Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
Hello - and that does look to be painful. Zinc deficiency may not be the only explanation for this, but of course I don't know how many tests or how much research about your dogs' Zinc availability or diet, the vet has done. It is relatively unusual for a healthy dog with good control of their limbs to repeatedly walk on a nail to such an extent that they file it down to the quick - this must hurt. Perhaps the dog may be arthritic and / or overweight, so cannot help but to weight-bear in an awkward way (perhaps it would be more painful to walk normally, for instance). If this is the case, then a discussion about pain relief for the joints, weight loss, or other preventative methods, could be extremely important. Another possibility would be a neurological deficit i.e. the nerve not working, so that the patient cannot feel that they are making themselves sore. Again, your vet may already have tested for this. One thing I know about vets, is that we don't like not knowing the answer. You and your vet potentially have a couple of options for getting to the bottom of this. One, as you say, be to ask for a second opinion. If you chose this option, ask your vet to send you to someone, perhaps who likes orthopedic or skin cases - and to check first whether they are happy to accept the case.
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