Over The Counter Hot Spot Treatment For Cats

Flea Collars For Cats

For cat owners who prefer flea collars, there is a collar that contains a sustained release formulation of the flea-killing compound imidacloprid, in combination with flumethrin, which kills ticks. It kills fleas and ticks for eight months. The collar also has a break-away mechanism, so if it gets caught on something, it will release, rather than cause injury to the cat.

What Do Hot Spots On Cats Look Like

Hot spots are patches of itchy, irritated, inflamed skin.

If left untreated, the condition can also cause sores and pus, resulting in further irritation for our furry friends.

Often times a hot spot will lead to a bald area, caused by your cat biting and scratching where they can feel an itch.

Hot spots can take a long time to heal because it can be difficult to get your cat to stop scratching the area.

Preventing Hot Spots On Cats

There are some steps that you can take to reduce the risk of cat hot spots.

For one, ensuring a clean home environment is important, particularly for cats that have known allergies.

Keep an eye out for areas where your cat is struggling to wash themselves, and lend a hand.

Matted fur can reduce airflow to the skin and create a moist environment which attracts parasites and bacteria.

Beyond that, just keep an eye on your feline friend.

Watch for abnormal scratching and biting, and act quickly if something seems amiss.

When in doubt, contact your veterinarian.

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Top 10 Vet Recommended Over

Most of you Class A vet clients already know about all these common over-the-counter pet medications. Nonetheless, I offer them up here because maybe theres something I can add to your basic understanding of these medications, their indications, and contraindications.

So without any further ado, here are my top 10, peppered with disclaimers about always asking your vet first before using ANY drug. Remember, O-T-C does not mean S-A-F-E!

1. Pepcid AC and…

2. Tagamet HB

These stomach drugs are great for pets when gastric juices get flowing into overdrive. Mostly used in dog medicine for simple gastritis as a result of any number of tummy insults , it hinders the bodys production of GI tract acids.

Dosages depend on size, other drugs administered and your pets general condition. Always check with your vet first to get the right dose and the go-ahead.

3. Aspirin

Though I dont use aspirin much for pain , I still rely on it for dog pain when a client is far away and has nothing else available.

As a rule, I never recommend the use of aspirin for more than two days in a row. If your dog still has pain, you need to get to your vet for a look-see and more appropriate meds.

NOTE: Drug interactions with aspirin are not uncommon, so dont automatically assume its safe to give! Prednisone, carprofen, meloxicam can interact very poorly, indeed, with aspirin, so BEWARE!

Ask your veterinarian about this before using it. And always discontinue aspirin for several days before surgery .

Home Remedies For Hot Spots On Dogs

If you arent able to get to the vet right away, there are a few things you can do at home to help heal hot spots.

Human medications such as Neosporin, hydrocortisone, and Vaseline should NOT be used. Topical creams and ointments tend to cause dogs to lick the area even more, so they should be avoided if possible.

Follow these steps to promote healing of the hot spot:

Contact your veterinarian for an exam to treat the underlying issue, and notify them if the area is not healing or is getting worse.

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An Aside On Ticks And Cats

Fortunately, ticks are less of a nuisance in cats, compared to dogs. Cats are meticulous groomers, and they usually remove most ticks from their coat before they attach. Those that do attach rarely cause problems because cats are much less susceptible to dangerous tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. In my 29 years in practice, Ive never seen a case in a cat.

Dr. Arnold Plotnick is the founder of Manhattan Cat Specialists, a feline-exclusive veterinary practice on Manhattans upper west side. He is also an author of The Original Cat Fancy Cat Bible. Dr. Plotnick is a frequent contributor to feline publications and websites, including his own blog, Cat Man Do. He lives in New York City with his cats, Mittens and Glitter.

Read more about fleas and cats on Catster.com:

What Causes A Hot Spot

Hot spots are usually caused by self-trauma when a dog scratches an itchy spot so vigorously that he creates an open wound. Dogs scratch for many reasons but regardless of the cause, hot spots are bothersome. When a dog licks the sore spot, he irritates superficial nerve endings in the skin which stimulates more itching followed by more licking, biting, and scratching. This lick-itch-lick cycle is the basis for the self-trauma that causes hot spots. Hot spots can dramatically increase in size in a very short period of time. Pet owners may go to work after noticing a pin-point area of redness and come home at the end of the day to find a raw lesion the size of a pancake.

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Cat Hot Spot Treatment

Watching your cat itch is horrible, so naturally finding a cat hot spot remedy is at the forefront of your mind.

If youre wondering how to treat a hot spot on a cat, there are a number of different approaches.

Your vet will know which will give your cat the quickest relief.

They may recommend a hot spot spray for cats to relieve their symptoms.

Hot spot medications such as sprays and gels prescribed by vets often contain a steroid such as hydrocortisone.

Hydrocortisone minimizes itchiness so that your cat leaves the area alone and it has a chance to heal.

If thats not enough, your cat might need to wear a cone to put the hot spot out of reach for while.

In some cases where the broken skin has become infected, antibiotics may be recommended.

Back at home, your vet may recommend keeping your cats fur short around the affected area to aid air circulation, and gently cleaning the area with salt water.

Remove Hair Around The Infected Area

Of course, shaving even a small patch of hair might be a challenge, but this isnt a step you can skip. Hair removal is essential to the healing process for several reasons. It exposes the hot spot for easy evaluation, makes it easy to apply medications, and it helps to rein in the spread of infection.

Once youve exposed the entire lesion, use a non-toxic marker or pen to mark its perimeter. This will allow you to determine whether its shrinking or growing during the treatment process.

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Treatment Of Flea Allergy Dermatitis In Cats

Treatment of flea allergy dermatitis involves three phases:

Cat Allergy And Itch Relief Treatments

Cat allergiescan turn even the sweetest feline into a cranky kitty.AtPetco, we havea great selection ofallergy medication for catsour variety of sprays, chews and tablets canhelp provide relief for thearray of symptoms caused byallergens. Shop online to getyour pets prescription allergy medicationconveniently delivered to your door. Visit any one of ourneighborhood Petco Pet Care Centersor shop onlineto check out all of ourover-the-countercat wellness supplies, fromto.

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Cat Skin Allergies: Knowing The Signs& Symptoms

One of the most common causes of feline skin problems is allergies. However, the challenge is determining the allergens affecting your cat. Typically, your vet will run a series of tests to determine the source of your cats skin condition. Once your vet has ruled out other possible cat skin diseases, the next step is identifying what type of allergy your cat suffers from.

There are a number of common cat allergies pet owners should be aware of, including:

Food allergies: Just like their owners, cats can experience food allergies, too. Some of the symptoms include:

• Frequent ear infections
• Red or inflamed patches of skin
• Rubbing or persistent scratching

Some of the foods associated with allergic reactions include wheat and yeast, soy, dairy products, beef, fish and poultry, among others. While it is tricky to figure out the exact foods your cat is allergic to, your veterinarian will screen your cat through a series of lab work to ascertain the results.

Once you know which types of foods to avoid, an elimination diet may be a course of action worth exploring. In this case, pet owners must become diligent label-readers and check for ingredients that may cause a reaction. One of the easiest ways to avoid mistakes is to bring a list of your pets known allergens to the pet store where you purchase your cats food if you are unsure as to the most appropriate brand, a staff member can usually be of assistance.

Tell-tale symptoms include:

• Diabetes
• Ringworm
• Seborrhea

Cons Of The Soft Cone

Although I do really like this pet collar, it doesn’t wear well after a lot of scratching from a cat. My kitty kept scratching her ears and scratching the cone. The drawstring started shredding, and so did the collar. It still works, but it will probably need to be replaced after my kitty wears it for a month. Still, to me, it’s worth it, because it’s comfortable for my cat.

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Whatsthe Best Treatment For My Cats Skin Problems

Skin conditions can be tricky because theremay bea variety ofunderlying issuescausingthem.With allergies,itsrecommended that youconsult your veterinarian to make sure a proper diagnosis is madeusing an allergy test. Here are a few possible allergies thatifproperlytreatedmayprovideyourcat itch relief.

• Food sensitivities Along with tummy upset and diarrhea, red and itchy skin mayindicatethat your cat hasfood sensitivities. If yourecentlyswitchedfoodbrands and notice any ofthesymptomsabove, it mayhelpto trychanging backto your original kitty foodto see if it brings yourcat skin allergy relief.
• Allergies to flea bites Parasites of any kind canbe not onlya nuisance to your feline butalsoahealth risk. Just one fleabite maycauseyour cattohave an allergic reaction all overtheir body. Excessivelicking and nibblingcaused bybitescan cause skin lesions,leadingto bacterial infections. Treating your cat for flea prevention is one of themost commonsolutionsto preventing allergic reactions.At Petco, we carrya great selection of flea and tick treatments and sprays designed forflea itch relief in cats.
• Vitamin deficiencies A lack of proper nutrientsin their dietmay beto blame foryour kittys dryor itchyskin.At Petco, we carrythat may help treat theirallergiesand provide to helpmake it soft and shiny again.

Success With The Elizasoft Recovery Collar

I eventually tried a “soft” collar cone, the ElizaSoft Recovery Collar, and that one ended up being my favorite. It was flexible, so my kitty could still squeeze between legs, and it still kept her from licking the spots. The only thing I didn’t like was that it has a fixed-size opening for the kitty’s head, so you have to slide it over the cat’s head. After that, it’s easy. It’s a drawstring tie, so you can get it as tight as needed.

Tip: Double knot the tie. My cat scratched at the cone and somehow managed to untie the bow and get out of the cone. After I double-knotted the bow, that didn’t happen anymore.

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Prescription Based Flea Treatment

Often pet owners believe that vet prescribed flea treatment products may be the safest and most non toxic. However, the NRDC recommends many over-the-counter non chemical products as being safe for controlling and eliminating fleas, but they must be used in combination with vacuuming the house and washing the pets bedding in hot water. That being said some of the safe prescription based flea control products include pill-based medicines like lufenuron, nitenpyram and spinosad which do not leave any residual action on the fur.

Flea Treatments For Cats

Historically, the most effective approach to flea control was a three-step method: treatment of the yard, the house and the cat. The newer flea and tick control products, however, are so effective that treatment of the premises is rarely necessary, especially if the cat resides exclusively indoors. Cat parents now have a huge selection of flea control and flea treatment products at their disposal.

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What Causes Hot Spots On Cats

Hot spots typically develop as the result of minor irritation caused by fleas, allergies, or another source of itchiness or pain. If your cat scratches, chews, gnaws, or licks himself too much, the natural bacteria will infect the irritated skin, creating a vicious cycle of itching and re-irritation.

Pain is also a factor. Some cats try to alleviate joint or nerve pain by biting or scratching a certain part of their body. For instance, if your cat has ear mites or other ear itchiness, they might scratch the area around the ear until a hot spot develops.

Physical factors arent the only causes of hot spots. Stress and other mental issues could lead to compulsive licking and biting, which might cause a hot spot to develop.

Theyre most common among cats with long, thick hair, which creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

What Are Hot Spots

Hot spots, also known as acute moist dermatitis, are red, infected patches of skin that result from excessive scratching, licking, or biting of the area.

Aside from redness, other signs your cat may have a hot spot include:

• Hair loss or discolored fur around the affected area
• Damaged skin thats warm to the touch
• Round lesions that ooze pus or have scabbed over

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Take Your Cat To The Vet

Get advice and treatment from a professional. My veterinarian said that sometimes an all-raw diet helps cats get rid of hot spots, but it only works sometimes. And such a drastic diet change should be done gradually, since the feline digestive tract is sensitive. If you change your cat’s diet too quickly, your cat could start throwing up or exhibiting other signs of gastrointestinal discomfort.

Determining Whats Safe When It Comes To Flea Treatments For Cats

In an effort to tap into the lucrative flea-control market, some manufacturers have produced over-the-counter flea control products that mimic the veterinary products in appearance. These are not safe for cats. They usually contain permethrin, an insecticide commonly found in low concentrations in some canine and feline flea sprays and shampoos. Cats can tolerate low concentrations of permethrin however, these small single-dose tubes contain concentrated permethrin . Concentrated permethrin spot-on products are labeled for use in dogs only and may cause severe and often fatal toxicosis if applied to cats.

Fleas have been a source of much misery for pet cats and dogs. Fortunately, modern flea control products are very effective. Different products offer different benefits, so consult your veterinarian to determine which product is best for you and your cat.

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Natural Products & Home Remedies For Cat Skin Conditions

When it comes to making our feline friends comfortable, pet owners will go to any length to provide them with relief, especially if theyre in pain. Because skin ailments and allergies are often lifelong chronic conditions, its helpful to consider the benefit of all-natural treatments you can do at home. In addition to soothing your cats irritated skin, certain home remedies offer a healthier alternative to chemical-laden treatments.

There are a number of oral supplements and liquids available to promote your cats overall health and well-being, particularly if hes on an organic or special diet. You may also shop online or at your local pet store for all-natural products, including hypoallergenic foods, organic bedding, paraben-free toys and other allergen-free essentials for your cat. As in all cases, be sure to check with your veterinarian before administering any type of medication, remedy or treatment to your pet.

Finally You Need To Wait

For the next few weeks, continue your treatment regimen, preventing your cat from re-traumatizing the wound. During this period, watch the size of the hot spot and compare it to the marks you created at the outset of treatment. If the hot spot grows, something isnt working. It might be time to bring your cat to the veterinarian.

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Topical Flea Treatments For Cats

The most common flea control products contain either imidacloprid , fipronil , dinotefuran , spinetoram or selamectin . These are applied to the skin on the back of the neck, where they sink in and spread throughout the layer of fat beneath the skin, killing any adult fleas present. They continue to kill fleas for at least 30 days. After 30 days, a new dose is applied.