Hi new to this sight but really need some advice.
Sam is a 9 and a half year old border collie/lab, he is a rescue dog who we have had since he was 17 months old.
He developed a nail bed infection in his 1st toe on right paw about 2+ months ago
Initially he was treated with 'antirobe' for 7 days, then 'clavaseptin' for 7 days.
He was then admitted for X ray and claw removal.
There was no evidence of a tumour or any bone involvement
He was then given 21 days of both antibiotics given together, although I was told it would perhaps take 7 weeks.
At this point it seemed all clear
However about 2 weeks later he started licking it again, the claw had reappeared and although initially appeared small and pointed it then spilt and the toe was enlarged. He was distressed and in pain.
He then had a 20 day course of 'baytril'
He seems to be fine, not bothering with his paw, and exercising as normal for this kind of 'bouncy boy' but toe still swollen slightly
Was back at vets last night and is now on 14 days of 'ceporex' but they are talking of having to amputate toe! I am not prepared to consider this at the moment and feel that this was not handled properly.
Has anyone been through this situation with their dog?

 

Sorry to hear about his problem toe. I  had a different situation but just to reassure you that if the worst happens and you have to amputate my flattie had a toe amputated (tumor in her case) it healed really fast and gave her no bother.
OBviously I hope someone or your vet has some other suggestions as it does seem quite extreme.

> feel that this was not handled properly.

Not necessarily, nail bed infections are notoriously hard to get rid of once they take hold. Worse case scenario could see the infection spread if you didn't amputate the toe if it does become necessary. I'm sure you have been following the instructions to the letter but just to reiterate it is very important to completely finish the course of antibiotics. Good luck with your boy, keep us updated :-)

Nailbed infections can be due to a wide variety of causes mainly fungal or bacterial, or even a secondary infection from another disease. 

I had a dog with a fungal nailbed infection and after this was successfully treated the new nail kept persistently splitting away as it grew. This was more painful for the dog than having no nail at all. I was advised to supplement his diet with extra zinc and it definitely worked for him and a new perfect nail was grown quite quickly. Sorry this doesn't help with Sam's immediate problem but might be worth bearing in mind.

I went through this with one of my dogs. Each course of antibiotics would appear to work until shortly after the course was finished, when the infection would recur. We tried claw removeal, we swabbed to isolate the particular bacterium causing the infection and treated with appropriate antibiotcs, but still it came back each time. After several months we opted for toe amputation, and he never looked back after that.

Thanks to everybody who have replied so quickly
At least I'm not alone
At the moment can't think of having his toe removed
Any suggestions as to how i can help this heal would be good
How about trips to the beach and sea baths?
x

Hi Gilyir,

My old girl had a similar problem she kept licking a particular toe, the nail was very painful for her and I couldnt get anywhere near her, she was as with your boy on a long course of AB's none of which seemed to help her. as mentioned above any kind of infection in the nail is very hard to cure. In the end they decided to remove the nail but did an xray first only to dicover she had a very rare type of tumour in her toe so it was decided that the best course of action was to have the toe removed completly. (it was her left outside toe) her foot was heavily bandaged for about 14 days and we had to go back to the vets after a couple of days so they could check on how it was healing. They gave me a load of bandages and I just kept changing it every other day. Then she went back to have her stitches out, it has never caused her a problem at all since having her toe removed, she doesnt walk any differently and plays and runs about with the rest of the pack when the mood takes her. So I think if this infection is not showing any signs of clearing up, it might be the best option to just have the toe removed as if the AB's dont clear the infection up fully it may well reccur again or spread to the bone. As your boy is fit and active it wont make any difference to him if he should have to have this toe removed.

Sam still on antibiotics but looking good at this moment. Thanks to everyone who sent me a message, much appreciated. He still has the toe! Starting on 'Evening Primose Oil' tomorrow, the claw has re-grown. Have a 3 week window before visiting vet's again, so am hopeful surgery won't be required. x

Update: yes still on antibiotics, all looks normal at this point however back to vets end of next week so a bit nervous it will all return if he's taken off them! Can't believe how much it's cost so far, we are talking over a thousand and although insured have had nothing back yet. Don't know whether the evening primrose is doing anything for his nail bed but coat looks fabulous! He's also had 3 weeks of joint care sticks as the toe joint was swollen, now normal size and what a bouncy boy!