Cat declaw complication

Hey everyone. I'm sure you all have united and strong feelings about declawing, but I know the facts and I am not interested in hearing them from you. Here is the situation... My kitties name is Mya. She is 1 year old. At age 6 months, she was declawed. The surgery went fine except 6 months later a couple of her paws started regrowing the claws. We took her back to the same vet who offered to re due the paws for free. She ended up having complications like her bone sticking out a little and the glue wouldn't hold because she chewed it constantly. She was in a cone for almost 2 weeks. A month later her paws look really good, but my concern is that she constantly hold up her front paws. She isn't eating much, and sleeps more than normal. She also won't play or anything. I know, I know "it's because she hates you for what you did to her". I do not need these types of responses, I need to know if anyone had similar experiences or knows the possible causes. We are worried about her contantly licking her paws still and holding them up even though they look FINE from the outside. Let me know if you an help. Is it nerve damage or is this somewhat normal>??

It could be nerve damage, it could be a behavioral issue.....when she holds her paw up, do you give her lots of attention? If you are giving her attention when she does it, stop giving her the attention and see if the behavior stops.

If its nerve damage, I'm sorry, I don't have any suggestions.

Thanks for the reply. We don't give her attention when she does it because of how often she does it. We got an anti inflammatory for her today from the vet. Will that heal the nerve damage? What do you know about nerve damage if that IS what it is?

Ever heard of phantom limb pain in humans with amputations?

My bet is she's got it in her amputated toes.

I don't really know much about nerve damage unfortunately. The only time I had any exposure to it was in talking with a rescuer at a cat hospital. They actually had to have the cats paw/leg amputated. But that was a while ago, there may be newer, more effective treatments. I hope the anti-inflammatory works for your kitty.

speakhandsforme, so it isn't really pain, just tingling and weird feeling? Do you know how long it would take to stop? Also, what makes you think it isn't nerve related?? by the way, thanks for the reply. I'm impressed that I am not getting any hateful replies. I just want to help her bc at this point what's done is done.

No, it most certainly IS pain. And it is nerve damage too. She could have it for the rest of her life.

speakhandsforme said:

No, it most certainly IS pain. And it is nerve damage too. She could have it for the rest of her life.

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Cats don't do this "just because they hate what you did to them". What you are describing are to me, clear signs of pain. Declaw is know to have issues like that - she had the surgery done not once, but twice.....
IMHO you should go to another vet and have a look at it though..... I don't know.... But if my cat had a surgery done by a vet.... well, done not right in the first place, as the nails are not supposed to grow. Then it went back and now it is showing signs of pain like that and the issue is not fixed... I would try to get to the bottom of it elsewhere.

the cause: she was declawed, she is in pain, she was a normal happy kitty, now she is suffering because she was mutilated.

Whats done is done we cant change what you done, so other members please bear this in mind, if you think you can help please do reply but not to just have a go at the new member, they are here for help!

It does seem like your cat is in pain and I would be going to see another vet for a second opinion

I don't know anything about declawing, but I do know that my moggie years ago would hold up her paw to me when ants had bitten her between the pads of her foot.  I caught on after a while and treated her foot and kept doing it whenever it happened (it wasn't all the time!  But we did have an ant problem )

I do think that she is trying to tell you she has a problem, and I think another vet is an excellent idea.  Ask around and find a really good one.

Good luck!

Assuming she is in pain because of nerve damage (likely lasting a long time) and pain meds have their own complications, I would start researching alternative pain management remedies, like acupuncture (yes, for animals).  If you decide to get a second opinion (as I would), search for a vet who is also an acupuncturist.

Hmmm... Could be several things going on.  A cat will sometimes walk gingerly for possibly 6 weeks after a declaw.  Usually they go back to normal behavior after that.  Cats hide pain well so I hope she is not experiencing that.  Could be nerve damage, normal behavior or possible pain in the paws.  If possible I would seek a second opinion from a different vet.  I have no experience with nerve damage so I can't help you in that area.  Are the anti-inflammatory helping?  I think if kitty's behavior doesn't resume normally soon I would go to another vet.  Wish I could be more help. 

I would check really closely for any infection, although it sounds like you've done that already.  It may be that the surgery has left her a little uncomfortable, like when you get a new pair of shoes and they don't quite fit right, and it hurts to stand in them for any length of time, or walk, or run, or whatever.  It's likely the discomfort will go away; I've read that researchers have never found any real proof of "phantom limb" pain in cats, although my question would be, how would they know?  Cats are really bad about filling out questionaires or participating in post-surgery interviews.

Thank you for the reply Mrblanche. The pads really do look fine... she just constantly holds up her front paws. It is so disturbing I hope it really is just strange feeling and not pain. I mean she walks a little gingerly but doesn't limp or anything. just sits and lays a lot.

What kind of declaw did she have? There are different ways that it is done and I've seen different complications depending. The worst way is the Resco trimmer way. Basically the doctor cuts the toe off with a nail trimmer. They try to do it between the joint of the digits, but sometimes they get the bone and there can be bone spurs in there causing pain. I've seen the paws swell up from infection as well which doesn't sound like the case. It probably is residual pain from the surgery as long as there isn't any heat or swelling which would indicate infection. Unfortunately, the pain can take a very long time to go away. I've seen cats with tender feet for years afterwards. My own cat was declawed before I got her, and I think it was done the bad way. She walks tenderfooted ocassionally, and is cautious with jumping on things. Her toe pads are somewhat deformed now and they get dry and crack and split. Some of this is due to allergies, but some is due to the bad declaw. I also believe that she is getting arthritis in those front toes as well. She is almost 8yo now and we still have issues with her feet. She does act so much more different than my other cat that isn't declawed. Way more cautious and reluctant to walk on certain surfaces, or jump. So I would like to say that this might all blow over and be ok, but it also might be a lifelong thing that you have to deal with. I've seen cats go both ways, so there is hope. At the least, I would take her back because she is holding her paws up and there is obvious pain. If necessary, I would get a second opinion as well.

It could be phantom limb (pretending to use claws that aren't there.) But if the surgery didn't go very well either time, it could be something else, especially if she is lethargic and not eating well- those are signs that she is uncomfortable.

I work at zoo and we rescued a mountain lion who had been declawed by someone who had tried to keep him as a pet. However, the vet did not do it correctly (then again, how trustworthy is a vet that would declaw a pet mountain lion?). He went through five surgeries with our vet to help fix his feet.

I would seriously suggest seeing a second vet, even just for a second opinion/look.

Alcoom,

I read Mya's story and wanted to offer my assistance as best I can.

Although there are many posted answers to your problem, the bottom line is this:  You, at the encouragement of your vet (because he did not refuse), had all the last digits of Mya's toes amputated.  Declawing includes not just the claws, but the bones from which they grow, the nerves, tendons, blood vessels, etc.  Onychectomy is a major surgery known commonly as declawing.  It rarely has a medical need and has many disastrous side-effects.

Sadly to say:  Hind-sight is 20/20.  What has been done is done.  There is no reversing it, so we need to focus on the now and not the past.  I know by your search for help that you already feel enough guilt to fill the Tajmahal, so you don't need anyone else adding to it.  Enough said.

The only important thing now is Mya.  She holds up her paws and sleeps all the time because her toes are in constant, extreme, and severe pain.  She is NOT doing this for attention, she is trying to get the pain to go away.  She may even purr to comfort herself.  This is not a sign of happiness, but of distress.  To put this in human terms:  Have you ever kicked something with you bare feet and then jumped around like crazy trying to get the pain to go away?  Or maybe you hit your hand on something and shook it severely to make the pain stop.  Animals do the same things.  They shake the affected limb; they chew on the painful parts, etc.

Now that the damage has been done and is irreversible, the best thing you can do for Mya is:

1. Be VERY sympathetic of Mya's needs.  The PAIN she is feeling is REAL!!! 
   Even though the limbs have been severed, the pain of them remains.  The nerves in her toes were also severed and are sending pain signals to her brain.  Hold her and try to comfort her.  Removing the pressure on her feet could offer a little relief from the pain.
    
2. IMMEDIATELY find another vet!  Continuing to fund the bad vet is another way of condoning what he did to Mya. 
   The best vet is one who specializes in repairing the harm done by other vets.  If you can't find one, or don't have any close, find one who refuses to do declaw surgery.  These vets will be more interested in helping Mya and less interested in their purses.  They will know what pain medications to give Mya and any other suggestions that can help her.

Now that you have experienced onychectomy first hand, please help spread the truth about the declawing procedure and its after effects.  My main purpose is to spread education and awareness about declawing.  Please visit my site at www.save-our-paws.org for more information about declawing and those affected by it.  There are also some links to veterinarians who specialize in "repairing" declawed toes.  They can offer you more suggestions about Mya and her pain.

Best wishes to you both.  Please give Mya lots of love from me, because my heart aches for her.   

Thank you for posting and please keep me updated about any assistance she receives so that I may share it with others in the same situation.  My email is located on my site.

For pain, real and phantom, acupuncture has proved effective for humans; there is every reason to think it would help cats.  Some vets also are licensed to practice acupuncture.

Since it's been a month since she had it redone I too would have her checked by another vet. That's a long time for an animal whose instinct is to hide pain to be showing such clear signs of pain.