Broken Back Claw And Muscle Spasms

Pixelated Cat

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Hello everyone! I already have an appointment for Pixie to see the vet this morning and wanted to ask about others' experiences with this. Pixie has a broken nail on his back right paw. It is completely split in half all the way down the quick, but is not bleeding. I have also noticed muscle spasms in his right leg and thigh, and he licks the hurt claw frequently. He is more hesitant to jump onto places that are usually his favorite spots. Hubby and I have tried to get a better look at the claw, but we end up letting him be because it seems to cause too much discomfort. Sometimes he runs around like his usual self, then other times we see him shaking his leg like he stepped in a puddle of water, his leg spasms, and occasionally limps. I've also noticed when he sits and lies down, he is putting more weight on his left side to keep weight off of his claw. This isn't the first time we have had trouble with this particular claw. Last year when we took him in the claw had a severe fungal infection, and for awhile it got better with medicine, and now it has split. Hubby has asked me to consider having that particular claw declawed. I understand where he is coming from, but only want to consider it as a last resort. I will post an update after our appointment this morning. Anyone have any input or experience with this?
 

neely

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Although I have no personal experience with this health issue I wanted to offer my support and send special thoughts for Pixie. :vibes::vibes::vibes:I'm glad you have a vet appointment this morning and would discuss his options with them. In the meantime, I would suggest trying to keep him in a comfortable confined area so that he doesn't put anymore pressure/trauma on the nail/claw.

Best of luck, please keep us posted after Pixie's vet appointment. :alright:
 

Jem

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The only time we ever experienced something similar was when our boy completely ripped out his claw and sprained his paw (the ligament of the toe of the claw in question) in the process. Our vet did say that if the claw did not grow back properly and caused issues we may have to have it removed but thankfully, it grew back perfectly fine because the quick was not damaged when it ripped out.
We were also "lucky" that he did not use litter in his litter box (severe litter avoidance from chronic crystals) so using the pee pads did lessen the risk of infection.
Our treatment was saline washes a few times a day to keep it clean until the tissue was no longer "open" and he moderated his own activity level due to the pain in his foot. Although we did make things easier for him by placing steps and ramps around the areas he liked to hang out so he would not have to jump. His sprained toe took about two weeks to go away completely and after a few months the claw grew back.
I guess we were lucky all around, so I'm not very helpful, but I will say, that if the quick is not damaged, maybe they will simply remove the "exposed part" of the nail/claw and hope that it grows back properly. But I honestly don't know if that's a possibility.
 
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Pixelated Cat

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neely neely and Jem Jem The vet trimmed the broken nail after applying local anesthetic cream. He did cry out a few times during his exam, but was a good boy about it. Dr. Mac is taking a conservative approach with his claw, with us observing it at home and notifying her of any changes, and she told us what signs to look for as far as infection goes. It isn't bleeding and does not show signs of infection at this time, so we are all hoping the nail will grow back normally and that he won't have any issues with it in the future. She is optimistic that he will not need this claw removed. The fungal infection he had previously is coming back in some of his claws. This has been an ongoing issue occurring in cycles. We would apply a topical prescription anti-fungal medicine to his claws and it would clear up. We would stop the topical medication when it cleared up and then the fungus would start to grow back. We have been going through this cycle since last Thanksgiving. He is on terbinafine (anti-fungal pills) to treat the fungus internally so it should completely be wiped out after this. I gave him his first dose today, and seems to be doing fine with it so far. I thought he was going to be stressed out after his appointment this morning and thought he would hide away to recuperate. He went about his usual daily routine and took his afternoon nap stretched out at my side. I will keep you posted on how he is doing. Thank you for your support :heartshape::hearthrob::touched:
 

neely

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Thanks for the update! :thanks: I'm glad to hear Pixie was not stressed out after his appointment and went about his usual routine. I like Dr. Mac's conservative approach and hope his nail grows back without any problems. :crossfingers:
 
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