Guest dog paw/nail problem?

I was left to care for a friend's dog while she was out of town. He has very long nails. On his front left paw, he has one long nail that is broken and frayed at the end. Stuck to the corresponding paw pad there seems to be a nail piece that I believe is a part of the broken nail. It is coming out from the side and it looks like a nail. Im really not sure if it has penetrated the pad, or if is just crusted on there as it looks pretty old. The whole paw pad is crusted with what looks like debris and asphalt since this is a dog thats always outside on hard surfaces. It looks easily removable, but I can't distinguish if that piece is a nail (or something else) going INTO the paw, or just crusted to the side, as the paw pad has newer debris that covers it.





I can move it up and down, and it seems like it has been in the paw for a while, and not really an immediate concern for infection. It doesn't seem to hurt him and he doesn't have any problem at all walking, but it looks concerning. I can pull it down off the pad to a point where it looks like it might just peel off, but he gets wary when I do that, and he doesn't yelp or anything, but I don't want to exacerbate the problem if it IS a problem.


He also has another smaller fragment on that same paw that looks like a nail piece as well, but again could be something else.





I wanted to know if anyone else out there has had or has heard of a problem like this before, and what was done to resolve it. I will ultimately take him to a vet, although if this is a common problem or one that is easily rectified, I'd rather do it myself and save the vet fees. It could be debris, but it is the same width and color (light) as his nails.





His owner has several other dogs, and they are all outside dogs, and she's usually very busy, so this may have been overlooked for a long time. I told her about it, and I'm going to take him to a vet if all else fails, but again, I'd like outside opinions, thanks.Guest dog paw/nail problem?
I would recommend taking him to the vet to make sure it isn't a vascular growth. It's not uncommon for dogs to develop growths on their paw pads. Many times they're just keratinous growths (kind of like corns) and can be clipped off with nail clippers (although these growths are more common in cats I have seen one or two on dogs). But without actually seeing the thing I would not advise taking the nail clippers to them yourself just in case they are vascular as they will bleed horribly if they are. Either way, it sounds like this dog needs his nails trimmed. Long nails are not only a cosmetic thing, they are also a potential hazard as they can get caught up on things and tear which is very painful. And in older dogs they interfere with how the weight is distributed on the feet which can exasperate arthritis.Guest dog paw/nail problem?
i would take to vet. it may have been there long enough to not show pain.