My dog has a long toenail. Is it causing her recent leg pain?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Blue! It’s hard to picture what the nail looks like. If he is that lame on the leg the nail should be evaluated. We do cut the nail back if needed. A cracked or torn nail is a constant source of pain. If you want to post a picture I could try to give you a better idea if Blue should go to the Vet. I hope this helps!

Hi! Thanks for entrusting us with Meatball’s care today! Lameness, pain or inability to use the leg can be a sign of a few things that range from a muscle sprain to even a fracture. If things have not improved after seeing your veterinarian, I recommend that you have him reevaluated by your veterinarian so that this can be further assessed which will likely include radiographs. Treatment will be dependent on findings though at the very least pain control medications can be prescribed. Good luck! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

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!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mimi. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. There is typically a reason that the dog will drag her paws such as arthritis or a neurological problem. Her nails are getting worn to the quick which can result in bleeding. I suspect it is actually painful if she is licking them. In the meantime, she may need to wear dog booties to protect her nails on walks. Do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!

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.

If the nail is pushing into the skin or badly curled, it could be causing some pain and even infection if it digs deep enough. It would be best to try and get Mars to the vet to have the nail trimmed back, any wound from it treated, and antibiotics started to keep it from getting infected. If it hasn't dug into the skin yet, you might see if Mars will let you trim the nail back enough. You may need to trim it in small amounts over a period of weeks to get it trimmed back far enough. If the nail is trimmed back too far, it may bleed, however styptic powder or cornstarch can be used to treat any bleeding.

It is very difficult to tell from these photos, it is possible that your dog's toe nail became slightly torn/detached from the underlying nail bed and you are seeing the separation here. We can, however, occasionally see nail bed tumors. I would recommend a visit with your vet to better examine the area. If it is a loose toenail they may need to trim it back to make it more comfortable until it grows back in normally. This can be very tough to do at home because often these guys are painful so trimming the nail back can be really difficult without skilled help!