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Old June 19th, 2009, 03:28 PM
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Seth's muzzle....

In this pic, you can see Seth's muzzle is black...makes him look like he has a dirty face, but it's not acne...the fur and skin have just turned black in the past week...has anyone seen this before?

The red you see is the last of the redness from when his lips were swollen...just a bit of red left, but the swelling has gone.

He looks so worried...mom has that darn camera again!!!
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Old June 19th, 2009, 03:39 PM
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Okay that is weird. No, I haven't seen that before, except maybe after my cat has been rolling in dirt. It doesn't wipe off, right? (just checking). I have no idea what to tell you. He's not a fabric-sucker, is he?
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Old June 19th, 2009, 03:49 PM
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LoL! I tried to wipe it off thinking maybe it was acne, but it's the actual skin AND fur that is black ...nope, he doesn't suck on anything...'cept when he nibbles on Messina's ears during those special moments
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Old June 19th, 2009, 03:53 PM
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It almost looks like a stain from lying on newspaper......??
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Old June 19th, 2009, 04:03 PM
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Newspaper scares him...I read it then put it in the bin right away or he will hiss at it...and if it makes a "paper" noise, he will run away from it...such a troubled little man :sad:
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Old June 19th, 2009, 05:41 PM
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wow..that does look weird, and unfortunatley I can;t help you because I have never seen this before. Could he have walk on some ink or toner and while he washed himself got stained!!
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Old June 19th, 2009, 09:22 PM
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Wow, that is just weird. Can you send the pic to your vet's office? Maybe they can give you some ideas?
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Old June 19th, 2009, 09:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TacoGrl View Post
...look like he has a dirty face, but it's not acne...the fur and skin have just turned black in the past week...has anyone seen this before?

The red you see is the last of the redness from when his lips were swollen...just a bit of red left, but the swelling has gone.
Inflammation can lead to melanosis. What this means is that inflammation, for whatever reason, can lead to a color change of skin and occasionally fur. While this typically needs chronic inflammation, this is not always the case. From your description, this would be high on my list.

While it might not appear to be acne, many times feline acne will show up without the papules or pustules - it can show up just as a color change which is caused by the inflammatory exudate.

Autoimmune causes, endocrine disorders and infections are also possible.

Your vet can probably help determine which.

If there was previous inflammation which has resolved, no other clinical signs and the color change appears to be melanosis, then melanosis secondary to inflammation would be top on the list.

Hope that helps.
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Old June 19th, 2009, 09:51 PM
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I'll probably end up taking him in 14+...my vet doesn't do the e-mail thing I just thought maybe someone might have come across it before and I could save some $$$ if it's something common during these times :sad: If it was his whole muzzle then I would write it off as a colour change with age, but it's like a rectangle...doesn't seem to bother him in any way though...odd.


I just don't think he has gotten into anything..."Little Nelly Neat" lives here There aren't even any chemicals under the sink or plants avail for chewing...nothing...frustrating.
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Old June 19th, 2009, 09:55 PM
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Was the rectangular color change where the inflammation had been?
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Old June 19th, 2009, 09:55 PM
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Thanks Dr. Lee

He does have chronic inflamation...it comes every few weeks and goes after about a week...

I will have to look up the big words LoL!
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Old June 19th, 2009, 09:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Lee View Post
Was the rectangular color change where the inflammation had been?

yes...except it goes a bit further on the sides
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Old June 19th, 2009, 09:59 PM
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I see endocrine disorders can include diabetes...he had one steroid shot for this infamation :sad:

The only melanosis I can find is ocular...

Is it possible this goes back to the allergy to something that is causing the swelling...the allergy I am having a heck of a time finding?
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Last edited by TacoGrl; June 19th, 2009 at 10:13 PM.
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Old June 19th, 2009, 10:20 PM
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Apologies on the big words... long day.

Melanosis just refers to pigment changes where the body places more pigment (melanin) down. This can be for a variety of reasons, such as sun light to other things like inflammation. If he has recurrent inflammation of the mouth, then melanosis (a benign increase of skin and hair pigment) is not uncommon. For example, many dogs that have recurrent belly rashes from allergies will have this pigment change.

So in summary, if your cat has recurrent inflammation of this muzzle, then a pigment change (i.e. darkening of the skin and fur) is not unexpected. What the bigger question might be, is why do we have the recurrent muzzle inflammation?


As far as endocrine, I do not wish to invoke concern. If diabetes mellitus is present, then other clinical signs should also be present - increased thirst, increased urination, etc...

Sometimes thyroid changes can also create this. However, with recurrent muzzle inflammation - let's look at the causes of that first. It is more likely that the recurrent inflammation is the culprit.

Did I make more sense this time? Or did I make it worse?
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Old June 19th, 2009, 10:26 PM
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You made perfect sense and thank-you This time of night one has to "dumb it down" for me

I will keep looking into the allergy thing...see if I can find the trigger...I wonder if maybe it is more a stress thing than an actual allergy to anything cuz i have tried sooo much...he is always so worried...
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Old June 21st, 2009, 01:38 PM
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My guy has this too!

Hi, TacoGrl. I have been away from this forum for a bit, but popped back on today to see what sort of posts were archived with regard to feline acne.

My guy, General, has this discolouration too in addition to having recently developed what the vet and I believe to be acne on his chin. For general, the discolouration doesn't extend above his mouth, it is just on his chin right up to his bottom lip. If I can get him to hold still for a picture, I'll post one so you can compare.

Does your cat by any chance use a cardboard scratch pad? General does, and I'm wondering if his recent acne and discolouration could be linked to this. An allergy perhaps? We got him his first cardboard scratcher maybe 6 - 8 month ago. General rubs his chin all over that cardboard scratcher and chews at it and generally "loves it up."

So, I'm in the middle of switching General over to a hypoallergenic diet, have removed his plastic dishes and, per the vet's suggestion, am giving General's chin gentle scrub downs with Oxy Acne Pads. (I went with the sensitive skin option.)

Other than one actual pimple that has developd on his chin -- and which popped while I was scratching his chin yesterday -- his chin looks less red than it did a week or so ago.

Anyway, will try to get a pic to post. I assumed the discolouration was linked to the acne, because they seemed to come together.
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Old June 21st, 2009, 03:55 PM
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Hmmm... maybe? Maybe not?

Ok, so here are a few pics. What looks more "grey" on General's chin in person looks more pinky in these photos. Perhaps not the same, but take a look. Certainly nothing so distinct in pattern as Seth's discolouration!

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Old June 21st, 2009, 04:54 PM
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General is a sweet boy and it sure is hard to get the tabbies to sit still for pics LoL!!

That is what was on Messina's chin...cleared right up with some soap the vet gave me, but Seth's is a bit different in that it's his fur AND skin that are discoloured

He has the regular carpet scratching posts, but there are so many things around he could be allergic to...the search is really quite daunting His body may just be getting used to the new things around him (I can't belive it's been 5 months already ) and then the stress on top of it...I just don't want to add to that stress by taking him back to the vet when I don't need to...plus the $$$ right now is VERY tight...I will do what I have to do but if I don't have to...know what I mean VEEERN?!? LoL!
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Old June 21st, 2009, 06:29 PM
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I can totally relate to that. You worry that stress might be a factor in the health concern, yet you worry that by taking him to the vet, which is intended to help, you may just end up stressing him out and doing more harm. And it can be hard to keep spending money on trips back to the vet if the issue isn't getting resolved.

Do you have a good vet? Could you pop by the vet's office with a photo or two and see if there's something the vet could suggest for you? Or maybe this could help them to determine if Seth really does need a check up? Just some thoughts to save a bit of $ and stress.

Please do keep let us know what you find out. Here's hoping that if stress is the trigger, that Seth can find a way to chill out.
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Old June 23rd, 2009, 10:43 PM
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I took some more pics and took them to my vet today...she said it looked like a combo of acne, a change in his coat as he is getting to be a man instead of a gawky teenage boy and some bruising from the infections...I have some oral gel to put on his lips to try to take the swelling down (it has already taken the red away after one dose)...funny thing, the dark is mostly just under his chin-seems to be blending in with the dark fur around it and his cheeks are getting lighter again
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Last edited by TacoGrl; June 23rd, 2009 at 10:48 PM.
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