Broken Dew Claw Treatment (Home Remedies & Recovery)

Broken Dew Claw Treatment

Have you ever observed your dog limping? Have you noticed your dog favoring a paw over the other? It's essential you take your dog to visit a vet in order to be in the know of what the dog is facing. The dog is likely to have a torn or broken nail.

It's common for a dog to have this injury, and it's a good thing to understand the ways on how to identify and treat it at home. Among other injuries, the dewclaw injury is rifer in dogs. That's because unlike other nails, they don't wear down or weaken. Know this, whenever your dog walks, the claws (or dewclaws) aren’t used.

At the ankle region of an animal, the dewclaw is the only nail you can find. Either at an animal's ankle region or above the front of their feet. Because of its position, this kind of nail is susceptible. This nail isn't tightly attached, so its risk of having an injury is more significant than other regular nails. Though, nail clipping can cause this injury, too.

RECOMMENDED: Dog Dew Claw Removal (All You Need To Know)

Some owners are aware of the negative effect of clipping the nails, so they do away with clipping the nails of their dog; others indulge in such activities. The only thing the dog can do is to jerk his paw, and that is likely to give the dog a chipped or broken nail. If he goes ahead to yank it hard enough, it can result in a torn nail, partially torn nail, or he might even pull it out entirely.

If you're reading this, one can guess and 100% get it correctly that you're a dog lover. And, it's undoubtedly true that you wouldn't want to see your dog feeling excruciating pains — the dewclaws injury is an injury that comes with a painful experience for the dog. Do you want your dog to feel better? Your dog needs your assistance at this point. Your assistance would keep other issues such as other behavior problems and irritability at arm's length.

Symptoms Of A Dew Claw Injury

How can you detect if your dog is suffering from dew claw injury? In a dog, there are a couple of signs which you should watch out for — signs that relate with the presence of this dew claw injury. The most important ones include:

1. Favoring One Paw: Have you seen your dog holding one paw in the air? That's one of the most noticeable symptoms of this case study — dew claws injury. Usually, it's normal that your dog walks with four legs, but if you see anything contrary to that, it is of no doubt that there's something wrong with it. The first to do is to check the foot, then move ahead to check the mail for confirmation.
2. Blood: Bleeding can't be compared to the next symptom, limping — this is because bleeding isn't a typical symptom. Some dogs are likely to bleed if they have a broken or cracked nail. Have you noticed the presence of blood on your dog's fur? Have you noticed that your dog is bleeding? Don't hesitate to check for clues, and include his paws when doing so.
3. Limping: The act of limping exhibited by your dog may be one of the most straightforward symptoms of dewclaws injury. Most times, it's the first sign which you'll see. You would discover that your dog won't place weight on a particular paw when moving. It's just like a piece of information his passing across to you (“something is wrong with a part of my body”).
4. Licking: Licking is another kind of symptoms to alert you that your dog is facing issues with his nails. He begins to lick his paws, the region where the injured nail is located. People think licking is part of a dog's nature, so they tend to overlook this signal — they don't even see it as a symptom. Note that, if you persistently see your dog licking a paw, just know it that there's actually something wrong with that part of the leg.
5. Swollen Paw Or Toe: If the paw and toe are visibly inflamed, it's essential you check it without hesitation. A swollen paw often shows up with other symptoms, including constant limping and licking. It can be, to an extent, challenging for you to examine the toe because your dog is most likely to resist and move his paw away. Be firm, but at the same time, ensure that you're not hurting your pet. Otherwise, you'd end up scaring him.

RECOMMENDED: How To Deal With Dog Toenail That Splits In The Middle

When dogs are in pain, they tend to be stubborn. If your dog doesn't permit you to check the injured paw, then it's high time you visited a veterinarian.
Here is a video about Broken Dew Claw Treatment you Should Watch

Causes Of Dew Claw Injury

It's quite common for most dogs to suffer from this very type of injury — dewclaw injuries. There are situations which heighten the risk to the pain attached to the dewclaw injury; they include:

1. Overgrown Nails: Some owners do not lay their hands on the dewclaws. While they clip the other nails found on the dog's paws, they leave the dewclaws since they are high above the rest anyway.

   

   Others don't remember to trim them. Unfortunately, your dog can end up feeling lots of pain since overgrown or long nails can easily chip or break

2. Metabolic Conditions: Does your dog have a problem with his health, such as he has metabolic or glandular conditions, injured nails are more common than the healthy ones. A perfect example is a dog that has thyroid disease — thyroid disease can cause nail problems, not leaving aside brittleness. Therefore, your dog can easily be influenced by nail chipping.
3. Congenital Issues: Some dogs began to have weak nails right from birth — immediately they were conceived. Those dogs that fall under this category will suffer this throughout their lives. The side effect of this is being prone to regularly damaged nails. Often, there's really no particular cure for this, but you can be of great help to your dog by preventing the consequences. How do you prevent the consequences? Simply take care of your dog's nails frequently.
4. Tumors: Have you noticed your dog limping and continually licking one of his toes? Have you noticed that your dog avoids the use of one paw when walking? This could be caused by the presence of a tumor growing on his toe.

   

   As a result of the tumor, the nails end up becoming so fragile — and when the nails are fragile, they can easily be damaged. This happens rarely, but if it in any way is seen in your pet, you'll need the assistance of a vet.

5. Accidents And Other Causes: If your dog is an active one, the only thing that causes a broken nail for him is when he comes in contact with a really sharp object. It is likely to be caused by bacteria, parasites, or even stress. And also, it can also be that your dog was bitten by other animals, which led to direct nail injury or swelling. A simple wound as a result of a ripped claw can cause pains, swelling, and even infection. At this point, it's imperative that you, without hesitation, provide treatment in order to help alleviate the suffering which your dog is experiencing.

Diagnosis Of A Dew Claw Injury

You really don't have to visit a veterinarian to diagnose whether your dog has been with a broken nail or not. Once you observe your dog displaying any of the symptoms, especially the licking of a particular paw and limping, you can tell the exact location of the area that's affected. What you need to figure out the injury is a visual inspection.

– If your dog resists you from touching his toe or you can sense that he's going through pains from that area, it's required of you to go to the vet for local anesthesia or tranquilization.

How To Treat Dew Claw Injury — Broken Dew Claw Treatment

Injured nails can bring pains, and may eventually lead to an infection. You don't need to waste any time, start the infected dew claw treatment for your dog's recovery right away.

Stop Your Dog's Dew Claw Injury – Stop Nail From Bleeding

Is the area bleeding? Make sure you waste no time in stopping that area from bleeding. There's a type of bleeding that's caused by removing the damaged portion of the nail — that bleeding is mild bleeding. The bleeding shouldn't last beyond 24 hours, but if it does, here are tested remedies the bleeding to a stop:

1. Styptic Powder: This powder contains a cauterizing agent, and this agent is responsible for sealing up the area to stop the bleeding in no time.

   

   So, it's recommended that you apply it to the wound.

2. Styptic Pencil: It serves similarly with styptic Powder — it helps to seal the wound.

   

   The bleeding is likely to stop when you hold the item upon the wound for about two minutes.

3. Baking Soda and Cornstarch: Another method is to use cornstarch or baking soda. Apply it directly on the wound and make use of a towel to keep it in place for some minutes.

   

   The bleeding should either decrease significantly or stop when you remove the towel. You can also try regular flour.

4. Potassium Permanganate: Do you want to staunch the bleeding? If yes, you'll need some cotton swabs, crystals, and water to ensure that the swabs are moist.

   

   This powder is commonly used by vets to stop bleeding nails. It's highly practical and natural, and you can purchase it online or at pet stores situated close to you.

Once the swabs are observably damp, let the crystals stick to the cotton and slowly apply it to the bleeding paw. You'll need to hold it on the area for about 30 seconds. You should see the effect of doing such right away. If the bleeding hasn't stopped, perform the action again but this time, press the swab upon the wound for five minutes. If it still does not stop the bleeding, make sure that you contact the vet immediately.

Home Remedies For Infected Dew Claw

In case you observe any of the following symptoms stated above at home, you can make use of these home remedies for infected dew claw without leaving your house.

Home Remedy:

You can also employ the use of a bar of soap to stop your dog from bleeding. Just press it onto the claw of your dog for three to four minutes, and it will create a plug which seals the nail injury. It helps to hold the nail at a certain degree, 90 degrees precisely, with the nail firmly embedded in the soap for about three to four millimeters.

YOU MIGHT LIKE: Dog Nail Bed Infection Home Treatment

You can also mix flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and water until a thick paste is formed. Use a cotton ball to put the paste together and apply it directly and softly to the damaged nail. Allow it to sit there for a few minutes, and it should be able to lessen the bleeding. You can perform the remedy again to stop the blood loss completely

Note: The blood which the blood loses during nail removal isn't dangerous — this is for healthy dogs though. The bleeding may look so severe, and your dog may be, at the same time, reacting to it. You may also have the blood poured all over the floor, and that can make you uncomfortable. Whatever happens, and whatever you do, always stay calm — especially when you're in the process of performing the dog dew claw injury treatment. If you get agitated, your dog can sense it and also worry as well — even though he has trust in you. If you're trying to remove a portion of the nail or all of it, ensure that you don't give in to having shaky hands.

Make sure that you breathe deeply, also make sure that you are calm so that you can get the job done more effectively and faster than when you were displaying nervousness.

DON'T MISS: Dogs Nail Bleeding After Cutting? (4 Instant Ways To Stop It)

Do these to keep the infection from spreading:

– Bath the dog with warm water

– Clean the wound

– Apply antiseptic on the affected area

– Bandage the dewclaw injury

If it starts bleeding again after doing these, apply the styptic powder or pencil.

Recovery

After doing these — broken dew claw treatment — your dog should recover from the dewclaw injury in just a day or two.