My cat's losing fur from flea drops. What are alternative treatments?

Poor Zero! Unfortunately, Hartz is a very poor brand of flea treatment and it can cause things like fur loss. I'm not a fan of it at all, and I personally never recommend using it. Good on you for washing it off of him. Because he has a bald spot on hi from where the flea treatment was applied, I would not use another spot on treatment on him. Instead, I suggest an oral treatment such as Comfortis. It kills fleas and ticks, and is approved for use in cats. You can get it from your vet's clinic.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From the pictures, it appears that there is "dirt" in the affected area you are referring to. This could be dry blood from a scab that was previously there or it could be what we call "flea dirt" which is dry blood from fleas. I would recommend administering a flea preventative such as Frontline and see if this helps. If the area becomes larger or multiple more areas begin to develop, I would recommend having a vet take a look at Soya so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would keep the collar off of her as well. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I have not ever seen Frontline cause hair loss. However, I have seen Frontline cause reactions on the skin. This is a topical product that you used and anytime a topical product is used it has the chance to cause a reaction or irritation which may include hair loss. You can try and wash the area where the front line was applied with a oatmeal based shampoo and rinse it very well or just wait and see if after 4 weeks the problem still persists. If it continues to spread or does not resolve then I would recommend having a veterinarian examine this so that the most appropriate Diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The cause of the hair loss could be allergies or skin mites as well. I would make sure the veterinarian scrapes the skin to check for parasites of the skin. This may also need an oral antibiotic in addition to topical therapy to see if it will respond. You can also try a different shampoo such as Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly. If there is no improvement and your vet is unable to resolve this, I would recommend a second opinion with a veterinary dermatologist if possible. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I am not sure if he is losing the hair just in the area where you applied the flea and tick medication or is he losing hair in general? It is a ell known side effect. Some cats have more sensitive skin and so react with losing their hair in the area of the application. As long a the skin does not look angry or red or injured you do not have to worry. Most of the time the hair will regrow. Should the skin react angrily you will need to have your vet examine your kitty. He may need some ointment on the lesion.

Flicka may have allergies or some other skin condition that allows her fur to pull out or break more easily than it should. She might benefit from a diet high in omega fatty acids or a food allergy specific veterinary diet as well. The best place to start would be an exam by your vet to evaluate her skin and see if she needs diagnostics like a skin scraping or food allergy trial. Hope that helps!

This looks like flea bite allergic dermatitis. Cats chew and overgroom at the base of their tail and lower back when they have fleas or an itchy flea bite. You can treat Rizer with a topical such as Advantage that will kill the fleas. Also combing with a flea comb will remove them and help get rid of the dead fur so new fur will grow in. If you find fleas then make sure you treat all the animals and the house. The skin should heal up and fur grow back in several weeks. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Rizer.