Allergies

[stormyskiez]

Hi all. I have a 5 year old male cat who seemed to have mild seasonal spring allergies starting at 6 months. This year the allergies are 3 times more severe looking then previously and he scratches a lot. He has open lesions around his ears mainly. He is strictly indoors. No fleas. I have eliminated plastic bowls and grain. In the past it went away on its own by summer. Not this year. He had a steroid shot 4 weeks ago. It healed up quickly after that. Now it's back.

I have 2 different vet opinions. The first vet wants me to switch his food and gave him a steroid shot.

The cheaper vet tried to convince me that just 1 flea can do this to him. He stated a food allergy would not only affect his ears mainly. That the sores look like bites or that he is exposing his head to the allergen. He suggested 3 months of flea treatment to rule out fleas, blood work, antibiotics, steroid pills for possible a month. I brought up using an allergy med instead of more steroids because his sister who had rodent ulcer and mild allergies died at a different vet after a steroid treatment and antibiotic. She had a reaction to it for the first time ever. She broke out more and looked worse. She died in the vet office last year, only 4 years old.

 

[stormyskiez]

Does food allergies affect the whole body usually? What would you do in my position?


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[mrsgreenjeens]

Sorry you haven't had any responses yet.  Food allergies often effect the head and neck area only.   It's odd, but that's the way it is.   What are you feeding him?  Have you tried changing his food as the first Vet recommended?  To a limited ingredient food?  That always takes some time to start working, BTW. 

A single flea CAN cause issues if they are allergic to fleas.  Is there any evidence that he has fleas?  Have you combed him with a flea comb just to make sure and found absolutely nothing?  You live in an area that has them (it appears), and it's possible for you to bring them in on your clothes, isn't it? 

 

[forrestmeows]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with unknown allergies StormySkiez. It is so stressful figuring it out. My boy has food allergies and intolerances. He scratches his ears / head and body. My vet recommended Zyrtec, which has helped a fair amount.

It took me a long time to figure out that it was his food. Trying various foods helped me to figure out that his biggest issue is peas. He has other problems tolerating fish. I think he is allergic to blueberries. I'm still working on getting him on a diet he can and will eat. His skin is much improved. His whiskers are growing back!

I prefer limited ingredient diets because there are fewer ingredients that can cause a reaction. He is super finicky. That makes it difficult. He was on steroids very briefly a couple times. Personally, I am not a fan of steroids. I prefer trying less drastic measures first. I am also not a fan of antibiotic shots. I am so sorry you previously lost your girl. That breaks my heart.

I hope you figure everything out for your boy! I like Chewy because they list ingredients. I think they will help with finding foods that avoid certain ingredients (if you call). They have great customer service too. It can take a lot of work to get the right food, but it is so worth it if that is the cause.

 

[stormyskiez]

Thank you for your replies [emoji]128512[/emoji]. No fleas what so ever. I flea comb him. They have to be on a low carb diet due to one of my cats is diabetic. Here is their diet:

Purina Beyond Natural Canned Cat Food, Grain Free, Wild Salmon, Trout and Catfish, ocean whitefish & spinach.

IAMS Purrfect Delights Pate Adult Wet Cat Food. Salmon, turkey, chicken. My cats only like canned pate. They prefer the Iams over the purina.

Dry food was Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken with Raw boost. I am currently switching them to limited ingredients turkey for now.

The suspended tuna flavored allergy med that I was hoping He would swallow easy freaked him out and he foamed and drooled for 5 minutes. That won't work.

 

[forrestmeows]

The suspended tuna flavored allergy med that I was hoping He would swallow easy freaked him out and he foamed and drooled for 5 minutes. That won't work.

Awww. Poor little guy!

Is he on all those foods? That is a lot of different ingredients. Common cat allergies include peas, fish, chicken and soy. Off the top of my head, I am trying to remember others. Cats can have allergies or intolerances to ANY ingredient. Carrageenan and other gums can cause problems too. It could be a protein or something else. Every cat is different.

You might consider trialing him on a limited diet. Here is some info on a food trial:

http://communityvet.net/2010/03/diy-elimination-diet-for-the-dog-an-cat/

I tried my boy on different foods and figured out the common ingredient(s) to determine what bothered him. When he did well on a food, I eliminated those ingredients to find the culprits. Sometimes, it can take a while for a cat to stop scratching or adjust to a diet. It was pretty obvious what made my cat itch when he was put on a food without peas.

I hope you get to the bottom of it and figure out if it is a food allergy.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

And you may need to feed him separately from the other cats in order to accomplish this.  I do it with mine...I think many people do because of heath issues in their cats.  It'sy not that difficult to train them, IF you don't free feed dry food.   The trick is to get them on scheduled meals, then you can monitor them, or at least monitor the ONE you need to eat the special food

My guys each have their own placemats and places where they eat.  When I call out "who's hungry?", they each go to where they know I will set out their stuff and then just sit there and wait for me.  Then one of them, the pudgy one, will really start meowing once he sees his dish in my hand as I'm walking over to his placemat.  It's so cute...he gets so excited

  And I actually feed one in the kitchen, and one in the Living room.  When Callie was still alive, she ate in between the other two, in the Dining Room on the table (on HER placemat)  I put all their placemats away when not in use

). 

 

[forrestmeows]

My guys each have their own placemats and places where they eat.  When I call out "who's hungry?", they each go to where they know I will set out their stuff and then just sit there and wait for me.  Then one of them, the pudgy one, will really start meowing once he sees his dish in my hand as I'm walking over to his placemat.  It's so cute...he gets so excited   And I actually feed one in the kitchen, and one in the Living room.  When Callie was still alive, she ate in between the other two, in the Dining Room on the table (on HER placemat)  I put all their placemats away when not in use ). 

:lol3: That is too cute mrsgreenjeens!

 

[stormyskiez]

Does the antihistamine work for food allergies? The last 4 years his allergies were seasonal. So odd.

 

[forrestmeows]

The Zyrtec has helped my boy with his food allergies. He was on Royal Canin Duck & Pea. The peas started out much lower on the ingredient list. Over time, RC moved up peas to the number 1 ingredient. His itching and overgrooming got worse and worse. His whiskers were falling out. I would say the Zyrtec definitely helped. However, removing the offensive ingredient(s) will have a much bigger impact with food allergies.

I also changed his litter, which helped a little. The old litter was way too dusty. It also had a strong scent.

 

[stormyskiez]

I am using arm and hammer litter. Do you crush the Zyrtec? Exactly which Zyrtec are you using? Is your cat foaming at the mouth? My boy is 14lbs. Is it 1 dose a day? After 3 calls to my vet, 3 days in a row and on hold 40 mins he is saying that he can't gaurentee my cat won't have a reaction to any med. I understand that, however why let me buy a 40$ med that he can't take because w/ the bitter taste even suspended with a tuna flavor he spits out, drools and foams at the mouth with afterwords I was told was a normal reaction. I am frustrated. 250$ and he wants me to guess at what to do. He seems to think is funny I don't like the steroids and want to use it as a last resort. Thank you for any all suggestions.

 

[forrestmeows]

Your Vet sounds difficult. I'm sorry! That is very frustrating. As far as foaming at the mouth goes, I have had occasional problems with that-mostly with Cerenia, an anti-nausea medicine (tablet). When it does not go down the "gauntlet" (throat), it causes foaming at the mouth and watery eyes. It does not happen very often. With the liquid suspension, it can happen too. I try to put the liquid medicine in the side of the mouth between the teeth. Depending on how much is needed, I give my cat a small amount and let him briefly swallow before giving him more.

This is how I do it:


I switched to Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat litter. I am sure there are other good litters out there. It helped some. They make unscented (blue) and scented. Their scented litter is pretty mild smelling.

https://www.chewy.com/dr-elseys-pre...gclid=CJOM9JCUrtACFQIRaQoduUQK3A&gclsrc=aw.ds

Just to be safe, I recommend asking your vet about the Zyrtec since it is a medication. I use the Kirkland Zyrtec Called "Aller-Tec" from Costco. I use a pill cutter to give 1/2 a pill or 5 mg once a day. Every cat is different. It has helped my boy though.

Hopefully, your boy can get some relief soon! Itching is terrible. :smile2:

 

[forrestmeows]

P. S. I don't crush the Zyrtec. This is how I pill my cats:

 

[stormyskiez]

P. S. I don't crush the Zyrtec. This is how I pill my cats:

Thank you for all the information! I might have to see if I can do a shot because my cat can be classified in one of the meanest cat categories when giving medicine.i would like to be able to trick him into eating the med. The liquid dosing the med I have just is not working because of his reaction to the liquid in his mouth. I'm going to try that litter also. [emoji]10084[/emoji]️

 

[forrestmeows]

I'm happy to help StormySkiez! I'm sorry your cat is aggressive when it comes to medications. I am not sure what you have tried. There are some options:

Crushing it and putting it in a treat;
Crushing it and putting it pill pocket;
Medication Pillers;
Compounded by a pharmacy into a treat chewable (for example):
http://snkc.vetsfirstchoice.com/condition/allergies/cetirizine-hcl-soft-chew-compounded.html

I looked to see if they make it in a transdermal option (on ear skin). I could not find any transdermal options.

 

[stormyskiez]

It's to bad that they don't have this "Compounded by a pharmacy into a treat chewable" avail every where at a fair price. Why is treating animals stuck in the dark ages? Simple issue made very complicated and expensive when your pet is affected. Thank you again ForrestMeows!

 

[forrestmeows]

I agree! It seems very expensive. You could try making your own treats by hiding it or crushing it in something he likes.

It looks like Benadryl comes in transdermal form, which is pretty easy to apply. I am not sure what the pros and cons are, except it has more side effects. You could ask your vet. It looks much cheaper. I really like Zyrtec. However, every cat is different. A cat may respond to one and not another.

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Diphenhydramine+Compounded-prod90256.html

 

[stormyskiez]

Wow you are awesome! I will let you know if that works for Sherlock! I hope it is delivered before the holiday [emoji]128573[/emoji]

 

[forrestmeows]

I hope it works for Sherlock.

Have a great Thanksgiving. :heart4:

 

[stormyskiez]

Thank you! You have a wonderful thanksgiving! [emoji]128062[/emoji]