Kitty with severe allergies. Any help is appreciated.

Hello! I have a 10 year old maine coon that I rescued 5 years ago. She has been a healthy kitty until the last 6 months. She has always received regular vet care. About 6 months ago she began to have skin allergies. At first they were treated well with steroid shots and antibiotics. As time went on the slowly got worse and worse. The vet she had been seeing did not give me any answers. She attributed it to fleas, which can not be seen and no evidence. The vet insisted they were in my home. My home has been cleaned and washed from top to bottom. Vacuumed 3 times a week. Changed the litter and washed everything she comes in contact with scent free laundry detergent. She has now seen many vets and has had many tests. The last vet believes she has developed an allergy to food. So I switched to the taste of the wild that my vet suggested Rocky Mountain Feline[emoji]174[/emoji] Formula. She did not show any signs of getting better after 2 bags of this food. So it was then suggested I stay away from venison. She has finished her first bag of taste of the wild Canyon River Feline[emoji]174[/emoji] Formula. She is getting worse everyday. The vet prior to the diagnosis of gluten allergy suggested if it does not get better to put the cat down. I cant imagine doing that if this is just an allergy. The open wounds are on her head to the middle of her back. She has open sores on her stomach and tail. I spoke with the dermatologist this morning and the cost for diagnostics of allergies is between $800 and $1500, with no guarantee of success. I have exhausted my funds getting multiple opinions, trying topical treatments, and paying for prescriptions. The pictures I have uploaded and about a week ago after I washed her with universal medicated shampoo. The pictures look bad but I embarrassed to say they are actually not half as bad as in person. I am treating these open wounds and scabs with vetericyn hot spot treatment. She is need of serious relief! please help. The pictures on the couch are after a bath that's why she is wet. not from grooming. Also the middle photo is her when she is well just for a reference.

I just spoke with the company dinovite. Has anyone used this for their cat. A cat formula was recently introduced.

I have never heard of this, and, frankly, it seems like an "as seen on TV" type thing to  me.  I don't really believe what you are feeding her is not nutritionally balanced, which is what their premiss is.    It's just hard to know.    BUT, from what you wrote, if she is worse on the TOTW Canyon River, then I would definitely stop that food and try something else.  Maybe something other than TOTW.    I know Natural Balance, Blue Buffalo and Natures Variety all make limited ingredient foods.   I'm thinking maybe Natures Variety Instinct Rabbit, simply because I've not heard of rabbit a being something many cats have problems with, and MOST cats really like rabbit.  Plus this food doesn't have any potato starch in it, which could be one of the things your girl is allergic to.  Has she ever eaten anything other than kibble?  Reason I ask is that you  can totally control what she eats if you make her own food (either raw or homecooked), or if you think she might eat raw, you can buy 100% nutritionally complete raw food, and with that, unless she is actually allergic to the protein itself, there is not much else in the food to be allergic to (and there are LOTS of different proteins to choose from...chicken, turkey, quail, rabbit, lamb, duck, beef, pork, etc.)

BTW, has your Vet prescribed any anti-histamines for her?  This could certainly give her some relief and is sometimes (often?) given to cats when they get this bad from food allergies while you are trying to figure out just what is causing the problem.   In truly difficult cases, steroids can be given to provide relief too.  But, naturally, the main issue is finding out the cause to prevent it from it from happening in the first place. 

I'm sorry you and your kitty are going through this.
I don't think you should put a cat down because she has allergies. Maybe that was frustration on the part of the vet speaking?
I agree with mrsgreenjeans. I would try limited ingredient canned food or raw food. Raw food can be commercial raw, whole prey or prey model [frakenprey]--and can be cheaper than high quality/limited ingredient canned food. Dry food has a lot of additives and ingredients--she could be allergic to any one or more of them.
You could dry a chicken and boiled rice diet for a few days: if her allergies get better, it's probably food allergy (if worse, she may be allergic to chicken and/or rice). The chicken/boiled rice diet is: boil some chicken (without bones or anything else!) until tender. Remove chicken from pot. Then cook some rice in the same liquid as the chicken was boiled in.
PS: why are you bathing her? Are you using soap, what kind, co-relation to her sores, perhaps?

As severe as your cat's allergic reaction is, I am suprised your vet isn't already giving her an antihistamine injection.....go figure.

I can't begin to imagine how SHE is feeling, not to mention her white blood cells how elevated they must be.

Food allergies are a slow process of elimination, it takes 2-3 weeks for symptoms to improve/not.

Keep trying, you will get there and the option of putting her to sleep is certainly NOT an option....I mean really! Geeezz....

Thanks for your input. I am going to buy some freeze dried raw food this evening. I switched to the canyon because I have heard of allergies to the potatoes and venison. I just feel like I am putting the cat through so much. All she does is eat, sleep, and scratch. All I do is cry because she is my baby. I feel so helpless and just think the dermatologist is too expense with no guarantees. I will keep this thread up to date. I have another vet appointment tomorrow evening. We are doing another skin scraping. I am just keeping my fingers crossed. I can not thank you enough for replying to my post THANK YOU THANK YOU  

Oh my goodness. You're poor kitty. That looks really, really sore.

I hope that you have not given the advice you received about euthanasia, a second thought. I can't believe that some vets feel the only solution is to put a cat down because they can't come up with any better ideas. Referring you to someone else would have been more constructive.

Not much to offer you in the way of suggestions as I don't have a lot of personal experience with allergies, other than to say that these reactions could be the result of so many things. Food, home environment, some product that she has been around. An ingredient in a product, air quality, etc.

One suggestion I would make that might help to bring some soothing relief for the sores and may even help to cure this problem, is to use coconut oil, and the unrefined variety. Coconut Oil has many healing properties both internally and externally. It has been known to be effective for Eczema, Flea Allergies, Dermatitis and Ringworm. You could start by giving her 1 tsp per 10 pounds, and also apply a bit of oil to the sores and see if this can make a difference. If she doesn't take to it from your fingers or a dish, you can put the oil right into wet food.

It definitely makes some sense that she should have received a histamine shot. Did the vet mention this at all?

I really hope that this situation can be turned around. She is such a lovely cat.  

PS: Something else I would do is start a journal and try and think back through the last six months to when the rashes started to document what foods she has been on, medications, things that may have been changed in the environment, different products you have used on her, to see if anything can reveal some clues as to a cause. This will also be helpful information for second vets or specialists that you may take her to.

Excellent suggestion from oneandahalfcats about the journal, before too long you might find that you can't clearly remember what and when, so this is a good helper.

From the time she was fine, what she was on and exposed to then, compared to now.

Has she had skin scrapings for demodex mites and/or ringworm?  I have a kitty who had severe ringworm when she was a kitten and her skin looked a lot like your cats.   She was really irritated and itchy and had sores all over her body.  You can see some pictures in her page in my signature (Tigger aka Tiggles).  She was treated with topical clotrimazole sprays and miconazole shampoo baths.  Have your vet do a woods lamp exam on your kitty, ringworm glows under the black light.  Has your kitty ever been on antihistamines?  I have had good success with Zyrtec in my allergic kitty.  I would look into homemade raw.  Some of the raw formulas have other ingredients in them so that is something to look at if you are going to go that route.  Raw was a life saver for my severely allergic chihuahua, she was miserable on steroids, antihistamines, limited ingredient diets and was still raw, red and itchy.  I switched her to raw 3 years ago and she is no longer on any medications other than 1 for her hydrocephalus.   A food allergy trial should last about 12 weeks with NOTHING else in the diet, no treats no flavored medications nothing.  Have you tried Atopica?  It is not a steroid but it helps with some severe kitties.  There is also Apoquel, it isn't approved for cats yet, but we (at the vet I work at) have had really good success in the few dog patients we have treated with it (it's new).   Are you bathing with a medicated shampoo?  If not, I would do that 2-3 times a week.  If she allergic to stuff in the environment washing her helps get rid of the danders and pollens.

If she does have a skin scraping done, they should take samples from multiple locations on her body, not just one spot.  As demodex can not always show up on a scraping. 

I can't add much to the great advise the others have given you, but just wanted to say I'm sorry she & you are going through this.  My kitty tends to be itchy, (& has chewed spots in the past)

but has never gone through what your kitty is.

The vet has also recommended antihistamines & it helps him a lot. He has been on them long term & seems to be fine. Angel is usually between 14 & 15 lbs. so the vet said it was safe to give him a half of a generic (cheaper) Clariton, or Zyrtec. I had been giving him the generic clariton for a long time, but felt like after so long he was getting immune to it, so now I give him a Zyrtec a couple of times a week to change it up.

He gets 1/2 of either every night in a piece of pill pocket as his night, night treat.

I really hope & pray that you can get this sorted out for her & that it will end up just being from food, so you can change it. I'm glad you ordered some raw. I hope it helps!

Good luck, I can't wait to hear how it goes.  

I'd rather suspect the fish as allergen than venison. Both sorts of TOTW contain fish. TOTW has mixed proteins which is not recommendable for a cat with allergies.

 As someone has recommended before with allergy you would ideally try an exclusion diet which means to feed one pure source of protein over a period of time. I'd recommend Hound & Gatos Pork,  or H&G Rabbit, Natural Balance Green pea &Duck. Ideally, you  find a protein source she has never eaten before. Brushtail is another very exotic source of protein (Ziwipeak). One of my foster cats developed a food related chin acne. Wysong Anergen helped her to get rid of her skin reaction.

And then there are hypoallergen prescription foods (Hill's or Royal Canin). These are not ideal foods from a nutritional perspective but will help to calm down her allergic reaction. Then you could start to try out different types of proteins and see what she can eat. 

With my allergic cat, I started to feed her a hypoallergen description diet to get rid of the symptoms asap. After that we tried one exotic meat after the other, until we have found three different foods she could eat without any problem. 

Aw...poor kitty. She does look sore. 

Gee, if this were my kitty, I would definitely be going down a serious hypoallergenic path for everything...from cleaning products, to food, to bedding materials. Your vet wasn't totally off base about the fleas. Flea saliva can cause an allergic reaction and the discomfort can last for weeks after the fleas are gone until the allergen works its way out of the system. If you've ruled out fleas, I would definitely address a food allergy next. The top protein allergies are poultry, fish and beef, which is why it is suggested to go with a novel protein (rabbit, kangaroo, etc.) that your cat has never had before for at least 6-8 weeks (my vet suggests 3 month trials). Both of the TOTW feline formulas contain poultry and fish. In my experience, food allergies cause a lot of scratching around the face and neck.

Others' suggestions of trying a raw diet is a good one. I actually have my Sebastian on a hypoallergenic prescription diet (rabbit and green pea), which he likes. We started this immediately during his struggles with pancreatitis and IBD to address a possible food allergy, and I've kept him on it (still looking into a raw diet).

I would minimize your use of chemical cleaning products, including air fresheners and carpet powders. Switching to a hypoallergenic clothes detergent is a good idea. Materials that could be a problem include wool, latex, and plastic (food/water dishes, feeding mats, toys). Some cats are allergic to clay litter. In my experiences with this, symptoms were shown in the inside of the legs and belly area, however. At the least, I would just make sure the litter is unscented.

I hope something works soon! 

Sorry I have not given an update sooner. I was without electric or internet until this afternoon. I have very unfortunate news. The vet that we saw informed me she has a form of autoimmune disorder that makes her body attack her own skin. We have decided to try steroids as feline immune suppressants are still in the testing stages. It is not an environmental allergy. This disease may go into remission but will continue to have flare ups. After long long long long thought and discussions with all three of the vets my kitty sees, if her quality of life does not improve we may have to take serious measures for her own good. All her life is right now is itching, eating, and sleeping. She no longer plays or responds to my interactions with her. I really do not wish to keep her on meds that suppress the issue and leave her susceptible to a serious illness that will cause her pain. We will give this treatment a try. Dealing with this has truly been one of the most difficult things in my life. I am going to cherish ever moment I have with her but I can allow her to suffer for my own selfish benefit. I hope I have explained my situation well. I again would like to thank everyone for their input. I was thinking allergies not an immune disease, definitely caught me by surprise.

I meant to say that I cannot allow her to suffer for my own benefit.

I'm so sorry to hear this diagnosis, and I understand the importance of considering her quality of life. My Sebastian is on a daily steroid (prednisolone). There is the always the risk of side effects and diabetes, but cats handle them surprisingly well. It may be just what she needs. Please let us know how it goes.

     

It will be more than one pill and a shot. I've put her through a lot the lasts few months. I have changed her entire environment to be all but sterile. No scents. I changed to scent free litter, scent free laundry soap, I stopped using perfume and lotions. I washed my hands with unscented antibacterial soap before petting her. I used bottle water. I got new food and water dishes. This diagnosis was heart breaking!  

I am very sorry to learn of your heartbreak. One medical thing, in these last days it won't hurt to ditch the antibacterial soap. There is a slight chance it might bother her, and a better chance she'd rather smell YOU. I hope her quality of life improves going forward.

I too am sorry for the diagnosis.
Please provide updates when you're up to it.
Vibes for you and yours.

I wouldn't go there just yet.....autoimmune issues in cats are NOT rare, nor are they uncontrollable.

Stomatitis is pretty common, it is an autoimmune problem as well, that attacks their teeth.

Autoimmune disease in cats is not hard to deal with, they are put on a daily pill for a bit, then it is reduced to less often, and once the sores are gone with no more new ones, then it is called remission, and nearly if not ALL cats WILL go in to remission, then meds are stopped, if a sore or 2 pop up, then they will be given a very low dose every now and then to keep it in check.

NOT a reason to say goodbye to your kitty by no means.

This site is excellent, but highly detailed and difficult to understand somewhat. http://www.2ndchance.info/pawlickcat-Angus2005.pdf

Dr. Ron Hines, who is one of my favorite vets because he is clear, explains things in laymans terms, so he is easy to understand.  http://www.2ndchance.info/pawlickCat.htm

I actually went to this last site first, the second site is from his, but it goes into detailed studies, etc.

At least give this a chance!

catwoman707 said:

 
I wouldn't go there just yet.....autoimmune issues in cats are NOT rare, nor are they uncontrollable.

Stomatitis is pretty common, it is an autoimmune problem as well, that attacks their teeth.

Autoimmune disease in cats is not hard to deal with, they are put on a daily pill for a bit, then it is reduced to less often, and once the sores are gone with no more new ones, then it is called remission, and nearly if not ALL cats WILL go in to remission, then meds are stopped, if a sore or 2 pop up, then they will be given a very low dose every now and then to keep it in check.

NOT a reason to say goodbye to your kitty by no means.

This site is excellent, but highly detailed and difficult to understand somewhat. http://www.2ndchance.info/pawlickcat-Angus2005.pdf

Dr. Ron Hines, who is one of my favorite vets because he is clear, explains things in laymans terms, so he is easy to understand.  http://www.2ndchance.info/pawlickCat.htm

I actually went to this last site first, the second site is from his, but it goes into detailed studies, etc.

At least give this a chance!

Click to expand...

Thank you for the sites/articles catwoman.