Snagged toenail while playing in grass - is this common?

[Sniffy]

Hi everyone, I tried searching for this topic and I learned that toenail injuries are quite common overall, but I wonder if anyone out there has experienced something like this:

 

Stanley (3 years old) plays in the grass, on leash. Runs a few short bursts as I try to keep up with him, he turns around, sometimes does a couple 360s, repeat until we are both panting heavily--mostly me.  A few times at some point during the running,  he screams bloody murder.  Holds his paw up briefly, then is able to put weight on it immediately and walk regularly without limping.  We have ruled out him stepping on a sharp object (we checked the ground and his paw each time).  There was no entangling with the leash, and I didn't step on his foot.  Also, this has happened with different feet. Both front and  rear feet,  so to me that rules out a recurring injury.  When we get home and wipe his feet there is no flinching or sign of any pain or injury, thankfully.  We think he must be snagging his toenail on the grass.  This has happened about three times since the snow melted, in a public park, and also in my side yard.

We will be taking him soon to get his toenails clipped (he's about due for a spa day).  I just wonder what else it could be--little shuttle runs like this are the only opportunity he gets to sprint for a few strides, as we have no fenced in yard and the dog parks in the area have short fences (and obnoxious dogs with matching owners). 

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

[GreyhndHomecare]

Last Fall, Lily pulled a claw completely out from the quick, when she snagged it in the carpet. Search “broke claw” here for several posts about this. Since then, I got a Conair pet nail groomer and do her nails twice a month, reducing the length (it takes a while, since the length of the quick can get out of hand). 

[MerseyGrey]

Not exactly as you describe, but Buddy also has mad zoomies, at the end of which he may hold a paw up, usually one of the front ones. I wonder if he twists a wrist when he turns. He has a few years on Stanley and definitely has a degree of arthritis. 
On one of these however occasions it turned out that he had dislodged a nail which we only found out when we took him to the vet because there was a sustained limp with it. When we got him out of the car at the vet, there was loads of blood. After a couple of days, the nail came off completely while he was scratching the ground after a wee. He didn’t make a sound

[greysmom]

When the turning radius is so small, doing zoomies is rough on the feet.  They are built for running fast basically straight ahead, so sharp turns can put stress on the toe ligaments.  He *may* be catching it in the dirt, or he may just be startled by whatever he's feeling in his foot and screeching about it.

Most of us call this the "Greyhound Scream of Death."  The loudness and screechiness of the sound is inversely proportional to how serious the injury is!!    The worse the injury, the more silent they are!!

One of my boys broke his toe running in our yard and never made a sound, never limped, nothing.  I didn't even see it until he ran back up on our deck and gushed blood all over the boards from the giant wound where the toe bone was sticking out!!    But - OMG! - god forbid someone gets a pine cone caught in their foot well!!  You'd think they were being attacked by some creature actively eating them from the ground up!!   

Just watch him for any injury.  And try and find a greyhound friend through your group who has a fenced yard for you to play in.    If he needs more daily exercise a longer walk is as good as a zoomie session and safer for all involved.

 

[Sniffy]

23 hours ago, MerseyGrey said:

Not exactly as you describe, but Buddy also has mad zoomies, at the end of which he may hold a paw up, usually one of the front ones. I wonder if he twists a wrist when he turns. He has a few years on Stanley and definitely has a degree of arthritis. 
On one of these however occasions it turned out that he had dislodged a nail which we only found out when we took him to the vet because there was a sustained limp with it. When we got him out of the car at the vet, there was loads of blood. After a couple of days, the nail came off completely while he was scratching the ground after a wee. He didn’t make a sound

Thanks--yes for some reason Stanley hasn't limped...at all. in any of these instances and only lifted his foot very briefly.  We are getting him to limit his zoomies to straight (as possible) path lines!

[Sniffy]

16 hours ago, greysmom said:

 

Most of us call this the "Greyhound Scream of Death."  The loudness and screechiness of the sound is inversely proportional to how serious the injury is!!    The worse the injury, the more silent they are!!

......  And try and find a greyhound friend through your group who has a fenced yard for you to play in.    If he needs more daily exercise a longer walk is as good as a zoomie session and safer for all involved.

 

Yes, that's the scream all right, and you are correct, I stepped on his toe in the street once, drawing blood (he was attempting zoomies in the middle of the street and stepped right into my path unexpectedly) and he barely noticed.  

Some friends, no fenced yards...there were meetups in the Boston area 20-ish years ago that were announced on GT, but with a lot fewer greys in the area these days, that doesnt' seem to be happening anymore.