Tiger On The E-Collar

We took Tiger to see his regular vet yesterday to check on his skin lesions. Skin problems, as we know, are rather difficult to diagnose, especially on an FIV+ cat like Tiger. It could be due to so many things. And for Tiger’s case, it’s made more complicated by the fact that these lesions probably has something to do with his earlier seizures (which have thankfully stopped now).

The vet talked a bit about seizures in animals. Yes, epilepsy is very worrisome, but in some cases, the body heals by itself after awhile. Tiger’s case seems to be one of these and we are extremely thankful. The vet reflects that sometimes we cannot cure an illness; we can only help the body to heal by itself.

So now, what else can we do about these skin lesions on Tiger? The vet suspects it is flea allergy dermatitis. The lesions probably started with Tiger’s biting and licking and whatever else manifested (bacterial or fungal) came later. Tiger also has some balding problems which points strongly towards flea allergy dermatitis.

These lesions probably started with Tiger’s biting and licking. And now, it’s made worse because he keeps licking the lesions (it’s like sand-papering the lesions whenever he licks since the cat’s tongue is very rough and coarse). Perhaps the constant licking is preventing the lesions from healing. I noticed that the lesions which are often licked are red whereas those that he does not lick did not deteriorate.

So, we are going to try something simple, which unfortunately, involves putting Tiger on the e-collar. I know, which cat likes to be put on the collar? But this is a non-invasive and certainly non-toxic method. The only downside is the stress due to being on the e-collar – the stress on the cat and definitely the stress on the worried human! Meanwhile, Tiger will continue and finish his antibiotics and the anti-fungal. We’ll take it one day at a time.

Both Cleo and Tabs have bald patches and this is probably due to flea bites as well. The two girls did not develop any lesions, but Tiger did. All it takes is for one single flea to bite Tiger and the saliva to spread throughout his body.

So, yesterday, albeit reluctantly, we treated Cleo, Tabs and Tiger with anti-flea spot-on. I managed to get Advocate for Cleo’s weight, but there was no stock for Tabs and Tiger’s, so we used Revolution on them.

The vet also recommends isolating Tiger from Bunny’s place so that he won’t get bitten by fleas again. If the e-collar and isolation bring positive results, it’s probably just flea allergy dermatitis.

Really, really hoping that it just this and the problem will be resolved.

Tiger at the patio.

Getting some healing sun.

Some off-collar time (under supervision), protected by the Royal Guards.

Tiger doesn’t like the e-collar, but he is able to get around reasonably well.

In retrospect, just a few years ago, at one time, Bunny started balding so badly until he looked like a naked mole rat! His belly was totally bald and pink while the rest of his body had so little hair you could see the skin. I remember just applying a spot-on once on him and that solved the problem. Hair started growing back in time and Bunny was furry all over again! But it did take rather long for his transformation from a naked mole rat back to Bunny Bun Buns!

He really did look like a naked mole rat at one time!

Source: https://myanimalcare.org/2016/11/23/tiger-on-the-e-collar/

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