Why isn't my cat's skin condition improving with clotrimazole?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think at this point it seems like your veterinarian has tried symptomatic therapy to try to help. I would consider taking a culture of the lesion and using the indicated antibiotics. Also, it would be important to ensure that he is unable to chew or lick at it as that will continue to worsen it. You could consider an e-collar which you may get from your local pet store. If it does not resolve, a biopsy of the lesion should be considered. Good luck and have a good day!

I am so sorry your pet Gaffy has a severe skin issue. It is impossible to tell what is going on here from the photo unfortunately because the lighting isn't very good. However, with any skin condition that won't improve with conservative treatment (i.e. antibiotics, shampoo's, etc) or ins't readily identified, should be tested. Your vet may need to do a skin scrape, impression, culture or even a biopsy to determine the underlying cause so that we know how best to treat this. Blood testing may also be needed to get a good overall picture of your pets health. I hope that Gaffy's skin condition resolves soon! Best wishes and take care.

I would talk to your vet about doing a biopsy or a culture and sensitivity. The biopsy may be able to tell a different skin condition (underlying mange, fungal infection, etc) that may require different medications than just antibiotics and steroids. A culture and sensitivity may reveal a resistant bacteria that isn't responding to the current antibiotics. I hope this helps.

Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do from home, especially if medications aren't helping. I would seek out another exam in person and have the vet take a scraping of the fungal site to send to a lab for testing. This can help determine what exactly it is and the best medication to put on it to help. Medicated shampoos and oral medications can also be helpful and may need a few courses to fully resolve the issue. I would definitely keep the affected area cleaned and trimmed/clipped so you can monitor spread and more easily get medications on the affected area. Since that spot in the photo also looks like it may be infected with bacteria (abscessed) in addition, oral antibiotics from your vet is probably another good idea. Until you can get to the vet (which I recommend doing ASAP), keeping the area clean and dry, and keeping Zuzu from scratching at or rubbing it with an Elizabethan (cone) collar (if it doesn't rub on the spot) is best. Since fungal infections can be spread to other pets and people, washing hands, bedding, clothing, etc is also a good idea to reduce spread.

Hello, It would be helpful to know what your veterinarian recommended for the next step of Bella's treatment at her recheck. Fungal infections that are not responding to topical treatment often require a course of oral medications. Skin is the largest organ in the body, so it takes the longest to respond to infection treatments. Many skin infections require a full 6-8 weeks of treatment. Skin infections can also be complicated by allergies, underlying endocrine disease, or associated immune mediated or dermatological disease. This means sometimes an underlying problem may need to be addressed to fully resolve the skin issue. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If it went away with the antifungal cream and returned when you stopped the cream, it's probably a fungal infection of some sort. It can take a very long time to fully clear those up, so she may need a much longer course of treatment or even oral medication.

I would advise having a fungal culture done. Ringworm doesn’t always fluoresce with the black light. It may require a culture to rule it out. It could also be a bacterial infection. If the skin issue started after the Clindamycin was introduced, there is a possibility that it’s use in the way that you are administering it may cause a serious skin problem. The injectable Clindamycin should only be administered intravenously or in the muscle. SQ administration can cause toxic epidermal necrolysis. I would strongly recommend that you see a veterinarian ASAP with this little kitten. Perhaps a full service vet instead of the shelter vet as they will be able to do the fungal culture, etc. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.