Glaucoma meds and skin sensitivity

Hi everyone. I am worried about Whiskers. He is 15 and has arthritis. Recently his vet started him on new eye drops for glaucoma. Since we started the drops, I see white flakes on his back and he seems to be scratching more. Is this a side effect of the glaucoma meds? Or is it something else because he is old? I am very anxious about this.

Hi Donna. I have a 7-year-old ragdoll named Olive who is on meds for hypothyroidism, so I deal with a lot of this. Glaucoma drops themselves usually cause eye irritation, not skin issues elsewhere. The flakes on his back might be unrelated to the drops directly. Have you checked if the dryness is from the winter? There was a pinned thread about winter dryness that mentioned how low humidity affects skin. It could just be the season.

Oh no, that sounds stressful. My Pumpkin is 5 and has weight issues, but she gets dry patches too. I remember reading that meds can sometimes change how a cat grooms, leading to buildup. Did you try a gentle wipe? I found a thread on senior cat skin that suggested checking for underlying allergies when new meds are introduced. It is scary when you don't know what is causing it.

Donna, take a breath. Whiskers is a senior, so his skin is naturally thinner and drier. The arthritis might make it hard for him to groom his back properly, which leads to flaking. I have a 9-year-old gray cat, Cleo, with arthritis, and I had to brush her more often. Look at this thread on arthritis and coat care for tips on helping cats with joint pain. The eye drops are unlikely to cause skin flakes on his back, but the combination of age, arthritis, and winter dryness is a very common culprit.

Thank you Terri. I will look at the arthritis thread. I am still worried it is the meds though. I saw a discussion in topical meds and skin reaction where people said some meds cause dryness. But that was about ear mites mostly. Should I ask the vet to check his skin specifically? Or wait a few days to see if the flakes go away?