One of the common orthopedic injuries in the four-legged friends is a broken nail. Damage is often accompanied by bleeding, pain, and requires immediate intervention. The attentive owner must be able to provide first aid to the pet and know what measures will help prevent the problem.
The main causes of injury to the front and back paws
To break a claws an active and moving dog can in a variety of situations – during the pursuit of a cat or in a fight with relatives, with an unsuccessful jump from the height. The common cause of injury is the craving for many dogs to dig whips in solid soil, sand. Having caught on the back, stumbling with paws on solid objects, stones, brick the first do not stand the claws and break.
Old animals are prone to an orthopedic problem because of the development in them of dryness not only of the skin, but also of the stratum corneum. The fragments and dry claws break sooner or later.
Keeping pets in a dry place, especially in winter when working with central heating, is often accompanied by a trauma of claws. As a rule, additional dog claws are prone to the problem, since the bases are stored naturally and do not stick out to the sides.
Veterinarians believe that it can damage the unbalanced diet and the presence of diseases of the endocrine system and internal organs. So, with deficiency of vitamin A, biotin, vitamins of group B, zinc, selenium, iron is marked by stratification of the stratum corneum, dryness and fragility of the nails.
Sufferers dog “manicure” and thyroid disease, violation of mineral metabolism, pathology of the liver.
Symptoms of the dog breaking the claw
Trapped animals usually do not remain unnoticed by the attentive owners. The animal, which is carelessly running at a walk or in the room, begins to lame. The dog tries not to attack the damaged limb, holds it on the weight. Many individuals are trying to lick the painful area. Due to the fact that claws in animals are provided with blood vessels, their damage is most often accompanied by bleeding.
In a visual inspection, the owner will find that the nail is either broken or completely torn from the nail brow. To look at the damage should be very careful, since the slightest touch brings the paternal severe pain.
First aid: what an anesthetic to give, how to handle it
Having found an injury, the owner must correctly provide first aid to a four-legged friend. If the damage is accompanied by bleeding, then first of all, measures are taken to eliminate it. The restless person is best viewed with an assistant who will hold the dog firmly during manipulations.
To begin with, it is necessary to inspect the wound for the presence of foreign objects in it – fragments of glass and metal, wood chips, splits, thorns, sharp thorns, pine or spruce needles, seeds of plants.
Bleeding when damage to the claws can be removed in several ways: using hemostatic pencil, peroxide of hydrogen, baby powder. For fast bleeding, pressed with bandage or gauze.
The most responsible moment in giving the first aid to an animal is the removal of a broken nail. If the injury occurs closer to the end of the horny education, then break off the damaged area with the help of a special nail clipper. With a quick, but sure movement, remove the hanging fragment.
As a rule, such manipulation is painful for the dog, but the pain is instantaneous. If the damage is located near the base of the claws, it is not necessary to carry out the manipulation itself.
The next step of the owner should be action to prevent the infection of an open trauma infectious factors. The peculiarity of the anatomical structure of the clause is its connection with the bone structures of the limb.
In this regard, it is important not to allow dirt to enter the wound. For this purpose, the owner must carry out an antiseptic treatment of the damaged area. You can do this with antibacterial compositions – a solution of chlorohexidine. If in the first aid kit there is a special iodine-based wound, then its simple and convenient application will facilitate antiseptic treatment.
The paw should be placed in a clean cotton sock or screwed in to prevent injury to the wound.
Appeal to a veterinarian with a claw injury
Given the complex structure of claws, their proximity to bone formations, the danger of infection and the development of inflammation of surrounding tissues, after the first aid animal should be delivered to a specialized institution. Qualified care is necessary for continuous bleeding, expressed, does not pass with time lameness.
The veterinary specialist should also be contacted if the damage to the claws occurred in the immediate vicinity of the paw.
When examined, the doctor first of all cleans the wound, will hold antiseptic treatment. With severe pain, the animal will be sedated to remove the broken claws. Manipulation is carried out with a special surgical instrument, which allows you to quickly and without straightening the corneous layer to trim the damaged claw. Then bleeding is stopped and the aseptic bandage is applied to the paw.
An orthopedic trauma in an animal is associated with severe pain. In some cases, veterinary specialist uses painkillers to reduce the suffering of the infant.
In the event of the threat of penetration of pathogenic microorganisms into deeply located tissues of a fluffy patient, a course of antibacterial drugs is prescribed. For preventive purposes, antibiotics with a wide spectrum of action are used.
Recommendations for the further treatment of the wound surface depend on the degree of damage. As a rule, care is to wound the anti-inflammatory ointment.
Animals should be given complete restraint, shorten the duration of walks. To accelerate the healing of the wound, the veterinarian may recommend enriching the pet’s diet with vitamins A and E, biotin, selenium, zinc, and sulfur with the help of multivitamin and mineral supplements.
Prevention of damage to the nails in the dog
Given the prevalence of the problem, veterinarians, orthopedists and dog breeders with experience, recommend that owners of four-legged friends observe the following rules for care and maintenance:
Regularly cut off nail growths. The rising horny layer clings to solid surfaces and will cause injury sooner or later. The neglect of this simple hygienic procedure will save the dog from painful injuries.
The manipulation should be done with the help of a special tool for the breeding of animals. The cuff should be made of high-quality metal, which prevents the appearance of bumps and bundles when cutting the nail. Particular attention should be paid to additional claws, which, due to physiological characteristics, grow faster.
The animal’s diet should be balanced by nutrients, vitamins and trace elements.
In the winter, when keeping dogs in the heated rooms, it is recommended to moisten the air with the help of air conditioning and spray equipment.
A broken nail causes a four-man friend serious trouble in the form of bleeding and pain. The owner’s task is to skillfully provide first aid to the animal and deliver it as soon as possible to the clinic. A review of a veterinarian is necessary in the presence of bleeding from the wound, severe lameness and pain syndrome.
The treatment is to completely or partially remove the damaged nail, stop the bleeding and treat antiseptic wounds.
Picture Credit: AdinaVoicu