Quote Originally Posted by sugarpaws View Post
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.