# Badly torn nail



## buggzter (Sep 10, 2010)

I have a doe, Little'Bit,who is around 7 months old and ABOUT to have babies. I wasn't aware of this two days ago when I found her with a nail nearly ripped out of her front right foot. 

I THINK she got it caught on her cage where the wire and base meet (yeah, a plastic cage. Hubby is getting a hutch built, but we needed more wood to finish as a couple planks split). There was blood splatter for a few FEET from her shaking it or pulling it when it first was caught we think. 

We wiped up the bit of blood splatter on her, and used flour to stop the bleeding as I didn't have any powder left after my rats' recent battle (change in heirarchy). I cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide and shaved the top fur and a little around that toe to keep it cleaner. applied prescription-strength antibiotic ointment (muproisin), and it's OK now - hardened blood around it, tender, but she doesn't bug it.

I'm wondering if there is anything different I should have done so I know in the future if something similar happens. We fixed the wiring issue thanks to some smart welding on hubby's part, but I don't want to say it will never happen again, you know? 

Thank you everyone for whatever suggestions you might have.  I want to make sure I'm caring for them the best I can.


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## aurora369 (Sep 10, 2010)

Loosing a nail is a common injury for bunnies. Best thing to do is remove the loose nail if the bunny hasn't already done so, and clean it to prevent infection.

I would say you have done very well.

Moving forward, I would not use peroixide to continue cleaning the wound. A better choice would be something like betadine (can be bought at a people pharmacy). It is used to clean skin before surgery. It is safe for bunny ingestion, has good absorption and will really help prevent infection.

The nail should only take a couple weeks to start growing back, and if it doesn't, it's okay. As long as the toe heals and doesn't get infected, she will be okay.

-Dawn


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## tonyshuman (Sep 10, 2010)

I agree with Dawn. Try to clean up any hanging shards of nail (that aren't the quick), etc. If it doesn't grow back, she probably will not be showable, if that is a concern.


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## buggzter (Sep 10, 2010)

Thank you both. I used the peroxide initially since I didn't know how long the injury was open to the normal cage dirt, although I'm just using warm water presently to clean as she's not having issues.

I think the nail actually broke nearly at the base where the toe is, which is why it took as long as it did to quit bleeding, and started slight bleeding again a couple times as she played. But she's fine with it now other than it being a bit sensitive. 

Should I just use betadine in the future instead of HP? I use betadine to clean a very very fresh wound, but one that is of unknown age I usually use HP for the stronger cleaning factor when there is possible dirt and bacterial growth already - at least, with my human family. The hairless rats HATE wound cleaning with anything, so it's usually a swab with HP and quick warm water wash then the antibiotic ointment (common here since they are hairless).

Thanks again!


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## aurora369 (Sep 10, 2010)

Hydrogen peroxide is a very good cleaner, however it can also damage healthy tissue and is not good for long term use. 

I have been advised by my vet to use betadine for long term disinfectant. I had a rabbit that had to have his genitals surgically put back together after a bad fight with another male during an attempted bonding session. I was advised to continue putting betadine on the wound until it was fully healed. 

Using hydrogen peroxide to clean a freshly made wound is good, but after it has scabbed and is healing, it can eat way the newly formed tissue. When I had stitches my doctor told me to soak them in peroxide before removing them to get rid of the scab stuck to the stitches.

So, hydrogen peroxide is good for initial disinfecting and betadine is good for long term disinfecting.

-Dawn


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## buggzter (Sep 11, 2010)

That's what I had learned in the past - thank you for verifying. Just because something was THOUGHT to have been true, doesn't mean it still is considered the best practice!


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