Cats rarely show pad disease, but the ones that do are favourite exam cases. Lesions come from immune-mediated disease, allergy, tumours or organ disease elsewhere in the body, or trauma. Number of feet, pad texture and signalment sort most of them.
Key facts
Disease of pads at a glance- Species and system: cat, integumentary (pads and digits).
- Plasma cell pododermatitis (pillow foot): soft, spongy swelling of the central pads on several feet, often with white striae; immune-mediated; test for FIV and FeLV; doxycycline first.
- Pemphigus foliaceus: symmetric crusting of the face, pinnae and feet with caseous claw-fold material; prednisolone.
- Eosinophilic lesions: a reaction pattern; look for flea, environmental or food allergy.
- Footpad crusting with internal disease: pancreatic or bile duct carcinoma, hepatic disease (MSD).
- Swollen toe, not pad, in an older cat: lung-digit syndrome; chest films first.
What's inside
13 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Pad anatomy
- Plasma cell pododermatitis
- Pemphigus foliaceus
- Eosinophilic granuloma and allergy
- Pad signs of internal disease
- Lung-digit syndrome: a digit, not a pad
- Differential diagnoses
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 3 tables, 3 self-test questions and 12 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.