Ears- red and inflamed areas

bvh52179

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~~My cat has been having spots in his ear that are red and/or inflamed. Sometimes they are puffy, other times they are flat. Also, they go away in about 15-30 minutes. I asked the vet about it and they aren't sure what is causing it. I don't know if it might just be him scratching his ear and it getting irritated. The only thing is that the irritated areas are usually round, not “line-shaped” like I would think if it were from scratching (in the 2nd pic, the top red area is line-shaped, but the red area underneath it is round; it can be a little hard to see clearly because his hair is in the way).

He is on a hypoallergenic diet. He was on a steroid cream that I put in his ear (for allergies). I discontinued use once I noticed these spots coming up in his ear. It seemed to stop after about a week of not using it, but then I saw it again this morning. Does anybody recognize what is going on? If anybody knows what is going one, your help would be GREATLY appreciated.


 

vball91

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It looks and sounds like an allergic reaction to me. Allergies are tough to diagnose. The allergy tests for cats are not very effective. You can ask your vet about allergy meds (several human meds are used on cats at cat sized dosages).

You can also try to eliminate common allergy triggers. In food, they would be all grains, starchy vegetables like peas, fish, brewer's yeast, chicken, artificial colors, preservatives, thickening agents, etc. Environmental allergies are very tough to identify. It could be smoke, pollen, cleaning agents...
 
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bvh52179

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They told me to put him on a hypoallergenic diet (which he has been on for probably seven or eight months now). The steroid he was on was the allergy medicine they gave me, but like I said, I stopped it after seeing the spots (I was using it for about 3 months with no problems). I'm relieved to hear someone say that looks and sounds like an allergic reaction though.
 

vball91

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Which hypoallergenic diet? Those usually have hydrolyzed protein but still contain grains. It doesn't sound like the allergies are under control with the current regimen. I would try something different, a novel protein with very limited ingredients would be a start.
 
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bvh52179

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It is Royal Canin hydrolyzed protein adult hp.
 
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bvh52179

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Yes, that reminds me of what his looks likes. Its red, usually round, and sometimes swollen. It usually goes away in an hour or less also. What kind of food do you use? I might try it and see if it works.
 

goholistic

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Sebastian's rashes didn't show up for 3-5 days after eating the offending food, and didn't go away for 2-3 weeks. So the fact that your cats spots go away very quickly could mean it's not food, but perhaps a contact allergy, such with a type of material (latex, wool, plastic, etc.). Have you been journaling when the spots appear and looking for a pattern? Do they appear after eating? Or perhaps after laying in a favorite bed?

Sebastian is on a rather complicated diet right now since almost every cat food has guar gum in it. He eats wet only and home-cooked...no dry.

Nature's Variety Instinct makes a Limited Ingredient Diet line of wet foods that come in turkey, lamb, and duck (separate flavors). They have no gums or carrageenan.

ETA: He eats home-cooked along with wet food.
 
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