My dog is chewing her back paw nails. Are they too long or infected?

Swelling, pain/discomfort and itch, redness, discharge of the area involved are all possible signs. From what you described it may be possible that the nail bed is infected or there may even be a comminute fracture of the last phalanx. A check up is unfortunately needed to confirm this clinical suspicion and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. 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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Biting or chewing of the feet can be a sign of allergies, or infection of the nail beds or other nail bed disease. I would recommend bringing her in to your vet for an examination. She may need medicated wipes or oral medications to help decrease the irritation and biting.

He could have allergies and/or a nail infection. He should be examined by a vet to diagnose and treat the problem. Your vet can prescribe an antibiotic, anti-histamine, and/or a corticosteroid to treat. You could also soak his paws in a warm Epsom salt solution and see if that helps.

Yes. Sometimes the edges chip or the nail will break if it get hung on something. They can grow into their pad and cause a painful infection if it gets too long. Her nails seem very thick so it is best to have them trimmed and possible filed to thin then more

It could be infected. Also check and make sure the nail is not broken way up high. You could try soaking that paw in Epsom salts to see if that will help soothe it. If it doesn’t improve then have it looked at more closely.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes when the nails get very long they can get caught on material and pulled out causing swelling, pain, and an infection. However, this could also be a nail bed infection caused by a bacteria or perhaps fungus or could be related to an underlying allergy to something in her environment (like a seasonal allergy). I would recommend Sasha see her veterinarian for a closer inspection. Sasha may need to have the nails cut and may need to go home with antibiotics if her veterinarian thinks the nail bed is infected. I hope this helps!

Poor Crimson! It sounds like her paw is definitely bothering her for some reason. If her toenails are loose, this is very concerning and could indicate a severe bacterial or fungal infection of the nail beds, necrosis of the paw tissue itself, or an autoimmune disorder like lupus. This is something that needs to be checked by a vet as soon as possible to determine what is causing the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment - I would recommend taking her to be seen first thing tomorrow morning, if possible.