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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / October 2004skin problems
I have an 11 year old male yellow tabby and we have been battling a skin irritation on his neck and chest for about a year now. It starts out fairly small and red and grows pretty quickly down his chest and around the back of his neck. It oozes and bleeds and then scabs over but never goes away. We first used a topical ointment which worked with limited success. We changed foods--used a Prescription Low Allergen with no success. The only thing that has worked are steroid injections. The vet is cautious about giving too many of those. He gets an injection and it clears up completely for about 3-4 weeks and then comes back. Even an every other day does of an oral steroid does no good. A friend had a dog who was experiencing a similar thing. She switched to an all lamb dog food with no chicken and he is no longer suffering with the problem. Has anyone dealt with this? Is there a solution? Thanks so much S > I have an 11 year old male yellow tabby and we have been battling a skin > irritation on his neck and chest for about a year now. It starts out [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Thanks so much > S >> I have an 11 year old male yellow tabby and we have been battling a skin >> irritation on his neck and chest for about a year now. It starts out [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >> Thanks so much >> S Has the cat had a flea treatment? As I understand it, a cat can have a flea allergy reaction without really having fleas. Some cats get relief from unknown reactions with steroid shots. The last time we went to the vet (Tues.) she did treat him for fleas. She found evidence of fleas but no fleas. She said that it was early and assumes that we brought the fleas in on our socks, etc. This was the first evidence of fleas. so... S >>>I have an 11 year old male yellow tabby and we have been battling a skin >>>irritation on his neck and chest for about a year now. It starts out [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > allergy reaction without really having fleas. Some cats get relief from > unknown reactions with steroid shots. > The last time we went to the vet (Tues.) she did treat him for fleas. > She found evidence of fleas but no fleas. She said that it was early and > assumes that we brought the fleas in on our socks, etc. This was the > first evidence of fleas. so... > S It will be interesting to see if that helps then. It's very possible. Is he scratching or does it just start bleeding by itself? I think he licks it and scratches it but it's always in the same spot. S > Is he scratching or does it just start bleeding by itself? My cat went through a similar experience this past year. We would give her a depomedrol shot every 11 weeks because the scratching and hair loss would always return. The vet never suspected flea allergy because I never saw a flea on her BUT.....I finally started putting "frontline plus" on Chloe (every month) about 6 months ago and I'm happy to say she hasn't had a steroid shot in almost seven months. Her hair has started to grow back wonderfully and she's gained weight. Read some info on the internet about flea allergy pets; it surprised me how just one bite from one flea can keep them scratching for a week. Good luck, Paige http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/flea-allergy.html http://www.drpetra.com/Cats/Allergy%20in%20Cats.htm http://www.lbah.com/allergy.htm Hi Susan, I'm glad your vet wants to be cautious with steroid injections. Our cat a few years ago started losing hair on one side of his face. The vet suspected food allergies, gave Bob a shot of steroids, and three weeks later we had a raging case of diabetes on our hands. Later, the vet suspected IBD and we used IVD food -- one uncommon starch, one protein. Is that what you tried? Did your vet test for ringworm? That can be tough to beat, but I believe an internal medicine works better than ointments if that's what it is. Our vet used a black light to look at the skin as one test for ringworm. Since it's been so long, you might take him to another vet for a second opinion. This sounds serious and irritating enough that a trip to another doctor might be worth it. Good luck with your boy, Rhonda > I have an 11 year old male yellow tabby and we have been battling a skin > irritation on his neck and chest for about a year now. It starts out [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Thanks so much > S Later, the vet suspected IBD and we used IVD food -- one uncommon > starch, one protein. Is that what you tried? I tried the food that the vet ordered for me. I have just recently heard about trying this uncommon protein, etc. Do you have a suggestion for me? He has been fed Science Diet Hairball, Sensitive Skin and Adult food for the last 2 years. We used IAMS before they were sold to Proctor and Gamble. What is IBD and IVD? > Did your vet test for ringworm? Yes they did and it was negative. > Since it's been so long, you might take him to another vet for a second > opinion. This sounds serious and irritating enough that a trip to > another doctor might be worth it. Thanks. S >He has been fed Science Diet Hairball, >Sensitive Skin and Adult food for the last >2 years. We used IAMS before they were >sold to Proctor and Gamble. You should stop feeding your cat poor quality dry food. It seems that he may have a food allergy, and grains in dry food are often the culprit. The foods listed above are mostly grain with very little meat and are not a fit diet for a strict carnivore. Cats do not need grains and have difficulty processing them, and the high amount of carbs in these foods is also linked to obesity and diabetes. You can read more about why dry food is not a good diet for cats here: http://catsincanada.com/articles/feeding.html A canned food you can try that contains no grains whatsoever and has a variety of flavors is Wellness. If you are willing, and can find a reputable source for meat, you could also try a homemade, grain free raw diet. You can find info on one kind here: http://www.catnutrition.org Vets too often rely on poor quality prescription foods (that the **pet food companies** teach them are what should be used) to try to solve problems when often common sense, some basic research into proper nutrition, and feeding a healthy diet that is species-appropriate works better. Megan  Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray Hi Susan, The brand of prescription food the vet prescribed is IVD. I don't remember what company makes it. I had to call around, but most the of vets close to me carried that brand and could keep us supplied. There were three flavors -- duck and peas is the one we used most often. There was also one with venison, and one wirh rabbit. I couldn't handle feeding rabbit to him: we also have pet rabbits. He liked and did well on both of the other flavors. IBD is "irritable bowel disease." Good luck, Rhonda > Later, the vet suspected IBD and we used IVD food -- one uncommon > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > What is IBD and IVD? > Hi Susan, > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > IBD is "irritable bowel disease." No, it's inflammatory bowel disease. Irritable bowel disease is a much less serious complaint that humans get. >I'm glad your vet wants to be cautious with steroid injections. Our cat >a few years ago started losing hair on one side of his face. The vet >suspected food allergies, gave Bob a shot of steroids, and three weeks >later we had a raging case of diabetes on our hands. As a diabetic human, let me tell you a story that may help. About ten years ago I needed laser surgery on my eyes. Now, the tissue in the human cornea heals extremely fast. If you think about it, from a evolutionary standpoint, this makes sense. Being able to see is pretty important for survival. However, this creates a problem. Doctors have discovered that if the cornea heals at its normal fast speed it creates scarring. They also discovered that certain steroids (administered in drops) slow down the healing process and prevent scarring. Therefore, I was prescribed drops to put in my eyes four times a day. I don't normally test myself constantly like new diabetics do. I've tested myself so often for so many years that I know what different foods will do and how much insulin to use and when. Still, occasionally I do test myself. The second day after the surgery I was eating something unusual and I tested myself to see how things were going. I was stunned to see that I was at 450 mg/dL. I quickly retested, but got the same reading. Over the next several hours I tested several times. Even after the food I had eaten was completely digested and gone, I was still over 300. I stayed over 300 even without eating anything at all. (Normally I don't need any insulin unless I eat something.) I called my doc. His receptionist wanted me to come in, but I couldn't get away from work at the time. Instead I sat down at the word processor and wrote out everything that had happened to me in the past couple of weeks, including the eye surgery, the pain pills I was taking, and the eye drops. I faxed it to him. He called back about an hour later to tell me that there was absolutely no question what had gone wrong -- the steroid drops. Evidently some steroids raise blood sugar levels dramatically. A normal, non-diabetic pancreas has two to four times the insulin producing capacity that the body needs. So if a non-diabetic uses the drops I was using their pancreas just produces additional insulin to cover the sugar. Thus, it never occurred to the eye surgeon to warn me about the steroids he was prescribing. (In fairness, I looked up the drug and the manufacturer's warnings didn't say anything about the problem, so there wasn't any way for the surgeon to know.) My doc said that I should just increase my insulin as necessary to cover the rise in blood sugar, even if it meant I would be using a great deal of insulin. Insulin is a pretty benign therapy, so you can use a lot of it without causing problems. He added that as I discontinued the drops I should monitor myself carefully, because the high blood sugars were caused strictly by the steroid drops and my blood sugar would revert to normal (for me) levels after I discontinued the drops. So if a cat develops a "raging case of diabetes" from steroid shots, it is probably a temporary condition. On the other hand, many humans and cats are still showing normal blood sugar levels, even though they are really becoming diabetic. If the cat is on the edge and the pancreas is barely coping, the sudden strong burden on the pancreas may mean the cat will not recover 100% after discontinuing the steroids. I also do not know if there are some steroids which have a permanent effect. The one I was on definitely created only a temporary problem while I was on it. On the other hand, everything I have heard about steroids is that they are usually best avoided unless you have no other option. Oh, and my eyes healed without scarring, my vision remains perfect today, and the docs say it should remain perfect for the rest of my life. So clearly steroids are not always a bad thing. -- Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here. Hello Marek, That was interesting about the steroids in humans. I'm glad that your bg returned to normal. Bob was not so lucky. The reason we took Bob in for blood tests was because he had lost 3 pounds in 3 weeks, and was drinking water nonstop. This was 3 weeks after one steroid shot. I wasn't sure what was going on, but knew it was bad. When he was diagnosed with diabetes, he was monitored carefully as we worked out an insulin level for him. It was unfortunately not a temporary situation. He also developed pancreatitus later that year, and died 2 years later. After his diagnosis, I spent much time talking with people and reading www.felinediabetes.com. Many cats there were diagnosed with diabetes after some steroid treatment. Maybe cats' pancreases are less resilient than humans. The internist vet told us that Bob was predisposed to type II diabetes and the steroid shot was just the trigger. If it hadn't been for that, he could have gotten diabetes at some other point (but maybe years later.) After doing much reading, I'm convinced that his diet (all dry) and letting him get overweight (he was a big Maine Coon,) helped predispose him to the disease. I'm glad your eye is better. I would have given anything for Bob's diabetes to have been temporary. Rhonda > So if a cat develops a "raging case of diabetes" from steroid shots, > it is probably a temporary condition. On the other hand, many humans > and cats are still showing normal blood sugar levels, even though they > are really becoming diabetic. If the cat is on the edge and the > pancreas is barely coping, the sudden strong burden on the pancreas > may mean the cat will not recover 100% after discontinuing the |
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