A nail question
 

OK so you know how sometimes you get a split in your nail and then run your hands through your hair and some hair gets caught or runs through the split. Well Reagan is having that problem right now. It seems that on the underside of the nail there is a split and of course its her back leg, the one she uses to scratch. So when she scratches it will sometimes get caught. Its so pitiful, she whimpers and everything. Anyway its too high up to trim the nail up that far. I've tried just kinda breaking the split part off but it doesn't seem to budge and every time I mess with it she jerks her head back there pretty quick, so I don't know it may even hurt her if I were to break it off. It got caught twice last night so I trimmed the nail as much as I could. It was fine all day until just now, I'm reading away and I hear her start to whimper.

So here's my question anyone have any suggestions? I'm thinking I'm going to keep messing with the split part and see if I can get it to come off, maybe?

Will she hold still long enough for you to super glue the nail? If so, you could put some glue on it, along with a piece of thin fabric to sort of fill in the gap. It should last until the nail grows out. I know this is painful as I've done it myself. Best of luck to you.

The glue is a good idea....have you tried filing it?

She'll probably lick it. Is it safe?

TJ bites his nails and they split and shread. I hate it. B/c he makes them soooooooooo pointy and they hurt and they split. He is going to the Vet tomorrow b/c they are able to cut his nails really short. I guess I have to just keep up on getting his nails cut really often to stop them splitting. :)

The super glue is a good idea. I know that some vets and doctors are using it to close small incisions.

But Do not ever use Gorrilla glue or leave that product where any pet might get into it. There was a news story out of Seattle were this small maltese I think it was, knocked it off the counter & licked about 2 tsp of this stuff. Later the dog becomes very ill. The owner rushes the dog to the vet, she tell the vet what had happened. On the x-ray it show a very, very large mass. The vet calls the number on the glue bottle, Which btw has important message about pets & small children. They gave her information on what it does. She had to do emergency surgery & remove 4lbs of gunk! It mixes with the stomach juices and grows and grows.

Back to the nail... I just saw at pet smart a product made by 3m it is called
3M Pet Care skin & paw crack care.
Maybe that would work as well.

Not to change this thread, I wanted to give a correction on the gorrilla glue.
Something was bugging me about it being a maltese. So I went on line found the story. I was a little off. It was a black lab! But I had maltese stuck in my brain.

Thank you for bringing up the safety ? on the glue, that is what triggered it my memory. I have started a new thread with the link to the news story on it.

OK Back to the nail question! She needs help!

The glue is a good idea, and thanks for bringing up the risks everyone too. I think as far as the licking she doesn't lick her back feet much if at all, she does lick her front feet all the time. Also its on the underside of the nail I would think that if she is going to lick her feet it would mainly be the top or maybe even her pad area not necessarily the nail. Also she has tons of hair on her feet so I don't even think she could get to the nail really. But it is definately a good point. I think I'm going to watch her, it hasn't gotten stuck today, and if it continues to get stuck maybe try the glue idea, I'm going to try to avoid it just in case. I can see the mess already, remember I mentioned about all the hair on her feet, I don't trim the hair there. I'm thinking I could try using a scrunchie, definately not tight, to hold up some of the hair just until the glue dried a bit.

I tried filing it a little bit, but really couldn't get to it. I'm going to keep trying that and just picking at it trying to get it to break. If worse comes to worse I'll try to glue and let you know how it goes.

The split starts at the end of the nail that is connected to the paw then goes towards then nail end. And its starts fairly close to the paw so I don't think I can cut the nail that far up.

Thanks everyone for your ideas I'll let you know if I end up having to try something other than just waiting it out.

Oh just wanted to say I read your suggestion about the 3m product I'll look into that too. You know I think there's also something that you can rub on scratches or cuts too, but I don't know I'm thinking that's prob just for skin. I'll check on it too. Thanks again everyone

If the glue doesn't stay, I'd try the filing like Brenda recommended.

I would trim and file as much as possible. I would also wash it daily with an antibacterial solution. Keep a close eye on it because split nails can lead to infection and serious complications.

I would also consider taking her to the vet and having it trimmed down to get rid of the split. It would be painful, but maybe not as painful as it is now. Don't know about the super glue idea since it could possible gain entry into the bloodstream. I too have heard of doctors using some type of glue instead of stitches, but don't know if it is a special formula.

Here's something on super glue, it sounds like the medical one is different.

(Quinn & Kissick, 1994) Current use: Although not labeled as such, over-the-counter Super Glue products contain methyl alcohol, because it is inexpensive to produce. Cyanoacrylates cure by a chemical reaction called polymerization, which produces heat. Methyl alcohol has a pronounced heating action when it contacts tissue and may even produce burns if the glue contacts a large enough area of tissue. Rapid curing may also lead to tissue necrosis. Nevertheless, with a greater toxic potential, over-the-counter products are inappropriate for use in wound closure. (Quinn & Kissick, 1994)

Medical grade products currently available contain either butyl, isobutyl or octyl esters. They are bacteriostatic and painless to apply when used as directed, produce minimal thermal reaction when applied to dry skin and break down harmlessly in tissue. They are essentially inert once dry. Butyl products are rigid when dry, but provide a strong bond. Available octyl products are more flexible when dry, but produce a weaker bond.

When used for repair, ideally the wound to be closed is fresh, clean, fairly shallow, with straight edges that lie together on their own. The glue is applied to bridge over the closed edges; it should not be used within the wound (on raw surfaces), where it will impair epithelization. The only currently FDA approved adhesives suitable for use as suture alternatives are veterinary products; n-butyl- cyanoacrylate tissue adhesives Vetbond (3M) and Nexaband liquid and octyl-based Nexaband S/C (intended for topical skin closure when deep sutures have been placed). Histoacryl Blue (butyl based) (Davis & Geck) and Tissu-Glu (isobutyl based) (Medi-West Pharmaceuticals) are sold in Canada for human use. DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) or acetone serve as removers. (Helmstetter, 1995; Quinn & Kissick, 1994)

Thanks a lot for that. With the nail there is that nerve or whatever in there too so I'm thinking it wouldn't be appropriate. At first I thought, well its just the nail but then I did think about that nerve or vein or whatever.

She hasn't had any problems with it today so I haven't done anything to it. Hopefully it will stay like this, that she doesn't have any more problems.