Skin Abrasion - Does it look familiar?

[beccakb]

Hi all,

Back again with another post about little Daisy's skin problem. Long story short: I got Daisy last year, she's had skin abrasions since the time I got her that have come back every 2-3 months. Always the same spot in her armpit. We've tried a multitude of things - antibacterial medication, antifungals, steroids, food allergy test (changing up food and switching back to see if it reappears), and antihistamines. Nothing really has "healed" it, but the treatment that has worked well enough is an E-collar combined with a depomedrol shot. Not sure if it really helps, or if it just allows her spot to not be so inflamed while it heals and helps her not have as big of an urge to try to lick it and start the healing process over again. It usually scabs and slowly heals for 2-3 weeks and we can go back to normal life without the E-collar for about 2-3 months before it resurfaces again.

We are back on a hydrolyzed protein food and will stay on this for good. The vet this time shaved and cleaned the area, which allowed me to have an even clearer look at the abrasion. I've attached a photo of it. Does this resemble any other skin problem you have seen before? Up close, the red part are small little specks all bunched together that look like they'd be bloody to the touch but they are not.

I've always appreciated the advice given on this forum so I thought I'd come back again with this new picture to see if anyone has any other words of wisdom! Thank you all I hope everyone is staying safe! <3

 

[Jcatbird]

I don’t know if this relates AT ALL but it reminded me of the heat and diaper rashes my baby got when we lived were humidity was near 100% a lot of the time. Maybe having it shaved and getting air will make a difference. With my baby it was a matter of keeping it dry and exposed to air. The other thing I thought of were pressure marks / bed sores that she got in the hospital when she was extremely ill. She only had those that one time but , again, keeping pressure off and open to air healed them. Does kitty tend to keep that leg tucked under? If so, wrapping a cloth down lower on the leg might keep the leg from being tight up against the body so air flow continues. Just a thought.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

That kinda looks like a severe allergic response, in some ways. Has she seen an allergy specialist (yes, there are feline allergy specialists, although finding one can take some googling)? One thing that you can try is swabbing the area several times a day with chilled plain chamomile tea. It is soothing to all kinds of skin "ouchies," is mildly antibiotic and antifungal, so it won't do any harm at all, and is safe (in proper dosages) for internal use in cats, so grooming isn't an issue. Just be sure to use the commercial tea bags from the store, which are all German chamomile, which is medicinally active and safe for cats. The English variety, which grows in a lot of gardens, is useless medicinally, and toxic to cats! The two look VERY much alike!