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Arichelic

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Hey all, just another question from this new sphynx momma.
Virokketh has this weird bump on the end of his tail. When we first got him it looked like either a pimple or that the end of the last tail bone was poking through the skin (not bloody, just very pale in color).

It's been a few weeks and in the last couple days I noticed the end of his tail has gotten a bit red and swollen and the bump seems to be scabbing. Kind of like an engorged black head but I can't be sure. The rest of the end of his tail looks pretty dirty so I am going to take some witch hazel to it, but this can't be fixed with that.

I've attached some pictures for reference. I wish I had some from when we first got him for comparison.

He doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort due to it though.

Thanks!

20160321_231026.jpg 20160321_231113.jpg 20160321_231048.jpg
 

BusterTheCat

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Maybe it could be popped? Although that could be a bad idea, I don't know too much about dermatology. You can have a vet check it out if it doesn't go away!
 

admin

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Hey all, just another question from this new sphynx momma.
Virokketh has this weird bump on the end of his tail. When we first got him it looked like either a pimple or that the end of the last tail bone was poking through the skin (not bloody, just very pale in color).

It's been a few weeks and in the last couple days I noticed the end of his tail has gotten a bit red and swollen and the bump seems to be scabbing. Kind of like an engorged black head but I can't be sure. The rest of the end of his tail looks pretty dirty so I am going to take some witch hazel to it, but this can't be fixed with that.

I've attached some pictures for reference. I wish I had some from when we first got him for comparison.

He doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort due to it though.

Thanks!

View attachment 66809 View attachment 66810 View attachment 66811
It looks like a pimple, can you give it "gentle" squeeze and see if releases puss? Have you notices if he is sucking his tail? :)
 

Arichelic

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I tried squeezing it but nothing happened except he clearly didn't like it. Its rough/sturdy like a scab. He doesn't suck on his tail or seem to bother with it though. I'm kinda paranoid if I "pop" it without being sure it's just a pimple it will turn out to be something awful and explode into a gushing river of blood. ._.
 

Catzzzmeow

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@Arichelic It looks to me that the tip of the tail was degloved. Because you are seeing a scab, there could be an infection brewing underneath. I don't want to scare you, but I would have the vet check. Proper blood supply is needed and in some cases amputation of more of the tip is needed so it can fully heal.From the pic it looks like bone exposed at the tip. Please update us.

Patti
 

Yoda mom

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Just to be sure, I would call your vet and follow their advise /instructions,
and see if they would like to see him or tell you what to do.
I have texted photos to my long time vet.
You always want to address any possible imfections and make sure Viro doesn't start chewing his tail.

Keep in my mind too, always best to call or make an appointment with your vet ( you can always adjust it )
before weekends when they are often closed.
 

GoldHazel

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Hey all, just another question from this new sphynx momma.
Virokketh has this weird bump on the end of his tail. When we first got him it looked like either a pimple or that the end of the last tail bone was poking through the skin (not bloody, just very pale in color).

It's been a few weeks and in the last couple days I noticed the end of his tail has gotten a bit red and swollen and the bump seems to be scabbing. Kind of like an engorged black head but I can't be sure. The rest of the end of his tail looks pretty dirty so I am going to take some witch hazel to it, but this can't be fixed with that.

I've attached some pictures for reference. I wish I had some from when we first got him for comparison.

He doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort due to it though.

Thanks!

View attachment 66809 View attachment 66810 View attachment 66811

@Arichelic what ever the cause is, it appears infected to me from viewing your photos over and over. He needs to be seen by a vet before matters get worse. Poor little guy.
 

Arichelic

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So I called the vet and we are going to go tomorrow night after work. I'm praying his tail isn't degloving itself because from looking at photos online: how horrifying! Those poor animals. :(
Fingers crossed for something minor! I did take a cotton pad with some witch hazel to try to clean it up a little and that helped with some of the baby blackheads, but the scabbing is my real concern. I'll update again when I have more info.
 

GoldHazel

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So I called the vet and we are going to go tomorrow night after work. I'm praying his tail isn't degloving itself because from looking at photos online: how horrifying! Those poor animals. :(
Fingers crossed for something minor! I did take a cotton pad with some witch hazel to try to clean it up a little and that helped with some of the baby blackheads, but the scabbing is my real concern. I'll update again when I have more info.

@Arichelic glad to hear you are going to see the vet tomorrow. Since you are mentioning little blackheads on the tail, it's probably just infected and inflamed. Let the doctor take care of it and give the right medicines so that there won't be a bad infection that could travel further. Good luck and looking forward to hearing an update tomorrow evening.
 

Arichelic

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So the vet said said his tail doesn't look like it's degloved, but does look very similar to "happy tail" which pit bulls, greyhounds, and other short haired dogs are prone to. Don't know why Viro got it, and thankfully he's still not disturbed by it normally, but it definitely seems like the end of his last vertebrae is poking through.

Here are some photos I just took, and even comparing them to the other night it seems like it's only progressing.

Talked about Viro's options and decided the best thing was to get the last 1-2 vertebrae removed. Won't be more than 0.5 inch shorter, but doing so should make a bigger "buffer" between the end of the last vertebrae and the outermost layer of skin. Which should hopefully mean this won't happen again.

A little worried because it's surgery, which means anesthesia, and he's so very small and young, but better that than him getting an infection or worse.

20160323_210300.jpg 20160323_210324.jpg
 

Catzzzmeow

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@Arichelic What is happy tail? So happy you went and vet has a plan in place. That is a very small amputation which is great and sounds like your vet is confident of the results. Just a reminder that they should not use ketamine for anesthesia.


Patti
 

Catzzzmeow

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Just looked up happy tail. Never saw a cat with this as they don't wag like a dog, but end result is all that is important. Keep us posted.
 

Nicolemorgan

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So the vet said said his tail doesn't look like it's degloved, but does look very similar to "happy tail" which pit bulls, greyhounds, and other short haired dogs are prone to. Don't know why Viro got it, and thankfully he's still not disturbed by it normally, but it definitely seems like the end of his last vertebrae is poking through.

Here are some photos I just took, and even comparing them to the other night it seems like it's only progressing.

Talked about Viro's options and decided the best thing was to get the last 1-2 vertebrae removed. Won't be more than 0.5 inch shorter, but doing so should make a bigger "buffer" between the end of the last vertebrae and the outermost layer of skin. Which should hopefully mean this won't happen again.

A little worried because it's surgery, which means anesthesia, and he's so very small and young, but better that than him getting an infection or worse.

View attachment 66850 View attachment 66851

I never knew kitties could get happy tail. We have a greyhound, Riot, who has happy tail. It splits at the end when it hit objects, like walls, cabinets, doors, etc. Because of how hard it hits, it splits the end and there have been times where we are cleaning blood off of everything and walls. For Riot, our vet did mention that amputation could happen if the tail didn't fully heal, and kept being re-open by hitting it. When it doesn't fully heal then it can cause infection, etc. Luckily with him, and the help of videos of how to tape the tail so he wouldn't re-open it, we didn't have to opt for amputation.

He still has his full tail, an occasionally it splits open, but heals. It got better when we moved to our new house, which is more open and less hallways and small spaces.

Sorry to hear that your little guy will have to get an amputation. But if it prevents infection and from future events from happening, then that is important. Do you have a set date of when he will have to go in? Thinking of you and sending hugs.
 

GoldHazel

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So the vet said said his tail doesn't look like it's degloved, but does look very similar to "happy tail" which pit bulls, greyhounds, and other short haired dogs are prone to. Don't know why Viro got it, and thankfully he's still not disturbed by it normally, but it definitely seems like the end of his last vertebrae is poking through.

Here are some photos I just took, and even comparing them to the other night it seems like it's only progressing.

Talked about Viro's options and decided the best thing was to get the last 1-2 vertebrae removed. Won't be more than 0.5 inch shorter, but doing so should make a bigger "buffer" between the end of the last vertebrae and the outermost layer of skin. Which should hopefully mean this won't happen again.

A little worried because it's surgery, which means anesthesia, and he's so very small and young, but better that than him getting an infection or worse.

View attachment 66850 View attachment 66851

@Arichelic I'm glad you took him to the vet before matters get worse. Whether or not your vet has the right dx or not, the solution sounds absolutely right. Once he's all healed up, nobody will ever know that the very tip of his tail was removed.

As already mentioned by @Catzzzmeow, no Ketamine, very dangerous for a sphynx. Tell your vet to use Isoflurane (ISO). It's an inhaled gas and much, much safer to use. Please tell him to put him on a heating pad right after surgery and not wait. Since he doesn't have fur to keep him warm enough, his temperature will drop from the surgery.

Best of luck and again, keep us posted. He'll be fine, I'm confident of that. :)
 

Arichelic

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@Arichelic I'm glad you took him to the vet before matters get worse. Whether or not your vet has the right dx or not, the solution sounds absolutely right. Once he's all healed up, nobody will ever know that the very tip of his tail was removed.

As already mentioned by @Catzzzmeow, no Ketamine, very dangerous for a sphynx. Tell your vet to use Isoflurane (ISO). It's an inhaled gas and much, much safer to use. Please tell him to put him on a heating pad right after surgery and not wait. Since he doesn't have fur to keep him warm enough, his temperature will drop from the surgery.

Best of luck and again, keep us posted. He'll be fine, I'm confident of that. :)

I can't remember if Ketamine was used in the estimate (it was itemized). Why is Ketamine bad for sphynxes? And what makes Isoflurane different? Just like to get as much info as possible so I know and can pass it on properly.
 

Hairless Blessing

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Well, I'm glad, you went and found out, what was wrong.
I think he will be just fine as long as no Ketamine is used.
It's something that has to be done. Prayers, for your baby.
Let us know when, it's scheduled for.
 

GoldHazel

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I can't remember if Ketamine was used in the estimate (it was itemized). Why is Ketamine bad for sphynxes? And what makes Isoflurane different? Just like to get as much info as possible so I know and can pass it on properly.

@Arichelic Ketamine happens to be a very strong anesthesia and a lot of sphynx don't ever wake up from it! So, please make sure that your vet and staff at the vet's office know NOT to use it.
ISO happens to be a very safe, inhaled anesthesia.
And don't forget the heating pad after surgery while at the vet's office.

The majority of vets will comply and not use ketamine. Once in a while I hear that someone's vet only uses Ketamine. If that's the case, then it's time to quickly move on to another vet.
 

Arichelic

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@Arichelic Ketamine happens to be a very strong anesthesia and a lot of sphynx don't ever wake up from it! So, please make sure that your vet and staff at the vet's office know NOT to use it.
ISO happens to be a very safe, inhaled anesthesia.
And don't forget the heating pad after surgery while at the vet's office.

The majority of vets will comply and not use ketamine. Once in a while I hear that someone's vet only uses Ketamine. If that's the case, then it's time to quickly move on to another vet.

Wow! I'm glad I came here for advice first! I could not imagine dropping off Viro only to be told he died.
I will definitely tell my vet not to use Ketamine. Viro seems to be his first sphynx patient, so all this info is great. I hate to be the "I heard this online..." type of patient/mom, but at the end of the day I think it's fair to say that specific breed enthusiasts and breeders themselves know more about that breed than anyone else. Every breed is different after all, and I couldn't imagine any one person knowing all the little differences between each one.

Any other sphynx-specific medical info I should know and pass on to my vet? If there's a thread for that already, just link it. ☺ I did a lot of research before getting Virokketh, but I feel like I keep finding out more.
 

GoldHazel

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Wow! I'm glad I came here for advice first! I could not imagine dropping off Viro only to be told he died.
I will definitely tell my vet not to use Ketamine. Viro seems to be his first sphynx patient, so all this info is great. I hate to be the "I heard this online..." type of patient/mom, but at the end of the day I think it's fair to say that specific breed enthusiasts and breeders themselves know more about that breed than anyone else. Every breed is different after all, and I couldn't imagine any one person knowing all the little differences between each one.

Any other sphynx-specific medical info I should know and pass on to my vet? If there's a thread for that already, just link it. ☺ I did a lot of research before getting Virokketh, but I feel like I keep finding out more.

@Arichelic the majority of vets everywhere are not familiar with the sphynx breed. My vet knew very little, but he was more than willing to learn (mostly from me). He was actually very interested in the breed and their needs, etc. He now has A LOT of hairless cats coming to him and the practice. He is extra careful with every medicine, anesthesia, heating pad after surgery, etc.

One more thing that comes to mind right now would be about Clavamox antibiotic. Whenever I'd bring my furry cats to the vet over the years...and they needed an antibiotic, first choice was always Clavamox. But for the sphynx breed, the Clavamox will not harm the breed in any way, but it's just not very effective. For something very minor, yes .... perhaps it would be fine. But Clavamox basically doesn't work that well on a sphynx for some reason.

I can't think of anything else at the moment.
 
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