Day 287 - Cat with Skin Issues

For those of you that don't know, I love dermatology.  I love taking animals with miserable itchy skin and making them all better.  

This case was an interesting one.  She was (at the time of the picture) a 16 year old indoor only cat who came to me for weight loss and hair loss.  

She was indeed thin and she had bilateral alopecia (hair loss) but was not itchy.  She also had the most severe case of flaky skin I have ever seen!  There were these huge flakes of skin just falling off of her.

I'm not sure if you can see it from this picture, but the hairs are still long in the area of hair loss.  Not broken.  The ones missing have actually just fallen out.

I expected cancer.  Or a thyroid issue.  All of her bloodwork was normal.

Hmmmmmmmm.......

Upon further questioning, it was found out that the cat's diet was primarily seafood.  Tuna, shrimp, fish,  etc.  Those are the most common food allergies I see in cats so I recommended a food change.

The owner called me in a month to report that her 16 year old cat had a new shiny coat and had gained weight and was happier and more active than she had been in a while.  ALL of the flakes were gone!

Love it when it's that easy.  :)