Richard Back At The Vet....again!!!

[Richard2121]

For those who have not followed my threads in the past, Richard is about 9 or 10 months old with a sort of "busy" vet history. He is generally very healthy and happy now so we can be happy about that! This time it is nothing major and thankfully it is mostly cosmetic, but Richard had to go to the vet on Monday. He started presenting with some chin acne/bumps on the left side of his face and on the bottom of his chin and this was last Thursday. It was very mild swelling and he was eating/drinking normally so I decided to wait it out and see if it was just a fluke. Well the swelling stayed about the same all weekend and then Monday I woke up and the swelling had spread to the right side of his chin area as well. Still no signs of pain when pressing on them and he was still ravenous about his food and playing like normal.

I had not started to feed him anything new and there was no new furniture, litter or water bowls added. He eats out of ceramic so its not a reaction to plastic. The vet said this could be a one-time breakout as he reaches maturity or it could be a recurring thing. We could not pinpoint any food sensitivity issues and he prescribed an ointment and gave him a shot in his back which lasts 14 days to help clear the issue. Today the swelling feels a little better but his chin still looks about the same. I eliminated any grains from his diet but he eats wet food only and mostly fancy feast classic pates and Tiny Tiger chunks in gravy. He was eating some canned friskies as well but I have been avoiding anything that may aggravate his system right now.

So anything I should be on the lookout for? Any dietary changes anyone would recommend? I REALLY don't want to switch his foods because he literally will not eat anything unfamiliar and I just don't think I can handle the stress of playing that game right now. So this whole situation worries me because if he has a food allergy I am going to have to face that beast at some point sooner rather than later.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I don't know about doing a diet change quite yet, but would you and your vet consider adding a wash of chamomile tea? Ask your vet if it would help - the tea (storebought is safe for cats) is anti fungal and anti bacterial, and would help ease any discomfort.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I don't the size or depth of the ceramic bowl he is eating from, but if it is not already fairly shallow and has a large opening, I would switch to one that is. You might also want to consider stainless steel, stone ware, or china-like materials (think Corel ware, if you know what that is), just in case there is a finish on the ceramic that is an issue for some reason. Also, perhaps try an elevated one?

Also - echoing Furballsmom about the chamomile tea bags!

 

[Richard2121]

Thanks for the input so far!! I have two different sets of food bowls, and they always go for the ceramic. It is this one:

But I also have an elevated dish that I could try to use for him and it is stainless steel. This is the one:

Felli Pet Oblik Lordly Puss Shallow Pet Bowl

I will also try the chamomile tea idea because it can't hurt!

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[FeebysOwner]

Yeah, after seeing the bowls you have, I don't think they have anything to do with his issue. Those bowls look pretty perfect to me!

 

[Richard2121]

Yeah, after seeing the bowls you have, I don't think they have anything to do with his issue. Those bowls look pretty perfect to me!

Hehe I did a little "too much" research on their cat food bowls before I made any purchase decisions. The ceramic seems non-coated and I have broken a few of them from falling off the counter top while cleaning or filling with food LOL. I am, however guilty of one crime here that may have caused this issue after all....I neglect to clean their food bowls with soap + water as often as I should. I think I went almost 2 weeks without actually thoroughly cleaning them. I get in this habit of just rinsing them with hot water right after they finish eating and then placing them in the dish dry rack. I know I know this is not sanitary, especially with that greasy wet food but I had so much stuff going on mentally with all the Richard stress and anxiety and nonstop vet appointments. I got to this point of "caretaker exhaustion" and was not taking care of myself anymore either. With 4 cats, going to school part-time (9 credits) online and working full time at a hospital, I am usually on the brink of insanity at all times. So I have been trying to work through that and do more self-care but in the meantime I had been cutting some corners. So maybe Richard's chin acne is from unsanitary food bowl habits?

 

[FeebysOwner]

So maybe Richard's chin acne is from unsanitary food bowl habits?

That could certainly be a possibility!!!

I hand wash Feeby's bowls for that reason (but, I too am guilty of the rinse/dish rack process some of the time). I do the hand washing because otherwise the dishwasher would be over run with cat bowls all the time!!

 

[Furballsmom]

I agree, his chin troubles could be from that. Hang in there!!

 

[CHIKITTIES]

Hehe I did a little "too much" research on their cat food bowls before I made any purchase decisions. The ceramic seems non-coated and I have broken a few of them from falling off the counter top while cleaning or filling with food LOL. I am, however guilty of one crime here that may have caused this issue after all....I neglect to clean their food bowls with soap + water as often as I should. I think I went almost 2 weeks without actually thoroughly cleaning them. I get in this habit of just rinsing them with hot water right after they finish eating and then placing them in the dish dry rack. I know I know this is not sanitary, especially with that greasy wet food but I had so much stuff going on mentally with all the Richard stress and anxiety and nonstop vet appointments. I got to this point of "caretaker exhaustion" and was not taking care of myself anymore either. With 4 cats, going to school part-time (9 credits) online and working full time at a hospital, I am usually on the brink of insanity at all times. So I have been trying to work through that and do more self-care but in the meantime I had been cutting some corners. So maybe Richard's chin acne is from unsanitary food bowl habits?

Hi Richard2121

My kitties are on homemade raw, no grain, no carb, just plain meat and suppliment. I am work-at-home Mom, they eat smaller meals many times a day. I hand wash their ceramic or glass with soapy hot water (I really like to make it bubbly, and rinse with hot water). They still have chin acne, almost always ... and one of them is currently have very bad one! Lost fur!!! (vet coming tomorrow)

I hope with Richard this is just one flare up and heal up nicely very soon. My not-so-useful point is ... don't stress out too much! You've been taking such a good care of him! As long as he is not in discomfort (and of course, no swelling ... once current one settle down), it is going to be ok

And of course ... please let me know if you find permanent solution

 

[EmersonandEvie]

My Emerson has feline acne, though no swelling or pustules like poor Richard. We have to scrub his chin with Dawn once a week to keep it at bay. Maybe that will work for your boy?

 

[Richard2121]

I will be trying a little bit of everything! So far the acne seems to be getting slightly better than it was 4 days ago. The swelling seems to have gone down but the red bumps are still prevalent, just less swollen.

I have been hand washing the food bowls at least once per day. I disinfected all surfaces in the kitchen, including their silicone feeding mats, the sink, the counter tops, etc. I also have avoided feeding any form of dry food just because I know Richard tends to get that greasy stuff all over his chin when he eats it.

I have yet to try any chamomile or holistic treatments but I may consider them! How do I use this method? Just dab the tea bag under his chin? I also ordered some medicated wipes with Chlorhexidine. They are highly reviewed on Amazon and Chewy so I figured washing his face before applying the ointment might help give us the upper hand.

 

[Furballsmom]

For the tea, you'd just brew some, same as if you'd drink it, cool it and dab it on with a cotton ball or similar

 

[Richard2121]

So far so good! I actually have not had to do anything holistic to help Richard along, today is day 8 since Richard got the shot and I have been applying the topical ointment every 12 hours as directed by my vet. His chin spots have cleared up quite a bit, the swelling is gone and there is still a little redness but I am sure it will continue to improve if I stick with the vet's guidelines. I am still hand washing the food dishes at least once every day just to keep bacteria growth down. I have not made any changes to his diet so it is encouraging that the spots are going away on their own without any sort of LID.

Within the next few days I may add something more therapeutic to his treatment regiment such as the chamomile tea or some medicated wipes to wash the area. He is supposed to get the ointment applied every 12 hours for 14 days so after that I will taper him off that and use something else to clean his face for an additional week or two just to be safe.

 

[Furballsmom]

Thanks for such a great update! Good for you!
.

 

[kittyluv387]

Some cats are just prone to feline acne. We have enough cat dishes to last us 4 feedings for 2 days. Most are stainless steel but we have a few ceramic ones. They all get washed in the dish washer every 2 days. But our girl just gets acne. If we don't brush her chin area with a tooth brush and then follow up with hydrogen peroxide once a week she ends up having an exploded blackhead. Very unpleasant.

 

[Richard2121]

So today marks 14 days since Richard started his antibiotic ointment and got his injection at the vet for chin acne. The swelling is definitely all gone and most of the bumps have vanished. The area feels mostly flat to the touch and normal again but there is still some light redness and pinkish colored spots that seem to be fading but I want to fight the fire until it's all gone (so to speak). The vet prescribed the ointment every 12 hours for 14 days. I called the vet but of course he is out of town this week on spring vacation and the other vet who did not see Richard was the only person available to advise on this. He said to possibly continue the ointment for a few more days and maybe start tapering off to once a day or once every other day. Should I be concerned that it is going to flare up again as soon as I stop giving the ointment? Is the ointment aggravating the area more than it is helping at this point? Should I begin using chamomile or medicated wipes to clean the area daily? The whole "cat acne" thing is brand new to me and this is Richard's first and only occurrence. He is not even 1 year old yet so I would like to nip this in the butt now before it becomes a chronic flare up situation.