My cat has miliary dermatitis. What's a good treatment and flea prevention?

Hi there and thank you for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! When you are petting her and your feel little seeds or what feels like little millet seeds, then it is very possible she could have miliary dermatitis. The #1 cause of military dermatitis is actually an allergy to fleas. It is only takes one flea to induce a flea allergy and the adult fleas can be hard to spot! Eggs and larva can be hard to see as well. Fleas find cracks and crevices to enter your home making household cats susceptible to acquiring fleas. If going to a vet is not an option, you can try bathing her in dawn dish soap (that will get rid of the adult fleas). You can then purchase an OTC flea treatment and preventative product such as Frontline Plus or Advantage to use monthly to ensure your are taking care of the entire life cycle of the flea. If the itching does not subside in a few weeks with the flea preventative, then it may be possible she has another environmental allergy or a food allergy, but I would rule out an allergy to fleas first. :) Thank you so much for your question and I wish you and Ishiban the very best!

I'm sorry your cats (and you!) are dealing with you. Unfortunately, once a cat has a flea dermatitis, the itching and skin problems can continue even once you get rid of the fleas. The degree of which really depends on the severity of their sensitivity to flea bites. Often, we have to use antihistamines or steroids to resolve the inflammation. Sometimes we also have to incorporate antibiotics if there is an infection. For dogs, there are topical shampoos we can use, but those are often not a good option for cats. So, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine your cats' skin to determine if there is a secondary skin infection or just inflammation in order to help you determine the best treatment. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

With miliary dermatitis, the goal of treatment is typically focused on controlling underlying allergens and immune system stimulation. Some of these control methods include ruling out food allergies by doing a prescription hydrolyzed protein diet trial, ruling out the presence of mites and ringworm, and mediating the immune system with medication once mites, ringworm and food allergies are ruled out. In some cases, steroids can be beneficial in the short term to control inflammation and itching. There are no effective over the counter topical medications to manage miliary dermatitis.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. This looks like flea dirt. If you put "cat flea dirt" into a Google search you will see many photos that resemble this. I suggest you get her a GOOD flea prevention and treat your house and/or yard for fleas. You can bathe her if she will let you with Dawn dish soap. Use the dish soap sparingly as it is very concentrated. Be sure to rinse it off thoroughly. You should only need to bathe her once. Bathe her either 24 hour before OR after applying the topical flea medication. If you can't bathe her, don't worry too much about it. Once the medication kicks in and you treat the environment her clinical signs will resolve. I have linked some products for you below: ( https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/223965_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=120766 ) ( https://www.amazon.com/Virbac-Knockout-Treatment-Spray-16-Ounce/dp/B00AT6FY6A/ ) ( https://www.amazon.com/Black-Flag-Killer-Concentrate-Treatment/dp/B071XPK8M8/ ) Be sure to continue to use a topical flea prevention on her EVERY MONTH. Watch her poop closely in the coming months as often cats will get tapeworms from ingesting fleas. If you see any worms (look like grains of rice) on her poop or around her anus you should take her to your vet to get a dewormer. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From your pictures it looks like Mollie has either a bacterial or yeast skin infection. The cytopoint works great for scratching but will not work in the face of an infection. I do agree that Mollie and any animal with allergies should be on a monthly flea preventative. I like Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica, Seresto collar or Advantix II. As a repellent I would choose the Seresto collar or Advantix II as they flea should die before biting Mollie. I would also add in an Omega 3 fish oil and an antihistamine like Zyrtec or Claritin to your treatment plan. I like that you are using the cytopoint and Royal Canin HP. Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Poor kitten! The skin looks very uncomfortable! It looks as though she may be dealing with skin mites or a severe skin infection. If her URI signs have not resolved, I would consider nebulization therapy with antibiotics along with Orbifloxacin. For the skin, I would discuss administering a product called Revolution for cats to help out with the possible skin mites. I would also recommend using a shampoo such as Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo which can be found online and bathe twice weekly until resolved. I hope this helps and that the poor little kitten gets better soon! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

If Mojo has sensitive skin, then I would consider an oral flea preventative instead of a topical one. This handout has a link to all flea control products for cats. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952808 I would recommend trying Comfortis ( https://www.comfortis.com/ ). It is a chewable tablet that only needs to be given once a month. Another option may be the Seresto collar ( https://www.petbasics.com/products/seresto/?WHGRedir=1 ) since that does not seem to be as irritating to cats with sensitive skin as the spot on treatments are. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.