# help dog ripped his dew claw!



## *taz*

my westie has caught his dew claw on something and ripped it almost off
It isnt bleeding but its hanging off is there anything i can do to help him and he is limping, should we bandage it or just leave him alone as he shows his teeth when you touch it and dont want to make it any worse for him. 

Mum says if he is still limping in the morning we will take him vets but what can we do tonight!


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## paddyjulie

*taz* said:


> my westie has caught his dew claw on something and ripped it almost off
> It isnt bleeding but its hanging off is there anything i can do to help him and he is limping, should we bandage it or just leave him alone as he shows his teeth when you touch it and dont want to make it any worse for him.
> 
> Mum says if he is still limping in the morning we will take him vets but what can we do tonight!


Ouch... i know some people have used the spray on plaster on the dew claws if you have any

juliex


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## *taz*

paddyjulie said:


> Ouch... i know some people have used the spray on plaster on the dew claws if you have any
> 
> juliex


No we havn't just looked in the first aid draw and we dont have any!


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## lemmsy

I'd give the vet a ring for some advice to be honest and make sure you keep it clean. 

When my dog broke his nail (not dew claw admittedly)- we took him to the vets for antibiotics because what with the nail having lots of exposure to the ground the risk of nail bed infection was very high and nail bed infections are incredibly painful for the dog and buggers to sort out. 

To clean it I'd use some salt water solution- if you have any sudocrem put some of that on it too. For minor cuts and grazes I use a special cream for pets made by Johnson's Pets- it's a Tea Tree antiseptic cream and works fantastically. 

As the dew claw is almost ripped off- I would definately call the vet and ask what is best to do. Is the quick exposed? Is it/ did it bleed? If there is a bit hanging this will need to be removed. TBH I wouldn't try to do this myself personally, as removing it will be incredibly painful for the dog. The vet will be able to do this for you and may decided to remove the whole dew claw to avoid future problems. 

Really keep it clean as nail bed infections are nasty.

Hope this helps and let us know how you get on


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## Freyja

If he'll let you I'd bathe it and bandage it up for tonight then take him to the vets tomorrow. I would bandage it tonight just to make sure he doesn't catch it on his bedding.


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## hazel pritchard

Hi my dog pulled one of his front claws,the vet said if it caused a problem they would just pull the claw off and put a boot dressing on it.it seems to be ok at the moment,it has not hurt him since


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## xxwelshcrazyxx

My chihuahua Teigan must of really caught her dew claw at some stage because I only noticed it 4 days ago, I never heard her yelp or cry and she didnt limp, she wasnt acting as if there was anything wrong so I had no inclination at all. It wasnt until she was sitting on my lap and put her paw over her face to sleep that I noticed her dew claw have this wierd shaped nail, it wasnt curled like the other one, it was like it had bent in half (dont know how else to discribe it). I was going to cut the nail but decided to leave well alone and take her to the vet to get it seen to the same day she was due for her yearly booster. But two days later I went to look at it again to check it and it had come off itself, (like the nail had broken off ), all I could see what a small short nail which looked quite good really considering, and the vein could be clearly seen through the small amount of remaninig nail left. I never heard her yep when it came off and she didnt bang or catch it on anything, I assume it must of been damaged awhile ago and we didnt notice it, as she never ever whimpered or limped or anything at any time, (she is always with me). So it must of healed and come off it self. Vets said this is what happens sometimes and the owners are never aware that it have happened. She kept looking at me everytime i looked at her nail as if to say, What's the problem with you, dont you have nails of yor own to look at.


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## haeveymolly

Hi it wont be the actual dewclaw itself that has ripped if it stuck right out which it sounds like it its the nail that has broken right down to the nail bed the dew claw is a bone you need to strap it as soon as possible strap it to the paw as tight as it seems comfortable, mine had done this 3 times now it is extremely painfull our bled quite a lot as well if yu dont strap it it will be more painfull as the dog walks as the claw will be stuck out and be moving as the dog walks and will be easy to catch on anything, do make sure its strapped. If you feel the dewclaw ir ripped really far down let the vet take a look and take the nail off completely right down to the bed, this is what our vet did and the recovery time is a lot less. 
Our vet will not remove the dew claw completely, my other had his dew claws removed at 3 weeks when he was docked, but i dont no any vets that will do unless its an extreme case in a dog any older.


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## *taz*

First of thank you for your replies!

Turned out that it wasnt a ripped dew claw but think he may have been stung by something as he is now walking much better barely limping and he is going to the dog groomers tommorro who is a friend of mine so he will clip around it and see if its infected ect...(We will take him to the vets if he finds anything wrong) As his fur is quite long and its hard to see properly although he is letting us touch it and doesnt seem to care now. But as he seems so much better we think that it is healing on its own thankfully.


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