Stud tail? Allergies? Flea hypersensitivity?

mimicheese

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One of my cats, Cat, has been dealing with this condition for a year and a half. On a good week his tail skin will be an appropriate color and have a few black dots which look like blackheads. If I scratch them they will come out and feel like little pebbles. When they get inflamed they can be squeezed out and look just like a pussey black head. If they get really inflamed, and Cat starts chewing at them, he will chew himself to the point of bleeding, they will scab and get very infected.

This problem started after he was neutered at 6 months old. His tail would become so inflamed in a few spots they would turn into marble sized abscesses. For about 8 months we took him in to the vet every month to get cortisol shots to reduce swelling, I started washing his tail twice a week with medicated shampoo, I started him and his sis on revolution, changed food to 4health grain free dry, and authority wet.

It seems like every other month Cat's tail will heal up and then become inflamed again. Each time the infection begins it seems not as bad as the time before, he hasn't been to the point of absescess in about 10 months. When ever the problem happens he has to wear a cone for about two weeks for his tail to heal completely.

I've been to four different vets about this problem, and one said hands down it was flea irritation, but both cats have been on flea meds for a year and a half, I vaccume like crazy the first four months, and now just dust the house with DE once a month just in case. Another vet said it might be allergies but didn't provide a solution. Personally it seems like the black heads imply stud tail.

I just want to have a solution to this condition so Cat can live a happier, cone free life.

This picture is from today at a spot of healthy skin with blackheads (he does have two inflamed spots on other areas of his tail right now)

This picture is from last October when 6 inches of tail were inflamed, (but didn't have an abscess)
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I'm mainly just bumping this up for you.  I've never had a cat with stud tail, so don't know exactly what it looks like, but it sounds like how I've heard it described.   Hoping someone will come along whose quite familiar with it.

As to allergies, even though you are feeding grain free, doesn't mean your guy might not be allergic to a specific protein in the food.  Do you feed mainly chicken, for instance, or do you switch it up between protein, like rabbit, lamb, turkey, chicken, fish, etc.?  Have you ever tried keeping a log of what you're feeding when it starts getting bad?  You might want to do that if you switch up the proteins.  If you DON"T switch them up, you might want to try something like rabbit or venison, which are less allergenic than some of the others.  Seafood is a known culprit, BTW.
 
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mimicheese

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I have been rotating through all the flavors of the authority wet food, after doing a fish free test and not seeing a difference. I'll try the one protein for at least a month? I just feel bad giving my cats the same food day after day. Should I focus on finding venison or rabbit that is grain free as well? My cats hated the grain free wet food they had in the past, I even tried 4+ brands. 
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Yes, grain free as well would be best...something like Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit might be a good place to start.  And,yes,sometimes it does take several weeks to see if it's working
 
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