Could This Be a Hot Spot?

[swanjun]

Hello! I just noticed this patch on my ginger girl. Previously, I'd seen slicked down fur in that area, like she'd been grooming it. Now, there's no fur there and there's a pink area of skin that's thicker than the surrounding skin. Could this be a hot spot?

So far, I have wiped the area with a cotton round soaked with antimicrobial face wash that's also good for skin irritants and safe if ingested. She's acting normal, otherwise I'd already have whisked her away to the emergency vet. I'm going to call our regular vet first thing in the morning, but thought I'd seek some advice here in the meantime.

Medications: Methimazole 5 mg twice a day, Keppra thrice a day. She's been on the Keppra for 2.5 months now. She was on transdermal methimazole for a couple of years but we recently switched to the pill formulation because she wasn't absorbing enough medication transdermally. I haven't seen her scratching obsessively, one of the more common skin-related side effects of methimazole.

She is potentially stressed from having to receive liquid Keppra thrice a day. (Her hyperthyroidism got bad causing seizures. Now it's under control again.) We also started feeding the kitties Royal Canin Renal formula wet food because another kitty's kidney disease has gotten a bit worse. They were all eating Royal Canin Renal dry food prior to this for a couple of years, however.

 

[neely]

Hot spots are more common in dogs than cats although cats can have them too. Where is the affected area on your cat? I can't tell from the photo. I've seen hot spots on dogs and they look different than this but it would be best to contact your vet especially since you mentioned she has some other health issues. 5 mg of Methimazole twice a day, i.e. 10 mg, is a rather high dose. If you don't mind me asking how high was her T-4 level? I'm not questioning your vet's instructions just curious since our cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism last year. Getting back to the skin issue, some members have had good luck with applying chamomile tea to soothe the affected area. Mamanyt1953 describes how to use it in this post: New Mantra

 

[swanjun]

Thanks for the reply!

The spot is on her left shoulder, basically the area she can get at to lick when she turns her head to the side.

Her T-4 had gotten up to 13, and that was while she was on the transdermal methimazole. When we switched to the pill, it swiftly went down to 5 and now is back in the normal range, per bloodwork performed on April 19th.

 

[swanjun]

Update: it was indeed a hot spot. Cytology revealed bacteria and inflammatory cels. Kitty got a Convenia injection, an e-collar, and some Genta spray to take home.

 

[neely]

Thanks so much for the update. I'm glad you had your vet examine her and hope she feels better soon.