LUCY licking her hair off

[DonnaR]

Any advise what to do about Lucy? She was licking big spots off, I started rubbing her with Thyme each week thinking it was flees (even though a flee comb found no flees) - this seemed to help. Then she started licking small spots off the size of a dime over night. I continue to comb for flees (none found), and rubbing Thyme on her. I'm not sure what's going on. ** see picture attached showing where she is licking **
Her BEAM is excellent - she is playing like a kitten, eating great, getting along with the other cats.
She does have Acute Kidney Disease, but doing great taking her subQ fluids every night 100mL's

Dr Jeff asked me what I thought this could be....and only thing I can think of is that it is a habit she's had for a long long time. Hemopet said she was allergic to everything on the planet. But the licking comes and goes.

 

[Dr. Jean]

Hi Donna! This can be a lot of things...

• Allergies are certainly at the top of the list, and you're right, fleas are the most common problem. A flea comb may not be the best diagostic, since fleas spend most of their time off the animal. A single flea-bite can cause severe, long-lasting itchiness in a sensitive cat. Food allergies are less likely, especially in this location. You may want to address the environment for dust-mites, mold, and storage-mites (the latter two are often found in dry food), which are among the most common allergens.
• Being that the patches are somewhat symmetrical, you could also be looking at an endocrine issue.
• Pain is another potential cause. In that location it could be underlying arthritis if she is middle-aged or older, or even something deeper. I once had a patient persistently licking his right side; it turned out he had pancreatitis!
• Cats being cats, it can also be behavioral, which includes habit. This is often the case when all other causes have been ruled out. Grooming is a self-soothing behavior. Cats are masters at hiding stress and illness. Flower essences are great for this. Crab Apple, Cherry Plum (or Rescue Remedy), Elm, Walnut, and Wild Rose would be a good combo.

Not sure what you mean by "rubbing with thyme," but essential oils should never be applied directly to the skin, they are very irritating and some are potentially toxic. Not to mention pretty rude--the cat can't get away from something on his skin.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[DonnaR]

Thanks @Dr. Jean It sounds like I need to "try things" starting with allergies and environment and maybe Flower Essences. There are other spots on her making it non-symetrical, although they are all on the back half of her body.

FYI..."Rubbing with Thyme" was a recommendation to ward off flees. no oil, just the thyme dried you would cook on pork, where I rub the leaves in my hand to release the smell - then rub onto Lucy's back end.

 

[DonnaR]

After watching the FLower Essences Empower Hour - I'm realizing that I don't get what the @Dr. Jean and others advisors for this group are actually saying to me. I'm still coming from the old school way of treating symptoms - but trying so hard to change my mindset. All this to say that I am going to do some talking with Lucy to see if she can tell me what's going on with her....then take it from there. I will also get some remedies like rescue remedy to get things going. One baby step at a time.

 

[jsqueglia]

Skin Soother

If your cat struggles with skin issues, Skin Soother may help! Factors such as food, inhalant, and environmental allergies can lead many animals to believe that they are under attack from their own skin. This solution helps address the energetic imbalances in our animals that can manifest as...

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Donna,
This is a link to Jackson Galaxy's website. It is a Flower Essence called Skin Soother developed by Dr Hoeve and Jackson.
There is a video under the product picture on this page. He gives a 1min 11 sec explanation of how the product helps these conditions.
Flower Essences are very gentle and very safe and work energetically (like homeopathy) but they work on the Emotional level.
Jackson's Essences are recommended by Dr.'s in this group. His website has lots of cool cat stuff. He's amazing with cat behavior.
I don't have experience with this particular essence but I have used the Vaccine Detox and Para-Outta-Sight.

No worries about not understanding. There is a lot to process when you move from the conventional realm of medicine to holistic care. Like you said, baby steps and it does get easier to understand.

Flower essences are on my list to learn about more and use more.

Jackie

 

[Dr. Jean]

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend the thyme. You are still applying the oil from the plant directly on her. And anyway, it won't work; fleas are not that easily deterred.

If you live in a flea-endemic area (year-round on the Gulf Coast, for example; seasonally elsewhere) you have to treat the cat AND the house AND the outdoor environment. When we lived near the beach, we could sit on the patio and watch the sand fleas hop over the threshhold, through the door, and into the carpet. Fleas are an implacable enemy, and you can never win that battle without a comprehensive plan.

 

[kristen_acri]

@DonnaR -- be sure to tell us what Lucy has to say!!! I'm interested!

Kristen