How to treat cat’s skin woes
Our cat is a big legal requirement.
boy. You might say At 16 pounds, your
that he is too big cat is invariably
since he weighs 16 overweight and
pounds. He is now 11 should probably be
years old, and while on a diet to lose at
he hasn’t been seen least 5 pounds.
by a vet in a few There are risks
years, he has had no associated with
health issues. He being that heavy
never leaves our including diabetes,
ground-floor apartment heart disease and home and is more.
visited at the windows As to the skin by neighbors condition between
and their pets daily. the shoulder
Starting about blades, it sounds as
four weeks ago, he if it could be either
developed a small scab on his an autoimmune or stress-induced
back between his shoulders. We dermatitis. The fact that
didn’t think much of it but after you were leaving and went for
my husband and I went away for a a vacation may have triggered
week, we returned to see the area the situation. Treatment might
enlarged to the point where there include topical medication or
was a fair-sized patch of skin systemic corticosteroids.
exposed where hair had been lost There are other possible
and the scab was larger, there causes including ectoparasites,
were even two. a bug bite that itched and
What could have been the caused him to scratch the area
cause of this and is there anything to the point where the scab and
that we can do to treat it at home? hair loss developed, and more.
We will schedule him to be seen A good physical examination
but wonder if there is anything we will be diagnostic and then specific
can do until we can get him in appropriate treatment can
since there are no appointments be started.
available for over a month. Until then, you can likely be
My first inclination would be, safe to apply something like as you might expect, to suggest Neosporin to the lesion area that you have him seen by a vet- twice daily. Presumably he cannot erinarian who can properly get at it and lick it. Don’t diagnose the skin condition, but plan on scheduling the you have that already planned. appointment but do it right Do follow up on that because if away. It’s in his best interest all the cat has not been seen in sev- around. Lastly, if the lesion gets eral years, a thorough health any worse and starts to get raw check is in order and he proba- and bleeding, you can always bly is also in need of a few vac- take him in for an emergency cines, that for rabies being a visit. Good luck.