What is on my cats face??

[Breboarman]

hello friends, I’m hopping on here for some advice. About a month or maybe more ago, my cat had some bacteria in his ears. It kinda looked like extra wax, scabby, etc. anyway I got some ear drops which didn’t seem to help and then he started getting scabs above his eyes which prompted me to take his back and they gave him liquid medication. He’s done two round of antibiotics, and whiched his food to grain free. It seemed to be clearing up and no new spots were appearing but now he is getting another huge black spot on his nose, which then gets ripped off like a scab and is an open wound because he and my kitten play often and aggressively. If anyone has any idea or had similar issues, please help! I also have been putting neosporin and coconut oil on the wounds and bumps.

[opus88]

Hi, sounds very much like what one of mine had a few years ago...scabs appeared in front of his ears and above his eyes, I can post a photo when I figure out how. His was caused by an allergy to his diet, which was dry kibble and chicken based, or a reaction to the chemicals and preservatives in dry food. Put him on a canned food diet that's non chicken.. hoof luck

[Breboarman]

I changed his food to grain free, I have him on blue buffalo. How did they figure out that the allergy was to his food? Was he on the food for a long time before the allergy occurred

[opus88]

Any breakouts on the skin are usually due to a sensitivity to food, atmosphere ie: scents or contact with an allergen, example cleaning products on the floors, new carpeting, new furniture, laundry detergent that was used to wash bedding. I eliminated every single use of scented products ie: sprays, candles, scented oils, hair sprays, perfumes. washed floors and did cleaning with vinegar ONLY, used unscented gentle laundry detergent, dryer sheets.
It was his Vet that suspected it was his diet, said to stop feeding any chicken product, chicken is a common allergen since its in just about all cat food(even hidden)...yes he had been on a chicken based diet for years, both canned and dry...I took him off and it cleared within a few weeks, after a year I reintroduced it back and so far his lesions haven't reappeared, been clear for a good two years

[Breboarman]

What wet food are you using? I am going to get some today because I go on vacation in 9 days so I’ve gotta figure this out ASAP. Or take him to the vet next week. I wish I could figure out how to post a photo of it so we could compare.

[opus88]

this is also called eosinophilic granuloma or rodent ulcer, although rodent ulcer usually appears on the lips...while EG can appear anywhere on the face. here is a pic of one of Sami's scabs https://www.medhelp.org/user_photos/show/274134?personal_page_id=473886

[opus88]

heres a link to limited info...but there are many sites if you google it. forgot to mention can also be caused by flea bites, usually the course of treatment is dietary changes...some Vets also recommend steroid injections but I don't like those unless the symptoms get really bad and diet changes don't work as steroid use can lead to many health issues such as diabetes...the best foods to try that are NON poultry related are lamb, rabbit or venison...my cat wouldn't eat any of those, I had to resort to fish...and I know fish isn't good for them either, but he did eat that for a few months...forget how many for sure and it all did clear up...also no dry food, so it may also have been related to the preservatives in the kibble??? a real guessing game at times. he now eats a diet of fancy feast PATE only NO gravy...chicken. along with limited amounts of dry kibble... :( and has stayed lesion free for 5 years...
https://www2.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/eosinophilic-granuloma-complex

[opus88]

Re photo, if you have a photo downloaded on your PC, go to your profile page and you can easily upload one into the photo album , but has to be from a PC...not any mobile device

[Breboarman]

Thank you so much! I eliminated a lot of things out of our life and changed his food to grain free. I fed him wet food for a few days but I am going out of town so the kibble will work and if he gets the sores back, will know that’s what causing it. We are waiting for a ring worm test to grow and show us if anything funky is onhim but the sores have cleared up so I’m just hoping there’s no underlying health issues! Thank you so much! That was super helpful to me