Feline acne in Cats (Felis) | Vetlexicon
felis - Articles

Feline acne

ISSN 2398-2950

Contributor(s) :


Introduction

  • Acne is a common idiopathic dermatosis of follicular keratinization.
  • Signs: the chin is the usual site with the upper and lower lips less commonly affected.
  • Most affected cats have only mild lesions-comedones but some may progress to have:
    • Papules.
    • Pustules.
    • Furunculosis.
    • Cellulitis.
    • Cysts.
    • Scarring.
  • Diagnosis: examination and histopathology.
  • Treatment: topical agents, systemic antibiotics, occasionally other drugs.
  • Prognosis: some cats can be cured but many require long-term treatment for recurrent disease.
    Print off the owner factsheet on Feline acne  Feline acne  to give to your client.

Presenting signs

  • Comedones on the chin.
  • Comedones on the lips.
  • Secondary pyoderma.
  • Severe deep pyoderma with systemic signs.

Acute presentation

  • Anorexia, depression, pyrexia found with deep pyoderma.
    Concurrent immunosuppression should be ruled out.

Age predisposition

  • Possibly more common when older but occurs at all ages.

Cost considerations

  • For cases presenting with the most severe signs.
  • Most cases.

Pathogenesis

Etiology

  • Some factors have been recorded as possible underlying factors:
    • Decreased grooming.
    • Food soiling.
    • Genetics.
    • Stress.
    • Viruses.
    • Immunosuppression.

Predisposing factors

General

  • Immunosuppression may lead to deep pyoderma.

Pathophysiology

  • Idiopathic keratinization disorder.
  • Unknown factors   →   dilated hair follicle containing sebaceous material and cornified cells (comedo).
  • Secondary bacterial colonization   →   folliculitis, furunculosis, cellulitis.

Diagnosis

Subscribe To View

This article is available to subscribers.

Try a free trial today or contact us for more information.

Treatment

Subscribe To View

This article is available to subscribers.

Try a free trial today or contact us for more information.

Prevention

Subscribe To View

This article is available to subscribers.

Try a free trial today or contact us for more information.

Outcomes

Subscribe To View

This article is available to subscribers.

Try a free trial today or contact us for more information.

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

  • Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
  • Foil C S (1995) Facial, pedal, and other regional dermatoses. Vet Clin North Amer 25 (4), 923-944 PubMed.
  • Werner A H & Power H T (1994) Retinoids in veterinary dermatology. Clin Dermatol 12 (4), 579-586 PubMed.
  • Rosenkrantz W S (1992) The pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of feline acne. Vet Med 86 (5), 504-12 VetMedResource.

Other sources of information

  • Scott D W, Miller W H and Griffin C E (1995) Small Animal Dermatology. 5th edn. Philadelphia W B Saunders. pp 835-7.