Nail bed tumor?
My parents dog , who is extremely anxious and will not let anyone touch her feet has a close to 5-6mm mass in between her nail. It has been there for the past month and is hard and there is pink flesh on the side of the nail. My parents are trying to not take her to the vet because she gets so incredibly stressed. But I am a vet tech student and suspect it may be a tumor or infection. Having other opinions could help me convince them to take her to the vet. All opinions on what it could be are appreciated.
Hello, I would recommend a vet visit for any odd growths in the nail. How old is this dog? The biggest fear of nail bed growths are melanomas, which if left untreated can become malignant and spread to other parts of the body. Of course, it could be something else like a a Cutaneous Horn or footpad hyperkeratosis, but certainly this is something that should be looked at sooner rather than later.
She is about 7 years old. Thank you for responding I will let my dad know.
I agree to have this dog seen, one of my dogs once had a melanoma of the nail, the worst melanomas are those in the nails and mouth. My dog's growth though was black, I think most melanomas are darkly pigmented so not sure if they can be other colors, could likely be something else, but for peace of mind should be seen, especially because dogs are on their toes all the time and it must be uncomfortable and interfere with walking. I would guess it could also be a fungal, yeast infection. Let us know what it turns out to be!
Quote from Jennifer on April 20, 2022, 7:58 pmI agree to have this dog seen, one of my dogs once had a melanoma of the nail, the worst melanomas are those in the nails and mouth. My dog's growth though was black, I think most melanomas are darkly pigmented so not sure if they can be other colors, could likely be something else, but for peace of mind should be seen, especially because dogs are on their toes all the time and it must be uncomfortable and interfere with walking. I would guess it could also be a fungal, yeast infection. Let us know what it turns out to be!
Thanks for replying! They took her to the vet and gave her antibiotics and if that doesn't work they are going to remove the nail