Advice for kitty with severe allergies

[sybilith]

My 11 month old has had awful allergies since before we rescued her as a stray, about 9 months ago. She has a history of self-inflicted hot spots and ulcerated lesions, as well as extreme swelling of her paws and face. Our vet diagnosed her with "a severe allergic reaction" following a biopsy, but we don't know to what. She's had rounds of Prednisolone (steroids) to manage her symptoms while we try to find the cause (OTC antihistamines administered per the vet previously were no help), an elimination diet on a single protein food (currently a commercial freeze-dried brand), and the addition of a high end air purifier to her environment. I've also been using as many unscented products as possible (laundry detergent, shower items, cleaners...) She is on monthly Revolution Plus as per our vet.

As of now, she's been off her steroids for 1 month, and her symptoms started reocurring about 2 weeks ago. Our vet suggests continuing to monitor, as the severity of her reactions seem to have lessened slightly with the diet trial, which really just means my poor cat is still experiencing bad swelling and itching, but it's not quite as debilitating as it had been. I suspect the change in protein may have helped, but whatever allergen was in her food is coexisting with an environmental allergen. I wonder why, even though they aren't completely reliable, it hasn't been suggested that we take her for an allergy test.

Vet says the next and final option is Atopica, but seems hesitant to proceed with it because of the potential side effects. I understand the risks, especially as I have experience with one of my dogs being on Apoquel for years. Meanwhile, my cat is still suffering and the vet doesn't want to do anything. I can't find anything to relieve her. Considering looking into new vets, maybe holistic options, but I'm unsure. I just want her to be as comfortable as possible, even if that does mean putting her on lifelong medication and changing her diet again.

Does anyone else have itchy, puffy & inflamed kittens? Has anything worked for you? Thoughts on getting an allergen test, such as a RAST or IDST? If you have experience with Atopica, I'd appreciate hearing your experiences, too.

 

[LTS3]

I suggest an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist. if there are none in your area, your vet can consult with one at a veterinary school or another vet hospital.

There is a TCS member who has a cat with multiple allergies to various things, mostly in food, and has an immune problem. I'm not sure if that person still posts here. cheeser

What brand of freeze dried food are you feeding? Sometimes things in food can cause a reaction and it may be something you would never think of. My IBD cat has an allergy to goat milk. Goat milk is touted to be good for cats etc etc but it causes bald spots on my cat. Would you consider making a raw or home cooked diet so that you know exactly what is in the food in case your cat's skin issues are food related? TCS has a forum for those diets: Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food The easiest way to make either is to use meat of your choice with a pre-mix.

Litter can also cause allergic reactions in some cats. What brand of litter are you using? Could you try a different type of litter for awhile?

Revolution and other parasite preventatives can also cause skin issues. The folded up drug sheet in the box lists out known side effects and adverse reactions that can occur. Most people feel that indoor only cats do not need a monthly parasite preventative. You can discuss this with your vet and see if going a few months without applying the preventative makes any difference in your cat's skin issues.

 

[Astragal14]

That is such a long time to be dealing with these issues, your poor kitty must be so uncomfortable! I hope you're able to find some resolutions soon!

Is there any indication WHY the vet thinks it's only food allergies? What you're describing could easily be any type of allergy - food, environmental, flea allergies. Allergy testing is unreliable for food allergies but helpful for environmental allergies. My cats have experienced itchiness, puffiness and skin lesions so we did RAST allergy testing and they have several environmental allergies (dust mites, storage mites and mold are the big ones). We manage these mostly through supplements and environmental changes. One of our cats did require Heska allergy drops and they helped tremendously.

This is a detailed overview of diagnosing and treating food allergies:https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/d...atId=102899&id=4951526&ind=108&objTypeID=1007

So what are our clues that a pet has a food allergy? There are several hints:

• The itching is not seasonal (this is obviously hard to tell in areas that do not freeze during winter).
• Itching started when the pet was less than 6 months of age or greater than 5-6 years of age.
• No response to treatment for sarcoptic mange (a condition with a similar itchy skin pattern).
• Corticosteroids have not been helpful in managing the itching. Corticosteroids may or may not work on food allergy itching but they almost always work for other allergies.
• There are accompanying intestinal signs like vomiting or diarrhea. These are seen in 30 percent of food allergic pets.
• The lesion distribution is compatible with food allergy , especially if an itchy anal area and/or recurrent ear infections are involved.

Have you tried, or discussed with your vet, a prescription hydrolyzed diet/food trial? My understanding with commercial vs. prescription foods is that commercial foods (even single proteins) are subject to cross-contamination, and therefore unreliable in determining food allergies.

I suggest discussing a few more topics with your vet before trying stronger medication (which you may ultimately need, but at least you will have explored other paths). Depending on how receptive your vet is to these, I may also consider finding a new veterinarian! This is what I recommend:

1. Discuss a prescription diet, with either single source or hydrolyzed protein
2. Allergy testing to determine any environmental allergies
3. Non-medicated ways to give your cat some relief (these won't be a cure, but could help make her more comfortable). I definitely recommend fish oil - this has been huge in controlling the inflammatory allergy response in both of my cats. Another option is a magnesium/epsom salt bath - a cat in our rescue organization had such a bad case of dermatitis that she needed twice weekly soaks in magnesium flakes. It definitely wasn't easy, but she was in such bad shape that it was necessary. Talk with your vet before starting either of these.

Lastly, you could also consider a dermatologist or a holistic veterinarian. A holistic doctor helped us a lot with recommending foods and supplements that have been very beneficial for both of my cats. I really appreciated how the holistic doctor considered their entire environment when determining their recommendations, and I personally found it to be extremely informative.