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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / December 2006Do cats get hot spots?
Juliet is a 9 year old DLH. She was diagnosed with IBD several years ago and was on z/d for years. Right now she's on Innova cat food, and has not had any digestive problems. She's an indoor kitty that doesn't go outside ever. I have several other cats that are also all indoor-only. Today I noticed an area under her jaw that looks inflamed and is missing hair. The hair on borders of the area appeared to have dried blood crusties. The hair on the borders came off with the bloody-looking stuff when I picked at it. There is no obvious wound or place that looks like it's been bleeding. When I was picking at it, she didn't object, so I don't think it hurts. Here's a picture of the area: http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2523233270048290005whpCgK There are no other areas like this. Her coat is glossy and I can't detect any other weird skin things. I'll call the vet and get an appointment, but I doubt I'll be able to get in anytime soon--with the holidays and all, and we just had a wicked storm that dumped about 3 feet of snow. Any ideas what this thing is? How much should I be worrying? Poor kitty :( Thanks, Corey > Juliet is a 9 year old DLH. She was diagnosed with IBD several years > ago and was on z/d for years. Right now she's on Innova cat food, and [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Corey Have you considered a tooth abscess or an infected gland under her tongue? > Have you considered a tooth abscess or an infected gland under her tongue? No. Her teeth have been pronounced "perfect" by my vet, and he wonders why none of my animals even come close to needing a dental (I think it's the food). There doesn't appear to be anything but hair loss--some sort of skin condition--and certainly no swelling, pain or obvious abscess. There's certainly no drainage tract. Juliet is acting completely normal and doesn't appear to be in any distress or pain. She's eating normally and her weight hasn't changed. She's in good flesh, without being thin or heavy. She's her usual "princess" self, and her attitude hasn't changed. Did you take a look at the picture I linked? Thank you, Corey > Juliet is a 9 year old DLH. She was diagnosed with IBD several years > ago and was on z/d for years. Right now she's on Innova cat food, and [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > are no other areas like this. Her coat is glossy and I can't detect any > other weird skin things. Looks like chin acne: http://maxshouse.com/Dermatology-Illus/Acne_chin_1.jpg You might want to try cleaning her chin with veterinary betadine (5% povidone-iodine) every day- should clear up in about a week. You might have to clean her chin on a regular basis to prevent the acne from developing again. Use a cotton swab. If you can't find veterinary betadine (comes in green plastic bottle), dilute human betadine with water 50/50. Human betadine is a 10% solution, vet betadine is 5%. If it doesn't clear up in a few days, I'd call the vet. If you're using plastic food & water bowls, switch to ceramic, glass, or stainless steel. Phil > Looks like chin acne: http://maxshouse.com/Dermatology-Illus/Acne_chin_1.jpg Thanks, Phil. I didn't realize feline acne could look like this! Juliet does have a history of mild feline acne--a few black dots under her chin. > You might want to try cleaning her chin with veterinary betadine (5% > povidone-iodine) every day- should clear up in about a week. You might have [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > betadine is a 10% solution, vet betadine is 5%. If it doesn't clear up in a > few days, I'd call the vet. I'd really prefer to use chlorhexidine--any problems with cats? I don't have anything here are home right now, but I did flush the area with saline. It looks less red and inflamed. > If you're using plastic food & water bowls, switch to ceramic, glass, or > stainless steel. Interesting. I'll see what I can do. Thanks! Corey > > Looks like chin acne: http://maxshouse.com/Dermatology-Illus/Acne_chin_1.jpg > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > I'd really prefer to use chlorhexidine--any problems with cats? Why don't you want to use betadine? Just curious. > Why don't you want to use betadine? Just curious. Does betadine have a limited shelf life or does it last forever or near forever? I ask because I noticed today that Rudy has some chin acne. I have some (human) betadine that I can dilute, but it's probably nearly a decade old.  SignatureLynne http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ > > Why don't you want to use betadine? Just curious. > > Does betadine have a limited shelf life or does it last forever or near > forever? I ask because I noticed today that Rudy has some chin acne. I > have some (human) betadine that I can dilute, but it's probably nearly a > decade old. I've never seen an expiration date on a bottle of betadine- but if your bottle is more than a year old, I'd throw it out and buy a new small bottle. Don't use benzoil peroxide- it irritates the cat. Phil > I've never seen an expiration date on a bottle of betadine- but if > your bottle is more than a year old, I'd throw it out and buy a new > small bottle. Don't use benzoil peroxide- it irritates the cat. Can you buy betadine over the counter? That is probably a dumb question, but I've only ever gotten it in the hospital. SignatureLynne http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ > > I've never seen an expiration date on a bottle of betadine- but if > > your bottle is more than a year old, I'd throw it out and buy a new > > small bottle. Don't use benzoil peroxide- it irritates the cat. > > Can you buy betadine over the counter? Sure. You can buy human betadine OTC at CVS and probably any pharmacy. You'd have to order veterinary betadine from a vet supplier. Its the same stuff- just a 5% solution instead of 10%. Its good stuff to have around. Phil > Sure. You can buy human betadine OTC at CVS and probably any pharmacy. > You'd have to order veterinary betadine from a vet supplier. Its the same > stuff- just a 5% solution instead of 10%. Its good stuff to have around. I got some this morning, and interestingly enough, it's got an expiration date. Thanks, Phil! SignatureLynne http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ > > Sure. You can buy human betadine OTC at CVS and probably any pharmacy. > > You'd have to order veterinary betadine from a vet supplier. Its the same > > stuff- just a 5% solution instead of 10%. Its good stuff to have around. > > I got some this morning, and interestingly enough, it's got an expiration > date. Thanks, Phil! Yeah- I just found the expiration date- its on the bottom of the bottle. I never looked for one before. The expiration date is over a year away- but a bottle never lasts me more than a few months- if that.. Phil > Why don't you want to use betadine? Just curious. Chlorhexidine seems to work better with my horses--my vet recommends it over betadine. And there actually seems to be several studies that show chlorhexidine works better at a lower concentration when compared to betadine. (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=chlorhexidine+betadine&btnG=Google+Search) Huh--it also seems that chlorhexidine doesn't break down in the presence of organic matter and has a longer duration of activity. Interesting! Also, I don't like how betadine can stain, and I like the way chlorhexidine smells ;) It looks like cats do just fine with chlorhexidine, so I'll bring some home from the barn. Juliet's chin does look MUCH better today after just a saline rinse, though. Maybe that's all she needs! Corey > > Why don't you want to use betadine? Just curious. > > Chlorhexidine seems to work better with my horses--my vet recommends it > over betadine. I always find a horse vet's recommendations concerning cats so reasurring. Don't you? I hope he doesn't recommend feeding your cats hay. ;) And there actually seems to be several studies that show > chlorhexidine works better at a lower concentration when compared to > betadine. We're talking about cleaning acne on a cat's chin, not CRBSI! lol This isn't brain surgery: just wash her chin everyday for a few days with a little Dawn dishwashing liquid diluted in water. ok? > I always find a horse vet's recommendations concerning cats so reasurring. > Don't you? I hope he doesn't recommend feeding your cats hay. ;) I was just explaining my preference. > We're talking about cleaning acne on a cat's chin, not CRBSI! lol This > isn't brain surgery: just wash her chin everyday for a few days with a > little Dawn dishwashing liquid diluted in water. ok? Actually, the saline seems to be working just fine...I'll just stick with that until it doesn't seem to be helping. :) Corey > > I always find a horse vet's recommendations concerning cats so reasurring. > > Don't you? I hope he doesn't recommend feeding your cats hay. ;) > > I was just explaining my preference. I know. ;) Chlorhexidine is fine. When it comes to cats, I just have no faith in large animal vets-- too many bad stories. > > We're talking about cleaning acne on a cat's chin, not CRBSI! lol This > > isn't brain surgery: just wash her chin everyday for a few days with a [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Corey Just warm up the saline a little so it opens up the ducts and draws out the oil. If it looks infected, use a little antiseptic. A cat's chin is loaded with sebaceous glands and the ducts that run from the glands to the skin can become plugged- especially if she's an older long-hair. Keeping her chin clean with warm saline should solve the problem. Phil > Juliet is a 9 year old DLH. She was diagnosed with IBD several years ago > and was on z/d for years. Right now she's on Innova cat food, and has not [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Corey There's a chance it's feline acne. As Phil said, try stainless or ceramic bowls. Wash the food and water bowl regularly so there isn't any oily residue from the food and keep kitties' chin clean. If the Betadine doesn't do the trick you can try picking up some benzoil peroxide at the pharmacy. It can be found with the acne treatment products. Read labels and make sure it's 2.5% NOT 10%. W For feline acne, my vet recommended cleaning the infected area with a mild soap like Phisoderm (sp?) You could try that too. Sue >> Juliet is a 9 year old DLH. She was diagnosed with IBD several years ago >> and was on z/d for years. Right now she's on Innova cat food, and has [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > W > For feline acne, my vet recommended cleaning the infected area with a mild > soap like Phisoderm (sp?) You could try that too. Hmmm...I might even have some under my sink. Thanks! Corey > There's a chance it's feline acne. As Phil said, try stainless or ceramic > bowls. Wash the food and water bowl regularly so there isn't any oily > residue from the food and keep kitties' chin clean. If the Betadine doesn't > do the trick you can try picking up some benzoil peroxide at the pharmacy. > It can be found with the acne treatment products. Read labels and make sure > it's 2.5% NOT 10%. Thanks! I hope we can resolve this with a antiseptic scrub, but if we don't I'll certainly bring benzoil peroxide up with my vet. :) Corey >> There's a chance it's feline acne. As Phil said, try stainless or ceramic >> bowls. Wash the food and water bowl regularly so there isn't any oily [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Corey My Isabelle had acne on her chin and next to her nose when we first got her. I tried a lot of other things before using the benzoil peroxide but wasn't getting results. Since I got her acne cleaned up I haven't had a recurrence. I wash her stainless bowls in hot water and dish soap daily. W
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