? Urgent Help Needed! Seeking Short Term Steroid Recommendation for Flea Irritation

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Critter Mom

Critter Mom

Member Since 2014
Freaking out here. Struggling with a flea problem and despite having a spot-on treatment yesterday Saoirse has started pulling all her fur out; there's a big bald patch on her back and she's intent on doing further damage. (Cone of Shame, here we come again ... :( )

Is there anything I could do for her today? I can't use Dermallay spray because the skin is too irritated. I have coconut oil but I don't know whether that might make things better or worse. :(

Can anyone recommend a short-term steroid that might help her? I want to get her into the vet tomorrow and I need to know what steroid (or other treatment) to ask for, what impact it may have on her BG levels and how to manage around it so that I can argue the case with the vet. Saoirse's currently running on a 7-day average in the high 7s (mmol/L on Alphatrak) with only a fat zero SID dose of Lantus. (Spreadsheet's not up to date - lowest nadirs are in the 5s.)

I am desperate to do something to help my girl. Panicking here. Again. :(

Dear Universe - please give Saoirse a BREAK!!! :( :( :(



Mogs
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Hi Sharon,

Thanks for replying - very good to hear a friendly voice right now. :bighug: My anxiety levels were stratospheric before this latest issue but they're even worse now.

The Dermallay is the oatmeal spray. I read the instructions thoroughly and they specifically say not to use it on inflamed skin. :( I'm desperate not to do anything that might potentially make her worse.

Thanks for the trap suggestion. I'm going to get my carer to help me treat the whole house this week. (It's awful needing help to do everything. :( ) I've also got a UV-C system which might help going forward.


Mogs
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I don't know about a good steroid, but it wonder if the prednisone pills would be an option. Since you have to give them everyday maybe that means they don't stay in the system for too long? I remember years ago using them, and giving full dose for a couple days them weaning them off it. Not sure if it's a good option or not. That's strange that the oatmeal can't be used on inflamed skin. Seems like that's where you need to use it! Here's something I found on the coconut oil
http://www.livestrong.com/article/294373-how-to-use-coconut-oil-for-inflammation-of-skin/
 
Oh no, Mogs, I'm sorry to hear this. It's all you need...
I've no idea about steroids but I just Googled 'natural flea treatment for cats' and a few things came up that look plausible... Lemon, apple cider vinegar, some kind of dry earth... might be worth a quick look to see if anything of that kind fits the bill?
Hope you (both) find something that helps asap.
Hugs
Diana
 
Oh Mogs! It just never stops does it! I don't know of any creams or lotions you could use if the skin is that irritated. If Saoirse will hold still for bit, you could try very cold compresses (gel ice packs or a bag of peas wrapped in towel) as that might help ease the itching/discomfort. I was thinking perhaps an antihistamine but with her high BP anything available OTC would not be advisable as they can elevate BP. :bighug::bighug:
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Oh Mogs! It just never stops does it!
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Tell me about it, Linda. :( I just feel like I can't win, no matter what I do. :( Saoirse was brilliant for the first couple of days after the dental till she overgroomed the site where the vet removed the skin tag. Steroid cream made that worse and Cone of Shame depressed her and got in the way of her eating properly. Coconut oil helped the soreness but it is taking so long for the scab to fall off. Her little recovery shirt solved the Cone of Shame problem but I think that might be why she now has the flea issue and skin irritation. Frankly, I'm even more gutted because the scab from the original hot spot will be off in a few days and Saoirse would have been comfortable again. It's crushing to have yet another thing go wrong and I feel like I'm failing her again. :(

There are only 3 bite areas that I can see, Linda, but the skin is red and broken at those points. I bathed the area with a little salt water to clean it and that was enough to cause her discomfort (which, of course, made me feel even worse). :(

Diana, thanks for the search suggestion. I think I found the same article. Had a look but there was nothing that leapt out at me that I would feel comfortable trying. I think the acidic treatments would not be a good idea for a CKD cat and the DE sounds like scary stuff.

Thanks for the link about the coconut oil, Sharon; I've applied some to the area to see if it might help (and I'm praying and crossing everything that she doesn't have a coconut oil allergy ... :nailbiting: )

If there are any prayers and healing thoughts going begging, I'd appreciate a few for my beloved girl. She's looking miserable in the Cone of Shame again. :(


Mogs
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Hi Mogs,

I have recently bought a lotion for irritation and itching, and it works well for Capoo.
It's made by Beaphar laboratory, and it contains Calendula and zinc oxide.
 
My old civvie girl, Sophie, is currently being kept alive by steroids (prednisolone). She literally wouldn't be able to eat without this medication. It has been a lifesaver for her.
But my understanding is that steroids are contraindicated if there is any suspicion of pancreatitis. So (if that is the case - and somebody please correct me if I'm wrong) would that not be OK for Saorise given that she is prone to p'titis flare-ups....?

Hugs to you (((Mogs)))

Eliz
 
Capoo said:
Hi Mogs,

I have recently bought a lotion for irritation and itching, and it works well for Capoo.
It's made by Beaphar laboratory, and it contains Calendula and zinc oxide.
Click to expand...
Mogs, just looked for Sophie's suggestion - it's available from Amazon and looks good... Contains aloe vera too.
 
Mogs, I had a cat who had a very bad skin reaction to a topical flea product, and I was told to put vitamin E on the spot to soothe it. It worked like a charm. I just broke open a capsule and massaged the site gently and briefly with the oil. I don't think it is harmful in any way, but you might want to double check with her vet. My cat did not have any broken skin. I hope poor Saoirse gets some relief soon! Nothing worse than an itch that won't go away! :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Elizabeth and Bertie said:
my understanding is that steroids are contraindicated if there is any suspicion of pancreatitis.
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It's the opposite, Eliz; corticosteroids may be beneficial in the treatment of standalone pancreatitis/IBD/triaditis:

From the IDEXX pancreatitis treatment guidelines:

It is common for cats with pancreatitis to have other concurrent conditions. The term “triaditis” has been used to describe the complex of cholangitis, inflammatory bowel disease and pancreatitis. Treatment with anti-inflammatory doses of prednisone, prednisolone or dexamethasone is not contraindicated in these cats and can be quite effective. Cats with chronic pancreatitis alone may actually benefit from the anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids.
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You've done me a big favour in pointing me to the guidelines, Eliz; it has the names of some drugs that might benefit Saoirse. I would very much welcome a steer from any members who have used them in cats with comorbid diabetes to get input on any pros and cons people have experienced in their cats so that I might be better placed as to what to request from our vets. (They are very anti any steroid intervention for diabetic cats.)


Mogs
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Diana&Tom said:
Contains aloe vera too
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Simple aloe vera gel (bottled not straight from the plant) might help and should be readily available in nearby shops.

If it helps, my geriatric guy was on oral prednisolone for awhile and one of my concerns was the possibility of inducing diabetes. My vet was of the opinion that while injections of steroids is often a trigger for diabetes, it doesn't seem to be the case with low dose oral administration. My old guy has remained fine through his therapy and since.
 
@Squalliesmom -

Lucy, have you got the name of the vitamin E product you used? Vitamin E should be fine (it's an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and Saoirse gets it in her supplements). If I could find something similar locally a friend might be able to pick some up for me tomorrow.


Mogs
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MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Simple aloe vera gel (bottled not straight from the plant) might help and should be readily available in nearby shops.
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I worry about anything with aloe vera, Linda, because I've heard mixed reports about toxicity (including reports of feline fatalities from a very well-respected UK health supplement supplier). I know from Diane (Bailey's mum, bless his little spirit) that if one does use aloe vera it has to be a very particular preparation otherwise it's not safe. Do you have any more information on safe aloe vera products for cats?


Mogs
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Critter Mom said:
@Squalliesmom -

Lucy, have you got the name of the vitamin E product you used? Vitamin E should be fine (it's an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and Saoirse gets it in her supplements). If I could find something similar locally a friend might be able to pick some up for me tomorrow.


Mogs
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Sadly, Mogs, I don't know what the product's name was. My neighbor's husband took vitamin E daily, and she gave me some of his capsules. They were liquid-filled gel caps, I just pierced them with a knife tip to release the contents.

ETA: The vitamin E gave him IMMEDIATE relief.
 
Critter Mom said:
Got a link by any chance, Diana?


Mogs
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Click to expand...
Errrrr.... I don't know how to link using an iPad (which is all I've got). But I just Googled 'Beaphar Calendula' and the Amazon link came up. Try it... Although if you're worried about aloe vera it might not be ideal after all...?
 
Mogs

When my son had measles I used Vit E oil on his skin and it cleared up the itch and some rashes that looked like they might end up scarring from all his scratching.

You can use standard Vit E capsules and just pierce the capsule to get the oil out. I would probably use a lower dose capsule such as 200 IU.
 
Mogs, it was my understanding that it's the outer layer of the plant leaves that contain the toxin. The clear, greenish gel substance in the leaves is fine but the whitish sap in the outer layer of the leaves is the problem. If you just took a plant leaf and squeezed out the gel, it would contain some of that sap from crushing. With processing any extracted sap is supposedly removed. Now that said, I suppose some products are likely purer than others and unfortunately, (or rather fortunately for me) I have never had occasion to need it for my furbabies. I have seen aloe vera in detangling shampoo etc for pets but again perhaps it does depend on the processing or source. The toxicity concerns always talk about ingestion of the plant so I didn't think topical use would be an issue as long as the cat is not licking the stuff off and ingesting it that way.

There are people touting the benefits of giving aloe vera gel in oral form to cats for FIP etc. and I tend to think that would be the source of any fatality reports but if Diane ran into a problem using it topically, I'd certainly think twice about it too.
 
I don't personally have any recommedations although I have used viatmin e oil (and capsules) on my own eczema to stop the inflammation and itching and it is one of the few things that works, although I did not know it was cat-friendly, so may be something to look into for Carter as well...

Just wanted to say I hope Saoirse starts catching a break and feeling better, and you as well!
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
if Diane ran into a problem using it topically, I'd certainly think twice about it too.
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Diane gave a specific aloe vera product to Bailey internally with great success (massively decreased the swelling in his pancreas) but when I made my own enquiries I was put off by the supplier telling me they had knowledge of fatalities; just a risk I'm not comfortable with - especially with all the glitches we've had recently. So frustrating that there might be something to help but I can't take the risk. :(

The toxicity concerns always talk about ingestion of the plant so I didn't think topical use would be an issue as long as the cat is not licking the stuff off and ingesting it that way.
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Saoirse would be able to groom it off if I applied it in the affected area. Additionally, aloe vera has the property of penetrating deep into the dermis when applied topically (have used it myself in the past and the doctor who prescribed it said one needs to be careful about having clean skin before application because the aloe vera can carry other chemicals down into the dermis along with it).


Mogs
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Capoo said:
It's not the one you posted, but this one :

https://www.amazon.fr/Beaphar-Lait-Anti-Démangeaison-125-ml/dp/B0092YK0VO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1463929190&sr=8-3&keywords=Beaphar calendula

Unfortunately, it seems only available in France (I'm looking for it on amazon uk and us for more than 30 minutes without success), and I don't know if you can order it from UK on Amazon.fr.
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Merci bien pour votre aide, Sophie. :bighug: The supplier says on the listing they don't ship to the UK. I've tried a general web search, too, and came up empty. :(


Mogs
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Mogs
You might want to try Pet Alive products the phone number is 800 683 1235 or 877 289 1235 or in google search type pet alive.
Im not going to recommend which product but please check into it. My son's Jack Russell has horrible allergies to fleas and grass and a ton of other things about4 years ago I came across this product line and his dog is so much better. Hope you find something that will work forfor Saoirse.:bighug::bighug::bighug::cat:
 
Mogs, Benadryl is not recommended for anyone with high blood pressure. I'd definitely want to consult with a vet before administering any antihistamines given Saoirse's BP issues.
 
I have an aloe vera pet shampoo bought at Pets at Home (own brand), which I used successfully for a flea allergy. I also bought https://www.amazon.co.uk/GOODbehavi...-Cat/dp/B0026JAKWG/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20 which was good in breaking the cycle of scratching and licking. Urea creams are very good for itchy skin as well and come in combination with lactic acid but do check the other ingredients as well for safety. Provided her skin is not too bad I think you should be ok to use the oatmeal spray you have.
 
@Alexi

Thanks for the additional suggestions, Alexi. If she hadn't been really sore when I was bathing the affected area earlier I might be inclined to give the Dermallay a punt but I'm going to hang fire on it for now (particularly worried about the perfuming ingredients).

Re the pheremone collar, I've got some Feliway spray in the house. Do you think that might help her a bit if I spray it onto something and leave it near her?


Mogs
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Feliway should help, I think it is the wonder drug :). I have a plug in on the go at the moment because of a bit of an upset with a strange cat appearing recently, the spray is good for short term measures but the collar was very effective in stopping the continual licking bald behaviour long after the original problem had gone.
 
Alexi said:
Feliway should help, I think it is the wonder drug :). I have a plug in on the go at the moment because of a bit of an upset with a strange cat appearing recently, the spray is good for short term measures but the collar was very effective in stopping the continual licking bald behaviour long after the original problem had gone.
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I'm very grateful for this tip, Alexi; it's something I'd never have thought of in a million. :bighug:

Feliway spray now deployed. <crosses fingers>


Mogs
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@Diana&Tom -

Hi Diana,

Thank you for checking in on us. Between the cool compress and the blankie sprayed with Feliway beside her Saoirse seemed to become less tense. She then had a good sleep and seemed to become more relaxed over time. She just woke a short while ago. The Feliway seems to have boosted her appetite; an unexpected but more than welcome development. She's fed up of the Cone but she doesn't look quite as miserable as she did earlier before I kicked off this thread, and I'm grateful for small mercies.

Hope your day is going much better. :bighug:


Mogs
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