Male Cat Has Ongoing Skin Condition

Hi Folks. Our 10 year old male orange tabby has a nasty ongoing skin
condition that is about 4 inches long on his back. He is losing fur and
there are red scabs. He has been to the vet twice who said it was
allergy related. He told us to apply Advantage every 3 weeks because of
flea problems. Vet also gave him cortisone shot. None of these
treatments have cured the problem. He's an indoor outdoor guy. There
must be something we can do nutritionally to get this better. He eats
and sleeps well and has plenty of energy and spunk. His eyes are bright
and clear and he isn't depressed. Can someone here recommend a
treatment? The vet doesn't seem to know what to do. He's going bald
along his back. Thanx steve

Steve do you trust this vet I am going to say not if you said he does not
know what is going on. Vets are like Doctor's some will not admit if they
don't know

Steve did the vet take a culture, take blood work and recommend you take
the cat to have an allergy test or dermatology exam if not NEW VET TIME

It could be parasitic it could be allergy related it could be a number of
things

this is a link to Phil's website with out test it can't be determined
http://www.maxshouse.com/dermatologyIDX.htm


do you have a web cam or a digital camera and be able to post a picture
link


Matthew



"Steve B" wrote in message
...
Hi Folks. Our 10 year old male orange tabby has a nasty ongoing skin
condition that is about 4 inches long on his back. He is losing fur and
there are red scabs. He has been to the vet twice who said it was
allergy related. He told us to apply Advantage every 3 weeks because of
flea problems. Vet also gave him cortisone shot. None of these
treatments have cured the problem. He's an indoor outdoor guy. There
must be something we can do nutritionally to get this better. He eats
and sleeps well and has plenty of energy and spunk. His eyes are bright
and clear and he isn't depressed. Can someone here recommend a
treatment? The vet doesn't seem to know what to do. He's going bald
along his back. Thanx steve

In article ,
"No More Retail" wrote:

http://www.maxshouse.com/dermatologyIDX.htm

Hi. Thank you for the cat advice. Our vet is a very good basic vet and
has kept both cats as healthy as possible. The cat does get relief when
we keep up the Advantage and there is a link to flea allergy. So Calif
has been unusually hotter this winter and the fleas keep comin'.Cultures
and things weren't done, but blood work came out ok. He has always been
highstrung and hyperactive and gets into little dramas with the other
male cat. I think we will at least try out a prescription diet.

I wonder if your cat has granuloma. See this site
http://www.fabcats.org/eosinophilicgranuloma.html. I also have a cat with
this condition. I use Frontline and when he had flare ups (in spring and
fall) bring him to the vet for a cortizone injection.
Gail
"Steve B" wrote in message
...
Hi Folks. Our 10 year old male orange tabby has a nasty ongoing skin
condition that is about 4 inches long on his back. He is losing fur and
there are red scabs. He has been to the vet twice who said it was
allergy related. He told us to apply Advantage every 3 weeks because of
flea problems. Vet also gave him cortisone shot. None of these
treatments have cured the problem. He's an indoor outdoor guy. There
must be something we can do nutritionally to get this better. He eats
and sleeps well and has plenty of energy and spunk. His eyes are bright
and clear and he isn't depressed. Can someone here recommend a
treatment? The vet doesn't seem to know what to do. He's going bald
along his back. Thanx steve

Here is more info on the condition:
http://www.vetinfo.com/ceosinophilic.html
Gail
"Gail" wrote in message
ink.net...
I wonder if your cat has granuloma. See this site
http://www.fabcats.org/eosinophilicgranuloma.html. I also have a cat with
this condition. I use Frontline and when he had flare ups (in spring and
fall) bring him to the vet for a cortizone injection.
Gail
"Steve B" wrote in message
...
Hi Folks. Our 10 year old male orange tabby has a nasty ongoing skin
condition that is about 4 inches long on his back. He is losing fur and
there are red scabs. He has been to the vet twice who said it was
allergy related. He told us to apply Advantage every 3 weeks because of
flea problems. Vet also gave him cortisone shot. None of these
treatments have cured the problem. He's an indoor outdoor guy. There
must be something we can do nutritionally to get this better. He eats
and sleeps well and has plenty of energy and spunk. His eyes are bright
and clear and he isn't depressed. Can someone here recommend a
treatment? The vet doesn't seem to know what to do. He's going bald
along his back. Thanx steve

"Steve B" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"No More Retail" wrote:

http://www.maxshouse.com/dermatologyIDX.htm

Hi. Thank you for the cat advice. Our vet is a very good basic vet and
has kept both cats as healthy as possible. The cat does get relief when
we keep up the Advantage and there is a link to flea allergy. So Calif
has been unusually hotter this winter and the fleas keep comin'.Cultures
and things weren't done, but blood work came out ok. He has always been
highstrung and hyperactive and gets into little dramas with the other
male cat. I think we will at least try out a prescription diet.


Steve, instead of beginning a trial and error pattern, I think you'll save a
lot of time, money and discomfort for your cat if you opt for a skin
scraping or a skin biopsy right off the bat.

Best of luck,

Phil

In article et,
"Gail" wrote:

http://www.vetinfo.com/ceosinophilic.html

Thanks to everyone who posted their advice. I checked the sites
recommended and our cat's condition doesn't resemble any of those
symptoms. He has always been a nervous scratcher to get attention. We
feel he also might have an ongoing yeast infection due to several
courses of antibiotics for ear infections. BTW, we have been cleaning
his ears with tea tree oil and hperoxide when he gets "coffee grounds"
built up and his ears are clear as a bell. The vet also hunches a food
allergy, so we are going to slowly switch him over to a rotational diet
and check his symptoms. We give him a bit of yoghurt and that seems to
help. We will also have a skin scraping and see what that reveals. Keep
the advice coming. Kitty appreciates your concern as well. steveb

"Steve B" wrote in message
...
In article et,
"Gail" wrote:

http://www.vetinfo.com/ceosinophilic.html


BTW, we have been cleaning
his ears with tea tree oil

Tea tree oil contains *terpenes* which are *toxic* to cats. Cats don't have
the enzyme needed to detoxify terpines. Terpines are readily absorbed
through a cat's skin and should not be used.

Get an ear cleaner from your vet and ask him to show you how to clean a
cat's ear. Never put a Q-Tip in
the ear canal- it pushes debris farther down the canal and produces pressure
against the eardrum which can cause it to rupture.

If your cat gags or coughs or swallows when you put liquid in his ear: STOP
and take him right to the vet. Gagging or swallowing is a pretty good
indication that the eardrum (tympanic membrane) is ruptured (the liquid
flowed through the ruptured eardrum, into the middle ear, and through the
eustachian tube and into the pharynx).

If your cat's ears need frequent cleaning- there's something wrong that
needs to be investigated. Cats' ears are generally self-cleaning due to the
lateral migration of epithelial cells (skin cells that line the ear canal)
away from the eardrum (tympanum).
Frequent cleaning can also traumatize and ulcerate the epithelium lining the
canal and cause inflammation- which usually results in increased production
of wax (cerumen).