Focal Alopecia in a Cat

A 10 year old, male neutered, domestic long hair cat presented for evaluation of progressive hair loss and scabs above his right eye for two weeks duration. The patient is indoor/outdoor and is FIV positive. The owner had noticed the cat scratch the area once or twice with its back paw, but did not think he was particularly uncomfortable.

He has a history of fighting with neighborhood cats and the owner was worried the lesion may have been the result of a fight. He has a history of chronic otitis externa from atopic dermatitis and is receiving immunotherapy. He recently finished a three week tapering course of prednisolone and topical enrofloxacin-miconazole-dexamethasone drops for a recent relapse of otitis in the left ear and the owner reports the cat was not shaking its head or scratching its ears.

 

Brittany Lancellotti, DVM, DACVD

Veterinary Skin and Ear, Los Angeles, CA

Exam:

On physical exam, the patient was bright, alert, responsive and euhydrated with a body condition score of 6/9. Dorsal to the right eye, there was a focal patch of thickened alopecic skin with hyperpigmentation and mild serohemorrhagic crusting. No other areas of alopecia or crusting were noted on the body. The left ear had a scant amount of dried tan ceruminous exudate at the ostia of the vertical canal, but was otherwise unremarkable. The right ear was unremarkable.

Diagnostics:

Diagnostics included Wood’s lamp evaluation, trichogram, cytology, Fungal PCR and culture of lesional skin.

Woods lamp revealed apple green fluorescence of the hair shafts on lesional skin.

 

 

Trichogram revealed fungal spores surrounding the hair shaft.

 

 

Cytology revealed pyogranulomatous inflammation with fungal hyphae and spores.

 

Treatment:

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References:

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