My dog's twisted nail, swollen toe. Can I treat it without surgery?

Soak it in soap and warm water to keep it clean. Once it is dry you can place medicated powder in between the toes to help minimize moisture to dry it out. You can place neosporin around the nail bed also. If this does not help then you will need to see a vet

Poor Spike Lee (love his name!). No, unfortunately you can't treat this yourself, an infection requires oral antibiotics to treat and only a vet can prescribe them for him. I would take him into the vet tomorrow to have his nail treated. Tonight, you can try soaking his foot in an Epsom salt bath to give him some temporary relief. I hope this helps!

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.

Ouch. That does look swollen. Dogs can get bacterial or yeast infections around their nail beds. If that is what is going on, the Epson Salt soaks will likely slowly make the swelling go down over a couple of days. However, if Tom is licking the nail, it will likely stay moist and have a harder time resolving. Unfortunately, there are other conditions that can occur around nail beds like tumors and auto-immune problems, so if it is not getting better, is getting worse or seems painful I would take him to your vet. i hope that answers your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, sorry to hear about King. The nail looks like it may have broken at the base and may now be infected. The rest of the nail has likely lost its blood supply and therefore its changing colors. He will likely need to have this toe-nail removed under sedation and his local infection treated. Typically, nails grow back in a few weeks and the infection clears up in a couple of days with treatment. He may also require a light bandage to keep the site protected while it heals. Have your veterinarian take a closer look to determine what the best treatment for King is. Hope this helps and best of luck.

That looks like a nail bed infection (either bacterial or fungal or both). Was the medication given an oral skin antibiotic? Diesel may also benefit from a topical ointment with similar ingredients to otomax for ear infections, a medicated shampoo/mousse to use daily and an e-collar to prevent licking. Definitely let your vet the swelling is still there! Best wishes!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for the picture! Due to the red fur staining it is evident that Babi is licking the toe. It is also pretty swollen. The first step is to prevent the licking by using an Elizabethan collar (cone) or donut. I do think it would heal faster if you saw a Vet. There is likely a bacterial and or yeast infection of the nail bed. Having oral antibiotics and antifungals and something to stop the desire to lick will speed this process up for you both. I hope this helps and I wish Babi a speedy recovery!