Split Nails in Dogs

A split toenail in a dog is not the gravest of medical emergencies, but can seem as equally harrowing when your pooch is howling in pain and there is blood involved. Dog toenails that are not trimmed properly have a higher tendency to get snagged in grass or other brush, and can also split on pavement while your dog is walking.

  1. Locate Nail

    • Hold your dog still and locate which toenail has split. Depending on the amount of blood and the length of your dog's fur, it might take a few seconds to see where the source of his pain is originating from.

    Assess Damage

    • Firmly grip your dog's arm near his damaged paw and study the split nail closely. If the split is near the tip of the nail and there is no blood, you may be able to simply clip the nail past the split. If the split runs all the way down to the nail's base, or the nail itself has partially cracked at the base and blood is involved, clipping it yourself is still an option but doing so may lead to infection and more damage.

    Bandage

    • If your dog's nail is split farther than you can clip, wrap your dog's wounded paw with a tube sock or other piece of fabric to stop the bleeding. Your dog may try to lick the wound, which could lead to infection, but the sock will stop him from doing so. Do not allow your dog to pull the sock off.

    Vet Visit

    • Fixing a split dog's nail at a veterinarian's office is a relatively simple procedure and generally doesn't take longer than 15 minutes, depending on the wait time. Your vet will assess the nail's damage and make sure that it is removed properly. Your vet will also thoroughly clean the wound to ensure no infection occurs, apply a coagulant such as styptic powder to stop the bleeding, bandage the wound, and let you know whether the nail will grow back again or not. You may or may not be given oral antibiotics to give your dog in the following week to make sure that its wound will not get infected.