Ideas for what this awful rash could be?

[Stxrcane]

This kiddo was surrendered to me with horrible scabbing and redness on her belly, elbows, toes, and butt. Owner says that she was switched to a very low quality kibble last month and then the inflammation developed. Going to set up a vet appt if we can't get this under control. We narrowed it down to something with the food--no fleas or other changes. Has anyone seen something like this? There is just SO MUCH redness, and her butt is caked with scabbing.

One year old siamese unspayed female. Did a shave, cleaned her up, applied wound spray, and giving meds. Lots of restless energy in her quarantine cage right now.

 

[Caspers Human]

Strictly a shot in the dark, here... Have you ruled out mange and/or scabies?
(Scabies is a type of mange, caused by a particular species of mite.)

 

[Stxrcane]

Strictly a shot in the dark, here... Have you ruled out mange and/or scabies?
(Scabies is a type of mange, caused by a particular species of mite.)

We actually have not. The owner has complained about itchiness and notes that her other pets are itchy as well. I will look into it, thank you! It's plausible. Her scabbing is so thick in some areas that I really does look like it.

 

[Caspers Human]

Just to be clear, I'm not certain that mange is the problem but, at the same time, I think it's worth the time and effort to eliminate the possibility.

It should be fairly easy for a vet to diagnose. If it turns out to be true, the treatment is fairly straightforward. It would either be by medication or by bathing in a special "dip" solution designed to get rid of the mites. (Sometimes both.)

Regardless of the cause, also consider secondary symptoms. If the poor kitty has some skin condition that makes him itch, he could be scratching herself, making things look worse.

 

[Stxrcane]

Just to be clear, I'm not certain that mange is the problem but, at the same time, I think it's worth the time and effort to eliminate the possibility.

It should be fairly easy for a vet to diagnose. If it turns out to be true, the treatment is fairly straightforward. It would either be by medication or by bathing in a special "dip" solution designed to get rid of the mites. (Sometimes both.)

Regardless of the cause, also consider secondary symptoms. If the poor guy has some skin condition that makes him itch, he could be scratching himself, making things look worse.

I assume it's something like lime sulfur? I have that, but I hate the idea of it burning all of her sore skin!

 

[Caspers Human]

I assume it's something like lime sulfur?

Yes. Lime sulfur. I didn't mention it, by name, because I'm not certain of the actual cause and, as you say, lime sulfur can be hard on the skin.

AFAIK: The medicine for mange is Ivermectin. You'll have to talk to a vet about that because I'm not comfortable recommending medicines when I'm not sure of the cause of the problem.

As I look at the picture, again, I'm starting to wonder whether the poor kitty had been lying in her own filth. The reason I think that is because the rash seems to be confined to her belly, her but and her feet. If it was mange, the rash would cover more of the head and body.

If that's the case, cleaning her up and applying an appropriate (vet recommended) ointment would be the usual course of action.

 

[iPappy]

This kiddo was surrendered to me with horrible scabbing and redness on her belly, elbows, toes, and butt. Owner says that she was switched to a very low quality kibble last month and then the inflammation developed. Going to set up a vet appt if we can't get this under control. We narrowed it down to something with the food--no fleas or other changes. Has anyone seen something like this? There is just SO MUCH redness, and her butt is caked with scabbing.

One year old siamese unspayed female. Did a shave, cleaned her up, applied wound spray, and giving meds. Lots of restless energy in her quarantine cage right now.

Thank you so much for taking her in!
Do you notice a smell to her? If you give the areas a sniff, do you get a whiff of corn, or corn chips?
Does she favor kibble over wet food?
I'd definitely ask the vet to do a skin scraping so the guesswork is narrowed down. It'll be less stress on her, less stress on you and less money in the long run if you get a firm diagnosis and can start treatment ASAP. Skin problems can be maddening to work with until you know exactly what you're dealing with.
As far as her restless energy, how big is her cage? Have you tried calming cat music? (You can get 8 or 10 hour videos on YouTube. My cats like the ones that feature purring cats and harp music!)

 

[sebseb]

what about urine scalding? poor girl, youre a saint for taking her in.

 

[Caspers Human]

what about urine scalding?

That's what I meant by "lying in her own filth." I was trying to be tactful.

But, yes, I agree with you. It could be a cause for a rash like that.

 

[stephanietx]

It could be urine/feces burn or it could be allergy to litter or food as well.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I wouldn’t do anything with this skin until you see the vet. At this point any clipping or washing or applying of anything will make it that much harder for the vet to get a diagnosis.
At minimum, I would think the vet will want to do a skin scraping, a fungal culture, full dermal exam, blood work, and possible biopsy. Of course that is up to them. But anything you put on can alter results, even clipping.

 

[silent meowlook]

This isn’t a typical looking reaction for a food allergy. This could be considered possible contact allergy due to the location. All the areas she lays on. This is over so much of the skin and is extremely painful for the cat. You won’t be able to treat at home. She needs to see a vet ASAP. What do you mean she is on meds?

 

[IndyJones]

That looks painful. Do you know her prior living conditions? (Horder, mill, caged etc.)

Aside from scalding and scabies, mange and hotspots also come to mind.

Reguardless, she needs to see a vet, this is severe enough it cannot be managed at home.

There is definatly more to the story that isn't being told. Skin and fur don't get that red and filthy from alergies alone.

 

[IndyJones]

Might be jumping the gun a bit but those sores look like the kitten was kept in a cage and a dirty one at that.

I really hope the original owner wasn't leaving anything out. It really does look like the kitten was laying on filthy bedding or a dirty cage. Cats are meticulous animals and would not let their coats get dirty like that unless they either were forced to sit in the dirt or elderly (bed sores).

 

[Stxrcane]

Not sure who to reply to but I'll try to clarify as best I can--

My mother and I rescue independently. We mostly TNR and raise orphans so something like this is too advanced for us to handle ourselves, but I do have some veterinary supply and access that should help this little one in the meantime until we get an appt set up. Clinics are pretty booked out right now.

Owner has a normal clean home, has at least a dog that has been biting and itching, and these symptoms developed in just a few weeks. It started with just irritation and redness. This cat wasn't caged and had clean bedding. Owner has some personal life problems and money is tight so I think it's one of those things where they became overwhelmed and didn't realize that things were bad until it got REALLY bad.

There's a lot of wetness from excessive licking that likely made things worse, so she's coned for now. No obvious smell. Her back end is caked with dark scabbing with pretty deep cracks down to sore skin, as well as some folds on her belly. Ugh It pains me to look at it. I believe the owner mentioned that it started with sores on her neck which I no longer see. The skin on her back looks relatively normal. Activity and energy is also normal. Currently feeding wet food with limited ingredients.

It's another one of those weird things you come across on in rescue so I'm turning here to see if anyone has dealt with it before. It's up there with feline lice and pododermatitis which are also some uncommon things I've seen.

Again, she will be seeing a veterinarian! It just won't be soon. Keeping her comfortable for now.

 

[silent meowlook]

The thing is that nobody can tell you what to do without knowing what it is. There are tests that need to be done to figure out what it is. It could be the worst case of food allergy ever on an immune compromised cat, but at this point it is so far beyond just a diet change.
It could be scabies but it is way beyond treating just for that, and if you put any kind of treatment on that already compromised skin, you can make things much worse.

By not getting her into a vet, I don’t see how this is rescuing her.

Start a go fund me, post her on Facebook ask for donations, appeal to veterinarians and try to get her ASAP, because this is really bad.

 

[neely]

if you put any kind of treatment on that already compromised skin, you can make things much worse. appeal to veterinarians and try to get her ASAP, because this is really bad.

I couldn't agree more. We had a dog with a skin condition and the vet could not solve the problem so he did a biopsy and turned out it was an uncommon autoimmune illness. Long story short we were referred to a veterinary dermatology specialist who literally saved our dog's life. In addition, our present cat came from a horrific hoarding situation and all the cats, who were purebred BTW, had a dreadful skin infection. Once again, when the shelter who rescued the cats stepped in they had them treated by a vet immediately.

Please listen to the above member's quote and get him to a reputable veterinarian sooner rather than later. Best of luck and we would appreciate updates. Fingers crossed for this young kitty.

 

[iPappy]

I couldn't agree more. We had a dog with a skin condition and the vet could not solve the problem so he did a biopsy and turned out it was an uncommon autoimmune illness. Long story short we were referred to a veterinary dermatology specialist who literally saved our dog's life. In addition, our present cat came from a horrific hoarding situation and all the cats, who were purebred BTW, had a dreadful skin infection. Once again, when the shelter who rescued the cats stepped in they had them treated by a vet immediately.

Please listen to the above member's quote and get him to a reputable veterinarian sooner rather than later. Best of luck and we would appreciate updates. Fingers crossed for this young kitty.

Yes, I had a dog with a skin condition as well, and my dog wasn't so lucky as his biopsy revealed it was a malignant form of cancer.
I'd call the vet now and get an appointment ASAP if they are booked out that far, as they will continue to book out and the longer it takes to get an appointment the longer it will be before any treatment can be done.