Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Chronic nail infections in cats with patellar fracture and dental
By Pilot, Mariette A et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2021·Langford Small Animal Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Chronic paronychia in cats with patellar fracture and dental anomaly syndrome.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Five cats with chronic nail infections (paronychia) were treated after being diagnosed with a patellar fracture and dental anomaly syndrome. The infections affected multiple toes, and while some cats showed improvement with antibiotics, most required surgery to amputate the affected toe bones for lasting relief. Over time, these cats underwent numerous courses of antibiotics, but the surgery proved necessary for most to resolve their ongoing discomfort. If your cat has similar symptoms, it’s important to consult your veterinarian about potential surgical options if medical treatments aren’t effective.
People also search for: cat nail infection treatment · cat patellar fracture symptoms · chronic paronychia in cats · cat dental problems and infections · cat toe amputation recovery
Abstract
CASE SERIES SUMMARY: The aim of this case series was to describe the clinical features and treatment of paronychia in cats diagnosed with patellar fracture and dental anomaly syndrome (PADS). Clinical records, photographs, microbiology, cytology and histopathology reports were collected, and follow-up was obtained. Five cats with paronychia were included. All five cats had multiple digits of multiple limbs affected and eventually underwent amputation of the third phalanx of one or multiple digits. A total of 36 digits were affected, 17% (n = 6/36) resolved with medical management and 83% (n = 30/36) were eventually treated successfully by amputation. The cats had treatment with numerous courses of antibiotics (range 7-20; mean 11 courses) over periods of time ranging from 10 to 67 months (mean 32 months). RELEVANCE AND NOVEL INFORMATION: Chronic paronychia may be an additional clinical feature of PADS and the probable mechanism involves poor integrity of osteopetrotic bone, loss of normal nailbed anatomy and secondary osteomyelitis of the distal phalanx. Medical management with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory therapy and steroid treatment may improve the clinical signs in the short term; however, in severe instances, amputation of the third phalanx of the affected digit seems to be necessary to resolve repeated recurrences and discomfort. Additional information on the long-term outcome is required. In any cat with atraumatic patellar fractures and/or retained deciduous teeth, paronychia may require surgical management if medical management is unsuccessful.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33759602/