Tilly - feline acne

[fjm]

Tilly's chin is looking sore, with tiny scabs and red patches following the typical dark grubby look of feline acne. It's a recent problem (I suspect she is rather stressed with Pip being unwell and then away), and one I think I will try home treatment for before making yet another visit to the vet (we seem to be practically living there at the moment!).

Plan is warm salt water bathing, dilute Hibiscrub, and Hypercal ointment (I checked years ago to make sure it was safe to use on cats and dogs - an obliging vet looked it up in a veterinary pharmacopoeia for me). My first question is whether Hibiscrub is the same as the little bottle of hand sanitiser I already have, or do I need to buy some, and how much to dilute it?

Any other useful ideas gratefully accepted. She is fed from porcelain bowls, washed in the dishwasher after each use, and there has been no change of diet, but she roams outdoors and sticks her head into things so could easily have picked up a minor infection that way. It is not worrying her, and is fairly minor, otherwise I would already be on the phone to the vet!

[fjm]

Peering at the hand stuff it seems to have a different active ingredient, so I won't risk it. Looks like a trip to the chemist is on this morning's agenda...

[Lilith]

Poor old Tilly, sorry to hear.

Hibiscrub is brilliant stuff - I was once recommended by a vet to use it neat (but this was for sores on a cat's stomach; did the trick too.) However, with the acne being so close to Tilly's mouth I'd dilute it to the lowest solution given in the instruction guide. Poor little lass, do hope you get her sorted soon, all the best

ps hope Pippin's feeling better today.

[fjm]

I had a natter with the vet nurse who phoned with an update about Pippin (see his hyperthyroid thread) - we came to the conclusion that the best thing to try would be salt water and Hypercal until the lesions heal, and then dilute Hibiscrub to clear up anything left - and to keep the Hibi to hand to treat it next time before the skin has broken. Tilly is not too keen on the procedure, even for chicken!

[fjm]

A couple of applications of HyperCal (AKA Magic Ointment) seem to have done the trick. The first application healed up all the sore spots, and the second, a few days later, has finished the job. Wish I knew whether it is the herbs in it or the lanolin base that are so effective, but meanwhile I am just glad to have something inexpensive and almost universally useful - it is also healing up the messy scabs Pip has after surgical spirit and other stuff for blood tests.

[greenkitty]

I read somewhere using plastic bowls can cause feline acne, just something to consider

[fjm]

Yes, I read that too, but Tilly has porcelain bowls that go through the dishwasher after every meal. She is a great hunter, though - Heaven knows what holes she pushes her nose into, and what she might pick up there!