My dog lost a toenail (claw) on his back left foot on the outside toe. He did this playing fetch. I saw the blood on our deck. He limps occasionally. Does he need a visit to the veterinarian, or do we just need to put antibiotic ointment on it? He is not bleeding any longer. There is just a clean hole where the nail was.

See a veterinarian if the area is bothersome or becomes infected.

This is a common, painful injury in dogs. The outer nail sheath protects the inner portion, which contains blood vessels and nerves. Pain is involved when the exposed nail bed contacts things.

You may wish to have your dog seen by a veterinarian if the damaged nail bothers your dog or if it becomes red and swollen. Occasionally, these injuries need to be bandaged so that the pet does not lick and irritate the affected area. Sometimes the nail bed in such injuries becomes infected and may require antibiotics.

You may want to read this article in the VetCentric Knowledgebase: "Can I use human triple antibiotic ointment on my dog?" Please go to www.vetcentric.com, then go to Knowledgebase and enter the title into the search box. You may also enter the keywords "claw" and "nail" into the search box to find related articles.

To help prevent this from happening in the future, be sure to keep your dog's nails trimmed neatly. Your veterinarian or groomer can either perform this for you or show you how you can do it at home.

11/03/03