Bailey's toe is driving me crazy!

I just do not know what to do! Sunday of last week, Bailey was trying to get into Guinness' crate to play with him. She caught her toe and tore the underside of the nail. You can see the pulpy part of the nail bulging out.

When we went to a scheduled vet appointment for something else and I showed the vet her toe. She said we should treat it conservatively by soaking it in Epsom salt water every night for 5 minutes to keep the infection out. Also, we have kept her away from the dog park all week, cause I am sure there are bunches of germs there.

She just banged it again and it started bleeding. She also did this Thursday night. My hubby was supposed to drop her off at the vet Friday morning, so they could look at it and evaluate her for pain meds. However, since she was acting normally and not limping, he decided not to.

I mean, when she banged it a little bit ago, it bled all over. I tried to mop up the blood from her foot and she went nuts. I settled for soaking her foot again in Epsom salt water.

The vet said something about "quicking" her nail. This is where they put the dog under and cut her toenail almost all the way down, so it can grow back normally.

I just don't know what to do. I think we are going to have to do the "quicking", because she won't let us doctor her foot normally and she keeps banging it on things, because she has a high pain tolerance.:(

:( :( :( :( I just wish this hadn't happened.:( :( :(

Anybody ever had this happen before?

I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you, but poor Bailey:(

I hope her toe feels better soon!

I definitely think you should follow the vet's advice. Those type of tears are so difficult to treat, especially if Bailey is so stressed over the home treatments. Ask her/him a few more questions, re: the post op period...how long will it take to grow back, what will be her activity limitaions etc. Most of all, you want to prevent an infection from settling in. I seem to remember this happening to another Pet Talk pup recently, but I can't remember, who!:confused: Please let us know what you guys decide...and hugs to sweet Bailey!

The vet said something about "quicking" her nail. This is where they put the dog under and cut her toenail almost all the way down, so it can grow back normally.>>>>>>

I am pretty sure this is what they did to Rocky 1.5 year ago.
I will warn you, My vet did not put any bandages on
Rocky after his surgery.
Rocky does that scratch dance and ripped his newly raw
toe to bits and it got infected. It was a horrible 3 month ordeal, when it should have been healed in 1 week.
So If you opt for this surgery, I would have
your vet rap the paw with breathable rape for a couple of days,
than put a sock or a boot on the paw when Bailey goes outside.
It will heal very quick that way, if Bailey is like Rocky
and does that scratch dance too.

One more option but it will take a lot longer
to heal and I would ask your vet first.
Last year something fell on Rocky's toe,
or it got caught underneath a door.
(just like if you were to close a door on your nail it would
turn black under neath the nail from dried blood and fall off)
Did not tear the nail this time, but it did bleed
the first day.
Since I went through that last ordeal with his toe,
I bandaged his foot up every time he went outside or
used the boot until the old nail fell off and a new one
grew in. (I also tried to keep him from licking his paw)
That took SEVERAL weeks, but it save me from
Rocky having a 2nd surgery on a different toe.

No, Bailey does not do the scratch dance, although Guinness does. THe only problem I can see is that if he put a bandage on it, she would eat the bandage. Well, not eat it, but tear it to shreds.

I mean, the way the vet talks, they make it sound like "quicking it" would be a relatively minor thing, like somebody cutting her nail too short or something. Although, I can already tell a difference in her nail. It's not the same color as her other nails. They are sort of pinkish white, but this nail is starting to turn grayish white. I don't think it's infected, but like I said, the pulpy part seems a bit seperated from the nail, which is why I think it is changing color.

God, I am so glad Rocky is ok, but I so hope that Bailey doesn't have to go through this for months. I hope if we have them "quick it", it will heal in a week.

We can't really watch her all day. We keep the two of them crated for about 6 hours a day, with a half hour break around lunchtime. I feel like she would mess with it if we left her to her own devices. Maybe we could get them to wrap it and we could put one of those conehead collars on her while she is in the crate.

Oh, and by the way, we can't put a boot on her foot. She growls and struggles and nips if we even try.

PS.....Her nail just started bleeding again. My poor Bailey!!!!! My couch cover is RUINED. It's pale green! It looks like somebody chopped off a finger on it or something!

She was playing with Guinness and I thought they were doing just fine. Then it got quiet and I went to investigate. As I walked through the kitchen to the den, I looked and there was blood ALL over my kitchen floor. When I got to the couch, oh my god!:eek: :eek: :eek:

My hubby is like "we can wash it"....not blood stains out of pale green! Guess I'll just have to buy another....:( $90....:(

As upset as I am about the couch, I am more upset by her toe...I just want it to stop bleeding like that....:( :( :( I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow.

Oh!!! Sorry about your sofa.
Poor Baily.

Sevens, I am sure the surgery will be the best way to go,
since Baily doesn't do the scratch dance, nor
constantly lick her paw.
It is supposed to be a minor surgery.
In my case, my simple surgery
turned into a nightmare because BIG STRONG
Rocky butchered his raw toe, every time he peed,
and never gave it a chance to heal.
The cone did not work for Rocky either. He figured a way
to bend the cone so he could reach his toe and lick it. :rolleyes:

If you opt for the surgery please let us know how it goes.

I promise, I will keep everybody updated about her toe.

I think we can keep her from licking while she is in the crate if we muzzle her. My parents had to get their dog a muzzle for when he gets his nails clipped. He freaks out about a little nail trim so much that once a month, they have to sedate him, put on the muzzle and have the vet's office clip his nails.

I think the nylon muzzle would probably be the way to go with her. It's like the ones they use on Emergency Vets on Animal Planet. She wouldn't be able to lick/bite her foot while we weren't there to watch her. She doesn't bite it, but she has been licking it about 4 times or so a day.

I think the main thing is to keep her calm and not let her roughouse with Guinness. That's when she seems to make it bleed.

As for the couch cover, my mom says to treat it with something called Zout. We'll do that before bed and then take it to the laundromat tomorrow to get cleaned while we are at work.

:( :( :( Well, the doctor wants to do the surgery this afternoon! I am supposed to bring her by at lunch, drop her off and pick her up around 5.

I feel like crying, I feel like I am abandoning her at the vets office. I mean, I know it would do me no good to be there, because she'll be under anesthesia and all, but I feel bad for not staying.

And I know it sounds silly, cause this is really a minor surgery, it's just a toenail, but I am really nervous, cause she has never been under anesthesia for anything since she's been with us (since Feb.):( :( :( :( :(

Please pray for her even though this is a minor thing. :( :( :(

We had to have Chester's nail cut to the toe twice. No problem. They simply put a tourniquet on it and cut it off, though they didn't tranquilize him. It was then bandaged for 1 week and he wore the cone. :rolleyes: The first time it happened we tried to let in heal but it wouldn't, and the 2nd time we were at the vets office that afternoon. I wasn't about to go through that again! He banged it and caught it on everything that first time while I was trying to let it heal on it's own and bled like a stuck pig every time. I know it was painful to have it cut off, but I think it’s more painful to leave that piece of nail hanging on so that it hurts every time they touch it.

Good luck Bailey girl and don’t worry Mommy, she’ll be fine. :)

I'm sure everything with Bailey will be fine--we'll say a little prayer for him so that everything goes well!!
I sure hope the surgery gets him good as new---he has so much playing to do with his new friend Guiness!!!!!
Please let us know how sweet Bailey does in surgery.

Well, the vet did it differently than I thought they would. They sedated her heavily, then used a Dremmel (sp?) to shorten all of her nails. Then they removed almost all of her busted up nail except for a little nub.

They also gave her a shot of antibiotic and a shot of painkiller. She seems to be doing really well about not licking it. However, when she is in her crate by herself during the day, we need to put the conehead collar on her.

The 2 hardest things now are to keep it clean and dry and to keep her and Guinness from playing with each other. It was their roughousing that made it bleed. Also, they said we shouldn't put a boot on it, just a tube sock with a plastic bag over it, which is going badly, because the sock and plastic bag won't stay on. I settled for just letting her out in front of our building and wiping her paw off after. We have to soak it twice a day and give her painkillers for the first 3 days.

So far so good. Keep your fingers crossed for the next 5 to 10 days that it'll heal up fine.:)

Also, they said we shouldn't put a boot on it, just a tube sock with a plastic bag over it, which is going badly, because the sock and plastic bag won't stay on. >>>>>>

LOL! I did the plastic bag and sock too. Needless to say
that did not stay on very long. hehehe
My vet originally did not want me to use anything either, because
he wanted it to breath. (I only used the boot when
Rock went outside to pee)
OK! Baily we will are all wishing you a speedy
recover.

Karen : )

Just wondering how Bailey’s nail is healing? :)

Bailey's toe is doing pretty good it seems. We have not done the sock/plastic bag or boot thing because we can't get them to stay on. The vet said that it was to make sure that she didn't get it dirty/muddy.

We've kept her only on the sidewalks, with the occasional patch of grass/flower bed to go potty on. She doesn't dig her toe into the dirt, doesn't do the scratch dance, so I think if there was any dirt, it would be on the toe pad, not up into the nail. We wipe her feet when she comes in.

She's doing fine with the Epsom salt soaks. The swelling has gone down quite a bit and she's only tried to lick at it about 4 times. Like I said previously, the hardest part is making sure she doesn't play with Guinness. I feel guilty about that part, because they SOOOOOO want to play together and both of them probably aren't getting enough exercise. Oh well, hopefully we can tough it out until next week and I think we'll be ok then.

There's one thing I did notice that I did want to ask. When Chester and Rocky went through this stuff, did the area of the quick that was exposed look black to you while it was healing? I mean, it looks almost black, but I think maybe it looks black like a scab looks kinda black.

Glad to hear she's doing good.

Yes, Chester's did look very dark. I think it was from the medication the vet put on it initially to stop the bleeding. If you're worried about the way it looks, call your vet and ask why it looks the way it does. I call mine for every little thing and they're great about answering questions. :)

YAAA!!!!
I am so glad Bailey is being such a good girl and
letting her toe heal properly.
To be honest, I do not remember Rocky's toe
turning black. Than again, all's I remember was
raw than pink for awhile.

I agree with micki76, it doesn't hurt to call the vet and ask.

Sending Baily plenty of healing kisses.

I'm so happy to hear that Bailey's doing so well with her treatment. And how nice that Rocky and Chester's Moms are here to offer support and advice!:) Hugs to you Bailey...keep up the good work!l:)

Yeah, I think I will call the vet tomorrow. I know they have later hours in the summer, so if they are open until 6pm tomorrow, I might take her in after work and have them look at it to make sure it's healing ok.

Sheeesh, it was so hard to keep her calm tonite...my cousin was visiting my grandma who is about 3 hours west of me. Granma has ovarian cancer and they don't think she'll make it through the year.:( Anyway, my cousin took her two sons and baby twin daughters to see Granma and came back through here on her way home (cousin lives 1.5 hour east of me). Bailey saw the kids and went nuts, she soooo wanted to play.

Sometimes I wish the vet had given me Valium to keep her calm for the week.:rolleyes:

Here is a picture of her toe...it's not very good, I guess it would be better if I had a better camera and a tired dog.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...6/fb84f5a7.jpg

Glad to hear Bailey's toe is on the mend.
I hope I never have to go through that with any of mine--I cannot imagine keeping them calm!!!
You deserve an award when Bailey's all healed!!!!!:) :)

Glad to hear that Bailey's toe is healing.

Sending get well wishes to Bailey!:) :)

It's hard to tell by the picture.
Is that black part, Baily's toe nail sticking out or
all black skin? Rocky's toe nail was cut off all the way back
"into the quick", you could not even see any nail.
It was all new growth comming out of his toe.

IF that is her toenail, I bet their will be new healthy nail growth
comming out, and the black part of the nail is dry blood/bruise will either fall off or you can eventually trim it, as her healthy nail growns in.

Vet call is free, now I want to know. lol

Nope, Bailey's toe is not black...it's supposed to look pink and white like the other nails beside it.

I did get to talk to the vet today. She did say that the black coloring to the quick area was a scabby part. She said it will look funny for the next few months while the bad/dead part grows out and the new healthy nail comes in.

I asked her about infection. She said we should pay attention to the smell of her feet especially. She said that's how they noticed it was getting infected when they were getting ready to quick the nail. I guess you had to be really close to the nail, cause I didn't even notice a smell. Also, she said to pay attention to the swelling and other common sense stuff like not bearing weight on it and excessive licking.

And also she said little bits of the nail might chip off, because it is just the dead nail flaking away.

Guess since she's my first, I'm being a little overprotective right now. It's so hard to try to convince her that not playing with Guinness is for her own good.

The vet said keep up the seperation from Guinness thing and soaking thing until next Saturday and she should be fine....whew, 8 more days to go?:eek:

HI MY DOG IS GOING THREW THE SAME THING NOW.

COULD U PLEASE TELL ME HOW LONG IT TOOK FOR YOUR DOG SWELLING TO GO DOWN?

IM WORRIED ABOUT HER SHE'S MY BABY.

ITS BEEN 2 WEEKS SINCE SHE TORN HER NAIL AND IT'S STILL SWOLLEN I TOOK HER TO THE VET LAST NIGHT AND HE SAID TO SOAK IT IN EPSOM SALT 3 TIMES A DAY AND SHES ON ANTIBIOTICS. HE SAID NOT TO MAKE HER LICK IT AND PUT A SOCK ON HER.

HE WANTS TO SEE HER BACK IN 6 DAYS TO SEE IF THE SWELLING GOES DOWN.

SHE ALSO PLAYS WITH ANOTHER DOG WHO ALWAYS STEPS ON HER FEET WHEN THEY PLAY.

PLEASE HELP AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU DOD AND HOW LONG IT TOOK FOR THE SWELLING TO GO DOWN.

THANKS,
MARY

a very familiar site lol

Be sure to have aroung some quik-stop powder to stop the bleeding when she tears her nails. Dogs lose a lot of blood when they cut the quick and depending on the size of the dog it can be quite dangerous. I would recommend quicking as the vet said under a general anestetic. It is painful at first but the pain will let up and the nail will grow back normally. Autumn is always playing too rough and breaking her nails short. At some pet stores you can buy nail caps for cats (and they fit some dogs) as a humane alternative to declawing. We buy the biggest we can find and put those on her broken nails and leave them on until they grow out of them.

I work in a pet groomers, ive bathed a dog like this before she was a rescue though and she had been very neglected but they had to cut down her nails so they could grow again and she also had to have some removed but im sure your dog wont need this done! she was in a bad way when the new owners first got her!

Ive seen this dog once again when she came in for another bath and her nails seemed to be growing back fine but we still wasnt allowed to cut them but they sawa vet about it and he was able to sort it out for her :)