Ongoing allergy problem

[Allie & Myrtle (GA)]

:YMSIGH:
Maisie has had some allergy going on for months - all year round, almost since I got her.
Much as I've hated to do so, she has been in to the vet every 6-10 weeks for a long-acting prednisolone shot - which solves the problem for a few weeks.

When it wears off, she is back into intense scratching, all round her face and biting her legs and paws especially, but also scratching elsewhere. Currently she is doing this, plus obsessively grooming (which may be related to the itch), and this is taking up a lot of her waking hours.

It's been assumed to be a food allergy because it is non-seasonal. She's been on diet trials - currently Science Diet z/d (not keen on Hills, of course, but thought I'd better "obey" the vet to show I'd tried) )
Z/d has hydrolized protein (chicken) and seems to be gluten free, and I did hope it might help. Not after 6 weeks exclusively on it, anyway. Have to say she does look good on that diet - shiny fur and has slimmed down to what I'd call a perfect weight, so I suppose it's not all bad.

I think the next step is skin tests, but I'll see tomorrow. Another appointment tomorrow morning (prayers and/or good vibes please!!) because she has to have another steroid shot IMO or she'll break the skin. She's wearing the fur off her ears and legs right now. Poor little girl - I hate this and I feel desperate. She knows I'm planning to take her to the vet and is hiding at times already.

She does go outside, but at least she is distracted from the scratching out there and it's cooler (quite hot here at present - late spring). It could be something INSIDE the house anyway, just as much as outside, or maybe it IS food and I haven't found the right one yet.
If anyone has any relevant experience, I'd be glad to hear.
One of the vets at the clinic says cats tolerate steroids better than dogs; another one puts the fear of God into me about steroids... and of course I don't want to let her have them, but it seems the only (temporary) answer.

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

My cat bailey is allergic to chicken. Did you try a unique protein source she had never had before when testing food allergy?

 

[BJM]

There are blood tests which can be done for allergies.

If any are found, you can try allergy shots. I did that for a while with one of my cats.

 

[Jill and Remi]

I had the blood tests done for my Abigail too. A little expensive but pretty conclusive so it was helpful in deciding what she can eat.

 

[Allie & Myrtle (GA)]

Thanks for the help - glad to know that blood tests aren't a waste of time (as I'd read).

I had tried some other food exclusions but not a single, unique protein, as such. Hard to get hold of such meats as rabbit and venison (here).

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

..I had tried some other food exclusions but not a single, unique protein, as such. Hard to get hold of such meats as rabbit and venison (here).

Allie, ZiwiPeak do a venision cat food. They also do lamb. Though I'm not absolutely sure if the foods are single source protein. The food is pricey (well it certainly is in the UK, maybe it's cheaper in NZ!) but could maybe give you some options for experimenting...?

The foods cats are most likely to be allergic to are beef, chicken or fish.

Some folks also find that a raw diet helps with allergies.

I do so hope your kitty is feeling better soon.

Eliz

 

[Diana&Tom]

Sorry to hear this, Allie - can understand your worry and frustration but I'm glad you posted here where the advice is second to none. I have no experience of this but am sending you my very best wishes for a speedy solution.
Diana x

 

[Allie & Myrtle (GA)]

Thanks, Elizabeth & Bertie - and Diana! :smile:

Yes, Elizabeth, I can get small cans of Ziwipeak from one pet-food store, but it is hugely pricey! I haven't tried it, but I suppose it's the next step.
We don't have a great variety of canned pet foods here, and good old FF has been my standby for previous cats without a problem.

Trouble is, the last vet I saw (the one at the clinic I like least.. but it's the luck of the draw who I get to deal with, pretty much) was very adamant about using vet-prescribed food, which means that darned Hills Science Diet! Doubtless vets get some sort of kickback from promoting and selling it!
When I showed her a Canadian gluten-free food I HAD been going to use she found fault with it.
I know she's my cat, of course and I can treat her how I like, but the occasional vet can be a bit high-handed! :-x and consider you uncooperative.

Well, at least I can say that Hills z/d is NOT the magic bullet, and that I have a venison product I'd like to try. TBH, I'd practically have to mortgage the house to feed her on Ziwipeak for long!! And then, because the steroid shot masks the problem for a few weeks, you can't say for sure if a particular food is helping or not for a good while.
This last vet did say that blood tests and later skin tests would be the next step, so no doubt that wil happen next.

Maisie is the hardest cat to get into a cat cage that I have ever experienced. Even when cornered and wrapped up in something, she can fight like a demon, and it's nearly impossible to close the lid on her without getting her escaping paws jammed! I dread that procedure more than she does. nailbite_smile

Thanks again for the advice and moral support!

 

[terri1962]

Allie,

My siamese mix Lilly(GA) that was my diabetic cat was on Depo Medrol(a steroid) for the same thing for a number of years, intense itching. She would itch the area between her eyes and ears until it would bleed and also would do the constant grooming and chewing. So then I would have to take her to the vet for the shot. I do believe that this shot induced her diabetes.
They had suggested skin tests but at that time I could not afford taking her to an allergist as I had four cats total. I did try feeding her I think a Royal Canin Green Peas and Duck which did seem to help but she got the point where she did not want to eat it.
I would try to find any alternative to the steroid shots if possible. I know what a relief it they stop the itching but the long term ramifications of it I believe are not good.
I hope you can find a better alternative for Maisie to stop her itching. Best of luck and let us know what you find out.
Edit: Lilly too was horrible to get into the carrier, most often this involved upending beds or moving large pieces of furniture and alot of running, hissing and growling.

Terri

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Hi Allie,

Oooh, my heart really goes out to you; but if the symptoms are caused by an allergy then I guess you're only going to find (permanent) relief for your kitty once you find the cause of the allergy and eliminate that...

Is feeding raw an option for you? If you can feed raw then that gives you a lot of control over the food, and you could try basing the food around, for example, chopped or minced rabbit, which is tolerated by most cats. (My neighbour also did this for her dog who had terrible allergies prior to eating a raw diet, but now has no problems at all.)

I give my arthritic kitty and my cancer kitty cucurmin (turmeric extract) supplements because of it's anti-inflammatory properties, and I've read accounts of it helping humans and dogs with inflamed itchy skin problems. If that's the case, I see no reason why it might not also work for cats....? Maybe this is an alternative to steroids that you could try...? (From what I know of it it's only contra-indicated if there are gall bladder problems, or if there is soon to be surgery (as it increases blood flow)).

Eliz

 

[Allie & Myrtle (GA)]

Well - here I am back with possibly some progress............
Had to wait so long at the vet's who was running extremely late with appointments, and a waiting room with three bored and grizzly dogs didn't help my poor girl, who growled spectacularly even though I hid her cage from them as best I could.
The vet I got this time had seen her before. Checked her carefully for fleas and ear problems/mites as they always do, and asked when I'd last treated her for fleas. (She is indoor/outdoor). Had to confess I hadn't done so for about a year because when I did treat her (just the once) with Frontline (the spot treatment), she had such a violent reaction, running frantically around my garden, wailing, that I never dared treat her again - with anything!

The vet seemed a bit shocked at my lack of flea-treating but didn't sound too enthusiastic about Frontline. She gave her another flea treatment, Revolution. Maybe in fact she has been having an allergic reaction to a flea bite all along??
Also, she is to have skin tests. This vet reckoned blood tests are less helpful or conclusive. We don't have a resident veterinary allergy tester in my city, but one visits from Massey University "up north" every 3 months or so, and is due next month. Maisie is booked in for 11 Dec., but one or two prerequisites are that she is to be eating her usual food (so, no trying venison at this point), and that she is to have no steroid treatment beforehand. In fact, steroids need to be out of her system for 3 months to make the skin tests really valid. Too bad she had one on 4 Oct., but still, she could if necessary have further skin tests in another 3 months time. (Ka-ching! Costs money!!)
So, all she could have today is an allergy shot, plus the aforementioned Revolution.
Tonight, she seems a good deal more chirpy than she was, scratching a bit less, I think, and possibly grooming less.
In some ways, I'm glad she hasn't had the steroid shot (though it did relieve all that itching) because it also made her a bit strange and subdued.

So - hoping for answers, eventually.

Sorry to be so long-winded (as always!) and thank you all for your feedback, suggestions and support for my wee girl. :smile:

 

[Diana&Tom]

Sounds encouraging, Allie - all paws crossed that poor little Maisie will get some relief soon.
Hope all is well with you apart from that.
Diana x

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Allie, that does sound like progress. And I sense that you're encouraged that things are moving forward. :smile:

Incidentally, quite a few folks on UK pet forums are reporting that Frontline has ceased to be effective with fleas. (I still use it though because it seems to be effective with ticks and we get loads of those here where I live.)

Do keep us updated with how Maisie is doing.

And it's so lovely to hear your 'voice' here, Allie!

Eliz

 

[Allie & Myrtle (GA)]

And it's so lovely to hear your 'voice' here, Allie!

Eliz

Ashamed to say I haven't been on the FDMB for ages - and in this case only to grizzle about my own problems rather than to offer support :YMSIGH:
Have to say also - regretfully - that Maisie is still itching about as much, and this morning drank a ton of water, which really set the alarm bells ringing! nailbite_smile

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

if it's flea allergies, that's easy to treat and resolve! let's hope that is the cause - and revoluton is good, I use it on my girls.