The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Polydactyl Cat The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Polydactyl Cat
Showing posts with label Polydactyl Cat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Polydactyl Cat. Show all posts

Monday, November 13, 2017

Does Your Pet Have an Extra Toe? – It is Called a Dewclaw


I will start off first by identifying the additional toe that your pet has…it is not a toe as I have heard people say, it is call a dewclaw.

What is a Dewclaw?

A dewclaw, commonly referred to as a Dog's thumb, is a vestigial digit  on the foot of many mammals, birds, and reptiles (including some extinct orders, like certain theropods). It commonly grows high on the leg so that in digitigrade species, when the animal is standing, it does not make contact with the ground. Dewclaws are perhaps best known in dogs, and they are often removed in young puppies, though there is debate on whether this is necessary.

I was first told about a dewclaw from my vet when I took my puppy to get shots. I asked him why he had an extra toe. He informed me that it was not a toe….”dogs don’t have toes”, he said. Then he got serious and explained what a dewclaw was and that I had the choice to have it removed. Because my dogs fur covered their dewclaws he told me to always call it to the attention of the groomer.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)  says, don’t forget to trim your dog’s dewclaws as well. Most dogs just have dewclaws on their front legs, but some dogs have one, and sometimes even two, sets of dewclaws on their rear legs. If your dog doesn’t have dewclaws on his front legs, he had them surgically removed earlier in his life.

                                   
What do you if your dogs dewclaw broke and hanging?

Do not pull or cut unless you can see that it is almost not attached. It is preferable to bandage the part of the leg for giving time to it falls by itself.
Veterinarian Chevy Chase, MD



Polydactyl Cats

A polydactyl cat is a cat with a congenital physical anomaly called polydactyly (or polydactylism, also known as hyperdactyly), a type of cat body type genetic mutation that causes the cat to be born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paws. Cats with this genetically inherited trait are most commonly found along the East Coast of North America (in the United States and Canada) and in South West England and Wales.





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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Hundreds of People Donate More Than $16,000 Save 'Bruce Almighty,' Cat Found Bound in Tape


The story of an abused cat dubbed "Bruce Almighty" has led hundreds of people to donate more than $16,000 in hopes the animal can be saved.

The black-and-white cat had its legs and paws bound by electrical tape that cut off blood flow and led to tissue loss, according to the Facebook page of the Regina Humane Society in Saskatchewan, Canada .

The injured animal "collapsed into the arms" of officers after he was rescued last Wednesday, and then "purred" as they extracted the tape from the cat's injured legs, the society said on Facebook.

"The pain and suffering he has endured is unimaginable" Senior Animal Protection Officer B. Lerat said in a statement. "He is fortunate that a caring member of the public alerted us to his whereabouts. The public really is our eyes and ears when it comes to reporting cases of neglect and abuse involving animals."

Lisa Koch, executive director of the Regina Humane Society, said the rescue officers were amazed that the cat was able to survive with his injuries.

“[The officer] said it was almost like he knew he could quit fighting because he knew we were going to fight for him,” Koch said of Bruce during his rescue.

Koch said she was amazed that an online fundraising page for Bruce has been able to raise more than $16,000.

Unfortunately, Bruce had to have most of his toes removed because of necrotic tissue, but the vets at the Regina Humane Society are hoping the animal will be able to keep all of his legs.

"In the coming days, the focus will remain on wound care to reduce the likelihood of infection and ensuring he is comfortable as he works to heal," read a statement from the Regina Humane Society. "On behalf of Bruce Almighty we’d like to share our thanks for the incredible outpouring of support."

Anyone who knows anything about the case is encouraged to called the Humane Society’s Animal Protection Services at 306-777-7700.


Update: March 23, 2015

Regina Humane Society (RHS) Veterinarians removed Bruce Almighty’s bandages and re-assessed the damage caused by the electrical tape that was tightly wrapped around his legs and paws. As a result, a total of eight necrotic toes were removed (four from each of his front paws). As Bruce Almighty is a polydactyl (he has an extra toe on each front paw), he is left with two toes on each of his front legs. The veterinary team is now working in consultation with the specialists at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine on his treatment plan. At this point we are hopeful he will be able to keep all four legs but the risk of amputation remains. In the coming days, the focus will remain on wound care to reduce the likelihood of infection and ensuring he is comfortable as he works to heal. On behalf of Bruce Almighty we’d like to share our thanks for the incredible outpouring of support. We ask that anyone who has information about this case to contact our Animal Protection team.



Website: Regina Humane Society







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Saturday, March 7, 2015

Meet Natasha, The Cat With 24 Toes


 Cats are known having nine lives but this tabby has shown it has more than the usual allocation of digits.

A rare condition left the ginger tabby with oversized paws and half a dozen more toes than your average feline.

The ginger tabby spent a year looking after herself on the Upper West Side in New York before she was adopted by Shirley Belwood.

Shirley couldn’t face leaving her behind when she emigrated to Wimborne, Dorset, around ten years ago.

And now a grand 19 years old, Natasha has become one of life’s survivors thanks in part to her super-sized feet which stand out from her average body.

Natasha has seven toes on both front paws – two more than normal – and five on her hind legs instead of four.

Her owner, Shirley Belwood spoke of her adopted pet:’I heard her crying for ages outside my apartment window, and I just had to find her.

‘She’s got a lot of attitude and she’s quite the character but we’re so close.

‘She doesn’t do as much these days as she has diabetes, but she’s still so frisky and cranky – a typical New Yorker.

‘The nurses at the vets say she ‘swears a lot’ at them whenever she goes. That just shows what she’s like.’

The world record for the cat with the most toes is currently held by a Canadian cat named Tiger who has an impressive 27.

Some polydactyl cats have problems with joint growth, the forming of legs and nail beds and extra thick claws fusing together.

They are sometimes referred to as ‘Hemingway cats’ because author Ernest Hemingway became a famous fan of them after being given a six-toed cat by a ship’s captain.


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Friday, October 10, 2014

The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum is Home to Approximately 40-50 Polydactyl (Six-Toed) Cats


The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum is home to approximately 40-50 polydactyl (six-toed) cats. Cats normally have five front toes and four back toes. About half of the cats at the museum have the physical polydactyl trait but they all carry the polydactyl gene in their DNA, which means that the ones that have 4 and 5 toes can still mother or father six-toed kittens. Most cats have extra toes on their front feet and sometimes on their back feet as well. Sometimes it looks as if they are wearing mittens because they appear to have a thumb on their paw.

To read more on this story, click here: The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum is Home to Approximately 40-50 Polydactyl (Six-Toed) Cats








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