Dark, painful toenail on my dog: Is it a bruise or something else?

Question

I would greatly appreciate some insight to a difference in color on my 5 year old female boxer’s toenail. For the past few days when she uses her foot to scratch, she faintly yelps/whines and then licks her foot. I looked at her foot with a flashlight and one of her toenails appears dark red with a black, misshapen patch. She is very active, and we spend quite a bit of time in the sun at the beach, which makes it difficult for me to distinguish if it is just a bruise or something more malignant. Pet's info: Dog | Boxer | Female | unspayed | 5 years old | 50 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think this is inflammation of the tissue underneath which could have been due to minor trauma. As long as Ella is otherwise doing fine, it would ok to monitor as if it is just mild inflammation, it is expected to normalize and look like the rest of her nails within a day or two. Good luck and have a great day!

Dark, painful toenail on my dog: Is it a bruise or something else?

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