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Cold Sore Yellow Scab
What's wrong with my cat? Any ideas?
About 6 months back I noticed my 4 year old male cat had what looked like a pimple on his bottom lip. It didn't seems too unusual, I though maybe he had bit his lip. After about 2 days it swelled up a little and then went away. Now, every couple of weeks it seems to return. Just his bottom lip swells up, gets about the size of an M&M then it scabs over and the swelling goes down. I don't think it's allergies because only his lip is swelling. It doesn't seem to bother him, I can touch it without him pulling away. My boss (I work at a pet store) said it could be an allergic reaction to his plastic food bowls. His lip just swells and looks pink with a little yellow, almost like a cold sore. Any ideas? All thoughts appreciated. Thank you.
Sounds like two things I can think of:
1) Allergies to plastic dishes, I wish they were not even sold for pets! It occurs quite often actually, if you use plastic dishes switch, I prefer ceramic or glass for my pets.
2) Rodent Ulcers (Rodents really have nothing to do with it, that is just what it is called.) I know you said they weren't painful but maybe he just has a high pain tolerance. A little more about them:
"Eosinophilic granulomas are ulcers or sores that develop on the lips and in the mouth of cats. They occur when the cat's immune system misdirects its activities and attacks the cat's mouth.
The syndrome is painful. Severe eosinophilic granulomas can become infected or can be disfiguring.
With treatment, most eosinophilic granulomas can be managed. However, cats often develop many ulcers over their lives, and the syndrome can be a chronic problem."
It is always best to take your cat to the vet while he is having one of these "pimples" and having them evaluate it, even if a vet were to answer on here they are not there to actually see the kitty and what is going on so they would not be able to tell you exactly what it is either without physically seeing the cat.
I personally would stop using plastic dishes, it would go away in probably a month or two completely and not come back if that were the issue, otherwise if is doesn't stop re-uccuring or it gets worse or painful take him to the vet.
Fever Blister Viral Infection
Fever Blisters also known as Herpes labialis, and cold sores are painful lesions which usually form on the lips, chin, cheeks, or nostrils. The blisters typically turn into yellow-crusted sores and then disappear within a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, people who get cold sores, which are caused by the herpes simplex virus (usually type 1), generally get outbreaks over and over again, and they are highly contagious. While there is no cure or vaccine at this time, there are things you can do to ease the pain of cold sores, speed up their healing, and stop their spread. There are two types of HSV, type I and type II. In general, type I, also known as herpes labialis, causes infections above the waist, most commonly as oral "cold sores." Type II infections occur mainly below the waist, leading to genital herpes. However, both types of HSVs are capable of infecting the skin at any location on the body.
Treatment of Fever Blisters
Cold sores and fever blisters can be treated with antiviral medications. These medications are of little value if therapy is started after the blisters appear. Antiviral creams applied directly to the sores shorten the healing time by less than one day. Antiviral drugs taken by mouth can help to prevent cold sores in tropical locations where exposure to the sun can trigger an outbreak.
Sores caused by Herpes often come back again and again. The antiviral medicines work best if you take it when the virus is just starting to come back -- before you see any sores. If you the virus returns frequently, your doctor may recommend that you take the medicines all the time.
Cold Sore Treatment - Acyclovir 5% cream (Zovirax) is also FDA approved for the treatment of recurrent cold sores. Oral acyclovir given five times a day for primary gingivostomatitis in children shortened the course from 10 days to four days and reduced the duration of fever, eating and drinking difficulties, and viral shedding.
Cold Sore Treatment - Famciclovir is approved by the FDA for treatment of cold sores. If started at the first sign of symptoms, taking Famvir 1500 mg once shortened the herpes infection by two days.
Cold Sore Treatment - Valacyclovir is approved by the FDA to treat cold sores. If started at the first sign of symptoms, taking Valtrex 2 gm twice a day for one day shortened the herpes infection by a little over one day.
Cold Sore Treatment - Suppression Therapy taking medication every day to prevent outbreaks, is not yet FDA-approved. Other possibilities are famciclovir 250 mg twice a day or valacyclovir 500 mg once a day.
Prevention and care for Fever Blisters
Wind and other weather conditions also can trigger cold sores if your lips become too dry. It also helps to keep the affected area clean and to apply soothing lip balm if the lips are involved. Try not to touch the affected area and avoid kissing anyone while you have blisters and sores.
A mud-mask product is excellent for an oozing cold sore. Apply it to the sore at night to help dry it up. It will heal faster as well. To hide it during the day, use a lip liner brush (which you disinfect afterwards) and mix a bit of lipstick with the mud.
If the sore erupts on your lips, apply lib balm several times a day. If applied from the start of the outbreak this can stop the blister from forming into a scab and therefore reduce the length of the outbreak.
Be careful - if you press too hard on the sore you can break it and cause it to scab.
A cheap solution to easing the pain is the use of oral anesthetics like Chloraseptic. It can be applied several times a day with the use of a Q-tip.
Some people apply gel antiperspirant to the cold sore at night to dry and speed healing.
Some find that the prescription medicine Valtrex is the best way to get rid of a cold sore; see a doctor if you would like to pursue this treatment direction.
As soon as you feel or suspect the onset of an outbreak, immediately apply an ice cube to the affected area until it begins to be painful, then warm the area up. Repeat this on and off for several minutes at a time and you may prevent the outbreak entirely.
Avoid direct contact with cold sores or other herpes lesions. Minimize the risk of indirect spread by thoroughly washing items in hot (preferably boiling) water before re-use.
Do not share items with an infected person, especially when herpes lesions are active. Avoid precipitating causes (especially sun exposure) if prone to oral herpes.
About the Author
Rachel Broune writes articles for Fever Blister Home Remedies. He also writes for Blister Home Remedies and Alternative Medicines .
