Raw feeding and acne?

monkeymom

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@Allytt

I've also noticed chin acne on my tuxedo male. He's had very mild issues with it in the past, but it flared up quite a bit in the last week or so. I've been wiping the area down daily with hydrogen peroxide which seems to help quite a bit. We do feed them from ceramic bowls, which haven't seemed to cause problems in the past. They are pre-washed and run through the dishwasher after each use. I'm wondering if perhaps he isn't cleaning his chin adequately, or maybe it's from their water bowl, which is also ceramic. I never seen anything similar to this on his sister, though she does tend to eat more slowly while he shoves his face in his food and chomps down :)
 

purrs123

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I just discovered this thread after googling "cat chin acne from eating raw chicken" and I am now convinced that these strange bumps on my cat's chin are from eating raw chicken. I have two cats and only the one who will eat the raw chicken has the chin acne. The other cat who won't eat the raw chicken does not have anything on her chin. They share water and food bowls which are all ceramic. This is the first time I've ever seen these hard raised spots on my cat's chin and I started feeding her raw organic chicken about a month ago. Nothing else about her diet changed. I simply added raw chicken to it. I'm wondering if she's allergic to chicken. My dog has been eating the same raw chicken for about a year and has no rashes on her face or anything similar to what my cat has. I don't think the cat's chin acne is caused by skin contact with the chicken or the food bowl. I think it's from ingesting the raw chicken, but that's just my theory.
 

Beholder

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I just discovered this thread after googling "cat chin acne from eating raw chicken" and I am now convinced that these strange bumps on my cat's chin are from eating raw chicken. I have two cats and only the one who will eat the raw chicken has the chin acne. The other cat who won't eat the raw chicken does not have anything on her chin. They share water and food bowls which are all ceramic. This is the first time I've ever seen these hard raised spots on my cat's chin and I started feeding her raw organic chicken about a month ago. Nothing else about her diet changed. I simply added raw chicken to it. I'm wondering if she's allergic to chicken. My dog has been eating the same raw chicken for about a year and has no rashes on her face or anything similar to what my cat has. I don't think the cat's chin acne is caused by skin contact with the chicken or the food bowl. I think it's from ingesting the raw chicken, but that's just my theory.
Have you talked to your vet? I think it's possible for there to be an interaction, but keep in mind many cats just randomly get chin acne at different stages of their lives. Morty got a terrible case of it at 4 years old (bloody and infected) and we never found the cause. He didn't even eat raw back then. Now he gets some mild chin acne a couple times a year, presumably with hormone flucuations. He does have a fish allergy, but it's never caused any breakouts. TBH I would say his acne has done the opposite since feeding raw, with far less flareups, but it could just be an aging thing. My vet recommended 5% benzoyl peroxide cream (the stuff humans use for acne) and it usually gets rid of it in 1-2 weeks. Po and Goose have it as well, but it's so mild it's not too much to worry about. Just some black spots that don't bother them, according to my vet.

It's one of the most common conditions in cats, so I'm weary potential causes or correlations. You can try stopping the raw chicken and seeing if it clears up, and then adding it back in and see if it comes back. Either way I suggest talking to a vet about it first because it can get quite painful for some cats.
 

purrs123

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Have you talked to your vet? I think it's possible for there to be an interaction, but keep in mind many cats just randomly get chin acne at different stages of their lives. Morty got a terrible case of it at 4 years old (bloody and infected) and we never found the cause. He didn't even eat raw back then. Now he gets some mild chin acne a couple times a year, presumably with hormone flucuations. He does have a fish allergy, but it's never caused any breakouts. TBH I would say his acne has done the opposite since feeding raw, with far less flareups, but it could just be an aging thing. My vet recommended 5% benzoyl peroxide cream (the stuff humans use for acne) and it usually gets rid of it in 1-2 weeks. Po and Goose have it as well, but it's so mild it's not too much to worry about. Just some black spots that don't bother them, according to my vet.

It's one of the most common conditions in cats, so I'm weary potential causes or correlations. You can try stopping the raw chicken and seeing if it clears up, and then adding it back in and see if it comes back. Either way I suggest talking to a vet about it first because it can get quite painful for some cats.
Yep, I've already stopped feeding her the raw chicken as of a couple of days ago. So far no change in the acne or whatever it is. I'm not sure it is acne or some other allergy related skin condition or something else completely. But the location and timing fit with a lot of the other cases in this thread. Since I don't have fish oil on hand I'm feeding her canned salmon (omega 3, fish oil is supposed to help). If it doesn't start to improve in a few days I will bring her to the vets. The acne/rash doesn't seem to bother her at all which surprises me. I'm not even sure if it should be called a rash. It's just hard raised lumps in a couple of spots on her chin near her lower lip. Super weird. It's very hard to get a good look at it because she has long fur and will not stay still for long enough.
You mentioned that many cats just randomly get chin acne at times in their lives, but I don't believe in that. Nothing is random and there is always a cause. We might not be able to figure out what the cause is, but there is one.
 

Beholder

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Yep, I've already stopped feeding her the raw chicken as of a couple of days ago. So far no change in the acne or whatever it is. I'm not sure it is acne or some other allergy related skin condition or something else completely. But the location and timing fit with a lot of the other cases in this thread. Since I don't have fish oil on hand I'm feeding her canned salmon (omega 3, fish oil is supposed to help). If it doesn't start to improve in a few days I will bring her to the vets. The acne/rash doesn't seem to bother her at all which surprises me. I'm not even sure if it should be called a rash. It's just hard raised lumps in a couple of spots on her chin near her lower lip. Super weird. It's very hard to get a good look at it because she has long fur and will not stay still for long enough.
You mentioned that many cats just randomly get chin acne at times in their lives, but I don't believe in that. Nothing is random and there is always a cause. We might not be able to figure out what the cause is, but there is one.
Apologies, I didn't mean "randomly" as in there was no cause. Of course there is always a cause. As I stated above, hormone fluctuations are a strong culprit, which is likely what my own cat experienced. It's similar with humans, as you age you experience different fluctuations in hormones that cause cause anything from acne to loss of hair, etc. It can happen at random (or different) times in your life, but definitely is not without cause.

Usually cat acne is more prominent on the bottom of the chin than the lips, although it can spread there. Usually it starts with small, black pepper specks and then may or may not progress to...for lack of a better term...bloody, puss-filled pimples. Do you have a photo by any chance? I know you said it's hard to keep her still, but I'm curious that you may be on to something with an allergic reaction potentially causing inflammation different than cat acne. Additionally, in cats, allergic reactions from food can take up to 3 months before dissipating after the reactant is removed.

Also, although I'm sure your already aware of this (but just in case!), be sure the canned salmon has no additional salt added to it as it can be extremely harmful to cats.
 

purrs123

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I don't know what it is on her chin. I thought it was acne but now I'm thinking it is something else. I doubt I can get a photo of it because even in good light and with my reading glasses on, I can't see anything there. I can feel it with my fingers, though. Raised lumps that seem to have something hard on the surface like puss that dried. But it's not coming off like a scab or puss should come off in little crusty pieces. The don't soften with water, either. It's just there and not changing, and it doesn't seem to bother her at all. What it almost feels like is when an animal runs into a cactus and gets the larger sized spines stuck in the flesh and the part of the spine sticking out gets broken off. That's what I first thought it was, but my cats don't go outside so there is no way it could be cactus spines. And it doesn't hurt her. Cactus spines are painful. (I live in AZ.)
Thanks for mentioning the salt in the salmon. I checked and it does have salt in it. The cats seem fine, though, and they were both eating it for a couple of days. It constituted only part of their diet, so maybe that is why.
 

purrs123

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Apologies, I didn't mean "randomly" as in there was no cause. Of course there is always a cause. As I stated above, hormone fluctuations are a strong culprit, which is likely what my own cat experienced. It's similar with humans, as you age you experience different fluctuations in hormones that cause cause anything from acne to loss of hair, etc. It can happen at random (or different) times in your life, but definitely is not without cause.

Usually cat acne is more prominent on the bottom of the chin than the lips, although it can spread there. Usually it starts with small, black pepper specks and then may or may not progress to...for lack of a better term...bloody, puss-filled pimples. Do you have a photo by any chance? I know you said it's hard to keep her still, but I'm curious that you may be on to something with an allergic reaction potentially causing inflammation different than cat acne. Additionally, in cats, allergic reactions from food can take up to 3 months before dissipating after the reactant is removed.

Also, although I'm sure your already aware of this (but just in case!), be sure the canned salmon has no additional salt added to it as it can be extremely harmful to cats.
Oops, the comment I just posted was supposed to be a reply to your comment.
 

purrs123

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What does anyone think...is this chin acne or something else?
IMG_3295 cropped.jpg
 
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