Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
Hello, I have a question regarding a split nail, not sure how it happened. Just saw a small trail of bloody footprints when we got back in from a very short walk no blood outside just indoors. I check my dogs paw and I see that the nail is broken. It broken two pieces. The bottom piece is intact, but the quick is exposed, and the top is still attached, but barely… I saw the video on YouTube explaining how the top broken piece can be removed, but had a few follow up questions. If I’m not able to get the numbing agent from the vet, what else would work? lidocaine, ice? And after the piece is pulled out, what over-the-counter and anabiotic ointment can I use? Can I use Silver Honey ointment for her aftercare or do I have to take my dog to the vet after I pull the nail out for the antibiotics?
I cant get a picture because the website wont work on my phone for some reason but my cat lost one of his whole back claws, there is dried blood along the top of it should i be worried? He is sleeping rn and a little bit ago he was walking around like he wasn’t in pain, is this normal for cats? He got back from the vet about a month ago for an abcess on his neck from one of my other cats being a little too rough and bitting him, could this be the same issue of the cats playing too rough and his claw got ripped out?
hello,
In most cases this isn’t a problem that I worry about. But, infection can happen, and litter boxes are inherently dirty.
So, the best option is to seek veterinary care for an examination and perhaps antibiotic soak, or oral antibiotic option.
We will see about getting the photo option fixed.
Happy Holiday
krista
Colin to Dr. Krista : May I pick your Brains?
Dear Dr. Krista,
I’m writing to ask your advice about a stray cat I found last month. See images attached.
But first I want to thank you for the polyp videos you made, which were refreshing, as well as impressive.
One of my strays was snoring, so I was eager to pluck out a polyp hiding behind his soft-palate. (He didn’t have one, but I’m gratefully alerted for the future.)
Last month I found a stunted stray ginger cat outside a 7/11 in North Thailand, where I’m a self-financed Christian missionary.
Can you help me diagnose, and treat the problem?
At first I thought it was simply FVR / Calici and chronic snuffles.
But when I opened her mouth, she had only 4 teeth in her head!
Yes, she had calici tongue-ulcers, but little sneezing, no ocular discharge, and has been eating like a horse from day one. She’s happy and bright in herself, apart from the ugly sore nose.
Her mandibular Ln were big and hard, so I put her on antibiotic tablets, with a little dexamethasone (actually 2.5mg Prednisolone tab. daily.)
Then after a week or so I sedated her, and examined her mouth more closely, no observable polyps (drat!) but one of her molars was loose and covered in calculus, so I pulled that one out, and cleaned up the remaining molar and two premolars, otherwise the poor thing would have zero teeth.
There was of course gingivitis and pharyngitis, but pink, not red like “dragon-mouthed cats” on dcf.
For the last month I’ve given her a course of floxacilin (30 days) with amoxycillin, and tried all sort of creams on her nose and lower eyelids which. as you can see, are raw and sore.
Her Ln are almost normal now, +but that nose is no better+, and she tries to rub as though it is itchy.
(I made up creams mixing; 10% flours of sulphur, betamethasone, ivermectin, and vaseline)
There’s a temporary lessening at best, but no lasting improvement.
So what is your differential for her?
In NZ where I locummed, cat leprosy was common (Mycobacterium from mice and voles) so that was my diagnosis, but the floxacillin has made no impression.
I’ve trimmed her claws and taped her fore paws to stop her making her nose raw.
I’m stuck, and thought of asking you Doc.
I’d guess she’s 3-4 years old, confident, unvaccinated, entire, lived wild all her life eating left over fast food, and possibly DCF from neighbours.
Since October I’ve been feeding her raw chicken frames, tinned sardines, vitamin syrup, and no DCF.
She loves raw chicken :), and eats whatever I put in front of her and still looks for more.
Apart from her nose you would not think she was ill in any way.
Thanks for your advice.
Colin
PS. For some reason, Depo-medrone has been taken off the market here, not even local vets can get hold of it.
Colin Melbourne English missionary in Asia
https://www.born-again-christian.org/news/
https://www.born-again-christian.org/news/ไทยคริสเตียน/
https://www.born-again-christian.info/aboutus.htm
https://www.born-again-christian.com (Asian languages)
Hello!
Thank you for helping this kitty.
I am happy to help, but a few things are important to remember; I do not know all of the local diseases to your area. We live in very different places and animals get exposed to different diseases in different places.
Based on the history and response to treatment so far I think the antibiotic was warranted and may need to be provided every so often to manage secondary infections due to severity of the cats condition.
I also think that there is a chance this could be one of the following:
Infection (fungal or bacterial)
Immune mediated (pemphigus/lupus)
Or cancer (squamous cell, etc)
To diagnose these you may need biopsy or cytology. I would try to resist treating without some ability to rule something out. (Steroids and fungal infections can make things worse).
Please keep us posted. Very best of luck.
Krista.
Dear Dr. Krista,
Thank you for your quick response 🙂
Yes, I’m aware of the dangers of cortisone therapy, but living in the mountains, I’m limited to kitchen table surgery 🙂
I do also liaise with a kind local lady-vet, who supplies me with whatever medicines I need.
She too is stumped, and I’ve been here three decades plus +and never seen anything like it before.+
I tried mixing miconazole in with the various creams I concocted, like you concerned it could be a fungal disease. But I find flours of sulphur cures both mange and ringworm here, if applied gently and persistently enough.
Yes, the spectre of Squamous cell carcinoma looms, but she is remarkably bright and active.
Almost no sneezing or nasal discharge.
The “Rodent ulcers” that I’ve seen look different, and usually just the lips, and the ulcer has a thickened rolled edge: This one is different.
+Doc., have YOU seen anything like this before?+
I should mention, she had a lick granuloma on her hip, but that has healed now, with flea-bathing, and the steroids she’s been on. (I don’t like using fipronil, ie. “Poison your pet to poison its parasites”. Not a sound strategy.)
Can you ask around for me please if any of your colleagues have seen a nose like that, despite over a month intensive blunderbuss therapy? Feel free to post the images on a specialised dermatology group if you know of one.
Colin
Dear Dr. Krista,
Thank you for your comments. Your mention of locality sparked a line of new thoughts.
Most of my vet jobs have been in the tropics (Jamaica, Arabia, Singapore etc) where venomous creatures are commonplace (Toads, insects, scorpions, spiders, centipedes, and snakes).
I’ve seen Arabian horses lamed by a centipede bite, a rare Arabian Oryx die from a snake bite.
One characteristic symptom I’ve noticed in cats of spider bites is intense, frantic licking of the cat’s body. It is continuous until the toxin effect subsides after a few hours, so mild sedation is called for. It’s clinically distinct from the CNS effects of agricultural toxins.
This cat has lived around a 24 hour 7/11 shop, and the bright lights at night attract swarms of termites and beetles: Cats love eating termites, +but so do; scorpions, snakes, spiders, centipedes, and toads+ that live in drains.
Just this week, my other strays brought two live snakes as “love gifts”, one was a harmless Tree-snake, the other a 60cm Red-necked Keelback (small, but whose venom is nonetheless as deadly as the Banded-Krait’s!) (See attached snap I took of “Chatty” offering a cute-little Keelback present to me.)
https://thailandsnakes.com/red-necked-keelback-venomous-mildly-dangerous/
Doctor Krista, It’s possible what we are looking at is a cat recovering from a bite, or sting, on the left nostril by a snake, scorpion, hornet, spider etc.
I know from personal experience that such wounds provoke Type 4 cell-mediated immune responses, (cf. acute inflammatory antibody responses) and so are very slow to heal. (My neighbour was blinded in one eye by reaction to a Hornet sting.)
With neoplasia, I’d expect this cat to be inappetent and “ill”, but she’s bright, eating well, and purring loudly by my side as I type. So I’m leaning to the insect, arachnid, snake bite, or sting idea for now.
It’d be nice to have the luxury of lab-work and histology, if it were available and reliable, but I’m old-school trained, and content diagnosing on sensory data alone.
I certainly considered your Pemphigus differential, but she would have responded very well to the prednisolone 2.5mg/day according to this paper and others:
https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/feline-pemphigus-foliaceus
Thank you for helping me brainstorm 🙂
I will update you on her recovery.
Colin
“Princess” : 15th. March 2025, five month update…
See attached snap of her after five months, off the street, and in my care.
“That nasal ulceration doesn’t look any better!” You reply, and I have to agree, it’s very frustrating.
She is still happy, bright, and eating every meal I present her with.
She’s tiny, but the Top-Cat of my six strays.
When stared at by another feline, she stares back silent & unblinking, and if eye-contact is maintained, she gives a paw-slap to the cheeky chappie, as if to say, “You do NOT stare at a Princess like that you commoner!”
The flea season has begun here in the tropics, so I shampoo her weekly, and rinse with Carbaryl 5% flea and tick powder. She enjoys the soothing effect of shampoo and warm water, and then after a rub down with a towel, frolics in the garden to dry out quickly.
The only medication I’m using is 2.5mg of prednisolone tablets every few days according to how irritated she is by the sore nose. A serous fluid runs from it occasionally, but isn’t continuous. She sneezes about 3 times a day, that’s all.
Now, to business;
My working differential has been Trauma/FVR virus at the top since I’ve ruled out; neoplasia, cat leprosy, rodent ulcer, etc. (see previous posts).
Now, with the passage of time, I’m almost convinced it is caused by FVR/Feline Herpes virus, primarily because of the photo you see on this article, it looks almost identical to Princess;
https://pro.dermavet.com/feline-cutaneous-herpesvirus-clinical-and-therapeutic-aspects/
Compare that with the pictures of her, I’ve already posted in this thread.
Notice particularly the tiny black specks around her mouth and eyelids. I’ve highlighted them in RED.
They have been a constant feature, which I previously confused with food debris/blood from eager gobbling of her raw chicken and sardines meals.
But now I’m pretty sure they are the cellular debris (eosinophils and monocytes from Herpes (FHV-1) infected epidermal and mucosal cells from her lips and eyelids.)
So finally, +there’s my diagnosis+ (I feel better already!)
Feline Herpes poses no danger to humans, and my other healthy strays will have developed natural immunity long before “they found me”.
So towards a better treatment… The article suggests;
Q/
Antiviral Treatment:
Famciclovir currently represents the reference antiviral in the treatment of FHV-1 infection. Its administration at a dosage of 40 to 90 mg/kg two to three times daily has proven effective in controlling clinical manifestations. The duration of treatment must be adapted to clinical evolution and can extend over several weeks. Monitoring of renal function is necessary during treatment due to the molecule’s nephrotoxic potential.
Other Options:
Other molecules can be considered in the therapeutic strategy. Azithromycin, administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg once daily for 10 days, has shown some efficacy. Topical treatments, particularly daily application of acyclovir or imiquimod used two to three consecutive days per week, can usefully complement the systemic approach.
/Q
Which sounds hopeful, but I can’t get those medicines here in the mountains on the Burmese border.
Please can you help with that Dr. Krista?
1) Famciclovir (Nephrotoxic warning noted. I’ll need several weeks supply.)
2) Azithromycin
3) Acyclovir or Imiquimod.
Happy to pay the cost and postage to finally get this precious creature better. (PM/email me for postal address, and how to pay you.)
Colin
Colin Melbourne English missionary in Asia
https://www.born-again-christian.org/news/
Here’s an update on what “Princess” looks like today, after 3 months in my care.
Desperate for progress last week, I sedated her; cleaned up her face, trimmed her whiskers, and extracted all her remaining teeth, (there were 8, not four, with their roots, see snap attached,) just in case it’s an atypical case of “screaming cat-mouth”. Which is caused by feeding cats dry cat-food, and packets of Monsanto pet-sludge, instead of what Carnivores were created to eat: Raw meat and bone in the form of whole animals and arthropods.
She’s still a happy pussy, and eats whatever is put in front of her; suffers occasional calici/FVR snuffles, has mild pharyngitis, but her mandibular LN are now back to normal size, +BUT that nose ulcer is no better,+ and no worse.
Again, I could not palpate, or see, any polyps in her mouth or nasopharynx, but I don’t discount the likelihood of smaller polyps in her anterior nasal passages causing this. Perhaps as reaction to FVR, sting, trauma etc.
She’s still head-shy, it’s as tender as it looks, but she likes to rub her face with her front paws, and on objects, as though it itches.
I’ve ruled out neoplasia because she’s so well in herself, and her lymph nodes returned to normal after an antibiotic course.
Demodex, ringworm, and mange are common in strays here, and they’re easily cured with gentle application of home-made flours-of-sulphur and ivermectin creams. She’s had all that routine therapy, so I discount those. This is distinctly different from such cases.
The black specs are food remains, not scabs.
My differential diagnosis is now, in order of likelihood;
Nose trauma/FVR that has caused tiny nasal polyps.
Insect sting, spider, or snake bite inside her oral cavity, or on her face,
“Screaming cat-mouth” (aka. Commercial “pet food” toxicity. She could have lived on pet food poached from neighbours’ pets.)
Atopic allergy. (She licks her body fur all over, in long sessions until it’s wet with saliva, despite bathing and de-fleaing her.)
Cat leprosy, (Mycobacterium from rodents.)
Rodent ulcer (Ought to have resolved by now.)
Leishmaniasis. (Very rarely reported but present in SE Asia)
Suggestions for therapy welcome 🙂
Colin
Update Feb 1st. 2025:
This is the state of “Princess’s” nose on Feb. 1st 2025 compared with when I found her in early November 2024.
An example of one of those many conditions vets struggle with!
She’s bright, happy, and still eating whatever I offer her, but I’m keeping her on mainly raw chicken, as the lysine in the meat is supposed to have some antiviral activity. Her alimentary system is working perfectly. She has no teeth, but still manages to make short-work of raw chicken frames I chop up for her! (I could make a video of her eating one to post here, but it’d be a big file, and may overload your forum software.)
No cough despite the seasonally cold weather here in the mountains. I let her sleep with me indoors.
I give her three day courses of Amoxycillin and predisolone crushed in her food, now and then, when she appears snuffly and bunged up. I also clean her nose daily, and it seems to be less tender now. You’ll notice her left nostril is almost fully occluded in the latest picture, a baby-sized cotton-bud clears it, but makes it bleed, so I feel bad hurting her.
She’s putting weight on, and her mandibular LN are only slightly enlarged. Not surprising considering what we see here.
She still licks her fur all over, somewhat manically, she’s often soaking wet with saliva when I pick her up, and of course this symptom subsides when she’s on prednisolone.
My differential has not changed, and I welcome good advice.
Colin
Colin Melbourne English missionary in Asia
https://www.born-again-christian.org/news/
My dog broke her dew claw somehow and it is now cracked. It bled a little, but is not anymore. I plan to wrap it with gauze and vet wrap, then call the vet when they open in the morning, but any other suggestions in the meantime? She doesn’t seem to be in significant discomfort and is walking fine on that leg.
We have a 3 year old Husky that has 2 claws located on different paws that keep bleeding at the tip of the claw multiple times per week when she is outside in our backyard. The cause of the bleeding is not from trimming her nails too short and she is not one to be racing around the yard, potentially injuring her claws. We finally were able to get a good look at the tip of her claw to see where the source of the blood was coming from. Please see photos. It looks like the 2 claws that are bleeding may have broken so far down that there is a bubble of tissue exposed on the tip. We are not sure how or why this could happen and are desperately seeking some information and guidance about what the problem is and how to prevent the bleeding from recurring in the future. Please help! Thank you!
Hello,
Please see a veterinarian as soon as possible. In cases like this I always want to make sure that there is not a clotting problem and there are a few diseases that huskies get where rhe nails do not grow properly. These are things to talk about with your vet.
My cat has broken her toenail on her back paw it doesn’t seem to be bleeding too much but it definitely needs attention I can’t really afford a vet at all so please somebody help me with what I should do for her.
Hello,
I usually don’t worry too much about a broken toenail. I can rot clearly see the photo either. My best advice is to make sure she isn’t licking the area and make sure it stays clean, especially because litter boxes. If it looks like it is infected you will need a vet. I strongly discourage wrapping feet on cats. They will make the area worse by chewing at rhe bandage or it will cause swelling as they never stay on unless they are too tight. So never place a bandage on a cat.
Please see a vet if you are worried.
Omg my heart sank when I saw that I actually got a response from someone like you. Thank you for taking the time to write back .My animals are my life and to think of one of them being hurt and in pain kills my soul. There is no way I could afford a vet at the moment . I do have a good job but being the only one with income at the moment and also the only one that does EVERYTHING around the house ON TOP of working a 60+ hour work week . I do good with making sure everyone has a roof over their head clothes on their back and food on the table. Every penny I make goes for bills, food and gas! I wish I could take her to the vet right this second. Thanks for taking the time to read . I appreciate you more than you could ever imagine!!! Sincerely
The family of 22 Angela , Kayla . Haydin, Olivia . Then the Dogs are Nola , Navi , Nash, Bosephus ,Lexi .. puppies are Molly,Sophie, Stevie,Rocko, Potato,Layla,Ronake,Tiny. The cats are Joplin, Atlas,GusGus, Garfield and the injured lil black one is Lola baby!!!!!
Hi!
For a couple weeks I have noticed my dog chewing on his back paw… he normally has pretty strong allergies this time of year and he is a licker anyway.. however tonight when I got home from work I took another close look at his paw (it was looking very pink) and noticed that he is missing a nail.. it’s completely gone ! He is in no pain as it seems.. hes walking, running, playing and eating as normal.. the only thing is he is obviously licking the area where his nail was.. it’s not bleeding and doesn’t look infected…
what advice do you have for this type of situation? I have been reading and watching videos about this but it’s half and half of I should take him to the vet or if I can take care of this at home.. Thank you
I have never had a situation where the entire nail has been gone- a few times we have had a partial rip and then we did have to make a trip to see the vet or vet tech to have it looked at and snipped. I’m guessing, if there is no pain, swelling, soreness- that it may have happened a bit ago? If there is still a “wound” opening, I would keep it clean and keep an eye on it. If it feels swollen, or sore then definitely call your vet. And honestly, I’m a nervous nelly, so I would probably call my vet anyway and double check with them to see if I should bring them in to be seen…
My suggestion? Get all the nails much shorter and keep them shorter to prevent this in the future. Torn nails, broken nails usually happen due to excessively LONG nails. Keeping them short keeps them safer from this sort of accident.
We have a 2 year old Jack Russell named Toby. Papers from the breeder say he is registered, but my guess is if we spent the money on a DNA test we would find a stranger in the midst. We love him and wouldn’t trade him for the world but we think he has an addiction! He was not handled by the breeder and probably didn’t know human touch other than when his tail was docked and dew claws removed as a pup until we bought him.
He seems as though he is now addicted to our touch. Any kind of touch. He loves scratches from anyone, anywhere, at any time, and if you stop scratching him, he whines non stop. Could this behavioral issue be due to the lack of early touch? As much as we love this lug, having our hands on him every waking moment isn’t feasible.
I would love to know what we can do to keep him occupied that doesn’t include belly rubs, butt scratches, and tickling his ribs non stop. He has toys he.plays with as well as two other Jack Russell’s to terrorize squirrels in the back yard with, so it’s not a lack of stimulation. Open to suggestions! Oh, and the breeder was breeding pit bulls in the same place with Russell’s and at 30+/- lbs, we are pretty sure dad, well you understand!
Thank you
So, by feeding in to the whining, you’re reinforcing the behavior. At his age it will be difficult to stop. I’d reach out to your obedience trainer for ideas for this one.
I just recently moved in with my S/O and their dog hates it. She gets jealous. She didnt pee in the floor before and now she does. She always has to be under the covers and worms her way in between us. She stares at me all the time and when i walk towards her she rolls on her back and shows me her stomach. If we leave her outside of the room she whines and claws at the door. When its just me home she doesnt get in the bed, but if hes home she’ll hop right up with us. Im at a whits end.
Hello,
Please try to understand your partners pets point of view. How would you feel if you believed that your whole life that no one else I RN he world mattered as much as you and then all of the sudden you are told to move over and make room for someone else? It takes time to adjust to a new person especially a new person invading your space and your life. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about pets or kids. If you are the new person to the equation you have to adapt to their way of life not the other way around. I strongly suggest that you embrace the challenge of earring this pets love and trust by making small meaningful steps towards acceptance. Start by having a long chat with your partner about helping with the pets care. Start feeding walking and spending time with them. Be patient and understanding that this won’t get fixed overnight. It takes time patience and dedication to move into a family as the new person. I also think that seeing your vet to rule our pain, disease or infection is important. Take walks together. Go to puppy classes (even if this isn’t a puppy) to start bonding together. And be patient. You will be surprised how much love a pet can give.
Hello-
I agree with Krista. I would just like to add my experience with walking with your dog(s). Walks are sooooo much more than physical exercise. They help establish pack order, keep the peace, provide mental stimulation, help secure the bonds within the pack, provide routine and reassurance…. I really could go on for quite a while on all the benefits of walking with your dog your dogs as a family unit. My advice would be to be patient, and try adding a nice daily walk when you and your significant other both have time to spend with the dog together. Best of luck!????????
Your SO needs to be involved in your dog’s life. Training, feeding, etc. Dogs don’t urinate out of spite, however – it’s simply a new place, with new rules. Make sure the stress of the move didn’t kick off a UTI, and go back to housebreaking basics. And yes, as Dr. Magnifico suggested, take a basic obedience class as a family and make sure he’s the one working her.
I just recently moved in with my S/O and their dog hates it. She gets jealous. She didnt pee in the floor before and now she does. She always has to be under the covers and worms her way in between us. She stares at me all the time and when i walk towards her she rolls on her back and shows me her stomach. If we leave her outside of the room she whines and claws at the door. When its just me home she doesnt get in the bed, but if hes home she’ll hop right up with us. Im at a whits end.
Hello,
Please try to understand your partners pets point of view. How would you feel if you believed that your whole life that no one else I RN he world mattered as much as you and then all of the sudden you are told to move over and make room for someone else? It takes time to adjust to a new person especially a new person invading your space and your life. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about pets or kids. If you are the new person to the equation you have to adapt to their way of life not the other way around. I strongly suggest that you embrace the challenge of earring this pets love and trust by making small meaningful steps towards acceptance. Start by having a long chat with your partner about helping with the pets care. Start feeding walking and spending time with them. Be patient and understanding that this won’t get fixed overnight. It takes time patience and dedication to move into a family as the new person. I also think that seeing your vet to rule our pain, disease or infection is important. Take walks together. Go to puppy classes (even if this isn’t a puppy) to start bonding together. And be patient. You will be surprised how much love a pet can give.
Hello,
This is usually painful bc the broken nai is irritating the sensitive quick underneath it. So removing the nail often alleviates the discomfort. But removing the nail is also painful which is why I use an analgesic or numbing agent. I use lidocaine gel. I also use a sterile blade or nail trimmers. I also use a medical antibiotic cleaner and oral antibiotic as I have seen a dog get tetanus after this.