My cat has a crust like formation on her fore paw central pad

[cathat]

It is round measuring 6mm in diameter and looks discolored.

It is circumscribed by a furrow and the area feels hard when touched.

The cat does not appear to be in any kind of pain, she does not even notice that thing on her paw.

We noticed this because she was making a sound when walking on wooden floors (we're not sure whether it is the "crust like formation" or her claw making that noise).

We are going to the vet tomorrow, but on previous occasion they have proved less than helpful, so this is why I'm asking you guys.

We read a lot of scary stuff on the net, and we're a bit spooked.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

Thanks for your time, really means a lot

[Dr Lee]

There are several possibilities for what that could be. It could be a corn or digital keratoma (benign growth). It could be a granuloma (inflammatory tissue) that may or may not be associated with an existing foreign body (plant thorn, etc.) or bacterium. It could be a benign mass or it could be a malignancy. Your veterinarian may recommend warm compress, neosporin +/- antibiotics. If signs persist, then the mass effect can be surgically removed however it is a very sensitive area. If surgery is pursued, there will be a prolonged recovery. I just had a dog that had a similar type lesion about three months ago. While that mass came back as a malignancy, the surgical correction was curative based on the type of mass. The dog is now doing great!

btw - the pictures are well done.

I hope that that helps. I am sure the your veterinarian can get a plan and perhaps may be able to give you more information being "face to face" with the lesion.

Please let us know what your vet says.

[cathat]

Thank you for your prompt response, Dr. Lee,

I understand that the safest thing to do is to have some tissue examined to see if the growth is malign or benign.

I'm just wondering, putting the worst before, if the growth turns out to be malign - and is surgically removed - should we be expecting this o come back? And if there is the possibility to come back - can it come back internally - in such a manner that it is impossibly to detect?

(i'm asking all this because as you can see in the 3rd picture there appears to be a much smaller spot on one of the finger pads)

-
Thanks again so much for your prompt response.

I'm adding a little medical history for the cat:

-Four/five years ago she had a few recurring episodes of a minor swelling on the side or her lower lip. The vet gave her a cortisone based cream (a local Romanian brand), and she was totally cured and did not have any problem in the last years.

-Right now she is on a monthly treatment with Stronghold(active ingredient: selamectin), recommended by the vet, for parasites found in her urine (Heartworm )

She is strictly an indoor cat.


We're going to post back all the info that the local vet is going to provide tomorrow.

Thank you,
Bye

[krdahmer]

thanks so much for posting this and with the pictures! Fagan has something exactly like that and has had it for quite some time....I just assumed it was like a callous because it never seems to bother him, but now I'll see about getting it checked out.

[Dr Lee]

Originally Posted by krdahmer

Fagan has something exactly like that and has had it for quite some time....I just assumed it was like a callous because it never seems to bother him, but now I'll see about getting it checked out.

When we look at digital keratoma versus granuloma versus tumor - it depends upon breed, age, duration of lesion and whether or not there is lameness. I should have been a little more clear - digital keratoma is a fancy name for callous which sometimes can be called a corn. It is a focal abundance of keratin that is non-harmful. If the lesion is of an acute onset (appears all of a sudden), appears to bother the pet, causes limping or lameness or sensitivity or is in any way unusual, then it should be evaluated to make sure that it is not something else. Sorry for the confusion. In cats I do recommend that they are evaluated as callous formation without associated trauma to the pad is less common. Greyhounds for example are common to have benign dermal keratomas (or corns/callous )

[cathat]

The vet told us it is most probably a keratoma. She recommended that we keep it under observation, and monitor any changes.

She did say that the color was a bit uncommon, but also mentioned that it was not looking tumor like. She showed us pictures of how that looks (looks like a black mole of some sort).

Thank you Doctor Lee for being so patient and helpful

Good luck everyone,
Bye

[Dr Lee]

That is good news. Thanks for letting us know.