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JessG7

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Our sphynx keeps getting a bumpy rash under his armpits, legs, back of the neck and sometimes on his ankles and face, sometimes it's just bumpy, sometimes the bumps look red, and when parts of it start to heal it turns to little dark grey spots. At the moment, there's a bit of everything! :(

We got him from his previous owner when he was about 4 months old, before this he never had a rash, and his previous owner fed him Sheba. He's just turned 1 and has had this rash on and off in the time since we've had him.

Our vet only has one other sphynx so looking for a bit of advice from owners.

Has anyone else seen this before?

He is on Sheba still, we are using non-bio detergent and his litter is wood pellets.

I've attached some pictures of the rash, although it's currently not as bad as it has been before. It never seems to bother him, he's a happy kitty and doesn't really tend to scratch it, so I don't think it irritates him.

He has had steroid injections and antibiotics, which clear the rash up temporarily but as soon as he has finished them it starts to come back!

Thanks in advance!
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admin

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Our sphynx keeps getting a bumpy rash under his armpits, legs, back of the neck and sometimes on his ankles and face, sometimes it's just bumpy, sometimes the bumps look red, and when parts of it start to heal it turns to little dark grey spots. At the moment, there's a bit of everything! :(

We got him from his previous owner when he was about 4 months old, before this he never had a rash, and his previous owner fed him Sheba. He's just turned 1 and has had this rash on and off in the time since we've had him.

Our vet only has one other sphynx so looking for a bit of advice from owners.

Has anyone else seen this before?

He is on Sheba still, we are using non-bio detergent and his litter is wood pellets.

I've attached some pictures of the rash, although it's currently not as bad as it has been before. It never seems to bother him, he's a happy kitty and doesn't really tend to scratch it, so I don't think it irritates him.

He has had steroid injections and antibiotics, which clear the rash up temporarily but as soon as he has finished them it starts to come back!

Thanks in advance!
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Welcome! It looks like an allergic reaction to something, most of the time that type of rash is a food allergy. Did you change foods? I have heard of that type of litter - the wood pellets cause skin issues as well. Many people rule out food allergies with this Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck Formula Limited Ingredients Cat Food | Petco Store - also see this post on skin conditions. :)
 

Toa and Ross

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I agree with @admin that it looks like an allergy. Best is to ask the vet to test what is causing the allergy. You can also try to fibd out yourself: detergent? Food?
 

Yoda mom

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@JessG7 , welcome to the lair family! What is his name?, enjoy the fun friendly bunch here !

Looks like allergy too
Has the vet done a skin test when he got the steroid shots?
Four culprits for skin stuff I find are food allergies ( can develop anytime even eating same stuff), litter allergy, wearing clothes on them too long , and shampoos

I have good results with my 4 - no clothes except short periods supervised or photo ops,
Dr elseys unscented litter , Hylt shampoo - soap free hypoallergenic easy rinse , Acana grasslamds food
I get All at chewy.com

I also keep on hand Vetericyn VF spray - non toxic for any skin stuff

I would definitely call back your vet or stop by there with this updated photo for suggestions

I hope you get answers for your baby!
 

NinaGato

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Pattern of hives suggests allergies. I would really focus on what you are feeding.
Try a Douxo brand shampoo to help clear up and prevent secondary skin infections. I would suggest alternating between the Calm and the chlohexidine with climbazole. You might have to bath at least once a week to keep skin in good condition.
Anna has very similar issue. I have had good luck with changing to grain free diet and weekly baths.
You will have to do trial error to see what you sphynx is sensitive to. Anna cannot do a lot of fish.
I had another sphynx with severe allergies and we were on a bad cycle of steroids and antibiotics and after I got her on a limited diet she did wonderful but I still had to treat her topically with special shampoos.
 

Hairless Blessing

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Welcome to sphynxlair, good to have you.
Yes, looks like a bad reaction. Allergies. I always recommend, having
blood drawn and sent off. They will test for everything your sphynx can
be allergic to.
In the mean time you waste money on trying everything else and your
baby is suffering. It's not cheat, here $ 325.00 but, you will waste that in trying
food, litter, shampoo, easily.
Do it right to begin with, then, no more worries.
 

JessG7

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Welcome! It looks like an allergic reaction to something, most of the time that type of rash is a food allergy. Did you change foods? I have heard of that type of litter - the wood pellets cause skin issues as well. Many people rule out food allergies with... :)


We haven't changed foods, as he never had a problem with it before, but I think this will be the next thing to try.

I live in the UK so I'll have a look into whether I can get something similar over here!


Thank you
 

JessG7

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@JessG7 , welcome to the lair family! What is his name?, enjoy the fun friendly bunch here !

Looks like allergy too
Has the vet done a skin test when he got the steroid shots?
Four culprits for skin stuff I find are food allergies ( can develop anytime even eating same stuff), litter allergy, wearing clothes on them too long , and shampoos

I have good results with my 4 - no clothes except short periods supervised or photo ops,
Dr elseys unscented litter , Hylt shampoo - soap free hypoallergenic easy rinse , Acana grasslamds food
I get All at

I also keep on hand Vetericyn VF spray - non toxic for any skin stuff

I would definitely call back your vet or stop by there with this updated photo for suggestions

I hope you get answers for your baby!

His name is Azazel :) Zazy for short!

They didn't do a skin test when he got the steroids,
I live in the UK so will have to look into where I can get these products to ship here :(

He doesn't really wear clothes, and we are currently using a cat shampoo from our local pet store as they don't have much option! I will certainly try and order some Hylt shampoo, thank you for your help!
 

JessG7

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Apr 19, 2016
Messages
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Points
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Pattern of hives suggests allergies. I would really focus on what you are feeding.
Try a Douxo brand shampoo to help clear up and prevent secondary skin infections. I would suggest alternating between the Calm and the chlohexidine with climbazole. You might have to bath at least once a week to keep skin in good condition.
Anna has very similar issue. I have had good luck with changing to grain free diet and weekly baths.
You will have to do trial error to see what you sphynx is sensitive to. Anna cannot do a lot of fish.
I had another sphynx with severe allergies and we were on a bad cycle of steroids and antibiotics and after I got her on a limited diet she did wonderful but I still had to treat her topically with special shampoos.

This is really helpful, thank you!

Will try increasing baths, we avoided it for a while as we didn't know whether it would make the rash worth if we bathed too often, I will look into some special shampoos!
 

JessG7

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Welcome to sphynxlair, good to have you.
Yes, looks like a bad reaction. Allergies. I always recommend, having
blood drawn and sent off. They will test for everything your sphynx can
be allergic to.
In the mean time you waste money on trying everything else and your
baby is suffering. It's not cheat, here $ 325.00 but, you will waste that in trying
food, litter, shampoo, easily.
Do it right to begin with, then, no more worries.

Our vet didn't suggest having blood drawn, only a biopsy.
Will ask about this on our next visit!
Thank you
 

NinaGato

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Treating topically is usually first round if treatment. Blood work is advised but if you can clear up with food changes that is good.
 

NinaGato

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@JessG7
Do you ever see a lessening or worsening of the hive patter when the cat eats particular flavors of the food?
Do you ever notice swelling/reddening in feet or face? Particularly within 30 minutes of eating?
Or is is pretty consistently the same all the time?
 

JessG7

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@JessG7
Do you ever see a lessening or worsening of the hive patter when the cat eats particular flavors of the food?
Do you ever notice swelling/reddening in feet or face? Particularly within 30 minutes of eating?
Or is is pretty consistently the same all the time?

Haven't particularly noticed any relation to flavours of food.
We are taking him to the vet on Monday who has said he would like to sedate him to get a better look at the rash as he isn't very easily handled at vet :cat:

And he had four people holding
Him down in his last visit!

We have changed his biscuits a couple of days ago to harringtons which has no wheat soya dairy or beef.

The rash is worse recently that it has been before.
 

JessG7

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Here's some updated images of Zazy's rash, he seems to be getting much smaller bumps also now over a larger area.
 

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Nicolemorgan

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Here's some updated images of Zazy's rash, he seems to be getting much smaller bumps also now over a larger area.

Awh, poor fellow. I think it looks like allergies...but glad you are going to the vet today.
Hope they can give you some more answers. Please update us :)
Sending positive thoughts your way.
 

GoldHazel

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Here's some updated images of Zazy's rash, he seems to be getting much smaller bumps also now over a larger area.

@JessG7 I agree, it definitely looks like an allergic reaction. Best of luck at the vet's office. I hope you can get this resolved quickly. Please update us later. Thank you.
 

admin

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Haven't particularly noticed any relation to flavours of food.
We are taking him to the vet on Monday who has said he would like to sedate him to get a better look at the rash as he isn't very easily handled at vet :cat:

And he had four people holding
Him down in his last visit!

We have changed his biscuits a couple of days ago to harringtons which has no wheat soya dairy or beef.

The rash is worse recently that it has been before.
Be sure the vet does not use Ketamine to sedate, some sphynx can have a fatal reaction if an underlying heart condition exists.
 

JessG7

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Quick update!

We've been to see the vet this morning and after looking at the rash (mostly pictures, as Zazy was a little devil and was hitting everyone) he said that it looks like a typical sweat rash. He said that we wouldn't be able to use any of the creams that they have on his skin and the best option is to use Bepanthen nappy rash cream on his skin as it is made for babies and is the safest thing to treat it.

He has also given us a course of antibiotics to give him with his food, and an oil supplement spray to mix in with it also.

We have taken photos of him to put on his record and in three weeks we will go back to consult with updated photos of the rash.

He also said we must not use wool blankets.

If we wanted a biopsy it would be £350, and the vet said he thinks it would be more helpful to try these other options first, as it does look like a sweat rash.

If there is no change when we go back, then we will be trying a prescription diet and a flea treatment called Cotex, one small drop at a time.

But for now, we are hoping that the bepanthen and oil supplement will sort him out!

Will post back with updates after a couple of weeks to see if there has been any change.

For now, here is a photo from Azazel's photoshoot!

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Yoda mom

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@JessG7 ,,, healing vibes vibes sent for Zazy

Does he wear clothing ? If so , I would let him run naked amd see if that helps too
Also what type litter? Some do best with unscented litter
Some kitties have had allergic reactions to scemted litters or even worlds best brand litter
What soap do you use for spa day baths?
(Trying to think outside the box as to what may be irritating to him)

What name antibiotics ? Some work better than others for sphynx?

So glad you got him into the vet - please keep us updated often
 

GoldHazel

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@JessG7 I had never heard of the Bepanthen before reading your post. I looked it up to see the ingredients. Are these the ingredients in the one you have:
Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment contains: Aqua, Lanolin, Parrafinum Liquidum, Petrolatum, Panthenol (Dexpanthenol), Prunus Dulcis, Cera Alba, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Ozokerite, Glyceryl Oleate, Lanolin Alcohol.

I'm not sure if your vet is correct or not about the heat rash (time will tell). I've seen heat rash on my kitties, but those raised big bumps on Zazy tells me hives. I'm not a vet and I'm only looking at your photos, of course.

If the above ingredients are what you have to put on her skin, I seem to see quite a lot of alcohol in it which is very drying to the skin. Yet, it has petrolatum which is way too thick and greasy for their skin (all in my opinion).

We all have to make sure that we are not putting anything toxic on a cat when we use human products as well. Unlike a dog, they will lick everything off their bodies.

I really hope that you get some answers quickly and that Zazy gets relief and feels all better as soon as possible. Thank you for the update and photo. I look forward to your next update and photo. Best wishes.
 

GoldHazel

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@JessG7 one more thing I forgot to mention: If you don't have fleas in your home (and if she doesn't go outside), then I personally would not allow the vet to treat her for flea bites. Why use a pesticide on her sensitive skin for nothing?
 

mms1972

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We have just be n going through something similar. Have you tried a novel protein diet? when nothing else seemed to be working ... Switching litters, going to free and clear laundry soaps we went to a limited ingredients diet. I would cut out all grains/beef/ poultry .... My girl is doing great on the Natural balance LID venison and pea ... She rotates the salmon and pea and venison and pea wet and is finally cleared up. They can develop allergies to food suddenly... Even after being on the same food forever. If nothing else is working I would do a food change to limited ingredients a protein source never fed before.
 

Cydney

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We have just be n going through something similar. Have you tried a novel protein diet? when nothing else seemed to be working ... Switching litters, going to free and clear laundry soaps we went to a limited ingredients diet. I would cut out all grains/beef/ poultry .... My girl is doing great on the Natural balance LID venison and pea ... She rotates the salmon and pea and venison and pea wet and is finally cleared up. They can develop allergies to food suddenly... Even after being on the same food forever. If nothing else is working I would do a food change to limited ingredients a protein source never fed before.

Hello :) ok so I am going through something super similar and feel that the food may have caused it.. when you changed the food to no poultry or beef, did it actually clear up all the way? and did you start feeding him poultry again afterwards?
Thank YOU!!
 

mms1972

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Hello :) ok so I am going through something super similar and feel that the food may have caused it.. when you changed the food to no poultry or beef, did it actually clear up all the way? and did you start feeding him poultry again afterwards?
Thank YOU!!
@Cydney

Yes she has cleared up totally! As soon as we switched I started seeing improvement but it took awhile to heal completely. This all just happened in the last month or so... I have a thread called Hives now in another section that shows pics and everything we went thru. I haven't introduced any poultry back... And we never did any beef. I don't think I will try any poultry again anytime soon... From what I read you should do the new food exclusively for 8-12 weeks then introduce the poultry back in small amounts.
 

Cydney

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@Cydney

Yes she has cleared up totally! As soon as we switched I started seeing improvement but it took awhile to heal completely. This all just happened in the last month or so... I have a thread called Hives now in another section that shows pics and everything we went thru. I haven't introduced any poultry back... And we never did any beef. I don't think I will try any poultry again anytime soon... From what I read you should do the new food exclusively for 8-12 weeks then introduce the poultry back in small amounts.


ugh thank you , so grateful for this site. Ok I will look for your thread on Hives. !!
 
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