Topic: Excessive grooming - vet update (Read 3137 times)

sixfurballs · « **Reply #25 on:** September 16, 2008, 09:43:19 AM »

I haven't actually brushed him yet but keep running my hands along his back and he shows no sign of pain at that so am going to try brushing him now.

Dino was at the vet again last night for a check up. She is generally pleased with his progress and thinks he is brightre this week. He has another 7 days of antibiotics now and then another review to decide if he needs more antibiotics and keep the cone on or just keep the cone on.

HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val) · « **Reply #24 on:** September 12, 2008, 17:36:09 PM »

Yes Lesa, I do remember that. Does it help if you brush Dino to help him with his grooming or would that only irritate him more? What a shame that the minute the cone collar comes off that he starts sucking on his skin again. Well, I hope that with him taking all those pills that this will soon be over.

Come on Dino boy, stop sucking on your skin. Get Well!
xx

sixfurballs · « **Reply #23 on:** September 12, 2008, 09:58:13 AM »

They say they don't really know why the internal bacteria turns like this but do you remember a few weeks ago I noticed that very small wound on his back which I treated with hibitaine and it cleared up really quickly, I thought maybe he had been in another scrap. Well its possible that wound was the trigger. My vets also said this very damp summer we have had is contributing to a lot of similar skin conditions in cats and dogs this year. They said that even with their own cats, whilst they don't have the skin problems, they've noticed how much more grooming their coats require and how much rougher they are than normal.

HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val) · « **Reply #22 on:** September 11, 2008, 23:56:27 PM »

Lesa that is a lot of pills to give Dino everyday. You poor thing! I bet Dino will be running for cover when he sees you coming! Indy still dives under the bed when she sees me coming with her eye ointment. I sure hope that this gets Dino sorted out. Did the vet ever say what this was caused by? Sorry my mind slips away from me at my old age. lol

kris · « **Reply #21 on:** September 11, 2008, 12:58:14 PM »

This is an interesting thread for me, Fred is back to overgrooming again, front leg (where the injection would go during an op... he once developed a lump there and that always seems a sensitive area for him) and tummy and back legs, I do think it's behavioural for him, I had hoped that having jimi the stray here would have distracted him but it seems as bad as it ever was, he gets so upset in the carrier that I'd rather not take him unles it's urgent and he hasn't broken the skin yet.

sixfurballs · « **Reply #20 on:** September 11, 2008, 09:50:05 AM »

Sorry for not updating yesterday.

Last week we saw one of the other vets from the practice as the one treated Dino was on holiday. We saw our own vet again this week and she thinks we are on the right track with the treatment as all the bald patches but the one on his nape are healing. She thinks we just need a longer course of antibiotics. He is on a different antibiotic now because the last one, although better for skin conditions, was giving him diarrhoea and he vomited a few times as well. However, he is such a big cat that for his size and weight he has to have 4 tablets of it a day. That's for 7 days, review in 7 days and then most likely a further 7 days of the antibiotic. He is also on a steroid now for 10 days to deal with any inflammation and itch in his skin. So that's 5 tablets a day although the dose of the steroid will be slowly reduced.

MrsR · « **Reply #19 on:** September 10, 2008, 21:43:56 PM »

How did it go at the vets this evening hun?

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #18 on:** September 10, 2008, 19:10:16 PM »

Hmmmmm it does sound like he is getting bitten.

sixfurballs · « **Reply #17 on:** September 10, 2008, 12:01:34 PM »

After a review at the vet on Friday was feeling very hopeful Dino was well on the mend. His skin looked healthy and the fur was growing back already. His antibiotics finished on Monday and my vet was happy for that course to end and to start removing the collar in increments.

Unfortunately he is still sucking when the collar is removed and this morning he managed to pull a lump out of his nape so he's back to the vet for another review this evening and to decide what to do next.

He was sitting on my knee the other night and actually flinched twice and cried as if in pain and tried to bite his back so I'm sure something is annoying his skin. There are definitely no fleas on him so it must be something microscopic like mites or bacteria. I just hope that we get can him healed up and this excessive grooming doesn't form a habit.

HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val) · « **Reply #16 on:** September 01, 2008, 04:17:51 AM »

Poor Dino and poor you. Nothing gags me more than the smell of diarrhea cat poop! I hope Dino is feeling better by tomorrow Lesa. Hang in there my friend.

sixfurballs · « **Reply #15 on:** August 31, 2008, 20:24:20 PM »

Unfortunately he developed a terrible bout of diarrhoea about an hour ago so once the vet and the shops open again in the morning going to see about a probiotic and check if these antibiotics are ok to continue with or do I need something else. He has been known to have a very sensitive stomach in the past.

HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val) · « **Reply #14 on:** August 31, 2008, 16:32:03 PM »

How is Dino doing Lesa? Any improvement yet?

Hippykitty · « **Reply #13 on:** August 30, 2008, 10:40:42 AM »

Christie, even indoor only cats can get fleas. The eggs can be brought in on clothes or shoes. You may have friends who have cats, a flea could jump on you etc....
Likewise, there may be cats outside who pass through your garden, or where you work etc. Again all you need is one tiny flea egg on your clothes.

Christie · « **Reply #12 on:** August 30, 2008, 10:18:02 AM »

You might want to ask the vet about eosinophilic dermatitis (a mouthful, I know, lol). My cat Lucia, who passed away last winter, had suddenly (several years ago) started overgrooming her lower tummy and the insides of her front legs, to the point they became bald! She was indoor only, so flea allergy was a non-starter. After some thought and tests, our vet did a blood test, where they did an eosinophil count, and it was high. A short course of prednisone calmed it down and it never recurred. I often see folks ask about overgrooming and skin issues, and I'm surprised more vets don't think about the possibility of this type of dermatitis. As I recall, it's like an allergic or immune reaction, and could be brought on suddenly by any number of things.

HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val) · « **Reply #11 on:** August 29, 2008, 21:19:27 PM »

Oh that is good news Lesa. I was really worried for Dino. I was so afraid he had developed an allergy. You must be so relieved. I do hope your vet is on the right track and soon this will be treated and gone. Get well Dino. I bet you look nice as a cone head wearing that awful collar? NOT lol

sixfurballs · « **Reply #10 on:** August 29, 2008, 18:10:55 PM »

Dino went to visit our lovely vet this evening.

My vet is sure its not an allergic reaction and its not behavioural. I'm so relieved about that because if its what she thinks it is at least its treatable. She thinks its not a reaction partly because of where the patches are on Dino and how widespread they are. They aren't what she would expect to see with a reaction.

So the thought is its dermatitis and that there is an underlying fungal/bacterial or parasite cause. She thinks most likely bacterial. Demodex was mentioned. So first cause of action is a week of antibiotics with a review next Friday and then most likely more of the antibiotic. A 2 dose course of Advocate spot on. My vet said she prefers it to Frontline and uses it for her own pets. It is a wider spectrum treatment than Frontline. I also have to dab all his patches with hibitaine on cotton wool and he has to wear a buster collar for minimum 2 weeks so he is going to have to stay indoors. He'll love that.

If there is no change in him then the next step is a skin scraping.

sixfurballs · « **Reply #9 on:** August 28, 2008, 14:58:05 PM »

I'll be surprised if its flea bites as can find no sign of them on him and I do keep regular checks for them but I hope it is an allergy to flea bites. At least that is something I could treat.

I hadn't thought of them becoming resistant to frontline. I've always found it such a good product but just read a thread a few days ago about a cat one here reacting badly to it. I think I'm going to have to consider a different flea treatemt. I read somewhere here recently about the injections.

Val I forgot to say that Dino has no lumps or bumps.

Hippykitty · « **Reply #8 on:** August 28, 2008, 11:27:51 AM »

Samantha used to be an excessive groomer but she was only given the initial vaccination against enteritis and flu, she has never been boostered. Although I wouldn't recommend this as a general policy for everyone, I don't like yearly boosters; that's a purely personal point of view - if a cat goes out and mixes with other cats, there will be a natural booster from coming into contact with the organisms.

Samantha's over-grooming was the result of a hyper personality and flea allergy. It could be the case that frontline isn't working for the particular 'brand' of fleas Dino has, or that you need to spray him rather than give him the spot-on. (That's what the vet recommended for Sam when she first developed the allergy.)

Good luck at the vets.

HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val) · « **Reply #7 on:** August 27, 2008, 17:34:18 PM »

Lesa,

Knowing now that Dino did get his jabs in the nape of his neck, that is of concern to me. Can you feel if a tiny bump or lump is there now?

From the Merck Veterinary Manuel...

Quote

hypersensitivity may be seen in response to the antigens found in vaccines. Some adjuvanted feline vaccines are associated with the subsequent development of a fibrosarcoma at the site of injection.

I now wonder if he did not have an adverse reaction to the antigens in his vaccine. Please ask your vet about what he thinks about giving the jab in the leg. As I mentioned, my vet said that giving the jabs in the neck was the way it was normally done here too, however there has been problems with doing that. The new way now is to give the jabs in the back leg just in case the cat develops a sarcoma. It's not the vaccine itself but the solution that the vaccine is in that is the problem. Hopefully it will go away.

Dino!!! Stop that sucking on your skin!

You're making your mummy worry about you!

sixfurballs · « **Reply #6 on:** August 27, 2008, 17:13:58 PM »

Dino had his jabs in the nape of his neck. All the vets I have been with have always done that. I'd forgotten about how badly Hunter had reacted to his vaccine.

He is still sucking today but still no sign of inflamed or sore flesh. He is off to the vet on Friday to check for any medical cause.

HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val) · « **Reply #5 on:** August 26, 2008, 21:34:29 PM »

Lesa, I'm trying to find it again for you. I went to so many different websites when researching so be patient. There were many good and bad things said about giving vaccines. Most of the holistic veterinarians don't advise using them because of the lifetime change it does to the animals natural immune system. I also recall seeing that there was advice given to boost your pets immune system by putting L-Lysine in their food as this is a more natural way. I do recall that the article said that some vaccines are believed to cause long lasting adverse effects, especially boosters and there have been known cases where dogs and cats have actually chewed excessively on their tails and paws until they are raw and bleeding. It even went on to say that some pets will have bouts of this chewing behavior off and on for the rest of their lives. I will try and find it again. Also I did run across information about how some cats and dogs develop allergies to flea bites as well. Therefore, you may not even see any fleas on Dino but only the end results of his reaction to the flea bite it's self from the flea's saliva.

Quote

Cats that have it are hypersensitive to fleabites; their skin becomes inflamed, irritated and itchy in reaction to allergen in the saliva that fleas pass into the skin when they bite. The skin reaction and intense itching can lead to hair loss and skin lesions.

Clinical Signs:
The clinical signs of flea allergy in the cat are pruritus, excessive grooming, alopecia, barbered hairs, eruptive skin lesions with hemorrhagic crusts called miliary dermatitis are noted commonly. Miliary dermatitis is a nonspecific skin lesion with different possible causes, but fleabite hypersensitivity is the most common cause. The distribution of lesions can be generalized, confined to the head and neck, or involve the caudal legs and dorsal trunk region. Eosinophilic plaques (elevated skin lesion containing eosinophils) and ulcerations of the skin sometimes are noted in cats with flea allergy.

~~~EDIT~~~

Lesa,

You recall how sick Hunter got from his vaccines, well I just remembered that those vaccines were also boosters. He had his first jabs while still at the shelter. Anyway I recall my vet telling me that it is the medium or the solution that causes the cat to react poorly. He said that is why they now give the jabs in the rear leg. Sometimes these areas will become irritated and can even develop into sarcoma. If a sarcoma develops and some cats have had to have their leg amputated because of this. My vet did say that they used to give these jabs in the nap of the neck between the shoulder blades but the problem with that was if a sarcoma developed then it was extremely difficult to treat if not impossible. Where did Dino get his jabs? Another thing too, is my vet did have me start Hunter on L-Lysine supplement after that, but I only used up one 5 oz. tube and never bought more because Hunter got better after that.

Sorry, I don't mean to make you worry.

I hope Dino is better today. :get well 2:

sixfurballs · « **Reply #4 on:** August 26, 2008, 10:03:27 AM »

Val, can I ask where you found that info about allergies and adverse reactions to vaccines. Dino did have his booster a few weeks ago so I'd like to read up more on that.

I thought fleas or mites initially as well but I stood him over white kitchen roll and combed him all through. No fleas or flea dirt came out and he isn't scratching, just licking and sucking.

I did also wonder about fungal dermatitis but he doesn't have crusty or weeping sores and none of the other cats are showing any signs of anything being wrong.

Also Dino's skin doesn't seem to be in anyway painful as he is just as cuddly and playful as always. He doesn't flinch or move away if you touch the bald spots.

I'll let you know what the vets says in case its of any use to anyone else in future.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #3 on:** August 26, 2008, 03:13:56 AM »

Sasa has been overgrooming for a few months and she was suspected to have fleas and strongholded but this didnt stop and we saw the vet about a month ago and it was fleas.

I reckon the vet must have used a bigger dose of stronghold on her than the box says cos she has now stopped and her fur has grown back.

I reckon that its probablly a stress related thing with your cat , maybe due to the accident or other cats but best to chat with the vet and let the vet see Dino.

Hope the vet can work out what the problem is

HaneyHarperIndyMum (Val) · « **Reply #2 on:** August 26, 2008, 01:14:13 AM »

I tried to do a little research about Dino's problem. From everything I read of a cat who sucks on his skin, it can be anything from being taken away from it's mother to early to adverse reactions to the cat's vaccines to just plain being bored or even being an allergy. Poor Dino, something is bothering him, what ever it is? Sounds like your right to take him to the vets. Did Dino get any vaccinations recently? My dog Pearl had a bad reaction to her vaccine when she was a puppy and has a scar on her side where no hair will grown now about the size of a bottle cap. Hope you get Dino's skin sucking sorted out.

sixfurballs · « **Reply #1 on:** August 25, 2008, 10:37:17 AM »

One of my cats (the 5 year old boy - Dino) has always been very keen on grooming but its never been a problem until the last couple of weeks. He has started actually sucking on his skin in patches and has started leaving his skin on his neck and his legs bald. He is treated with frontline and I have combed him all through and there are no signs of any nasties on him. He isn't scratching, he is eating etc just as normal.

I've been watching him really closely for the last week deciding if he needs to visit the vet. I am going to have to take him in to see what she thinks. He does get a bald patch on the back of his neck from time to time and my vet wondered before had he developed an allergy to frontline.

I am aware excessive grooming can be a stress issue. Nothing has altered in our household (thankfully don't have to decide about the long-haired boy I mentioned a couple of weeks ago just yet and Dino will have to be 100% himself before would add a stresser to his environment). The only other thing I have noticed is that another cat from the neighbourhood which has always been about seems to be coming more frequently into my garden and my cats hunting territory across in a little wooded copse across from me.

Any ideas what is up and what to do? I've been through a lot with Dino and he means so much to me.

One other thing I should mention is that when he was only a few months old Dino was in a very bad car accident resulting in one degloved leg and one partially degloved leg. He lost 1.5 toes but other than that all the skin took and the fur grew back and we were told that was very unusual. Some of the hair loss is in the area of the scar tissue but the scars are threadlike they are so fine.

Author Topic: Excessive grooming - vet update (Read 3137 times)