My dog's nail is thick, rough, discolored, and he's limping. Why?

Please don't give any over-the-counter pain medications; they can be toxic to dogs at even low doses and giving them will confound your vet's ability to treat the pain with appropriate medications. The reality is that most of these nail injuries end up getting infected, and even if there's no infection they are exquisitely painful. You can compare it to losing your fingernail completely, but then having to walk on the uncovered cuticle. Patch likely needs to have the area numbed and the remaining nail pulled, then have a very soft/cushioning bandage placed, followed by antibiotics and pain medication. Please take him in to see his vet as soon as you can for this.

Poor Hugo! If this lump is infected, he will need to see a vet. I also think it would be a good idea to have this lump examined, as it may be caused by a foreign body (such as a grass seed) that needs to be removed. I would take him into the vet today to have his paw examined. The vet can see if there is a foreign body causing the lump, remove it, and give him pain medications and antibiotics. Please do not give Hugo any human pain medications, many are toxic to dogs and can be fatal if given.

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!

It sounds like it is infected. You could soak his paw in a warm Epsom salt solution and see if that helps. He should also be examined by a vet as he will probably need an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory to help treat the problem.

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!

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!