I am fairly certain my Greyhound broke her toe today and I’m wondering if there is any way to splint it so that she is more comfortable till our vet opens up tomorrow morning? I have it taped to the next tow right now and trimmed her nails as short as I could go so they wouldn’t cause it to flex more than necessary. Thanks in advance for any tips.
I’m not a veterinarian nor do I play one on tv.
If it were me, here’s what I would do:
I would get some of the soft cotton roll (the kind that is fluffy and tears off easily), some vet wrap, and some elastikon tape.
I would pad the foot, put on the vet wrap (not too tight, but covering the whole foot and up above the bandage a few inches). Then secure with the elastikon tape going about an inch above the vet wrap to secure to uncovered leg. Keep dry. And if you’re not experienced in using vet wrap, you may want to unwrap after a few hours to check that you’re not cutting off circulation. A lot of people get vet wrap too tight.
If I had some tramadol or carprofen sitting around (and I always do…because I’m super lucky like that. LOL) I would give some for pain.
Then I’d crate if I had a rambunctious critter else just leash walk out to potty and try to keep things low key.
There’s really not a whole lot that can be done (in my experience) for a broken toe other than trying to pad/immobilize. It’s not really an area that can be splinted easily. The biggest concern I would have if wrapping (aside from cutting off circulation) would be the potential for a secondary skin infection between the toes if the foot gets damp.
I am not an expert either but I did have a grey who would dislocate her toe quite often. My vet actually taught me how to pop it back into the joint because it ended the pain for her faster. Not suggesting you experiment to see if it is dislocated vs broken, but just throwing it out there as a possibility. Especially because if it is a dislocation, you will likely experience it again.
Sorry I don’t have more advice on splinting, hope she feels better soon.
I happened to notice the length of Greyhound toes recently, and was astonished at them - they truly are amazing, especially compared to the compact feet of my Springer that I’m used to. So I’m sorry but not surprised, OP, that your girl broke one. That sounds very unpleasant. I like BuddyRoo’s “wrap the whole foot” suggestion as well, but restricted movement will be key, I think. Don’t you just love how they always seem to do something on Saturday afternoon so there’s a maximum stretch of time until regular vet opens again? 
Good luck and I hope she feels better soon!
FWIW, we’ve had a rash of these at work over the last few weeks as people and their pets are getting out and about. One of the biggest causes of these types of injuries seems to be overgrown toe nails that get caught on the carpet/grass or on hard floors, put the toes in a wonky position.
Not saying that’s the case here…stuff happens. But the method I described is how it’s been treated at our clinic. Again though, I’m not a vet.
When I worked in a vet clinic we often saw broken toes in dogs. They are not practical to splint, and as was mentioned above, wrapping dogs can cause a whole host of problems from skin issues to cutting of the circulation to foregin body surgery when the dog ripps it off and eats eat. We gave them some pain killers and let them heal on their own.
My SIL`s dog broke a toe while healing from surgery on her broken back leg. The toe had to be amputated, but healed fast and clean. Unfortunately the leg is still troubling the poor girl. She had a second op to remove a piece of wire left behind. I guess it is not healing as well this time around.
It was because her nails got too long. I swear she gives them miracle grow! She is in a smaller yard when she goes out now and it is all lush grass so no good for helping to wear them down. I’ve got her bandaged like buddyroo said. She seems better but still is hobbling on it. Thanks for the suggestions and comments. I’m buying stock in doggie nail clippers and styptic powder.
When I worked in a vet clinic we often saw broken toes in dogs.
Thank you! When my dog broke her toe (her sister knocked her down on concrete) a couple of people told me they didn’t how that could have happened. I ended up reassuring people that I did not abuse my dog. She was about 8 months at the time and I ended up taking her to an orthopedic specialist. He splinted her entire leg and I had to crate her for 6 weeks and hand walk her multiple times a day. Not a good thing for an Aussie puppy but, she did fine and healed fine and is now 13 yo. Good luck with your dog!
