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Old 08-05-2011, 10:40 PM
 
10,102 posts, read 19,297,579 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StarlaJane View Post
I would actually stay away from hydrogen peroxide as it can irritate the skin and cause it to blister. Soap and water is fine; the epsom salts are great--they will naturally leech out any bacteria and blockages. If you are really concerned about infection, I would get some OTC antibiotic cream for cats to put on after you soak the spots.

We've been soaking his chin area with warm rags with epsom salt solution, then, when the scabs soften, we gently remove them with a q-tip. He must like it, he actually went to the q-tip container and pawed at it. He purrs when we do the soaks! We will do this for the weekend, if not significantly improved, we will go to the vet.

Perhaps people think its being "cheap" to try to avoid the vet, but we know from past experience vets charge a fortune for any little thing. they first want to do a full blood panel, then a scraping, then send it off, then.....it could easily add up to $100-$200 That's a lot of cat food!


medical care is outrageous, and we have insurance--human and vet insurance. But, VPI insurance doesn't pay much on small bills, we just carry it for catestrophic, like cancer, etc.

Also, even for ourselves, after we pay our health insurance we can't afford to use it! A few weeks ago I broke my toe, but just treated it myself, its not at a weird angle, Ijust use a large clog shoe, ice, stay off it, to go to an urgent care clinic would cost $300-$400 with insurance, just to be told to do what I'm doing! Its ridiculous when a cat has better health insurance than a human, and we can't afford either one!
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Old 08-06-2011, 07:26 PM
 
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The epsom salt seems to be helping---we trimmed his beard area, less fur, and air gets to it, I did put a small amount of cortisone cream on it, seems to help. Its just little scabs, but making poor kitty miserable!
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Old 08-06-2011, 11:12 PM
 
Location: In the north country fair
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MaryleeII View Post
The epsom salt seems to be helping---we trimmed his beard area, less fur, and air gets to it, I did put a small amount of cortisone cream on it, seems to help. Its just little scabs, but making poor kitty miserable!
I don't blame you for not wanting to go to the vet for something this minor. I doubt that they would have done a blood panel, but they would probably have done a skin scraping. But, even if they hadn't, you still would have been charged the examination fee and probably been prescribed some unnecessary antibiotics/antibiotic cream.

But cat acne really isn't a joke. Secondary bacterial infections can develop when they rupture. They really are quite painful, not to mention uncomfortable. I imagine that the cat feels them every time that he/she eats.

I've extracted a couple of comedones from my cat in a similar manner; she hated while it was being done but was so grateful afterward for the relief from the pressure of this big bump on her chin. So, now I just make sure to keep her chin area clean, which she also hates but for which she is also grateful.
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Old 08-07-2011, 03:00 AM
 
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He saeems to be doing fine. we put just a think layer of cortisone cream on his chin, he's not scratching now, seems to want to sleep. a lot of scabs came off, we will switch his food and water dish to metal. He will defiitely slep better toight! We laso trimmed his "beard' area to keep it from getting wet, he's a part Maine Coon.
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Old 08-07-2011, 06:07 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StarlaJane View Post
I don't blame you for not wanting to go to the vet for something this minor. I doubt that they would have done a blood panel, but they would probably have done a skin scraping. But, even if they hadn't, you still would have been charged the examination fee and probably been prescribed some unnecessary antibiotics/antibiotic cream.

But cat acne really isn't a joke. Secondary bacterial infections can develop when they rupture. They really are quite painful, not to mention uncomfortable. I imagine that the cat feels them every time that he/she eats.

I've extracted a couple of comedones from my cat in a similar manner; she hated while it was being done but was so grateful afterward for the relief from the pressure of this big bump on her chin. So, now I just make sure to keep her chin area clean, which she also hates but for which she is also grateful.

After cleaning the little "bumpies" we did notice a larger bump, its buried under the skin, but definitely there. We will continue to do the hot soaks, perhaps every hour, to see if we can encourage it to come out. Its not at the "go to the vet" stage yet. If it becomes swollen, red, infected, etc, well, he goes to the vet. but, we are trying to manage our budget as well.

He seems to have oily skin and dry fur at the same time, sound strange? sounds like me, my scalp is so oily I have to wash my hair every day, but my hair is dried out. Perhaps Buttons needs some sort of vitamin supplement, like Omega oils/ Perhaps I need supplements? whatever.....


We feel we've made progress with him, he slept better last night, the night before he kept waking me up scratching!

BTW, we do carry pet insurance, VPI, but it doesn't pay very well for minor things. We lost a cat to cancer, and spent about $5000 on treatments, we now carry pet insurance just in case of such catestrophic events again. We couldn't afford such treatments again.
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Old 08-07-2011, 06:09 PM
 
10,102 posts, read 19,297,579 times
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I know they give cats prednisone, its been prescribed for cats. I have some leftover of mine, I wonder if I could give him a one-time dose to relieve the scratch-itch cycle? But how much? I have some 5 mg "human" prednisone tabs..........
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Old 08-07-2011, 06:19 PM
 
Location: Canada
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Please don't 'wash' the area with epsom salts or any soaps....a gentle wipe 'perhaps', washing and having the area damp will only make feline acne worse. If you do a wash be very sure to rinse and dry well after. If it is feline acne changing to stainless steel or ceramic bowls and keeping them well washed with soap and water between uses the problem should be taken care of..(usually)
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Old 08-07-2011, 06:21 PM
 
Location: Canada
157 posts, read 583,335 times
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Oh PLEASE PLEASE never give cats your medicine.....never. only give meds prescribed by a Vet. and never use prednisone or any steroid unless absolutely necessary, even one dose can cause a kitty to become diabetic.
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Old 08-07-2011, 07:45 PM
 
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Please do not give your cat your medicine or ANY medicine that has not been prescribed for him.

If the acne does not clear up after change the dishes, or if it returns, you know you are dealing with a more serious issue. I don't like the sound of that bump under the skin you describe, it could be an abscess.

Sores on the chin are often indicative of dental/mouth problems. If he has an abscess he's probably in a lot of pain and will need the abscess to be opened, and drained and will need antibiotics.

Often delaying a vet visit, and doing home treatments end up costing you more in the long run, because the longer something serious is left undiagnosed and untreated, the more expensive it is to cure.

I don't understand why you are avoiding the vet when your cat is insured to cover serious health issues. No one here is a vet, and while you of course can observe your cat, you are not a vet either. Cats are the masters at hiding pain and illness.

I don't think the cortisone cream is a good idea, either. I hope you will get Buttons to the vet tomorrow.
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Old 08-07-2011, 08:04 PM
 
Location: In the north country fair
4,928 posts, read 10,593,273 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MaryleeII View Post
I know they give cats prednisone, its been prescribed for cats. I have some leftover of mine, I wonder if I could give him a one-time dose to relieve the scratch-itch cycle? But how much? I have some 5 mg "human" prednisone tabs..........
No, I wouldn't give him any medicine, especially human medicine.

The itching is what has concerned me from the very beginning. Cat acne doesn't usually itch; it also usually does not appear around the ear area. It is usually confined to the chin and the sides of the mouth.

I would back off on the soaks and just keep the area dry while applying some cat antibac ointment. I would leave it alone for a couple of days and if the itching continues, get your cat to the vet. Even if it is just acne, it may be at an advanced stage that needs to be managed by a vet.

Again, the itching is concerning. I have never known a cat with cat acne to be as itchy as what you have described. It sounds more like an allergy than just cat acne. If you go to the vet, he/she can perform a skin scraping to make sure that it is only an allergy and then prescribe some cat allergy medication that will at least stop the itching, which seems to be why scabs are appearing.
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