SKIN ISSUES-belly&inner legs bald-scratchg @neck

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pepperthecat1969

pepperthecat1969

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Hello KHAN Is recently diabetic. Prior to that he has had allergy issues-not confirmed.
If anyone has had experience with a cat that had licked all the hair off his belly and down the inside of both legs please contact me! Khan (my cat) is now scratching so badly at his neck his mane is gone. His thyroid has been tested several times.
 
Yep, Little Boy is doing the same thing. My post is lower down the page - its title is Itchy and scratchy. Someone gave me a url to some old posts that I looked at and found useful. I suspect one of the problems for my cat could be kitty litter. I came on the site to discuss antibiotics because my vet said LB may have a bacterial infection form the itching. He's now on antibiotics but I don't think they are necessary. I think it's allergy and yes it's not confirmed but my vet said that I have to use flea treatment for 3 months (he doesn't have flea's) and then we need to test what the cause is. In the mean time I gather that some foods are the problem. I'm pretty new to this problem. It has only just turned into a problem as although his fur has gone off his tummy for a while I only just realised that his legs look skinny and that it's coz his britches have gone. He had such a cute butt before - and now it looks kinda exposed!!! His neck hasn't started though it's very itchy if I scratch his neck.

It's nite time in Australia and I'm putting my feet up. I will check in later so we can exchange more of what we learn.

Marilyn
 
Hi to both of you. When my cat Schooch was about 8 years old he started to lick himself bald He licked so much hair all his hair was gone on belly both inside legs both feet. They told me and this is a fact. That once they feel something different. like a bit of hair gone. They try to make it all feel the same so they just keep working at it again and again. This is what I did get some bitter testing ointment the kind they use after your pet has surgery .They don`t want them to lick.. I mixed it with water just a bit and cover all the areas he is licking and the fur around the area. You have to break the habit. They told me he had other stuff going on .He would have so much hair he would not be able to poop. Enamas are really cost a lot $250. to get your cat to poop...Well at the very least by trying this you are not putting crap into their bodies they don`t need. One vet wanted to give mine an anti depressing drug to make him forget what he was doing. I tried this and still after years he is 16 I still have to dip a cotton ball in water& ointment and dab his paw if I catch him licking . I hope this helps Angel & healing green light coming your way to help kitty get over his problem . Kath
 
it's also that time of year for the "itchy boogies"....I read somewhere that October is the worst month for fleas.

I have one gal that has an extreme flea allergy- they need only walk across her and she is sent into a frenzy of itching, scratching, licking, chewing....It is most detectable by the scabs her itching terror leaves behind.

Treated with flea application between shoulder blades- completely GONE.

I have another that chewed her hair for years and nothing I did helped ( changed diet, flea meds, etc) until she became epileptic and started on phenobarb....she now has a full body of hair and is perfectly "fine"....In her case I think it was a behavior issue that a little narcotic calmed her and straightened her out.

In one last case, I have one that is naked all down the underneath and after much working with her, have determined that hers is also behavior, but is not extreme so no meds needed...she doesn't pull frantically or for hours on end, she just keeps her belly hair short when she grooms..

Yours could be an allergy to foods ( fish, beef, grains) and you could eliminate one at a time to see if that helps...could be the flea allergy and flea meds would help that...could be seasonal with the pollens and mildews and need antihitimine or could be behavioral and needs meds.

In my house it would be process of elimination b/c I can't afford the vet bills, but if you have the budget, it might be helpful to do an allergy panel?

Hope it works out well soon.
 
Thank you EVERYone for the kind replys.

I believe Khan's behavior is food allergy as well as behavioral. When he was switched to a canned Response LB (IAMS prescription) he did very well but then he deceided he didn't want to eat it anymore. Khan is a very picky eater. He was on amotypophan? a long time ago and I really didn't like having to drug up my cat but I thought it was best because there was a lot of tension in my house at the time. Later he received a steriod shot which put him in the hospital- DVMS told me it was not the steriod that placed him there (I do NOT BELIEVE THAT NOW). when I had him on Royal Canin Rabbit and Pea he stopped licking. He did get into his mom's food (INSTINCT) and he broke right out..ended up having to take him in right away since he scratch his whole face up-with deep cuts above and below his eyes.. So something in that food caused a big reaction. I took him in (now this is many years later since the first steriod shot).. he ended up getting another steriod shot -AFTER a thyroid and blood test were done (both were fine with the glucose a bit elevated but nothing that alarmed the DVM) and he stopped licking. I made sure he didn't get into ANY other foods. I took him in two weeks later and had another blood test ran since he was laying around, hiding and just really looking like he felt horrible. Since he wasn't eating and would eat Iams kitten canned I fed him only Iams Kitten canned. I thought well I know the Iams Kitten canned is used a lot with borderline diabetics so why not? 6 wks later his back legs went out from under him and he appeared like he was going to have a seizure. I took him in and he was hospitalized for 3 days. The DVM was challenged he said because Khan's case wasn't just straight DIABETES. Khan's behavior was very strange. He came home and DVM wasn't real comfortable with placing Khan on insulin (like the previous visit) however he did not want Khan's numbers to get high again. DVM ordered up a insulin that I found was taken off the market so I had to go with Humulin N- 5 days later!! 1/2 unit was prescribed. Khan ended up in the hospital AGAIN. He was placed on Hill's a/d and IAMS Maximum Calorie. I had to suringe feed and coax him into eating. He was fed dry and wet Purina DM but he would not eat the dry and barely ate the wet. He had 2-3 glucose curves done and after the third I called DVM and wanted to know WHY KHAN looked so aweful - he was black and blue in the insides of his legs and his neck was shaved. I was appalled! So I didn't bring him back, I switched his food to EVO Herring and Salmon dry -he eats that! but wet is the way to go I hear for diabetics. I've tried Hills w/d- he won't touch it. I found this webpage, I just recently spoke to the DVM on home testing and began home testing this week. Khan has scratched his neck-his whole mane is gone and continues to lick his belly and insides of his legs. His ears can end up beet red and very warm- I suspect the warmth has to do with diabetes. The Skin condition ?? Today i will pick up some low carb Fancy Feast and see what the carbs are on the EVO Herring and Salomn canned- if I can get the canned then I ill wonder if the insulin is beef based or chicken.. could that be the reason for the continuing itch? Fleas- he is front lined.
 
I don't think LBs hair loss is behavioural. Maine Coons are pretty laid back. The vet told us LB didn't appear to suffer from stress or anxiety. He's not generally a cat that grooms himself a lot. Lazy male!! I am starting to suspect the kitty litter strongly. he's gone two nights without using the tray. Hope I don't find any wet smelly patches anywhere!!! The last time he used the tray he got the pee'd on kitty litter caught up in his fur. He licked a lot (as you do!) but more than just grooming it off. a lot of kitty litters are too perfumed. I really love the one we use but then I don't have to use it!!

as for Khan, can you try him on some expensive chicken or steak? (very fresh and raw) the amount you are spending on quality tinned food can be used to temp him with fresh meat treats.
 
My nondiabetic did it...turns out she'd developed allergies to her old dry food which I continued to give her as a treat. Took the dry food away and made her diet 100% fancy feast, the licking and sores went away.
 
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