My dog's paw toe is red and raw, and the nail is white. What's wrong?

Hello, sorry to hear about Panda. An injury such as a sprain may simply require some rest and ice. If he has a cut then cleaning with soap and water will work. And finally, placing an e-collar on him so that he does not lick at his toes would be best case scenario as this is likely the source of infection. If he is licking at the area, he should wear a cone for approximately 3-5 days. No running, jumping, or rough housing should be allowed during his rest period of 10 days. Once he has recovered, then he may resume his normal activity. If his toe continues to be red, then you he should be seen by a veterinarian. If Panda develops any limping, then he should also be seen by his veterinarian then. Hope this helps and best of luck.

By your description, your dog may have a partially [broken nail](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/broken-nails/) which can be a bit painful. You can take him to your veterinary office and ask them to cut the nail back to promote normal growth, or you can monitor the toe and see if the nail grows out naturally. Just watch for any signs of infection (redness, swelling, discharge) in the toe. Do not allow your dog to lick or chew at it. An e-collar (cone) can be placed on him until he has healed.

If it just started you can let Augie rest for a few days with minimal walking and minimal physical exercise, if it does not improve within 3-4 days you will have to take him to the vet in order to get it checked and treated, he might need pain killers for a few days. if the vet think it's something more serious such as a fracture, joint injury or foreign body, he might recommend to have an xray done as well.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks like Kusion broke his toenail and now the pulp of the nail is exposed. This is likely painful and he is licking it a lot causing the color change of the fur around the nail. I would take him to the vet to cut away the broken part of the nail and get him antibiotics and pain meds to prevent infection and give him comfort. You can also soak the foot in epsom salt bath until you can get to the vet. Good luck and kisses to Kusion!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Just like you indicated, this could be due to a foreign body getting stuck in the digit though other things like a deep infection or even a growth cannot be ruled out. It could even be secondary to her licking at it. For this reason, it is important to rule those out. I recommend a visit to your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and treat accordingly. Good luck and have a great day!

Poor Alex. He could have a toenail that is embedded in the skin or even an injury to his toe itself if he landed on that foot the wrong way. He needs to have this examined by your local veterinarian to determine the extent of the injury first. Once we know what's going on with the toe then we can know how to best treat it. If you can't get him in right away then you can soak the foot in warm Epson salt bath for 5 to 10 minutes to alleviate pain and inflammation. Otherwise getting him seen is the best option to control Alex's pain and treat whatever injury exists.

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.