Has anyone ever seen this happen on a cat's paw pads?

[firenat]

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• firenat
• May 4, 2014

photo 2.JPG

• firenat
• May 4, 2014

photo 3.JPG

• firenat
• May 4, 2014

As with most of the cats who come into our rescue, I have very little information about this cat, but I will tell you what I know, and hopefully someone can give me some advice!  I think that Sylvester is one of the cats our rescue pulled from the animal shelter.  He had problems with his paw pads and was taken to the vet about 2 weeks ago (not sure on exact timeline).  The vet did not know what had happened to the pads (possibly burned), but he thought that they would heal on their own, and he sent Sylvester on his way.  Sylvester was adopted from the Petco adoption center, but he was returned about 1 week later, because he was incompatible with the adopter's other cat.

So this is where I come in.  I was cleaning the kennels when Sylvester was returned on Friday night.  He seemed extremely stressed, and his (long) hair was badly matted.  I could tell that there was something wrong, so I took him to a groomer (yesterday) to have the mats removed and try to ease his discomfort.  When the groomer went to trim his nails, she was horrified to see that it looked like his paw pads looked like they were peeling off!!  We didn't know that he had seen the vet previously for this, and we were shocked to discover that it was occurring to all 4 main paw pads.  I brought him home with me instead of returning him to the kennel.  I took these pictures, and it is hard to see the details, but I hope somebody will recognize this and give me some advice on what it could possibly be. (As I said, the vet saw him a couple of weeks and, and he had no idea.)

 - The skin on the pads of his feet is peeling off.  It is thin layers in some areas, and very thick (like the entire pad, with flesh exposed underneath) in others.

 - In all four paws, the skin is BUBBLED UP, with some kind of fluid underneath.  On one of the paws, the entire pad is just a fluid-filled bubble.

 - This has been going on for a while, with no diagnosis or treatment.

 - He is not limping, though it looks like it must be very painful.

He has another vet appointment tomorrow, but I am hoping that I can get some ideas of what to test for, since he's been seen and sent home once already.  Has anybody seen anything like this??

 

[denice]

That has to be painful.  I haven't seen it but I know that paw pads can get a type of rodent ulcer.  I don't know if it would affect all four paws though.

 

[stephanietx]

Bless you for caring for this little guy.  I'd get him to the vet immediately as he probably needs to be on some kind of antibiotic.  The vet should also do some more thorough treatment and try to figure out if it's a burn or something else.

 

[goholistic]

Poor Sylvester. That one paw pad looks especially painful and raw. I'm glad you have another appointment with the vet. It could be some kind of fungus or an autoimmune condition. 

 

[furmonster mom]

I can't believe the carelessness of the vet that supposedly saw him.  If the pads were even remotely injured at that time he should have been given an antibiotic ointment at the very least.  You don't leave paws to heal on their own, because they are in constant use, hello! 

And of course he didn't get along with other cats if he was in pain.  He should never have been adopted out in the first place.  ugh!

Sorry.  That kind of carelessness really chaps my hide.

The question is, what to do now.

To me, this seriously looks like untreated burns.  Burns require special ointments and treatment regimen, because they are not like regular injuries.  Wouldn't doubt that there is an underlying infection by now, making things that much worse. 

From what I understand, burns are usually treated with a "moist treatment", ointments and wraps.  So my first "go to" treatment (epsom salt compress) is probably not the best, because it would dry out the tissue even more.  You could try a little vitamin E, if you can keep him off his feet for a bit.

I hope the next vet is more experienced, or if not, at least has enough brains to call in someone who is.  grrrrrrr.

 

[firenat]

It will be the same vet; we only have 2 options here, and they both specialize in large livestock.  The attitude toward cats (and small pets like rodents) here is bad enough to grind your teeth, but we are doing the best we can with the limited resources we have.  I really want to go in armed with some info and request specific tests, because if we don't demand testing, they won't do it.  They just say "I don't know, it will work itself out" and send us on our way.

Burn was my first thought, but I don't think it would still be this awful after such a long time.  The flesh of the pad feels... gross.  It is spongy and squishy, and it doesn't seem like it is just from the fluid underneath.   It doesn't feel at all the way it should.  I put a little salve on it when we gave him his pain medication, and it was so bad.  It is the same salve I used when my cat burned his paw on the stovetop, so maybe it will help Sylvester too.  

Sylvester is a big, heavy boy with large feet.  Just imagining all that weight on those poor pads makes me feel so awful.  I pulled him from the kennel, because I didn't think he had enough space to walk away from his litter box and not track the litter all over so that his feet could get cleaned off (I was also worried about his stress levels)... but now his is in my spare bedroom, and he has lots of room to move around in, so I'm not sure that I did the right thing by giving him more space.  We did get the vet to get him a pain med, so hopefully that will help.

I've been reading about viruses, and am going to start researching fungus and auto immune,  Thank you for all the suggestions!  I'll let you know if I come across anything promising.

 

[firenat]

I have more info on Sylvester's history.  He was abandoned by his owner and was living outside his home for about 2 months before a concerned neighbor called.  Our rescue picked him up about 10 days ago, and his feet looked this way.  The vet said it would heal on its own, and he was adopted from Petco the next day.  Returned 1 week later, and I took him home with me.

So now I REALLY have no idea how long this has been going on, or if it is some kind of chemical burn or allergy to something that he got into while he was living outdoors!  Argh!

I was told that he would be tested for diabetes.  Have you ever heard of diabetes causing this?

 

[happybird]

The bottom photo looks similar to how my cat Sammy's pads looked after a few weeks of being indoors only. He was a stray who spent most of his time on asphalt and pavement, so we figured it was the process of his calloused pads softening in his new, carpeted environment. It didn't bother him and his pads and feet were not sensitive.
But that top photo seems to indicate this is something more, the poor kitty. It looks so very painful, like a bad burn. Thank goodness he has you to advocate for him! We'll be sending you vibes for answers and healing.

 

[furmonster mom]

 
I have more info on Sylvester's history.  He was abandoned by his owner and was living outside his home for about 2 months before a concerned neighbor called.  ...

You are in UT?  are you in a high altitude/cold area?  could it be frostbite?

 

[stephanie42]

the first photo looks quite painful, like the pad is ulcerated.  sylvester is very lucky to have found you!

the other two photos look similar to one of my cat's paws after a slight burn on the stove.  i had a glass top stove and she tried to walk across it and learned very quickly NOT to.  she slightly burned her front two paws; one developed a small blister but they healed well.  it doesn't really look like any photos of frostbite on the pads that i've ever seen, but admittedly i haven't seen a lot.   

 

[nbrazil]

On a person this looks like either a burn or fungal infection. Burns can be chemical (not just heat) spills stepped into.

 

[firenat]

 
You are in UT?  are you in a high altitude/cold area?  could it be frostbite?

I never even thought about frostbite!  Yes I live in one of the coldest areas in Utah!  With him living outside, it could certainly be a chemical burn, or an allergy too.

I have also been reading a bunch of articles about "Pillow Foot" which describes the mushy pads, peeling skin and ulcers perfectly.  It is often not painful (until the ulcers form), which would explain why he is walking about normally.

http://purrduedvm.blogspot.com/2011/11/middle-aged-cat-came-in-for-lameness-on.html

I have been writing down a list of things to ask vet about, and we have been discussing which tests to request at his appointment this afternoon.  I want to choose a cream or treatment that would cover a broad range of possibilities (burn, frostbite, chemical burn - and if there is an antifungal that could be used in conjunction).  I am going to request doxycycline as an antibiotic, because that is the usual treatment for pillow foot, and it would protect his poor pads from infection at the same time.

I really appreciate everyone's ideas!  I feel so much better prepared now that I have some suggestions to take to the doctor.  I will let you know how the appointment goes!  THANK YOU!!

 

[stephanietx]

Something else to consider since you've already mentioned on more than one occasion about the scarcity of adequate medical care for small animals at the vet, is possibly a trip to the nearest bigger city to a vet who might be more familiar with this type of thing. 

 

[furmonster mom]

If you google "frostbite on paws", you'll find pictures of the blackened skin and what happens when it peels off. 

Also, the mushy-ness underneath could be dead tissue or the onset of gangrene.

Quote from an article:

 Third degree frostbite, the most serious, can be identified through ...skin turning dark or black over a period of several days. Where the flesh is badly injured, there is usually a clear difference/line between damaged and healthy tissue. Sometimes third degree frostbite results in gangrene and the necessity to amputate an affected area or limb. 

The thing about frostbite (from what I understand), is that since the tissue has been essentially frozen dead, there is no feeling in it... until it peels off and exposes the live tissue, of course.

So, people (and animals) will often continue using the affected parts, which is why gangrene is such a danger.  Gangrene can set in, and begin to affect the surrounding good tissue.  Not good.

 

[firenat]

We have a diagnosis!  It is Pododermatitis (the "Pillow Foot" I mentioned earlier).  It acts like an autoimmune disease.  

He had to order in some doxycycline, and it will arrive on Wednesday.  The pads are not painful to the touch (except for the very obviously hurting back paw pad), so I am going to keep it as clean as possible, treat with a little salve, watch for any new open wounds and keep him in the soft-carpeted room until the meds get his immune system back in order.  

So it looks like Sylvester will be living at my house for a little while.  

 Yay for us!!  He is a cool cat, and I'm so happy to find some way to help him have a better life.  I am not going to have him join all my other fosters in the kitty nursery downstairs (Those kittens play too rough, lol); he can be one of the spoiled upstairs kitties, haha.

THANK YOU to everyone who tried to help Sylvester.  Your suggestions and good thoughts mean so much to me!  I will update on how he responds to the meds, and hopefully we are on the path to recovery!

 

[furmonster mom]

I'm very glad to hear it is treatable, and that the prognosis for recovery is good. 

 

[stephanietx]

Since it's an autoimmune disease, I wonder if the things we do for herpes kitties will help him.  That would be adding lysine to his diet, 1000mg (500mg twice a day) during an active flare up, 500mg (250mg twice a day) during times of calm, a grain-free diet, and minimizing stress by keeping a routine and using calming agents such as Feliway diffusers.  It would be worth a try to see if these help him in the long run.

 

[denice]

I would think the treatment would be the same as for rodent ulcers or Eosinophilic granuloma.  I hadn't heard of using a steroid for them but that's the way you would want to go with something for the immune system.

 

[stephanietx]

The only thing with using a steroid is that it suppresses the immune system even further and since it's an autoimmune disease, the immune system is already compromised.  I wouldn't want to have him on the steroid long-term.

 

[denice]

With autoimmune disorders, the immune system is in overdrive and is attacking the body.  The steroid ratches down the immune response.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autoimmunediseases.html

The big one with kitties is IBD where the immune system is attacking the digestive tract.  That's why so many kitties with IBD are on steroids.