Food Allergies

Coco started scratching a lot a few weeks ago and I can't figure out what is causing it. It started about the same time as changes to litter and food. Also, at about the same time, I had a flea problem in the house.

The fleas were the first suspect, of course, and they were the first to be remedied. That was 5 weeks ago. Coco still scratches.

I changed her food back, for 2 weeks, to what she was eating before. She still scratched.

I changed the litter back. She still scratches.

Now I'm back to suspecting food again. Maybe there is something she is allergic to now that she wasn't allergic to before. So, she's been on a lamb, beef and pork diet, none of which were in the food she ate before the scratching started. She still scratches.

My vet says an allergen can stay in the body for 4-5 months. That may be but surely I would see improvement long before that length of time, right?

So, those who have discovered their cat has a food allergy, how long did it take once the allergen was removed from the diet before you saw improvement? Not necessarily a complete stopping of the scratching but at least a noticeable improvement? I also mean an allergy that resulting in scratching, not a food intolerance that causes diarrhea or vomiting.

Welcome to what I and my vet dubbed the " rotator "... I had one they are such fun I send you a .. we had to rotate foods every 6 months

With Zoey removal of allergen stopped symtoms within 72 hours... Kandie within a week ... Gigi( canine and my rotator up to a month)

You should see improvement before the 4-5 months UNLESS the allergen occurs in the small intestines ( most occur in the esphogus to stomach ) ... This is hard to diagnosis and Hard to treat as the proteins can damage the intestines ( both small and large)..

May I ask why NO chicken or turkey? Is fish out of the ??

you have feed one HOT red meat ( hot regardless of state ..lamb), one warm to neutral red meat ( if raw it would be neutral to cooling)(beef) and one neutral ( cooling if raw ) ( pork).... I would suggest a cooling meat for 2-3 weeks ... cooling foods help calm inflammation
down

What organs meats are you using ? they have their own temps

Originally Posted by sharky

With Zoey removal of allergen stopped symtoms within 72 hours... Kandie within a week ... Gigi( canine and my rotator up to a month)

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That's more on the order of what I would expect.

You should see improvement before the 4-5 months UNLESS the allergen occurs in the small intestines ( most occur in the esphogus to stomach ) ... This is hard to diagnosis and Hard to treat as the proteins can damage the intestines ( both small and large)..

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In which the symptoms would go beyond scratching wouldn't they??

May I ask why NO chicken or turkey? Is fish out of the ??

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I was going for novel proteins. I have given her fish but I don't want to give it more than once a week as I have a FLUTD kitty.

you have feed one HOT red meat ( hot regardless of state ..lamb), one warm to neutral red meat ( if raw it would be neutral to cooling)(beef) and one neutral ( cooling if raw ) ( pork).... I would suggest a cooling meat for 2-3 weeks ... cooling foods help calm inflammation down.

What organs meats are you using ? they have their own temps

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You are referring to Chinese medicine. Is there any science to back the theory of hot/warm/cool meats?

Originally Posted by mschauer

That's more on the order of what I would expect.



In which the symptoms would go beyond scratching wouldn't they??

Not necessarily... may I ask where she is scratching ? Remember all systems are connected ... a heart attack major symptom can be fatigue not heart or chest pain

I was going for novel proteins. I have given her fish but I don't want to give it more than once a week as I have a FLUTD kitty.

I thought I remembered a no fish reason

You are referring to Chinese medicine. Is there any science to back the theory of hot/warm/cool meats?

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YES a few THOUSAND years and several civilizations, I did a little digging after it started working for my animals and then myself ... this is found in MOST medicine outside of western... I recommend picking up 4 paws five directions , it is a book written by a vet which is quite good though written for the vet it can be understood by laymen

Originally Posted by sharky

YES a few THOUSAND years and several civilizations, I did a little digging after it started working for my animals and then myself ... this is found in MOST medicine outside of western... I recommend picking up 4 paws five directions , it is a book written by a vet which is quite good though written for the vet it can be understood by laymen

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I'll consider it out of curiosity if nothing else.

She is scratching pretty much all over. She has scabs on her head and neck and she grooms excessively all over. Oddly, the end of her tail gets a lot of attention.

I wonder if it could be dry skin? Houston is normally very humid in the summer but we were relatively dry this year. I could add some extra fish oil to her food...

well I would say do not over look the obvious.. ie the fish oil.. and maybe a humidfier in the room she is most

All over itching could be a bit of both... allergy again popping up and she is too dry ...

Curiosity got the best of me ... first the vet treated the girls at the time with eye popping results then I did some research ... see animals do not have a placebo effect

Originally Posted by sharky

well I would say do not over look the obvious.. ie the fish oil.. and maybe a humidfier in the room she is most

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By "the obvious" do you mean as an allergen or as a remedy for dry skin??

There was no fish or fish oil in the foods I was feeding her for a couple of weeks.

the dry skin... I have read numeours article s and books that say that makes up roughly 50% of all vet visits for skin issues...
that can do it but at a few weeks would not show in coat quality yet as that takes roughly 60-90 days depending who you are asking..

Our weather finally made a Real change and mine started not eating the red meats as much and goobled the fish .. to bad they do not speak english

Can I just ask if she is an indoor or an outdoor cat? My cat candy has a serious flea allergy-she never ever gets fleas as she has flea injections at the vets and we have never found a flea on her but if one bites her and they can even if they don't have them she just scabs up all over and scratches like mad and I have to take her to the vets for an antibiotic injection. I'm not saying she has this or implying, it was just a thought. x

Originally Posted by Ruthyb

Can I just ask if she is an indoor or an outdoor cat? My cat candy has a serious flea allergy-she never ever gets fleas as she has flea injections at the vets and we have never found a flea on her but if one bites her and they can even if they don't have them she just scabs up all over and scratches like mad and I have to take her to the vets for an antibiotic injection. I'm not saying she has this or implying, it was just a thought. x

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She is an indoor only cat but like I said we did have fleas in the house when this whole thing started. The fleas are long gone but I have wondered if there might be residual flea feces around that might be irritating her. But, the fleas were never all that bad and I would think any trace of them would be gone by now. I'm still keeping that possibility in mind though.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Originally Posted by mschauer

She is an indoor only cat but like I said we did have fleas in the house when this whole thing started. The fleas are long gone but I have wondered if there might be residual flea feces around that might be irritating her. But, the fleas were never all that bad and I would think any trace of them would be gone by now. I'm still keeping that possibility in mind though.

Thanks for the suggestion!

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They should be gone by now (the fleas) the way my vet found out was by getting a plain sheet of white paper and then combing her fur the wrong way and whatever was in her fur was clearly visible on the paper, there was just flea dirt, no fleas at all, which he said was an indication that one or two had probably just bitten her.Hope you find an answer.x

Is she on a raw diet? Just curious - if so, is it homemade raw or commercial raw and how long has she been eating it for?

With Tofu, it takes about 3-4 days before seeing an improvement.

Originally Posted by KatGoddess

Is she on a raw diet? Just curious - if so, is it homemade raw or commercial raw and how long has she been eating it for?

With Tofu, it takes about 3-4 days before seeing an improvement.

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Yup, she eats raw. It's my homemade. The scratching actually started shorty after I switched her to raw and it was the raw that I first suspected as the problem. But the scratching persisted after I switched her back to her old food for 2 weeks.

The only allergen I've ever had any experience with was a flea allergy - and the itching did last a long, long time.

Jasmine (she was a Yorkie) would scratch herself bald in places, and this just from a bite or two taken on her daily walks. We never actually had fleas in the house.

Whatever it is, Mschauer, I hope you find it soon! That kind of mystery we can all do without.

Originally Posted by mschauer

Yup, she eats raw. It's my homemade. The scratching actually started shorty after I switched her to raw and it was the raw that I first suspected as the problem. But the scratching persisted after I switched her back to her old food for 2 weeks.

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could it have merely been a "cleanse" from the old food? while most only do this a day or two others can up to a few months

Originally Posted by sharky

could it have merely been a "cleanse" from the old food? while most only do this a day or two others can up to a few months

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That's right, I just read about this myself somewhere - the skin is the biggest "filter", I think, and many of the toxins and stuff from the old food gets released from the cat's system through the skin.

If you like, Mschauer, if you think it might be relevant, I can go hunt down that article....

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

That's right, I just read about this myself somewhere - the skin is the biggest "filter", I think, and many of the toxins and stuff from the old food gets released from the cat's system through the skin.

If you like, Mschauer, if you think it might be relevant, I can go hunt down that article....

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If it's not too much trouble I would appreciate it. Especially if it says how long this "cleansing" can be expected to take.

Originally Posted by mschauer

If it's not too much trouble I would appreciate it. Especially if it says how long this "cleansing" can be expected to take.

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I have read at least 10 books on raw feeding and NONE agree... I will give you the quick version.... up to 6 months .. but the most detoxing is within the first 21 days
For those who do not read books
http://www.twobitdog.com/DrFox/Findi...t-Dog-Cat-Food

Dr fox is well respected yet controversial

I found the article that was tickling my memory, but I can't link it because it's old and recommends stuff we've since replaced with newer info.

However, the Feline Instincts website has a short blurb on this: Why Raw Diet for Cats and Dogs

Detox
Up to a month into the raw diet, some dogs and cats bodies are ridding themself of an accumulation of toxins from their former diet. These detoxes can happen periodically throughout the diet but should not last more than several days. After a period of detox you'll notice that your fur friend looks and feels better than before the detox started. If your pet experiences symptoms similar to detox that last longer than a few days contact your Holistic vet and have them look at your pet to insure that it isn't something other than a detox. Your vet can also add a remedy to help the detox go easier. Cats may go through a period of detoxification where they may experience loose or mucous stool, their coats may get worse before they get better, their eyes may begin to run or their ears might get gooey. Skin is even more itchy than normal. All of these are positive signs..

Unfortunately, as you can see, the timeframe it references is shorter than what your kitty has suffered through.

I don't know Mschuer, maybe a second vet opinion, or even a visit to a specialist?

In the absence of proof that the raw diet is to blame, though, I don't think I'd change it, since it's so good for her.

Good luck and keep us informed! I will keep you and your kitty in my thoughts until I hear she's feeling better.

I would second the second vet...

I am leary of blaming the raw as I think it is a extreme detox , I have done a few myself over the yrs ...

Ask your vet about protein and villi