Swollen Paw Issues.

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FeralHearts

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Hi FeralHearts!

I've seen your thread going since the start, but hadn't read any of it 'till tonight.

Pillow Foot is a notoriously 'slow heal' but I'm sure your tenacity will overcome it.

I want to drop one thought for your consideration. It's about what you described here
"It took a few needles unfortunately to get blood for her but that wasn't their fault at all....I felt bad for her Doctor. Boy, BH made her work for that blood."​
IF they were attempting the draw from her jugular, I'd really suggest that you consider insisting on their using a leg vein for future needs. I've read accounts of very serious needle injuries in some cats, and have had personal experience with one of my fractious ones (where they resorted to a leg vein) and a second cat who was grievously injured in a jugular draw. Quite honestly, reading your account sent a shiver up my spine.

I'll say no more...it's just one of those 'words to the wise' things.

Hang in there!
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Hi white shadow white shadow :wave3:

Thank you for reading this and for the reply. It actually help me to understand something that happened.

Yes, sadly this healing is like watching paint dry. I feel bad I have to syringe her this medication every night. I can manage, but I feel so bad for her. Worse is knowing that her foot is just a manifestation, a symptom of what's really going on, and that no one knows why, or how it happens. At least they know it's an auto immune system issue so I can work on building her immune system up as best as I can. (That being said - I'm really be grateful it's not something far worse! It certainly could have been.)

This is what you helped me to understand - so thank you! (Below...)

They allowed me to stay in the room with her because of her nature. They made sure I wasn't squeamish etc and I let them know I was okay. I sat in a chair beside the table and stayed out of the way. I watched them take her pee and blood. Some of my babies, they take blood from the jugular - so I'm glad to know what happened with you so I can be mindful of this in the future. These are the things people really NEED to know about so they know what can happen. So truly, thank you very much.

She WAS looking at her jugular - as that is where she was going to take it - but she took a step back when she was looking at it. Something obviously bothered her, something about where the vein was sitting she didn't like - so she didn't bother to even attempt it. She went straight to her leg.

The blood refused to come out of her leg. Literally drips. She was being so careful and was very slow and steady. She took really good care with her and having two techs in the room steadying Braveheart was great. It took a bit as the blood wouldn't come.

When we go again, I'll be placing some warming bottles with her in the carrier to try to get her circulation better (maybe even massage her legs a bit before) so hopefully we don't have that issue again. I think her Doctor was worried I would think something bad because it took three needles to get the amount she needed - but I could see clearly what was happening and it wasn't on her at all. I can honestly say it was bad luck with it.

PS I am so very sorry to hear that one of yours was really hurt by a jugular blood draw. *hugs* Again, this is why it's so important for us to know these things. Risks etc. Makes me feel so relieved that her Vet chose not attempt it.
 
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FeralHearts

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We're still watching paint dry. No surprise there.

It's weird how it goes 3 steps forward two back and three steps forward, three back. BH seems no worse for the wear though.

We'll have her on the doxycycline for at least another month and do a check-in. As long as everything stays relatively smooth we can stay this course.

So far I like the Niacinamide. It does seem to help - and it certainly appears to have given her a touch more energy. The only downside is that it's very runny - like water - so she does like to try to spit it out and it's easy for her to do it. Also, it's a bit pricey in liquid form. Around $60.00 for 30 ml of liquid (1 ml per day) and $12.00 for about 100 days of pills. Big difference. Tablet form, they are really massive pills though- much, much cheaper - but it does no good if you can't get it in them.

I spoke to my pharmacist, who is a brilliant woman (PhD) she does specialize compounds as well and it's looks like there is a way to use the pills within an oil .. especially since she is on mostly wet food and better yet she is fed small amounts of wet food 3 times a day rather than all at once. I might be able to sneak it in without her noticing it. She was kind enough to give me the measurements per dose etc. I'll run it by BH's Doctor too when the time comes. AKA after we are done the doxycycline and see if that's an option in her opinion.
 
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FeralHearts

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So we are at about 2.5 months of treatment and there is some more improvement. I'll post a pic tomorrow of her paw (once I can get her docile enough to let me) - aka just waking up from sleeping lol

We had an incident last week and I got mangled by her. One of the cats knocked something off a shelf while I had her in my arms to place her in position to medicate her. She lost her mind and ripped into me all over. Ouchyyyy. A few more battle scars.

Had a bit of a scare tonight and now I'm watching her as I'm nervous.

I always give her meds and the water chaser slowly and to the side of her mouth. A couple of times I worried she got some down her windpipe but she never coughed so I relaxed.

Tonight everything seemed to go perfect. Then, right after, she cough / choked for 5 -10 seconds and freaked me out. So I'm worried she aspirated either some of the meds or water. (More likely water.) Still. GAH!
 

white shadow

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Maybe just keep an ear (or two:crackup:) peeled.........even the tiniest bit of water can trigger the cough response - ever notice that yourself? And, the more, even if it's still miniscule, a slightly more protracted one.

So long as it's over, she's probably fine.
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FeralHearts

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Maybe just keep an ear (or two:crackup:) peeled.........
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LOL!

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...even the tiniest bit of water can trigger the cough response - ever notice that yourself? And, the more, even if it's still miniscule, a slightly more protracted one.

So long as it's over, she's probably fine.
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True! Done that to myself once or twice in my life LOL.

She seems okay but I'll still watch her. Boy that freaked me out though!

Okay here are her feets! It's interesting that with a camera you can see more details. You see less of the white dry / lines live. Her paw mostly looks black with the odd white line and some small purple areas.

You can see the swelling has gone down a fair bit and it's almost the same size as her other paw now. It's still deformed and might always be that way. I don't know.

Everything I've read says that dry looking area might never quite go away either and she could remain pretty much hairless on her foot. It's still squishy though. Not as firm yet as her other paw pad.

BHfoot-Dec8-191528.jpg


BHfoot-Dec8-19-1521.jpg


BHfoot-Dec8-19-1522.jpg


Color wise - this one is the closest to what I see.

BHfoot-Dec8-19-1524.jpg
 

white shadow

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Howdy !

I went back and looked for pics. There is a set from mid-October and a second October 30. There's definitely progressive shrinking in both subsequent sets of pictures. (Serial photography like this is really the only way to establish and measure any change with this sort of thing.) If you really want to see the changes, set them into a chronological slideshow and sit back.

'Watching paint dry'? I think yes! And......the longer you watch, the dryer it gets!

Patience, my friend...patience.

So - stay the course!


I just noticed your comments from a discussion with the compounding pharmacist....did you have her med put into an oily base - and, is that what she had before coughing on Saturday? Oily oral meds give me the heebee-jeebees because, if they're aspirated, well, that's trouble! Better not to use an oil base or mix with stinky food. Anyways.........it's late. Nite!
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FeralHearts

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Hi there! :-)

Great suggestion about the slide show.

Serial photography - oh I like that term. That's exactly why I took the pictures, so I could look back and see if there was real progress, how much, etc. Your mind can play tricks otherwise. I should probably take them weekly but I don't want to make myself more nuts.

Yes dryer!!!!!

Bravehearts been on the same Doxy since the beginning. (It's a Honey oil suspension. So liquid. BAH! 2.5 months of daily worry so far.) I haven't changed that. What she coughed / choked on was either that or the water chaser I have to give her after. Most likely the water. Still freaked me out.

The Niacinamide is what the pharmacist and I were taking about. The plan is to look into that after she's healed and her treatments are over. I love the Niacinamide her Doctor has her on as I think it helps, it's a liquid, like water but VERY expensive and as it's so fluid she tends to spit a lot out. If I have to have her on that indefinitely for her auto immune issue then I need a better and more cost effective way to deliver it to her. The Niacinamide pills are MASSIVE so that's unfortunately not an option.

The pharmacist and I were going through ways we may be able to get it in her regularly and safety. Compounding the pills were one option since 1. cheaper and 2. less like water so less chance to aspirate if I go slow. We are also looking at other alternatives as giving her an oral liquid med daily forever - freaks me out.

And yup - that's why - Oral meds give me the heebee-jeebees too. Every day when I have to give her meds - I'm so slow and careful.

Night night. Rest well!
 
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FeralHearts

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Oh, two things. I just remembered what the white lines are in the pictures - stretch marks of sorts. So those will probably never go completely.

The other thing was her tooth. The other vet had listed her tooth as fractured seems it's not - thankfully. It's only a chip and hasn't gone near the pulp so we are good there!
 

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Been off the site for a few weeks so just catching up on BH "s paw. I can see a big difference in the last set of photos, swelling has gone down a lot. From the photos the pad looks dry, is it?
 
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Hi! Welcome back! Yes, I noticed your absence. I hope it was for fun!

Thank you for checking in. XOXOXOX

She is improving that's for sure. Although we've plateaued again - but - I've noticed that's a bit of a pattern with this. Back and forth. Back and forth.

I picked up her new supply of Doxy this morning so we are officially at the start of 4 months of Doxy. I'm going to be taking more pictures and this hope this weekend I can collage them for her Doctor so she can determine if this is good progress overall for the time she's been on her medication.

Yes, the swelling has gone down a lot, since the start :yess: but her paw is still a bit squishy in comparison to her others. Her areas of bruising still come back and then go and come back. :-( I feel so bad for her as I know this medicine doesn't sit great with her. At least she's not lost trust in me.

I'm not 100% sure about the dry paw as I thought the same thing - they look dry and cracked - but everything I'm reading says they are actually stretch marks from the paw swelling so much - and that they may never go away. When I look at them, and again, it might just be because I'm looking at it from a "people" perspective rather than a kitty, I think "Dry skin." So it's a question I'll be asking her Doctor when I send her in the photos. I'll let you know what she says.

PS - When we were at the Doctors in November, I did ask if there was something we could put on her paw but as it's the paw - it makes it hard. If the vet says it's dry - I can consider a socket for her maybe? Although she won't thank me for it lol
 
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verna davies

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Unfortunately I was off the site because Pickle died, she was only 4, so its been hard.

Its a long process for you both, it must seem never ending. I can understand the stretch marks because there was a lot of swelling but hopefully they wont cause her any problems. I wonder if there is some sort of oil, Vasaline, coconut oil, that sort of thing that could be rubbed into the pad but as I have had no experience with this issue I'm only guessing and trying to equate it to a human treatment.
 
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FeralHearts

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*Big, Big, BIG, REALLY BIG Hugs* XOXOXOXOX I'm so very sorry about Pickle and if you need to talk - please hit me up. Seriously. XOXOX

You've now reminded me how grateful I need to be that hard as this is - and yes seemingly never-ending - that at least it's something we can treat.

I don't think there would be any harm in rubbing an edible oil into her paw pad in case it's dry and irritating her and not just stretch marks. You can see some flakiness which is why I too was puzzled reading about stretch marks. It made sense - and didn't - all at the same time.

The pictures are weird too. Looking at her paw directly - there are only a few lines and the paw is mostly dark with some bruising areas. Taking a picture of it all the white striations show up.
 
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Little update on miss Brave Heart.

Lot's has been happening so I've not had a chance to get a picture of BH's foot. I'm still watching paint dry though. Small improvements though - so that's something.

I've been rubbing a bit of olive oil into her paw, very small amounts, and the dryness appears a bit better. Hopefully, that translates for her paw feeling better to her as well.

She's tossed her cookies twice the last two weeks. I know it's the medication. She's pretty smart though. After she has her meds and eats she tends to curl up and stay in one spot until her tummy stops bothering her. Poor baby. Every time I give her her medication I feel awful for her.

After this round, which will make it 4 months, and I know she'll need a fifth - and then if after that it's not healed I'll have a talk to her Doctor about if we stay this course, or try another.
 
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verna davies

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She is living up to her name, poor little girl. She must dread having the meds if they make her feel sick. At least a slight improvement is better than none but its so hard being patient. Lets hope the next month will see a good improvement and that it will all come to an end for both you and Braveheart.
 
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Yes, slight is better than none. It is very hard being patient, true. Especially when you see that it bothers them.

She cries when I pick her up to get her in position for her meds - she knows what's going to happen. Bless her heart though, she lets me, 99% of the time, without a fuss. I'm looking forward to the day where she's healed and we can work on maintaining recovery.
 

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Pickle had to have drops in her eyes every morning because of her illness. The first couple of months she would run and hide but after a while she accepted it. I think she realised I was trying to help her and this bond of trust grew between us. I hope it will be the same for you and Braveheart, I'm sure she knows you are helping her heal and that soon she will be 100% recovered.
 
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FeralHearts

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I think so too. I think they know after while that it's done out of love.

Looking forward to that 100%! I'm sure she is too. I bet she'll be confused the day we stop LOL
 
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Braveheart update.

While we are on the home stretch here. It's come at a bit of a cost.

Braveheart had to be rushed to her Doctor two weeks ago. For a week, every time I gave her the meds she choked. Then would could cough once or twice an hour for two hours. It progressively got worse and she was coughing once an hour through the night and the next day. The moment that happened her Doctor made room for her and I whisked her in.

She had to take x-rays as he lungs were not symmetrical - which was a worry. Her x-rays showed the lungs were clear of fluids so thank god for that! Her stomach has a lot of air in it, probably from the coughing. So some good news.

She was taken home with sucralfate which was like a miracle. No more coughing from the meds. The moment I took her off it - we were back to choking. So back on she went and will be for the next week or two. After that I have to take her off and watch.

There was one other discovery that took a few days for me to figure out. She was pooping black poop.

Right now we are going with the general consensus that the meds have given her an ulcer and despite that fact I have been flushing the liquid meds down with water after every dose, that the medicine has severely irritated her throat.

Once she is off the sucralfate I have to watch and hope. If the choking continues, or the black stools come back she will have to go in for a scope or ultrasound to look for cancer etc. That freaks me out for the obvious reason but also last time she was put under she stopped breathing so there is double fear in me for that. Her Doctor also just went on Maternity leave too. I'm sure whoever looks at her would be good at that practice but - that Doctor is a goddess!

Here's the good news:

In about 6 weeks we will be reducing the meds and tapering her off them. The purple is completely gone and it's looking pretty good other than the extra skin, cracked skin (the I'm rubbing oil in) and the deformity from the skin stretching. That's all cosmetic and I'm totally okay with that as long as she is okay.

Fingers crossed.
 
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FeralHearts

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Yeah I feel so bad for her. It's been very stressful for me and I can only imagine how awful this has been for her.

At least I knew going in this was not a short term thing for healing so I had no expectations of it being a one-and-done medical situation. I'm really hoping that once we are done the sucralfate that the black poop doesn't return, nor her choking episodes. She doesn't need that along with the autoimmune issue.

She's been a trooper throughout all of this and gets lots of extra love.

We'll stick with the vitamin therapy after we wean her off the doxycycline and then hope all is clear.

Thank you so much and * big hugs back*
 
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