My dog's dewclaw is red, swollen, and not healing. Should I see a vet?

Question

My dog is red and swollen around his dewclaw. I have been putting bag balm on it and wrapping it in vet wrap. It seems to not be getting any better. Do I need to take him to a vet? Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | neutered | 2 years old | 98 lbs

Lauren Kennedy, DVM · Accepted Answer

It looks as if your dog has a nail bed infection. If it is just on the one nail you may able to treat it topically with antibiotic and/or antifungal ointment. If more than one toe is affected Zeus will need systemic drugs as well as topical ones. I would recommend taking Zeus to the vet so a cytology can be done to determine what type of infection is present (bacterial vs fungal) and the appropriate treatment can be started. I would also not wrap the area for now as this can cause more harm than good. It can decrease the blood supply to the area and cause the toe to become moist and fragile.

My dog's dewclaw is red, swollen, and not healing. Should I see a vet?

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