Help: Baby Kitten Tail/Back Paws Skin Cracking/Loss of Hair - Very Concerned

[Cameron A]

Good Afternoon,

We had a really bad storm down here in Louisiana and my mom found 2 kittens and a stray cat on her doorstep that the mother carried through the storm to get to safety, the kittens are maybe a week/2 weeks old. The mother looks to be in great condition, and one of 2 kittens is also in great condition, but the second kitten isn't looking too well. Me and my Fiance offered to take care of the kittens and adopt the stray and assist with finding the kittens good homes, the mother has been doing great and we love her. The 2nd kitten however is not looking so good and I am not able to find anything online to help me help this little guy and its eating me up. We cant go to the vet at the moment due to the virus, and im getting more and more concerned about his health/future problems. The little kittens tail, and back 2 paws are so dry the hair is missing, the skin is cracked, and the tail is almost completely hairless, it almost looks like something was eating at him, but the other kitten/mother are perfectly fine from what we can see. My mom has raised multiple animals and the first thing she did was clean the wound and apply betadine to make sure it was disinfected and to clean the cracked areas. There is not blood, any ooze, the kittens nails articulate when he needs to grab/walk, and he does not appear to be in pain when interacting with the areas. I have searched all over the internet to try and find something, asked multiple friends, and everyone is stumped. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, I just want to see this little guy thrive and live his best life.

I have attached multiple screen shots of the areas in question.

Thank you for your time,
Jason

 

[Destinyyymarie]

I know a lot of vets in my area are open but they come to your car to get your pet? I wish I could help with what it could be. I know my dog has bad skin rashes and that oat baths and apple cider vinegar helped with inflammation but because he’s just a kitten I would definitely try the vet first

 

[Sarthur2]

See if you can email these pictures to a vet, even if you have to pay a phone consultation fee. Or, find a vet who is doing curbside. That’s what mine is doing.

I’m not sure what this is as it could be fungal, mange, ringworm, etc. The vet really needs to take a skin scraping and look at it under the microscope to determine if there are parasites or what. Clearly the kitten needs medication, but the vet needs to diagnosis this.

In the meantime, apply coconut oil just to moisturize and protect the skin. It’s not a cure, but is non-toxic if licked and can only help.

I do hope you can get this kitten vet help asap, and kudos to you for taking in this mom and babies. Do keep us posted!

 

[fionasmom]

I am wondering about mange...actually the pics looked worse than your description of them and I would definitely try for a vet appointment. It might not even be an expensive one as often mange or the like can look terrible but be effectively treated. My GSD had it when he was rescued and Revolution was used; however, I don't think that you should self diagnose this. Tell the vet it is an emergency and see if you can get any sort of assistance from them.

 

[Willowy]

Yeah, looks like mange or something similar. I think you'll need meds from a vet. As mentioned, many vets are doing tele-appointments or curbside service, so call a few in your area and see if any can help. I agree with using coconut oil to keep him moisturized until you can get the meds.

Other than the skin issues, how is he doing? Eating, drinking, pooping, etc.?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

The only reason that I am hopeful that this is NOT mange is that the mother and other kitten are fine. Living in such close proximity, you'd expect all three to be infected. DO try to find a vet who will at least let you email those photos to him/her, and DO explain that mama and sibling show no signs of a similar problem.

If you don't have coconut oil, a TINY bit of olive oil would work as a substitute.

 

[cataholic07]

It possible the kitten could have gotten burned or injured somehow. For sure must see a vet

 

[Sylvia Jones]

Any updates on the little one?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yes, please. We fret.