Immune supporting supplements

Etain is almost 11 years old. She eats Nature's Variety Chicken/Turkey raw, and she will eat canned salmon, mackeral and sardines, she's very very very fussy, but I keep trying to introduce a wider variety of foods. She has atopic allergies and generally sensitive and dry skin and lousy teeth (though there has been some improvement since getting off the kibble). She has adverse reactions to nearly everything that's ever been done to her, post vaccines, she required hospitalization, steroids and sub-q fluids. She had a terrible reaction to Frontline, she can't tolerate most commercial foods etc. The point is, she's never been very robust or healthy.

Our vet is nice, but she's mostly good for surgery, vaccines and steroids, she doesn't know much about alternative options and pickin's are slim around here when it comes to vet care

Anyway, long story short, this fall and winter has been her worst yet for allergies and her skin in particular. She has scratched and chewed off a lot of hair and has nasty scabs on her neck and ears (which I've started treating with OTC hydrocortisone cream and Hyland's Calendula spray (a homeopathic product), and that does seem to be helping with some of the itchiness. I am working on getting a humidifier because I know the dry heated air isn't helping. And I'm making sure that she gets her Omega-3's on a more regular basis. I am also interested in starting immune supporting supplements with her. From a homeopathic group, I have heard about Transfer Factor Classic, colostrum, quercetin and a couple of other supplements, but I'm looking for some more centrist or middle of the road opinions and suggestions before putting a bunch of stuff into her body. Idealy I'd like to use things I can find at local health food stores, but if something like Transfer
Factor is far superior to other options, then I'll suck it up and order online

This is something I'm very interested in as well. I'm curious to hear people's different opinions also. With 6 cats of my own, and a pretty constant flow of fosters coming and going, I'd like to add just a little to my cats' diets to give them that extra boost.

Granted I think a great balanced diet is the foundation for good health and immunity. I have used this in the past - http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/produc...la/999043.aspx, although it isn't for skin allergies, but there are a lot of other natural options available.

You may want to consult a holistic vet or one that does conventional and holistic

I use quercitin with my dog with good results... she has bad allergys and a liver issue ... I also take it during the pollen season

I know a few on here HIGHLY recommend transfer factor ... it would be worth looking into IMHO

colostrum was something I tried for my own immune issues and it made them worse YMMV

your kitty may do best on a simple raw ie just meat organs and bones ... www.barfdirect.com has LOTS of options

Originally Posted by sharky

You may want to consult a holistic vet or one that does conventional and holistic

I use quercitin with my dog with good results... she has bad allergys and a liver issue ... I also take it during the pollen season

I know a few on here HIGHLY recommend transfer factor ... it would be worth looking into IMHO

colostrum was something I tried for my own immune issues and it made them worse YMMV

your kitty may do best on a simple raw ie just meat organs and bones ... www.barfdirect.com has LOTS of options

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Unfortunately the only "holistic" vet I've found within a two hour drive pushes vaccines and commercial foods and in fact will not even see a cat that isn't current on their vaccines according to his yearly protocol I will never subject her to vaccines again, never mind annual vaccines.

I'm trying very hard to get her to eat something other than NV chicken/turkey, but it took a year and a half of non-stop effort to get her to eat that. After using every other trick in the book, finally used Wysong Archetype ground up and sprinkled over the food, now that trick no longer works. I'm going to go gray trying to change her diet, but I keep trying. I would love nothing more than to get her onto whole foods. Her awful teeth and allergies are the reason I switched my animals to raw and she's the only hold out

I think I will look into the Tansfer Factor, for both her and my allergy dog (yep, I'm lucky enough to have two animals with seasonal/environmental allergies).

I was really looking for a second opininon beacause the group where I first heard about Transfer Factor has said some other things that gave me doubts

I have heard good things about quercetin from a few different people too. Do you by any chance know of a good web site or book that is a trust worthy resource for use of supplements in cats?

Four paws five directions ... it is a oriental medicine book for animals

dr priticrain( cannot spell) s book on natural dog care

many like ann frazier

I read them all and then see what agrees accross the bourd and what may need more study from me ... As I have yet to agree wholey with any one book..

Dr pricairn uses corn meal for a grain ... the oriental book allows some pork ... you know make your own mind up... I prefer oriental medicine as it has been tested thru the ages and also nearly tranfers accross the bourd for all mammels