My cat has two nail infections on the same nail

[Punkyismybby]

I haven't posted here in a while and that's a good thing to me because every time I post here I'm usually worried about something.

Okay so I noticed my two-year-old female soul kitty Punky has an ingrown nail on her polydactyl paw with two thumbs. The ingrown nail is not very far in and can easily be removed and treated with antibiotics.

Now, what I'm most worried about is the ingrown nail has a second claw that is growing from the same finger/cuticle/nail bed (idk what it's called). So the second claw looks normal and small but the ingrown nail is obviously very thick, and they are laying against each other side by side. The claw looks a bit infected from the top where they are growing out from, and the bottom where the ingrown nail is piercing the paw pad. I realize that this most likely will need declawing in the affected nail. Due to financial constraints, I'm flat broke atm (I'm always broke tbh)

Question number one would be is there any vets in Indiana or the midwest or anyone who has been through something similar that can provide cost estimates for declawing the one nail.

Question number two is if she receives antibiotics do you think there's a chance the thick nail will eventually grow out and return to normal.

I'm so worried if I don't get this treated in time that it will lead to complications like abscesses and sepsis.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Can you trim the affected nails? That’s what I would do. I wouldn’t declaw. Just keep it trimmed. Can you post a picture?

 

[Punkyismybby]

Hi. Can you trim the affected nails? That’s what I would do. I wouldn’t declaw. Just keep it trimmed. Can you post a picture?

I will try to get a picture if she will let me. And yeah I would like to preserve the nail and avoid surgery as well.

My hope is that once the thick ingrown nail that is piercing her paw pad is cut, the top of the nail where the nail grows from will eventually grow out normal and the infection will clear. I think the top (where the nail grows from) got infected in the first place because the bottom was pierced through the paw pad, and the nail growing from the top had no room to grow so it was 'jammed' in a sense?

 

[IndyJones]

If it is infected or embeded it will defenatly need medical attention and antibiotics. Left untreated an infection can turn into blood poisioning/sepsis which is almost always fatal. Please don't mess around with infections. And don't attempt to extract the infected claw yourself.