Do dogs have toes?
Yes, many dog owners are surprised to find out that dog’s have toes just like humans. However, dogs do not have the same amount of toes on their front and back paws. Dogs have five toes on each of their front paws, while they only have four toes on their back paw.
Can a dog break a toe?
Yes, just like any other bone, a dog can break a toe. In dogs, a broken toe refers to the fracture of any portion of the dog’s phalanges, which is the bone at the very end of their paw. The fracture can be a very small split (hairline fracture), break induced from continual pressure against the bone (stress fracture), or a complete break when the bone gets separated into at least two different pieces.
How does a dog break its toe?
While there are hundreds of different ways a dog can break a toe, these are the most common ways a dog breaks its toe.
- Heavy weight landing on toe or getting stepped on
- Landing on the paw in an awkward position
- Jamming the toe against a hard surface
- Getting in fights
- Weak bones from old age or not getting enough calcium
- Overworking
How do you treat a dog’s broken toe?
The three main ways a dog’s broken toe is healed is by a cast, surgery, or amputation.
Cast
Most broken toes in dog’s can be healed by putting a cast on the broken paw for a couple of weeks. Usually after being casted and not being active for a couple weeks, the toe bone will heal on its own.
Surgery
Some broken toes in dogs require surgery. This could be to realign the bones, or to insert screws to provide structure.
Amputation
The most serious breaks require amputation. The vet will suggest this if they think the broken toe could cause an infection, or that it will never be able to heal on its own.
