Persian Dirty Face

I need help immediately. My little Persian, Max, has a severe case of "Persian Dirty Face". Sometimes it's known as Feline Acne, but it's a lot worse. It totally encompasses his mouth, lips and cheek areas. My vet and I have tried steroids, anti-bacterial washes, anti-biotics. He eats out of a Corell dish, which is cleaned every other day. My other cat, a Himalayan, has no problems. We currently have him on an anti-biotic licensed only for dogs, which seemed to work earlier this year. Now, it looks as though he has developed an immunity to it. The cost ($100 a month) is killing me for the pills. He's miserable, so am I. My vet said this drug was a last resort.
If anyone has experienced this level of "dirty face", I would love to hear from you. His quality of life sucks and the thought of putting him to sleep makes me cry, but we've been dealing with this for 2-1/2 years now.
Any solutions???????

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He eats out of a Corell dish, which is cleaned every other day.

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This is the only thing I question. Our Vet said we should use ceramic or glass bowls for cat acne. We had been using Corelle and/or stainless steel. The ceramic has seemed to work.

I also wash it after every feeding.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...a/ec084f0a.jpg

Meet my Max. He's a persian too (flame point) and yes, I have to wash his facie every day. His food dish is a ceramic one that I made and his water dish is a stainless steel bowl. I wash them both every morning. My Max has never had a problem such as you describe but I don't know if it's because of the dishes. I have to wash all around his eyes, cheeks and mouth every day sometimes several times a day. I do find that with my Max, diet played a role. Since I've cut him back on the wet food, it doesn't seem as bad. Wish I could offer more advice.

I have a cat with the same problem. We tried many things, but the only thing that seems to work is antibiotic injections.

If you want to search the web yourself for other sources of information try searching for "idiopathic persian facial dermatitis" or "idiopathic facial dermatitis of persian cats" (yay for easy words \°°/).

Godd luck with your boy.

If your cat has what looks like coffee grinds all over his chin, corners of mouth, in the crease just below the eyes, it IS the idiopathic dermatis that biemme spoke about. Our Raven(a Persian), has it. We " wash " her face after each meal(twice a day). I have found that using a flea comb helps remove the debris. I have read that drugs are ineffective in treating it. Tresaderm does not even help!!! Good luck!!!

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Originally Posted by Mewsgirl

If anyone has experienced this level of "dirty face", I would love to hear from you. His quality of life sucks and the thought of putting him to sleep makes me cry, but we've been dealing with this for 2-1/2 years now.
Any solutions???????

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I HAVE ONE THAT IS AWFUL, REALLY BAD, AND I PUT STRAIGHT PEROXIDE ON IT, TWICE A DAY, CLEARS IT UP QUICKLY, BUT IT ALWAYS RETURNS, HE IS DOOMED WITH IT FOREVER I THINK

Kat has feline acne too. We rub neem oil into it and that really helps. My dad even gave some to this guy with a nast skin condition(forget what it's called at the moment) and it helped him too, not the sort of thing that can be cured just like the acne, but it helps. It helps her heel quickly and doesn't have out breaks so often. It's very managable this way. We also use a neem mix spray all over for fleas and general skin/coat health on her and all the pets. Well except guinea pigs. I did try it on Jupiter to see if it helps his sheading. Seems to me he sheads more than a bunny's supposed to but he has a wonderful coat. Anyway I swear by neam for any and almost all skin conditions. It helps all skin conditions but some curable ones need a little something extra sometimes to compleatly heal.

This is my first time posting and am so glad to have found this board. I have a 2 1/2 year old Himalyan, Frankie, who has a VERY bad case of feline acne/dirty face/facial dermatitis. His condition started out with a few black crustings under his chin last year but quickly moved to his entire face, ears and eyes. His eyes are so bad that they are crusted shut. I have to clean his face and ears at least twice a day, but it continues to come back and his face becomes raw and bleeds. We've changed his food, bowls, litter, etc. We've tried 5 different antibiotics which work for awhile and then the crustings come back. He's received steroid shots and ivomac shots which seem to help the inflamation, but then the crustings come back. He's been tested for mites, mange, ringworm with negative results. Ive had him checked by a feline dermatologist who just prescribed another antibiotic which didnt help. My vet finally performed a very expensive biopsy on his face and the results indicated that he had 2 severe bacterial infections with unknown causes and resistent to most antibiotics except cipro which I just started giving him along with another steroid shot given by his vet. So now I wait and see what happens. The frustrating part is that throughout the year, he's had weeks when it's cleared up completely, but then it comes back with a vengence. Good luck to all of you and your cats and I definately will keep you posted on Frankie's progress.

First welcome!! Second, as you can see from my post above, our rescued Persian, Raven has the same problem. I have been keeping the area under the chin shaved, and gently remove the debris with a flea comb. I wash with plain water her eye area after breakfast and supper. Her food bowl is washed after each meal. Raven is not thrilled about this routine, but it has helped. Good Luck....

Hi Raven's mom and thank you for the welcome and for your reponse. Well, I think Frankies dermatitis has gotten so severe that I can't seem to wipe it or wash it off. His skin and hair start peeling and bleed. I have been washing his bowls daily to limit any bacteria that he comes in contact with, but at this point my vet thinks it's more internal than external, that his body is fighting against itself. I even had him boarded at the vet for about a 5 days where he along with his enviorment could be monitored closely and meds given properly, but his body continued to produce the oily black crusts. When he has been free of the dermatitis, we really aren't sure why and what has really helped. Im wondering if stress could be causing his problems. I have another cat and a dog and they all get along great. Oh well, I'll continue searching for a solution. Thanks!

AS slick mentioned earlier, diet can play a big role in health and every cat, like humans, responds differently.

What foods (and brands) are you feeding?

Anne

Hi Anne, Im feeding my Frankie an IVD Royal Canin veterinary diet which is called hypoallergenic HP 23 prescribed by his vet. At this point, neither Frankie nor my other cat, Zoie, get any store brand cat foods or treats, and I don't give either of them wet food at all. He's been on the HP 23 for about 2 months; we've tried other vet diets as well, but didnt seem to help. I'd be more than willing to try any other type of cat food that you think may help. Thanks!

Royal Canin ingredients

I checked out the ingredients. It's not junk but Rice is the main ingredient. Rice is a carbohydrate. The prime protein source is Soy. Scary in my book, but I know there are people here that love Royal Canin and I don't want to step on any toes.

Rice is a low allergen so it's better than wheat or corn. I'm not sure about Soy.

I feed mine Innova. The plain bag, not the fancy EVO. I also feed Eukanuba Lamb and Rice. I'm not happy about the corn but meat is the first ingredient.

Innova Plain Cat food

Innova has quality ingredients.

You have to decide what to do. I'm sure others have good suggestions about food.

I know that I do not trust a Vet to make an unbiased decision about my cat's food. I heard a claim that most are school in nutrition by the pet food companies. My latest and not-to be-for-long vet was adamant about the benefits of corn for a cat.

I do know that quality cat food is harder to find than quality dog food. There are natrual diets that are expensive. You might need to do that to clean you kitty's system out.

Anne

Anne, thank you so much for taking the time to check out the ingrediants of the royal canin and providing a possible alternative. Frankie definately has not improved with the food the vet has suggested thus Im willing to try other diets and will check into the innova brand. Thanks again!

soy isn't good and should be avoided.

Nature's Variety by Prairie is good too and they have a grain free kibble now. It uses tapioca or something like that
http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1352

but if price isn't an option I'd recomend the freeze dried. I give that to my dog when she's ill and wont eat anything else. And they don't have to put as much carbs(grain) in it since it's not a kibble.

My cat is doing good with neem rubbed in and occasional washing.

Thank you for the tips Tamanduagirl....I did purchase the Innova cat food for my Frankie and my other cat Zoie gets it too. They seem to like it and I'll see how it goes. If they become fussy with it, I may try the food you mentioned. Also what is neem oil and where can I get it?

The infection Frankie has is very severe. It's not just under his chin and face, but all around his eyes and inside his ears. His body seems to continually produce it. I can clean and wipe his face 3 times a day and it continues to come back. He's somewhat in remission now, cause on Dec 30, my vet gave him a depo shot and he's on antibiotics. His face and ears are no longer crusting up and it's almost cleared up 100%. We've come to the conclusion that he'll need a shot monthly along with an antibiotic treatment. But of course I'll still need to clean his face for outbreaks as he gets them.

I didn't want to overhwhelm you but there are other quality foods out there. Most of these are not even offered at PetSmarts in the South. I find foods at local feed stores or the less well-known general feed stores for horses and other farm animals.

Eagle has several cat foods that are high quality. I couldn't the critters to take to it, though. Spunky needed it for his kidneys, but has done well on Innova and real meats. Eagle Pack Products

Solid Gold is supposed to be excellent or was at one time. Solid Gold Health Food for Pets

I'm feeding mine Innova Evo right now since that is all the store had. they seem to like. I think mine go by shape. They like the pellets and not triangles or crosses. Silly critters.

Hope your kitty continues to do better.

Hi Anne,

Thank you for the additional food info and for the well wishes. Frankie's been eating the INNOVA food and both he and my other cat really like it. Also, Frankie continues to improve everyday and he is free from all his breakouts and his face has cleared up completely. I think the combination of the depo shot and antibiotics along with the natural diet has helped. Im just amazed at how well he is now doing. More than likely we will need to continue with the injections monthly and antibiotics daily, but I'll monitor him closely and if he continues to do well without breakouts, I'll hold off on the shots. I'll just have to wait and see, but he is happy and playful again!

Thanks again and I'll keep you guys posted. Niki

Fingers and paws crossed that Frankie does well!!!

I'm glad to hear the Frankie is doing better.

Food plays such an important part in our health.

Keep us posted.

Thanks so much for your good wishes and concern for Frankie! Well, its been almost 3 weeks since he's had a steroid shot and change to Innova food and Im continuing with the anitibiotics. He continues to do well, although, Ive noticed just a minimal amount of crusting on his chin which Im able to remove by wiping and using a flea comb. I do clean his bowls daily and wipe his face and under his chin a few times a day. His face still looks great, no breakouts there! His energy level is good and has been very playful and loving:-)

Thanks all! I'll keep you posted.

What good news!!! Hugs to Frankie and you!!

Hi mewsgirl...my Persian-silver shaded one year two months old also has this black face stuff. I've tried two different antibiotiics, one for 28 days, different cleaners(chlorhexidine) ,ceramic dishes, different foods. Now I think it is hormonal. I was going to breed her, but now I have an apppointment to have her spayed. The difference that Yazzmyna has is that it doesn't seem painful. It looks terrible, but she allows me to clean it and seems to actually enjoy it. She is a happy gentle kiten. I fell so sad for you and your boy! It is a nightmare when your pet is in pain...please don't give up yet. My daughter is a bird person and told about my cat on her site and this is how I got to this site and you. My next plan of action is to try some homeopathic remedys. But I'm going to wait until after she is spayed Feb 7. Please feel free to email me.....saphira...

Hi All, wanted to give an update on Frankie...You all have been so kind by providing advice and tips! Frankie is doing well. His last depo shot was on February 2; Im still giving him antibiotics, but only every other day or so and his breakouts are minimal. Im hoping that he can be off the antibiotics completely, but of course will monitor him closely.

When he had received his depo shot the end of December, his face, chin and eyes were crusting up about 2 weeks after, but wasnt really bad. It's been almost 4 weeks since his last shot Feb 2 and his crustings are very few. I've been giving him and my other cat the California Natural Chicken & Rice food for almost 2 months now and both my cats love it. I think the change in his diet to a natural food has made all the difference.

Thanks again and will keep you posted!

It is funny that you should post an update today, as I have been thinking of posting. Our sweet nearly 11 old Persian, Raven, has not had an outbreak of the crusting, she gets it around her eyes, side of mouth, and her jaw, since I started to add the following to her food(Raven is a kidney kitty that eats Hills k/d wet food(she has no teeth, but can gum the dry food). OK, about a half tsp of Dream Coat, Anitra's Vita-Mineral Mix(both are made by Halo-www.halopets.com), for Cats Nu-Pet Feline Granular(www.arknaturals.com)and lecithin granules. This has to be increased s-l-o-w-l-y in about 4 tsps of water(since Raven eats wet food the whole thing can be mixed together!! Besides the black coffee ground crusts being gone, he coat is so fluffy and shiny!!! Please let me know if this helps. Raven has NEVER been treated with antibiotics or steriods for the crusting, but what a HUGE surprise to see that this worked!!! GOOD LUCK!!! Sandra

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Originally Posted by Niki77

Hi All, wanted to give an update on Frankie...You all have been so kind by providing advice and tips! Frankie is doing well. His last depo shot was on February 2; Im still giving him antibiotics, but only every other day or so and his breakouts are minimal. Im hoping that he can be off the antibiotics completely, but of course will monitor him closely.

When he had received his depo shot the end of December, his face, chin and eyes were crusting up about 2 weeks after, but wasnt really bad. It's been almost 4 weeks since his last shot Feb 2 and his crustings are very few. I've been giving him and my other cat the California Natural Chicken & Rice food for almost 2 months now and both my cats love it. I think the change in his diet to a natural food has made all the difference.

Thanks again and will keep you posted!

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Can you tell me how your frankie is doing? My cat recently got diagnosed with idiopathic facial dermatitis as well. Ive been all over the net looking for safer solutions but only can come across topical ointment called tacrolimus, oral liquid atopica and denamarin. I too have changed foods,bowls, litters,special face wipes the list goes on and on.