Supplements For Stronger Nails?

[Roxy Lady]

Roxys nails/claws are always splitting, and right back to the ends too. It doesn't worry her as much as it worries me, she still clowns around and whatever, they don't seem to cause her any pain. And i have absolutly what she'd be doing to cause them to split??

What can i do to make her nails a bit stronger, besides keeping them trimmed (even trimmed ones are splitting)??

[Guest Tess32]

What is she fed?

[Roxy Lady]

Supercoat dryfood and either chicken necks or wings. :D

[Toohey]

My girl has the same problem. Hers is caused by an infection - a dog paronychia. It is not normal for them to split and treatment may be needed.

Are the quicks exposed? Keep a close eye on it, and keep them clean as they can get infected and sore. Best take her to the vet and get scrapings done, to see if there is some bug causing it.

Supplements you can try are Biotin and/or Silica.

[Roxy Lady]

Oh really!?! Never heard of that before!! Thanks for that Toohey i will be def taking her to the vet to get it checked. I try and keep them clean and have been treating them every now and then with salt water and was thinking about spraying them with the purple spray as well.

[Toohey]

I had her to see several vets who just kept giving antibiotics and not seeking the cause. By then it was too late to do any tests as the antis would affect the result.

In the end I took her to an holistic vet who recommended soaking her feet for one minute each day in dissolved Epsom salts to draw out the infection. I then dry them and soak them again in warm water with a splash of Alpha keri oil. The idea being to harden them up and encourage new growth.

This has been going on for 18 months now. Her nails are still splitting, but not as badly and they no longer get infected or sore. Previously she had exposed bleeding quicks, but now she has new nails growing beneath the splitting ones. So, I just continue with the cleaning regime twice a week, and we are doing OK.

[Poodle wrangler]

Could it be nail clipping technique problem?

I use a dremel to grind down the nails, but did a rough job the other day and noticed some splitting of a couple of nails.

No problems on those I did with neat edges.

[peigirl]

Can also be an indication that their immune sytems are not functioning properly. I have this problem with my boy.

[Roxy Lady]

Am pretty confident its not a nail clipping prob, i have a good trimmer, and it happens regardless who trims. I stopped trimming them for awhile thinking maybe that was the prob but they just split worse. I have no idea about the immune deficency, but will get vet to check.

Her nails, (mainly on front paws) split right down the centre and right up to the skin, sometimes they bleed and the quick is exposed, othertimes when theres no bleeding and just a split, it seems as though there is another nail underneath growing in its place forcing the old one to split and break off.

Will try the epsom salt and alpha keri oil, see how it goes.

Thanks for the advice :D