My kitten has tail crust, hair loss, itching. Fleas or mange?

Question

My kitten has yellowish crust and hair loss on a few parts of his tail. He's been itching and chewing on them. I know for sure that he has fleas and plan to treat those ASAP, but now I'm wondering if he has mange, or if this could just be a result of the fleas? I haven't seen any mites on him that didn't look like fleas, but his fur is mostly white, so I know that could make them harder to see. There are also no other spots on his body with these patches, but I think they're very new. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 1 month and 21 days old | 1.6 lbs

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

You won’t be able to see mites as they are microscopic. Fleas would be more common than mites in this particular area, though bacterial or fungal infection (like ringworm) would also be possible. Tails can sometimes be hard to treat because they don’t get quite as much blood flow and are slower to heal than other parts of the body. I would have Eugene wear an e-collar to prevent further trauma to the skin of the tail and treat the fleas, and I would also go ahead and call your vet on Monday to set up a check up to look for mites.

My kitten has tail crust, hair loss, itching. Fleas or mange?

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