'brown stuff' on her fur

[scattycat]

I understand both your points though the vet was very happy with how she was - he did feel her glands and said they felt normal to him and how she generally was - as she spent most of her time on our shoulders than on the vets table. Dont get me wrong - if we see her go downhill then of course we'll take her back to the vets - we dont want to see her suffer -  and it'll then be at that point tests will probably be done - which arent cheap.

We're already having to plan in January for one of our other cats to have a tooth out (and teeth clean) which is going to cost us around £150 as of course you cant claim for teeth on insurance. If she needs treatment she'll get it, we just dont want to stress her out with trips to the vet.

The important thing is that she has perked up in herself, and she doesnt appear to have gnawed her back legs like she had done the previous days - I honestly think they know when you're trying to help them get better (as it must have been awful for her as she's a very clean cat) and we dont want her to be afraid of going to vet (like our other cat is due to the treatment he went through)

[Gillian Harvey]

I'm not saying that Ginny's at that stage at all - but even if it is her thyroid that's going wrong what can we do apart from probably have to give her a tablet every day for the rest of her life?

I would just say that my cat Elsa was hyperthryoid and it was quite easily managed. Yes its a tablet every day, but that doesnt have to be a struggle, there's lots of cunning ways to get tablets into cats - without them even knowing LOL!  As Des pointed out, untreated hyperthryoid can lead to all sorts of complications. The test for hyperT is just one simple blood test.

[scattycat]

The vet was quite happy in that she wasnt showing any signs of being unwell in that way - and didnt want to put her through yet another vet visit. We went through a lot with one of our cats who went to Rainbow bridge last year trying to find out what was wrong and make her better - but looking back we can now see that we took that too far and it took one 'look' from Suki who was basically telling me it was her time to go - I know it sounds stuid but we knew we had to make that decision.

I'm not saying that Ginny's at that stage at all - but even if it is her thyroid that's going wrong what can we do apart from probably have to give her a tablet every day for the rest of her life? We had a lovely relationship with another of our cats before he had cystitus problems, and ended up having to take him to the vet every day for nearly 2 weeks to have an injection, ever since that he's not the same cat and does not like it even when we get the cat carrier out, let alone when he has to go to the vet even if it's just for his annual boosters.

I understand your point Desley, but afraid we just have to differ on opinion on this occasion.

[Desley (booktigger)]

Surprising that they wouldnt even recommend doing a basic blood test - thyroid can be nasty if not treated. if she was mine, I would be demanding blood tests, insurance or not.

[scattycat]

Hi,

Ginny had her vet apmt tonight and it's good news! 

The vet said its not a mouth infection (he had a good look inside) but that it's actually something to do with the oils in her skin reacting with her saliva and producing this brown stuff on her fur, he's given her a long lasting antibiotic injection to help it. He did say that we could try bathing her with a shampoo, but he knows from experience that unless a cat likes water, it does not like being bathed and just stresses it out more - Ginny does not like geting wet! He did take a sticky tape sample from the leg and had a look under the microscope and that showed up as ok - so no fleas.

He did say that that is normally an underlying thing of another condition - he mentioned thyroid, but he said that a cat her age (15) theres no point in doing test upon test (especially when she's not insured), pulling her about, and numerous visits to the vet - just to keep an eye on her over the next couple of weeks - if she gets worse i.e. appitite goes, drinks more to get her back to the vets.

I think I'd best go now as she's eyeing up my lap 

[Gillian Harvey]

Obviously a course of antibiotics would clear the mouth infection up ok - but I'm just concerned what the vet will say about her rear legs as the fur is quite matted and looks like there might be bald patches - i'm just dreading them saying 'well we'll have to sedate her to sort her fur out' - as I know that costs around £90 just for the sedation!

It does sound as though she has some sort of infection, possiibly from a bad tooth or teeth, and yes she will need antibiotics. Certainly if the vet finds that her teeth need cleaning, or she needs extractions - then she will have to be anaethtised anyway, so if that happens they could sort the matted bits out at the same time I would have thought.

[scattycat]

From what you've all said it does sound like a mouth infection - and would therefore explain why these patches of stuff are appearing elsewhere as she's washing this on her fur.

Obviously a course of antibiotics would clear the mouth infection up ok - but I'm just concerned what the vet will say about her rear legs as the fur is quite matted and looks like there might be bald patches - i'm just dreading them saying 'well we'll have to sedate her to sort her fur out' - as I know that costs around £90 just for the sedation!

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

Callichi can cause brown gungy stuff but my friend was saying the other day she had one there that was doing the same and apparently there is a new strain of the Herpes virus out which also does this, it can be a number of things so try not to worry.  It may just be a mouth infection which is usually easily treatable   

[Maddiesmum]

My Guinness (RIP) drooled a lot when she had a mouth infection.  Hopefully the vet can sort it out quickly 

[scattycat]

Dawn, we are wondering whether it is a mouth infection (though I'd hope it's not an abcess!) - she has recently had what we thought was remains of food either side of her mouth (as such) and thought that she'd just not cleaned it off with her being old etc ... we have noticed that she has been 'drooling' a lot - she'd be asleep and you wake her up and thered be a 2 inch length of drool hanging from her mouth.

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

This is possible but there is only a vet that can diagnose this.  Have you checked her mouth to see if she has any discharge or anything?  Hopefully it's nothing to worry about and you manage to get her sorted, xx

[scattycat]

Can anyone advise me - I have got a vet apmt booked for tonight at 6pm but wondered if anyone might be able to help me diagnose it prior.

On Saturday we noticed that our eldest cat (15/female) her back legs had this 'brown stuff' on them - looked at them closer and didnt appear to be blood. However as a precaution we used some hibby to wash her legs which got the majority of this 'stuff' off.

That night we noticed that they werent looking how they should do still, so frontlined her just incase she had fleas and it was irratating her so she was gnawing at her legs because of it (she was due next week to be done anyway).

We noticed on the Sunday that things werent improving much, and if anything the stuff we'd washed off appeared to had come back - but that these patches of 'brown stuff' were elsewhere on her - tail, bit of her chest and front paw - so we're now wondering whether she might have an issue with her mouth and it's something to do with her saliva - does that ring any bells with anyone?