The dog’s claws are falling out. What to do?

The claw can be damaged under different circumstances.

Wrong care. If the animal does not grind its claws for one reason or another (usually due to insufficient walking time), then the claws either grow too much and twist, or the nail plate begins to exfoliate. And this place will constantly bleed, and since this is a paw, an infection will definitely start there.

All this leads to trouble. Long nails prevent the dog from walking normally. Curled nails can grow into the paw pad. Hook claws can get caught on something, and the dog risks losing the entire toe.

Solution to the problem: do not allow the dog’s claws to grow longer than normal. You can learn how to do a manicure for a pet on your own, with the help of a correctly (i.e., according to the size of the animal) selected nail cutter, or you can contact a veterinary clinic or a grooming salon.

Injury. A dog can tear off a claw in a thousand cases. Cling on the run, fight with relatives, run into an obstacle … Except for trimming your claws in time, other preventive measures cannot be taken here. And if trouble occurs and the animal is injured, then it is necessary to disinfect the wound, the entire paw, apply a bandage and take the pet to the veterinary clinic. It is impossible to delay a visit to the doctor: if inflammation begins, the dog may lose a finger, or even amputation of a limb will come to pass.

Disease. Onychodystrophy. Develops with fungal diseases. The affected claw turns yellow or blackens, collapses. The process is accompanied by itching, in the future – the defeat of the paw pads.

Treatment will be required, sometimes for a long time. The veterinarian will examine the animal and send it for tests to determine which fungus is your unwanted guest, and according to the results, prescribe treatment.

infectious inflammation. Although they say that it “will heal like a dog,” nevertheless, there are countless cases of the development of quite serious inflammatory processes due to the fact that the dog cut or pricked its paw. Therefore, it is better to play it safe and treat the wound with miramistin or chlorhexidine, then bandage it properly. The doctor will send for a cytological examination of tissue from the affected area in order to determine the type of bacteria and select antibiotics.

Tumors. Rarely, but they do happen, especially in older animals. The paws are commonly affected by sarcoma or squamous cell carcinoma. Claws fall out on a sick paw. Your path is to the veterinary clinic. There, a biopsy will be taken from the dog, histology, MRI, x-rays will be done, the type of tumor and the stage of development of the disease will be determined.

A doctor can help determine exactly what is happening to your pet. An in-person visit to the clinic may not be required – in the Petstory application, you can describe the problem and get qualified assistance (the cost of the first consultation is only 199 rubles!).

By asking questions to the doctor, you can exclude the disease, and in addition, you will receive recommendations for further solving this problem. You can download the application from link.