Abstract
Excoriations, erosions and ulcers are relatively common lesions in the cat, and in general, they are quite non-specific. Excoriations are, by definition, self-induced lesions due to scratching, while erosions and ulcers develop spontaneously. Full thickness skin wounds are very suggestive of cutaneous asthenia or acquired skin fragility syndrome, depending on the cat’s age. Erosions and ulcers are often secondarily infected and may appear more severe because of pruritus due to infection. A peculiar feline clinical presentation, common in allergic diseases, is “head and neck pruritus,” with excoriations and ulcers being self-induced. This presentation is usually investigated following the diagnostic approach to pruritus. The most relevant clinical feature of erosions and ulcers is their location, which may be helpful for the diagnosis. In general, histopathology is the most important diagnostic test to make a specific diagnosis in erosive/ulcerative feline skin diseases.
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Colombo, S. (2020). Excoriations, Erosions and Ulcers. In: Noli, C., Colombo, S. (eds) Feline Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29836-4_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29836-4_7
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