My Kitten Chews His Paws Raw

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UPDATE:

I chose a vet and took Teddy in to get his paws checked along with an overall wellness check.

The vet was really friendly and gentle. I loved how the tech was affectionate with Teddy. She gave him kisses and scratches and strokes and he soaked it all up lol he was such a good boy. Wasn't a fan of the car ride, but was comfortable in the exam room. There was no hissing, or yowling or biting or scratching. He squirmed and let out an offended meow when they stuck the thermometer up his butt, but that's it.

As for the diagnosis, she is leaning towards Plasma Cell Pododermatitis. It's definitely a bacterial infection and gave him oral antibiotics and steroids. He'll be on them for a week and then he has to go back in for a recheck. If it's not improving or has gotten worse, then further examination will take place.

His lymph nodes were a bit big, but she didn't seem too concerned.

But everything else, his heart, lungs, teeth, eyes and ears all checked out fine. She said his heart and lungs sounded great. After losing two cats to heart problems that was the best news ever.

Hopefully the meds help and he doesn't need further examination.
 

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UPDATE:

I chose a vet and took Teddy in to get his paws checked along with an overall wellness check.

The vet was really friendly and gentle. I loved how the tech was affectionate with Teddy. She gave him kisses and scratches and strokes and he soaked it all up lol he was such a good boy. Wasn't a fan of the car ride, but was comfortable in the exam room. There was no hissing, or yowling or biting or scratching. He squirmed and let out an offended meow when they stuck the thermometer up his butt, but that's it.

As for the diagnosis, she is leaning towards Plasma Cell Pododermatitis. It's definitely a bacterial infection and gave him oral antibiotics and steroids. He'll be on them for a week and then he has to go back in for a recheck. If it's not improving or has gotten worse, then further examination will take place.

His lymph nodes were a bit big, but she didn't seem too concerned.

But everything else, his heart, lungs, teeth, eyes and ears all checked out fine. She said his heart and lungs sounded great. After losing two cats to heart problems that was the best news ever.

Hopefully the meds help and he doesn't need further examination.
Great going... Always good to get professional expert adv ice before trying the snake oil cures IMO.
 

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Show Me Your Kitties Show Me Your Kitties I'm curious too as to how you and Teddy are doing.

My wee one (Braveheart) had a biopsy last week. The results came in today and they are fairly certain it's Plasma Cell Pododermatitis. I'd be happy to share any info I find to help you Teddy's journey through this as well.

We're starting Braveheart on Doxycycline tomorrow for two weeks. She finished a 5 days round of Amoxicillin/Clavulanic (avantiCalv) on Saturday with a bit of improvement. Her foot wasn't quite as bad looking as Teddy's though.

What's Teddy on, if you don't mind me asking.
 
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Any updates on Teddy? Did the antibiotic do its job the first round?
Also F FeralHearts

No, he is currently on his third round of antibiotics (a liquid one now. They found rod shaped bacteria this time which is guess is considered the bad kind in comparison to round shaped). We were also given a topical liquid.

But his paws have been slowly showing improvement and the steroids seem to help with any discomfort since he doesn't chew his paws anymore. He only takes those once a day now. His paws look so much better than they had before. It's mostly the inside you can only see when his toes are spread that is taking the longest to heal. He's going in for another recheck this Friday. We will find out if there was any fungus found since they took a sample to see if any would grow. But they do know it's a bacterial infection. His lymph nodes are enlarged, though his last check up the vet said his front nodes seemed to have gotten smaller, but his back ones were still enlarged.

The vet is still thinking the problem is Plasma Cell Pododermatitis.

Overall he is on the road to recovery and is getting better, it's just going a bit slow. I unintentionally let his paws get worse thinking I could handle it on my own. Wish I would have just taken him to the vet sooner, but better late than never, I guess.
 
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Show Me Your Kitties Show Me Your Kitties I'm curious too as to how you and Teddy are doing.

My wee one (Braveheart) had a biopsy last week. The results came in today and they are fairly certain it's Plasma Cell Pododermatitis. I'd be happy to share any info I find to help you Teddy's journey through this as well.

We're starting Braveheart on Doxycycline tomorrow for two weeks. She finished a 5 days round of Amoxicillin/Clavulanic (avantiCalv) on Saturday with a bit of improvement. Her foot wasn't quite as bad looking as Teddy's though.

What's Teddy on, if you don't mind me asking.
I'd like to hear about Braveheart's journey. I hope she heals much quicker than Teddy is. I'm glad she wasn't as bad. The vet cringed when she first saw his paws.

Teddy is on Prednisolone, Cefadroxil, and Dilute chlorhexidine solution.
 

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Overall he is on the road to recovery and is getting better, it's just going a bit slow. I unintentionally let his paws get worse thinking I could handle it on my own. Wish I would have just taken him to the vet sooner, but better late than never, I guess.
Hey! Show Me Your Kitties Show Me Your Kitties I don't think you did, but in case I wanted to say I mentioned Bravehearts not being as bad as poor Teddy's to explain the lightweight medication she's on, so I hope I didn't upset you and make you think poorly of yourself.

Bravehearts had been around for a bit too and I too tried to handle it on my own. I felt pretty much the same as you. Her vet let me know that it wasn't a bad thing to try to other options first but good I brought her in. So I totally get it.

You're doing just fine!

I'm very glad Teddy is on the road to recovery. It's all about time, patience and trial an error.


Also F FeralHearts

No, he is currently on his third round of antibiotics (a liquid one now. They found rod shaped bacteria this time which is guess is considered the bad kind in comparison to round shaped). We were also given a topical liquid.

But his paws have been slowly showing improvement and the steroids seem to help with any discomfort since he doesn't chew his paws anymore. He only takes those once a day now. His paws look so much better than they had before. It's mostly the inside you can only see when his toes are spread that is taking the longest to heal. He's going in for another recheck this Friday. We will find out if there was any fungus found since they took a sample to see if any would grow. But they do know it's a bacterial infection. His lymph nodes are enlarged, though his last check up the vet said his front nodes seemed to have gotten smaller, but his back ones were still enlarged.

The vet is still thinking the problem is Plasma Cell Pododermatitis.
Sounds like more than one thing hit poor kitty. It might stem from Plasma Cell Pododermatitis but sounds like he ended up with the infection as well. Very easy to happen with a sore on a foot. Probably take a bit to clear up. Any improvement is still improvement. Take it as a win. :grouphug:


I'd like to hear about Braveheart's journey. I hope she heals much quicker than Teddy is. I'm glad she wasn't as bad. The vet cringed when she first saw his paws.

Teddy is on Prednisolone, Cefadroxil, and Dilute chlorhexidine solution.
I think, like Teddy, it's going to be trail and error. I did allow for a biopsy with BH as there was a worry of cancer. It sucked to see her paw all wrapped up with a couple of stitches, but, at least I have an answer and it's not cancer. So it's a win.

BH's Vet didn't cringe .... but she did remark how shocked she was that BH was walking around without any issues at all. That said a lot. *yikes*

Currently, since Plasma Cell Pododermatitis (PCP) can often be an allergy - I've started with cleaning all the bed and blankets she comes into contact with hypo-allergenic soap. I'll do the throw rugs next, after a bit of time, if it's not gone after the round of Doxycycline , or it comes back, I'll be moving on to either litter or food. One small thing at a time to see if a trigger can be found. Needle haystack anyone?

Is Teddy - indoor/outdoor or indoor only? BH was a feral and she's now indoor only.

Will be sending you good thoughts for some good news on Friday and continued progress. :vibes::vibes::vibes::heartshape::heartshape::heartshape::heartshape:

Any questions, feel free to ask, I'm learning on this road too but I'm happy to share any information I find out along our road.

:hangin:
 
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Hey! Show Me Your Kitties Show Me Your Kitties I don't think you did, but in case I wanted to say I mentioned Bravehearts not being as bad as poor Teddy's to explain the lightweight medication she's on, so I hope I didn't upset you and make you think poorly of yourself.

Bravehearts had been around for a bit too and I too tried to handle it on my own. I felt pretty much the same as you. Her vet let me know that it wasn't a bad thing to try to other options first but good I brought her in. So I totally get it.

You're doing just fine!

I'm very glad Teddy is on the road to recovery. It's all about time, patience and trial an error.
No worries. You didn't make me feel bad. I was simply saying I was genuinely glad BH's condition isn't as bad as Teddy's, because his paws were so raw and chewed up. I wouldn't wish that on any kitty. The picture I included didn't even slightly do it justice. He tracked blood all over our table once.

Sounds like more than one thing hit poor kitty. It might stem from Plasma Cell Pododermatitis but sounds like he ended up with the infection as well. Very easy to happen with a sore on a foot. Probably take a bit to clear up. Any improvement is still improvement. Take it as a win. :grouphug:
Yeah, still don't know the cause. All I know it started at his foster home. He now has new litter, food, dishes, beds and toys. Only one toy I have is from his original home and neither of my boys have interest in it. I think I'm just dealing with the aftermath unless he has a food sensitivity.

I think, like Teddy, it's going to be trail and error. I did allow for a biopsy with BH as there was a worry of cancer. It sucked to see her paw all wrapped up with a couple of stitches, but, at least I have an answer and it's not cancer. So it's a win.
That's good. Cancer would have been awful :( the vet doesn't seem too concerned with cancer due to his age, and all the tests show bacterial infection and his paws are improving with treatment (just slowly). I'll know if his skin sample grew fungus Friday.

BH's Vet didn't cringe .... but she did remark how shocked she was that BH was walking around without any issues at all. That said a lot. *yikes*

Currently, since Plasma Cell Pododermatitis (PCP) can often be an allergy - I've started with cleaning all the bed and blankets she comes into contact with hypo-allergenic soap. I'll do the throw rugs next, after a bit of time, if it's not gone, or it comes back, I'll be moving on to either litter or food. One small thing at a time to see if a trigger can be found. Needle haystack anyone?

Is Teddy - indoor/outdoor or indoor only? BH was a feral and she's now indoor only.

Will be sending you good thoughts for some good news on Friday and continued progress. :vibes::vibes::vibes::heartshape::heartshape::heartshape::heartshape:

Any questions, feel free to ask, I'm learning on this road too but I'm happy to share any information I find out along our road.

:hangin:
I've thought about food allergies, since everything is new at our house. Different food and bowls, etc.

He is indoor only. But he grew up in a home with over 20 cats, some outdoor/indoor.

Thanks! I hope BH recovers quickly and doesn't have another flare up.

That'd be helpful. I'll share anything I find out, too.
 

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No worries. You didn't make me feel bad. I was simply saying I was genuinely glad BH's condition isn't as bad as Teddy's, because his paws were so raw and chewed up. I wouldn't wish that on any kitty. The picture I included didn't even slightly do it justice. He tracked blood all over our table once.
I'm so glad I didn't make you feel bad. Sometimes you say something and then you think "omg, I hope they knew what I meant!" I'm glad that we both did. PHEW. *hugs*

Bravehearts got more like what you would see after a burn and a few layers of skin were gone and you're left with that red flesh. They might have bleed once, but it was such a tiny amount I mistook it for one of my little injuries I always do to myself. I am very accident prone. Especially lately with the renovations.



Yeah, still don't know the cause. All I know it started at his foster home. He now has new litter, food, dishes, beds and toys. Only one toy I have is from his original home and neither of my boys have interest in it. I think I'm just dealing with the aftermath unless he has a food sensitivity.
Yeah, I was reading that and with everything new it kinda rules out much of the allergy issue, unless, perhaps it's still in Teddy's system and the meds with kick it out? Maybe that's possible?

I read to about the peroxide too, that was also one thing I had tried with BH. I took a cotton pad and wiped the foot with it, mostly to help clean it a bit, though, peroxide doesn't do much, I couldn't think of anything else I could put on her foot that would be safe. Like you, I found it simply dried it out. Probably not one of my best ideas. *doh*

I soaked her foot in a very diluted apple cider vinegar too, that did help at bit but it came back. I also tried a colloidal silver - an external one that is safe. That also helped a bit. It didn't get rid of it, but it took care of a little bit of the swelling. Same with soaking and washing in chamomile tea. Everything I tried was a minor improvement at best.

I received a copy of Bravehearts biopsy today and I know one of the cell they found does have a genetic component to it. Though I read for Teddy, the cats that had the same issue as him didn't come from the same litter.


That's good. Cancer would have been awful :( the vet doesn't seem too concerned with cancer due to his age, and all the tests show bacterial infection and his paws are improving with treatment (just slowly). I'll know if his skin sample grew fungus Friday.

I've thought about food allergies, since everything is new at our house. Different food and bowls, etc.

He is indoor only. But he grew up in a home with over 20 cats, some outdoor/indoor.

Thanks! I hope BH recovers quickly and doesn't have another flare up.

That'd be helpful. I'll share anything I find out, too.

That's good. Cancer would have been awful :( the vet doesn't seem too concerned with cancer due to his age, and all the tests show bacterial infection and his paws are improving with treatment (just slowly). I'll know if his skin sample grew fungus Friday.
Yeah that "might be cancer thing" wow - yup - fear. That's not the word you want to hear. Ever. Even in a "might" phrase.

I'll be thinking of you both on Friday.

I've thought about food allergies, since everything is new at our house. Different food and bowls, etc.
Still could be a food allergy. Have you had a chance to compare any proteins, or ingredients between the new and old food yet?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you got rid of everything, bowls and blankets etc from the old place yes? Any materials on the new stuff similar? (Yup grasping here)


He is indoor only. But he grew up in a home with over 20 cats, some outdoor/indoor.

Thanks! I hope BH recovers quickly and doesn't have another flare up.

That'd be helpful. I'll share anything I find out, too.
BH's mom was also Feral, like Teddy's. So was BH.

20 is a lot of kitties going in and out. Wosers. They could drag in a lot of things!

Thanks! :vibes::heartshape:

She started her first dose of Doxycycline today and we'll see how it goes. Once Teddy's out of the woods, that's a medication you might want to bring up to the vet as something to try should he have another flare up. From what I know it's less damaging than steroids are. Especially if he has to have anything long term. Something to keep in your mind once you are over the worst of this.

I'm actually going to talk to the vet about finding a place we can submit info to, test results etc so that maybe it will help someone else in the future, or help to find out causes and better treatments.

XOXOXOXOXO we got this though!
 
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I'm so glad I didn't make you feel bad. Sometimes you say something and then you think "omg, I hope they knew what I meant!" I'm glad that we both did. PHEW. *hugs*
Oh I know. It's difficult to read the emotion behind what is written. Although I get that same worry in person lol

Bravehearts got more like what you would see after a burn and a few layers of skin were gone and you're left with that red flesh. They might have bleed once, but it was such a tiny amount I mistook it for one of my little injuries I always do to myself. I am very accident prone. Especially lately with the renovations.
Well, I'm happy she never experienced her paws being a bloody, fleshy mess. Trying to get a cat to stop chewing himself raw is a pain. We ended up putting a newborn baby sock on his most chewed paw and wrap it with Coban. Thankfully the steroids helped whatever discomfort was going on. Though now he seems to be chewing one of his front paws so idk what is going on with him :sigh:



Yeah, I was reading that and with everything new it kinda rules out much of the allergy issue, unless, perhaps it's still in Teddy's system and the meds with kick it out? Maybe that's possible?

I read to about the peroxide too, that was also one thing I had tried with BH. I took a cotton pad and wiped the foot with it, mostly to help clean it a bit, though, peroxide doesn't do much, I couldn't think of anything else I could put on her foot that would be safe. Like you, I found it simply dried it out. Probably not one of my best ideas. *doh*

I soaked her foot in a very diluted apple cider vinegar too, that did help at bit but it came back. I also tried a colloidal silver - an external one that is safe. That also helped a bit. It didn't get rid of it, but it took care of a little bit of the swelling. Same with soaking and washing in chamomile tea. Everything I tried was a minor improvement at best.
Not sure. Like I said it could just be the aftermath of whatever caused the issue at the house, or it could be a sensitivity to something.

Teddy's foster mom claimed to have seen improvement with the peroxide, but to me, it just made the dryness worse and that was the last thing his poor little paws needed. We also tried colloidal silver spray, but like you everything we tried only helped a little. I finally decided he probably needed actual medication, as much as I would have loved to treat it naturally, sometimes you need the big guns to get the job done.

I received a copy of Bravehearts biopsy today and I know one of the cell they found does have a genetic component to it. Though I read for Teddy, the cats that had the same issue as him didn't come from the same litter.
Yeah, although I'm unsure if the other kittens had the exact same issue as Teddy or just something that looked similar. As far as I know, their paws improved with the peroxide treatment :shrug:


Yeah that "might be cancer thing" wow - yup - fear. That's not the word you want to hear. Ever. Even in a "might" phrase.

I'll be thinking of you both on Friday.
I don't want the word cancer anywhere near my boys. I went through enough trauma with Nico, and all his health issues (heart problems, mostly). I'll take skin problems from possible allergies any day.

Thanks. Keep me updated on BH's journey.

Still could be a food allergy. Have you had a chance to compare any proteins, or ingredients between the new and old food yet?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you got rid of everything, bowls and blankets etc from the old place yes? Any materials on the new stuff similar? (Yup grasping here)
That's what I'm wondering. Chicken and Turkey are the only proteins they still eat that they had eaten before I adopted them. I hope neither has a chicken sensitivity because it's hard finding anything without some form of chicken.

As for ingredients, they were eating Purina Fancy Feast grain-free () and Solid Gold Indigo Moon. Obviously both foods have questionable ingredients like artificial flavoring and gums and peas and potatoes.

Now they are eating Rawz and Tiki Cat After Dark, and occasionally Feline Natural for wet, and for dry they eat Ziwipeak Air-Dried (this is recent. They've been on this for a few weeks now). Trying to determine what exactly could be triggering this kind of reaction (if allergies or sensitivities are the case, that is) is difficult. But I'll figure it out, and do what I gotta do to make sure Teddy is healthy.


BH's mom was also Feral, like Teddy's. So was BH.

20 is a lot of kitties going in and out. Wosers. They could drag in a lot of things!

Thanks! :vibes::heartshape:

She started her first dose of Doxycycline today and we'll see how it goes. Once Teddy's out of the woods, that's a medication you might want to bring up to the vet as something to try should he have another flare up. From what I know it's less damaging than steroids are. Especially if he has to have anything long term. Something to keep in your mind once you are over the worst of this.

I'm actually going to talk to the vet about finding a place we can submit info to, test results etc so that maybe it will help someone else in the future, or help to find out causes and better treatments.

XOXOXOXOXO we got this though!
His mom could have had something and passed it on to him. I don't know if he ever had any actual siblings.

Lol yeah, but I was surprised how clean the house was. She works from home and has volunteers part of the rescue so all the cats were well taken care of. She even has a hospice upstairs for special needs unadoptable cats. But nothing is perfect and you can't keep everything perfectly sanitized 24-7, so Teddy could have very well caught something.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind!

:goodluck:
 
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It's Friday! Hoping for some good news here for you!:heartshape::goodluck:
Thanks! Unfortunately there was a screw up in the scheduling and we were somehow scheduled for 3:30PM instead of 9:40AM (even though I got an email yesterday reminding me of my 9:40 appointment and that was the time we agreed on at Teddy's last appointment).

So I rescheduled for tomorrow at 11AM since I work from 3 to 11 mon-fri and 3:30 today would not have worked.

Not sure how that happened, but as long as he gets in I'm fine with tomorrow.
 
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The recheck went good. The vet said there definitely has been an improvement, but due to his interest in his front left paw, she is going to contact a dermatologist to see what they have to say. She still suspects Plasma Cell Pododermatitis, and after explaining what is going on with his lips (rodent-ulcer like sores and swelling), she also wonders if he could possibly have Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex. His lymph nodes are still enlarged.

Overall, however, she gave him a quick physical exam and everything else looked good. We've explained he gets supplements daily, such as Omega 3s and L-lysine, and said that was good and we seem to be doing everything we can.

So we're just going to keep giving him the steroid to help with the inflammation and itch, and put him back on probiotics since he was not re-prescribed any antibiotics. I'm assuming she wants to find out what the dermatologist thinks before prescribing anything else. We might as well put some good probiotics back into him while we wait for further instructions and information.
 

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Sorry I couldn't respond sooner. I did read through on Sat. :-)

YAY! To improvement! :cheerleader: That's some good news and that the check-up went well!

Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex and Plasma Cell Pododermatitis can go hand in hand depending on the kitty from what I'm reading. Two heads of the same beast.

What do you use for Omega 3s?
 
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Sorry I couldn't respond sooner. I did read through on Sat. :-)

YAY! To improvement! :cheerleader: That's some good news and that the check-up went well!

Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex and Plasma Cell Pododermatitis can go hand in hand depending on the kitty from what I'm reading. Two heads of the same beast.

What do you use for Omega 3s?
Yeah, it's good his paws are improving. I hope they don't get bad again while he is off antibiotics. But so far they still look fine.

Yeah that's what his vet said. Haven't heard back from her yet, so hopefully we get some news from the dermatologist soon.

I use Omega Plus by the brand Just For Dogs. I also plan on giving them sardines every so often instead of tuna since they seem to really like them.
 
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Hi there Show Me Your Kitties Show Me Your Kitties

How are things going for you and Teddy?

Have you any word yet from a Dermatologist, or are you still waiting?

XOXO
He has a bad case of acne right now (he just seems to have skin issues in general) but other than that his paws are much better. No word from the dermatologist. The vet looked a bit annoyed since the dermatologist usually calls back within a few days.

She doesn't like doing allergy tests until they reach a year old, so won't know if it's allergy related yet. But he's been off antibiotics for a while now and hasn't gotten worse so that's awesome.

How's BH?
 
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