Deprive is called a fungal or viral disease that affects the skin. Such a pathology occurs in humans and, of course, in domestic animals. Very often, for example, cats are deprived. Of course, it is necessary to treat such a disease in a pet immediately. Otherwise, cat owners themselves can catch lichen. In addition, this unpleasant contagious disease often causes complications in animals. In this article, we will examine how lichen is manifested in cats, and also consider methods of treating this disease.
Main varieties
This ailment, unfortunately, is very common and can be caused by different types of fungus or viruses. Veterinarians know several types of lichen in cats. Symptoms (in the photo located later in the article, some of them can be seen in detail) may not be the same for different forms of this disease. Unites all types of depriving only the presence of lesions on the skin of the animal with hair loss.
So, there are the following forms of this disease:
weeping lichen;
pink;
multi-colored;
ringworm.
Causes of development and symptoms of weeping lichen
This disease has the feature that is not transmitted to humans. In fact, this type of ailment can even be called depriving only with a stretch. This disease is not caused by a fungus or a virus. Deprive him consider mainly only because of the formation of lesions on the body of animals with hair loss. The cause of the development of weeping lichen in a cat can be:
severe stress;
hormonal disbalance.
Very often, this pathology also becomes the result of strong scratching due to fleas or ticks. Sometimes weeping lichens form on the cat's body and as an allergic reaction. Such spots may appear on the skin of an animal, for example, due to some food.
How does lichen appear in cats? The main symptoms of this form of the disease are:
A cat with such an ailment usually experiences severe discomfort. Among other things, the affected areas of skin in pets with the development of such an ailment are often wet. The presence of fluid-filled vesicles on wounds is one of the main signs of lichen in cats. In the photo you can see the animal with the weeping form of this disease.
Treatment
For humans, this form of the disease is not dangerous. However, if symptoms of a weeping lichen are detected, the cat should definitely be taken to the veterinarian. The fact is that this disease, unfortunately, is very difficult to treat. It will most likely fail to help the cat on its own with weeping lichen.
After examining a sick animal, the doctor will prescribe him the necessary drugs. It is necessary to give them to the pet in strict accordance with the scheme recommended by the veterinarian. Most often, experts prescribe antiseptic ointments of various kinds to cats with weeping lichen.
In the first stages of the disease, the animal is prescribed an external sulfuric agent in most cases. This ointment lubricates the bandage and bandages the affected area on the animal’s body with it. Subsequently, compresses are changed every 2 days. The course of treatment for weeping lichen in cats usually lasts for 3 weeks.
In the later stages of the disease, in most cases, tar ointment is prescribed to pets. With this tool, wounds are treated 2 times a day. It is not recommended to use tar ointment more often. In this case, the course of treatment is continued until the spots disappear from the body of the animal.
Pink lichen: causes and symptoms
This form of the disease is also called herpes zoster. The cause of the development of pink lichen in animals is becoming infected with a virus. Most often, this pathology develops in cats with weakened immunity.
As with other forms of pathology, spots appear on the body of an animal with shingles. The color in this case is pink. The size of the spots with such a lichen is usually not too large - about 2 cm in diameter. Sometimes this disease is even manifested by small rashes on the skin of an animal, reminiscent of an allergic reaction to food.
With accuracy, pink lichen in a domestic cat can be diagnosed by the following signs:
Of course, pet lovers should definitely have an idea of all these signs of depriving cats. In the photo below, you can see how the stain on the skin of the animal looks with the shingles of the disease.
Sometimes, unfortunately, pink lichen in cats is hidden. In this case, no additional symptoms, in addition to rashes and spots, are not observed in the animal. Because of this, cat owners, unfortunately, often confuse such lichen with a common allergy.
How to treat
Thus, we found out how shingles appear in cats. But how is this disease treated?
It is not necessary to carry a pet to a veterinarian with pink lichen. A feature of this ailment is that in cats, after a while, it passes by itself. But of course, owners of an infected animal should, just in case, limit contact with it, as well as take measures to strengthen its immunity.
In the diet of a sick cat, you need to include more meat and sea fish. Cats kept on industrial feed should buy only the highest quality mixes. Modern manufacturers of such products produce, among other things, and pads for animals with weakened immunity. Of course, a pet can also buy such food.
In addition, the owners of the affected cat should try to make it so that it is less likely to be in the sun. Another important condition for the rapid recovery of a pet with pink lichen is the dryness of its skin. It is impossible to allow the cat's coat to get wet, especially the affected areas of its skin.
There is no drug treatment for pink lichen for cats. But if desired, the owner of such a pet can try to speed up his recovery by lubricating the affected areas on his skin with some herbal oils.
As cats manifest lichen multicolored
This type of disease is also called pityriasis versicolor. This disease is caused in cats by yeast-like fungi. The reason for the development of multi-colored lichen in most cases is a weakening of the animal's immunity. Yeast-like fungi are always present in cats. And they can cause multi-colored lichen only if the animal is weakened for any reason.
The main symptom of this form of the disease is the presence of a small light brown or pink spot on the body of the animal. Itching or, for example, an increase in temperature, pityriasis versicolor usually does not manifest itself. The spot with such a disease in cats is most often flaky and scarring.
What the bran-shaped form of this ailment looks like can be seen below in the photo. How the lichen manifests itself in cats is multi-colored, thus, it is understandable. Next, we consider how to properly treat this ailment.
How to help an animal
A brown speck on a cat's skin can appear, of course, for various reasons. In order to accurately diagnose exactly lichen, the animal should be taken to the veterinary clinic. The specialist is likely to immediately place the cat under an ultraviolet lamp. In the streams of such light, the site of infection on the skin of the animal will turn yellow-green. This color is a sign of pityriasis versicolor.
They treat this form of skin disease in cats with both external preparations and those intended for oral administration. In the first case, “Terbinafine” or “Miconazole”, which, among other things, includes zinc, are usually used. Lubricate lichen in cats when using these funds twice a day.
Ointments are used by veterinarians to treat only a mild form of this disease. In more severe situations, cats are prescribed medications intended for oral use. In this case, the animal may be prescribed, for example, such drugs as Mycozoral, Fluconazole, Griseofulvin.
Causes of Ringworm
This type of pathology in cats develops as a result of infection with fungal spores. Ringworm is the most dangerous and infectious form of this disease. It is they who are most often infected from cats by owners. The reason for the development of lichen in this form, like most others, is most often a weakening of the immune system.
Since this disease is actually very contagious, knowing about how ringworm is manifested in cats is definitely worth all the owners of such pets. The main symptoms of this ailment are:
In especially difficult cases, claws can be deformed in cats with ringworm. In the late stages of the disease, characteristic spots appear on the body of the animal, not only in the head, but also in the legs, tail, and face.
Many pet owners are interested in how many lichens appear in cats after contact with a sick animal. The incubation period for this disease can last from 4 days to 3 months. In this case, it all depends on how well developed the immunity of the pet.
Prevention of human infection
What should the owner of an animal with a ringworm form of the disease do after its signs have been detected? Treatment of depriving a cat and in this case should be carried out, of course, by a veterinarian. But the owners of the animal, among other things, should also take measures to prevent infection with the fungus at home.
If a cat has ringworm, it should be isolated from family members and other pets, if any. If there is no opportunity to place the injured pet in a separate, closed room, you should try to completely limit the contact with him of people and animals living in the house.
In addition, it is necessary to carry out wet cleaning with whiteness. The cat himself, of course, should be carried to the veterinarian in a carrying. Also, the specialist should show all the other pets living in the apartment.
Treatment methods
You could see what constitutes shingles or ringworm in the photo posted in the article. As you can see, this disease looks often truly frightening. Therefore, helping a pet with the first manifestations of this ailment should be started immediately.
After such a lichen is accurately diagnosed by a veterinarian, a complex medication is usually prescribed for the cat. In most cases, the specialist prescribes some kind of ointment to the animal and at the same time shampoo. Also, in the treatment of ringworm, oral preparations are mandatory. At the same time, a cat can be assigned up to two of these funds.
Treatment for ringworm usually lasts long enough. Lubricate the affected areas of the cat, bathe her using antifungal shampoos and give her medication in most cases for at least 1-1.5 months.
The danger of ringworm lies in the fact that even after the disappearance of symptoms, the animal cannot be considered fully recovered. The disease may return again after some time. Veterinarians ascertain recovery only after laboratory tests of skin scrapings from healthy areas and those that have been affected are carried out.
Veterinarian Tips
Thus, cats can become infected with both mild depriving and severe ones. In any case, in order to prevent the development of such diseases in a pet, their owners should take a number of preventive measures. According to veterinarians, it is possible to prevent cat infection from being deprived by:
Vaccinations are also given to cats against the most dangerous form of lichen - ringworm. At the same time, such as, for example, preparations such as Polivak TM, Mikroderm or Vakderm F can be used. In order to develop immunity, vaccinations for cats from ringworm are done twice with a break of 2 weeks.
Is it possible to cure folk remedies
Sometimes, for some reason, to show the sick pet to the vet is not possible for its owners. In this case, you can help the animal, of course, try folk methods.
For example, treatment of lichen in cats at home is often carried out using a therapeutic ointment prepared from a concentrated decoction of burdock root and birch charcoal. Such a composition is applied to the skin of the cat in the affected areas for 30 minutes.
A very good solution would be to try to treat lichen in cats with tar. To get it, you need to burn a large sheet of white paper on a earthenware plate. Next, you should collect from the walls of the dishes formed on them a yellow coating. Of course, you can try to treat the cat’s lichen with iodine or brilliant green.
Instead of a conclusion
So, based on the foregoing, it is probably already clear what to do when the first signs of depriving cats appear. The treatment (the photos used in the article as illustrations, allow us to conclude that it is better not to delay the treatment of pets), the specialist should deal exclusively with the disease. Only a doctor can correctly diagnose the disease, since there are several forms of lichen, and some of them in their symptoms generally resemble an allergy. Thus, an incorrect decision about the causes of the illness can turn into problems and wasted time.
The treatment regimen recommended by the veterinarian should be followed exactly. And then, most likely, the cat herself will quickly recover, and her owners will not be infected.