Toe Nail Accident

[Fuzzy]

My bunny's foot got caught on something and his toenail (pinky toe of right foot) appears to have been ripped off. The bleeding has stopped and we've washed the wound. We've tried to wrapped it with gauze but he kicked it off, sowe've opted to just leave it alone to minimize stress.He was gritting his teeth awhile ago but he seems to be OK now.

I'm located in Edmonton, Alberta and I was wondering if anyone knows when Dr. Pam Goble's office opens? I want tobring him to the vet first thing tomorrow morning.

Is there anything that can be done in the meantime??

Will it grow back??

 

[Spring]

Hi Fuzzy! Welcome to the forum!

Poor little guy! It's good that the bleeding has stopped, he should be alright . It will probably be alright left alone, just make sure that his cage is clean and keep an eye out to make sure it's looking normal and everything.

I am not sure when Dr. Pam Goble's office opens. We have a few Edmonton members, they might know. You could possibly phone the office, sometimes they have recordings saying when they will be open.

For now, I would just keep an eye out for any signs of pain, keep his area clean and tidy, and give him lots of nose rubs!

I've heard that sometimes the nail will grow back, sometimes it won't.

Hopefully someone will come along with anything more to add. Bleeding nails are no fun! He will be just fine though!

 

[Fuzzy]

Thanks for the tips! I'll be sure to keep an eye out for any changes.

The office has a recording stating when they're closed for Thanksgiving, but it doesn't indicate their office hours.

I feel so bad for him!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Awww - the biggest concern would be if the toe is broken.

Otherwise, he should heal fine. Bo is missing a toenail and it bled all over the place when he tore it. It's been since last year I believe. It will never grow back on him.

 

[Fuzzy]

He keeps licking the wound, is it allright for him to do that?

How can I tell whether it's broken or not? Aside from the foot licking he isn't doing anything unusual.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I highly doubt he broke it. I would think he would have cried but maybe not.

Just watch him. Bo licked his for about 2 days I think. As long as he's not grinding his teeth, he's hopping fine, standing on it, of course pooing and peeing as always..... I would just let him get through it. That's what I did - and I am a nervous bunny mom.

It's not ideal for them to lose the toenails - show bunnies get DQ'd. If they lose them all they would have trouble but one is not a big deal for mine. He gets along quite well.

It's stopped bleeding?

 

[Fuzzy]

Nope, no crying or any sounds of pain. I didn't realize it until I saw blood.

Yeah the bleeding has stopped and his foot is relatively clean. No blood on thefur, pooing and peeing on a regular basis.

Was Bo in any pain for the days after it happened? Did he cope well?

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Bo has a second level in his cage and he did tend to avoid jumping down if he could - I think he was tender. That would be all. He was a champ! I cried for hours I think LOL!

 

[Michaela]

My Madison is missing a toe nail too. Like you I didn't notice it until I saw the blood. She didn't act any differently at all, and never showed a sign of pain. I just cleaned up the wound and she licked it a bit, it hasn't grown back (and won't - it's been months) but there have been no ill effects.

 

[BlueGiants]

If the nail broke off and you can still see (or feel) a bit of nail at the base, it will grow back fine. Sometimes a broken nail will come back in white or lighter than it was (only a problem if you are planning on showing him).

Sometimes when the nail breaks off, a bit of the nerve is exposed. That can be uncomfortable. It takes about 2 days for the nerve and vein to receed. Then it will stop hurting him. In the mean time, if he bumps it again, it may start bleeding again.It would be good if you kept some "Blood-Stop" (styptic powder) in a bunny first aid kit. That will stop a bleeding nail right away.

If you are not sure about the toe, it's better to get it checked out. But honestly, unless it is bent to one side or obviously out of place, the vet can't do much for a broken toe. You may have to restrict activity for a little while to give it time to heal.

I hope he's feeling OK now. (They tend to hande it better than we do!)

 

[Fuzzy]

So I went to the vet this morning. Toe is not broken, so that's a relief. The doctor said the nail will grow back but it'll take several months for it to beeven noticeable.

He's not a show bunny so it doesn't matter what colour is it when it grows back. As long as it grows back I'm happy. We have some Kwik Stop handy in case it does start to bleed again -- hopefully it won't.

Knowing that it happened to other bunnies is reassuring. By the way I was acting you'd think it was a near-death experience... I was feeling really bad about it. You guys were very helpful -- thanks for all the replies!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

You should have seen me when Bo did it. I literally cried!

 

[gentle giants]

My Sally is missing a toenail. She ripped it when she was a baby, and it never grew back. I just look at it this way-one less to trim! LOL. The only thing you will really need to worry about is infection, as I think someone already said. Him licking it is good,it will help it heal faster.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Just catching this post. Sorry I didn't see it earlier. I believe most of the vet offices in Edmonton were closed holiday Mondays. Don't you hate that. The only option was the Emergency Hospital and that costs you $85.00 just to walk in the door.

Did you see Dr Goble? Was the toe nail ripped off completely? Try not to let him run on hard surfaces like concrete as it causes the nails to wear down.

What kind of bunny do you have?

 

[Fuzzy]

Dr. Goble wasn't in and neither was Dr. King. They're both away for the week to attend an acupuncture course. According to the nurse, the vet that was filling in for them is not experienced with rabbits. She gave me several referrals instead.

The white part of the nail is completely gone and there is a pink pointy part that remains. I'm not sure what that's called. He won't be getting alot of play time for the next several days. Usually he's on carpet, if not kitchen tiles. I don't want it to get caught on the carpet though.

It's Bunny -- the one in your avatar with Pebbles!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Fuzzy, you could possibly put a bit of vetwrap around that foot to protect the nail. If you watch him closely, incase he tries to eat the vetwrap - he should be fine for a bit of excercise.

If you don't have vetwrap - it's like the stretchy self holding tape for bandaging. Vet wrap is cheaper usually tho.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Hey Fuzzy, are youBunny's owner? You should of told me. How is he?

Keep Bunny on the kitchen tile or something soft that won't scratch or tear his nail. You could probably lay out a bed sheet over the carpet for him.

Dr Goble seems to be away quite abit. Dr King saw Pebbles the last time I was there, and when I had to go back for Pebbles sneezing both Doctors were away and the clinic was going to have a third doctor look at Pebbles. So I went to another place where I could have one doctor take care of Pebbles and know what is going on with Pebbles.

 

[Fuzzy]

Hi Stan, yeah I'm Ping -- the sister of Bunny's owner. Bunny is doing really well. It doesn't seem to bother him at all.

This is his normal left toe.

This is his injured toe. Quality is not too clear but you can kind of see thatit ismuch shorter than normal (and red).

This is him demanding treats and play time as if nothing happened (aww...).

How is Pebbles doing?? Is she improving a bit with the sneezing? I agree that's it's better for both you and Pebbles that one doctor handles the issue from beginning till end. Is the new vet rabbit savvy?

 

[naturestee]

Aw, Bunny is such a cutie!

Since he still has a bit of the nail left, it should grow back without any problems. The red part that is left is called the quick- it's the part with the blood vessel in it. My girl Mocha sometimes breaks her nails down to the quick because they are so tiny and thin, even compared to other rabbits her size. They always grow back with out a problem. It probably stings a bit but it's not severe. It's crazy how much a toenail can bleed though! I just use normal cornstarch to help stop the bleeding.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Look at that little nose sticking out!!! :hearts: