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Chewing end of tail and dark freckle like spots. Allergy?!

Fbtreanor

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Hi all! This is my first post here! I have been stalking it since before I became a Sphynx mommy in September 2018. My 6mo blue kitty has developed these dark grey, non-raised spots on the neck, back and sides. Simultaneously she has started to chew the end of her tail for quite a bit of time while grooming, though not to the point of creating open sores or dryness. The spots began appearing early December and are continuing to increase.

Litter: Ever Clean unscented
Food: Taste of the Wild - Canyon River (Just switched her to this this week from Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain but it doesn’t seem to be helping at all)
Same detergent used in home since we brought her home. Arm and hammer for human things, Ecos free and clear for her items.

I have changed her litter a few times since we got her because I have extremely sensitive smell and some litters just don’t cut it. 1st was Dr Elseys unscented, then smart cat grass litter, then worlds best unscented, and now Ever Clear which we just started 3 days ago.

Strongly considering a vet trip but would hate to be sent home told it’s allergies and not knowing how to determine what is causing it. But I want to try and fix it (if there is a fix) before it gets worse! Any advice or insight would be welcomed!
A8292A55-978D-469C-91D7-95899A41B257.jpeg
 

Yoda mom

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@Fbtreanor official welcome to the lair family !

She is precious I !vwhat is her name a.

Glad you decided to jump amd share her adorable pic and post a thread .
It's s fun friendly bunch we all chime in with things you can run by your vet to help .

Sphynx Skin Conditions

Try to think back to December ... what changed ?

Was her skin fine sept to December ? What food was she eating those months ?
I tried the TOTW you mentioned too and it didn't work for crew.
I did several food trials over 12 weeks each ... Finally settled on Nutrisource cat and kitten food - no recalls , no skin or poo issues x4

Too much switching too often they can be sensitive to also .
Have you showed the pic to the breeder for advice ?

Positive vibes and head smooches
Following closely
Surely others will chime in with suggestions to share with your vet
@Xandria amd others can hopefully chime in about tail chewing
 
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Fbtreanor

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@Fbtreanor official welcome to the lair family !

She is precious I !vwhat is her name a.

Glad you decided to jump amd share her adorable pic and post a thread .
It's s fun friendly bunch we all chime in with things you can run by your vet to help .

Sphynx Skin Conditions

Try to think back to December ... what changed ?

Was her skin fine sept to December ? What food was she eating those months ?
I tried the TOTW you mentioned too and it didn't work for crew.
I did several food trials over 12 weeks each ... Finally settled on Nutrisource cat and kitten food - no recalls , no skin or poo issues x4

Too much switching too often they can be sensitive to also .
Have you showed the pic to the breeder for advice ?

Positive vibes and head smooches
Following closely
Surely others will chime in with suggestions to share with your vet
@Xandria amd others can hopefully chime in about tail chewing

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Herasynn (pronounced like Harrison)
He turned out to be a she and no other name would fit her as we had been referring to her by that for several weeks already!

She has been on TOTW Rocky Mountain since we got her in Sept and seeming to do fine! First time cat mommy so this is all new to us! Our dog was on TOTW and we loved it for her and she did really well on it so that is where we started for Herasynn. Just changed the flavor a couple days ago to see if there would be any change to her skin but it seems to be getting worse day by day still. Maybe we should try a gradual food change?

Since we got her she would get these dark freckles (on a much smaller scale and usually located around her neck only) on and off but they were in conjunction with dry rash like patches and always coinciding with having several people over for kids birthdays, family game night, etc. So it seemed to be related to all the people touching her and being in contact with their lotions and perfumes. I would bathe her and condition her afterwards and her skin would quickly get better and the spots along with the rash patches would disappear.

Besides the litter changes (which I’m hoping to no longer have to change as we are finally liking the current stuff a lot!) the only things that she has been newly introduced to since late November/early December is Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken and Salmon Treats and Pogis Grooming wipes.

I did show the breeder and she thought sun spots or skin pigmentation but as expected also said I should check with our vet for a piece of mind and to make sure it isn’t a fungus/bacteria of some kind.

Note: Hera is the only pet in the house and has never been outside. We live in central Minnesota and she does sun bathe in front of the patio door on the rare occasion we have winter sun!
 

Yoda mom

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My darker Sphynx as well as others do seem to get pigmentation spots .

It is recommended to slowly trasnsiotion food

I stopped giving packaged treats . I use kibble as treats now.
I am not familar with those particular wipes
Many use Huggies naturals with good results

Years ago with my first Sphynx I switched to Hylyt shampoo on a members recommendation . They have a Hylyt creme rinse and an Avenalyt shampoo.
I personally found with the Hylt shampoo with my 4 I do not need a conditioner .
Are you using the same shampoo /conditioner as breeder?

I really like Hylyt - soap free hypo allergenic and easily rinsed . Sold at my vets and online.

Many of us keep on hand vetericyn spray for skin issues

Each kitty is unique amd sometimes it's just a matter of finding what works best .

Agree It is always recommended to have a vet check for peace of mind

Head smooches to Hera she is adorable ! What a cute story about her name

Following for updates
 
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Catzzzmeow

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So happy you went from lurker to actively posting. Great advice given. If your vet says they think it is an allergy, they can test so you can eliminate the irritants. You might switch your detergent to a less harsh detergent like one used for cleaning baby clothes. Also not sure if you use dryer sheets, but many Sphynx have skin issues due to them.

Your baby is beautiful.
 

Toa and Ross

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Welcome to sphynxlair @Fbtreanor . Herasynn is a beauty. Love the story about her name and how he turned out to be a she.

We see more "tail suckling" sphynx here. You can try to redirect Herasynn when she suckles by giving a toy or do something else to distract her and hopefully she'll outgrown.

The spots can be pigmentation. But good to make sure it's not an allergy. The vet can do some test to see if it's an allergy.
 

Xandria

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Hi there,

Tail sucking can be very distressing. There are two directions this can end up if it is not corrected -- self damage, or just a bad habit.

Distraction and redirection are best in terms of trying to correct the habit. Persistence is important.

Unfortunately, not every Sphynx can be corrected. Thankfully Max (my boy) doesn't damage his tail (much -- it just gets very dry and a little scaly; so I moisturize it). But I do limit his activity as much as possible. I keep a box of toys next to my recliner in the living room so I can throw them at him when he sucks his tail. At night I push him off my nightstand if he starts sucking. But he still finds places to indulge this habit of his. I find it gets worse when he can't go outside (leashed) or I have missed some play time with him.

When it comes to serious self damage, that's a whole other category. I know several members have had to deal with that here and I'll let them speak to this.

But try curbing the tail sucking habit as much as possible. HUGS
 

Fbtreanor

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So happy you went from lurker to actively posting. Great advice given. If your vet says they think it is an allergy, they can test so you can eliminate the irritants. You might switch your detergent to a less harsh detergent like one used for cleaning baby clothes. Also not sure if you use dryer sheets, but many Sphynx have skin issues due to them.

Your baby is beautiful.

Thank you for your reply!

For her items I am using a pretty mild free and clear detergent. Between my two young boys and my husbands field of work we have gone through all the free and clear and natural detergents and nothing works to fight the stains and odors. I’ll keep searching for other options for all of our laundry :) we are a pretty allergen/scent free/product conscious household but there is always room for improvement. No fabric softeners or dryer sheets here!
 

Fbtreanor

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Messages
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Points
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My darker Sphynx as well as others do seem to get pigmentation spots .

It is recommended to slowly trasnsiotion food

I stopped giving packaged treats . I use kibble as treats now.
I am not familar with those particular wipes
Many use Huggies naturals with good results

Years ago with my first Sphynx I switched to Hylyt shampoo on a members recommendation . They have a Hylyt creme rinse and an Avenalyt shampoo.
I personally found with the Hylt shampoo with my 4 I do not need a conditioner .
Are you using the same shampoo /conditioner as breeder?

I really like Hylyt - soap free hypo allergenic and easily rinsed . Sold at my vets and online.

Many of us keep on hand vetericyn spray for skin issues

Each kitty is unique amd sometimes it's just a matter of finding what works best .

Agree It is always recommended to have a vet check for peace of mind

Head smooches to Hera she is adorable ! What a cute story about her name

Following for updates

Thank you for the recommendations of wipes/shampoos/skin spray! I will look into those.

The vet was using Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo. I am using Earthbath oatmeal and aloe.

It has definitely been trial and error around here. Looking forward to finding some consistency :)
 

Fbtreanor

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Points
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Welcome to sphynxlair @Fbtreanor . Herasynn is a beauty. Love the story about her name and how he turned out to be a she.

We see more "tail suckling" sphynx here. You can try to redirect Herasynn when she suckles by giving a toy or do something else to distract her and hopefully she'll outgrown.

The spots can be pigmentation. But good to make sure it's not an allergy. The vet can do some test to see if it's an allergy.

“Tail suckling” That sounds more accurate! Good to know it’s a known behavior and to redirect it. I just assumed it was itchy (doesn’t look agitated in anyway though!)
 

Fbtreanor

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Hi there,

Tail sucking can be very distressing. There are two directions this can end up if it is not corrected -- self damage, or just a bad habit.

Distraction and redirection are best in terms of trying to correct the habit. Persistence is important.

Unfortunately, not every Sphynx can be corrected. Thankfully Max (my boy) doesn't damage his tail (much -- it just gets very dry and a little scaly; so I moisturize it). But I do limit his activity as much as possible. I keep a box of toys next to my recliner in the living room so I can throw them at him when he sucks his tail. At night I push him off my nightstand if he starts sucking. But he still finds places to indulge this habit of his. I find it gets worse when he can't go outside (leashed) or I have missed some play time with him.

When it comes to serious self damage, that's a whole other category. I know several members have had to deal with that here and I'll let them speak to this.

But try curbing the tail sucking habit as much as possible. HUGS

Good to know that the tail sucking is actually a habit to be broken! I would have never have know and kept moisturizing her tail, haha. I thought it was dry and itchy, though it doesn’t show any signs of this! I will work on redirecting this behavior!
 

Yoda mom

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@Fbtreanor I swear these kitties keep us on our toes - it does all come together wit h finding prod it'd thst work for our individual kitties

It was such a learning curve amd I learn something new everyday here.

I can finally feed and go with no poo or skin ised and spa day without having to wear a coat !

I forgot to ask of you use exfoliating gloves for spa day?
I did find not bathing as often seemed to help the skin so it's register thing too .

Also , for some reason when I feed my 4 Acana food they got horribly brown .
Switched foods , spread out full spa days using Hylt amd world of difference

Head smooches sent
Please update us of often

You can show the vet a pic and ask if it would indicated to do a skin test to rule out yeast or bacteria . Some kitties get yeasty from certain litters I have read like worlds best , corn or wheat based litter
 

Fbtreanor

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Jan 4, 2019
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@Fbtreanor I swear these kitties keep us on our toes - it does all come together wit h finding prod it'd thst work for our individual kitties

It was such a learning curve amd I learn something new everyday here.

I can finally feed and go with no poo or skin ised and spa day without having to wear a coat !

I forgot to ask of you use exfoliating gloves for spa day?
I did find not bathing as often seemed to help the skin so it's register thing too .

Also , for some reason when I feed my 4 Acana food they got horribly brown .
Switched foods , spread out full spa days using Hylt amd world of difference

Head smooches sent
Please update us of often

You can show the vet a pic and ask if it would indicated to do a skin test to rule out yeast or bacteria . Some kitties get yeasty from certain litters I have read like worlds best , corn or wheat based litter

I do use exfoliating gloves for spa day! Her spa days vary though. I try to space her out at least 2 weeks but sometimes she is just so brown it ends up being sooner. Trying to spread it out so her own skin can find its oil production balance.
 

Fbtreanor

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UPDATE: We just returned home from the vet who seemed very knowledgeable about the breed and said it’s just age freckling, or possibly from the sun, but she isn’t concerned about it based on our location and that it’s from behind windows. She doesn’t have any concern of it being an infection of any sort. Said her skin is a little dry and could use some moisturizing with aloe vera and possibly acne wipes as today she does have some teeny tiny red bumps all over that she thinks is acne. She said if the aloe vera and wipes and exfoliating don’t seem to do the trick (for the acne not the freckles) then possibly looking at an allergy of some sort.
 

Yoda mom

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Thank you for the update
i personally stay away from applying any moisturizers , aloe products- parts of the plant is toxic
(There are many per products with aloe amd when I called they said their aloe ingredient is not from the toxic part of the plant )

Many of use vetericyn spray with good results I like its non toxic

Some members use witch hazel for acne you can ask your vet if that would be okay

I like the Hylyt shampoo -moisturizes, nice soap free easy rinse a member got me hooked on years ago . My vets office sells it it .

I do as you do - not overbath letting skin cycle I can go a month plus using Hylt with wipe downs in between - several members use Huggies natural wipes or similar .
I look for alcohol free , fragrance free

Just to share , here is a pic of batman on adoption gotcha day -indoor only cat- vet verified pigmentation / over sunbathing
Spa day with Hylyt shampoo once a month and it cleared up completed on its own

Members have used window tint or had it installed
I had to move the cattrees away from indirect light or they would bake themselves sunning all day

He does have the usual pigment freckles mentioned by your vet
As we often see in dark colored Sphynx


All paws crossed for good news updates !
Good news vet doesn't think infection !
Glad you found a great vet

head smooches sent
 

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Anansi

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UPDATE: We just returned home from the vet who seemed very knowledgeable about the breed and said it’s just age freckling, or possibly from the sun, but she isn’t concerned about it based on our location and that it’s from behind windows. She doesn’t have any concern of it being an infection of any sort. Said her skin is a little dry and could use some moisturizing with aloe vera and possibly acne wipes as today she does have some teeny tiny red bumps all over that she thinks is acne. She said if the aloe vera and wipes and exfoliating don’t seem to do the trick (for the acne not the freckles) then possibly looking at an allergy of some sort.
I agree that I would steer clear of aloe due to toxin risk. But Orpheus did have some skin issues early on and the pet dermatologist recommended using the Alpha Keri lotion on him and it worked for us giving his skin that little extra moisture it could be something worth trying if you wanted.
 

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