advice needed dew claw has broken off

Can someone give me a little advice bella being bella has some how torn her dew claw ive removed the broken part of the nail and cleaned with some warm unsalted water was told to put a bit a flour on it which of done and also bandage it up which i have also done i was just wondering how often do i change the bandage do i use salt water when i have to clean it i would have gone to the vets but with xmas days away and not really having the money till after xmas i need some advice on avioding infection thanks

Bits of claw do sometimes come off, so it might not be anything to worry about.

If it's painful or bleeding, then I would just keep it clean but wouldn't bother bandaging it, as unless you can keep the bandage clean too you may end up just trapping dirt in. Or was it the vet who told you to bandage it?

If it's neither painful or was bleeding, then I personally would just keep an eye on it.

If I was going to bandage a foot, I'd change the bandage any time it got dirty or wet, and otherwise once a day, and clean it with dilute Hibiscrub.

was told by a friend to bandage it because it was open and bleeding and painful also she would lick continuously i did ring my vet but they didnt say much apart from bring her in

Is there no way the vet can do a telephone consultation ? That would be best as they will know the best wat forward she will lick the wound but theres a chance she will eat the bandage as well and the remainder of the dew claw may get caught in the bandage. Do u have anything in the meantime to keep her from lickimg the affected area ? This would give the wound a chance to heal.

No i dont think have tbh what would u suggest rather than a bandage

This has happened numerous times with my Flo. Cleaning it with salt water is fine but if it's not bleeding then leave it open to the air.

If Bella is constantly licking it then you might want to cover it but otherwise just gently clean after walks for a few days.

Hiya thanks for the advice i was putting a bandage on it but been as bella kept taking it of i just think as you said leave it for the air to get to it im little worried of the way it looks how do i put a picture on here to show u

This link explains how to post pictures, it's a bit long winded but once you get the hang of it, it isn't so hard.

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t12017-how-to-post-a-photos-onto-the-forum

https://s1376.photobucket.com/user/kiamckensie/slideshow/

I have no idea if that worked lol its not the best pic but bella is a fidget lol

I have been cleaning it im just not sure if that is dry bloody but yesterday it wasny like that

Ok I managed to see the pictures and they look normal to me. It can look like a mess when they first damage the dew claw but in those pictures nothing is hanging off to cause excess discomfort.

Is she bothering it or ignoring it without a bandage on. If she ignoring it just keep an eye on it but leave it be, the claw will grow back quicker than you imagine.

Tbh she left it alone yesterday but today she kept licking it which i stopped her every time i will put a bandage on it before i go to bed weather she keeps it on in the night i doubt it thanks for looking at the pics bella is my 1st dog and i get stressed out when she hurts herself so glad ive found this site

I was worried the first time my Flo did this and took her to the vet. All the vet did was remove the piece that was hanging on and clean it.

I found this forum after that and read what others did and have applied the same process. Flo is still the happy Staffy with refreshed dew claws that everyone predicted

It's natural to worry, after all, they are our fur kids

I would leave open to the air too its no as bad as i first thought i would clean the wound with salt water and dry thoroughly

Hiya i leave it open during the day and bandage it at night because she would lick it to much i know the picture doesnt really show that i clean it that was this morning before cleaning but i do clean it with salt water each time she goes outside im not sure if that is the right thing to do

As bad as you think it looks it really doesn't look that bad. Broken Dew claws are quiet common.

I would only clean it after she's been out and then only to get any heavy dirt off, don't go too mad with the cleaning. To put things in to perspective, imagine wild dogs must have had this happen all the time back in the day and they will have self treated by biting off any hanging claw and then cleaning by licking.

It is unnerving the first time it happens though.

The air and bathin it will help hope it heals soon

my customers dog did this bad his claw was very red and inflamed for a while and she took him to the vets, but they didnt bandage as they said it needs air to heal properly just make sure you keep it clean

Thank you all its looking abit better today which has stopped me stressing a little lol but yeah i bathe it morning and evening and when she goes on muddy areas outside

I'd do as Ian says, only clean it if it's actually dirty. By now it should have started to heal and you can open things up again. Let nature take its course as much as possible.

Hiya all if this has work this is an picture i took today is it suppose to look like this

https://s1376.photobucket.com/user/kiamckensie/slideshow/

Yup, looks like a typical Dew claw break to me. It also looks to be healing very nicely

I agree, it's looking very good.