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- Nov 7, 2016
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Hi,
So I have a very itchy cat, Smitten. She has been pulling out her hair for almost a year and a half now and our vet is running out of ideas on what to try.
Here is some background:
We literally found her on the streets of St. Louis. We took her in because she was so friendly and figured someone would be looking for her. Now we think she hasnt had any previous owners. When we first got her, vets said she is anywhere between 2-8 years old. Due to missing teeth, they had difficulties guessing the age. She did not have a chip and was not neutered- we did both of those things. She is also FIV positive. She was always over grooming, but it wasn't until a couple months until she was biting and scratching to the point of pulling out hair and cutting her self.
when she itches, everything is fair game besides a little tuft on her chest and on her upper back. we currently have kitty caps on her and sometimes put clothes on her to protect her skin. Her skin is red and very flaky and has the occasional scab ( scabs have decreased after putting on kitty caps).
She is itchier in the morning and it looks very frantic. Her back will wiggle/roll. she will also flick her arms and legs when itching. however, if she is getting attention ( which she craves 24/7) she is less itchy. on a different note, she is also loosing weight but we have seen no change in appetite. we are giving her more food and kitten food but she is not gaining anything ( though now she isnt loosing anything either).
here are the things we tried and I am posting this in hopes of getting more ideas:
-lime sulfer dip
-advantage
-revolution
-blood test for diabetes and hyperthyroidism - both negative
-skin biopsy which hinted at the cat having a tumor on her thymus gland but ultrasound was negative, also just told us she has red, dry, flaky and itchy skin
-drops for ears to clear up yeast and bacteria infection
-allergy test which showed an allergy to dust and storage mites which is being treated with weekly shots- these help but she still is itchy to the point of harming herself
-steroids to help relieve the itching temporarily- these did not decrease the symptoms at all
-change of food- prescription cat food with hydrolyzed proteins as well as making our homemade cat food with chicken and potatoes + vitamins. ( done at 2 separate times with no signs of changes in itching)
-gabapetine
-1 types of oral medicine to treat intestinal parasites/worms ( decided to treat it even though we did not run any tests on her).
-anti-fungal medications ( sorry i am getting less specific, its just hard to remember everything)
-apoquel
any ideas you have will be appreciated. Thanks!
So I have a very itchy cat, Smitten. She has been pulling out her hair for almost a year and a half now and our vet is running out of ideas on what to try.
Here is some background:
We literally found her on the streets of St. Louis. We took her in because she was so friendly and figured someone would be looking for her. Now we think she hasnt had any previous owners. When we first got her, vets said she is anywhere between 2-8 years old. Due to missing teeth, they had difficulties guessing the age. She did not have a chip and was not neutered- we did both of those things. She is also FIV positive. She was always over grooming, but it wasn't until a couple months until she was biting and scratching to the point of pulling out hair and cutting her self.
when she itches, everything is fair game besides a little tuft on her chest and on her upper back. we currently have kitty caps on her and sometimes put clothes on her to protect her skin. Her skin is red and very flaky and has the occasional scab ( scabs have decreased after putting on kitty caps).
She is itchier in the morning and it looks very frantic. Her back will wiggle/roll. she will also flick her arms and legs when itching. however, if she is getting attention ( which she craves 24/7) she is less itchy. on a different note, she is also loosing weight but we have seen no change in appetite. we are giving her more food and kitten food but she is not gaining anything ( though now she isnt loosing anything either).
here are the things we tried and I am posting this in hopes of getting more ideas:
-lime sulfer dip
-advantage
-revolution
-blood test for diabetes and hyperthyroidism - both negative
-skin biopsy which hinted at the cat having a tumor on her thymus gland but ultrasound was negative, also just told us she has red, dry, flaky and itchy skin
-drops for ears to clear up yeast and bacteria infection
-allergy test which showed an allergy to dust and storage mites which is being treated with weekly shots- these help but she still is itchy to the point of harming herself
-steroids to help relieve the itching temporarily- these did not decrease the symptoms at all
-change of food- prescription cat food with hydrolyzed proteins as well as making our homemade cat food with chicken and potatoes + vitamins. ( done at 2 separate times with no signs of changes in itching)
-gabapetine
-1 types of oral medicine to treat intestinal parasites/worms ( decided to treat it even though we did not run any tests on her).
-anti-fungal medications ( sorry i am getting less specific, its just hard to remember everything)
-apoquel
any ideas you have will be appreciated. Thanks!