Types of lichen in cats, signs of the disease with photos, treatment features

Maintaining our furry friends’ health is of utmost importance. Lichen, a fungal skin condition that can afflict our feline friends, is one common worry among cat owners. It is crucial to comprehend the various forms of lichen, identify its symptoms, and know how to treat it if you want to protect your cat’s health.

Cat lichen can take many different forms, each with its own set of symptoms. While some cats may exhibit symptoms of skin irritation or hair loss, others may only develop itchy patches. To ensure your cat is comfortable and healthy, it’s critical to be watchful and identify these problems as soon as possible.

This post will discuss the various kinds of lichen that can afflict cats and provide you with images and descriptions to make the diagnosis easier. We’ll also go over efficient therapy choices to hasten your cat’s recuperation. If you have the correct knowledge, you can maintain the best possible health and appearance of your pet’s coat.

Cat lichen can take many different forms and cause symptoms like skin lesions, itching, and hair loss. In this post, we’ll examine the various kinds of lichen that can afflict our feline companions, offer unambiguous indicators to aid in diagnosis, and discuss practical treatment choices, all supported by informative images for enhanced comprehension. This guide will help you understand the fundamentals of lichen in cats, whether you’re a cat owner or just interested in learning more about feline health.

What is lichen, how can it be dangerous for cats?

The term "lingchen" refers to a variety of diseases that affect cats, causing their gorgeous fur to start falling out and causing redness, scales, and dry or wet crusts to form on the skin’s exposed patches. The skin stops acting as a barrier, the fur becomes lifeless, and the cat’s natural neat appearance disappears.

In extreme situations, the animal’s general health deteriorates as well. Since these symptoms can also be associated with other skin conditions, it can be challenging for someone who is not familiar with veterinary medicine to identify the type of lichen and comprehend the underlying cause of the condition. Cat lichen is categorized into multiple groups:

• weeping lichen, or eczema;
• pink lichen;
• lichen planus;
• ringworm;
• pityriasis versicolor.

Every kind of pathological process has a unique etiology and physiological impact. In essence, eczema is an atopic contact dermatitis variant. The primary cause of weeping lichen is allergies, which arise from contact with any material or food. Like all allergic reactions, eczema flares up quickly but is safe for other people to be around.

Lichen planus is categorized under an unclear etiology group of autoimmune diseases. The disease may develop as a result of a pregnancy, an infection that has already occurred, or the body becoming weaker from inadequate care and diet. The chronic nature of lichen planus makes it non-contagious. Lichen planus may disappear on its own in certain situations.

The most severe and challenging type of ringworm to treat. Trichophyton and Microsporum are two types of fungi that can cause it.

Although sick animals typically carry fungi, infections can also spread indirectly through bedding or other contaminated objects, in addition to through direct contact with sick cats.

This fungus’s spores are incredibly resilient and can withstand months or even years in the outdoors. Cat ringworm is a type of zoonose, meaning that an individual can contract the disease from an infected animal. You can see what cat ringworm lesions look like in the picture.

Causes of ringworm

Where does ringworm typically originate? The causes of various ringworm species vary. Furthermore, it is important to distinguish between predisposing factors, which increase a cat’s susceptibility to an illness but do not cause the disease directly, and the causes of the disease. The primary pathogens and pathogenic causes are:

• pathogenic fungi (for example, Microsporum or Trichophyton);
• opportunistic fungi (this group includes yeast-like microorganisms that live on the skin);
• autoimmune process (as with lichen planus);
• allergic reaction to shampoo or food (in the case of eczema).

See also: Feline viral diseases: symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of infections in adult cats and kittens

Cats that have general somatic diseases, helminthiasis, hypovitaminosis, are kept in unclean environments, have weakened immune systems, or are newborn kittens who lack developed defenses are more likely to develop lichen. The natural protective barrier is weakened and lichen pathogens are able to enter the body more easily when fleas, skin mites, and other parasites are present in the fur and there are minor skin injuries. The breed of the cat is also important; for instance, long-haired cats are more susceptible to the illness than mixed-breed cats.

Types and symptoms of the disease, localization

How does ringworm present itself? The symptoms caused by each type of feline ringworm are similar, with only subtle differences between them. A sick cat’s body has a small lesion on it. The owner observes that the skin in this area looks unhealthy and that the animal’s fur has suddenly thinned or fallen out. Ringworm most commonly affects the head, ears, muzzle, and front paws. Baldness can be seen in the withers and along the spine as the disease progresses, and in more severe cases, bald patches may cover the entire body.

Depending on the type of ringworm, dry scales, crusts, or weeping ulcers cover the afflicted skin. The cat’s general health also deteriorates: it gets agitated, licks the sore area nonstop, and smacks and bites its skin. The intense itching in the area where the skin changes is the cause of this behavior. It can be so severe that the animal exposes itself to further pain by scratching the skin until it bleeds.

During the early stages, cats continue to live normal lives and eat normally. Their general condition is unaffected. When an animal has large lesions, its entire body is affected; it becomes lethargic or nervous, loses its appetite, and its fur becomes dull.

The primary pathogen or a secondary infection that has joined during the disease can enter the bloodstream and travel through the vessels to the internal organs, making treatment-free status dangerous for the cat’s life as well as its health. Such a widespread infection spread can result in thrombosis, renal and hepatic failure, and sepsis.

Following the incubation period, a pink, round spot on the skin indicates the presence of ringworm. This kind of lichen causes the hair to break off several millimeters away from the roots rather than falling out. The term "ringworm" reflects this characteristic. The fungus spreads to nearby skin areas as it grows. When a cat is ill, they scratch the painful area because they are extremely itchy. Clogged fungus particles under the claws cause infection and subsequent deformity.

The onset of pityriasis versicolor is characterized by the appearance of a single, light pink, scale-covered spot. The fungus secretes substances that cause skin discoloration during its life cycle. This kind is distinguished by a protracted, slow course that can extend for several months or even years. Pityriasis versicolor is not transmissible due to the non-pathogenic nature of the fungus that causes it.

Diagnostic methods

A non-specialist is unable to determine the precise ailment afflicting his pet due to the outward similarities between many skin diseases. When an animal exhibits suspicious areas on its skin without hair, the first thing to do is take it to a veterinarian right away so that the diagnosis can be confirmed. How many techniques are available to veterinarians to accurately determine the disease’s cause? There are a few of these techniques, and their levels of intricacy and usage frequency vary:

• Wood"s lamp. This is the name of the device that emits special rays, under the influence of which some skin lesions begin to fluoresce, that is, emit a glow. For example, foci of ringworm glow greenish in Wood"s rays. This method is attractive for its simplicity, non-invasiveness, therefore it is widely used in medicine. However, the quick result obtained in this way cannot be called very accurate, since. . fluorescence can also occur in dead skin scales or sprays or ointments applied to the skin, therefore, more complex methods have to be used to clarify the diagnosis.
• Microscopy. With this method, an imprint taken from the affected area is examined under a microscope. It is done using special adhesive tape or a small slide. By enlarging the image, the doctor can see in detail skin particles, affected hairs, skin parasites such as mites. Smaller particles, such as fungal spores, are less visible, and other methods are needed to identify them.
• Microbiological test. To perform it, hair and skin samples taken from the animal are placed in a nutrient medium and kept at a certain temperature. With the help of the microbiological method, you can accurately determine the type of pathogen and assess its sensitivity to various drugs. The disadvantage of the method is that the results of the study must be waited for from several days to a week.
• Biopsy. This test is the most invasive and technically complex, because. . requires the removal of a piece of affected skin, which is sent to the laboratory for microscopic and histological analysis. The complexity of execution is compensated by the high accuracy of the result obtained.

See also: Causes, diagnosis, and treatment of a lump under a cat’s skin on the neck, stomach, and other areas of the body

Features of home treatment depending on the type of lichen

How should various forms of ringworm be treated in domestic cats? The veterinarian diagnoses the animal and then creates a treatment plan, which is typically followed by the owners at home. How can I treat feline ringworm at home? Standard operating procedure list:

• a diet rich in vitamins and nutrients;
• hygienic care of the coat and claws (cats are washed with a special shampoo, and the claws are trimmed);
• application of medications (ointments, sprays, solutions) to the area affected by ringworm;
• taking medications orally (capsules, tablets), if required by the disease;
• prevention of secondary infection;
• cleaning and disinfecting the cat"s sleeping area;
• prevention of infection of people and other animals in contact with the sick cat.

The best medications

Ringworm is the most dangerous kind of disease and needs to be treated with medication. Antifungal creams such as Mikozolon, Mikoseptin, Fungiderm, 10% Thiobendazole suspension, or aerosol Zoomikol are applied externally. The afflicted areas are treated with disposable cotton pads soaked in a 10% solution of salicylic alcohol or iodine tincture prior to applying the medication to the skin. This process facilitates the removal of dead particles and enhances the drug’s penetration into the skin layers. The hair is clipped off surrounding the lesions. Burn all used materials and chopped hair.

It is important to keep in mind that cats like to lick themselves and that ingesting antifungal medications can result in poisoning when applying external treatments. Veterinarians advise either temporarily fitting the animal with a special collar or covering the lubricated area with a secure bandage to keep the cat from reaching its paws and other parts of its body.

Oral medications are added to external treatment in more advanced cases. These consist of suspensions of ketoconazole and griseofulvin. Because these products are toxic, each animal’s dosage needs to be customized based on factors like age, body weight, and liver and kidney health.

See also: Viral peritonitis symptoms and treatment in cats: how long do affected animals live, and is there a vaccine to prevent the virus?

Zinc ointment, Vishnevsky ointment, and other products with an antipruritic and drying effect can be used to treat cat eczema. It is essential to assist in cleansing the body and removing dangerous substances from it in addition to local treatment. For detoxification, one can employ absorbents (activated carbon suspension), diuretics, and a hypoallergenic diet.

Applying steroid hormone-containing ointments and solutions to the rash sites is the standard treatment for lichen planus. Salicylic acid preparations are used in addition to steroids to dissolve excess deposits of keratin.

Traditional therapy

Among the alternative therapies are:

• iodine;
• celandine juice;
• ash from burning newspaper;
• lemon juice.

These treatments are not effective in eliminating the fungus or its spores, but they can provide some relief. Veterinarians advise against substituting traditional treatments for official antifungal therapy because they do not address the underlying cause of the illness.

Cat nutrition and care

Cat lichen, particularly in its more advanced stages, negatively impacts the health and appetite of the animal. Antifungal medications given orally may cause nausea in the cat and make it refuse food. During the course of treatment, it is the owner’s responsibility to make sure the body has complete access to the required combination of nutrients, microelements, and vitamins. Because they strengthen the skin’s defenses against outside influences and quicken the skin’s healing process, zinc and vitamin A are particularly beneficial to the skin. Food additives should be used to make up for any deficiencies in these substances if the animal exhibits poor appetite.

Is ringworm in animals dangerous for humans?

Ringworm is the most harmful type of ringworm to people out of all of them. Its pathogen can spread through direct touch as well as indirect contact with objects that an infected cat has touched. In the right circumstances, Microsporum and Trichophyton spores can survive for several years unbroken and can spread illness to humans and animals.

A sick cat should be kept apart from children and should not come into contact with them in any way in order to protect family members. All of the animal’s belongings, including its bedding, collar, food and water bowls, and sleeping area, should be treated with a solution of chlorhexidine or sodium hypochlorite, which both have antifungal properties. It is essential to completely wash your hands with antibacterial soap and wipe them with a solution or spray of chlorhexidine after every interaction.

Type of Lichen	Signs and Treatment
Ringworm	Red, circular patches on the skin, hair loss. Treat with antifungal medication and topical creams.
Microsporum Canis	Itching, flaky skin, and patches of hair loss. Requires antifungal treatments and regular cleaning of the environment.
Trichophyton Mentagrophytes	Similar to ringworm, with scaly lesions. Treat with medicated shampoos and systemic antifungal drugs.
Secondary Bacterial Infection	Redness, swelling, pus. Needs antibiotics and possible drainage of abscesses.

It is imperative that all pet owners are aware of the different types of lichen that can affect cats. Early detection of the symptoms can have a big impact on your cat’s prognosis. Keep an eye out for any behavioral or skin changes in your cat, as these may be signs of a lichen infection.

The type of lichen and its severity determine the available treatment options. A veterinarian’s advice is essential for a precise diagnosis and a successful treatment strategy. Most cats can fully recover and go back to being their playful selves with the right care.

You can contribute to the health and happiness of your feline friend by remaining knowledgeable and watchful. Consistent examinations and vigilant monitoring of their skin condition will significantly mitigate the risk of lichen infections and guarantee a long, happy life together.

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