Give your pooch some pain-relieving medications.
- Keep your dog calm during the recovery period by offering delicious treats and showing kind gestures.
Will a Broken Dew Claw Heal Itself?
It depends on the extent of the injury. If the dew claw of your dog broke from above the quick, the nail will most likely heal itself. In this case, you won’t observe excessive bleeding that is often associated with dew claw injuries. However, it’s still important to keep the claw covered because your dog will be inclined to chew on it.
These mild injuries can be managed easily at home with proper dressing. Applying some bitter apple spray on the bandage can be an effective solution to keep your pup in control. In the case of a multi-pet household, it’s recommended to isolate the injured canine until his/her dew claw heals. This will prevent other pets from eating the dressing or exaggerating the injury.
On the other hand, if a dog breaks his/her dew claw below the quick, veterinary care will be needed. This type of injury often results in immediate and severe bleeding.
How to Avoid a Broken Dew Claw?
The easiest and most effective way of preventing dew claw injuries is the regular trimming of your dog’s nails. According to Gone Dog Mad, you must trim the claws of your dogs every 2 weeks to keep them safe.
Although trimming dog nails is not a very difficult task, some owners are reluctant to do it themselves. If you are not confident, it’s advisable to use the services of your vet or a professional groomer. This is because you may cut through the ‘quick’, which can be very painful for your pooch.
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