Your veterinarian may prescribe pain medication or give an injection to keep your cat more comfortable. Without the keratin part of the nail to protect the quick, the tender live tissue, including blood vessels and nerves, is exposed and painful. Your cat’s foot needs to be closely monitored so your veterinarian will schedule a follow-up visit in a few days to examine the affected nail and remove or change the bandage.ĥ. Bone infections are serious problems and only certain antibiotics are effective in treating them. Since the nail bed, or quick, is attached to bone, prevention of infection is crucial. An oral or injectable antibiotic may be advised as well. Protect the nail bed from infection. Your veterinarian may apply antibiotic ointment or powder to the exposed nail bed and bandage the foot to prevent contamination and minimize further bleeding. The nail needs to be trimmed above the break to completely remove the damaged portion and to provide a good foundation for the nail to re-grow.Ĥ. This procedure is often painful but can be accomplished quickly and may not require sedation however, depending on the degree of pain and where the break is, sedation and/or numbing the area with a nerve block may be required. The damaged or broken part of the nail needs to be carefully removed. Keep your cat’s foot wrapped in paper towels as you proceed to your veterinary clinic. Sometimes, there is a loosely attached sliver of nail that can be trimmed away easily with clippers at home however, most of the time this job is best left to your veterinarian. You can also stick the tip of the nail into a bar of soap to help stop the bleeding.ģ. If you do not have these products at home, try covering the nail with baking powder or flour. These items can be purchased at the pet store or in the first aid section of your human pharmacy. If the bleeding does not stop in 5-10 minutes, apply a styptic pencil, silver nitrate stick, or cauterizing powder to the nail. Control bleeding by wrapping the foot in gauze or a towel and applying pressure to the injured toe. Provide restraint in the form of a hug which immobilizes the cat and makes her feel secure.Ģ. Remember that even the nicest pet may bite when in pain so try wrapping your cat in a towel. Have someone hold your pet while you tend to the nail. If your cat yelps in pain and suddenly begins to limp or hold her paw up, check her foot for a broken nail and follow this treatment protocol:ġ. What should I do if my cat has broken a nail? That is why trimming the tip of the nail is not painful for your pet but exposing the quick is uncomfortable. The quick is living tissue while the keratin is not. A layer of hard, horny material called keratin surrounds these sensitive structures and protects them. The nails of cats consist of a central collection of blood vessels and nerves that are called the quick (nail bed). Regardless of the reason, a broken nail hurts and bleeds so it requires immediate attention. Longer nails tend to get “caught” more than short ones. Sometimes, the nails of older pets are so dry that they become brittle and break without much provocation at all. Sometimes the cat may jump off a chair or down from the countertop, and land on a foot or toe in such a way that a nail bends backward and breaks. Plus, the bleeding that accompanies a torn nail further complicates the matter.Ĭats love to scratch things and can break their nails when they snag them on carpet or upholstery fibers or scratching post materials. Kitties with broken nails will hold up the foot, limp around, and whine in discomfort. The pain of a broken nail can be so intense that it can result in lameness, inactivity and possibly urination or defecation outside the litterbox. Ouch! How can such a little injury cause such a big hurt? A tiny tear in a tiny nail on a single toe on a single foot can be the source of excruciating pain.
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