My cat has a painful paw and is limping. How to get vet bill help?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Unfortunately, it is difficult to know what kind of injury he has sustained and what kind of therapy he needs. This could be as severe as a fracture or something more mild like a soft tissue injury. The fact that he is crying when the leg is manipulated indicates that he is quite painful requiring pain control medications at least. If he does have a fracture, he may actually require surgery. For this reason it is crucial that he is indeed evaluated by a veterinarian. You could consider taking him to your local humane society as often times they offer less expensive veterinary care. I hope you are able to get him some help. Good luck!

Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about Gustavo. Without seeing him in person, I can’t say exactly what is wrong with his paw, but it may be he injured it, has a broken bone in it, or a foreign body. The fact that he screams whenever you touch it tells me he is in a lot of pain, and unfortunately there are no OTC pain medications you can give him. Many human ones are toxi to cats, and are fatal if given. You don’t have a choice but to take him into a vet. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. I'd also see if you can borrow money from family and friends. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ Check out these resources to see if one can help you. Best of luck.

Please, check the foot for any swellings, wounds between the pads, broken claws, foreign material between the pads. That is sometimes the reason why cats limp. If it looks normal and touching the toes does not produce any pain or discomfort for Huntet, the problem is probably higher up in the knee joint, hip or pelvis. If your cat has been limping and not weight-bearing for over 24hrs, he really should be seen by a vet as there is are not home remedies that you can use to help him. If money is any issue at the moment, you may talk to your vets about payment plan or try and find a low-cost vet practice in your area.

Oh no, poor Jim! Unfortunately if he did break his leg, he could still put weight on it when needed so that fact does not rule out a broken leg. The only way to rule it out is with x-rays at the vet clinic. It is concerning that he won't put any pressure on his paw at all, and I don't feel this can wait for another week. I will give you some resources that may help you afford a vet sooner. You can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Carefree Credit online. http://www.carefreecredit.co.uk https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/vetcare http://www.easipetcare.com

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. There are many causes of lameness in a leg. A penetrating injury, soft tissue injury (strain / sprain), bone trauma (fracture, arthritis), etc. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Billu so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

He really needs an x-ray of the leg. If there are broken bones sometimes just a cast for few weeks will fix it. The wound does not look that bad but antibiotics may be needed to heal it. I do no think you have to worry about an amputation but if he does need that cats do great with 3 legs. It sounds dramatic but they really adapt well. The first step is getting the diagnosis. If you want to post again with more information about your location we can try to help find you a low cost vet clinic.

I am sorry to hear Boronito has a hurt paw. There may be many causes for this including a puncture wound to the paw, some foreign material stuck between his paws, or a fracture to the limb. If he is shaking, he is probably in a lot of pain and discomfort from the injury. He will need an x-ray of the limb and an exam of the paw to determine what the cause may be. He may also need to be on pain medications or other medications as needed as well. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done from home except for trying to immobilizing the limb. There are no safe pain medications to give cats over the counter. I have included an article below about ways to make veterinary visits less expensive. The best thing for him is to see a veterinarian at this point. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html