Hi, Judy lost a claw on a walk last week. I didn't realise at first; her back left paw was bleeding for a few minutes but we had to walk back to the car so continued. I called the vet for advice and was told it should be fine, she could walk on it and would lick it clean herself. We walked the following morning but after the walk she was limping and seemed to be in pain. I took her to the vet on Sunday who said the exposed flesh was infected - she had antibiotics and pain killers and we're on road walks for this week. Seeing the vet tomorrow for a check. I've been trying to rinse it with salt water but she's really not keen on that, otherwise she seems fine, no longer in pain and the exposed flesh isn't as red and angry as it was at the weekend. I wondered if this had happened to anyone else and if so, how things worked out. I'm hoping to take Judy back into the fields and woods where we normally walk as soon as possible but also don't want to rush it if it'll cause setbacks, particularly as where we are is quite wet and muddy at the moment. Obviously I'll take my usual vet's advice tomorrow but would like to hear about anyone else's experience with lost claws and getting back to normal activity. Thanks.
Willow ripped a claw off some time back - last winter or the one before, I forget! At the time, she didn't make a noise, or limp at all, but she did a bit after a few days. It kept opening up again, which was a real pain. I tried covering it, but it was snowy at the time, and whatever she had on there didn't really work. I didn't try the rubber boots I have, but would if it happened again. I made sure to rinse it with dilute betadine after every walk, which she hated, but had to be done. It was fine after a while. The exposed quick died back and, in time, a new nail grew. Once the quick was dead, there was no problem with resuming normal activity.
Thanks, Snowbunny. I'll see if I can get some boots for Judy! I can already see an improvement, it's a bit frustrating because of all that teenage puppy energy she has which doesn't get used up on road walks!
These are the ones I have: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Protex-Paw...1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486642968&sr=8-1&keywords=pawz They're like a balloon and go on easily. When I used one on Willow a few weeks ago, I was expecting her to have a melt-down, but she shook her foot once and then walked normally.
Yes, we had this too. Our vet bandaged the foot up to stop infection. It was a right royal pain! Since then I have also discovered the foot boots (thank you @bbrown for the tip) - I use these ones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Dogs/Lar...qid=1486643170&sr=8-2&keywords=pawz+dog+boots I ordered large size for use with a bandage, and medium for use without, and always have them handy in my doggie first aid box now.
Oh wow, thank you Karen and Fiona, I had no idea this kind of thing existed! I'm ordering some pronto! Whether Judy accepts them or not remains to be seen but it's definitely worth a try.
Snowie injured the skin between his paw pads (both front paws) and then licked it raw. Must've stood on some sharp shells at the beach or sharp stones. He could walk fine inside the house, but limped on the beach - guessing from the sea sand. We were on holiday. So I simply applied antibiotic gel (always have it) and then plastered on the Vaseline as a barrier before every walk and he could walk fine on the sand, only started to limp again after an hour of walking, guessing the Vaseline had worn off. It cleared up after a week.
Mine did the same, vet cut it level and bandaged and antibiotics, then keep it dry! That was when we had rain every day for days! I used plastic bags, but will now buy some of the boots recommended by Karen and Snowbunny.
