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  • What's Your Diagnosis
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Diagnosis: Feline Plasmacytic Pododermatitis

Lab Animal volume 32, pages 24–25 (2003)Cite this article

Feline plasmacytic pododermatitis is a poorly understood disorder of cats that principally affects the carpal and metacarpal pads1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Cat owners may present their pet for this condition or clinicians in laboratory animal colonies may discover it as an incidental finding during examination. The affected pads feel soft and mushy, like marshmallows. Sometimes the surfaces of the affected paws appear wrinkled, with a flaky appearance; in other cases the surface becomes ulcerated (Fig. 1). In some cats, the condition affects just one pad, whereas in other cases all pads are involved1,2,3,4,6,8,9,10. Cases most likely to be presented for veterinary examination are those cats whose pads develop ulcers that bleed intermittently6,10.

Researchers have not yet identified the underlying cause of feline plasmacytic pododermatitis. In some cases, seasonal changes suggest an allergic basis6. In one study, 50% of cases were found in FIV-positive cats6. The earliest gross change seen is usually the development of a white, scaly, crosshatch pattern and swelling of the pads8,9,10. Occasionally, the pads may go on to erode or ulcerate with significant hemorrhage. These changes vary from being asymptomatic to involving significant pain and lameness. Systemic signs are also variable and may include pyrexia, lethargy, anorexia, and peripheral lymphadenopathy8,9,10. Biochemical diagnostic testing often reveals a hyperglobulinemia10.

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Figure 2: A low-power photomicrograph of an H&E-stained superficial section of a paw with pododermatitis showing paw pad epithelium and a proliferative lymphoplasmacytic reaction in the superficial dermis.
Figure 3: A low-power photomicrograph of an H&E-stained deep section of a paw with pododermatitis showing a predominantly lymphoplasmacytic proliferation deep in the lesion.
Figure 4: A medium-power photomicrograph of an H&E-stained section of a paw with pododermatitis showing numerous plasma cells infiltrating the lesion.

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  1. Thomas M. Donnelly DVM
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Donnelly, T. Diagnosis: Feline Plasmacytic Pododermatitis. Lab Anim 32, 24–25 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban1103-24

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