Why are my kittens' skin raw and itchy after a Dawn flea bath?

Question

My orphan kittens develop skin problem. Their hair fall off showing bare, wrinkle, very rough skin, especially on the head, ears and neck area. They also itch all the time and now start to have bloody skin because of scratching too much. What should I do? I don't see fleas on them anymore because I washed them with Dawn once a week for the pass 2 weeks to kill so many fleas on them but then they now have this skin condition. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 0.5 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

Fleas and allergies to fleas can set-up an environment for infection. It's possible that this is complicating the recovery process. The skin will often start to heal once the fleas are gone, but it's worth treating for infection by giving a bath with a medicated cat shampoo (can get this at the pet store). I recommend discontinuing the use of dawn, because this can be very irritating to the skin and actually delay healing or make the problem worse. Dawn will also not completely get rid of the fleas. In general, only products labeled for cats should be used, because their skin pH is different than peoples. It's best to just give a bath with the medicated shampoo once every 2-3 days, until the skin starts to look normal. It's expected that it will take a month or more until the kittens start to look normal again, so stick with it and they should get through this fine. Treating for fleas is not just restricted to the host, because fleas can reproduce and nest in the environment and continually cause an issue. Below is a link to a short article that explains treating the cats and environment for fleas: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/ If the skin problems are not getting better, or are getting worse in the next two weeks, then it's best to have your kittens evaluated by a vet, because they may need additional treatment.

Why are my kittens' skin raw and itchy after a Dawn flea bath?

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