Why is my kitten getting worse with dry skin, shaking, closed eyes?

I can't quite tell from the picture but based on your description one thing I would consider would be a fungal infection (ringworm). This is fairly common in kittens. Another possibility is a bacterial skin infection. I would make An appointment with your veterinarian so they can take a look at dusky's skin. There are very simple tests for ringworm if that is a concern for them (they can look at skin with a black light as a screen and can collect fur for a fungal culture) and they can prescribe medication as indicated. Good luck!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The pictures are good but it's still tough to see what is going on. Hair loss with dry/flaky skin is often indicative of ringworm especially in kittens. This is highly contagious to other animals and to people making it a zoonotic disease. I would definitely have a vet evaluate the litter and start treatment for a fungal infection right away to prevent this from getting worse. I would quarantine the litter away from all other pets and humans especially young children and the elderly since they are most likely to get infected. Even the shed hairs can contain fungal spores so direct contact with the animals is not required to get infected. It could be something else but in the pictures it is highly suspect since it looks like the paws and tail are affected. Other possibilities include mites, bacteria, external parasites (fleas, etc), dietary problems, intestinal parasite problems, among other things. Your vet can evaluate them and advise a woods lamp exam, skin scrape, fungal culture, hair analysis, etc to determine what is going on. The ears could be infected with ear mites and they could evaluate those also. Eye problems in young kittens are often due to viruses which infect the eyes and cause upper respiratory infections. These are contagious also along with the ear mites to other cats and dogs. Your vet can evaluate everything that is going on a make a plan to solve the puzzle. They can advise a sound treatment plan in addition to guiding you in preventive health care items including deworming, vaccines, flea/tick products, etc. Good luck and I hope it's not ringworm.

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, 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!

The hairloss area beneath the eye could certainly be a dermatophyte (ringworm) lesion, but it is also possible that it could be due to excessive tearing/discharge from the eyes that is resulting in irritation in the area. This could also be contributing to the nasal crusting. Upper respiratory infections (URI) are common in young kittens and can cause ocular (eye) discharge and nasal discharge, with intermittent sneezing and/or coughing. Ringworm lesions are typically itchy but not always. Be on the lookout for any additional hairless or crusting lesions to appear elsewhere on the body, and also if any similar lesions appear on any humans in contact with Rayder, as ringworm is highly contagious. It would be best to have him visit his veterinarian for a thorough physical examination to rule-out a potential URI and perform a dermatophyte culture if indicated.

Persian kittens are very prone to ringworm, a fungal infection. I suggest you take Lily to your veterinarian for a skin exam. She is due for vaccinations anyway so show the skin lesion to your vet. Your vet will want to look at the lesion with a black light and/or do a brush test and try to grow the fungus as a diagnostic to determine if it is indeed a fungal infection. As long there is no definitive diagnosis, please make sure you wash your hands after petting your cat, as ringworm is contagious to people.

Based on your description I would be suspicious of ringworm, which is a fungal infection that commonly affects young animals. If you can find a shampoo with ketoconazole that may be helpful, but she likely needs a prescription of an oral antifungal such as itraconazole. Please practice good hygiene after handling her as ringworm is contagious to people as well. Of course this is not a diagnosis, just an assumption based on your description. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon!

Poor, Kiara, I hope her legs are on the mend! There are several things that could be causing the dry patches in your pictures. The most common cause in a kitten would be ringworm (a type of fungus), but there are other possibilities like mites. I recommend having Kiara rechecked by your veterinarian and discussing recommended treatments, as there are several different options. Also, know that ringworm can be passed on to humans. If you have any concerning spots, make sure to discuss with your human doctor!