My senior diabetic dog has a black, swollen nail. Is it infected?

Hello, sorry to hear about King. The nail looks like it may have broken at the base and may now be infected. The rest of the nail has likely lost its blood supply and therefore its changing colors. He will likely need to have this toe-nail removed under sedation and his local infection treated. Typically, nails grow back in a few weeks and the infection clears up in a couple of days with treatment. He may also require a light bandage to keep the site protected while it heals. Have your veterinarian take a closer look to determine what the best treatment for King is. Hope this helps and best of luck.

This presentation could be due to a trauma (foreign body lesion/abscess) or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching. This is not an emergency but needs to be seen as soon as your vet is open during normal hours. Hope this answer was helpful, but 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.

Unfortunately, just as in humans diabetic patients can be subject to increased risk of blood flow issues to the extremities and frequency of infection. I can't tell whether or not it will require amputation from the picture, but the swelling can be managed with some icing. I can't recommend other meds or topicals based on this image. Use a cone to prevent any possible self inflicted harm until morning. If the swelling is getting progressive worse quickly during the night, if your dog is feverish or acting like it, or if there is uncontrolled pain, seek emergency care tonight.

It looks to me like Jax's toenail might be infected. Dogs can develop a bacterial or fungal infection at the base of the nail, or occasionally deomdex mites can be in this area as well. It's also possible that he sustained some trauma to his nail, although if it has been present for weeks that is a little less likely. I'd recommend having your vet take a look.

Ouch. That does look swollen. Dogs can get bacterial or yeast infections around their nail beds. If that is what is going on, the Epson Salt soaks will likely slowly make the swelling go down over a couple of days. However, if Tom is licking the nail, it will likely stay moist and have a harder time resolving. Unfortunately, there are other conditions that can occur around nail beds like tumors and auto-immune problems, so if it is not getting better, is getting worse or seems painful I would take him to your vet. i hope that answers your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I am sorry Waffle is not feeling well. It is hard to tell based on the picture but it appears that his skin might be infected above the nail bed. It does not appear the nail is the issue. I would recommend taking Waffle to the vet to determine where the infection is coming from and get proper treatment. hope that helps

That looks like a nail bed infection (either bacterial or fungal or both). Was the medication given an oral skin antibiotic? Diesel may also benefit from a topical ointment with similar ingredients to otomax for ear infections, a medicated shampoo/mousse to use daily and an e-collar to prevent licking. Definitely let your vet the swelling is still there! Best wishes!