Your dog’s claws are sometimes things you take for granted unless there’s an obvious problem. If you live in a rural area where there isn’t a lot of concrete, your dog’s nails won’t be worn down as easily. This means that you’ll have to care for them a lot more often, but there’s an advantage to this. You’ll be able to see if there are any dog nail disorders going on.
Here’s some information to help guide you if you find that your dog’s claws or nails look abnormal.
Nail Disorders
Your dog’s feet have four claws and that dew claw. Any abnormality or disease that affects these nails or the surrounding area is known as dystrophy. Dogs can suffer from inflammation and infection around the nail and the nail bed just like humans. Fortunately, most nail disorders are easy to treat and remedy in a short period of time.
How to Spot the Signs
Unless you regularly check your dog’s nails, the signs of dystrophy may be hard to spot. Here are some telltale symptoms you can look out for:
- Foot pain
- Licking his paws
- Difficulty walking
- Any abnormal color
- Swelling or redness of tissues surrounding the nails
What Causes This?
There are several reasons behind nail disorders in your dog. These include infection, bacteria, cancer, trauma and even cutting the claws too close to the nail bed. It’s heartbreaking when you trim your dog’s nails and you clip the quick and he bleeds. It seems like the bleeding goes on forever, doesn’t it? One thing you can do if that happens is dip your dog’s nail in cornstarch. It will stop the bleeding quickly. If your dog has lighter colored nails, an easy way to find the quick is to take a wet paper towel and wet his claw. That will show you where that vein is in his nail and help you avoid cutting it.
How to Treat It
The first thing to do is see if it’s one nail that’s affected or several. If it’s one, you can deal with that at home if it isn’t too severe. If it appears that several nails are involved, this could indicate a serious medical issue that is causing the disorder and you need to take your dog to the vet.
Treatment and Management
It depends on the underlying cause but if your dog’s nail condition is related to a bacterial or fungal infection, usually topical treatments are put on the affected area. Antibiotics or antimicrobial soaks are also good for reducing inflammation and speeding up the healing process. Make sure to be observant as your dog recovers from a nail disorder. If the healing doesn’t progress the way you think it should, give your vet a call.
A claw or nail disorder in your dog can be treated easily and quickly. Keep an eye on how your dog walks and be sure to check his claws regularly.
Photo Credit: istockphoto.com
