My OperaLa animal rescue Feline Acne: Symptoms and Treatment
Thursday, June 10, 2010 11:56:08 PM
Feline acne may affect both male and female cats of all ages. The specific causes of the disease are not known. Cats with weakened immune systems are more susceptible.
There are a number of factors that may contribute to the development of the disease, including poor grooming habits, abnormal sebum production, and stress.
In affected cats, lesions vary in severity, but are typically mild and asymptomatic. Pain and/or itching are not common unless there is a secondary bacterial skin infection. Lesions usually initially present at about 1 year of age, and remain cyclic for the life of the cat.
Depending upon the severity of the symptoms, and whether or not any secondary conditions exist, treatment may or may not be required. Your veterinarian will have to make this determination.
Feline acne signs and symptoms -- The clinical signs of acne in cats may include lesions on the lower lip and chin. Your cat may have dark brown comedones or crusted reddish papules. In addition, there may be swelling of the chin and around the lips.
In more serious cases, there may be a secondary bacterial infection present. Signs of this may include edema (swelling) of the chin area, or drainage of the lesions. In these cases, antibiotics, both systemic (taken internally) and topical, may be prescribed.
It's possible to mistake bacterial skin infections for acne, but appearances may be deceiving. Sometimes ringworm or yeast infections may be mistaken for acne as well.
Feline acne treatment -- Treatment is often not necessary, except in more serious cases. In fact, it's believed that overtreatment may increase the severity of the skin lesions.
Your veterinarian may recommend topical therapy of some kind to help remove the comedones (blackheads). Depending upon the severity, more aggressive treatment may be recommended.
Your vet may remove excess skin from the lesion area. This facilitates cleaning of the area, as well as the application of topical medications. You should never do this yourself as you can hurt your cat or cause an infection.
Antiseptics may be used, such as Listerine or alcohol, as well as antiseborrheic shampoos. Some of these contain a common component of human acne treatment formulas, salicylic acid.
As with acne in people, topical benzoyl peroxide solutions are often prescribed. These are available in small animal strength formulas, which is one-half that of the human preparation, in shampoo or gel form.
Never use a preparation made for humans on your cat unless instructed to do so by your veterinarian. You should know that even the milder animal formula benzoyl peroxide treatments may be irritating to your cat's skin when used repeatedly over time.
Cats with acne who have weakened immune systems may receive steroid therapy. Additional supplements, including off-label drugs, may be used as well.
Kurt Schmitt has created an online resource including information on feline disease symptoms and feline acne treatmentLA animal rescue: L.A.
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