Food allergies, how do you tell?

madara

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Shouldn't it be severe? I think my vet dismissed it quick last time saying my little one wasnt clawing his face or missing hair. Yet repeated right ear infections, its clean so far but I fear it going come back again. He grooms himself alot mainly when he lays down next to me but I hear single cats can do that as hobby. I fear he is constipated alot, sometimes he only goes every 2 days.
He would vomit his natural balance chicken and liver about 40 percent of time back in spring. We figured he was eating too fast. So I took a quarter of 6 oz can per meal and divided that by 4 little plates 3mins apart. That has worked up to today. He just vomited up a little dish. Maybe ate too fast with with small amount? Plus what he did to one of his claws this week,self trimming it too far but acting like it was no big deal and running around even though I found alot blood on bed sheet.
This cat has me so stressed out, he is only year and half old. I wonder if limited ingredients Chicken and Pea natural balance would be better then Chicken and Liver but I dont want upset his stomach unless I have more to go on then just my usual over worrying. By gosh he has been on that food since he was 7 weeks old, internet raved about Natural Balance you would think if it upset him so it would be alot more obvious.
 

icklemiss21

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Not all cats are missing hair or clawing their face. Some do just vomit although it is usually known as a food intolerance with diarrhea / vomit other symptoms,

There are only two ways to tell, food trials or allergy testing (and allergy testing is not supposed to be very accurate in cats). Vomiting could be just eating too fast, you can try a bowl like this
http://www.planetbluedog.com/product...t-eat-too-fast
and raising the bowl so he isnt bending over too much to eat (sometimes it is just a gag reflex from the angle of the food)

I would try that before any food changes if he has been ok with the new feeding routine

Cats on wet food tend to go litterbox less as they are not eliminating the wasted carbs of dry food so unless its small and hard I wouldnt worry too much and just mention to your vet for their opinion.
 

strange_wings

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Mine don't tear out fur or itch a bunch - mine vomit and get diarrhea. I have one with corn vomiting issues, one possibly chicken, and another that I'm not sure what particular ingredient it was. Putting everyone on dry Natural Balance duck and pea worked - I don't feed chicken canned, either.

Don't forget that chicken is a possible allergen. You could always try the cans without chicken for a couple days and see how that's tolerated.
 

magictrick

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If you think your cat has an alergy to corn. Feed it only corn and see if it gets worse. Then feed it only another food and see if it goes away.
 

carolina

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Remove the chicken - Put him on something he has never been fed... Has he been on venison? If not, put him on the venison and pea diet (NB), or another LID (limited ingredient diet (without the current allergen ingredients)) for the next 6-8 weeks, and see if it clears up.
From that point on, if he is good, start adding ingredients, little by little, one by one. Add one, test for a couple of weeks, see what happens... Yes, it is a long process, but with this elimination diet you will be able to pinpoint what the problem is.
For my Bugsy it is Chicken.
 

AbbysMom

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Originally Posted by magictrick

If you think your cat has an alergy to corn. Feed it only corn and see if it gets worse. Then feed it only another food and see if it goes away.
You have that a bit backwards.


In a proper elimination diet you remove what you suspect are the allergens and see if the symptoms disappear.
If they do, you would add that ingredient back and see if the symptoms return.
 

carolina

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Originally Posted by AbbysMom

You have that a bit backwards.


In a proper elimination diet you remove what you suspect are the allergens and see if the symptoms disappear.
If they do, you would add that ingredient back and see if the symptoms return.
that's why you usually put your pet on a single/novelty protein diet for a while and go from there, adding ingredients back until the symptoms return. When they do, bingo - got the culprit. But to do the the system needs to be completely clean... My vet told me to leave bugsy on the novelty diet initially for at least 8 weeks before adding anything new to test.
 
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madara

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He is the opposite of diarrhea for sure. Since this week's vomit was followed by six months peace I think I over acting some. He is 18 months now not 8 weeks so I suppose him being lazy and going bed after eating does not mean discomfort either.
I'm thinking that dish mentioned above and seeing if the ear infection comes back first is a good idea. I did have him on various flavors, including Venison but my Vet thought that was bad idea and said just to just stick to one, so Chicken and Liver it was.

thanks for the replies
 
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