Obi had a consult with the Cornell Feline Health Center today..and would like some comments, please.

A phone consult.  The doctor was very nice.  She too, now this is three out of three, vets who think Obi has hairball issues as a result of overgrooming, resulting from allergies ( slightly elevated eosinophils).  Her advise was to do what I am doing, keep him on a "novel" protein diet ( in this case it is rabbit); and also mentioned Hills ZD.

Questions:  has anyone ever used an antihistimine on their cat for allergies, esp. skin?  does anyone have any experience with Hills ZD?  and, and this is the one that is hard to describe, what do you do when your cat is eating, drinking, does not object to being held, petted etc, but he or she just seems a  bit "off"?  not hiding but not out and about; not hiding but not real engaged.  Not doing their usual little amusing things.  This is Obi right now.  I dont know what to attribute it to.  He is taking prednisolone, metaclopramide and pepcid.  I dont know how a cat with allergies might feel...and if this behavior is consistant with allergies, or if I have a cat that is not feeling well - or is starting to show his 15 years...

The vet from Cornell suggested I might consider abdominal radiographs.  My vet thinks if I was to consider an inside look, an ultrasound would give more information.  I agree but the price differential is huge. 

As usual, any and all comments are appreciated.

I have the exact same issue with my cat Krissy.

She is 12, I decided to take her to see a vet because she is constantly licking and chewing her paws.

Not to the point of causing any fur loss etc, but it's just not her. Plus she doesn't hide, but is sort of acting like a loner in a way?

Her eos are elevated too, no poop bugs, no fleas at all, ever, always has been treated monthly, so lastly, allergies.

I was quite disappointed that all my vet could offer me was to advise putting her on an antihistamine for a while.

THAT is not what I wanted to hear. It makes them drowsy, and in my opinion, is like putting a bandage on a broken leg so-to-speak.

Get to the root of the allergen and get rid of it.

So I thought I had things figured out, okay that was too easy, of course I was wrong, AND she put back on weight that I have tried for years to take off of her.

Ugh.......

To me, it sounds like Obi doesn't feel 100%.    Sometimes there is no way to explain it. You just know.

I didn't realize Obi was overgrooming. How long has he been on the novel protein diet? Have you gone over Obi's current regime with the vet? Perhaps there is something they could adjust and see if it helps?     Metaclopramide is the generic for Reglan. What is the purpose of Obi taking Reglan?

I'm not too keen on the z/d. It uses hydrolyzed protein, and therefore molecular altered.

With everything that is going on, an ultrasound sounds like a reasonable next step. It will show if there is inflammation or thickening. I know they are expensive, so I understand your hesitation. But it might give you some information now that you can work off of and save you money later down the road.

Keep in mind, senior cats can have multiple things going on at the same time, which makes it all the more difficult. Not all symptoms always point to one condition.

Curious,  how elevated are his eosinophils?

If I could swing it I would get the ultrasound.  With Patches first episode of IBD at 18 months he was hospitalized and had a lot of x-rays done looking for a foreign body.  They simply don't pick up on inflammation.  An ultrasound may not either but there is a good chance that it will. 

Catwoman:

I have been feeding Obi, and also Mittens, the rabbit formula of Nature's Variety.  It is the lowest in fat of the canned food (I feed only canned, I dont care what the companies say, dry food has all sorts of stuff in it, is higher in fat, and then you have to make sure they are drinking water; also, I feel it is not natural for cats to eat dry.  I used to mix them but not now.  Also they are meal fed and not free choice - keeps their weight controlled ).  Having said that, I guess the idea is to introduce what is called a "novel" protein - something they have not had previously in their diet, and there are many choices with Nature's.

GoHolistisic, Obi was over grooming one small spot over a nipple.  that is resolved.  He also had a LOT of dander which is also almost all resolved. I suspect he just grooms himself a lot, and possibly the other cat, Mittens, too; I am not at home during the day and I dont see what they do.  In fact, I regularly check my credit card just to be sure they have not booked a Carribean cruise. 

I just communicated with my vet about the ultrasound.  I dont think he thinks Obi needs it yet, but  I asked him to check on the cost.  I do feel that would be a logical next step.  The Cornell vet said to give it at least 4-6 weeks to see if the food makes  a difference, but she thought a set of radiographs were next.  Since ultrasound shows more, I may as well save my shekels and have that done if this does not appear to resolve, so that we can look at his plumbing.

The reglan is to prevent vomiting and soothe the GI tract.  I added metamucil mid week to help bulk up his stool...since the regular laxatives do nothing for the hairballs, and too much causes diarrhea. 
 

Catwoman, the eosiniphils were at a 10% elevation back at the end of February.  The Cornell vet also explained that when there is an allergy, those pesty cells come out on the skin and that causes more irritation.  I did not know that.

Yes, I realize that Obi is an older cat and like an older person, the causes of issues are not always plainly visible.  I hope he does not need an ultrasound but if he continues to throw up hairballs,  that would be next. 

BTW, everyone here is great.  I am so happy I found this site and I wonder why I did not look for it sooner!

myrnafaye said:

 
Catwoman:

I have been feeding Obi, and also Mittens, the rabbit formula of Nature's Variety.  It is the lowest in fat of the canned food (I feed only canned, I dont care what the companies say, dry food has all sorts of stuff in it, is higher in fat, and then you have to make sure they are drinking water; also, I feel it is not natural for cats to eat dry.  I used to mix them but not now.  Also they are meal fed and not free choice - keeps their weight controlled ).  Having said that, I guess the idea is to introduce what is called a "novel" protein - something they have not had previously in their diet, and there are many choices with Nature's.

Click to expand...

I had made the switch to full canned diet. My 2 are so darn picky, alot of money and food wasted, they wouldn't touch the grain free, I must have tried 1/2 of all canned grain free out there. They also won't touch Wellness, Natural choice, Natural Balance, Merrick cowboy cookout, etc. I can't remember them all.

Occasionally they will sort of eat some of the Before Grain chicken canned, and 2 of the petco soulistics, both are fish varieties though.

So, they eat Fancy Feast pates. I was working on getting rid of any fish varieties, to start somewhere at least, and picked up some dry BG chicken only food, and was allowing a bit in between, bad, bad idea.

Now I've not only still got the allergy issue, but she gained weight back she had lost. Just great.

So 10% doesn't seem too bad in Obi. Enough to cause a reaction I think, but not too sure.

Krissy's eosinophils % Eosinophil 14.7    (2 - 12 % is normal range) 

and Eosinophil 3.058    (0 - 1.5 K/µL is normal range)

So her number is up there pretty good.

I feel like a bad mom for not getting these numbers fixed. Also wonder what long term effects this might have in her body. It's just a pretty tough one to figure out. Plus her not cooperating with eating what I think she should have doesn't make it any easier.

I used to watch a tv show years ago that was a vet emergency clinic, and remember a couple of common-ish things they would see and would need to do surgery to correct. String ingested and cutting off intestines, and clumps of hairballs getting stuck along the intestines causing blockages.

Ok, here's something to try.  In all of my reading, cats are supposed to eat a good whack of fat - far more than a human, and a 'frightening' amount to human understanding of HUMAN health and HUMAN weight control.  Remember, cats are different - they NEED fat from ANIMAL SOURCES.  If they ate rabbit alone (the real thing, not canned), this would be too little fat for them, so the low fat canned rabbit formula probably is too.

Then I also read a few things about certain fats assisting the brain...which is really important for a senior (human or cat).  

And of course, the right fats in a feline diet also give a great coat, and can settle skin allergies.

So I'm thinking this could be a really good thing to try.  Here's some testimonial type reading (with links to articles) about fats, cats, brain health and skin/fur health:

http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/idiopathic-seizure-disorder-could-it-be-grains-and-fat/21137

http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/dear-pammy-why-do-cats-wail-at-night/12962

The rabbit diet is 4.5% fat compared to 7.5 or 8% in other flavors of that same brand; but, the 4.5% is still a good bit higher than many other cat foods.  It is high protein, low carb,  and since Obi may have allergies, the idea was to introduce a "novel protein" (ie, one they have not had before) to lower the allergic reaction threshold.  In addition, he may have a bit of IBD, so high fat is probably NOT the way to go at this time.  I think if he needs fat, perhaps a smidgen of olive oil eventually - but not now, as I am trying to figure out what is causing the hairball vomiting and the possible GI irritation.  Neither of my cats is underweight.  Catwoman, have you tried Nature's Variety, or Evo's limited ingredients? My cats love t he Evo, but it has carageenan in it; and they love the Rabbit Nature's Variety, which is pricey, but I tell you, they LOVE the stuff.  As far as a cat's "natural" diet, I think rabbit is about as close as we are going to get.