Treatment of Bacterial Claw Infection in Dogs Most treatments will include topical or oral antibiotic ointments and paw soaks. Paw soaks might include chlorhexidine or Epsom salts to draw any pus and reduce inflammation while promoting healing.
Signs that your pet may have a nail or nailbed infection could include redness, swelling, or discharge from the skin surrounding the nail, or discoloration or deformation of the claw itself. Your dog may also lick her paw or exhibit signs of pain or lameness on the affected paw or paws.
Bacterial Nail Infections:
Food allergies and/or environmental allergies would be the most common cause of such infection. Allergies may also lead to yeast infection of the nail bed. A general term used for inflammation (with or without infection) of the skin around the nail is Paronychia.
Your dog's swollen toe may be caused by an infection or a foreign body in the toe, such as a splinter, or more rarely an insect bite or sting. There may be a fracture in the bone of the toe. Most cancerous tumors, such as melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma, occur at the junction between the toenail and the toe.
Infectious. The feet and paws are often red (inflamed) and swollen. There may be nodules (bumps) or fungal lesions (kerions), ulcers, or discharge (pus) from the lesions. There is often hair loss and the dog may lick the feet constantly.
Other commonly recommended treatments include soaking the foot in warm water (with or without an antibiotic solution added to the bath) and applying antibiotic ointment. Some dogs may benefit from antibiotic wraps and bandaging. Pain medication may be needed in some dogs.
In more severe cases, they may perform X-rays or biopsies to determine if any damage has occurred beyond the nail bed. Most treatments for a dog nail infection are topical (e.g., chlorhexidine or Epsom salts) or involve oral antibiotics (for 4 to 6 weeks).
Most broken nails will heal by themselves over 1-2 weeks. However this causes unacceptable discomfort in the meantime. The loose nail is still partly attached to the injured nailbed, and even the slightest movement creates intense pain.
Infections can become so severe that they cause the paw to appear swollen. If you notice a swelling in between your dog's toes, please have them checked by a veterinarian.
Untreated, the infection can cause damage to the nail. Rarely, untreated paronychia can go deeper into the finger or toe and lead to a serious infection.
Using a saline solution or water and a mild soap, clean the injury. Try not to use a cotton swab or gauze as fibers may embed into the nail. Pour your saline solution over the nail to clean. Keep doing this until blood, dirt, and debris are all rinsed off.
Soak your toe in a warm foot bath with unscented Epsom salt.
Always dry your foot completely after soaking. Soaking your ingrown or infected toe will help relieve the pain and pressure of an infection. It can also help to draw out pus from your toe. Keep your feet dry, unless you're soaking them for treatment.
Fungal nail infections typically don't go away on their own, and the best treatment is usually prescription antifungal pills taken by mouth. In severe cases, a healthcare professional might remove the nail completely. It can take several months to a year for the infection to go away.
Call your doctor or nurse advice line now or seek immediate medical care if: You have signs of new or worsening infection, such as: Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness. Red streaks leading from the infected skin.
Your health care provider may prescribe an antifungal cream, such as efinaconazole (Jublia) and tavaborole (Kerydin). You rub this product into your infected nails after soaking. These creams may work better if you first thin the nails.
Treatment of a broken or fractured nail
The most important thing to do straight away is to stop your dog from licking its foot or nail. Dogs and cats have bacteria in their mouth, which can cause an infection if they lick a broken nail.
Chlorhexidine is a disinfectant and antiseptic used on dogs to remove unwanted bacterial or fungal growth from the skin. It can be used for a number of reasons, from keeping wounds clean to treating skin infections.
A mix of cornstarch and baking soda often works well (or, simply, cornstarch alone), while rubbing a clean bar of scent-free soap or a wet tea bag on the nail at the spot of lesser bleeding can also be effective. No home remedy, however, will be as instantly effective as a styptic powder.
A paronychia may start as redness and swelling around the nail. It is most often very sore to the touch and, at times, may be a yellow-green color, indicating that a collection of pus has formed under the skin (called an abscess) of the toenail or fingernail.
Signs of an infection in the paws include licking and chewing the paws, redness, swelling, pain, itching, and drainage. Typically, the skin between the toes and other skin folds is affected with itching, redness, and greasy discharge. Sometimes, brown discoloration of the nails.
Systemic antibiotics should be continued at least 2 weeks past clinical resolution,1 generally for 4 to 6 weeks as nail based bacterial infections are considered deeper infections. Empirical antibiotics include a β-lactam antibiotic (eg, cephalexin, clindamycin).
Make a bowl of salt water and place your dog's paws in the water to soak for at least 10 minutes. You can also use terry cloths or sponges to make compresses to use on injured skin. Repeat this process two to three times a day for optimal effects.
Simply speaking, no, you shouldn't allow your dog to lick your wound under any circumstances. Your dog's mouth is often a dirty place. Licking can introduce bacteria, which can lead to infections. Licking can also irritate your wound more since a dog's tongue isn't exactly the gentlest thing to rub on your wound.
Bacterial and fungal paw inflammations often require medication. Your vet will recommend systemic antibiotics for bacterial paw infections in dogs for at least six (6) weeks. If the infection runs deep, the antibiotic treatment can last from around 8-12 weeks.