Vest's skin problem is getting worse......

[Sara]

and his skin culture is not done yet. I just called the vet and she thinks maybe some antibiotics might help since he is licking and scratching the spots very raw. She does not want infection to start. He keeps wanting desperately to go out to the balcony where I sometimes grow grass for him to eat and bring it inside for him, he knows I grow it out there. I think he is craving that badly so I will sprout some more this weekend. Could he be lacking something? He is already nervous because I have been putting a liquid antiseptic on the spots and before that a cream. He hates that and now I have to give him pills. I can't help but wonder if this giving him medicine and putting medicine on him is not stressing him out and making him worse. He is a very sensitive cat. He has no new spots, these are the same two. Other than that he looks and acts great and very healthy. He runs around running the household and the other cats as usual. If this test is negative we will do the CBC, this will surely upset him as she has a hard time drawing blood from him. I think he is tired of all these check ups, creams, medicines, tests etc. Also, his fur is very glossy, soft and nice. He does not look depleted in any way.

[Traci]

Sara, what meds are you currently giving? Otherwise, yes, opt for the antibiotic approach, if nothing else at this point, the last thing Vestre needs is open, raw, infected lesions.

Have you talked to your vet about a possible food allergen? That would my the next step I would suggest. Try a hypoallergenic veterinary diet...

I'm wondering why the culture isn't ready, usually, if there is a growth, we can spot it within a few days.

As for the cream and antiseptic you're using....ask your vet for either a triple-antibiotic ointment, or panalog ointment, I would suggest panalog first, it's easier on the skin and is soothing. Before applying, ask your vet for some soaked scrubs (gauze pads) with Nolvasan, this too is soothing on the skin....

[Sara]

and I wrote all this down to ask her. Also... do you still recommend the CBC if the skin culture is negative or should I wait and try the new diet first? Thanks so much! Big hugs from Silvestre and I! Oh yeah, the only meds I am using now is Pervanox which is our version of an OTC Betadine solution. Before I was using a cream that has...

dexametasona ,025 g
neomicina sulfato 0,25 g.
bacitracina 50.000 IU
Griseofulvina 0,18 g.
benzocaina 1 g.
excipientes c.s.p. 100 g.

We used that for a while and it helped but did not get rid of them totally. I assumed it had cortizoids in it and did not want to keep puting a steroid on his skin for a prolonged period.

He is eating Pro Plan light with one packet of Whiskas in the foil pouch wet food with gravy split between the 6 cats as a treat with dinner. The cats eat 3 times a day, one cup each feeding, for 6 cats. Sometimes he gets a little cat treat for tarter control.

I have not bathed him yet with the medicated shampoo.

Waiting for vet to call now... More later.

[Traci]

Well, the CBC would probably only show inflammatory reaction, such as an allergen of some sort, but pinpointing it would be another approach altogether. A dietary trial to a hypoallergenic diet may help, but I would also suggest a serology to rule out fungal disease. Again, pending on the present culture results.

Yikes, I didn't realize what was in the topical you were using, ask your vet to consider discontinuing, re: griseofulvicin and benzocaine agents, not something I would even consider in this situation. Ask instead about the panalog.

[Sara]

she is coming tomorrow to see him and I will ask her all the things above and give a full report.

What about the ingredients in that cream concern you? We discontinued the cream last week.

I will also report as soon as we get the culture results back. Poor lil Vest. Thanks allot for helping us. I hate to see Vest uncomfortable.

[Traci]

Griseofulvicin is a med used to treat ringworm in cats, but I never recommend it, it has the potential of causing immunosuppression in an already immuno-compromised kitty. Even once the med is ceased, the effects can last for months after cessation.

Benzocaine can do the same thing.......while the topical you were using probably contained minute amounts of both, I still would not recommend it for cats. It's probably not concerning at this point, but I'm glad to hear you've stopped using it.

Again, ask your vet for panalog, I think both Vestre and you will be much happier with it, at least until you can get a diagnosis confirmed.

[Sara]

I will have to save this info in my files. Scary stuff. I don't want to use anything that strong or even remotely risky. I think the vet recommended me to use it a week. This is the first time I posted the ingredients. I am glad I posted it this time. You are a wealth of knowledge and have a big heart to boot. Thanks for being so special . More tomorrow after the vet visit... I hope I can get these things here or something similar. Wish me luck!

[Traci]

I'm wishing Vestre and you TONS of luck, Sara, I know just how frustrated you are with this. I hope your vet can at least get an idea on how the culture is going, it should be revealing by now.

Please keep us updated and kiss that sweet boy for me, poor baby!!

[Sara]

she said his raw spots are not infected yet but he is now on an oral antibiotic, cefa... something, for a week. She said no more milk in the AM in case he has an allergy. I have to admit I have been letting him finish my All Bran cereal milk in the AM. Tuesday she is going to bring me some hypoallergenic cat food. It's a long weekend here so we have to wait. She said no more creams of any kind, just the oral antibiotic. She said the culture should be in soon. Maybe it's the darned milk I was letting him have?

[Traci]

It's really doubtful about the milk, unless he has a sensitivity to the milk protein, still unlikely.

Glad to hear you're going to try a hypoallergenic trial, keep us updated...hang in there Sara!