My dog has a nail stuck in her teeth. Can I remove it or need a vet?

HI and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would definitely see your veterinarian in the morning however she is likely in pain if she has broken a tooth. I would recommend seeking emergency veterinary care for at least pain control tonight if she is uncomfortable, lethargic, salivating a lot, whining or vomiting. If you think her signs are mild, then you can probably monitor her and see your normal vet in the morning. Good luck!

I'm sorry to hear that! If its a large cheek tooth, or a canine tooth, try to get her in sooner than Saturday if at all possible. If its an incisor (one of the small teeth in the front) its probably fine to wait that long. In the meantime, offer her soft food, or moisten her dry food with water or chicken broth. You can use a dog oral rinse if you want to be proactive about it, but I don't think its entirely necessary. Whether or not specific treatment will be needed depends on what tooth it was and the extent of damage at the gumline. If there is a concern that the root fractured, or if the defect is quite large, surgery may be needed. If she seems to be painful or isn't eating anything, take her in as soon as you can. Good luck with her! Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Poor Coco! You will need to take her into the vet to have the nail cut, the area cleaned, and antibiotics as well as pain medication prescribed. The exam visit alone will likely be between $45-$55, but if they need to sedate her, that will be an additional cost as well as the medications. The vet can give you an estimate when they see her. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Just like you indicated, this could be due to a foreign body getting stuck in the digit though other things like a deep infection or even a growth cannot be ruled out. It could even be secondary to her licking at it. For this reason, it is important to rule those out. I recommend a visit to your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and treat accordingly. Good luck and have a great day!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Ouch, poor Naria. If the nail is completely removed and exposing the nail bed, keep the toe as clean as possible to try to prevent infection. For my patients that have done this, I typically will place them on oral antibiotics and analgesics (pain medication) to prevent infection and keep them comfortable while the nail regrows. Some nails will not regrow normally if the nailbed was also injured. If Naria is limping on the affected paw, or the toe becomes swollen I would recommend having her seen by her veterinarian for appropriate medications to be dispensed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to tell from the pictures but it looks like Ginger may have broken her tooth. I recommend making an appointment with your vet when they open to take a look at it. Though she isn’t acting painful, it may become painful or infected. There isn’t anything you can do at home and no safe medications you can give for pain. If it is broken, she will likely need to undergo anesthesia to have the tooth removed. The vet that looks at it will be able to help more once a diagnosis is made. Good luck and kisses to Ginger!

What you see as a beige dot is the opened up pulpa of the tooth, This is indeed painful and also an entry way for bacteria. In young dogs (usually puppies) this can cause them to contract tetanus. You would not notice whether she was in pain as dogs do not chew with their incisors. You should take her to your vet to have that damaged tooth either repaired or removed in order to avoid some bacterial infection as well as to take the pain.