Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: myrkos on February 21, 2007, 20:10:24 PM
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Hello,
My cat Google has got cracked paws. This is the third time it happens.
It all starts by the paws becoming pink (they are usually black). After this the pads crack and flake. Sometimes they also bleed. They are not infected but they are very sore and painful as Google's character has changed and he growls at us when we try to have a look. He is very careful when he jumps down from a chair or a table, so it really hurts.
The vet has seen him twice and doesnt know what it could be and in a month's time he will do some tests.
Has anyone experience this before? How can we help Google to feel better?
I have some pictures of his paws if anyone would like to have a look.
Thanks for your help.
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Wow hes gorgeous! Iv seen small cracks in paws before but not to the extent of bleeding. I hope the vet can get to the bottom of it.
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Oh he's lovely! Will keep an eye out on this thread to see what the outcome is. Our outdoor cats back home used to have dry pads but the vet always said it was just the climate and diet. Once we started them on a spoon of olive oil once a week in their food it soon sorted itself out. We never had problems with cracking or bleeding though so hope the tests come back with something easy to fix.
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I think this is something dogs are more prone to, my friends cocker spaniel wears a booty when he gets it.
I found this link: http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=442 (http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=442)
Is Google a mainly outdoor cat? It may stop when the weather improves.
Im not sure what you moisturise a cats foot with!
Yes please to pictures!
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Poor google. Any reason the vet is waiting a month to do the tests? - shame he can't do them now
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There is a product called BowWow Butter Balm http://www.watt-a-dog.co.uk/documents/142.html for cracked / dry paws on dogs. Not sure if this would be suitable for cats.
It might be worth contacting Denes www.denes.co.uk as they may have something you could use.
One of my cats used to get dry pads and I would massage a little amount of olive oil into the pad before it got too bad.
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Shaws paw wax is another dog product.
http://www.ultimateanimals.co.uk/acatalog/dog_first_aid_kit_pet_firstaid.html
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Thank you all for your help. I will have a look at the links.
The reason why the vet is seeing him in a month is because he has to do some blood tests for the rabies vaccine to get Google a passport and he thought it would be a good opportunity to treat his paws at the same time. We are going to call the vet this week to see if he can see him on Saturday.
The vet didn't think the problem was serious at all but we are concern as we think it is painful. I will tell you what he says.
Thanks again for your help!
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I don`t want to over worry you as it could be many things i think!
There is am auto immune condition called Pemphigus which it sounds quite similar too. Here is a link i found for this http://www.penmarric.ns.ca/catcare/health/Pemphigus.htm
Does he go out because maybe he is treading in something that is irritating his little paws.
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Gosh Myrkos that does look painful, looks inflamed.
Defintely worth pushing the vet for an appointment sooner rather than later.
poor little mite.
will keep watching this thread.
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Google is stunning Myrkos. I would def try and see the vet for something to put on them. They do look painfull for him. I would be like you and be worried he is in alot of pain with them to leave it for a month.
:welcome: to Purrs.
Are you Greek? Me and me hubby have a very big love for Greece and the wonderful people over there. ;D
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Thanks everyone for your interest and help. We are talking Google to the vet on Wednesday as the main vet could not see him on Saturday. His paws are much better now but I still think they are sore. Now he doesn't mind us touching them but he still looks very carefull when he jumps down. His paws are becoming black again and he just has got some pink spots, no cracks. We will tell you how he goes and what the vet says.
Although our nickname is Greek, I am Spanish and my boyfriend is French. We used Myrkos because that is the name of my boyfriend's parents dog.
We are planning to move to Spain for good and we are taking our cats with us. Could someone recommend us the best way? We have looked at the ferry (20 hours in a car) or a plane. We think a plane will be much better...what do you think?
Thanks again!
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Can't offer any advice about the problem, I'm afraid, but I just HAVE to say: What a gorgeous cat! I love black cats!
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We have looked at the ferry (20 hours in a car) or a plane. We think a plane will be much better...what do you think?
Planes very expensive for animals as they have to travel in the hold as cargo, you will have to buy them airline approved carriers (not cheap and each cat will have to have their own) and airlines will only allow one animal per flight. Personally I would only fly an animal if it was absolutely necessary (ie too far to drive or no way of driving there)
I am bringing my new girl back from France by car and Eurotunnel (19-20 hours). I hate the idea of cats being made to be on their own in the car by ferry companies. It's stressful enough for animals to travel such long distances anyway without being separated from their owners.
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and airlines will only allow one animal per flight
I sent two cats to Canada on the same flight. So perhaps that rule only applies to some airlines.
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Are you giving Google a tranquiliser for the trip. When I moved here, I gave them (prescribed by the vet) to my 3. It was awful when they started to wear off - Kylie who was 5 at the time, acted and looked like a young kitten and wouldn't stop rubbing her face against my hand. I found t really disturbing - I don't know if it bothered her but she seemed really confused - I wouldn't want to use them again.
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My vet said that tranquillizers are not good for cats when tyravelling cos they fight against the effects and that makes the, worse.
One day I hope i will be able to drive through that tunnel, well put the car on the train ;D
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Yes and sedatives are especially bad for animals on planes from what I have read as the flight causes a drop in their blood pressure anyway and sedatives can make this worse.
Ela: Yes this is possible. It was BA that told me the one animal per flight rule.
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Hello,
We have called Iberia and we can take them with us in the cabin if the cat and the carrier don't weight more than 8Kg. We think this is the best option as it is the shortest and the least stressfull for them. They will charge us £6/kg plus our tickets. Regarding the tranquilisers we have asked the vet and he said he would not recommend them as the cats need to be health checked by a vet at Heathrow and they might feel unwell during the flight. We are not taking them until May but I will tell you how it goes.
Regarding the cracked paws issue we have taken Google to the vet today and as well as giving him a steroids injection he has taken some blood for analysis. We have to call on Monday to discuss the results with him. He wants to find out if this is caused by an immune system related disease.
Thanks everyone for your help! Thanks also from Google and Linux!
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Glad to hear they can travel with you in the cabin ... definately the best way.
Fingers crossed the blood tests do't show up anything nasty and hopefully his "cracked paws" can be treated :)
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Fingers crossed for him.
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Do you not need a fitness to fly certificate? I know most airlines insist on one.
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Just checked;-
Veterinary Requirements - from July 3rd 2004
An EU Pet Passport issued by your vet.
To obtain this, you must first have your pet microchipped by your vet. The vet must then vaccinate your pet against rabies.
If your pet is not going to be brought back to the UK your pet is now ready to go.
If you do intend to return to the UK then the vet must obtain a blood sample 30 days after the rabies vaccination and submit it for testing. Assuming that this result is positive, the details of the blood test will be entered into the Pet Passport.
Airlines require assurance that your pet is healthy enough to fly. Therefore your pet must be inspected by a vet shortly (preferably within a week) prior to the flight. The vet must then issue a fitness to fly (or private health) certificate.
I think I had to pay about £70 for the certs, I can't remember if that was for one or two. Although I think it was for two.
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Thanks everyone for your help.
I have just been talking to Google's vet regarding blood tests. He has got a high white cells count so he thinks he might have an autoimmune disease. He recommended us to have a biopsy done of his pad in two weeks' time, when the effect from the steroid injection is over.
He said the pad after the biopsy will take a long time to heal. We are not sure we want to proceed as we don't want Google to be in pain for a long time. We don't know if the test will be worthwhile. If this test confirms the disease, the treatment would be steroids injections.
What would you do?
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:rofl: i was just about to say i didnt know google did a vet LOL..then remembered the puss is called google :rofl:
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Hello everyone,
After some attempts of our vet to try to find out what Google had he referred us to a dermatologist. Google was diagnosed with Plasma Cell Pododermatitis and he has been under treatment for 10 days now and his footpads have improved incredibly. He will have to be under treatment for a while but hopefully he will have fully recovered soon.
I will keep you informed. Thanks everyone for our help and interest in Google.
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glad he's getting better, i looked this up coz ive never heard of it.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_plasma_cell_pododermatitis.html is this what googles foot looked like ?
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Thanks for update Myrkos .. I yahoo'd the condition and found the following article that might be of interest to you and others on the site:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_plasma_cell_pododermatitis.html
So pleased Google's condition has been diagnosed and he is hopefully on the road to recovery :)
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Great minds think alike Lynn :rofl:
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LOL yes and fools seldom differ !! :rofl:
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Hi Myrkos .... how's Googles paws?
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Hi Sam,
Google's paws are much better. They are now nearly back to normal. He is so playfull and happy now...He runs and plays like mad again...He is still under treatment but now he takes his tablets every other day, the vet was surprised of how quickly he has started to recover. We are taking Google and Linux to Spain this Friday. We will give you an update next week on how the trip goes and will update you on Google from Spain.
Thanks for your interest!
Myrkos
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Excellent news ... so pleased he is getting better.
Good luck with the trip to spain ...hope it all goes well.