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My 12 week old kitten developed a rash on the side of his face. It started as a small lump that opened and became red. It then spread and he lost the hair in the area. One doctor injected him with steroids that only seemed to make it worse. The next vet put him on diflucan 25mg qd and lotrimin ointment once a day while waiting for ringworm cultures. They came back negative. He is eating and playing like normal. He has always been an inside cat since birth, however, his mother was a stray that my mother took in while she was pregnant. PLEASE HELP! I am getting really worried.
Optional Information: Pet's Gender: Male Pet's Age: <1 Type of Animal: Short hair domestic cat Name of Animal: Jackson Already Tried: Cortisone injections, Antibiotic oinment Now on diflucan 25mg QD and lotrimin ointment once a day
Has your vet done a skin scraping to check for the two kinds of skin mites?
Has Jackson been tested for the feline viruses (leukemia and FIV)?
Thanks,
Lynn
No to both. Since he is only 12 weeks and his mother is FIV + they said we have to wait till at least 6 mos to keep from getting a false positive.
Hi,
Thanks for the additional information. I would recommend having your vet do the skin scraping next. There are two types of mites that cats can get. One is called sarcoptic mange. It is highly contagious, and young animals are more likely to get it than older ones. Here is a page about it:
http://www.petplace.com/cats/sarcoptic-mange-in-cats/page1.aspx
The other is called demodectic mange, and it is not contagious. It is also commonly seen on young animals though, and is more of a genetic problem. It is also more common in pets with compromised immune systems. Here is a page about it:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+1334&aid=730
If a skin scraping should come back negative for any mites, and this still hasn't healed then you may want to consider a skin biopsy to determine what is going on.
As for the virus test, I understand why your vet wants to wait because that is definitely a possibility. However, my reason for asking is that one sign of these viruses can be skin problems that won't clear up because the immune system isn't functioning normally. Here is a page about FIV:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1&aid=213
If you have further questions let me know by clicking reply. Please do not leave a feedback rating until you are completely satisfied with your answer. Thank you.
Best wishes,
Experience: worked at a vet clinic for 18 yrs, BA in biology, experience with cats for 20+ years