Gun Dog Forum

Hi All -
Question about a cracked toe nail:
We recently found a cracked toenail on our one dog.
The crack goes the entire length of her one toe nail - even up beyond the hairline where her nail goes into her toe.
We took her to the vet and they said that since the crack originates at the tip of her nail and goes the entire length, they needed to cut the nail as high as they could (way above the quick).
The vet performed that procedure with sedation about 3 weeks back, but did notify us that the crack continued beyond where she could cut the nail (up into the space beyond the hairline of her toe).
She was hoping that the nail might grow back without the crack, but unfortunately, the nail is growing back WITH the crack still present.

Does anyone have experience with this? I was wondering if the crack could be possibly be resolved with super glue?

If not, is removal of the nail a possibility?
While i hate to put her through another procedure, I would also hate for the nail to grow back with the crack, and just continue to cause her discomfort repeatedly, or possibly catch on something in the field and really hurt her.

Thoughts?
Thanks!

Th problem with super glue is that you could be sealing in an infection. Your vet should have a new plan , or personally I would be seeing a new vet.

YES!

Go to a different Vet.................................

is the dog lame? i dont think i have ever seen a cracked nail that didnt correct itself with time. your vet did the only thing you can do for a split nail.

Ditto to what they've said!! I have a few questions for you, as well.

1: Are her nails kept at a good, short, safe, length? (The answer to that question isn't going to fix this current crack, but may lend some light onto why it happened in the first place)
2: Did the vet check her out for a nail bed fungal infection? Often a fungal/yeast infection can lead to trouble at the nail bed itself. Removing the cracked nail is only like putting a bandaid on the issue. There may be an underlying infection that needs to be addressed.
3: Does the crack still carry all the way up to where the nail comes out of her toe?

Hi All -
Sorry for the slow update on this!
We recently had a baby, in addition to our furbabies! So I've been a bit busy!
Needless to say: The split nail did eventually correct itself.
It has remained relatively short since the "bit trim" at the vet.
It does not seem to cause her any additional pain, so I'm very glad for that.
Thanks for all of the input - as always, much appreciated!