Bald Spot - Spider Bite Oh My!

Link has had a hell of 6 months. Right now he is housebound for a broken leg that the pin failed in. Now I have found a bald spot on his leg.... yeah.

I noticed it a week ago but it was small. I figured he got a scab somehow and the scab pulled out fur when it came off. Now though it is bigger. I am seeing some little hairs coming in along the edge (or more falling out?). It's dry and not red. He had a flea treatment on December 10th (is January 5th now). He is super hyperactive. As in he is literally jumping off walls and counters right now (I think his leg is finally not hurting all the time). I have checked my other two cats and no bald spots on them. He had a low WBC at his blood test on the 12th but that was likely from stress and pain related to his pin failing.

Please someone tell me its not ringworm because I really don't need another medicial problem and Link doesn't want more vet visits (he's gone in at least every 2 weeks since August for something).

I'm no expert for sure, but I'm thinking it doesn't look like ringworm. That's the same leg that was broken? It seems quite likely that it was a spot that was rubbing on the cast or something so the fur got rubbed off. You can see the little hairs sprouting up again.

pushylady said:

I'm no expert for sure, but I'm thinking it doesn't look like ringworm. That's the same leg that was broken? It seems quite likely that it was a spot that was rubbing on the cast or something so the fur got rubbed off. You can see the little hairs sprouting up again.

Click to expand...

It's not the broken leg. That leg is still regrowing fur because they shaved him for the cast. You can see a little of his other foreleg regrowth from the shaved spot where his IV went in in the back of one of the photos. 

It's his front foreleg which has been left alone up to this point. 

I took Link in for the bald spot on his leg and came home with a diagnostic of "most likely" a spider bite. My vet gave me Tresaderm and instructions to clean the site and apply the med twice a day.

Anyone have experience with this?

Link has a normal appitite, normal litter box, hyperactive behavior, doesn't seem to be in pain, not limping with that leg (he is healing a broken hind leg and this bite is on the foreleg) and other then cleaning the area after the vet visit hasn't messed with it.

Here is a photo from the 5th View media item 397807
Here is today (the 7th) after the vet shaved the area and cleaned it View media item 397808
I have put a little black dot on each side so I can tell if it is growing. I have a follow up appointment next week and instructions to take him back if it gets bigger or looks like anything other than a healing wound.

Anyone have any tips, advice, guidance, similar experience?

We are in Southern California, a valley part. We do have black widows outside but he has been housebound since early December.

Has this scabbed over more than once?

Did the wound ever bleed, or, seem moist or have fluid/pus?

Did your vet feel that was healthy tissue?

cat-tech said:

Has this scabbed over more than once?

Did the wound ever bleed, or, seem moist or have fluid/pus?

Did your vet feel that was healthy tissue?

Click to expand...

The wound has not scabbed over before. The vet removed a small about of scab in cleaning it.

It has no bleed, pussed or seemed moist prior to this morning. I first noticed it Monday or Tuesday and until this morning it was dry and scaly to the touch.

The vet just said she thought it was a spider bite. I showed her the picture of it on the 5th so she knows how it looked two days prior. It did not look as red and raw until she shaved and cleaned the area. At first she said it look bruised and red but the scabbed bottom edge was hidden by fur. As she shaved it she said that she was seeing some dead skin coming off with the fur she was removing. I think in cleaning and shaving it she removed the fur and skin that was starting to come offf already.

My feeling is she feels the skin around it is relatively healthy. She did take a picture and had me send my picture from prior for the records. She also had a vet tech who works the days she is off come and see it incase I come in when the other vet is working at the practice.

Give the tresaderm a few days to see if it will help improve, if the wound gets worse, drains, bleeds, don't wait for next week's appointment, get him seen promptly. 

View media item 397833
This is it a minute ago a few hours after it was clean and shaved.

Is that a film over the wound?  Are you concerned about something else?

No film, I don't know why it is showing up like that in the photo. Its the border of the area between the injuried area and unaffected fur. It could be from the medication but in person its not as noticable. No major concerns. Just looking if anyone sees something I am missing but should be doing. Or similar experiences and things I should watch for as it heals.

Pictures are deceiving on the net  so you have to defer to your vet - if she allows you to email her (a clinic email address?), you can send her a new photo if the wound starts appearing unusual or nasty-looking - try to get clear close-ups when sending photos via email.

You want to watch for continued redness or swelling, blackening of the skin borders, oozing of pus or other fluid, any "eruption" from anywhere on the wound (would appear like a blister), or the borders widening.

Any wound that doesn't seem to be healing despite treatment will need to be re-assessed through taking a sample to look under a slide, or, a biopsy. (hopefully the latter won't be necessary).

Thank you.

I have a pretty good relationship with my vet and open communication. She thinks he is a very intelligent energetic cat and tries to pick treatment options with that in mind. While I trust her and her judgement; this is something new to her so figured cover the bases and come on here to see if anyone had any advice.

View media item 398180
This is the progression of the location with the top left photo being the 5th, the next photo the 7th when the vet cleaned it, then each time medicine has been applied up to this morning on the bottom right (the 9th).

Just in case anyone else finds themseleve in similar. The medicine makes a ring around it that goes away when I clean it. With how quickly it is clearing up (I think) I am guessing we got lucky and he reacted to a spider that isn't high up on the venom scale.

Well I'm glad it wasn't ringworm after all, that's a hell of an ordeal to deal with! Looks like you and Link got lucky with this and it seems to be healing up really nicely. My own personal experience with spider bites involves much worse photos!! :nausea: Give poor little Link lots of cuddles, and I hope this is it for his medical misadventures for a long while!

Thank you @pushylady  I really didn't want to deal with ringworm on top of everything else either. 

I am hoping it continues the way it is going. The spot is slightly raised to the touch but doesn't seem to hurt him. While the shape is changing slightly it seems to be more in the direction of healing than getting worse. I think part of it was also catching it before the skin broke open so when the vet cleaned it she opened it in taking off the dead skin. With medicine on it immediately and continued medication we might have stopped it from getting worse along with it being minor to being with.

And I wouldn't have posted photos of it if it made a turn for the worse I know those can get very bad, very quickly and wouldn't want to spring that on someone unsuspecting.