Cat stuck in "cone of shame"

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coastiecat

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If she is highly allergic you might notice an increase in itching etc.  However it can take up to 12 weeks for her body to adjust to the new foods and sometimes you can have a 'clean out' period where they react more than they would normally just because the body is getting rid of the other food out of their system.  Raw feeding for my chihuahua is more expensive than grain free however a 4# bag lasts her 6 months so feeding her raw she eats more than that.  HOWEVER I have saved hundreds if not thousands in vet bills and medications for her.  She was to the point of going on atopica, she was already on steroids.  We did all the food trials with her too.  She was so miserable skin red and inflammed, infections all the time.  She was on 7 medications for her chronic issues.  She is now on 1 (for hydrocephalus) and has had minimal problems in the last 3 years.  She literally has 28 pages of medical history up until 2010 (5 years), and maybe 1  or 2 pages since then (when we switched her to raw).  She was allergic to chicken in cooked form but handles it in raw form without problems.  As cooking changes the protein. 
Thank you for your reply :) My husband is hesitant about putting the cats on raw food because of the cost, but after reading your reply I explained to him that the food might cost more than what we are feeding now, but if it works, it will save us money on medicine and vet bills for her. Especially the Atopica ( I haven't told him how much that costs yet LOL!) Thank you for putting that in perspective for me :)
 
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coastiecat

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I hate to even mention this because I can't imagine your vet hasn't checked already, but given that you said she has a heart murmur, has she had her T4 and free T4 checked for hyperthyroidism? It doesn't sound like she has most of the other symptoms, but from what my vet said when we tested my kitties, it can cause grooming issues (over- or undergrooming), hair loss and itchiness. It's probably a long shot, especially if she's not losing weight (something like 95+ percent of hyperthyroid cats lose weight), but I thought I would mention it.

I'd also second @stephanietx and @blackcat416 about the skin scraping and fungal infection, if you haven't had a skin test yet. My cat got a fungal infection on her nose and chin once, and it looked exactly like your girl's nose in the second picture there and was extremely itchy. I lucked out in that my vet had seen it before and knew right away what was going on, but I guess they're not very common. Still, cats can get fungal infections such as valley fever (not sure where you're located, but it's endemic to parts of the U.S. Southwest and California) or aspergillosis, and I know fungal infections can lead to systemic problems like lung/heart issues in humans. If she's been having issues for a year now, she'd probably be showing a lot more symptoms and be much sicker if it was fungal, especially with steroid treatments, but again, might be something to check into.

Aside from that, I don't have any advice other than the limited diet suggestions from everyone else. But I hope you get her all figured out soon! She seems like a sweet kitty and it's so hard to see them so uncomfortable. I hope she's feeling better ASAP.
She hasn't been tested for hyperthyroidism but her weight is pretty good. A few months ago she lost a little bit of weight, but it hasn't been a problem since then. It might have been that she had a harder time eating in her bigger cone.She also had skin scrapings done to find out what antibiotics would be best for her, and now her face isn't raw and infected like it used to be, just her chin. Would the vet have been able to tell if it was a fungal infection from the test? 

I think since she has the waxy excessive yeast ears and gunky eyes and feet, it's definitely an allergy to something. Her nose hasn't looked like the second picture in a very long time, I think her nose was wet from playing in her water bowl and it made it look like it did in the picture. But Shelby is such a sweetheart and is being such a trooper about everything!
 

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She hasn't been tested for hyperthyroidism but her weight is pretty good. A few months ago she lost a little bit of weight, but it hasn't been a problem since then. It might have been that she had a harder time eating in her bigger cone.She also had skin scrapings done to find out what antibiotics would be best for her, and now her face isn't raw and infected like it used to be, just her chin. Would the vet have been able to tell if it was a fungal infection from the test? 

I think since she has the waxy excessive yeast ears and gunky eyes and feet, it's definitely an allergy to something. Her nose hasn't looked like the second picture in a very long time, I think her nose was wet from playing in her water bowl and it made it look like it did in the picture. But Shelby is such a sweetheart and is being such a trooper about everything!
I assume the vet would have checked for fungal infections when they did the skin scraping, although it might be worth checking. I figured it was probably a long shot, but thought I'd mention it just in case!
 

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I was just wondering out of all the different brands of food why you stayed with Blue Buffalo and didn't try other brands? I know you tried salmon in Natural Balance but could it be something in the Blue Buffalo that is causing a lot of these problems. I don't know I was just throwing that out there. I feel so bad for your baby, she looks so miserable. I know my cat has dug at her face when she was allergic to something in a food. We did find out she is allergic to fish or fish oils in any brand food. I hope you are able to pinpoint what is going on and she starts feeling better soon. Have you thought about trying Wild Calling canned food, they have it in rabbit and buffalo. My cat can eat the Wild Calling Turkey because it does not have any fish or fish oil in it. Maybe raw is worth a shot, good luck.
 
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coastiecat

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I was just wondering out of all the different brands of food why you stayed with Blue Buffalo and didn't try other brands? I know you tried salmon in Natural Balance but could it be something in the Blue Buffalo that is causing a lot of these problems. I don't know I was just throwing that out there. I feel so bad for your baby, she looks so miserable. I know my cat has dug at her face when she was allergic to something in a food. We did find out she is allergic to fish or fish oils in any brand food. I hope you are able to pinpoint what is going on and she starts feeling better soon. Have you thought about trying Wild Calling canned food, they have it in rabbit and buffalo. My cat can eat the Wild Calling Turkey because it does not have any fish or fish oil in it. Maybe raw is worth a shot, good luck.
Our local pet store recommended Blue Buffalo, so that's what I stuck with until I thought there was a food allergy. I went back to Blue Buffalo since that's what Shelby was on when we first adopted her and she didn't seem to have problems when she was on that food, but  since blue buffalo isn't working for her I probably won't go back to it again. I definitely want to get her off of the Hills prescription diet once her face clears up and she isn't so itchy. I think I'm going to try raw, but canned food would be my plan B. I have learned so much more about cat nutrition since I have joined this site :)
 

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Good luck to you and your sweet kitty! Medicine and love is all she can ask for. You're being a great momma by taking care of her needs! 
 
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coastiecat

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A quick update :) Shelby's chin acne is getting a lot better, and her ears are a lot less gunky and waxy. She is still in her cone but seems a lot less itchy than she was. One of the cats has HORRIBLE diarrhea, but I'm not sure if its from Scott or Shelby. I'm pretty sure it's from the new allergy food though. Scott is still on the Blue Buffalo but sometimes sneaks in a bit of Shelby's food. 
 

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My cat struggles with skin allergies as well. It's not nearly as bad as Shelby's is, from what I can see, but he's frequently covered in small scabs and bumps and has been known to dig at his chin and neck, especially in the summer. Every time I've taken him in to the vet they've given him the steroid/antibiotic shot as well, saying he's got seasonal allergies, but now this is making me wonder if there's more to it. While the shots help, if I could find and eliminate the source, that'd be a huge relief. :( Best of luck to you and Shelby and thanks for sharing!
 

allmomskitties

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 Shelby on the other hand, has been a constant roller coaster of health issues. January through July of 2013 she was in and out of a cone, but from July until now, she has literally had the cone on every day (except when I take it off to clean it, her face, or when occasionally she finds a way to get out of her cone) Ever since January of last year, she has slowly gotten worse and worse. Our first two vets would just give her steroid after steroid and antibiotic injections and she would still continue to have problems. I got fed up with paying so much money every other month to just have the same thing keep happening over and over so I took her to a new vet. This new vet found that she had a pretty significant heart murmur, and couldn't believe that she had been subjected to so many rounds of steroids.

We know that she has an allergy of some sort (our first vet never thought of this, but our second vet did), we just don't know what exactly she is allergic to. We have tried 3 different types of foods with different proteins, but her symptoms haven't improved. Poor Shelby is so incredibly itchy that if she doesn't wear a cone, she self mutilates to the extreme. 












The last picture is of her today, and the rest of the pictures are what we have been dealing with for the past year. We have tried different types of food,  chlorpheniramine, strides pads and apple cider vinegar and stainless steel bowls for her chin acne, and steroid and antibiotic shots, and the problems keep coming back. We think the chin acne is even worse than normal because the cone isn't very breathable and keeps bacteria close to her chin. We clean it with alcohol every day but chin acne is better than a tore up face at this point. 

Our current vet thinks that because her allergies are so severe, she has both environmental and food allergies. Today we just started the Science Prescription allergy dry food, Atopica, antibiotics for her infection, tresaderm drops for her ears, and an antibacterial/antifungal spray for her severe chin acne. Atopica is very expensive, but if we don't  have to deal with this ever again, it will be worth it. Poor Shelby has just been miserable. She isn't even 2 years old yet and h as lived almost half her life in a cone. 

At this point I am so frustrated, upset, and desperate. She can't keep living like this, and we can't afford a 200 vet bill every other month either. This has been extremely stressful for me. After today's visit, I feel really optimistic that Atopica and a hypoallergenic diet will be the magic cure. 

Has anyone else ever dealt with anything like this? I would love any advice or stories about a cat that has overcome something like this!
YES YES YES!!  I HAVE dealt with this!  My sweet kitty named Pig (yes that's his name, poor guy)  dealt with HORRIBLE self-mutilation!  We brought him to the vet and all they did was treat him for fleas (he didn't HAVE fleas!) and then for ear mites (it did NO good).  Pig tore the side of his head to ribbons!  He was pouring blood!  We had to put him in a cone, he had all kinds of medication, nothing helped!  He LIVED in that cone for 4 years!  Then a few months ago an acquaintance of mine heard me talking about his problem and told me her cat had gone through exactly the same thing.  After also changing vets, her new one diagnosed her cat with demodicosis (also called demodectic mange in dogs). 

This condition isn't diagnosed often in cats because it is incorrectly thought to be rare in cats and thus vets rarely even test for it.  All that is required is a skin scraping.  Demodicosis is caused by a subcutaneous parasite that is only visible under a microscope.  The FANTASTIC news?  It is easily treated!  The treatment consists of a lime-sulpher dip which is very inexpensive and easily found online.  After following the instructions and COMPLETING the prescribed treatment, our little guy is cone-free and nearly as good as new!
Pig before the problem
Pig wearing one of MANY home-made cones
Pig now - after successful treatment of DEMODICOSIS
Please ask your vet about this possibility.  Pig was treated with a ton of ineffective medications before a friend told me of this simple solution.  He spend 4 years in a cone unnecessarily, because our now ex-vet couldn't be bothered to test for something so simple.
 

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YES YES YES!!  I HAVE dealt with this!  My sweet kitty named Pig (yes that's his name, poor guy)  dealt with HORRIBLE self-mutilation!  We brought him to the vet and all they did was treat him for fleas (he didn't HAVE fleas!) and then for ear mites (it did NO good).  Pig tore the side of his head to ribbons!  He was pouring blood!  We had to put him in a cone, he had all kinds of medication, nothing helped!  He LIVED in that cone for 4 years!  Then a few months ago an acquaintance of mine heard me talking about his problem and told me her cat had gone through exactly the same thing.  After also changing vets, her new one diagnosed her cat with demodicosis (also called demodectic mange in dogs). 

This condition isn't diagnosed often in cats because it is incorrectly thought to be rare in cats and thus vets rarely even test for it.  All that is required is a skin scraping.  Demodicosis is caused by a subcutaneous parasite that is only visible under a microscope.  The FANTASTIC news?  It is easily treated!  The treatment consists of a lime-sulpher dip which is very inexpensive and easily found online.  After following the instructions and COMPLETING the prescribed treatment, our little guy is cone-free and nearly as good as new!


Pig before the problem

Pig wearing one of MANY home-made cones

Pig now - after successful treatment of DEMODICOSIS

Please ask your vet about this possibility.  Pig was treated with a ton of ineffective medications before a friend told me of this simple solution.  He spend 4 years in a cone unnecessarily, because our now ex-vet couldn't be bothered to test for something so simple.
WOW, Allmomskitties!! So cool that you may have helped Coastie based on your own trials and experience! I love this place.
 
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coastiecat

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Pig before the problem
[td] Pig wearing one of MANY home-made cones
[/td][td] Pig now - after successful treatment of DEMODICOSIS
[/td]
Please ask your vet about this possibility.  Pig was treated with a ton of ineffective medications before a friend told me of this simple solution.  He spend 4 years in a cone unnecessarily, because our now ex-vet couldn't be bothered to test for something so simple.
Wow!!!!! Thank you, I will have the vet test for this at her appointment in two weeks. I  am so glad I found this website! I have learned so much in the past few days and I feel like I finally have hope for Shelby :)
 

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Have you investigated using different types of litter?  I have a friend whose cat is suffering and they found out that the cat was allergic to the litter being used.
 

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Have you investigated using different types of litter?  I have a friend whose cat is suffering and they found out that the cat was allergic to the litter being used.
I too was going to ask about the litter. A few years ago I changed my cats litter and she started digging at her face and making big bloody sores. At first the vet thought it was food related but then after a few vet visits and her face getting worse, it dawned on me that it could be her litter. I went and got her regular litter and we never had a problem again. I hope you can find some answers soon so she can start feeling better.
 

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I'm trying to catch up on this thread and there's a lot that has been suggested and discussed. So Shelby is on a new hypoallergenic food now? I hope it helps.

One thing that really hit me right away was a plastic allergy. I know this has already been discussed, but let me ask you something. Did you start using the cone before changing the bowls to stainless steel? If so, the new bowls wouldn't have helped if this was a plastic allergy. The cone looks like it is plastic. With most of the itchiness being around her face, this was the first thing I thought of. Perhaps the plastic cone is the problem. 
  You say she seems to be improving lately. Has the cone been off?
 
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coastiecat

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I too was going to ask about the litter. A few years ago I changed my cats litter and she started digging at her face and making big bloody sores. At first the vet thought it was food related but then after a few vet visits and her face getting worse, it dawned on me that it could be her litter. I went and got her regular litter and we never had a problem again. I hope you can find some answers soon so she can start feeling better.
We changed to unscented litter and have used Feline pine, the Purina breeze with the ceramic pellets, and now they are using world's best unscented multiple cat. I don't' think it's the litter since she has had these problems on all litters. 
 
I'm trying to catch up on this thread and there's a lot that has been suggested and discussed. So Shelby is on a new hypoallergenic food now? I hope it helps.

One thing that really hit me right away was a plastic allergy. I know this has already been discussed, but let me ask you something. Did you start using the cone before changing the bowls to stainless steel? If so, the new bowls wouldn't have helped if this was a plastic allergy. The cone looks like it is plastic. With most of the itchiness being around her face, this was the first thing I thought of. Perhaps the plastic cone is the problem. 
  You say she seems to be improving lately. Has the cone been off?
Shelby had mild chin acne before the cone, but the cone is definitely the cause of her severe acne. She had problems with over scratching/grooming before the cone, so the cone was put on so she would stop self mutilating. But the cone also holds in bacteria and creates a most warm environment which doesn't help her acne. She could be allergic to the plastic too but without the cone she scratches up her face like crazy and it gets infected really bad. Right now the cone  has been the lesser of the two evils. I'm really hoping  that this hypoallergenic food and atopica helps her itchiness so we can get this cone off and get to the root of her allergies. 
 
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coastiecat

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Another update on Shelby!

Shelby had a follow up vet appointment and it went pretty well yesterday :) Her chin acne has dramatically improved. (Her fur on her chin is orange colored because the anti fungal/bacterial spray that we are using) We took her cone off last week for an hour and she went a little bit crazy scratching at her neck, so that's what the bald spots are. She is a lot less itchy than she was two weeks ago though. Her ears and gunk in-between her paws have cleared up a lot too. We found out it was Shelby who had the diarrhea, so the vet gave her some medication to help with that. She is off the antibiotics for her chin acne but she is still on the atopica and tresaderm ear drops and science diet ZD for now. We actually just switched her to the atopica capsules for small dogs now because she is HORRIBLE about taking liquid medications. She is actually a lot better about taking the capsules and doesn't foam at the mouth like she does with the liquid. 

I am so anxious to start her on a raw diet and try zyrtec for her allergies, but I have to remind myself that I need to be patient. The priority for now is to get her out of her cone and be comfortable. I don't want to change things too fast and have her go back to where she was. Once she is out of her cone and back to her crazy happy self, I'll start slowly experimenting with raw food and the zyrtec.

I don't want to jinx things but I took shelby's cone off an hour ago and she hasn't scratched at all!!!! She is cuddling with me right now and I can't believe she isn't trying to scratch her face off. It's so abnormal for her my first instinct was that something is wrong with her, but I think it's the atopica and science diet finally starting to really kick in. She is grooming herself, but isn't going overboard like she normally is. 

Here is her at the vet yesterday. She hates the drive to the vet, but actually loves all of the attention she gets at the vet :)

 
So I guess what I'm trying to figure out now is when I should start trying raw food and zyrtec. I don't want to try them both at the same time, so which one should I try first? My vet isn't a fan of raw food and actually discouraged it, so I need to find one that is or try to get her on board with me trying raw food, but in the mean time, I'm just looking for information and advice so I can plan and find out what to expect. 
 

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Good luck trying to find a vet that is raw friendly.  My dad (who is a retired vet) is pro raw based on my experience with my severely allergic chihuahua.  She has been on raw for 3 years and went from 8 meds a day to1 for her hydrocephalus.  The vet I work for will admit that a dog looks healthy on raw but discourages it and is concerned about the bacteria to people.  I'll admit I'm not the most hygienic about cleaning and haven't had a problem in 3 years lol.  I am using Zyrtec (1/2 tab) once a day for both of my allergic kitties.  It's hard to say when the best time to switch over would be. 
 
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