Vickie, thanks for the info, I knew there was a bone involved in cat declawing, but didn't know the details. Also, just to clarify, I wasn't advocating doing the same with a dog, but rather giving a local anesthesia to a dog for treatment of a split/torn toe nail. Would you know if there is a similar local anesthesia available for dogs? Mike Arnold, the OP, has a dog with a split nail (see his original post).

Sandy, you certainly can use a local to deal with something like a split or torn toenail...provided that the dog or cat will remain still enough to allow treatment. That tends to be the problem with using a local...the dog/cat fights or squirms too much for the doc to get the job done.

I've had split toenails on the racing dogs, usually I just snip the hanging bit off quickly. It hurts, but it's quick. For bleeding there is a product called "clotisol plus". The plus is that it's got benzocaine in it for pain, so you can dip the toenail in to stop bleeding and have some pain relief. You could try rubbing some lidocaine gel (I think they have this over the counter for dental things) into the split before cutting, but the best thing is to cut the nail so there's not so much nail moving around and hurting. If it's split clear back to the bed, you can cut it short, then put a bit of tape around it to stabilize it till it grows out enough to cut the split off. Sometimes they break off at the nail bed- you've got to just be quick and cut the hanging nail off. It might need to be bandaged for a couple of days then, to keep it clean.
Needless to say, all this split nail cutting is a two person job for a big dog.
vickie

It would be worth having that talk with the vet if you know you can contol Max. Most owners can't restrain properly (I know I can't with my cats) and many dogs stress out and act up worse around their owners, which is why vets tend to be reluctant to allow owners to be hands-on and present for procedures. We have some animals that are unmanagable UNLESS the owner is present so really, the vet needs to take it on a case-by-case basis.

Great to learn all this info!

Mike Arnold, I'm bumping this thread cause it's now my turn to deal with a split nail in my dog. Can you give me an update on what you eventually had to do with Max, and if his nail has grown back yet (it's been 2 months).

Lear's nail just split about 30 mins ago, way back. It was the left front dew claw nail, split on brick edging in my back yard. He's not limping but seems to be restless (more than normal). He won't let me tend to it. The top and side portions of the nail is completely off the quick.

If he would let me, I could cut off the top portion of the nail, but I can't.

How clean does it need to be kept?

Does the nail grow back over the quick after cutting the hanging part? What happens to the exposed quick in the meantime?

The vet isn't open yet so was hoping to get some feedback here from Mike A. or whoever else wants to chime in. I don't want to put him under in order to treat it (he won't let the vet mess with his paws and will probably need a muzzle), but if I do have to put him under, is that a good time to remove his hind dew claws as well? Darn it.

Mike, thanks for the info. Just for clarification, was Max's quick pulled away also and is that why another nail seems to be growing in underneath? Lear's quick wasn't pulled away from what I can see, just the nail was almost completely torn away from the quick, leaving a slim portion of the bottom side of the nail, and so an almost totally exposed quick.

Did the hydrogen peroxide hurt him a lot? Just want to know what to expect.

Yeah, keeping the nail clean was going to be an impossibility, so glad to hear that I can't worry about that very much.