Felv+ Foster Has Dandruff/scabs On Tail?

[tolclci]

Hi, I took in a 10 month old foster 2 days ago that has recently been tested positive for FeLV. He was previously with another woman for a month or so and prior to that, was living on the streets. We rescued him after he was stuck high in a tree for 12 days.
He has quite long black fur and I noticed he gets a bit irritated after brushing his tail one or two times. I have checked the rest of his body and he seems fine, however the upper part of his tail is a no go zone. I managed to take a picture of the area he doesn't like me to go near, and will get him to the vets to see whats going on but just wondered if anyone knows what this could be? It looks a mix between scabs and dandruff to me but I'm obviously not an expert. I hope someone can help, thanks!!

 

[foxxycat]

what kind of food is he eating? Some cats have allergies to corn.

 

[tolclci]

what kind of food is he eating? Some cats have allergies to corn.

The woman that had him before me fed him Ultima biscuits, they contain barley if I remember correctly. Its no where else on his body, only at the top half of his tail. I will get him checked at the vets though for definite!

 

[foxxycat]

if you look at the ingredients of the food=look for corn meal or corn. They can get dandruff in one location. My elder girl Pumpkin Face has most of her dandruff at the base of tail=we brush her daily. you can use coconut oil on her skin if it's really bad=it's safe for them to lick- maybe it will sooth it?

 

[tolclci]

if you look at the ingredients of the food=look for corn meal or corn. They can get dandruff in one location. My elder girl Pumpkin Face has most of her dandruff at the base of tail=we brush her daily. you can use coconut oil on her skin if it's really bad=it's safe for them to lick- maybe it will sooth it?

Thank you so much for your reply, I will give the coconut oil a go to see if it helps! Also, adorable name for your kitty!

 

[foxxycat]

did you find corn in the ingredients of the food? Sometimes it's the protein source-but most times it's the grains in the food-hard to find a grain free kibble. I switched to 4Health from Tractor supply=no corn in it but it does have potatoes but so far they eat it and no one is vomiting..my angel Floey who passed last summer loved this food. in fact she had a corn allergy and refused any food with even a trace amount of it. She too got that dandruff but she also developed crystals in urine-this was back in early 2000s where almost all food had corn stuffed into it-took me a long time to find a food in the store without corn-now there's more brands. 4Health at tractor supply,. chicken soup for pet lovers soul, Taste of the Wild are three choices that are reasonable priced. There's much better foods but for those with fussy cats-mine like all these brands.
Natures balance and instinct is a better food. Fromm is even better but those two you have to order on chewy or find a small pet food store-we have Pet's life here on the seacoast that carries obscure brands and types of protein.

 

[tolclci]

did you find corn in the ingredients of the food? Sometimes it's the protein source-but most times it's the grains in the food-hard to find a grain free kibble. I switched to 4Health from Tractor supply=no corn in it but it does have potatoes but so far they eat it and no one is vomiting..my angel Floey who passed last summer loved this food. in fact she had a corn allergy and refused any food with even a trace amount of it. She too got that dandruff but she also developed crystals in urine-this was back in early 2000s where almost all food had corn stuffed into it-took me a long time to find a food in the store without corn-now there's more brands. 4Health at tractor supply,. chicken soup for pet lovers soul, Taste of the Wild are three choices that are reasonable priced. There's much better foods but for those with fussy cats-mine like all these brands.
Natures balance and instinct is a better food. Fromm is even better but those two you have to order on chewy or find a small pet food store-we have Pet's life here on the seacoast that carries obscure brands and types of protein.

Hi, yes I read through the ingredients of the Ultima Chicken kibble and found it has quite a high percentage of corn. This is the food the woman who cared for him previously told me to buy, however the first day I gave it to him, he refused to eat it. I'm also pretty angry she didn't even notice his tail. She has cared for him for a couple of months I believe, and its not difficult to miss since I seen it within a day.
I will definitely look out for those brands to try, I will probably have to order online since I'm in Spain but that's not a problem. The vets and pet stores stock pretty much the same food brands here and for the meantime I am feeding him wet food which he likes a lot.
I am very grateful for your suggestions, finding grain free biscuits is very difficult and I'll have a look online to order some

 

[nansiludie]

Has he been neutered? I remember years ago, I had an old tom who had stud tail, where its all greasy and flaky from them not being fixed.

 

[tolclci]

Has he been neutered? I remember years ago, I had an old tom who had stud tail, where its all greasy and flaky from them not being fixed.

Yes he has been castrated, it does look rather similar to stud tail but is it possible since he's fixed...