Uh Oh! Broke a Nail!

Dutchess broke one of her dewclaws! This isn't the first time, she's done it once before. I don't know how she manages it. I'm guessing she snags it on the carpet or furniture. Luckily this time it wasn't a bad break so there wasn't a lot of bleeding. I just basically washed it, put some triple antibiotic ointment on and wrapped in in gauze, using medical tape to secure it. Then I use an old sock to cover the gauze - or else she'd have the whole mess off in about 30 seconds! I usually have resort to spraying "bitter yuck" on the sock to keep her from removing it. I hate, hate, HATE using the stuff because I always end up tasting it myself no matter how careful I am when I spray it! Oh it is SO nasty! It astounds me that the stuff doesn't even phase Winston!

She refused to look at me! She's not a fan of the sock!

The first time Dutch broke her nail I panicked and called my Vet right away! She directed me on how to treat it and luckily we didn't have any complications that required anything more serious as far as treatment. You have to really be careful because a bad break can cause a lot of bleeding and they are prone to infection. Which is why it's important to keep the paw covered, clean and keep a very close eye on it in case further treatment is required.