My dog is limping and chewing its paw nail. What should I do?

You are correct in that it looks like Ollie has damaged a toe nail. This can be quite painful to dog and would explain the limping. Be sure to keep him from licking the nail. If he does, it is easy for an infection to occur. As long as the lameness is resolving and the toe does not become swollen, he should heal up fine. If either of those things occur though, he will need to see his veterinarian. I hope this helps and Ollie is back to normal soon!

Though a trip to the vet may be stressful, it will be over and done with in 1 fail swoop that way, and you can also schedule a physical exam. It may be that Mia has some arthritis pain or other issues that are contributing to her limping, so a good once over would be best, and then nails can be trimmed as well. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

If that nail doesn't look broken, it's likely that he pulled at the ligaments and they are sore, but that he won't loose the nail. If he continues to limp tomorrow, I'd recommend a check up for x-rays because it may have damaged other toes at the same time, or may just need a little pain medicine to get him through a minor hurt.

Pumpkin's nails need to be cut, and she should see a vet if one of her nails is loose. I would take her into the vet first thing in the morning to have her nails cuts and her limping examined. While it's likely that the limping is related to her nails being too long, it could also be caused by something else such as arthritis, which can be diagnosed by the vet.

I recommend booking an appointment with a veterinarian to have Lexie’s nail evaluated, as it is likely causing her pain, as indicated by the limping. Pain medications meant for humans can be very dangerous (and even deadly) for dogs, so I do not recommend giving any to your pup without consulting with your vet. Your veterinarian can prescribe safe medication to help with the pain, and can clean and treat the injury to help reduce the risk of infection. In the meantime, I recommend putting an e-collar (cone) on Lexie to help prevent her from licking her paw an reduce the risk of infection. I hope Lexie feels better soon!

Common causes include foreign body (splinter), injury, infection (bacterial or fungal) and allergies. Place an e-collar (cone) on Macy to prevent further licking or chewing. Have her examined by your veterinarian to diagnose the underlying cause. If the skin is broken, she is at risk for infection and may require antibiotics.

Poor Layla! If she is still limping I would make an appointment to have her seen by your vet. She may have injured her nail(s) as you described, or she may even have some soft tissue swelling/ irritation or a fracture. If there is a stick/ splinter/ other foreign object in her paw the vet can help remove it and treat it to help prevent infection. Pain medications meant for humans can be very dangerous (and even deadly) for dogs, so I do not recommend giving any to Layla without consulting with your vet. I recommend keeping her in a crate or in a room where she can't run/ jump on anything and only taking her out for very short bathroom breaks until she is no longer limping. Make sure she's on a leash so she can't run and make things worse.