bunny toenail

Question
Hi,

My rabbit was in my lap before, and when he jumped off, there was a bit of
blood in my lap. I picked him back up, and turned him over, and saw that the
left-most toenail of his back left foot was bloody. Not bleeding anymore, but
bloody. Upon cleaning and closer inspection, he seems to have torn the nail
out. The wick is still there, that's definitely what was bleeding, but it stopped
of its' own accord, and it stopped quite quickly. He is acting completely
normal, and doesn't seem to be in any pain (except when I was cleaning it!),
so I don't think I need to rush him to the vet. I just want to know if there's
anything I can do to ensure it doesn't get infected and if there's anything to
watch for, any way to help make sure the nail grows back in straight?
Thanks!

Meryl

Answer
Dear Meryl,

There's not much you can do to make sure the nail grows back straight, if the bone was damaged.  But it's not likely that happened.  Just keep a close eye on the toe and if you see any redness or swelling, a trip to the vet would be wise:

www.rabbit.org/vets

The toenail broken this way usually grows back uneventfully.  But if there is still an open wound, you can disinfect it with dilute povidone iodine solution and keep it nice and dry.

Hope this helps.

Dana