My cat's nose sore isn't healing with antibiotics. What's next?

Hello. I am always concerned about an ulcerated nasal planum in a relatively young cat. This could be bacterial, autoimmune, fungal, or cancer ( less likely due to his relatively young age ). You really need to see your veterinarian for a minimum of a culture & to start antibiotics. If the antibiotics do not seem to be helping, than a biopsy will be necessary. Hopefully, he just picked up an odd infection & he will be back to his beautiful self soon. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly an infection. However, this is a somewhat common location for a tumor in cats as well. I still think that a focal infection or traumatic lesion is more likely. You can use a topical medication like Douxo 3% PS pads which you may find online. You can apply this to the affected area twice daily for 2 weeks. If this does not resolve or appears to be progressing, have Lovey evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!

In a 10 year old cat, it's certainly possible that your cat has a tumor. Given that he has been having continuing problems with this swelling, I recommend having further testing done such a blood tests, urinalysis, and x-rays of his head. This will help vet see if there is a tumor in his nasal cavity, and then the vet can discuss treatment options.

Hi there! Chronic sneezing and bleeding from the nose in a 15 year old cat could be caused by a number of different things, including chronic rhinitis, a severe bacterial respiratory infection, a fungal infection such as cryptococcus, or a nasal tumor. None of these will typically cause any changes on lab work, so usually CT scan/MRI and rhinoscopy are required to get a diagnosis. If this is something you're interested in, then I would ask your veterinarian for a referral to a specialist to have this testing done. Without additional testing, it's likely that you won't be able to find out what the specific problem is, so we're left with treating it symptomatically. Long-term antibiotics such as doxycycline or azithromycin can sometimes be helpful, as there is often a secondary bacterial infection contributing to the pet's symptoms even if this isn't the main problem. Oral or injectable steroids, Cerenia, humidifiers, and even antibiotic/steroid nose drops could all be considered as possible treatment options that may help to relieve symptoms. Your veterinarian should be able to discuss the pros and cons of these various options with you to help determine the best treatment plan for Bailey.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Man Man! It sounds like Man Man has been through a lot! I am glad you figured out that he had a food allergy and that his skin issues are resolved. Based on your picture and description of his runny nose I suspect that he has an upper respiratory tract infection. They tend to be viral in cats, the cause most commonly is feline herpes or calicivirus. Both can affect the skin on the face and the nose. If it is calicivirus, with supportive care and time his symptoms should resolve. Cats affected with herpes can be chronically affected or have flare ups when stressed (visitors, move, new pets, etc). The antibiotics are to treat the secondary bacterial infection. I hope this helps! https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=613

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the picture you have provided, it appears that this could be bacterial or a skin parasite causing the lesion. The skin may need to be cultured and if a skin scraping has not been performed, I would certainly recommend having this done to make sure this is not due to a skin mite such as demodex. If this is not due to a mite and is still there, I would recommend a culture / biopsy of the area for a more definitive diagnosis. 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.

Thank you for including the picture, it is helpful. I had a situation in a patient like Bongo that I found a tooth in (likely from a fight with another cat). But an object festering could be the cause of a non-healing wound. Also there is the potential of a growth. Less likely because he is so young, but still possible. I would encourage you to have him evaluated by a veterinarian soon. It is small enough that they may just recommend removing it all together and sending it out for a biopsy. Best of luck and I hope he heals soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.