My cat's paw lesions keep returning. Why aren't antibiotics working?

It looks like this may not be a simple infection. You should talk to your vet about a possible immune-mediated disease or a biopsy for a resistant infection or fungal infection. The vet may need to check his blood work and test for FIV/FeLV to see if there are any abnormalities which could affect healing.

It looks like it could be an infected interdigital cyst, and if it’s happening in the same place it could be a resistant bacteria. There also might be foreign material like a stick in the area, or it could even be an infected tumor. Tabby might need a culture, or she might need to have this lesion removed. You may need to travel to see a different veterinarian if you feel like you’re not getting the care Tabby needs.

Hello. If your veterinarian has no cultured the lesion, it is time to do so. Mac may have a resistant bacterial infection, or perhaps, even a fungal infection that may require a change in medications. Another concern is there could be a foreign object that penetrated the skin & is causing these recurrent infections. A grass awn, or even a broken claw can basically disappear under the skin creating chronic infections. I would probably start with an x-ray to see if anything is visible & submit a sample for culture & sensitivity. Last resort would be to open the area, explore & possibility biopsy some of the tissue to understand why this is not healing. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi. No this isnt appearing like an allergy. This is something that doesn't seem to be fully responding to antibiotics. I think the litter is also affecting the healing. I recommned a recheck with your veterinarian, a stronger more broad antibiotic, and special litter called yesterday's news for 21 days. Good luck

Poor thing! I'm sorry you guys are going through this. I wonder if this may be immune mediated, meaning that her immune system is malfunctioning and reacting inappropriately to damage the skin. Did the antibiotics help? If secondary bacterial infection is present, then antibiotics will be needed to clear the infection but may not address the entire problem. Some types of skin diseases such as pemphigus may result in this type of lesion. This condition often responds to steroids. If you aren't able to afford a biopsy, your vet may be willing to do a trial on steroids to see if it helps. The other concern for cause would be some type of cancer. Not necessarily that the wounds themselves are cancer, but that cancer elsewhere may be causing an inappropriate immune reaction leading to the current skin condition. I hope thats helpful for you. Let us know if we can be of further assistance.

A skin biopsy and bacterial culture swab must be taken to define underlying cause specifically and decide appropriate treatment. This presentation may be caused by a resistant bacteria (so a different antibiotic will be needed) or an autoimmune disorder (so a different treatment will be given). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

None healing ulcerated wounds can indicate something like cancer or an autoimmune disease. I recommend to discuss having one of the lesions biopsied. Also make sure to protect the lesions from scratching by having Pixie wearing an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.