Hello,

I've just had Bailey out for a walk and noticed spots of blood on his bed and the floor when we got home. On closer inspection he appears to have cracked a lot of the inside nail on his rear right paw.

He doesn't appear to be in pain and the bleeding has reduced, but there is still a little blood coming from it. I have quite a limited first aid supply in my house so I'm just looking for advice on what to buy to care for or bandage the paw until we get to vet in the next few days....

Also how much should I walk him with his broken nail??

Thanks.

That area can bleed quite a lot but never seems to worry the dogs. I've clipped dogs nails in the past and ocassionally just nicked into the quick - the dogs have never been bothered by it and it stops within a few minutes if you hold some kitchen towel on it firmly. In your case I would be inclined to bathe his foot in warm salty water, dry carefully and apply pressure if it is still bleeding. A styptic pencil or drop of hydrogen peroxide can help the bleeding stop more quickly. Just keep an eye on it after that, but probably no need to reduce his walks unless you find that walking on it makes it start bleeding again.

Thanks Steve, that helps.

I think I'm still being the new protective Mummy with Bailey and worrying too much but he doesn't seem in pain so we'll see how it goes!

i wouldn`t bother with the vet, i`ve been a dog groomer for around 10yrs and this is VERY common.u can buy a powder called quick stop to stop the bleeding but it will stop on it`s own.just watch for any signs of infection as this can happen if the split is right into the pad.hope this helps.
p.s sometimes they bleed a LOT,lol

i keep a stock of potassium permanganate handy for little wounds like this you can get it in liquid or soluable form although wear gloves when you're working with it as it's purple and stains skin quite badly, it should stop the bleeding quickly, always clean the wound first to make sure there's no glass or wee sharp stones in there