Dragea's Claws

[Luvit73]

He has finally trusted me enough to look at his feet last night , and I am not happy with what I saw . Every one of his claws are split , kind of splintering out sideways . At the base of each claw , where it should come cleanly out of the skin , there is a buildup , really hard , almost as if it's part of an old claw , and a new one grew out through it . What is this ? What could have caused this kind of damage , and what needs to be done to fix it ? Several of the claws seem painful to him , he won't really let me do anything .

[weimlover0816]

I think I would take him to the vet for a look-see. Where he doesn't yet trust you, I doubt getting close enough to clip his nails is an option. The vets are trained to clip the nails of "difficult" dogs (Roslynd was one for a while....), but if there is something more serious they will know and will treat accordingly. Paws are important, gotta keep them in good shape you know, wouldn't want anything to keep your furbabies from Moo's games! LOL

Good luck with your crew!

[Dax]

I agree with Weim (surprise surprise suprise) Not only can the vet assess better but he can sedate in order to do the job fully and completely. It is likely to be expensive as is usually the case with an older neglected dog.

[Luvit73]

Ok thanks guys , will do . Dax , is it neglect that creates a problem like this ? I know he was on filthy concrete for almost a year , could that cause this type of problem ?

[Dax]

I don't know if concrete floors is neglect but from your description - no one worked with his feet. This could be a problem that goes back to his puppy days.

[Luvit73]

Wow , that long ?! Poor guy , I hope the vet can fix him up .