My cat has a severe ingrown nail with skin grown over it. What to do?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, Alina! I can see that James has an ingrown claw on one of his paw pads. This can be painful and result in infections of the paw pad which can be very serious. Unfortunately, James should be seen by a vet for this, because when the nail is cut the tissue that it punctured can bleed profusely. There are vets who do house calls, so you may want to search for one in your area. I hope this helps and that all is well with James!

That appears to be an ingrown toe nail. The dewclaw nail can grow into a circle and into the paw pad. I would take it to the vet as soon as possible. This is very painful but also usually needs antibiotics due to infection.

The pus indicates infection. You will need to take Poupou into the vet in the morning to have the rest of her ingrown claws removed. The vet can treat the infected areas and prescribe antibiotics. I hope this helps.

I would recommend to take her to your local veterinarian for a check up as the claw must be removed and the skin part must be disinfected. Antibiotics may be needed if the are signs of more widespread infection. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

I would have Tiger seen by a vet tomorrow. The vet can examine the gash, clean it, and can discuss options to help it heal. This may include cutting back the edges of the gash to make fresh tissue margins to enable the vet to suture the gash closed.

Ouch, poor pup! The nail will have to be cut, but if it's growing into her paw, it may be too painful for you to cut it. Sometimes dogs who have painful nails will not let their owners cut them, and they will have to be sedated by the vet in order to get it done. You can try to cut the nail yourself, and if you are successful, you will need to clean her pad afterwards with an antiseptic soap and warm water. The next day, you can do an epsom salt and warm bath soak with her paw twice a day, and do that for a couple of days. Keep an eye on the area, and if you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, the area is infected and she will need to see a vet for antibiotics. If Bellas doesn't let you cut the nail, I would take her into the vet first thing during normal business hours today or tomorrow so that your vet can cut it for you and clean the area. Don't feed her the night before in case they need to sedate her to get her nail cut.

If it's infected, it's likely painful to Tiger and she may need to be sedated in order to cut it safely. Unfortunately, there are no OTC sedatives for cats. In addition, an infection requires antibiotics to treat, which can only be gotten from a vet. In this case, I'd advise you to make her an appointment with her vet to have this treated. Best of luck.