Feline idiopathic ulcerative dermatitis

[min fish]

Artemis seems extremely sensitive too, to certain things.  not everything, but she's irritable, she's itchy, she washes herself A LOT, particularly at night, it's like she can't settle.  She also sheds worse than ANY cat I've ever had in my life.  I've been told to discontinue the oil because of the serious danger that essential oils can be to cats, and I think I will, just to be safe, but I will keep it as a backup in case she gets worse for any reason, and look into other alternative therapies.  Maybe I can use straight rosehip oil without the EO's and get the same results....

We have well water so I never think to try distilled water; we also just had it tested by the borough and it is very good water, just hard, lots of minerals and iron. 

 

[mom2lb]

Min Fish,

I see ... well water is excellent water, I don't know if the minerals & iron could be an irritant or not?  Our water is very hard also, but it's city water, so I am sure it's treated with other stuff too.  When I distill my water, there are lots of hard minerals left behind & there is a smell of corn??  Gmo's maybe from the soils as we are in farming country here also.  

One other thing I forget to mention that I think is quite helpful is keep the moisture up at all times.  I have 3 humidifiers to keep the moisture levels at about 40% at all times.  

Since his skin is sooo horribly dry, I notice a difference in the dander that comes off him when the moisture drops.  I need distilled water for all my humidifiers also.  IF I don't use distilled water, there is just a cloud of dust from the minerals & it is so fine, it even gets inside glass framed pictures!!  ugh!!!  

In fact I had to "fire up" a couple of my humidifiers cause the humidity dropped to about 30% & LB started to scratch around his neck & his hair comes out quite easily & he sheds horrible also ... I think it's just another sympton of this hideous disease.  I purchased a couple of air purifier/filters to help with the hair & dander.  They have really made a difference for me.  

I have a small apartment so I have one for the living/dining/kitchen area and a small one in the bedroom.  I sneeze a lot less after using these.  They don't have any expensive filters to replace, they can be vacuumed or rinsed & dryed & replaced.  The ones that will remove everything are far too expensive for me & the filters have to be replaced often too!! 

Simple & easy to maintain & affordable ... that's what I prefer.  It is so costly to maintain his vet bills & buy his special foods (chewy.com helps me save there).

One thing I have noticed about LB too that I might mention is that after I eliminated a lot of the foods that had allergen triggers (soy, fish, fishs oils especially) his shedding did improve.  But like I said, shedding & excessive dander are just part of the disease.

Well, that's all I can think of to share for now ... God Bless!

Mom2LB

 

 

[dkdenny7]

Has anyone recommended the medicine Atopica? I understand it is very effective with this condition, my own baby has just been diagnosed with it, and I am deciding on my approach to treatment. It does taste nasty so creativity is the key in administering but it does bring about 100% remission. I use remission as the condition is chronic. I have also heard of it being treated with a human medicine called topirmate that also is very effective, not sure of the cost, I am still investigating. However, I do intend to take a holistic approach first.

 

[mom2lb]

IF your cat can tolerate Atopica, it is an option for managing FIUD.  

Unfortunately, after 2 trials, it was not a viable option for my baby.  It made him extremely sick at both ends (if you get my drift) & he was a most miserable lil boy (had no energy, slept around the clock also) in the short time of attempting to take Atopica.  

I have taken every measure I can to enhance his comfort & reduce his discomfort through natural means (I have outlined those steps in a previous post) & to lengthen the time between his steroid shots, which for him, have been the only treatment that gives him a decent quality of life.

I am pleased with the "management" that we have attained in coping with this chronic condition, what works best for my furbaby.

I've said before, there is no one right way of managing this dis-ease.  As our cats are all different & will respond differently to various medicines, techniques, etc.  

I advise people to trust their own gut instincts & carefully observe their furbaby's reactions, to find what medicine or method of management works best to give maximum ease & comfort to their precious pet.

Just sharing my thoughts about our experience in treating FIUD.

Mom2LB