Two years of dealing apparent food allergies

[denali]

Hi,

I wanted to suggest a treatment for allergies that is completely different then what has been suggested. And I want to suggest it to you because this vet and the treatments have been a god send to my cat. My cat has severe allergies which has caused him to get IBD and mild asthma. He recently had liver disease which was correlated with the IBD. The conventional vets never treated him for allergies. Oh wait sorry - yes he did....he had me feed him Medi-cal hypoallergenic for a long time (and his diarrhea always returned). And once his diarrhea returned he put him on Royal Canin Sensitivity. And of course the diarrhea returned over and over. They pumped him with medications for years but the diarrhea always returned. Finally after years of this type of treatment it spiraled out of control and he became very ill with IBD/liver disease. Instead of treating and riding him of his allergies the vet was just suppressing the symptoms. During this recent illness the vets wanted me to feed him perscription diets and keep him on steroids long term. I didn't like this game plan so I contacted a very highly recommended holistic/homeopathic vet that specializes in NAET and JMT for treating allergies in animals. We have been consulting long distance and I do the treatments at home under her guidance. During his illness we first started out by working on getting his health back and treating the liver disease. Once he rebounded from the liver disease we started to work on his immune system and eliminating these allergies from his body. I am very happy with the results. And can honestly say that I believe wholeheartedly in this treatment. Here is her website and an explaination regarding the immune system, NAET and JMT http://www.doctordeva.com/holistic_c...immune_disease and http://www.doctordeva.com/holistic_c...gy_elimination. There is also another very well known vet named Dr. Newkirk that performs NAET as well http://www.alternativevet.com/

This group here http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/WholeCatHealth/ has many threads on Dr. Khalsa and Dr. Newkirk and how they have helped their cats clear allergies that have persisted for years.

You may not go this route but I felt I should share my experience with you and anybody else that would be interested in learning more. I was hesitant at first on this type of treatment but now I am glad that I let my skepticism subside and go down this route.

You'd be surprised at what your kitty may be allergic to besides grains....
B vitamins seems to be a BIG allergen in cats (according to the general consensus on the group I posted about)....and surprisingly so has dust, pollen, grass, stuffing in furniture, etc. which I wouldn't have ever guessed my cat was allergic to. It has been a very enlightening experience for me

 

[kylew]

Originally Posted by darlili

At my vet in Glen Ellyn, IL, I pay 50.03 for a case of wet CD, and $34.09 for a 10 pound bag of dry.

z/d is in a class by itself, price wise. It is the single most expensive cat food on the planet

The cheapest I could find it on the web was $57/Case and $25/4LB Bag. I know cuz I just went through a month long food trial with it.

 

[kylew]

Originally Posted by Denali

My cat has severe allergies which has caused him to get IBD and mild asthma. He recently had liver disease which was correlated with the IBD. The conventional vets never treated him for allergies.

I am going through something very similar with my 2 1/2 y/o male. Last vet did nothing but treat without testing. New vet said "Let's rule food allergies in or out". We fed z/d for a month and there was no change. This meant it wasn't allergies. Endoscopic biposies confirmed it's IBD. No change in proteins will have any beneficial effect. Prenisolone seems to be doing the trick

 

[denali]

I am going through something very similar with my 2 1/2 y/o male. Last vet did nothing but treat without testing.

What were some of the things the last vet did for your kitty to help relieve the symptoms?

New vet said "Let's rule food allergies in or out". We fed z/d for a month and there was no change. This meant it wasn't allergies.

I am curious as to why this meant there wasn't any allergies? What I think you are saying (please correct me if I am wrong) is that b/c the vet put him on a food that is supposed to be for allergies to certain food ingredients (not all) and the symptoms never cleared up that this means the cat does not have allergies. Is this what you are saying?

Endoscopic biposies confirmed it's IBD.

An ultrasound which is less invasive could have confirmed IBD as well. Most times the treatment will be the same either way if you go the conventional route for treatment.

No change in proteins will have any beneficial effect.

Have you tried novel proteins on your kitty? One thing that is very common when feeding a cat that has IBD is to try a novel protein that the cat has never eaten before (ie: venison, duck, lamb, rabbit, etc.) and grain free. This can help tremendously in many cases.

Prenisolone seems to be doing the trick

Has your vet said your kitty will have to be on steroids long term? If so, has he talked to you about the long term use of steroids? Other things can pop up from the long term use of steroids - diabetes is one of them.

Because your kitty is so young I really think your kitty would benefit from treating IBD without steroids. Both the vets I incuded in my earlier post treat IBD without steroids.

Here is some interesting reading if you are up to it

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/steroids.htm

I hope your kitty is symptom free for a long time

 

[kylew]

Originally Posted by Denali

What were some of the things the last vet did for your kitty to help relieve the symptoms?

The last vet first suspected tritrichimonas (sp) and treated with antibiotics, although no Ronidazole (sp) the only known treatment. When the symptoms reappeared he suspected heliobacter and treated with antibiotics which proved ineffective, and the antibiotic cocktail ( flagyl + Clavamox) nearly killed him. He didn't eat for 5 days.

Originally Posted by Denali

am curious as to why this meant there wasn't any allergies? What I think you are saying (please correct me if I am wrong) is that b/c the vet put him on a food that is supposed to be for allergies to certain food ingredients (not all) and the symptoms never cleared up that this means the cat does not have allergies. Is this what you are saying?

Yes, that is what I'm saying. Hill's z/d is as hypoallergenic as food a=can be. After a month of eating nothing but z/d his symptoms were no better.

Originally Posted by Denali

ultrasound which is less invasive could have confirmed IBD as well. Most times the treatment will be the same either way if you go the conventional route for treatment.

I do not believe this to be true. The only definitive test for IBD is biopsy. Based on his previous experience with the antibiotics, I was finished treating without a specific diagnosis.

Originally Posted by Denali

you tried novel proteins on your kitty? One thing that is very common when feeding a cat that has IBD is to try a novel protein that the cat has never eaten before (ie: venison, duck, lamb, rabbit, etc.) and grain free. This can help tremendously in many cases.

Yes, he is currently eating NB Duck, which he likes better than ND Venison. WHile the novel protein appears to help, it is the underlying IBD that needs to be addressed.

Originally Posted by Denali

your vet said your kitty will have to be on steroids long term? If so, has he talked to you about the long term use of steroids? Other things can pop up from the long term use of steroids - diabetes is one of them.

Because your kitty is so young I really think your kitty would benefit from treating IBD without steroids. Both the vets I incuded in my earlier post treat IBD without steroids.

Our goal s to get Franklin down to the lowest possible dose of prednisolone, if possible off it all together. I trust my vet.

Originally Posted by Denali

hope your kitty is symptom free for a long time

From your lips to God's ears

 

[denali]

Yes, that is what I'm saying. Hill's z/d is as hypoallergenic as food a=can be. After a month of eating nothing but z/d his symptoms were no better.

Chicken, B vitamins and soy are very common allergens in cats. The Hill's z/d diet has these ingredients in this diet. Your cat could have been reacting to something in this food. I would think a raw / homecooked diet would be one of the most hypoallergenic foods you could feed because you can control what ingredients go into your cat. And in turn have a better idea of what your cat may be reacting to in the food.

I do not believe this to be true. The only definitive test for IBD is biopsy. Based on his previous experience with the antibiotics, I was finished treating without a specific diagnosis.

Ufortunately your previous vet was only treating him with antibiotics which is used for infection/ bacteria. Your cat had inflammation and that is why he did not respond to the antibiotics. Steroids is used for inflammation. Yes, a biopsy is good for definitive answers but an ultrasound would have diagnosed inflammation as well. Unless your vet felt your cat may have cancer? I am glad you feel you made the right decision. Atleast now you know that he has inflammation and can go from there.

Yes, he is currently eating NB Duck, which he likes better than ND Venison. WHile the novel protein appears to help, it is the underlying IBD that needs to be addressed.

I agree - the underlying reason for the IBD needs to be addressed. Unfortunately the steroids will only suppress the symptoms not healing the body of the disease or illness! Your kitties immune system has been compromised and will be compromised more on steroids. I hope you can get him off of the steroids sooner rather then later. And find more natural ways to treat his IBD

our goal s to get Franklin down to the lowest possible dose of prednisolone, if possible off it all together. I trust my vet.

I hope this treatment works for your kitty

I am glad you feel you have found a vet you can trust.

 

[kylew]

I appreciate your thoughts

We will have to agree to disagree however. IDB is not just inflammation. It is the embedding in the lining of the bowel of very specific inflammatory cells the presence, and type, of these cells can only be confirmed by biopsy, not ultrasound. These cells can be managed but cannot be eliminated. The underlying cause of IBD is unknown. veterinary medicine has not yet been able to determine why and how these cells embed. THere is no cure for IBD. It can only be managed.

Kyle

 

[denali]

Okay - I'll agree to disagree

It may not be able to be cured but it can be managed and treated more naturally then steroids in many cases....I'll leave it at that - take care!

Madara - sorry we hijacked your thread

 

[plebayo]

Here is what I have experienced:

My cat Napolean is 4 years old. When I got him at 10 weeks of age he presented with black debris in his ears. He was on Science Diet kitten at the time. We checked his ears several times for mites, treated him twice with revolution - nothing. Then the face scratching started. He has been on almost any diet you can think of, we biopsied his face and the allergist told my vet that he could potentially be allergic to meat proteins in general, that he could be allergic to the way food is processed etc.

I have been to a holistic vet. He made me feed him raw chicken which resulted in him itching his face. When he eats a food he is allergic to he will react immediatley.

Hill's Z/D gave him diarrhea and he still itched his face.

He has been on venison & pea, duck & pea, he was on Addiction's Unagi & Seaweed which also contains peas and reacted to it. So I'm pretty sure he's allergic to peas. I got a hold of Evanger's Game Meats for dogs and fed him those with a taurine supplement he reacted to the Buffalo, Duck, Rabbit, and Pheasant.

He did fine on Ziwi Peak Venison but started to react to it after several months. He did pretty good on Nature's Variety Salmon and Brown Rice for a few months.

I found that he reacts to Fish the least even though they say it's high on the allergy list. For a while I fed him meow mix pouches, the ones with different fish as a protein source. He can eat Tiki Cat which is all fish.

Right now he's on First Mate Fish & Potato and has done really well for the past several months. Even though it has chicken fat, chicken fat isn't supposed to carry chicken protein - I think the bag says "rendered free of proteins" or something and he hasn't had an issue.

Usually about once a year I give him a Depo-Medrol injection. Usually it's because he has gotten into something and really scratched his head raw. It definitely helps. I know steroids are bad which is why we only use it if we have to.

Anyway we've tried many things, even antihisitimines on a daily basis, I know I've fed him other things too it's just been so long! I totally know where you're coming from. For him it is always his left ear and he's had to have teeth pulled on the left side of his mouth 2 years in a row. Very weird.