Canine toe nails

Question
I have a 9 year old male nutered German Shepherd dog who recently lost a toe nail. I have problems cutting them back and they dont get on hard serfaces often. They do get quite long. A week ago he hurt his foot on something on the ground. Pine needles or a pine cone or something in the florida campground we are at. His toes started to swell and get red and he kept licking so I had him on ceffalexen used salve and soaked his foot and kept it bandaged in a sock. Well a few days later he lost a toe nail. It just seemeed to fall off. A small white nail was underneath. So we kept it clean and soaked the foot in epsom salts. Well he kept licking his toes and when we tried to cut he nails back he didnt want us to do it. Well another fell off tonight on the other foot. I am out of antibiotics so will call the vet tomorrow but wondered if you had any ideas what it may be. He and my other GSD's had problems off and on with the diahrea for a few weeks also. Got medications from the vet which ha helped but they still get a relaps every once in a while. We live in Maine and are vacationing here so please help. Dan

Answer
Hello Dan -

There is not much I can tell you about the toe nails. Sometimes with dogs and cats, the new nail grows underneath and pushes the old one off. This is common. The pet will lick it for days and then it just drops off. My cat does this all the time, she doesn't let me clip her nails so nature takes its course.

Keep checking the pads of his feet for irritation. If you see any redness or swelling, apply Aloe Vera Gel, this will soothe and help heal it faster. If your dog ingests it, that's fine, it will not harm him. The Aloe Vera will work just as good from the inside out. You could also apply Tea Tree Oil to the wound but wrap it up after you apply it. These two remedies together will really help and speed up the healing process.

Your pet may not have wanted you to touch his foot because he may still have something in between the pads that is irritating him. It could be as small as a splinter. Try to look as best you can. If you see something small and lodged that you can't get to, you can make a Plantain leaf poultice that will draw it out. (I could send this to you if you needed me to.)A local pharmacy may sell "Icthamayl"  (pronounced Ick-tha-mall) this is also a petroleum based drawing salve. Apply this and wrap it up changing the dressing twice a day. The splinter should be out in a few days.

The best advice while camping with you pets as far as diarhhea is to add Garlic powder to their food. Garlic is an anti-microbial and helps to fight bacteria and infection in the system. Don't be afraid to sprinkle it with a heavy hand, dogs love Garlic and they should eat it up right away. The only draw back to adding Garlic to the food is flatulence. It may be a little stinky but its doing it job. Just keep a couple clothes pins handy! They may have upset stomachs due to traveling, new environment or may have eaten something they should not have. I make and sell a remedy for pet diarrhea but your best case is to watch what they are eating while on vacation. If this has been happening at home, contact me again and I can help you address it there.

I hope this information has helped you and your pet.

If you are interested in herbal and natural remedies for human and animal concerns please contact me at wintersaurora@yahoo.com and I will be happy to help you. I also have a home made herbal remedy catalog that I could send you if you are interested.

Thank you and best wishes to you and your pet. Enjoy your vacation.

Sincerely,
Sharon Hubbs, AHG
Certified Natural Health Consultant & Herbalist