# OUCH! Why do they injure themselves at such inopportune times?



## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Yesterday I had Deja with me because I had to take her to the vet for a progesterone test. When I let her out of the crate to potty before leaving for the vet's office, she kind of "yipe'd" and stumbled out of the crate, falling headfirst and scaring me half to death, but luckily she managed to twist herself around enough so that she landed on her shoulder instead of on her nose. She, of course, jumped right up, shook it off, and headed over towards the grass. When she stopped to pee, I saw that one of her nails was bleeding and thought, "Great. She's broken a nail." By the time I got her back to the car, I couldn't even _see_ the nail itself for all the blood, so I poured some water over her foot and the nail was _white_! :-o

"What the heck has she done?! Is that the _quick_?" I thought. She didn't act like it was hurting her or anything, so I gingerly touched it with one of my fingernails. It was hard. Ok, so maybe it's not the quick, but why is it _white_? I loaded her back up, then I saw the black sheath that was her nail lying on the ground. It looked like a giant 'Soft Claw' nail cap, still perfectly intact. It had broken off all the way at the top. I picked it up and took it with me to the vet. It wasn't bleeding by the time I got her to the vet's office, so they drew the blood for the prog. test and then wrapped her foot. 

This is what it looked like 4 hours later when I unwrapped it:


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## Becky Shilling (Jul 11, 2006)

Ow! Ow! Ow! You might try painting it with liquid bandage. It won't help painful much, but will keep it clean(er).


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Youch....glad that is all it was though...I was thinking that you were going to say "blew her ACL"....

Probably alot like slivers under our nails....poor girl....


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

Did the vet say if you should use an antibiotic ointment on it, and what kind? Watch for infection. With the quick exposed that is my biggest worry. One of my GSD grinds his nails to the quick, gets infected, and that takes a long time to heal. Happened 3 times in the last 1.5 years, and was about a month on antibiotics last time...  Of course he also has a high pain tolerance, and doesn't show it, so by the time I notice anything's wrong the infection is pretty thoroughly set in, one time to the bone...  He does heal, without any complications, and regrows his nails.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

The vet said not to do anything, just make sure it stays clean. I'm taking her in twice a week for prog. testing anyway, so they'll be able to keep an eye on it.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

So you are going to breed this clumsy thing ??? C'mon now, have you not been reading what I have been posting ???


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Yep. Hopefully the puppies will all be clumsy shit eaters, too. 


She didn't injure herself being clumsy, btw; she was clumsy because she injured herself.


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## Greg Leavitt (Aug 31, 2006)

who are you going to breed her to?


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

That little scratch ??? Please. Dog shouldn't notice that at all.

Refer to my post about healthy shitters. LOL


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## Candy Eggert (Oct 28, 2008)

Kristen just one more thought on the quick being exposed like that. Dogs can pick tetnus from soil (mostly turned soil) through an exposed wound. I think the pink nail is stunning on her...;-)


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Ok, what are the odds of a dog getting tetnus from a broken nail. Like how many out of a thousand ??

I ran coondogs as a kid, and they busted nails on all manner of things and NEVER got sick or had tetnus or any BS like that.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Aside from the 'yip' when she first did it, she has yet to act like it is bothering her at all, aside from licking at it. I would have to be put on morphine if I did something like that to myself! It hurts me just to look at it! :lol: I'm sure she'll be fine; it just sucks because now I can't do anything with her until it heals. 



> who are you going to breed her to?


S'a secret right now. I'll let you know if the breeding takes. :-$ ;-)


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Hopefully a Mal, I have seen her drive. ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)


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## Candy Eggert (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> Ok, what are the odds of a dog getting tetnus from a broken nail. Like how many out of a thousand ??
> 
> I ran coondogs as a kid, and they busted nails on all manner of things and NEVER got sick or had tetnus or any BS like that.


I'll ask my K9 vet, who gave me that information, next time I take an unhealthy dog to the vet. I said "can" and also said "turned soil" not just ground. 

btw~my dogs have never had BS either :roll: Is it contagious?


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Exc_use_ me? Are you talking about the same dog_ I_ am? I somehow doubt it.


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## Candy Eggert (Oct 28, 2008)

http://www.dhpe.org/infect/tetanus.html 

Don't know the numbers/odds, just talking about the potential ;-)


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

I think most vets are "potentially" full of shit. : )

Quote: Excuse me? Are you talking about the same dog I am? I somehow doubt it.

Are you sure ??? Post a video.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

My hunt terriers lost more nails then they had toes with all the crazy digging some of them used to do. 
If they weren't limping they stayed on the hunt. If they limped like a sissy (don't recall ever) they got tossed in the truck.


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## Candy Eggert (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> I think most vets are "potentially" full of shit. : )
> .


I'll agree but I don't think it's "potentially" just vets :wink: Seems to be a pandemic going around....#-o


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Jeff Oehlsen said:


> Quote: Excuse me? Are you talking about the same dog I am? I somehow doubt it.
> 
> Are you sure ??? Post a video.


Be happy to, but you'll have to wait until her nail is healed.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Shouldn't bother her in the least. Lets see it. : )


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Sorry, but I'm not willing to risk further injury to my dog to prove _anything_ to you, Jeff.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Further injury like what ??? LOL I have had dogs work with busted toenails and there was no "further injury". Nice try though. :razz:


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## Dan Long (Jan 10, 2008)

My Dane busted off one of her back claws when it got stuck between 2 boards on my deck. It bled like a stuck pig, and it kept opening up for weeks afterwards. A year later and that nail still isn't right. 

I'm not sure about putting that liquid bandage on it- have you ever used that? Aside from a small scratch, it's not real useful. I had a deeper cut one time that was on the edge of a finger (knife slipped while cutting meat) I couldn't stop it from bleeding with normal pressure, so putting a bandage on it didn't work. I used some of that stuff- I might as well have taken a blow torch to my finger, that's how much it hurt!


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Yes, I've used that stuff before. It burns like hell. I'm not doing anything to Deja's nail. She's keeping it licked clean, so I'm not going to mess with it. 

Jeff, bite me.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I thought when you bred Deja last year it was just because you HAD to, one last time, in order to get the dog. What am I missing?
http://www.workingdogforum.com/vBulletin/f23/me-deja-8396/index3.html


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Quote: Jeff, bite me.

I don't have video of it, but it is brutal. Are you sure ?? Besides, most of the video I have seen of your dogs was less than stellar.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Yes, I had to breed her last year to get her papers. There was some miscommunication then; I thought I was going to title her first, but that's not what her owner wanted, so she was bred and has been put on the back burner as far as training goes. Now the plan is to breed her a few times, finish up the little bit of stuff she needs work on, and then title her. Yes, it's backwards. Do I really care? At this point, after all that I've been through with the whole situation, no.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Kristen Cabe said:


> Now the plan is to breed her a few times, finish up the little bit of stuff she needs work on, and then title her.


So you still do not have ownership? I mean, "the plan" is much different from "my plan," right?


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Oh yes, she's mine now.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

so, you're breeding her simply b/c you want to, not b/c you HAVE to for ownership, correct? 

just trying to get the scenario sraight in my mind. she's getting to the age where she shouldn't have too many more litters, at 7 yrs old.i take it you'll be retaining a pup fr the litter then?


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Yes, Ann, and your reasoning is the same as mine. I figure I need to breed her now before she gets too much older, and yes, I will most likely be keeping a pup from this breeding.


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