Broken toe/nail on silkie :(

[ChickenWhisperer101]

Hello everyone.

My sweet splash silkie, Willow, got her foot caught on something and broke the end of her toe or something along those lines. I have been putting Veterciyn on it 1-2 times a day and she seems to be getting better, but still has a limp. Is there anything else I can do to help her? Thanks for any info/help!

- ChickenWhisperer101

 

[azygous]

That appears to be much more than a broken nail. It would be the equivalent of you losing a finger tip. How many days ago did this occur? She's in danger of losing the tip of the toe unless you can encourage the tissue to knit back together, not a good chance if it's been days since it happened.

But you can try soaking it twice a day in Epsom salts, then spray Vetericyn and coat with an antibiotic ointment and then pull the toe back together and wrap with Vetrap to hold the two sections together. Do this every day. Wrapping the toe so as to immobilize the severed tip will practically eliminate the pain she's experiencing right now with it dangling.

If you see the inside section of the toe begin to swell up and the severed tip start to go black, forget further treatment as her body's immune system is working to shed the toe. (auto-amputation)

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

That appears to be much more than a broken nail. It would be the equivalent of you losing a finger tip. How many days ago did this occur? She's in danger of losing the tip of the toe unless you can encourage the tissue to knit back together, not a good chance if it's been days since it happened.

But you can try soaking it twice a day in Epsom salts, then spray Vetericyn and coat with an antibiotic ointment and then pull the toe back together and wrap with Vetrap to hold the two sections together. Do this every day. Wrapping the toe so as to immobilize the severed tip will practically eliminate the pain she's experiencing right now with it dangling.

If you see the inside section of the toe begin to swell up and the severed tip start to go black, forget further treatment as her body's immune system is working to shed the toe. (auto-amputation)

Thank you! It has been a few days since it happened, but I was not home to care for her so I’m not really sure what happened but I feel so bad for her.

 

[azygous]

If the toe auto-amputates, she will be fine, but it's worth trying to save it.

A tip on bandaging a toe:

Cut the Vetrap in a sixteen inch long strip one inch wide. After coating the toe with ointment and repositioning it so it will fit back together, hold it in place with a simple bandaid. Then take the narrow strip of Vetrap and start wrapping at the shank (ankle), winding down toward the toe, then do several wraps around the severed toe held together with the bandaid, and then wind it back toward the shank where you began, ending it by pressing the elastic firmly against itself behind the leg. This way the bandage won't slip off the toe and she can't pull it loose.