Ingrown claw on polydactyl

[swooshbug]

Hello!

I have two polydactyl kittens, named Link(male) and Gir(female). They are just under six months old.

On her front paws Gir has a claw that grows between her paw and her extra toe... it would be like a finger nail growing out between your thumb and pointer finger... it is very hard to clip and we didn't even realize it was there until the vet told us it was ingrown

The vet was able to get it out and clip it, but she said that this might be an ongoing problem unless we are able to consistently trim the nail.

The vet said that in a situation like this we might need to consider declawing just that problem claw

I do not support declawing at all, so this would be very upsetting to me. Additionally, the vet said that because of the way her paws are formed she might end up losing her extra toe if we need to do the declaw!!

We tried this weekend to clip it and had a very hard time. I held her while my boyfriend tried to clip it... he said he could hardly cut it and he was afraid to cut too much b/c he couldn't see what he was doing.

Has anyone ever had to deal with a similar problem? I am looking for advice on how to trim a hard to reach claw. Most clippers are way too big to fit. We tried to use human cuticle cutter b/c the claw clippers we had were too big.

I really really don't want to even think about declawing, but i also don't want Gir to have to deal with a lifetime of sore paws from an ingrown nail.

Thanks for any help!!!

btw, Link doesn't have the same problem because his extra toes are configured differently than Gir's.

 

[swooshbug]

oh, I forgot to mention that we have her spay scheduled for Feb 27th (she will be six months old then), but vet said we could post pone it until we decide what to do about claw, but I hope to have her spay done before she goes into heat. It's not super important that we get her spayed right away thought since we already got Link neutered and she is indoor only so their is no chance she could get pregnant, so I'm willing to delay it as long as necessary to make the right decision.

 

[momofmany]

I would look at it this way. If the extra toe is causing physical harm, then I would seriously consider removing it. It's impacted now, but what are the chances of a recurring infection in that toe, causing longer term health problems? This, in my opinion, is the only justification for removing a claw/toe. When their health is compromised by it. I wouldn't even consider it a declaw (which I'm also strongly against btw).

I bottle raised an orphaned polydactyl that my dear friend adopted from me. Her vet watches his extra toes all the time, as apparently this is not an unusual problem to have with them. She's talked to me about the potential of removing problem toes.

Have a long term health discussion with your vet on this one before you make up your mind.

 

[goldenkitty45]

This is not the same as declawing all the nails - its just one that is causing a problem and is justified to remove the one nail.

I have no problem saying, go ahead and do it. I've known other polys that had extra thick nails (almost a double nail) on the extra toe, but you could clip as normal. In your case, this is not a "normal" nail.

 

[ladylonewolf]

I'll agree that this isn't the same as declawing; if the nail isn't normal and it's ingrown, I don't see the problem in having just that one removed. I think it'd cause more problems if you left it there and weren't able to clip it. A sore or infected paw surely wouldn't be any fun.

Harley's polydactyl, and she has one claw that tends to curl downwards into her pad if I don't trim it as short as I can. She also has extra thick claws on her extra thumbs that she can't retract; if I don't trim those, they'd grow into the side of her leg. (Even when I trim them, they're still really visible, they're so thick.)

I use people nail clippers, BTW...small enough to get little nails, but tough enough for the thick ones. My hubby rubs her head while she's laying on the floor and I clip away until she's had enough.

 

[jack31]

Please dont' feel like this is declawing. This is stopping a lifetime problem. The stress for her and you to always try and have this nail trimmed and the risk of it not being and becoming ingrown and infected isn't worth it.

Leslie

 

[musicalbookworm]

Fortunately, my polydactyle does not have any problems with ingrown claws. I am also extremely opposed to declawing. However, if one of her claws was causing problems, I would have Marmalade at the vets to remove the affected claw ASAP. You are removing the claw (and possibly toe) to help an animal avoid problems not because you value your furniture more than your cat's welfare.

Angie

 

[swooshbug]

Thanks so much for all of your replies!

We will try a few more times to get it clipped before we decide what to do... I'll make sure to talk to vet again about everything.

I'm really worried about the recovery after the claw removal, especially if she loses a toe

I would think that it would be really painful and wonder if she would feel off balance or something since a part of her foot would be gone?

But, you all are right that if it can save her a lifetime of pain then it is worth it to have it done.

I'll let you know how the next trimming attempt goes.

Thanks again!

 

[swooshbug]

The next attempt at trimming was a success! We trimmed them with small human nail clippers, and it seemed to work.

We had a talk with the vet and had her look at them after the trimming... she said that they should be fine if we keep them that short.

So, we didn't have to do the declaw

Gir had her spay done last week and is now healing.

She has a seroma (pocket of fluid) by the incision that the vet will look at tomorrow, but the vet said she is probably fine. Gir is running around, playing, and eating like nothing ever happened.

 

[shiraz]

I'm glad to hear that you didn't have the claw removed. One less thing for her to recover from

I've also got a polydactyl cat who has 23 claws (20 toes though) in total and she has one claw on each front paw in between just like you described. I clip her claws weekly and I use the small scissor clippers like these http://www.thecatconnection.com/miva...1/grm_1701.jpg

It does take a lot of twisting and repositioning to get to her hidden ones but she learned to tolerate it pretty quickly when she learned that she gets a handful of treats afterwards.

 

[nekochan]

I know what you mean about the difficulty. I have a polydactyl Maine Coon and she has "thumbs" so she has the same 'hidden claw'. This is the normal dewclaw but since they have 'thumbs' the thumb covers the dewclaw. It is pretty much invisible between her thumb covering it and her furry Maine Coon paws! It is very difficult to reach it for clipping because Maine Coons have long fur between the paw pads and this hides it even when we get the 'thumb' out of the way. So yeah I have the same situation. I just have to keep reminding myself to clip it when I do her claws. I missed it a few times and it had started curving around the next time I clipped it. The other problem is because it's cushioned by the fur it does not shed the outer coating like the other claws do so it also gets very thick.
I'm glad you chose not to remove it, I think it's kinda neat and I wouldn't remove my cat's either, even though it is more difficult to clip than the others. I just have to remind myself that it is there and I try to keep it even shorter than the other nails so it won't grow too long.

 

[swooshbug]

Thanks everyone,

Its nice to know others have been successfully dealing with the same situation. At least I know I can stay on top of it and not have to worry.

Shiraz, I might have to try something like your link... we have something similar but bigger.

Nekochan, I couldn't imagine having to do it on a long haired cat! If you can do, then I certainly can!

 

[beccajean4cats]

My Pooka has those thumbs with the claw in between I started clipping it when she was very young, she still hates it but we get it done I clip all the nails on the front but I always get those first incase she gets upset and I gotta let her go. And I was told (and I noticed it on mine) the more you clip them the pink inside the nail moves back I forget what they call that but that makes it easier. My friend didnt have they same luck I would try to help her but the minute we tried to clip her cats she turned into demon kitty which was total role reversal so... my friend cried as she took her in but she knew it was better that way and it was only that one.... I am getting worried because Pooka seems to hate it more and more lately. Has anyone tried those new nail filer things...I wasnt to sure about them... if they were loud or how it affected the nail...

 

[katwomun49]

Try giving the cat her favorite treats after you trim the nails . Most vet will trim the nails for a small fee if you really can't do it .

 

[MoochNNoodles]

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Please come introduce yourself in our New Cats section: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/20/new-cats-on-the-block 

 

[rthom]

My cat has 6 toes on every paw. When I took her to get spayed they took an extra nail off her paw bc it was not fully attached and she could of ripped it off and hurt herself. Usually I have to clip her nails once a week. I feel like they grow rapidly. She has multiple in grown nails that I have to clip every week as well. Usually I catch her when she's first waking up and will have to do them one or two at a time.

 

[lanie]

Penta is a polydactyl (six toes on each paw).  Her dewy claws never retract and I clip them around once a week or they will grow into the pads of her paws.  Not only that, they get stuck in everything, the couch when she is trying to jump up, the cat scratcher etc.  I'm just glad we no longer have carpet in our house, that was brutal for her.

After years of clipping, she just sits quiet for me until I'm done.  We also just use regular nail clippers that we use on ourselves.

With your kitty, if it is going to cause health problems for her I would definitely get the one claw declawed.  It will save your cat future problems.