My cat has eosinophilic granuloma. Is cortisone cream enough?

Eosinophillic granulomas and ulcers are a symptom of an underlying allergy. It is best if you work with your vet to help alleviate the allergy - as continued steroid shots are not recommended in the long term. I usually start with making sure he is on an excellent flea control product every month without fail (and any other pets in the house as well). If BearBear goes outdoors, I suggest also performing a full environmental flea treatment - fleas are the biggest trigger for these lesions. The next step is a prescription hypoallergenic diet. There are 3 main excellent brands available - Hill's, Royal Canin and Purina Rx. Finally, if BearBear is still reacting despite these changes, you may wish to consider either Atopica for cats (toxo testing needed first), or oral steroids that you would give daily or every other day. Compounded varieties may be needed if you struggle to give him pills

Oh goodness! Poor Gizmo! Often looking under the microscope at a quick smear of the fluid from the lesion can give your veterinarian a good idea if eosinophilic complex is possible. If the cells do not support that diagnosis then a biopsy may be recommended. Often these lesions also have a secondary infection so often I use antibiotics as well as steroids to resolve the lesions. Often a hypoallergenic diet may also be helpful. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi there and thank you for posting! Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex sometimes occurs due to an underlying cause such as a flea allergy, other environmental allergy, or a food allergy. Steroids and antibiotics are commonly used as well as trying a hypoallergenic food and getting Roxy on a flea preventative to rule out a flea allergy as the cause. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello. It is very difficult to diagnose a skin problem just by looking at it, & certainly harder by a picture. If this is similar to what your other cat has, then I might be suspicious of a mange mite called Demodex gatoi. I would first talk to your vet about treating both cats ( & any others in the house ) with Bravecto, just to rule this out ( it is also great for fleas). For EG, some cats will respond nicely to occasional steroid injections. You can also do a hypoallergenic diet trial to rule out a food allergy. Antihistamines sometimes will control symptoms, especially Certirizine ( your veterinarian can recommend a dose ), & some cats are being treated with a relatively new medication for allergies in dogs called Apoquel. So, once your veterinarian has confirmed what the skin lesions are, treatment can be started. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Steroids generally used are Prednisolone or Depo-Medrol. If Steroids can not control the lesions, we often go to Atopica ( cyclosporine ). For the antibiotic, I would start either with the amoxicillin/clauvalonic acid or one of the cephalosporins ( Covenia if available to you). You might also investigate using a hypoallergenic diet for cats, such as one with a novel protein or one made with a hydrolyzed protein. Science Diet & Royal Canin are very popular ones here. Hope this helps. Take care.

I'm so sorry to hear about Tetra! That is a tough disease to manage and I know it can be so frustrating. The problem is, we often have no idea what triggers a flare up. It can be anything from something blooming outside to someone lighting a cigarette inside, to one tiny mite/flea/mosquito/ant bite to a tiny piece of something dropped on the kitchen floor, even stress or illness can sometimes contribute to a flare up ...you get the idea. In all honesty, you are doing basically everything I would recommend, though I would add on the omega 3's. I usually recommend about 130 mg of fish oil per pound daily. (Work up to this dose though because it can cause some soft stool if you start off too high.) I haven't heard of the canned food thing but certainly ask the dermatologist/internist if that might help. Unfortunately, many of these cats are on Atopica for quite some time but hopefully with the immunotherapy, etc. you can hopefully stop in time. Of course, consulting with a board-certified dermatologists or internists can be very helpful. Best of luck to you and Tetra

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Eosinophilic granulomas typically do not become cancerous, although they can return. Sometimes they can appear like an ulcer that is red or pink an sometimes it can look like a bump. They usually have an underlying cause such as an allergy such as to fleas or perhaps a food allergy. Other times, their cause is unknown. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian to help determine if there is underlying allergy that is contributing to the recurrence and also to ensure this is truly an eosinophilic granuloma and not something else (such as a different skin condition or a mass of some kind). I hope this helps and best wishes to you and Phineas!