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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / August 2006back from TED's
TED says Oscar's paw is probably going through another phase of trying to work out fiberglass. She said it can take years for that kind of thing to fully work its way out. So, in the meantime, we just need to put a collar on her when she starts nibbling at it. If it does start looking worse and doesn't improve with the collar, then we need to see TED or at least call her. She said if possible, we should try soaking Oscar's paw in warm water, possibly with a pinch of salt. If Oscar will tolerate that for up to 5 minutes, try doing it several times a day. That may help remove some of the crusty stuff, and possibly the irritant along with it. No new meds or anything to deal with, at least for now. Another option would be to wrap the paw in a warm wet washcloth, but I think we'll have better luck with a soak. I would have the soaking water ready so that she doesn't have to worry about running water or getting soaked (other than her paw). And somehow I need to dry it off afterwards. Anyone have experience soaking their kitty's paw like this? Any suggestions?  Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > TED says Oscar's paw is probably going through another phase of > trying to work out fiberglass. She said it can take years for that [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Anyone have experience soaking their kitty's paw like this? Any > suggestions? Yes, I had to soak Rusty's paws when he got ringworm on his paws. He didn't like it much. I put the solution in a small container in the tub, and put his paw in it. A book I read had detailed description on how to soak paws. You get into the tub with the cat. Lean on one side of him so he had to put weight on his opposite paw down inside the container. The book is The new natural cat : a complete guide for finicky owners by Anitra Frazier. Have a towel ready for both you and Oscar to whom Rusty is sending sympathetic purrs. Winnie > Yes, I had to soak Rusty's paws when he got ringworm on his paws. He > didn't like it much. I put the solution in a small container in the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Have a towel ready for both you and Oscar to whom Rusty is sending > sympathetic purrs. Winnie Thank you, Winnie. I'll try the leaning trick. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >]> > Thank you, Winnie. I'll try the leaning trick. You are welcome. Hope you have better luck with the leaning trick. I didn' get into the tub with Rusty. I just grabbed his paw and held it. Of course he struggled to free his paw from his mean Meowmie's grip. Winnie > You are welcome. Hope you have better luck with the leaning trick. I > didn' get into the tub with Rusty. I just grabbed his paw and held > it. Of course he struggled to free his paw from his mean Meowmie's > grip. We shall see. Oscar has gotten much more resigned about having her paw handled. At the vet's, I was even able to hold her belly-up on my belly while the vet handled her paw. Oscar wasn't thrilled, but suffered it to be done. Major change since this first started! Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > TED says Oscar's paw is probably going through another phase of > trying to work out fiberglass. She said it can take years for that [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Anyone have experience soaking their kitty's paw like this? Any > suggestions? I know it is many years ago but when (as a child) I had something stuck in my finger like a splinter of wood that was too deep to be got out by a needle! yes. we poked them out with a needle that was first burnt in a flame from the oven to sterilise it, my grandmother applied a poultice to it to draw it out and it always did. Sometimes it was made of kaolin and sometimes bread, depended on what was available. Bread poultices were quite effective. Bread would be boiled, squeezed out and applied hot and reapplied as necessary. It nearly always worked to raise up any thingie you had stuck deep in your finger so it could be got out. Kaolin poultices were better. I'm going to have to leave you to google kaolin poultices as it's time for me to go to bed. Tweed >> TED says Oscar's paw is probably going through another phase of >> trying to work out fiberglass. She said it can take years for that [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > > Tweed As I remember (a long, long time ago) bread poultices became moldy -- they had made an early edition of penicillin. When I had an infected scrape from a fall off a bicycle, my grandfather tied lettuce leaves over the wound. By the process of osmosis it withdrew the infection (supposedly). But it worked. I have been told that if you put a piece of tape over a splinter and leave it for a few days, when you pull the tape off, the splinter will come out. MLB > When I had an infected > scrape from a fall off a bicycle, my grandfather tied lettuce leaves over > the wound. By the process of osmosis it withdrew the infection > (supposedly). But it worked. Broad-leaved plantain, a common weed, at least over here, (http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/plantain.htm) will do that, too. SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > > When I had an infected > > scrape from a fall off a bicycle, my grandfather tied lettuce leaves over > > the wound. By the process of osmosis it withdrew the infection > > (supposedly). But it worked. > Broad-leaved plantain, a common weed, at least over here, > (http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/plantain.htm) will do that, too. When I first saw that, I was thinking of plantains, the banana-like fruit. Since that's tropical, I was amazed that such a plant would be common in Finland! But then I looked at the photo and saw that, in fact, it is a very common weed, and I used to see it all the time in Massachusetts. Haven't seen it here (in California) that much, though, but that might just be that I don't look at the ground as much as I did when I was growing up. :) Joyce > > Broad-leaved plantain, a common weed, at least over here, > > (http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/plantain.htm) will do that, too. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >seen it here (in California) that much, though, but that might just be >that I don't look at the ground as much as I did when I was growing up. :) This is interesting, because I was actually the opposite. I knew that those weeds were plantains (they're frequently mentioned in gardening and wilderness survival guides), so the first time I saw the word on a menu at a restaurant, I was disgusted! > I know it is many years ago but when (as a child) I had something stuck in > my finger like a splinter of wood that was too deep to be got out by a > needle! yes. we poked them out with a needle that was first burnt in a flame > from the oven to sterilise it Heh - I still do this! > Bread poultices were quite effective. Bread would be boiled, squeezed out > and applied hot and reapplied as necessary. It nearly always worked to > raise up any thingie you had stuck deep in your finger so it could be got > out. Interesting, I never knew about that. Joyce > I know it is many years ago but when (as a child) I had something stuck in > my finger like a splinter of wood that was too deep to be got out by a [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > I'm going to have to leave you to google kaolin poultices as it's time for > me to go to bed. There's no visible irritant. If there's anything there, it's deep under the skin. The emergency vet a month ago was able to get some of it out, but I asked this time, and there's no way to get it all out, even if they had her in surgery. This is different from a wood splinter or anything like that, where there's a fairly large (yes, compared to fiberglass shards, large) irritant. With some injuries, even in people, the particles are too small and widely scattered to find and remove. My vet told me of a person she knew who developed a lump in his leg that eventually expelled a glass shard from an accident fifteen years before, when he'd fallen through a pane of glass. I've also used the sterilized needle technique for splinters, and my dad even said something about using a slice of bacon to draw a nasty splinter out of his foot as a kid. Regardless, this is a cat, not me. Even if I could identify the exact location of the irritant, how would I go about lancing a cat's toe pad or tying any sort of poultice to it? Imagine trying to do this with KFC ... Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > I've also used the sterilized needle technique for splinters, and my > dad even said something about using a slice of bacon to draw a nasty > splinter out of his foot as a kid. > Regardless, this is a cat, not me. Even if I could identify the exact > location of the irritant, how would I go about lancing a cat's toe pad > or tying any sort of poultice to it? Imagine trying to do this with > KFC ... Imagine tying a slice of bacon to Oscar's paw. And then putting on the e-collar - how cruel! :) Joyce > > Regardless, this is a cat, not me. Even if I could identify the > > exact location of the irritant, how would I go about lancing a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Imagine tying a slice of bacon to Oscar's paw. And then putting on > the e-collar - how cruel! :) LOL! Actually, that's the last thing I want to do. Once she got over her fear of the original collar, she quickly realized she could easily reach her paw. It wasn't even a challenge. So we moved up from a size 10 to a 12. It kind of hangs on her head, but so far it seems effective. She's tried grooming herself, and all she can get to is part of her tail. I just don't want to give her incentive to try harder! Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > There's no visible irritant. If there's anything there, it's deep under > the skin. The emergency vet a month ago was able to get some of it out, > but I asked this time, and there's no way to get it all out, even if > they had her in surgery. > This is different from a wood splinter or anything like that, where > there's a fairly large (yes, compared to fiberglass shards, large) [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > expelled a glass shard from an accident fifteen years before, when > he'd fallen through a pane of glass. A nurse told me about this sort of thing happening in humans. > I've also used the sterilized needle technique for splinters, and my > dad even said something about using a slice of bacon to draw a nasty > splinter out of his foot as a kid. > Regardless, this is a cat, not me. Even if I could identify the exact > location of the irritant, how would I go about lancing a cat's toe pad > or tying any sort of poultice to it? Imagine trying to do this with > KFC ... I imagine your cat would really like the bacon idea, although I don't think the bacon would stay on her paw very long. SignatureCheryl >> I've also used the sterilized needle technique for splinters, and >> my dad even said something about using a slice of bacon to draw a >> nasty splinter out of his foot as a kid. > > I imagine your cat would really like the bacon idea, although I > don't think the bacon would stay on her paw very long. Too true! I'm sure she'd find a way to scrape it off. She likes to play the audience for pathos when the e-collar is on. She flops herself down in one spot and stays there for hours, not moving. Then on to another spot (somehow she finds the energy to move to where the hoomins are gathered), flop. Oddly enough, her ceramic food bowl was upside down today. I can't figure how she managed it. She's never done anything like that before, and it would surprise me if she did it accidentally with the edge of the collar -- the bowl is fairly heavy. Good thing I'm feeding her dry while she's wearing the collar. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > She likes to play the audience for pathos when the e-collar is on. > She flops herself down in one spot and stays there for hours, not > moving. Then on to another spot (somehow she finds the energy to move > to where the hoomins are gathered), flop. LOL! Miranda did that when she had to wear the dreaded collar after her spay. SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki >> She likes to play the audience for pathos when the e-collar is on. >> She flops herself down in one spot and stays there for hours, not [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > LOL! Miranda did that when she had to wear the dreaded collar after > her spay. They're such hams! Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> There's no visible irritant. If there's anything there, it's deep under >> the skin. The emergency vet a month ago was able to get some of it out, [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > >A nurse told me about this sort of thing happening in humans. When I put my hand through the window I a tiny splinter of glass in my palm and it didn't heal right - it kept on hurting and had a hard lump so I was pretty sure that there was some glass still stuck in there... sure enough, about six months later, out it came and my hand instantly stopped hurting and got better. Oscar has my sympathies... > When I put my hand through the window I a tiny splinter of glass in > my palm and it didn't heal right - it kept on hurting and had a hard > lump so I was pretty sure that there was some glass still stuck in > there... sure enough, about six months later, out it came and my > hand instantly stopped hurting and got better. I had something similar with several lumps of gravel in my palm. There were tiny hard lumps in it for a couple of years. Eventually, though, my body seemed to dissolve them. I'm guessing the body only expells what it can't dissolve. In my case it only hurt when I pressed my palm against a hard surface. > Oscar has my sympathies... I'll tell her! Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > > There's no visible irritant. If there's anything there, it's deep under > > the skin. The emergency vet a month ago was able to get some of it out, [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > A nurse told me about this sort of thing happening in humans. This happened to me when I had my wisdom teeth taken out. The dentist shattered them with a drill and pulled the pieces out, but apparently he missed one. A year later I was wandering a county fair and felt something funny in the side of my jaw, so I worried it a bit with my tongue and eventually pulled out a piece of tooth. A pretty big piece, as I remember. Big enough to leave a hole in my jaw for a few days. Jane - owned and operated by Princess Rita > TED says Oscar's paw is probably going through another phase of > trying to work out fiberglass. She said it can take years for that [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > 5 minutes, try doing it several times a day. That may help remove > some of the crusty stuff, and possibly the irritant along with it. <snip> Lots of purrs and best wishes for the soaking to work really well, Polonca and Soncek > Lots of purrs and best wishes for the soaking to work really well, > Polonca and Soncek Thank you! Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >TED says Oscar's paw is probably going through another phase of >trying to work out fiberglass. She said it can take years for that >kind of thing to fully work its way out. So, in the meantime, we just >need to put a collar on her when she starts nibbling at it. If it >does start looking worse and doesn't improve with the collar, then we >need to see TED or at least call her. Ouch. It sounds like I have been luckier than I realized in my few encounters with fiberglass injuries. I have only gotten it in my skin, not deeper, and it has always worked its way out within a few days. SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria On 2006-08-04, John F Eldredge penned: >>TED says Oscar's paw is probably going through another phase of >>trying to work out fiberglass. She said it can take years for that [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > skin, not deeper, and it has always worked its way out within a few > days. Well, you probably recognized the problem pretty quickly, whereas Oscar licked at it for several days before I caught on. I suspect the lacerations from her tongue could have driven the particles deeper, too. And humans don't really have anything as convoluted as a paw, with the several tiny pads all wedged against each other. You would probably also be willing to try things like poultices =) Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca Poor Oscar! I can't think of a good way to soak her paw but I surely wish you all the luck and am sending purrs for you to be able to pull this one off! Christine > TED says Oscar's paw is probably going through another phase of > trying to work out fiberglass. She said it can take years for that [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Anyone have experience soaking their kitty's paw like this? Any > suggestions? > Poor Oscar! I can't think of a good way to soak her paw but I surely wish > you all the luck and am sending purrs for you to be able to pull this one > off! > Christine Thank you! We didn't try last night; for some reason my shorts caused me extremely painful trouble on my mountain bike ride, so I spent the evening pantsless and trying not to move. Owww. I bought some Chamois Butt'r on the way home; never used the stuff before, but it's worth a try. Anyway, hope to try soaking Oscar's paw this evening. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca How did you like the Sherpa bag? I think it looks sturdier than the one I got for Rusty. Winnie > How did you like the Sherpa bag? I think it looks sturdier than the > one I got for Rusty. I liked it much better than the carrier because, with its shoulder strap and soft sides, I can carry it close to my body with less strain and less worry of knocking Oscar into things or having the carrier tip when she shifts weight. I can basically carry her like a gym bag. That being said, it's a lot harder to get the zipper closed around her than it was to close the two latches at the top of the carrier. The bag is also much smaller, so she doesn't have as much room above. It's not clear to me whether Oscar has an opinion on which is better. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca |
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