chronic licking on each side of tail has caused loss of hair.
 

Could this be worms? Vet office recommended trying Benadryl or
cortizone shot.
deb

chronic licking on each side of tail has caused loss of hair.
 

Deb, This group is very inactive. You would be more likely to get an
answer at rec.pets.cats.anecdotes.

---MIKE---

In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44� 15' N - Elevation 1580')

chronic licking on each side of tail has caused loss of hair.
 

CocoAndJane webtv.net (Deb Arsenault) wrote:

Could this be worms? Vet office recommended trying Benadryl or
cortizone shot.

Also possible is Advantage flea treatment. I have seen no fleas
here, but (amazingly) the practice of using Advantage in a
somewhat lesser dose than prescribed keeps my cat from literally
licking himself to death. Your people probably suspect "scabby cat
disease". Anything that irritates your cat's skin can cause
excessive licking. And I mean anything, even if you cannot see it.
Whatever treatment you go with, make sure you give it a couple of
months before assessing its effectiveness. And before you start,
take a picture of your cat's current condition. At least here, my
cat's condition was very difficult to understand and to treat. But
we were desperate, so I got serious.

I stopped the treatment. Within two months, he started to
deteriorate, badly. I restarted the treatment. About two months
later, once again he's returning to reasonably healthy.

Keeping notes helps. Good luck.

--











deb

chronic licking on each side of tail has caused loss of hair.
 

Just a note...
Currently I am using 10 drops of Advantage II every four weeks
(on Kitty). Works like a charm. I don't know if that's better than
a cortisone (or whatever) shot. But it does work. Seems like cats
suffer a lot from skin irritation problems. My last female was
given a shot that nuked her skin problem.

chronic licking on each side of tail has caused loss of hair.
 

We need a little more information, please. What test(s) has your vet done? Has a fecal sample been tested for parasites? What kind of food do you feed? (Grains like corn are often allergens.)

You need to determine the cause of the licking. Benadryl or a cortizone shot (which I'm not crazy about for cats) will only cover up the symptoms.