My cat scratches her face with scabs. Is it allergies or herpes?

With itching in the face I would be worried about parasites or a food allergy. You can try changing to different formula if fiodbthat contains a different protein source or a hypoallergenic diet. There a promising allergy medicine called Apoquel that can be helpful in cats now. You can apply cortisone cream to the red area until you can talk to your vet about the new options

I hate to hear Autumn is not feeling well. Pets with chronic skin conditions generally have allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Comfortis. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Therapy could include a drug called Atopica or immunotherpy. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Autumn wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Runny eyes and nose are not always associated with allergies. Sometimes this could be related to persistent herpes infection. Make sure Autumn has been tested for Felv/FIV within the last 6 months to rule out immune suppression from a virus. Sometimes Lysine for cats can help and a really good diet (again, I recommend Royal Canin or working with a nutritionist) to help strengthen the immune system. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hello. This may be a condition called military dermatitis, a type of allergy. You can try changing the things in her environment like the litter & food, but you cannot change what she touches & breathes in. You can try switching her to Science Diets Sensitive Stomach & Skin, but she may need a true hypoallergenic diet, or it may be something completely different causing her allergies. The best thing to do is to see your vet who may decide to give Mittens a long acting steroid shot. If it clears up her skin, then she may periodically need an additional injection. The alternative is allergy testing, but again this is something to discuss with your vet. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If you have ruled out fleas/skin mites. I recommend to have him tested for hyperthyroidism and if that's not the cause, have him on a 12 week food trial with a hydrolyzed protein diet. You must start moving down the list of potential causes of the skin lesions. Atopy is still on the list but is harder to test for so rule out these other causes first. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advantage is fine), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It does sound like she is having an allergic reaction to something. This can be an insect bite hypersensitivity (such as fleas or mosquitoes) food or environmental allergy. A vet visit would be a great place to start if she is itchy or any of the lesions appear to be infected as she may need medication to feel better. I would recommend stopping the milk as this may be a cause and typically is not good for most cats. Discuss your concerns with the vet and they may also recommend a diet change but as long as she is on a good quality cat food I would not immediately change it. Make any changes one at a time so you can evaluate her response. It can take up to 4-6 weeks to notice a difference after resmiving a possible allergen. Good luck and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.