Growing bleeding lesion on cat's head.

[pugseysdad]

Hi, my cat Pugsey developed a small round red lesion above her eye that has grown from a pea size to the size of a nickel in just 2 days. It also has been bleeding slightly. Hair has fallen out around it so it is quite visible.Here is a photo.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e336/waxwerkz11701/100_0566.jpg

I have only applied a little vitamin e oil after dabbing with a hydrogen peroxide dipped cotton ball. This is the second one being that the first one that appeared 3 days ago quickly scabbed, healed & disappeared.She is an indoor cat .I immediately discontinued the newer cans of food that contained shellfish thinking it may be a possible culprit.I am very nervous this 2nd lesion is not acting like the first which was quite smaller.Please help,I am snowed in right now & cannot get to a vet.
Thanks,
Pugsey's dad

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Inflammation secondary to a serious burn can make the lesion appear to grow as it heals.

Give the vet a chance and see what happens as the wound heals.  If necessary, a biopsy can always be performed in the future.   The mobile vet did give the appropriate medications for a burn wound.

[pugseysdad]

Thank you Dr. Cheng for your answer.
Well, the mobile vet diagnosed the wound as a burn.Most probably from falling asleep under one of the radiators in the house. Prescribed clavamox(antibiotic) & silver sulfadiazine ointment  topically & told to keep the area from getting dry. She didn't think a biopsy was necessary.  
I however am not so sure it is a burn due to its growth from  a millimeter to now the size of a quarter & still growing.Not to mention the actions of the 1st lesion.
The scab in the last pic fell off & noticed a thickness of the skin directly under it.
I have to apply it 5 or 6 times a day because she tries to wipe it off.
I am thinking about getting a head cone.
I hate to just give it a week to see if the vet is correct or not .
I can live with a cat with a scar,but if this is a warning sign of a greater problem I cannot live with overlooking it.

What do I do? Do I wait & trust the vet.Get another opinion or a biopsy maybe?Is it a contact allergen?
Can this lead to something fatal or am I just an over concerned pet owner?

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

I am very happy that you contacted a mobile vet who will be seeing Pugsley tomorrow.  I have viewed the photos and I think that you are probably correct in your assumption that the lesions may be allergic in origin; the only difficulty is discovering what is the cause of the allergy.  These ulcerative skin lesions, often called eosinophilic granuloma complexes or rodent ulcers are usually due to food allergies, and take months to resolve after the allergen is removed.  The behavior of Pugsley's first lesion is very un-food-allergy-like in that it resolved fairly quickly leading me to believe that there may have been a contact allergen involved.  Since the vet will be taking care of Pugsley tomorrow I won't dwell on this, but I do recommend that you have a biopsy performed under local anesthetic to acquire a definitive diagnosis.  The mobile vet should be able to perform this, hopefully.

I am very sad to hear about the bad experience you had with your 7 year old cat.  It sounds as if the 7 year old had an adverse reaction to the anesthesia, thus my recommendation that the biopsy be performed under local anesthesia for Pugsley.  Local anesthesia is of course what the dentist uses.

Please let us know the outcome tomorrow!

[pugseysdad]

Well, I have contacted a reputable mobile Vet recommended to me by people I trust. Tomorrow afternoon I hope to have an answer & post it here for those who might be experiencing similar problems with their cat .I truly hope & pray it is not serious.

[pugseysdad]

Insect sting?As I stated she is an indoor cat & there's nothing that could sting her indoors in mid Jan. The skin of a cat is a sensitive organ that reflects internal as well as external problems. It's not ringworm ,mites,or fleas either.She's still under the coverage duration of Advantage.
Allergic reaction is possible due to a newer canned food that contained shellfish like crab,craw fish,etc. that I stopped giving her a few days ago.
The update on her condition is it s no longer oozing & has fully scabbed over like the 1st lesion.To me this is a good sign.
I have a severe distrust of my local vet due to the previous experience.I believe misdiagnosis & malpractice led to the death of my cat.I've seen it happen to pets as well as people.Just because someone has a Dr. in front of their name does not make them all knowing in pet medicine. This is why I hope to get a response from Dr. Cheng who is more knowledgeable on the subject of feline allergies .
Thanks for your concern Circe123 but I need a less ad hock recommendation than you can provide.  

[Circe123]

This really needs to be examined by your vet. It looks most likely to be some sort of allergic reaction (insect sting?) that can be treated with antihistamines.

[pugseysdad]

Hi, decided to add some info since I can't seem to get any sleep right now.
Here is picture of the spot that healed perfectly days ago.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e336/waxwerkz11701/100_0571.jpg
Nothing left but missing fur,not even any scar.

This is a picture of the 2nd lesion 12 hours since the first pic I posted.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e336/waxwerkz11701/100_0576.jpg
The center has scabbed while some blood still lightly oozing from edges.Also her eyelid seems half closed now.

The situation is personally frightening to me because 5 years ago I brought a 7 y/o cat of mine to a vet with a swollen wound (not exactly the same) & after surgery was transferred to an emergency room for multiple organ failure where I told the Dr. to use every means to save him. Including a 14,000 operation in which he died during the process.The whole situation was devastating to me.

The main difference is that Pugsey still has a hearty appetite so I'm trying not to over worry about this but it is tough.I don't understand why this wound isn't healing itself like the first.
Anyway,thank you for your time & hope to get your response.
Pugsey's Dad.