Persian Dirty Face

[Niki77]

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.

[kb2yjx]

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....

[Niki77]

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!

[mrspunkysmom]

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

[Niki77]

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!

[mrspunkysmom]

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

[Niki77]

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!