Dry Cracked Nose Cause for Concern?

Hi, I'm new here. I found the site through Google, trying to find out if I should be worried about our kitten.

In October we adopted two 8 week old kittens, a boy and a girl: Toothless and Cinder. In mid-November Toothless was put on antibiotics for a nasty cold. (Cinder had it too, but not as bad) He had a crusty nose and weepy eyes, but we figured it was the cold. He got over the cold but the crusty nose and weepy eye kept coming back on and off. Our older cat (who passed in December) had a constant weepy eye since he was a kitten so we didn't think twice about the eye, and we figured the crusty nose was because he was little and a lazy groomer.

They both went in for neutering/spaying on March 6. When the vet called with an update he expressed concern about Toothless's crusty nose (the whole thing was covered in crusties) and said he thought it was more than poor grooming. He said it could be ringworm, or a bacterial/viral infection. We decided to see if the antibiotics Toothless got with surgery helped. 

After 10 days his nose was still crusty so I started wiping it with warm water and applying coconut or olive oil a couple of times a day. (He hates this!) The crustiness is gone, but his nose still feels super dry/chapped and looks cracked. I've been researching online and he doesn't have any signs of ringworm or FRV, no nasal discharge or sneezing, no hairless places, ulcers, etc. Just the super dry, cracked nose.

Am I just an overly worried kitten mama? 

The first photo is from March 12 - you can see some of the crusties. The second was taken this morning - he wasn't cooperating. 

Welcome to TCS!   I love the second photo of Toothless- I can't tell you how many I have like that, also with a black cat! 

Crusted noses can be worrisome but are usually not serious.  Two causes for dried and crusty noses are seasonal allergies or reactions to the dust in cat litter.  Ringworm, however,  is a definite concern and unless you are positive that ringworm is not the culprit, it is a good idea to take Toothless back to the vet and find out for sure.  The vet can take a scraping and send it out to be cultured.  If it is ringworm, you definitely want to get started on treatment right away.

You mentioned that cleaning the nose had helped with the crusties but that it remained dry and cracked.  What about the weeping eyes?  Are they better?   You're doing exactly what I would recommend for his nose by washing it and rubbing it with coconut oil or olive oil.  Since he hates having that done, you might include treats in the process to make it less awful for him.  Just give him one before and after, and during whenever he starts fighting you.

Coconut oil and olive oil can also be given orally, although only in moderation.  Before you try that, make sure with your vet that it is okay and ask what dose he or she recommends.  There are also products high in Omega 3 (usually in fish oil) that can be given orally to help cats with dry skin - this might be worth trying for Toothless as well.

Good luck with your beautiful Toothless.  I hope his nose is back to normal, soon! 

Thanks so much for your reply!

I'm not 100% positive it's not ringworm, but he doesn't have any symptoms (aside from my concern about his nose) so if he does have it he'd be an asymptomatic carrier. I'd think one of the other cats or people in the family would get it if he did, and there aren't any signs of that either. 

The weepy eye is better, and his nose has been feeling less dry over the weekend, although it still has bumps and isn't smooth like Cinder's. If I'd known he was going to have nose issues I'd have taken a better look at it when he was younger so I'd know if the bumps are normal for him or not.  

I tried to get him to eat a little coconut oil but he wanted nothing to do with it. I thought I'd try olive oil next, and if that doesn't work, salmon oil. I'll also look into the Omega3/fish oil idea.

Thanks again! It's nice to find a place where people don't think I'm just a worry wart. 

We are all worry warts normal on this site when it comes to our kitties.  You fit right in!  

I'm glad to hear that Toothless's nose is showing some improvement.  It sounds like you are on the right track.   It's a shame he wouldn't take the coconut oil orally but I know first hand the problem with trying to slip supplements into their food.  I tried to add some Omega 3 supplement to my Paul's food and for the first time since I adopted him two years ago, he turned up his nose and refused to eat.  It sounds so simple to say "just add it to their food"  but they often have other ideas. 

Easiest way to give liquid medications to cats I've found is to take a syringe or medical dropper and squirt the liquid into the cheek.

But then again I never add medication to the food even pills. I just pop the pill in the mouth and rub the throat while holding it closed to make them swallow.

Just a quick update - his nose is back to normal, hooray! He still gets crusties around the edges, but I think that's normal. His weepy eye comes and goes, but is clear and doesn't seem to bother him so I figured we'd keep an eye on it and call the vet if it gets worse.

Now that THAT worry is over I can go back to researching homemade food. We're ready to start introducing chicken thighs - I think they'll eat them just fine so we can go on to the next stage.

Thanks for your advice everyone!

If you do home cook don't forget to add supplements to the food.

IndyJones said:

If you do home cook don't forget to add supplements to the food.

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I'm planning on it! Adding, that is, not forgetting. 

I've been comparing the recipes on the Cat Info and Cat Nutrition sites. Cat Info doesn't use eggs, fiber or a multi-gland supplement, but Cat Nutrition does. I'm leaning toward no eggs or multi-gland supplement, and starting with 2 different batches - 1 with no fiber for the kittens and 1 with psyllium powder for the older cats, and gradually eliminating the psyllium. 

amysuen said:

 
Just a quick update - his nose is back to normal, hooray! He still gets crusties around the edges, but I think that's normal. His weepy eye comes and goes, but is clear and doesn't seem to bother him so I figured we'd keep an eye on it and call the vet if it gets worse.

Now that THAT worry is over I can go back to researching homemade food. We're ready to start introducing chicken thighs - I think they'll eat them just fine so we can go on to the next stage.

Thanks for your advice everyone!

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Great news that Toothlesses nose is back to normal!