Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: meeko_pepper on August 14, 2007, 23:22:59 PM
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Hello!
I flead my 2 cats last night using the Frontline Combo and tonight i've noticed that meeko has a bald patch and what looks like a small cut/sore where the flea stuff was applyed but the fur has fallen out all around it. He's been maulting LOADS recently and we wondered if it was maybe to do with the weather, could this also be related? I've used Frontline combo a few times before so im a bit confused as to why this would have caused it?
Any ideas what it could be? I've bathed the area with salty water, it didnt seem sore at all as he purred all the way through bless him! :Luv:
Vets tomorrow?
Thanks! :thanks:
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Sorry dont know the answer but a visit to the vets to be on the safe side is a good idea ;D
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I agree a vet visit would be the order of the day.
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I had exactly the same thing happen with Foxy recently. I deflead all three of mine and Rossi and Zephyr were fine but Foxy ended up with a bald patch and all the fur had fallen out. I didn't take her to the vet :shy: but kept an eye on it and the fur has now started to grow back OK.
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Goose also has a bald patch on the back of his neck that I've been thinking is frontline related. How odd is that?
The other 6 seem to be ok or I would be getting suspicious of the batch!
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Yeah I did my other cat at the same time and he's been fine, its strange!
I rang my vets and they said if its not bothering him then just keep an eye on him, if he starts scratching or it goes sore then to take him in. Aww poor thing hehe I keep calling him baldy! :innocent:
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One of my oldies used to get a baldy bit after being frontlined, and my current foster lost some hair their after he was treatd with the same stuff. May be some just have the odd on/off reaction to it?
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This sounds a bit like a flea allergy, especially as you say that he's been losing lots of fur recently. If this started happening before the frontline was applied, your cat could be severely allergic to fleas. This can cause bald patches and welts. Samantha lost nearly half the fur on her back, especially round her tail, and I was treating her with old fashioned flea preparations, then the newer types like FL came on the market.
May be worth a vet visit.
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Im not sure this is the case as he hasnt been maulting in clumps just more than usual which I presume is due to the weather, my other cat is also the same. I plan to keep an eye on him, if more does fall out then I'll definately take him to the vets asap :) thanks :thanks:
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Mmmmm... Couple of questions for you:
1) Are your cats allowed access to outdoors?
2) Do you have any grassland / park / woody type areas near you?
I'm not so sure that if it is an insect allergy (instead of a product intolerance) that it's caused by fleas - I'm thinking harvest mites as what you describe is similar to the dermatitis that Pearl gets. As well as on her neck, she gets in on her belly and on her legs, so I suggest you check these areas for scabby bits too, and bright little orange dots.
Frontline works well against harvest mites but if the local area has bad infestations of them, it isn't quite enough to get rid of them entirely.
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Mmmmm... Couple of questions for you:
1) Are your cats allowed access to outdoors?
2) Do you have any grassland / park / woody type areas near you?
I'm not so sure that if it is an insect allergy (instead of a product intolerance) that it's caused by fleas - I'm thinking harvest mites as what you describe is similar to the dermatitis that Pearl gets. As well as on her neck, she gets in on her belly and on her legs, so I suggest you check these areas for scabby bits too, and bright little orange dots.
Frontline works well against harvest mites but if the local area has bad infestations of them, it isn't quite enough to get rid of them entirely.
Yes they do have outdoor access and we also have alot of grassland, fields and woody areas around and Meeko does love to adventure. I've checked him and he only has it on the back of his neck and the sore looks like he may have scratched himself and caused it maybe? Not sure to be honest.
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Really would be a good idea to see the vet. If Reynard is right, you'll need to treat with the spray as well as the drops. It's hard to o. d with FL, as it's very non toxic. But the vet is the best person to diagnose any skin disorders. There are many things he could have which a vet would recognise, or may need to take a scraping for.
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Really would be a good idea to see the vet. If Reynard is right, you'll need to treat with the spray as well as the drops. It's hard to o. d with FL, as it's very non toxic. But the vet is the best person to diagnose any skin disorders. There are many things he could have which a vet would recognise, or may need to take a scraping for.
You certainly can od with frontline - remember the stories of people using the FL dog version on their cats - and cats having a bad reaction (and I think there were some deaths?) - the dog one is exactly the same ingredients - just bigger dose. Any chemical you put on your cat is potentially toxic, especially when given in the wrong dose, and you definitely shouldnt use a spray AND FL drops on your cat.
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I remember those stories Gillian :(
Its not uncommon for spot ons to cause hair to fall out at the application site and as your vet says as long as its not itchy and raw it'll be ok, the hair will just grow back.
Maybe you could try a different brand (from the vets) to avoid it happening again.
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Yeah I think i'll give another brand a try next time and see how he goes with that ;) Thanks everyone!
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Gillian, I was told that by a vet. She told me I could use the spray AND the drops and when I questioned her as to the toxicity, I was told that FL is very non toxic and hard to overdose the cat with. Obviously she was wrong.
Samantha had flea welts at the base of her tail at the time. I was told to spray this area AND use the spot on.