Right Rear Paw Pad Cracked

hudny

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My male 1.5 year old short hair tabby, Hudson has a cracked/dry paw. It is only one paw that is affected and its the right rear paw.  The others are normal.  In addition, Hudson has a sensitive stomach and we have been feeding him Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal Moderate Calorie  dry food.  He developed this paw issue prior to us changing the food, he previously was eating Iam'sProActive Health Kitten.  We first started to notice Hudson's cracked/dry paw back in September 2013.  

Hudson's biological sister, Nyla is also on the same food (although she does not have a sensitive stomach) and uses the same litter box and does not have this issue.

At first we thought maybe it was the cat litter and it now started to irritate his paw (we were using Dr. Elsey's Ultra Scented Precious Cat  litter because it is dust-free) and as of last week switched to World's Best Cat Litter Multiple Cat Clumping formula and have not noticed a change in his paw. 

We believe that it's not his diet because only one paw is affected.  Also, the only part of the paw that is affected is the main pad and not the "toe pads".  The vet has seen this, but at the time when we bought Hudson in, it was to review his sensitive stomach issue and she then recommended we'd deal with the paw issue after that was solved.  

If anyone has gone through this and know what would be causing this, please comment.

Below is a comparison on the "normal paw" and the "affected paw".


The image below is a close-up of the affected paw. 

 

pushylady

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I think it's odd that the vet didn't want to try to deal with his paw then and there. Or did she think it was a food issue?
Are you absolutely sure there hasn't been an injury to his paw pad?
 
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hudny

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I think it's odd that the vet didn't want to try to deal with his paw then and there. Or did she think it was a food issue?
Are you absolutely sure there hasn't been an injury to his paw pad?
Hi Pushylady,

She was more interested in diagnosing the sensitive stomach issue and saw that as a priority.  She said his paw could be an indication of his sensitive stomach issue. While, Hudson is no longer having the sensitive stomach issue (diarrhea), his cracked/dry paw still remains.

In regards to injury, none that we see or know of.   

-HudNy
 

cprcheetah

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Cracked pads can be a result of an omega deficiency, zinc deficiency, or something called Plasma Cell Pododermatitis (although usually with that condition the pad is swollen too).  You could try supplementing with Salmon Oil or another Omega such as Krill Oil.  You can put Coconut Oil on the pad to help hydrate it.
 
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hudny

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Cracked pads can be a result of an omega deficiency, zinc deficiency, or something called Plasma Cell Pododermatitis (although usually with that condition the pad is swollen too).  You could try supplementing with Salmon Oil or another Omega such as Krill Oil.  You can put Coconut Oil on the pad to help hydrate it.
 

Tini347

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Hey. My cat has the same paw issue. Same small swollen dry cracked paw. Did you find a way to treat it? And what was causing it??
 

FakeGourmet

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Tini, you might want to start your own thread. The original poster (OP) hasn't been here since 2003. I don't know the answer to your question - never experienced it with any of my cats.
 
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