Expert: Norman Auspitz - 8/14/2009

Question
First of a bit of history.  Took our 4 year old Burmese to the vet in Mar of this year.  Had licked himself, then starting biting off the scabs.  Vet gave us some topical cream and the lamp shade.  Cleared up for a time, but in a recent visit the vet said he wasn't sure why this was happening.  So far the $ value is climbing...with no clear course of action.

Now the one area is cleared up, yet he has licked off all of his fur, about 5Cm in size from an area just by his tail.  Initially the sores seemed to be healing, but he started biting them again, and now they are runny with clear puss.  My wife thinks we should use poly sporin on him, to help the healing process....however can a cat not get sick by ingesting this product?

Hope you can get back to me ASAP, this problem is getting worse, and the vet bills keep climbing...which I wouldn't mind paying, if they solved the problem!!!

Thanks for your time

Sincerely

Garry

Answer
Garry,

Remember, I am not a vet!!!!! Also, I am assuming your vet has ruled out a fungus infection of any kind.

However, there are a few things I might consider.  First, it is possible your cat has an oversensitivity to body mites. If so, treating with ivermectin orally for 4 weeks, once a week on the same day each week would clear this up.  The ivermectin dosages are rather small usually less than .1 cc.  It is based on body weight, so our vet could calculate the dosage.  If this does not work, it is not body mites.  BTW, ivermectin is a very, very safe drug for cats.

Another possibility is an allergy.  These can be tough to track down.  An allergy to fleas can do this as can food allergies.  The most common food allergies in cats tend to be allergies to corn, wheat, and/or soy.

There may be more esoteric possibilities, but you would have to go to a specialist in considering these.

I do not know whether or not your vet has considered these and treated for these or not, but if not, maybe it is time for a second opinion.

A good source of quick veterinary advice is an e-mail list called fanciershealth and you can subscribe by sending an e-mail to fanciershealth-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Please let me know what you find.

Best regards... Norm.