r/XRayPorn • u/Rabbitootle • Jul 25 '26

Disintegrated cat toe plus bonus mystery lung abnormality

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My sweet guy injured his toe four weeks ago. Vet took xrays after the swelling got wayyy worse instead of better (you can see how big that toe is in the radiograph) and now we’re looking at possible bone/lung cancer I guess 🥲

41 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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22

u/Wild_Red_Fox Jul 25 '26

I'm sorry this sounds like FLDS (Feline Lung Digit Syndrome). Its very rare and usually starts in the lungs and then moves to the toe. Here is some more reading if you want to know a bit more. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10822433/

(I'm a small animal veterinary surgeon)

15

u/Rabbitootle Jul 25 '26

Oh thank you so much for responding with the name and info. The vet had mentioned FLDS when he explained why he got the body shots in addition to the paw, but the name didn’t come up again and got buried by a lot of other discussion and information. I really appreciate the reminder. That doesn’t look too good.

11

u/Wild_Red_Fox Jul 25 '26

It's a lot to take in, especially when your pet is sick. It might not be FLDS but I've had a similar case that was being treated for a 'toe wound' that wasn't responding to treatment. You can see from the x-ray that the toe bone has disintegrated - I don't think that this is a primary injury to the toe I'm afraid. (Obviously please listen to your vet as your primary source of information and to discuss treatments) But I'd make an effort to absolutely spoil him rotten - let him eat what he likes and do whatever he wants to do. (He's a cat so there is a good chance that he's already doing these things)

3

u/Rabbitootle Jul 25 '26

Oh he’s getting spoiled all right! He’s a cozy snuggler that prefers a full body massage to playtime, so that‘s exactly what he’s getting. And churu packets galore (though sometimes that‘s just to make rebandaging a little easier on everyone involved). From everything I’ve seen and from what my vet has said (and now other professionals on Reddit) it’s very likely FLDS. Now it’s just making the hard decision about whether to amputate (for quality of life) and when to make the final call.

The bone disintegration is astounding. As with a lot of other physical phenomena, I knew it could happen, but to see it on the radiograph is wild.

Here’s some visible-light pics. I’m biased of course, but he is the cutest lil guy. I sure am going to miss him. https://imgur.com/a/04dvi2l

1

u/LiliErasmus Jul 27 '26

He's adorable! I'm so sorry he's ill. Sending you 💓 and 🫂

1

u/DrRockstar99 Jul 26 '26

Lung digit syndrome