Flaky skin

joang71 · Apr 7, 2016

the new addition to my home is Candee approx. 5 yrs old. she is a Calico, and a nervous one, but in the 2 months I have had her she is making

good progress, but she came with dermatitis. I can't take her to the vet yet, and want to know if anyone knows of a home remedy or OTC product

that may give her relief and aid in healing. Thanks much. Joan

red top rescue · Apr 8, 2016

The first thing to look at is her diet. Most skin problems come from the INSIDE rather than the outside. Is she eating dry food or wet food or both? Is the primary ingredient some sort of MEAT? Does it have corn, wheat or soy in it? Those are the ingredients commonly used in pet foods that cats are most often allergic to. (Many of your popular supermarket brand cat foods have "ground yellow corn" as their primary ingredient, which is good for a cow but not for a cat!) What is the proportion of protein to fat? Cats need a good deal of fat in their diets and very few carbohydrates in order to thrive. There is a lot of good information in our Nutrition forum. The general recommendation if you want good skin and coat is to feed a grain-free wet food (not dry) that doesn't contain a lot of other fillers (peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.) and therefore is low in carbohydrates. Cats do not digest carbohydrates well, so carb calories in cat food are wasted calories that should instead be in the form of protein or fat.

joang71 · Apr 9, 2016

thank you so much for the informative advise. Because she is finicky I have taken to giving her a small portion

of salmon every day to add necessary good oil to her diet. She also tolerates an occasional sponge bath of oatmeal shampoo for cats, that gives her relief from itchiness.

When I return from a 2 wk trip to see family in So. Carolina, I will address the food issue; I don't want to make any changes until I am home to see how the change is accepted. Hope your wkend is a good one. Thanks again.

Joan

red top rescue · Apr 9, 2016

Salmon and salmon oil are good. Enjoy your trip, and ask about various foods in the Nutrition forum (or here) when you get back.

joang71 · Apr 9, 2016

thanks again. will do..

stephanietx · Apr 9, 2016

You might also find that adding a supplement like evening primrose oil or something like Missing Link will also help her.

joang71 · Apr 10, 2016

thanks so much !!

rita-rabbit · Apr 10, 2016

Red Top Rescue said:
The first thing to look at is her diet. Most skin problems come from the INSIDE rather than the outside. Is she eating dry food or wet food or both? Is the primary ingredient some sort of MEAT? Does it have corn, wheat or soy in it? Those are the ingredients commonly used in pet foods that cats are most often allergic to. (Many of your popular supermarket brand cat foods have "ground yellow corn" as their primary ingredient, which is good for a cow but not for a cat!) What is the proportion of protein to fat? Cats need a good deal of fat in their diets and very few carbohydrates in order to thrive. There is a lot of good information in our Nutrition forum. The general recommendation if you want good skin and coat is to feed a grain-free wet food (not dry) that doesn't contain a lot of other fillers (peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.) and therefore is low in carbohydrates. Cats do not digest carbohydrates well, so carb calories in cat food are wasted calories that should instead be in the form of protein or fat.

this is excellent advice

Flaky skin

joang71

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red top rescue

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joang71

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red top rescue

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joang71

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stephanietx

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joang71

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rita-rabbit

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