toenails

Question
I clip his toe nails about every other month. I clipped them today and seen a funny looking toe nail. I clipped it and looked closer and it looks like a bump under the other toe nail with little toe nails growing out of it I touched it they are soft and he did not acted like it hurts. ???  

Answer
Dear Jane,

I've seen weird toenail growth like this a few times, and it does seem to result from an old injury or some type of trauma.  As long as the toe itself is not painful or inflamed, I'd just keep the nail trimmed as short as possible (without making it bleed) so that it doesn't catch on anything.

Keep an eye on it for any sign of swelling, inflammation or infection.  If you see any of those, you can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

and get bun there for a full examination.  A toe that is infected or cancerous may have to be amputated.  But in my own experience, these weird, multiple branched toenails have not been problematic.  I hope that will be your experience, too.

Dana