How to treat acne in cats? Treatment for acne in a cat on the chin

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Does your purr on the skin of your chin have unsightly black dots that look like either dandruff or sand, from which there is no way to get rid of? Or maybe these rashes have already turned into pustules? Chances are you're dealing with a fairly common pet problem - acne. What is this disease, how to treat acne in cats, we will discuss today.

What is acne?

The described pathology in an animal looks like acne or black dots on the chin, on the nipples, in the area of the ears and tail, and sometimes on the mucous membranes, in the area of the lips.

The causes of this disease have not yet been properly studied. True, there is an opinion among veterinarians that acne in a cat can be triggered by stress, insufficient care, an allergic reaction to the filler, or provoked by contact dermatitis and other skin diseases in which there is excessive secretion of fat and hair follicles.are not functioning properly.

Not the last role in maintaining the pathological condition is played by constant moisture on the affected area of the skin and rare washing of the animal's bowl by the owners, which leads to the accumulation of bacteria on it.

How does cat acne develop?

Most often this pathology appears on the lips and chin of a cat. It looks like a large accumulation in one place of black dots (comedones), similar to poppy seeds. Often they do not bother the animal for a long time, but over time they can turn into small purulent inflammations, which form crusts after opening.

In case of additional infection of the affected area or as a result of a general weakening of the body of a sick animal, the cat may experience itching at the site of acne, hair falls out, and the affected area becomes swollen.

With severe scratching of the itchy area, there is a danger of a secondary bacterial infection.

Which cats are at risk?

The disease under discussion can appear in a representative of domestic cats of any breed, sex and age. True, some of them suffer from acne only once in a lifetime, and for some it is a constant problem that requires attention and care from the owners.

By the way, it has been observed that spayed individuals develop acne much less frequently than their breeding counterparts.

For Persian cats, this pathology can be especially serious, as it has a negative effect on their skin folds.

How is acne diagnosed?

To accurately determine the causes of acne in a cat in each case, you must contact your veterinarian. He will do a skin scraping, which will demonstrate the presence of either yeast or demodicosis or nematodes. Scraping can also confirm the allergic nature of the pathology or indicate the presence of an eosinophilic granuloma.

All this will help you choose the right treatment that will save your pet from a recurrence of the disease.

How to treat acne in cats non-medicated ways?

Many owners who are faced with the described problem are advised to treat the affected areas with a two-phase makeup remover (note, we are not talking about inflamed rashes). It has disinfectant properties and removes excess oil, which is the cause of acne.

With the allergic nature of this pathology, sometimes it is enough to change food or cat litter or change a plastic bowl to a glass or faience one, since many animals are allergic to plastic. But the sufficiency of such measures in each case, you can only establish in consultation with a veterinarian.

By the way, remember that you can’t squeeze eels from a cat yourself!

Treating acne with drugs

Acne in a cat on the chin is well treated with ointments and sprays, which include chlorhexidine, or the chlorhexidine solution itself (it is sold in ordinary pharmacies). These preparations thoroughly wipe the affected area, ridding it of all black dots, then wipe it dry and cauterize with iodine or Fukortsin antimicrobial once a day or every 3 days, respectively.

Vedinol veterinary ointment, which has anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties, has proven itself well in the described cases. It is applied to the area treated in the above way.

Instead of a veterinary ointment, you can use Liniment Synthomycin, alternating it with Flucinar ointment, which relieves itching well and helps with inflammatory and allergic skin diseases.

Getting rid of a secondary infection requires the use of antibiotics. But only a veterinarian will prescribe them to you, otherwise the consequences may be unpredictable!

Acne treatment regimen

Veterinarians have drawn up a rough scheme of how cat acne is treated. She looks like this:

1. 

   Once a day it is necessary to wipe the affected area with an ear stick moistened with hydrogen peroxide. Peroxide helps to soften the plug and comedones (in other words, blackheads) come out.
2. Again with an ear stick, apply a 1% solution of the drug "Clotrimazole".
3. To avoid irritation after the solution, the affected area is lubricated with Flucinar gel or sulfuric ointment. The latter is better, as it is safer for the cat if she manages to lick it off. Excess ointment is gently blotted with a napkin.
4. Diluted, carefully pouring into the cheek with a syringe, give the cathomeopathic remedy "Sulfur iodine 6" twice a day, 2 balls.
5. When the comedone comes out, carefully lubricate the opened pore with iodine. To do this, a piece of cotton wool is wound around the tip of the needle and dipped in iodine (note, not in brilliant green, but in iodine).
6. Spot lubrication with salicylic alcohol solution is also acceptable.

For prevention, you can wipe all suspicious places with hydrogen peroxide.

What to do if the defeat turned out to be serious?

As a rule, treatment according to the above scheme or only a solution of chlorhexidine and iodine is enough to get positive results and the same look of a fluffy muzzle in a week.

But with heavy scratching on the chin of a cat, acne can become infected, and this will entail serious consequences.

Veterinarian will help you with such problems. Do not try to treat your pet yourself - it is dangerous!