Food allergy help

[Cindy & Pets]

I think Tip might have a food allergy. She's got a rash(and possibly some feline acne) on her chin. The rash is painful to the touch.

She's on special kitty and right now the flavors are primarily super supper and mixed grill. She was also getting classic tuna, but I've decided to try and cut out fish completely. I'd like to stay on special kitty because of the price, but I'm willing to try other foods if needed. She has a metal food bowl. She is overweight(surprisingly, she was very underweight), but I'm working really hard on getting her to lose weight and am making nice progress. I'd say about an ounce a week. But I'm getting a bit off topic.

My questions are, how long should I keep her on the new food? About how long will it take the rash to heal? And if I have to get something other than special kitty, what should I get?

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

The best way to determine if there is a food allergy is to switch to a novel protein, and see if the problem clears up. That means you need a food with no fish, beef, chicken, or byproducts. Do you have a locally owned feed store near you? They sell premium cat foods that are low carb and will suit your needs ingredient-wise. I would suggest EVO 95% venison, Merricks' Before Grain Turkey, or Nature's Variety Instinct Lamb, Venison, or Rabbit. If you go to the companies' web sites, you'll find store finders like this one: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/find-our-products/, which will help you find a store near you.

If the problem clears up on the new food, you can slowly reintroduce different proteins one at a time (like chicken or beef) to see which type of protein was causing the problem. That will open your food options a little more--but you won't be able to feed foods with byproducts because you cannot determine what types of different animal proteins are in the byproducts from can to can.

Dose she have any other scabs or sores on her? The most common cause of dermatitis in cats is a flea allergy, so I would also give her a topical flea medicine to eliminate that possibility. Cats can have fleas and dermatitis LONG before the fleas are bad enough to see them on the cat. Also, is her chin is coming into contact with plastic somewhere else (a water dish or pet fountain maybe?) that is a common cause of feline acne.

 

[Cindy & Pets]

She has a few scabs on her neck and shoulder area. I know that's from fleas, we've been battling them for a while. They're currently on Revolution and get their next dose on the 22nd. Those have been there and are starting to clear up now that the fleas are starting to go away. But the one on the chin is new.

If it helps with describing what it looks like, this is a link to the picture of the rash.

I found the merricks at a petco nearby that I have to go to today anyways. So I'll just pick pick up some of their low-carb food. About how long should I leave her on that to give it time to clear up?

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

FYI, I would put your zip in the Merrick's store finder. If there is a feed store near you that sells it, it will be way cheaper than the prices at Petco. Bandit eats Merrick's and it's nearly 50 cents more a can at Petco than my local feed store.

You should start seeing results within a couple weeks. If she has fleas, and a known flea allergy, it very well could be causing the raw area as well (from scratching herself there repeatedly). That would be my best guess on what is causing it.

 

[Cindy & Pets]

That's what I did and the only other ones that were reasonably close was an Andersons(which I didn't know even existed there) and PetPeople. But I really have to go to petco anyways.

I haven't exactly seen her scratch the area which is a bit comfusing to me, but just because I'm not awake or not home doesn't mean she won't scratch. I haven't seen a live flea on any of the cats for a while, for at least a week and a half now, and the last one I found was dead.

And to answer your question on any other plastic, I don't think so. I'm not positive though. Especially since we've had a lot of plastic bins in and out of the house to clean out a room that she's been laying on/in or rubbing them to claim they're hers.