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Let me preface this with I've already taken my cat to see the vet and they have no idea. First suggestion sight unseen was a cat bite. Once the vet took a look, he was baffled. Ruled out cat aggression and said it didn't look like allergies or fleas either. Ears were clear. I got some soothing foam medication that doesn't seem to do anything. More info: He's been on Hill's c/d canned wet food for years. The pandemic forced us to switch particular flavors a couple of times due to availability, but he's currently eating a chicken product that he's tolerated since at least 2020. So my cat Echo has a bald spot between his shoulder blades that isn't getting better. I first noticed it a couple weeks before Thanksgiving. He'd been scratching that side of himself and I thought maybe he'd clawed himself open. Hadn't trimmed his nails in a while and they'd gotten a bit gnarly.  It grew a little wider and then stopped. The skin cleared up. Eventually noticed the fur starting to grow back. I thought things were going good. Just before Thanksgiving, an adjacent spot appeared. It almost looked like the fur had been ripped out. We thought maybe he was rubbing himself up against something but couldn't find the source. Thanksgiving comes and goes. The spot got a whole lot wider but no sign of skin irritation. He scratched at his shoulder with his foot but it didn't look like he can reach? Took him to the vet. Got absolutely nothing useful out of it. Vet was baffled and gave us some foam that's supposed to calm down irritated skin. Lo and behold, a few days later and the bald spot is now a large patch.  The wetness on the fur was me trying to clean up the wound a bit. I touched the exposed skin and it felt kind of dry to me. So I put some coconut oil on him just to see if that helped. It's been a day and the skin looks a lot less irritated and there hasn't been any noticeable itching.  Help me goons, what's wrong with my fat boy?
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Dec 11, 2021 00:55
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Probably a stupid question but did you check for fleas?
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Dec 11, 2021 23:00
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No evidence of fleas noted by myself or the vet. My other cat has shown no sign that anything is wrong either.
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Dec 12, 2021 01:34
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Does your other cat groom him? Maybe there's excessive licking and fur eating from the other cat?
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Dec 12, 2021 23:20
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I don’t think so? Grooming is usually done to Echo’s forehead and chest, before the other cat gets grumpy and flees.
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Dec 13, 2021 01:49
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Not a vet, but alopecia, if you've eliminated the obvious suspects, is really hard to pin down. This is honestly something that's may require blood tests and possibly a skin biopsy. It could be stress, it could be an autoimmune condition, or many things in between. If your vet doesn't have any idea and it gets worse then it's time for a second opinion.
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Dec 13, 2021 17:44
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Already booked an appointment with a different vet for this Friday. In the meantime, I put a little Santa vest on Echo so he wouldn't scratch or lick the area any further. I'm definitely wondering if it might be an autoimmune thing, since he got swollen beans a few years back at an old apartment. The vet gave steroids and that worked like a charm.
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Dec 14, 2021 03:34
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Spoke with a different vet. Echo got an antibiotic shot and will be on steroids for the next 3 weeks. Fingers crossed.
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Dec 18, 2021 06:14
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We are all tugging for you.
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Dec 20, 2021 09:08
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Echo did well on steroids, but started scratching himself again once we dropped down to every other day dosing. Vet suggested we switch diets, which is a pain since he's already on Hills c/d, but we're going to hold off for a few months since we're planning to move in that time. Less stressors the better. Problem: ongoing. Probably just gonna shut this thread due to lack of interest/information. Sorry goons.
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Dec 31, 2021 23:05
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I'm interested but if there are no updates, I understand if you close it
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Jan 1, 2022 15:14
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I think people are interested, but it's one of those things where it's hard to have a good conversation on without getting more data.
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Jan 2, 2022 06:51
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I am also interested how this turns out for Echo! One of our cats has a small bald patch on his belly, maybe an inch across. It appeared last spring and has remained the same size and location since then. The skin doesn't seem to be irritated and he doesn't seem to be bothered in the least, everything else about him is normal and healthy young cat. He isn't over-grooming and his coat is otherwise very luxurious. He HAS gone on a couple of different foods since the summer, because we're troubleshooting some gastric issues in our other cat and feed them the same food for convenience, but he eats everything happily and the spot predates any dietary change.
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Jan 2, 2022 07:42
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Alright then. Echo is back on steroids once a day at the original dosing. He's still gently scratching at the area? But not causing any more wounds on his back. The vet wanted to drop the dosage to one pill a day instead of two since we're going to use this for a temporary solution until we settle into our new home whenever that's going to be. I guess I'm going to follow the vet's plan unless he starts clawing himself open again. I'm also second guessing my decision to hold off on switching diets because I hate seeing my cat suffering like this. Bleh.
Dazerbeams fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Jan 3, 2022 |
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Jan 3, 2022 19:09
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No need to rush it if he's improving, and the residual scratching might be a few things. Maybe the steroids are not fully suppressing the cause of the itch, only most of it. Maybe he's just unused to being bald in those spots and is curious or is feeling himself, or is feeling a breeze. Keep an eye on it and monitor his progress.
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Jan 4, 2022 14:52
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The vet actually called me up to do a follow-up and said some scratching was understandable as it might take a while for the steroid to reach adequate levels in his system. This is after being on steroids for 2 weeks and a not so great attempt at weaning him off it.
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Jan 5, 2022 00:15
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The fur is starting to grow in and no new scabs so the steroids are helping. We’re going to be moving in a few weeks so once the cats get acclimated to their new home, I’m going to wean Echo off the steroids at the same time as I introduce the new hypoallergenic diet. Purina pro plan veterinary diet HA.
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Jan 19, 2022 09:00
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Thanks for keeping us updated! I'm glad Echo's condition is improving. For some reason, I find it a bit funny that cats can also get skin problems that respond to steroids, much like people do. It sounds like it was something with his immune system, but also stress could possibly make it worse? I hope the move goes well and the cats (and people) adjust quickly.
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Jan 20, 2022 07:53
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Dazerbeams posted:The fur is starting to grow in and no new scabs so the steroids are helping. I don't believe you. I'm going to have to see some pictures for proof. 
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Jan 20, 2022 17:52
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Dazerbeams fucked around with this message at 00:45 on Jan 21, 2022 |
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Jan 21, 2022 00:39
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He’s been so easy to pill because I’ve been sticking it on the end of an churu inaba stick and he laps it right up. It’s a pity his brother hates it because Leo is now limping and we’re putting him on pain meds assuming it’s just a soft tissue injury. Echo is a bully and chases Leo around whenever he gets real hungry.
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Jan 21, 2022 00:53
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I'm so glad he's doing better  Shame about Leo though 
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Jan 21, 2022 23:33
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Have you ruled out mange? Alternatively, shave the cat and you won't notice. (:
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Jan 23, 2022 00:08
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Since Echo has been on the steroids, his skin has been really clear and healthy looking. And the vet didn't suggest any parasites so I think it's safe to say it's not mange. Leo hasn't shown any itchiness either. And no shaving the kitties. Their coats are too silky smooth to do that.
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Jan 23, 2022 22:46
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Parasites/fungus/etc. are pretty easy to rule out and if the symptoms are resolving with only steroids then it may simply be idiopathic with no readily discernible cause.
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Jan 24, 2022 02:54
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Not really an update on Echo, but I've slipped him some gabapentin to test whether it agrees with him. We'll be flying in a few weeks and I'm hoping a bit of meds might mean he won't scream his little head off for 8 hours straight. It's been 3 hours and he's just been snoozing like a champ. Leo also seems to be limping less. He has another day on everything, and then it will be gabapentin only until Thursday. We have a vet appointment on Friday to assess how he's doing but I'm hopeful.
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Jan 24, 2022 19:17
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Leo is back to normal, hurray. Echo has more fur coming in but it's still kind of sparse on the left side. Going to chalk that up to the steroids not completely masking the itchiness that is possibly coming from the diet. I need to call my vet again and ask about what to do regarding wet food. The new prescription diet only comes in dry but they both seem bad at drinking water and I have no idea how to get fluids into them if its not through food. Also, we had to pack the cats into the car for 6 hours while we had an open house, and they. Yowled. The. Entire. Time. Going to drug them with gabapentin (already been previously tested on both) and pray they are not horrible noise machines when we fly. Which is this Thursday. So long as they aren't completely wigging out, I'll start feeding them the new diet while we're stuck in a hotel suite waiting for all our furniture to ship to our new address. 
Dazerbeams fucked around with this message at 06:51 on Feb 7, 2022 |
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Feb 7, 2022 06:47
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Good luck, though I'd suggest transitioning to new food slowly since they'll be experiencing a ton of change already.
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Feb 7, 2022 13:04
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Dazerbeams posted:Leo is back to normal, hurray. Echo has more fur coming in but it's still kind of sparse on the left side. Going to chalk that up to the steroids not completely masking the itchiness that is possibly coming from the diet. I need to call my vet again and ask about what to do regarding wet food.
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Feb 9, 2022 03:45
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Slugworth posted:Hills Z/D is a great substitute for the Purina HA, and comes in wet for cats. Unfortunately, they're on C/D which is why we're switching to Purina HA. The cats traveled like angels. Only a few yowls while we were rolling around the airports, and some towards the very end of the last flight when the plane braked extremely hard. They are taking to their temporary lodgings with gusto. I suppose it helps to no longer be trapped in tiny carriers surrounded by unknown terrors. In a day or so I'm going to give them a tiny bit of the HA mixed in with their standard diet and see how they react.
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Feb 11, 2022 06:18
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No upset tummies or other digestive issues from the cats. They seem to prefer the HA so I’m going ahead with giving them more.
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Feb 16, 2022 04:09
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Started to wean Echo off the pednisolone and immediately began to see scabs forming on his shoulder blades. So we're going back to steroids full time to give the HA diet a while longer to settle with his system.
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Mar 8, 2022 01:59
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Poor thing, at least you have something that clearly manages his symptoms.
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Mar 8, 2022 05:23
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So it's been about 2 months since Echo started the HA diet. I haven't noticed him scratching at all recently, and there's only the tiniest bare patch left after having such a huge bald spot earlier. Funnily enough, the fur coming back in is a lot more salt and pepper than his usual coat. Fingers crossed as I start to wean him off the steroids again.
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Mar 30, 2022 20:12
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Barely more than a day on every other day dosing, and the bald spot has grown. Immediately going back to full steroids. I spoke with the vet and we both agree this is not a food thing, so yay I get to switch the cats back to their original diet.
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Apr 2, 2022 09:24
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Well that sucks, does the vet have an idea of what else it may be?
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Apr 4, 2022 01:39
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No, and at this point we have to take Echo to a new vet since we're on a different coast. Luckily I found one that is taking new patients relatively quickly.
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Apr 5, 2022 04:53
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New vet is wondering if the itching is psychosomatic after the initial cause came and went. I guess we'll never know because she did a skin scrape for mites (negative) and can't think of anything else. So we're transitioning Echo onto amitriptyline as a potential long term medication alternative to prednisolone. He's shown signs of constipation but that's it so far, so we're going to give both pills for a couple of weeks before attempting to wean off steroids once more.
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Apr 17, 2022 06:17
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This is probably the last update. The amitriptyline gave Echo serious constipation and also triggered more hair loss within a few days of being on it. So Echo is just going to be on steroids indefinitely. Mystery: Unsolved.
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Apr 25, 2022 03:05
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I'm sorry to hear that, are the side effects of steroid use manageable at least? Sometimes the best we can do is maintain QOL.
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Apr 25, 2022 16:50
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