Broken Toe Nail

Ever broken your nail all the up to the quick? Hurts, right? Shane did this last night! We noticed him limping around, so we started checking out his paw. My mom thought maybe he got a piece of glass in there earlier, when she broke a cup and Shane came jumping in to investigate! So I am looking, prodding, bending, wiggling, tickling,....nothing. He thinks he is getting a massage....go figure.....

So I start touching his toe nails, one by one...I get to the next to last one, and he flinched his paw away with a yelp. I found the problem. I take a closer look, and see that he broke his toe nail all the up to the quick and it is a nasty cut, because the nail is very jagged.

I also notice there is dirt....so I think, "gotta clean this up before he get's an infection." He was not happy, especially after I told him to "stay" ...he gave me that ...."why are you punishing me" look! And the whole time I am trying to explain TO HIM that I have to clean it (like a mother explaining a child!).

So to help ease his pain, I placed a bandage on it thinking it help him walk in the mean time and keep the dirt out. Shane had other ideas...I go sit down on the couch, he takes one look at his wrapped paw, and one look at me, gets up, and places his bandaged paw in my lap and looks at me as to say "please don't make me wear this." Seeing I put him through so much agony and knowing that Shane just eat the bandaged in the middle of the night, I took it off.

I called the vet up next morning, told me it should heal in couple of days and the bandage was not necessary, since he knows Shane will just try to take if off! In the mean time, Shane is milking this for all it's worth!LOL ...he is getting coddled like never before, and with his injuries he gets a couple of days without much training. Yup...he is loving it lol!