Our cat has ringworm like symptoms of circle shaped missing fur patches with red rings on his skin, but the test for ringworm came back negative. The vet said he has an autoimmune issue and to switch his food. He also gave our cat an antibotic shot and steriods. None of this is working. Our cat has lost his appetite. Does anyone know what's wrong with our cat?
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Ringworm like symptoms but not ringworm help?
- Thread starter fujitsu
- Start Date
Naku somewhat lost his appetite when he was on medicine since, in his case, they would upset his stomach. So that could be why he may not be eating? Have you tried just feeding small amounts throughout the day? That may help.
Also, Naku had a ringworm looking spot, that its just a nasty scar from when he was brought into the shelter and scratched behind his ears until bleeding.
Since your Vet recommended changing his diet, maybe it is possible it is an allergic reaction? I'm not sure, but I would consult with your Vet again on it, especially if it gets worse or spreads.
Also, Naku had a ringworm looking spot, that its just a nasty scar from when he was brought into the shelter and scratched behind his ears until bleeding.
Since your Vet recommended changing his diet, maybe it is possible it is an allergic reaction? I'm not sure, but I would consult with your Vet again on it, especially if it gets worse or spreads.
There is no way that anyone on the internet can offer a diagnosis for a cat. Even if we saw the cat, we're not vets and would at best offer speculation. We can only offer our personal experiences, and hope that one of those ideas will help you work with your vet on a solution.
Ringworm tests are not always conclusive. Sometimes ringworm will glow under a black light and that is usually a dead giveaway that they have it. But it doesn't work all the time. Skin scrape testing is also not always conclusive.
If it truly is not ringworm, then the next most likely cause is allergies, thus the reason why your vet put your cat on steroids and suggested a change in diet. Food allergies are the typical suspect in skin allergies, but it could be something in your environment. It is very difficult to isolate allergies. Steroids help reduce the swelling from the allergy, but it only masks the symptoms, it does not resolve the allergy. Allergies are considered auto-immune disorders.
If none of the above, then suspect injury. Of course if the spots are all over the body, then injury is not as likely.
Last suspicion would be skin cancer.
Loss of appetite on antibiotics is somewhat common. You should call your vet on that, as they could switch out the antibiotic to find one that isn't upsetting his stomach. I've had cats respond very poorly to one and do well on others.
So while you have more than one possible cause for this, the best thing is to continue working with your vet to find out exactly what is wrong.
Ringworm tests are not always conclusive. Sometimes ringworm will glow under a black light and that is usually a dead giveaway that they have it. But it doesn't work all the time. Skin scrape testing is also not always conclusive.
If it truly is not ringworm, then the next most likely cause is allergies, thus the reason why your vet put your cat on steroids and suggested a change in diet. Food allergies are the typical suspect in skin allergies, but it could be something in your environment. It is very difficult to isolate allergies. Steroids help reduce the swelling from the allergy, but it only masks the symptoms, it does not resolve the allergy. Allergies are considered auto-immune disorders.
If none of the above, then suspect injury. Of course if the spots are all over the body, then injury is not as likely.
Last suspicion would be skin cancer.
Loss of appetite on antibiotics is somewhat common. You should call your vet on that, as they could switch out the antibiotic to find one that isn't upsetting his stomach. I've had cats respond very poorly to one and do well on others.
So while you have more than one possible cause for this, the best thing is to continue working with your vet to find out exactly what is wrong.
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