Claw disease covers everything from a single torn nail to slow destruction of every claw on all four feet. Most cases involve one claw and follow trauma or infection, but a dog losing claws on several feet usually has symmetrical lupoid onychodystrophy (SLO), and a dark-coated large-breed dog with one swollen toe may have a nail bed carcinoma. Telling these apart early saves pain, unnecessary antibiotics and, sometimes, a life.
Key facts
Disease of claws (including toenail avulsion) at a glance- Species and system: dogs; integument (claw unit and claw fold), with possible extension to the third phalanx (P3).
- How common: claw disease as the only skin problem is uncommon, about 1.3% of dogs seen at one teaching hospital's dermatology service.
- Main causes: one claw: trauma, bacterial or fungal paronychia, neoplasia. Many claws on many feet: SLO, or a disease that also affects other skin or the whole dog.
- Classic presentations: a lame dog with a bleeding, split or avulsed claw; a middle-aged dog whose claws slough one after another and regrow short, brittle and misshapen.
- Zoonotic/reportable: not reportable; among the causes, dermatophytes are the main zoonotic concern.
What's inside
14 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Anatomy that explains the disease
- Terms you need
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention and control
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 6 tables, 2 figures, 3 self-test questions and 14 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
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