Ripped Toenail

Question
My beagle ripped his toenail almost all the way off exposing the quick, I know it's painful for him. It's my fault because kept putting off clipping them. Anyway, to the point, what is the normal procedure on fixing this type injury and could you  give me your opinion of a price range. I am going to the vet regardless, I just want to know what will probably happen and how much it will cost. Thanks for doing what you do! Sarah

Answer
These can be very painful, so the vet may want to put in some local anesthesia to deaden it or they may just put the dog under a short acting anesthetic.  Then the nail is clipped very short into the normal nail.  It bleeds, so it needs cautery to stop the bleeding. A bandage may be applied for a few days.  If it is swollen, the vet may give some steroid medication.  The total with anesthesia may run $150 or so.....less if they do not do anything but clip the nail and cauterize it.