Psychogenic leak alopecia in the cat
The psychogenic Leckalopezie or Feline bilaterally symmetrical self-induced alopecia (FBSA) is a behavioral disorder in cats , which is expressed in a morbidly increased cleaning drive and a skin inflammation ( dermatitis ) with hair loss causes (alopecia). It thus resembles the acral lick dermatitis in dogs. The diagnosis of the disease must be confirmed by thorough exclusion diagnostics. Treatment is through behavioral therapy and / or psychotropic drugs.
Clinical picture
The psychogenic leak alopecia is characterized by a pathologically excessive cleaning instinct. This leads to an increasing loss of hair, so that light or hairless areas arise. The back, abdomen, and the insides of the hind legs are most commonly affected. The parts of the body are often licked irregularly or more on one side. On closer examination with a magnifying glass, in the backlight or by scanning, the broken off remains of the actually healthy hair shafts can usually be detected. The skin of the bald spots is mostly unchanged or shows slight signs of inflammation. Depending on the breed, the topcoat and undercoat can be affected differently. With the onset of the disturbance or lighter cases, a light fluff often remains. With a very strong urge to clean, almost all hair is licked away and the rough cat's tongue can cause skin injuries with abrasions, ulcers or round reddish efflorescences (" eosinophilic plaques "). Due to the increased uptake of hair, tufts of hair may vomit or pass through the faeces. The hair on the edge of the hairless areas appears healthy and cannot be plucked out.
Occurrence
Psychogenic leak alopecia occurs in cats of all ages, races and both sexes. An accumulation is observed after Noli and Scarampella in Siamese , Burma and Abyssinian cats , after Roosje and Willemse in Siamese, Burma and European shorthair cats, according to Reinbacher and Panakova in Orientals.
causes
The main cause is a perceived loss of control over one's own territory. This can occur, for example, when new people or animals join the household (or leave it), a move has taken place or the animal has been temporarily kept in a different environment (cat boarding during a vacation). Other stress and conflict situations are also possible. A lack of hiding and retreating opportunities within one's own territory when a threat is perceived (e.g. from visiting strangers) or a trigger for the hunting instinct that cannot be satisfied (e.g. a bird in a cage) come into question.
diagnosis
Diagnosis is difficult and can only be made with certainty by excluding all other causes of hair loss. In an American study, an organic cause could ultimately be determined in 87% of the cats presented with the diagnosis of psychogenic leakage alopecia.
First, should have a skin scraping a Demodikose and Trichoskopie and fungal culture a fungal skin disease ( dermatophytosis ) are excluded, which is, however also be present simultaneously. In addition, other causes of coat loss, including all diseases associated with itching, can be ruled out. These include, above all, allergic diseases ( food allergy , atopy , flea allergy ) and parasitoses ( cat flea , cat hair , cheyletiellosis ).
In addition, some other diseases come into consideration, but in which, as a rule, no hair stumps can be detected. The paraneoplastic syndrome occurs primarily in adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and manifests itself in hairless areas as well as vomiting and diarrhea. With hyperactive adrenal glands , the skin is usually very thin and easily injured. Telogenic effluvium and mural folliculitis can cause primary hair loss in cats. The Alopecia areata is a rare autoimmune disease with sharply defined from the healthy skin hairless spots. The diabetes can sometimes lead to hairlessness in cats. Cutaneous lymphoma or an overactive thyroid gland should also be considered in older cats .
Finally, discomfort or pain must be excluded as a cause of frequent licking.
therapy
The therapy is coordinated by a veterinarian who specializes in behavioral therapy. This tries to determine the cause of stress and eliminate it. A neck collar to stop licking is rarely tolerated by such cats.
For the therapy of the psychogenic leak alopecia, various psychotropic drugs and sedatives were used, which must be given until the behavior has normalized and then tapered off. So far, phenobarbital , diazepam , naloxone , fluoxetine , clomipramine , amitriptyline and haloperidol have been used successfully .
The untreated disorder leads to increased suffering of the animals, susceptibility to secondary diseases and occasionally to the development of other symptoms in behavior, unless the causes are recognized and eliminated.
literature
- Ch. Noli and F. Scarampella: Practical dermatology in dogs and cats . Schlütersche Verlagsanstalt, 2nd edition 2005. ISBN 3-87706-713-1
- Elisabeth Reinbacher and Lucia Panakova: Feline Bilateral-Symmetric Self-Induced Alopecia - A Practical Guide . In: veterinary mirror . tape 25 , no. 1 , 2015, p. 3-8 , doi : 10.1055 / s-0034-1382974 .
- Petra J. Roosje and Tom Willemse: Self- Induced Alopecia . In: Marian C. Horzinek et al. (Ed.): Diseases of the cat . Enke, 4th edition, 2005, pp. 306-307. ISBN 3-8304-1049-2
- Kate Griffiths: Overgrooming in Cats. In: Veterinary Focus , Volume 26, Issue 2, pp. 32-39.
Individual evidence
- ↑ SE Waisglass, GM Landsberg, JA Yager, JA Hall: Underlying medical conditions in cats with presumptive psychogenic alopecia. In: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Volume 228, Number 11, June 2006, pp. 1705-1709, doi : 10.2460 / javma.228.11.1705 , PMID 16740071 .