How do I trim my neglected poodle's severely overgrown, twisted nails?

Hi and thanks for your request about Sandy's nail. The nail seems fractured and would need to be trimmed. Unfortunately this can cause bleeding and discomfort and it would be ideally performed by your local veterinarian.

Ouch that looks very painful, and the rest of Hugo's nails look extremely overgrown. I would bring him to a vet ASAP so he can be sedated and the nails trimmed back/the affected bad nail trimmed or removed and medication given to help with pain and prevent infection.

I would suggest a vet visit for Rev. These broken nails can be extremely painful. The vet office may sedate him and/or give pain meds then cut the nail flush to the paw pad. Many of these need a few days of pain medication as well. Be sure not give otc pain medications to dogs.

If the nails are bothersome or getting torn off, your vet may ultimately recommend having them removed to prevent it. However, if you are waiting to save up for this procedure, keeping the nails trimmed back as close to the quick as possible can help keep them from snagging on things and tearing. Keeping the area clean and dry can also help reduce chances of infection or bacteria getting trapped in the area as well. If Ruby needs care sooner, this site may help give you some options to make veterinary care more affordable: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care

If the nail is pushing into the skin or badly curled, it could be causing some pain and even infection if it digs deep enough. It would be best to try and get Mars to the vet to have the nail trimmed back, any wound from it treated, and antibiotics started to keep it from getting infected. If it hasn't dug into the skin yet, you might see if Mars will let you trim the nail back enough. You may need to trim it in small amounts over a period of weeks to get it trimmed back far enough. If the nail is trimmed back too far, it may bleed, however styptic powder or cornstarch can be used to treat any bleeding.

Unfortunately I think that seeing a veterinarian is your only choice. It looks like Pinky probably needs to be sedated to remove the nail, and I’m not sure but it looks like the base could be infected. It might fall off eventually but it will be painful until then. If you have financial constraints you can look into Care Credit - www.carecredit.com Good luck!

It's difficult to tell from the picture if it's torn at the nail bed, but if you have seen blood and/or it's permanently staying sideways (even when she is on her back), then it is torn. A torn toenail requires removal by a veterinarian to prevent further damage. These are sometimes easy to remove, but other times require anesthesia and more force. The toenails are quite long, so if the toenail is not torn, then this could be alleviated by simply trimming the toenails. Either way, it's best to take Lola to your vet for an exam and further treatment. I hope that helps and Lola gets better soon.