Cricket's Ears

[bustersmom]

My nine year old little tuxedo girl, Cricket, suddenly lost the hair on her ears a year ago..I took her to a vet then and we tried antibiotics, animax ointment, depo medrol injection, not much change. I changed bowls, changed to grain-free diet, and all kinds of other environmentals. Went back in Sept, tried more depo...no results. The ears were free of any lesions, just nice clear skin. She acted normally and nothing else was out of ordinary.

A month ago, the skin started to look dry, so I put hydrocortisone on them. They started to get tiny dots of scabs on them. And the skin thinned and curled on the edges. I stopped hydro. And off to a differen vet. We tried another depo shot and feliway, hoping it was behavioral and she was sneakily scratching. No improvement. So, we did biopsy, which was inconclusive. Four options, none considered likely, except a possible autoimmune issue.

Starting today on prednisone. Looked at the lesions this morning and there is a black spot in the middle of one. *sigh* Anyone have any suggestions as to what I could apply that would simply soothe the ears. I've tried colloidal oatmeal, coconut oil, etc. Or would I best leave them alone? Thanks for listening.

 

[lacy2000]

I’m not a vet, but it does sound like an auto immune disorder. The blackness indicates the cells in her ears are dying. Has your vet looked into it?

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

My nine year old little tuxedo girl, Cricket, suddenly lost the hair on her ears a year ago..I took her to a vet then and we tried antibiotics, animax ointment, depo medrol injection, not much change. I changed bowls, changed to grain-free diet, and all kinds of other environmentals. Went back in Sept, tried more depo...no results. The ears were free of any lesions, just nice clear skin. She acted normally and nothing else was out of ordinary. ...

What did lab work, like blood panels, urinalysis, etc. show?

Also, is she an indoor cat so you can be aware of her peeing, eating, drinking habits? Did those habits change?

... A month ago, the skin started to look dry, so I put hydrocortisone on them. They started to get tiny dots of scabs on them. And the skin thinned and curled on the edges. I stopped hydro. And off to a differen vet. We tried another depo shot and feliway, hoping it was behavioral and she was sneakily scratching. No improvement. So, we did biopsy, which was inconclusive. Four options, none considered likely, except a possible autoimmune issue.

...

What were the "four options" the new vet considered likely? Was one of them Cushing's disease? or adrenal, pituitary issues?

 

[bustersmom]

What did lab work, like blood panels, urinalysis, etc. show?

Also, is she an indoor cat so you can be aware of her peeing, eating, drinking habits? Did those habits change?



What were the "four options" the new vet considered likely? Was one of them Cushing's disease? or adrenal, pituitary issues?

Yes, she is an indoor cat only and very normal everything. Yes, cushings was one, but behavioral changes were not there - I will do bloodwork if prednisone doesn't work. Other options: feline paraneoplastic disease, but vet thinks there would be way more symptoms, plus it has been going on for too long; autoimmune; or behavioral, ie she's scratching a lot, without me seeing it, which I don't think, based on appearance, is likely.

 

[bustersmom]

I’m not a vet, but it does sound like an auto immune disorder. The blackness indicates the cells in her ears are dying. Has your vet looked into it?

I just noticed the black spot today, so will be letting the vet know. If prednisone shows no improvement, I will be doing bloodwork. I believe we will get to the bottom of it, but want to keep cat as comfortable as possible. I'm going to try to not put anything on topically for a couple days to see what happens.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Blood chem panels and other blood work will probably be helpful. I hope Cricket's ears feel more comfortable soon! Keep us posted

 

[bustersmom]

Good news. The prednisone appears to have worked. I have been applying Douxo for three weeks and the lesions are gone, skin is clear, and, hopefully, hair will be coming back. Only problem now is a spot on her white nose pad, which is concerning. I've dealt with a cat with SCC before and hope it doesn't evolve into that.

 

[Antonio65]

I cannot help you, but I would like to remind you that Cricket shouldn't expose to sunlight until the problem is solved. Just in case, as we're going towards the good season.
Best of luck

 

[pushylady]

I'm glad you updated and have seen some improvement. Poor Cricket, her ears looked awful. At least you have found a treatment that helps, even if you're not 100% sure what is causing the problem. Good vibes that her nose spot is nothing serious.