You cat lovers have probably already been surprised to caress your cat by feeling little pimples on your skin, sometimes you don’t even notice or your appearance is so obvious and alarming that it takes you to the vet.
In this Animal Expert article we will explain the origin of feline military dermatitis, the symptoms it presents and the treatment to follow, as well as other tips.
- Military dermatitis is a common sign in many conditions; by comparison.
- That’s equivalent to saying that a person coughs.
- The origin of the cough can be quite varied and may even have nothing to do with the respiratory system and the same goes for feline military dermatitis.
The term “military dermatitis” refers to the appearance on the cat’s skin of a variable number of pustules and scabs, that is, it is a rash, especially on the head, neck and back, but it is also quite common in the abdomen and can be seen by shaving this area.
Many usually appear and are small, so the word “military” is used.Although we have not noticed it (because the cat lives abroad), it is almost always accompanied by itching, which, in fact, are directly responsible for the manifestation of this eruption.
The most common causes of military dermatitis are
Most commonly, our cat has a parasite that causes itching, and constant scratching causes the rash we call military dermatitis.Here are the most common ones:
These external parasites respond to the application of selamectin topically (on the intact skin) or systemic (e.g. subcutaneous ivermectin).Today, there are many pipettes on sale containing selamectin, as well as optical preparations to be applied directly to the ears based on ivermectin.
As in almost all acaricide treatments, it should be repeated after 14 days and even a third dose may be needed.In the case of lice, fipronil applied several times at the indicated frequency is usually quite effective.
One of the most common allergies, resulting in military dermatitis, is allergy to flea bites.These parasites inject an anticoagulant to suck the cat’s blood, and the cat may be allergic to these parasites.
Even after all fleas have been removed, this allergen remains present in the body for days, causing itching even though those responsible have been eliminated.In fact, a single chip is enough to trigger the process if the cat is allergic, but in the case of more fleas, military dermatitis is more severe, most often.
The treatment of flea bit allergies as a cause of military dermatitis is quite simple, just stop fleas, there are effective pipettes that repel the insect before it can be fed.
It’s hard to define atopia. We call it the process in which the cat is allergic to various things and this generates an inevitable itching, associated with these scabs and pustules that you call military dermatitis.
Treating it is almost more difficult than diagnosing or defining it, and it is necessary to use corticosteroid therapy and other adjuvants treatments, even if they do little on their own, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids.
We see it more and more often, but it may be because we are increasingly worried about our cats and we notice things that were not noticed before.
Many times there is no trace of fleas or parasites, but our cat is continuously scratched, causing this military dermatitis, which, as in previous cases, can become contaminated and lead to a more or less serious infection.
This should not always be the case, but itching usually appears on the head and neck and usually spreads over time.This is frustrating because corticosteroid therapy is often attempted but does not give the desired result.It may take a few days to scratch, but there’s no net improvement.Until the previous cat diet is completely eliminated, and if you try to keep it for 4 to 5 weeks with food and hypoallergenic water, exclusively.
In the second week you will notice that military dermatitis decreases, the itching is milder and in the fourth will virtually be gone, reintroducing the previous diet to show that the cat scratches in half is the definitive way to diagnose it, but almost no veterinarian believes it is necessary to do so.
There are still many other causes of military dermatitis in cats, superficial skin infections, autoimmune diseases, other external parasites besides those mentioned, etc., but the intention of this article by Animal Expert was to emphasize that military dermatitis is simply a common symptom of many causes, and until the cause is eliminated, dermatitis will not go away.
This article is for informational purposes only, in Animal Expert.com.br we cannot prescribe veterinary treatments or make any type of diagnosis, we suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any condition or discomfort.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Other Health Problems section.