TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Cat Health › This is weird, but true..
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

This is weird, but true..

post #1 of 23
10/9/11 at 5:56pm
Thread Starter 
Hello;

As most of you know, Lucas has food allergies, I know for sure he is allergic to turkey, but I've been too scared to try other kinds of food because he gets soo itchy.

So, I have him on canned Hills z/d food. He has been on it for almost three months now. Well, I think he is also allergic to it. I know, it is weird becaust that food is supposed to be ultra allergen free, but he started getting itchy again and I panicked, so I didn't know what todo so I started giving him z/d dry, he can't eat any foods so I gave him that and in just a couple of days he got better. Then I wanted to make sure, so I started giving him the z/d canned again and he got sick again. He even started vomiting.

I really wanted to give him wet food, but now I feel lost again. I will have to keep doing food tests to see what he is allergic to, I will try chicken and duck.

Has anyone here had a problem with canned z/d? Any kitties allergic to it?

Tammy
Reply
post #2 of 23
10/9/11 at 5:58pm
hum.... yep, that's a weird one..... I think that requests vibes.... don't know what to say to that one - can't see allergens on that food
Reply
post #3 of 23
10/10/11 at 12:43am
Hi, I have not tried that yet, but I looked at it in the vet's office and I am pretty sure it has trace ingredients of chicken or salmon in it. I was very wary of trying it with my cat who also has food allergies.

I just replied on another post, my foster cat is also allergic to just about every food. The only one he is not allergic to is BG turkey. I have come to the conclusion that my cat is possibly allergic to chicken and salmon because it is in almost every food in some form or another (chicken broth and omega-3 fatty acids i.e. salmon and/or other fish oil)

I posted in the other thread that I have had really good results with the 2 docs allergy pills. They are anti inflammatory. My foster boy Curly had really severe itching to where he had patches of fur missing around his neck and ears from gouging himself with his back feet. He was given steroid shots and then I added the pills because he has feline aids and the pills also contain vitamin C. Since June he has not needed another steroid shot and his fur has grown all back. http://www.2docspethealth.com/blue-l...-capsules.html

I know what you mean about not wanting to even try other foods. You said your cat is allergic to turkey so I can't recommend the BG turkey lol. Just be absolutely sure that whatever food you are giving your cat does not have some of the other stuff as part of the ingredients. I have not been able to find any dry food that does not contain chicken or salmon.
Reply
post #4 of 23
10/10/11 at 12:56am
Here is my video of Curly last May when his gouging was pretty bad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJoqzDuFRvk

Here he is in July, his fur was much improved and he had stopped gouging completely http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJoqzDuFRvk

I only got him to where he is now by using the pills religiously (they are beef/liver flavored and can be sprinkled 1/2 capsule on his food) and after I found a food without chicken or salmon in it. To be honest, I think he also reacts to beef because I gave him some BG beef recently and discovered one gouge on his neck. Like you, I felt like I needed to at least try and see if he could eat another food. After months of staying away, I thought, ok I will just try this little bit. And sure enough he reacted.
Reply
post #5 of 23
10/10/11 at 8:01am
Tammy - How distressing and worrisome this is . I am starting to deal with some allergy issues (I think) with Pipsqueak. His chin acne is so bad and the only thing that helps clear it is Pred . We are thinking it is a food allergy. Pipsqueak's chin was totally normal for the last four years of his life UNTIL I started him on Hill's C/D Prescription diet in July. Within two weeks, he had the beginning's of chin acne. I had to keep him on that diet until the next urinalysis in August. By then, the chin was bad. He was taken off of it, but still the chin persists. I am wondering if the C/D it triggered some sort of allergic reaction to begin in his already immune compromised system. So, I am now having to try different foods and limiting ingredients.

So, I do think that even the Z/D is for food allergies, does not mean that it will work for 100% of all cats with allergies. Hopefully, the dry will work for Lucas. If he eats it up all at in one feeding, you could add a small amount of water to the dry. That is what I did for Pipsqueak to get more water into him. He really liked that. Load of vibes for Lucas and loads of hugs for you. It is so hard on our hearts and minds (the worry) when they are not well and especially an allergy, because one thing can set off another flare-up ..... :vi bes:
Reply
post #6 of 23
10/10/11 at 8:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BarbB;31256th96
I posted in the other thread that I have had really good results with the 2 docs allergy pills. They are anti inflammatory. My foster boy Curly had really severe itching to where he had patches of fur missing around his neck and ears from gouging himself with his back feet. He was given steroid shots and then I added the pills because he has feline aids and the pills also contain vitamin C. Since June he has not needed another steroid shot and his fur has grown all back. http://www.2docspethealth.com/blue-l...-capsules.html
.
Thanks Barb for posting that link. Might be of some help for Pipsqueak chin acne, I saw you mentioned in your video that Curly has chin acne from allergies too.
Reply
post #7 of 23
10/10/11 at 9:21am
Thread Starter 
Thank you all for your help. I appreciate it.

I'm sure there is something in canned z/d that affects Lucas. I stopped giving it to him and he got better. I don't know, at first he was doing so great, maybe he is allergic to everthing after eating it for some time.

I have to admit, when I first saw the appearance of the food (canned z/d) it looked like rubber, it didn't look healthy to me, but I still gave it to him because he needed to get better.

Maybe he is allergic to the preservative? Who knows??

He is still on 2.5 mg of prednisolone and also on Atopica 25mg every other day. I'm a little dissapointed because the Atopica is not helping then, my vet told me the Atopica was going to prevent him from having allergic reactions to food and that taking the Atopicva, he could even eat the foods he is allergic to. And it is an allergic reaction what he is having, his eyes are swollen and red, it just breaks me to see him like this.

Sometimes I just feel like giving up, but I won't , because i love my boy, but this is just so hard!

Tammy
Reply
post #8 of 23
10/10/11 at 10:17am
Thread Starter 
Hi Barb, thank you for sharing your experience and videos, your kitty is adorable and I'm glad the meds you are giving him are helping.

Hi Feralvrl. I remember that when Lucas first started getting sick he started having what looked like chin acne and the vet prescribed acne medication, but didn't help. I'm glad you baby got better.

I can't add water to Luca's dry food because he doesn't eat it all at once, he eats little by little whenever he wants,, so that makes it harder. And I really want him to eat more wet food, not all dry, I just need to find the right one. I was so happy because I thought I had Lucas'food problems resolves, but now I feel like I'm back to square one.

And if all the food that Lucas needs to try was available in my area everything would be easier, but things are just too difficult and expensive for me because I live in Puerto Rico.

Tammy
Reply
post #9 of 23
10/10/11 at 12:18pm
Oh Tammy! After all your hard work! What strikes me is that he WAS doing well on it. So I don't know if he's developing allergies or sensitivities... but the ingredients in the z/d wet and dry crossover quite a bit. The protein in the wet is a hydrolyzed chicken protein. Does your vet have the Royal Canin hypoallergenic food available (or can he?) It's a hydrolyzed soy protein.

But clearly, it's something in the can, not the dry food. Do they use a different preservative? I wonder if it's something in THE CAN itself?

Oh sweetie.... just mega and !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
post #10 of 23
10/10/11 at 2:07pm
Thread Starter 
Hi Laurie, Thank you so much! I just know is the canned food, I will have to compare ingredients to see which one is it. I thank God that it is only his face that is itching, so hopefully he will get better, I'm just so dissapointed that he cant eat his canned food, he really loves it.

For now I will just keep him on the dry, I have no choice. But as soon as he gets better I will start canned food trials to see what he can eat. For now I will not lower the prednisolone dose, too scary for me right now. he was supposed to be off if by now, buy with the ups and downs I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm doing what I think is best for him, no vet can help me right now.
Reply
post #11 of 23
10/10/11 at 3:11pm
Well, you can take comfort in that it's a very low dose of pred. So are you considering weaning him off the atopica to see if it's basically not doing anything? Or just not change anything except the food until he's doing better?
Reply
post #12 of 23
10/10/11 at 4:05pm
Thread Starter 
No, I will keep him on the Atopica for now and I will keep him on the low dose of pred, I will just keep him on the dry food (z/d) and when he is symptom free, I will change the doses the best way I can.

I will lower the atopica and if he looks fine I will keep him on a very low dose for some time to see how he does. If he does fine, I will get him off atopica and go from there. I haave no idea if this is the right thing to do, but I have no choice but to figure it out by myself.

I first thought he was just stressed about the kittens I rescued, but I guess that wasn't it.

Thank you so much laurie for your help and concern, I think he will be fine, is just crazyy , but I will try to figure out what to do. My vet Dr Garcia doesn't know what to do, so it is all me.

Tammy
Reply
post #13 of 23
10/10/11 at 4:58pm
Aw Tammy....
Reply
post #14 of 23
10/10/11 at 5:34pm
Thread Starter 
No worries, I have to be strong, I will figure it out, I'm his Mom and I will find the way to resolve this, that is what Moms do hugs!
Reply
post #15 of 23
10/10/11 at 5:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BarbB View Post
<snip>
I posted in the other thread that I have had really good results with the 2 docs allergy pills. They are anti inflammatory. My foster boy Curly had really severe itching to where he had patches of fur missing around his neck and ears from gouging himself with his back feet. He was given steroid shots and then I added the pills because he has feline aids and the pills also contain vitamin C. Since June he has not needed another steroid shot and his fur has grown all back. http://www.2docspethealth.com/blue-l...-capsules.html

<snip>
Tammy, Barb doesn't know Lucas is FIV+, but here's the information she posted in the other thread (This one - the relevent discussion starts on page 2) : http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...=235702&page=2

Quote:
Originally Posted by BarbB View Post
My foster boy is FIV+ with food allergies. His itching is around his neck and ears.
He was fine one day and then suddenly the itching started to where he was gouging. I posted videos of him on another post in this feed.

All my cats eat Natural Balance and so I went directly to the NB special diets and they did not work. I did not try prescription food since it looked as if they contained ingredients that he reacted to. I ended up feeding my boy BG Turkey canned. It is the only one I could find that has no other ingredients (chicken, fish) that Curly reacts to. I am very happy with the BG, albeit it is expensive.

I also got whisker city cat wipes at petsmart, they are hypoallergenic and they seemed to give him relief. I also brushed him to remove the debris, he likes it but I don't think it stops the inflammation.

I am going to sound like a salesperson for these allergy pills at this point because I am posting this all over, but hey, these worked and they saved the day for me and Curly, the 2 docs allergy pills on this site. http://www.2docspethealth.com/blue-l...-capsules.html. The pills come in capsules, the ingredients are listed on the site, and they are beef/liver flavored. I take them apart and sprinkle half on Curly's food.

The pills are all anti inflammatory ingredients and Curly has not had to get steroid shots since June. He was gouging his neck until it was bleeding, and it was really awful.

Anyhow, I hope this helps. Also on the advice from someone on this site, I joined a yahoo group dedicated to people who have cats with FIV. You need to get approval to join the group. It has been a very big help for me with Curly. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/fiv-healthscience/
Quote:
Originally Posted by BarbB View Post
I forgot to add, and you probably already know this, the skin allergies are pretty common with FIV+ cats, somehow related to their immune systems being haywire.
I also went through the entire list of possible allergens, hoping against hope that it was not food-related and starting with his litter, bought him a new cat tree (on sale at costco, woo hoo) in case it was flea dirt or dander, removed all the bedding in his room, and swept every day in case he was sensitive to dust, bought the hypoallergenic wipes to clean his fur and make sure and remove any contaminant that might be getting on his fur. Cha-ching, cha-ching :-(.

In the end it was definitely food and the only thing I know is that this one food works for him. If they stop making 2 docs allergy pills or BG turkey wet food I'm not sure what I'm going to do.
Tammy, I don't know if those allergy pills ship to PR, but they are NOT expensive, and wouldn't interfere with the meds he's currently on (you can see the list of ingredients on the website, and they're all supplements/herbals/anti-oxidants).

You might also want to consider joining the Yahoo group to which she provided a link!
Reply
post #16 of 23
10/10/11 at 6:06pm
Oh Tammy, I am so worried about Pipsqueak too now. I talked to a friend at the shelter today. Her cat started a lifelong allergy problem with chin acne . And it spread to other areas as he aged, just got worse. I am planning on starting Pip on Atopica too. He is also on 2.5mg. Of Pred each day. It has ceased the acne from progressing to severe again. His chin was so huge that Larry called him Jay Leno. He wasn't making a joke of poor Pips condition, but it was funny just to hear it. We had Pip on six weeks of antibiotics which was a waste because as soon as I took him off the Pred (he was still on the Baytril) the chin erupted . I am definitely getting those allergy capsules too.

I swear that this all came on from an ingredient in the Hills C/D for a bladder condition. I traded one problem for another, I guess . It has brought to the surface an allergen immune response and now it might not go away either. I am going to switch everyone to the Wilderness Duck or the Fromm Duck and see what happens there. I am truly sorry you are so isolated and don't have access to these different foods. Send massive vibes to you and Lucas. I know how hard you are trying to help Lucas and I know that feeling of despair when nothing is helping.
Reply
post #17 of 23
10/10/11 at 6:27pm
Thread Starter 
I don't know what is wrong with me, I didn't see that link with the pills that Barb posted,silly me! I will keep that in mind, thank you Barb and Laurie

I just get a little scared of giving Lucas so many things, but those pills look good, I will see what I can do. They are worth a try.

I was a little worried when Lucas started Atopica because I read that cats who have a compromised immune system should not take it, but the vet said it was ok to give it to him, besides, I'm not even sure Lucas is FIV + because he tested positive the first time and then the second time they said he was negative and then they said he was actually positive the second time, what to believe??







.
Reply
post #18 of 23
10/10/11 at 6:52pm
Cats with a compromised immune system shouldn't be on pred either, but the atopica is "less worse" than pred.

My guess, Tammy, is that it doesn't really matter whether he's FIV+ or not, his immune system is haywire. Whether it's the discoidal lupus, FIV, a compbination, or something else... I think the "stuff" used to support FIV kitties can only help, and there's a lot of crossover in the pills - as BarbB mentioned - between the 2doc allergy pills and the FIV therapy (the all natural, herbal supplement therapy at http://www.fivtherapy.com, not the first one they tried).

Tammy, you've tried a number of different foods, and some worked for a while. So I don't know that you're going to find any "one" food that works for Lucas. Either the problem isn't actually the food, and his getting better was a coincidence somehow, or he easily develops sensitivities to something he eats regularly. Maybe look back through your threads, identify foods that have worked, and rotate them?

But I would consider trying the 2doc pills. Because the pred and the atopica work by suppressing something about his immune system... and these allergy pills, like other herbal supplements, support something about his immune system.

Just a thought.
Reply
post #19 of 23
10/11/11 at 9:17am
Thread Starter 
Hi laurei What you are saying makes a lot of sense, I've been through so much wirth Lucas that I feel desperate sometimes and i can't think straight.
But, since I'm giving Lucas the atopica every other day I think I will start by giving it to him everyday to see what happens. But I will give him the prednisolone every other day, since the pred isn't helping much anyway.

I will start with that. I think the food is causing things, but who knows? I don't know anymore, maybe he just need the atopica every day. I just have to stay calm and do things one at a time. Sometimes I get crazy and changed a lot of things at the same time and I have no idea what works and what doesn't.

I will get the pills, cine they are a sumplement I know they won't harm him. It is just too much right now, but I will get them.

He just vomited, the atopica always make him vomit so I'm giving him pepcid like the vet told me.

Thank you Laurie

Tammy
Reply
post #20 of 23
10/11/11 at 12:28pm
Tammy - I'm so sorry you're going through all this with your lovely boy.

I'm going to throw this out there because you've clearly tried everything else and it might be worth a shot; maybe try a raw food?

There is at least one commercially-prepared raw food - Nature's Variety - that guarantees their products are pathogen-free (the most common concern of cat owners, especially if their cat is health-compromised). Their Instincts products come in eight different varieties and seven different flavors, including rabbit and bison, and they have instituted the strongest quality and safety protocols I've yet seen. You can review those protocols here: FAQ's - Safety and Quality, and their list of cat products here: Instinct Raw Frozen Diets.

It's possible that the raw version of the processed meats Lucas can't tolerate will provide him with some relief. If not, there may be a few (lamb, rabbit, bison) to which he hasn't yet been exposed that may be acceptable. If so, you can feed them in rotation, which may help prevent potential future intolerance issues.

I fervently hope you can find something you like for him soon!

AC
Reply
post #21 of 23
10/11/11 at 1:52pm
Thread Starter 
Hi auntie:
Thank you so much for your advice, I know raw is the best diet for cats, but I don't think Lucas will touch it. If he refuses to eat cooked meat, I'm sure he won't eat raw. And I can't buy Nature's Variety here in PR. I have to be very careful with what I give him.

Lucas should be off Prednisolone by now, it is all my vet's fault (Dr GarcÃ:censor:a). He scared me the last time i took Lucas there, he told me: "be careful, he could die" and well , that scared me straight. So he is still on 2.5mg because his mommy is scared, but that will change, I have to be brave.
Reply
post #22 of 23
10/11/11 at 1:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momto4kitties View Post
Hi auntie:
Thank you so much for your advice, I know raw is the best diet for cats, but I don't think Lucas will touch it. If he refuses to eat cooked meat, I'm sure he won't eat raw. And I can't buy Nature's Variety here in PR. I have to be very careful with what I give him.

Lucas should be off Prednisolone by now, it is all my vet's fault (Dr GarcÃ:censor:a). He scared me the last time i took Lucas there, he told me: "be careful, he could die" and well , that scared me straight. So he is still on 2.5mg because his mommy is scared, but that will change, I have to be brave.
<<Hugs>>> You're in a tough spot, for sure. I'm sending lots of positive thoughts and vibes your way!

AC
Reply
post #23 of 23
10/11/11 at 4:21pm
Aw, I'm so sorry the atopica makes him throw up! Sounds like Gary and antibiotics.

The absolute BEST thing to do is change just one thing at a time!

BTW, if you haven't already, you may want to start a "Lucas Journal," so that when you're not so insanely busy with work and school, you can look back through it, and maybe identify patterns you're not seeing now. Keep track of what you're feeding him, and what meds you give him when - and something might jump out at you in a couple of months.

!!!!!!
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Cat Health
TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Cat Health › This is weird, but true..