Bleeding toe nails?
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- Rank: Junior Hunter
- Posts: 46
- Joined: Mon May 13, 2019 7:18 am
- Location: Nevada
Bleeding toe nails?
My 1 1/2 year old GSP recently experienced bleeding toe nails after a hunt. Her nails are trimmed appropriately ( I believe) and she’s is routinely exercised and ran on a gravel road for several miles with no issues. After one day of Chukar hunting her nails started bleeding and her feet seemed sore. The pads themselves appear in great shape, no cuts, tears or open wounds, however slightly swollen, which I attributed to her acting sore and expected considering it’s her first time out this year , but the bleeding toe nails are concerning to me. The nails are bleeding from the ends not the base. Is this normal? Any recommendations appreciated, thanks.
Re: Bleeding toe nails?
Hunting in Nevada can lead to that. When I lived there my dogs often broke nails and were always sore footed after the first day of hunting or if hunted them on a number of successive days later in the season. There is a lot of lava rock (basalt) and obsidian in that landscape, particularly in northwestern and north central Nevada. They are both rough on a dogs feet and nails.
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- Rank: Junior Hunter
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- Location: Nevada
Re: Bleeding toe nails?
Great thanks. Good to know it’s normal. I assume her feet will toughen up as the season progresses. Hopefully
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- Rank: 3X Champion
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Re: Bleeding toe nails?
I have had a similar thing happen when running in sandy soil. It is like running on sandpaper, so the pads and the nails get "sanded" down to the quick and then will bleed. The good news is that when this happens, the quick retreats and the nail will have to be worn down even more for it to bleed.
Soooo...eventually the dog will be running on just its pads, with only light pressure on its shortened nails.
On rough terrain, you might consider booting the dog for long outings, because if the dog wears thru its pads...you are probably done for a while.
RayG
Soooo...eventually the dog will be running on just its pads, with only light pressure on its shortened nails.
On rough terrain, you might consider booting the dog for long outings, because if the dog wears thru its pads...you are probably done for a while.
RayG
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- Rank: Junior Hunter
- Posts: 46
- Joined: Mon May 13, 2019 7:18 am
- Location: Nevada
Re: Bleeding toe nails?
That seems to exactly it. After several days of recovery, I’ve hunted her again and haven’t had any more issues.