Food Allergy - Help!

I have a female Ragdoll Flame Point that is 7 years old. She is sensitive to different foods and has been eating the same dry food for many years.I made the mistake of testing out a new kind about a month ago. We've been through the signs of food allergy before and I was able to quickly notice the changes in her fur and immediately switched her back to her previous brand, however she has still developed the scab like bumps on both sides of her neck and along the back near her tail. She's been scratching and grooming more frequently (I'm assuming they itch) and now the scab like bumps are irritated and bloody! Is there any home remedies to help ease the itch so she can heal? (Since her and I have been through this before I am confident it is a food allergy and have been to the vet to be sure.) Also, she only eats dry food, is there anything else I can give her that will help her skin and improve her fur? - Appreciate the advice!

You can ask your vet about a scrip to use Neo-Predef on the scabby parts. This should help heal them up quickly.

As for her skin, fur and coat, I'd suggest using 500mg of salmon or krill oil daily, and 500mg of Evening Primrose oil.

The issue with allergies is an immune system out of whack; it causes an inflammatory response. Both of these are anti-inflammatory. The salmon or krill oil has the omega 3 fatty acids our cats need, and the evening primrose oil has GLA. Technically it's an omega 6, but it has the anti-inflammatory properties of an omega 3, and is frequently recommended for skin and coat. I have allergies and have started taking it, and I'm seeing a reduction in my skin itchies.

This is the krill oil I use:
And the evening primrose oil:
I puncture the capsules and squeeze them out onto the food - but I don't feed dry food. Not sure what to suggest.

One of my cats doesn't like the krill oil, so I just pill her with it.

Is the dry food grain free? What brand is it? I would at least switch to a high quality grain free food if she'll only eat dry. it will still help a lot to get off the grains. Grains are a big cause of a lot of food allergies and skin conditions. 

Thanks for the advice! I will give that a try...she's not very picky so I shouldn't have an issue getting her to eat it.

Has anyone ever tried benadryl for their cat? And if so, how do you calculate a dosage for an 8lb cat?
I read on another site that that should help the itchy irritation subside.

I believe it is grain... It's Iams digestive health, it comes in a teal color bag. It's the only dry food that doesn't (or at least didn't) bother her. I've tried a different formula of Iams and she had a reaction to that. I'm so hesitant to give her anything new. Any suggestions on a brand to try?

Right but Iams is a grain based diet so even though you tried a different one, it still had grains. I like Merrick Before Grain or Evo. There's also Natural Balance Limited Ingredient which might be good for her since she has allergies. It's a novel protein, limited ingredient diet. I'd say try that one. You can actually start out slow by mixing a little of the new one into the old one and keep adding more for about a week until she's used to it and then go to all of the new one. 

Amyshmammy said:

Thanks for the advice! I will give that a try...she's not very picky so I shouldn't have an issue getting her to eat it.
Has anyone ever tried benadryl for their cat? And if so, how do you calculate a dosage for an 8lb cat?
I read on another site that that should help the itchy irritation subside.

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Benadryl is very bitter, it's incredibly unpleasant to give it to a cat. I know it's a lot of work to find the right food, but I think your kitty would do better in the long run with a better food rather than medication to treat her problem. :rub:

I have a kitty that "had" allergies. I write :had," because we went to see a holistic vet. She's trained in Chinese Medicine (as well as being a regular D.V.M.). They look at things from a completely different perspective. He was diagnosed and she gave me herbal things to give him. It solved his itching and his diarrhea. That enabled me to work on the food thing. I switched him to an all canned food, grain free, high protein, low carb diet, and then I switched to a raw food diet. He no longer needs the herbal medicines (he did on the canned foods though).

If you've never tried a food without grains, I recommend trying that.

If it doesn't work, you might want to consider raw food. Many cats that are allergic to proteins when they are in pet food, are not "allergic" to them when they are in their natural state. Cats are obligate carnivores, and their bodies are not designed to eat grains. They can live on cooked food and supplements (which is what canned food is), but their bodies do best on what they're meant to eat.... and feral cats aren't out there cooking their food. :lol3:

If you want to learn a little bit about feline nutritional needs, this is a good place to start: http://www.catinfo.org

Too late on the benadryl!! I gave or should I say "attempted" to give her the tiniest piece of a pill last night. Major fiasco. End result was her furious with me BUT she was so preoccupied with her displeasure she didn't scratch all night!! :thumbup:
Making a vet appointment today. I will look for the brand you suggested and maybe a canned food. My past experience with canned food resulted in diarrhea (not pleasant with a white long hair cat).
I very much appreciate your advice!!! I will follow up with my findings!

Thanks for the suggestions. I just did a comparison of the "known good" vs "known bad" Iams foods. For the most part the ingredients are the same but just in different orders. The food that causes the problem contains some additional ingredients not in the other.

Fructooligosaccharides
Taurine
Chicken Meal
Poultry By-product Meal

Both foods contain chicken by-product meal. The bad one contained the additional versions listed above. I wonder what the difference is.

The problem is very likely the fructooligosaccharides. These are "prebiotics," but a form of sugar, and cats are designed to metabolise sugar.