Supplements to control immune system for allergic reaction

My cat Marbles has allergies which cause the usual scratching and scabbing issues. Our vet has given her steroid shots but obviously we don't want to have to do this for the rest of her life, due to the negative effects it can cause.

She has been on a limited-ingredient grain-free diet for a long time but it doesn't seem to be helping. I would like to give her a supplement of some kind that might help modulate her immune system response. The vet said that her immune system is overreacting so I am wondering if there are any products that might tamp it down some.

Additionally, are there any conclusive tests that can be conducted to determine the exact source of her allergy? It doesn't seem to be the food, so I'm not sure what else to try.

Unfortunately tests are only so accurate that are available at the conventional vets office... I would possibley ask about the blood tests that they "culture" the antigens on the blood( these are VERY $$$$$) .....

What foods did you try ? as many "hypo allergenic " diets are allergens themselves... Do it get worse at any particular time of year? what cleaners do you use in home?

Some amino acid supplements may help as will some antihystamines( both natural and RX type)

thanks for the reply. she's on natural balance limited ingredient now, before she was on before-grain. she also gets grain-free wellness canned food. the main cleaner we use is Mr. Clean, is that a known toxin perhaps? her symptoms come and go, varying from barely there to seriously there. my vet was skeptical we would be able to determine the cause of the allergen so maybe the amino acid supplement might help straighten her out some. if anything seems to work, i'll post here!

I would ask my vet for a referral to a veterinary dermatology specialist.

Originally Posted by jimmylegs

thanks for the reply. she's on natural balance limited ingredient now, before she was on before-grain. she also gets grain-free wellness canned food. the main cleaner we use is Mr. Clean, is that a known toxin perhaps? her symptoms come and go, varying from barely there to seriously there. my vet was skeptical we would be able to determine the cause of the allergen so maybe the amino acid supplement might help straighten her out some. if anything seems to work, i'll post here!

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What flavor of natural balance LID is she now? and what flavor of before grain was she before that?

I am not sure if getting an immune modulator is the answer - I believe getting to the root of the problem is - I do have a cat who is allergic to chicken (of all things ), and I think together we can help you figure this out... TCS, you and your vet... We can at least try it ...

But since you asked, here is what I know, and my personal experience:

The only immune system modulator I know is Transfer Factor . Now, attention: There are several types of Transfer Factors... The one I gave you the link is the one that is the recommended to be used as a modulator, for allergies and other immune disorders... Do not buy the Transfer Factor Plus - that one is recommended to be used as an Immune System Booster. Even though in theory Transfer Factors have the ability to learn the immune system in a way to modulate it accordingly, I would use as suggested.
I had a wonderful experience with my cat Bugsy, who has a immune mediated disorder; I kept it under control for a long time with the product on the link. It is truly a great product. I gave him one capsule a day (usual dose for cats), and there is 90 capsules/pack. The capsules are tiny, and you can easily mix with the food.

I made 3 mistakes with transfer factor:
1- once I used the transfer factor feline - That one is no good... Too much powder, he didn't want to eat in the food, and too expensive in the end for what I was getting.

2- Got Transfer Factor plus - afterwords I found out that it was best as a immune system booster, so I started taking it myself, instead of giving it to him... That's when I got The TF classic instead.

3- Stopped giving it to him... That is when I found out how good it was... I am not sure if it was a coincidence or not, but soon after I stopped his gums got considerably worst, so I can not help but to believe that Transfer Factor did have a great deal of effect in helping keeping his gums healthy.

I hope this helps you...

Originally Posted by sharky

Some amino acid supplements may help as will some antihystamines( both natural and RX type)

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the natural balance is salmon/green pea, the before grain was Tuna, the wellness is chicken and herring. it just occurred to me, should i be giving her only chicken? if she has an allergy to fish, this diet wouldn't be helpful! how common are fish allergies?

i will talk to the vet about a referral, there is a cat specialist here i might also try. the Transfer Factor sounds like a good idea, does anybody have any other brands to recommend? i'm taking her to the vet this week, i'm hoping they have some other ideas as well.

There is a Wellness chicken formula, you might want to try that. Sometimes it is just ONE thing they are allergic to, but it's the thing you don't think it is (like chicken for Carolina's kitty)

Fish is the MOST common of the meat protein allergies in cats./....

Originally Posted by jimmylegs

the natural balance is salmon/green pea, the before grain was Tuna, the wellness is chicken and herring. it just occurred to me, should i be giving her only chicken? if she has an allergy to fish, this diet wouldn't be helpful! how common are fish allergies?

i will talk to the vet about a referral, there is a cat specialist here i might also try. the Transfer Factor sounds like a good idea, does anybody have any other brands to recommend? i'm taking her to the vet this week, i'm hoping they have some other ideas as well.

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Originally Posted by sharky

Fish is the MOST common of the meat protein allergies in cats./....

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As Sharky said, fish is the most common allergen in cats...
IMO, You should put her on Natural Balance Chicken and Green Pea - only. wet and dry. and see what happens. There is a member here who had a good success with Natural balance Chicken and Green Pea as Dry, and Wholesome Goodness chicken as wet - you can try that too. ^ weeks before adding any other protein...
Good luck!

i feel dumb i didn't think of that before, I am getting her the natural balance chicken food. Ugh I feel bad I might have been making it worse. She's going to the vet in a little bit, I will ask them what other steps we can take as well. The depressing thing is I'm getting the sense that my vets are not good enough to deal with this. They are wonderful for the basic stuff but their attitude so far with Marbles has been, 'well it's so hard to figure out what the allergen could be, might as well just keep giving her these shots.' I am looking for a better vet

Do not feel dumb ... We are not born with the how to manual... Allergies were a unheard of thing as little as 20 yrs ago so many vets are also still learning.

I've had pets with allergies over the years and unless you can afford the very pricey allergy tests (Sharky mentioned one of those), it often comes to trial and error - very systematically eliminating one thing from their environment at a time to see when it clears up.

I've had a dog allergic to a wool rug, a cat allergic to one particular dog, another allergic to chicken, another allergic to a laundry detergent I used. My friends cat is allergic to mites that live in carpets (she went to hardwood floors) and chicken (hard to find food without chicken). You start with the most predominant culprit (like fish, grains, chemicals used around the house) then narrow it down if that doesn't work.

Allergies are frustrating!

back from the vet, she got her usual shots plus antibiotics. this vet (who had not personally seen her before) said he wanted to test for ringworm. he said some cats carry it in their system and it can flare up like this. honestly it sounded like an excuse to charge more for another test but i sure wouldn't mind finding out it was a straight-forward, curable ailment.

Anyway I am going to try this no-fish/no-grain route to see what happens. god help me if she's allergic to dust or other cats (as i've seen on this board in the past). she is technically a foster cat but it's unlikely we'll find a home for her when she's all scabbed up like this.

thanks for all the advice so far!

Originally Posted by Momofmany

I've had a dog allergic to a wool rug, a cat allergic to one particular dog, another allergic to chicken, another allergic to a laundry detergent I used. My friends cat is allergic to mites that live in carpets (she went to hardwood floors) and chicken (hard to find food without chicken).

Allergies are frustrating!

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Tell me about it - Bugsy is allergic to chicken... I just PRAY to GOD he NEVER EVER has an URI... Tough out there to find foods without chicken in it....

i'm hoping my cat's allergies are limited to something i can control without too much trouble, but i'm worried they may be difficult, like an allergy to other cats. She used to be a stray street cat and seemed healthy as a horse. It wasn't until we took her in and made her live in close contact with other cats that she started displaying symptoms.

anyway she's already showing vast improvement from her shots. it sure would be nice if the shots didn't have potentially dangerous side effects. i'll report back as she starts on the non-fish food. fingers crossed! thanks again for all the help!

Originally Posted by jimmylegs

i'm hoping my cat's allergies are limited to something i can control without too much trouble, but i'm worried they may be difficult, like an allergy to other cats. She used to be a stray street cat and seemed healthy as a horse. It wasn't until we took her in and made her live in close contact with other cats that she started displaying symptoms.

anyway she's already showing vast improvement from her shots. it sure would be nice if the shots didn't have potentially dangerous side effects. i'll report back as she starts on the non-fish food. fingers crossed! thanks again for all the help!

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So, what food do you have her on now? I hope Natural Balance Chicken? and a pure chicken wet food?
Also, if she got depo medrol shot, do not free feed her - you can free fedd, but a measured amount... Otherwise you risk her gaining a lot of weight... (if only I had had this advice when Bugsy was taking this shot...)
Good luck!

she is now on Natural Balance chicken + pea, dry and canned. I am a little concerned that the canned version contains salmon oil. i'm sure it's not much, but i fear it will mess up my whole attempt to determine the source of her allergy.

i am measuring out her food too. let's hope i can nip this in the bud!

Hummmm... that is interesting...
Although.... I might sound completely stupid here, and Sharky feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I do not think that Salmon/Fish Oil plays the same role as Fish meat/filet/flesh as far as allergens.... I do not think oils are a problem. I might be completely wrong, wait for Sharky to correct me, but I think the protein is the problem, not the fat as in the Salmon oil.

Originally Posted by Carolina

Hummmm... that is interesting...
Although.... I might sound completely stupid here, and Sharky feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I do not think that Salmon/Fish Oil plays the same role as Fish meat/filet/flesh as far as allergens.... I do not think oils are a problem. I might be completely wrong, wait for Sharky to correct me, but I think the protein is the problem, not the fat as in the Salmon oil.

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Correct what.. You are on target...

My only caution is often oil is not pure via manufacturing .. but usually it is not a problem