Endocrine Alopecia in Cats

Digg

Del.icio.us

Stumble

Endocrine Alopecia in Cats

By: Dr. Rosanna Marsalla

Pages

2 3

Section: Overview

See Larger Image

Feline endocrine alopecia is a rare skin condition of cats. The cause is unknown but it is hypothesized to be hormonal in origin. Several hormones have been considered to play a role in feline endocrine alopecia including thyroid hormone, estrogen and testosterone.

Affected cats experience thinning of the hair or hair loss, which has a similar distribution on both sides of the body including the flanks, abdomen and hind legs. Cats may spend considerable time grooming themselves without being observed by their owners. In many instances, hair loss is self-inflicted rather than spontaneous. An important first step in affected cats is to determine whether or not the hair loss is self-inflicted.

One approach is to use a plastic cone collar (an Elizabethan collar) to prevent the cat from grooming and observe whether or not the hair grows back. If the hair grows back, the next step is to determine why the cat is grooming excessively.

In most instances, excessive self-grooming is a sign of allergy rather than being psychological in origin.

If the hair does not grow back, self-grooming is not the cause and your veterinarian will proceed with a diagnostic evaluation to determine the cause of the hair loss.

Feline endocrine alopecia primarily is a cosmetic problem. An important initial step is to rule out medical conditions that may mimic this condition and would require medical therapy.

Conditions that may mimic feline endocrine alopecia and require medical therapy include allergies of various types, dermatophytosis (ringworm) and parasitic diseases.

Veterinary Care

Microscopic observation. The first step in the evaluation of the cat with feline endocrine alopecia is to pluck several hairs for observation under the microscope to determine whether or not they are broken. The occurrence of short, broken hairs suggests that the cat is grooming excessively. The presence of relatively normal-appearing hairs under the microscope suggests spontaneous hair loss.

Skin scrapings. These help to rule out certain parasitic diseases such as mange mite infestation.

Fungal culture. A sample of hair also can be sent to a laboratory for fungal culture to determine whether or not the cat has ringworm (dermatophytosis). Ringworm infestation could cause the hair to fall out spontaneously.

Blood samples. These may be submitted to the laboratory for measurement of specific hormones to evaluate endocrine function.

If other diseases are ruled out, a diagnosis of feline endocrine alopecia is made. Fortunately, this condition is primarily a cosmetic condition and does not jeopardize the health of the animal.

Cats with feline endocrine alopecia are otherwise healthy. Treatments used in an attempt to stimulate regrowth of hair have the potential to cause adverse effects, some of which are potentially serious. Also, because the cause of feline endocrine alopecia is unknown, several treatments may be tried before a response is observed.

Home Care

You may be asked to place a plastic cone collar (Elizabethan collar) on your cat to determine whether or not excessive self-grooming is the cause of your pet's hair loss.

You may be asked to follow an elimination diet trial with a new source of protein to rule out the possibility of food allergy.

Aggressive flea control will be recommended, especially in geographical areas with a temperate climate.

If you decide to pursue medical treatment for your cat with endocrine alopecia, you may be asked to administer medications orally once or twice per day or you may be asked to bring your cat to the clinic for injections. Usually, a few injections are necessary.

Some of the medications used to treat feline endocrine alopecia can cause cardiac complications whereas others may cause liver toxicity, mammary gland tumors, diabetes mellitus, or behavioral changes.

It is important that you take your cat back to your veterinarian for regular check ups to monitor blood counts and serum chemistry during treatment.

Pages

2 3

Printable Version

Digg

Del.icio.us

Stumble

Share this Article with a Friend Email To:

Have a Pet Question?

Send Your Pet Question to Dr. Jon
and His Staff of Veterinarians

Dr. Jon's Newsletter

Yes! Send Me the Latest Health Information, Pet Tips, Pet Stories and more...

Search Over 15,000 articles

1 Miliary Dermatitis
Miliary dermatitis is a papular, crusting skin disease accompanied by varying degrees of pruritis. Cats with miliary dermatitis have multiple, small bumps on their skin that are usually associated with...
Read More
2 Flea Allergy Dermatitis in Cats
Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common allergy in cats and is caused by flea bites, specifically the saliva of the flea. It is a very itchy disease and predisposes to the development of secondary skin...
Read More
3 Alopecia (Hair Loss) in Cats
Alopecia is the complete or partial lack of hair in any area of the skin where hair would normally be found. In cats, it may be caused by self-trauma, hair follicle diseases or the failure of hair to grow...
Read More
4 Atopy in Cats
Atopy is a pruritic (itchy) skin disease of animals that is caused by an allergy to substances in the environment. It can be difficult to diagnose in cats and, therefore, is probably under-diagnosed.
Read More
5 Food Allergy in Cats
Most pets develop allergies to food ingredients that they have been fed for a long time, usually more than two years. In fact, if your cat has an immediate adverse reaction to a new food, it is probably...
Read More

Over 10,000 Veterinarian Approved Articles

Dogs & Puppies

Dog Breeds

labrador retriever, golden retriever, yorkshire terriers, german shepherds, beagle, boxers

Dog Medication

dog allergy medication, dog pain medication, dog anxiety medication, dog flea medication

Dog Products

dog bowls, dog crates, dog toys, dog beds, dog ramps, dog food storage, dog tags

Dog Symptoms

dog vomiting, dog limping, dog diarrhea, dog bad breath, dog coughing, dog seizures

Dog Health

dog cancer, dog diabetes, dog epilepsy, dog hip dysplasia, dog health, sick dog

Dog Care

dog vaccination, dog microchipping, dog grooming, dog neutering, dog spaying, dogs mating

Dog Training

dog aggression, dog barking, dog chewing, dog behavior, dog jumping, dog whisperer

Dog Pictures

puppy pictures, funny dogs, cute dogs, dog breeds, sleeping dogs, silly dogs, small dogs

Cats

Cat Breeds

persian, siamese cats, devon rex, ragdoll cats, sphynx, maine coon cat

Cat Medication

cat flea medication, cat heartworm control, cat tick medications

Cat Products

cat litter box, cat food, cat bed, cat flea collar, cat carrier, cat urine odor

Cat Symptoms

cat vomiting, cat limping, cat diarrhea, cat bad breath, cat coughing

Cat Health

cat health, cat liver cancer, cat diabetes, cat scratch fever, cat aids, sick cat

Cat Care

cat vaccination, cat grooming, cat microchipping, cat neutering, cat spaying

Cat Behavior

cat urine marking, cat furniture scratching, cat litterbox training, cat toilet training, cat fears

Cat Pictures

cute cats, funny cats, playful cats, fat cats, jumping cats, lazy cats, sleeping cats, cute kittens

1 Alopecia (Hair Loss) in Cats
Alopecia is the complete or partial lack of hair in any area of the skin where hair would normally be found. In cats, it may be caused by self-trauma, hair follicle diseases or the failure of hair to grow...
Read More
2 Atopy in Cats
Atopy is a pruritic (itchy) skin disease of animals that is caused by an allergy to substances in the environment. It can be difficult to diagnose in cats and, therefore, is probably under-diagnosed.
Read More
3 Miliary Dermatitis
Miliary dermatitis is a papular, crusting skin disease accompanied by varying degrees of pruritis. Cats with miliary dermatitis have multiple, small bumps on their skin that are usually associated with...
Read More
4 Flea Allergy Dermatitis in Cats
Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common allergy in cats and is caused by flea bites, specifically the saliva of the flea. It is a very itchy disease and predisposes to the development of secondary skin...
Read More
5 Food Allergy in Cats
Most pets develop allergies to food ingredients that they have been fed for a long time, usually more than two years. In fact, if your cat has an immediate adverse reaction to a new food, it is probably...
Read More

Endocrine Alopecia in Cats

Endocrine Alopecia in Cats

Related Articles

Over 10,000 Veterinarian Approved Articles