Allergic reaction

[nurseangel]

I took my cat (Speck) to the vet today for a rash on his face and neck which was diagnosised as dermatitis with a secondary staph infection. The vet asked me several questions such if I'd owned Speck last spring (I adopted him from the animal shelter last summer), if he goes outside (he doesn't), and if I have any sort of a rash or itching (my hands only itch because I wash them frequently...I am a jail nurse and do treat a lot of MRSA, boils, etc.) The only recent changes I've made were switching brands of cat food from Fancy Feast to Sheba. I also buy different types of litter...usually it's the cheap kind. I was wondering if anyone knows some common causes of allergies in cats? I feel terrible that this has happened to him and would like to prevent outbreaks in the future. I won't be online for a bit but will be checking back for responses to this post late tonight. Thanks so much in advance to anyone who can provide insight.

 

[judi]

I wish I could help you.
Why not speak to your Internest about it?
Good luck.

 

[mews2much]

My Coco is Allergic to any Fish or Seafoods,Dust, Mold,Pollen and alot more. Those foods your Cat is eating would make her get Hives and Rashes all over.

 

[pookie-poo]

I'm not sure if there is a prescription hypoallergenic canned food, but I know that there is a hypoallergenic dry food, called Anergen. My vet put my Rainbow Bridge kitty, Spooky, on it when she had horrible, purulent drainage from what appeared to be feline acne. It was unresponsive to changing from plastic bowls to ceramic, washes, ointments or systemic antibiotics. With in a couple of weeks on the Anergen food, her face and neck cleared up, and she never had a problem with acne (infected, or otherwise) for the rest of her life....which was close to ten more years. I would Google acne in cats, or IBD triggers in cats, to find out the most common things that will cause a rash or reaction. It does take time to do a food elimination diet, to isolate the triggers, but it CAN be done....unfortunately it usually takes quite a while to figure out what does and doesn't trigger the allergies. For my Spooky, it appeared to have been red dyes in the dry cat food. Once I eliminated foods with red dyes...she was fine!

Good luck!!!

 

[robertm]

Originally Posted by nurseangel

The only recent changes I've made were switching brands of cat food from Fancy Feast to Sheba.

Admittedly this wouldn't explain the dermatitis, but are you aware that Sheba is not a nutritionally complete food? As the package indicates, it's "intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only".