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My dog has an infected paw with a black nail. Is it an emergency?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labradoodle | Male | neutered | 9 years and 6 months old | 55 lbs

I have an 11 year old male Labradoodle with addison’s disease. his back right paw seems to be infected and it looks like the nail at the site of the infection has turned black. is this an emergency? should he be taken to the animal hospital immediately or can i wait to take him to the vet?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on March 8th, 2018

This presentation could be due to a trauma (foreign body lesion/abscess) or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching. This is not an emergency but needs to be seen as soon as your vet is open during normal hours. 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.

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 6th, 2017

    Hello and thank you for your post! The picture is certainly helpful in getting the full picture, thank you. It looks like the base of the nail is quite red and swollen. If the nail has changed colors this can indicate a bacterial or fungal infection. Sometimes these can take quite some time to resolve. I've had multiple cases where we've had to switch to several different antibiotics before we got a response. There have been some cases that do not respond, so further testing is required. Your veterinarian might want to consider culturing the nail to determine what type of infection this might be into also help him or her choose which antibiotic is most appropriate in this situation. If the nail is not improving, I would certainly consider the culture and X-rays of the foot to determine if the underlying bone structures are becoming involved. There are certain types of tumors that can affect nail growth and you may be able to pick up on this with x-rays I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation

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