Cher Tore Her Entire Toe Nail Out

[Guest Luvagrey]

Last night, during her last trip outside before bed, our 10-year old grey showed up on the deck, bleeding like crazy! There were puddles of blood forming...my hubby was freaking out, and I was on the verge of freaking out. I looked at her foot and she had torn the entire nail out of her back left paw. I was so scared she was going to bleed out, and all I could think of was to stop the bleeding somehow. I put pressure on it for about 5 minutes and finally was able to take a look. It looked like one of her toes was missing! I realized it was because her nail was gone. This has never happened in the nearly 9 years she's been with us, or the 3 years we've had our other greyhound. We still don't know what she caught it on!

 

I vet wrapped it really good and put her to bed, called an experienced greyhound friend and she concurred with my decision to wait it out until morning when I could get her to our vet. She did great, slept through the night, and we took her in around 10:30. They told us we were lucky, it was cleanly gone, everything looked fine, she trimmed the hair around it, told us to let the air get to it over the weekend, and t hey put her on antiobiotics and Tramadol. So far so good, they don't know if the nail will ever grow back. Cher is prancing like she always did so I think either way she's going to be okay.

 

It could have turned out so much worse.

 

[Hubcitypam]

My first grey tore her entire toenail out. It never came back.

[Hollis]

Angel Norm was the master at losing nails. He never had a full set. Ever. He'd lose one, it'd start to grow, and he'd lose another. It got to the point that the only time we'd take him in was if it wasn't a complete break. As in nail hanging by a thread.

 

Yes, the blood is incredible. The first time he lost one I was alone couldn't get it to stop. Blood literally squirting with every heartbeat. Called best friend to drive us to the er vet and mother to come contain the other dogs until mama2 came home. Mama2 was amazed when she did. Blood was everywhere.

 

 

What I wouldn't give to have the chance to clean up just one more bloody toenail.

[Guest k9soul]

When I got Rudy, he was missing one of his back toenails completely. It was just a bare toe. He had been in a home before mine but the group said they did not know how he lost the nail. I just figured he must have torn it out at some point and he'd just never have a nail on that foot. Then about a month ago, after I had had him for 7 months, I started noticing a little nub on that toe. I inspected it closer, and to my amazement it was his toenail growing back in! Since then it has become more and more visible, though too short to trim still. It took months before it even appeared, so I'm not sure how far back into his foot it had broken or torn at some point.

 

I'm glad Cher is okay. Maybe a few months down the road her nail will make an appearance.

Edited October 6, 2013 by k9soul

[DesiRayMom]

I can't believe she's prancing around as usual. You'd think that would be incredible painful.

Best wishes & an extra cookie for that brave girlie.

[Guest abbysmom]

This happened to my Rosie a few months ago. Vet told me to keep it wrapped until the bleeding stopped (and that she might bang it and start the bleeding again. ). She never acted painful. Now she has a nubbin of a bail growing back. Good luck. Those nails can certainly bleed!

[galgrey]

My bridge boy, Keno, did this several times. They all grew back except for one. It bled like mad and he had a little bit of nail just hanging on, so I took him to the vet and they cauterized it.

[krissn333]

We've dealt with that many times. Glad that it came out cleanly...it's cruddy when the vet has to pull it the rest of the way (with pliers *shudder*).

 

Sometimes the nail comes back and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it *sorta* comes back and that can be a bit odd. Pinky had one that grew back funky...I called it her nubbin nail One of my iggies has a *sort of* nail that never seems to grow any more than what it is

[Guest k9soul]

Well after posting about Rudy's nail coming back I noticed this morning it's gone again! There's a little bit of nub that I can feel right up next to his toe, but apparently the nail that was coming in broke off again, and it must have no quick because there was no bleeding. So just another confirmation of Kristin's post about it growing back oddly/differently.

Edited October 8, 2013 by k9soul

[Guest Luvagrey]

Very interesting stories. I'm not sure what to expect. I'm just glad it doesn't seem to bother her and now that she's getting off the pain meds, she is getting back to her old self.