Paddy's blood results are back.

[Medusa]

I'm having a hard time making the pix out, Lara, but I do know that Puddy has several bad nails on top of all her other problems. They grow crazy, curve inward, etc. and I keep them clipped as best I can but she has one that's growing in a circle right now and when I try to clip it, she screams. Dr. Lee tried and managed to get a little more cut but you can always tell when Puddy enters the room because you can hear 'tap, tap,tap' on the hardwood floor. Do Paddy's nails grow like that and/or are they discolored? Puddy's are discolored, too.

[Emeraldgreen]

I'm having a hard time making the pix out, Lara, but I do know that Puddy has several bad nails on top of all her other problems. They grow crazy, curve inward, etc. and I keep them clipped as best I can but she has one that's growing in a circle right now and when I try to clip it, she screams. Dr. Lee tried and managed to get a little more cut but you can always tell when Puddy enters the room because you can hear 'tap, tap,tap' on the hardwood floor. Do Paddy's nails grow like that and/or are they discolored? Puddy's are discolored, too.

Thanks everybody for your replies. Paddy's nails do grow quite quickly and we trim them for him. I think his lack of exercise is the reason that they seem to grow so quickly. What looks like a problem is the base of at least four of his nails. I couldn't look at all of them because he lost patience with me and it seemed to make him very uncomfortable when I was examining them. They're definitely painful for him. The base of some of the nails is dark red, almost black. I don't know if it's blood or fungus or what! I don't think it's from scratching his ears because they're pretty clean and it's also on some of the nails on his front feet.

Candace, thanks for the pics you posted. The one kitty looks like he has a nail that was injured and ended up with it facing upwards which probably caused the base to break and become bloody. So I don't think Paddy is dealing with the same thing.
Paddy's nails are kind of similar to the dog pic except that the blackness/redness is right at the base of each of the nails where his nail is attached to his foot.

I know the pics are hard to make out and the last one is actually upside down. Sorry about that. lol

My camera won't focus in when I take the pic and if I use a flash it overexposes it so you can't see anything. I've tried zooming in and then it really gets fuzzy.

I'm hoping it's something that we can clear up with some meds so he can feel comfortable walking again and hopefully that will lead to weight loss. We'll also get his thyroid checked and some other stuff to see if anything else is going on.

[sugarpaws]

Emeraldgreen
I don't know if this will help but it sounds a bit similar, not so severe though. Our oldest furry child Heidi Ann is very arthritic and carries a big pouch on her belly, has a very hard time walking- it breaks my heart seeing how she struggles (she is on Metacam and Cosequin for this). Last winter we noticed when it was pedicure day that her nails l(mostly hae back ones) ooked exactly like what you described. I rushed her in to our vet and she said this is a yeast accumulation in the nail bed. It went away in a couple of weeks - not completely though, she still has it at the base of each nail. We watch her nails carefully because of this, and because she can't clean very well due to the pain in her joints, so there is always litter accumulating under the nail. I wonder if your baby's nail had a secondary infection from yeast? I hope your sweetie feels better soon.

[Emeraldgreen]

Emeraldgreen
I don't know if this will help but it sounds a bit similar, not so severe though. Our oldest furry child Heidi Ann is very arthritic and carries a big pouch on her belly, has a very hard time walking- it breaks my heart seeing how she struggles (she is on Metacam and Cosequin for this). Last winter we noticed when it was pedicure day that her nails l(mostly hae back ones) ooked exactly like what you described. I rushed her in to our vet and she said this is a yeast accumulation in the nail bed. It went away in a couple of weeks - not completely though, she still has it at the base of each nail. We watch her nails carefully because of this, and because she can't clean very well due to the pain in her joints, so there is always litter accumulating under the nail. I wonder if your baby's nail had a secondary infection from yeast? I hope your sweetie feels better soon.

Thank you Sugarpaws. I wonder if it might be a secondary infection, and if it is then it might be what is causing him pain. If it turns out to be an infection, I hope an antibiotic will be able to clear it up to make him more comfortable.

I was thinking about arthritis too. We adopted him about 10 months ago at the age of 10 and he is a very large guy and according to his records, has always been overweight. A lifetime of being that big might contribute to painful joints.

I'm also wondering if there is one single connection to all his problems, like an autoimmune disorder of somesort. He has two dime sized lumps, one on his back and one on his thigh which he had when we got him. I didn't want to race him in for this because the last time I had a lump removed on one of our cats, he didn't make it through the surgery. And considering Paddy's age and weight I didn't want to have him put under anesthesia. I did however contact my vet who used to do his exams when he was with his previous family and his records show that he was brought in on numerous occasions for 'pustuals' on his body. I've been looking online to find a connection and I'm thinking this all might be related. Hopefully some bloodwork will get to the bottom of this so he can begin to live a healthier life. He's a happy guy who is enjoying his life but I want him to be in a better physical condition so we can keep him for as long as possible.

[sugarpaws]

Yes, that could be the source of problems. About the arthritis, one more thing. Heidi Ann came to live with us four years ago from a local non kill shelter. She is a fiesty little girl and always had a funny walk- I used to call her "my determined little" girl. It turns out it was all arthritis, not a funny walk at all. She was diagnosed early this year and she has it in all her joints. Her weight is not helping either, but she is on a measured diet food quantity and that is the best we can do. I feel really bad that I did not think about her joints earlier to help her out. Now she can not jump on beds, goes up and down the steps with difficulty, and we can hear her joints crack. But she is a little fighter. So, maybe looking at his joints won't be a bad idea. Good luck with Paddy baby, you are a very loving mom!

[sugarpaws]

oh, i shared the story with heidi and she wonders if this is related to coat color? she is a black and white tuxedo.

[kittykatharine]

Poor Padd'y little toes! Hopefully the vet can give some answers and comfort to bog Paddy! The pictures where difficult to see, I remember when I first adopted Charlie, some of his back toenails where black - and the vet said at his check -up that it was just his color pattern. Is Paddy's feet swollen, red, warm, and painful to touch? These are the signs of inflammation. Please keep us updated!