Can overgrown nails hurt my dog's feet?

A nail that touches the ground before the pad does pushes back up through the toe with every step, similar to walking in shoes a size too small. Over weeks and months this constant pressure can gradually reshape how the toe joints sit, sometimes leading to a flatter, more splayed paw than the dog started with.

Dogs adapt quietly, often shifting their weight backward onto their heels or walking with a slightly shortened stride on hard floors long before an owner notices anything is wrong. This kind of subtle compensation is one reason regular nail checks matter even when a dog does not seem to be in obvious pain.

Left unattended for a very long time, particularly on dewclaws that never touch the ground, a nail can curl in a full circle and grow directly into the pad, creating an open wound that becomes tender and can develop an odor. This level of neglect is uncommon but entirely preventable with routine trims.

Beyond just the paw itself, a dog compensating for long term overgrown nails sometimes develops subtly altered movement further up the leg, since shifting weight backward or splaying the toes changes how the whole limb absorbs impact with each step. Addressing nail length consistently is one of the simpler ways to rule this out as a contributing factor if a vet is investigating a broader gait change.

Owners sometimes notice a dog that has had long neglected nails start standing and walking more normally within just a week or two of returning to a proper trimming schedule, which is a reassuring sign that the discomfort, while real, was not causing lasting structural damage.