Lesions that won't heal (eosinophilic granuloma)

I was wondering if anyone might have any ideas on other products or treatments we can try for this. My cat Spot has eosinophilic granuloma complex, and he has lesions on his stomach that just will not heal.
He actually had a huge one on his stomach before and my vet was worried it could be cancerous so we had the whole thing removed which was a huge ordeal (he ended up having an allergic reaction to the sutures and it was a mess). They biopsied it and that's how he got the diagnosis of eosinophilic granulomas. Unfortunately after the surgical incision healed up and I took off the coverings/cones he developed 4 smaller lesions again in the same area. He's been on steroids, antibiotics, Atopica; laser therapy and we've tried topical antibiotic powder/sprays and other topicals. Nothing has worked. He had steroid and antibiotic shots two weeks ago and now he is back on the Atopica and my vet just put him on dexamethasone today. I hate to keep giving him steroids which don't even seem to do any good anyway but I don't know what to do!

Have you tried a hypoallergenic diet?   Let me know if you find anything that works. One of my cats also has this problem and is on prednisolone.

I'm so sorry to hear about Spot's recurring lesions. They sound very painful.    I don't have much experience in this, but I wanted to ask if Spot has been to a canine/feline dermatologist. He/she would be a specialist in skin conditions and may have other suggestions. 

Also, in doing a little research, I read that these lesions are basically inflammatory cells and can possibly be caused by an allergy.  Have you addressed things that could be causing an allergy - fleas, litter, diet, etc.? This seems to make sense considering he had an allergic reaction to the sutures.

Yeah my vet and I think Spot and his littermates have multiple allergies, probably both food and environmental... They've been on a rabbit allergy diet for several years now. I have tried various litters and some caused problems like paw pad lesions but the walnut litter I'm using now has been working.

Perhaps a homeopathic vet could work with your current vet for some alternative treatments?

Oh I forgot to mention, my regular vet also consulted with a dermatologist when figuring out the treatments. I'm afraid if I go to a dermatologist they will just say everything my vet already tried, and it is very expensive. I've been wanting to try going to the holistic vet but the cost is also very high.

Cats can develop an allergy to any food, especially if they've been on it awhile. Did you notice an improvement when Spot was first started on the rabbit diet?

 
The underlying cause of this condition is believed to be a form of an allergic reaction; that is, the immune system overreacts to something to which the cat is exposed. Possible inciting agents include the following:

• Environmental allergens
• Foods
• External skin parasites, such as fleas, mites, or lice
• Bacterial skin infections
• Fungal infections of the skin, such as ringworm
• Viral infections, such as feline leukemia virus or feline immunodeficiency virus ( make sure he tests negative for these)

Read more: http://www.vetlive.com/example-questions/cat-health/eosinophilic-granuloma-complex/

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I also think that contact allergies could be a culprit, such as wool, plastic, latex, etc. Are you using stainless steel bowls? Many cats are allergic to plastic. You also try using purified water (from the gallon jugs) instead of tap water.

If you do a search for "eosinophilic" and/or "ecg" here on TCS, there are a lot of threads that show up that discuss cats with this condition. If you haven't already, take the time to read through some of these and you may discover treatments that you have not yet tried.

I'm sorry that I don't have anything else to add.

I only use stainless steel or glass bowls, I've never used plastic bowls. I have tried using bottled water in the past, usually I use a faucet filter. I actually started this food before he had the issues, I started using it because his littermate Mr Grey started having allergy symptoms, he was also diagnosed with EGC. I have been wanting to try to switch foods but having trouble finding anything else they will eat with no chicken or fish which Mr Grey seems to be sensitive to.

Have you tried salmon oil? Jamie had trouble with EGC ( in the form of rodent ulcers), and that was one thing that really helped. The dose was one 500 mg. capsule, pierced and squeezed over his food every day while the EGC was acute, and once a week thereafter for maintenance. Your vet may have extra-strength salmon oil in a bottle with a dispenser. I tried that, but the smell was rather overwhelming, so I used the OTC capsules (with the vet's okay).

Nekochan said:

 
I actually started this food before he had the issues, I started using it because his littermate Mr Grey started having allergy symptoms, he was also diagnosed with EGC. I have been wanting to try to switch foods but having trouble finding anything else they will eat with no chicken or fish which Mr Grey seems to be sensitive to.

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There aren't a whole lot of options for commercial rabbit diets. There's real raw rabbit, of course. What about venison? My Sebastian is on Royal Canin hypoallergenic rabbit diet. I believe they make a venison version, too, that is just venison (no chicken or fish).