UPDATE Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

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Heather & Seasaidh (GA)

Heather & Seasaidh (GA)

Member Since 2009
My civvie Honey's face is swelling up as I type this. I just gave him some children's Benadryl and hopefully the swelling will go down soon.

This happened the other day, last Thurs I think, and I brought him to the vet thinking it was sinusitis (I've had it several times in the past so that's what came to mind when his face swelled up and he was doing a little sneezing). The vet thought a bug or something bit him and that he was having an allergic reaction. He's been inside 24/7 for the last few months so whatever happened, happened in the house. He got a shot of benadryl and a steroid at the vet. She also said that his right nasal passageway was blocked, presumably from the reaction. The swelling did not go down all day. I had to wait 8 hours before I could give him another dose. When he got the 2nd dose the swelling eventually went down and he seemed better.

I noticed that Honey hadn't eaten dinner tonight, and I'm not even sure if he ate breakfast. His face did not look swollen earlier, just now, all of a sudden. I am hoping that he will feel better again soon, but I don't want this to happen again. I don't know what the heck is happening. The only time I've seen this is when my mother's dog got stung by a wasp. It's still very much winter here with another snowstorm coming on Thurs, so no wasps here yet. I thought maybe he got a reaction to a flea bite. He's very sensitive to fleas so I gave him a dose of Advantage last week. I also washed all my bedding--he loves to sleep on my bed. This has never happened to him before last week.

I will watch him over the night and I will call the vet in the am. Does anyone have any advice or insight?
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

I have one small thought.
If Honey could have found a dead bee anywhere in the house, the stinger will still sting. I know because that's the only time I've ever been stung is stepping
on a dead one (and it wasn't freshly dead) . Maybe under a window sill or in a window?

Prayers that the second dose is enough to take the swelling down... and it's just something simple.
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Thanks, Rhiannon. I guess that could be possible. I thought maybe a spider bite, but even if he got bitten or stung, isn't it a coincidence that it happens again a few days later to the same cat? My mind is racing that something serious could be going on.

It's been about two and a half hours after his getting Benadryl. After the initial disgust of the stuff, he got sleepy and then hungry. He got up and ate a little while ago. He's resting now. The swelling looks like it's gone down a little, but I can see he still doesn't look normal. But he seems like he feels better than before.
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

spider is another good possibility. They are always around.... They just winter under the house and in our closets...
It's the twice that makes it more worrisome. But lightning does strike in the same spot.
Hope your vet has some ideas tomorrow.
And if the swelling is going down some, hopefully all will be good until you get there. :YMHUG:
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Update--this morning I gave him another dose of Benadryl but it didn't seem to help. His face looked like it was getting worse. I took him to the vet and she is stumped about what is causing it. She thinks it never really went away, that the steroids he got last week wore off. This time, though, Honey had a fever. They gave him fluids, a longer lasting steroid (depomedrol) and a convenia shot. The plan is to wait and see how he does when the steroid wears off (a couple of weeks). I asked her if there were any tests we could do, but she said no. For now, Honey is doing ok although he still looks funny. I'll post a pic I took of him last night. He is eating and drinking water ok and he is so happy he's home. I brought along his best friend, Ronan, who we found out has hyperthyroidism. He needed a recheck on his thyroid values and they also did a blood pressure check. I thought bringing them together would ease the stress, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Well, at least that got done and they are safe at home. Let's hope Honey is through with allergies.

Here is a pic of Honey last night. The right side of his face is very swollen.
http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc32 ... 987477.jpg
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

well.... at least she didn't say some bad thing...but no answers are not fun.

Will Honey let you do the slow creep investigation over his head?


I had a dog once that was stung by a bee ( but it was one of those killer bees ) between an eye and her ear..... The swelling for that never
went away.... she had a permanent knot for the rest of her life...
of course, you don't have those bees.... but a spider bite could be that bad.

then my current dog started crying when she was a puppy when you touched her ear/head... my vet was stumped and could only guess
a spider bite... thinking it was on the inside of her ear ... the inside of her ear turned red.... and swelled up and she got benadryl until it went away on it's own....about a week.


so I wonder if Honey will let you get a light and look down inside her ear...
unless your vet looked inside her ear.... and then what about her upper tooth on that side? Did the vet look in there, feel up her face..
see if she winced?

I sure hope Honey starts feeling better and the swelling goes down....
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Thought I would throw this out there.........did the vet check his teeth? An abscess will cause awful swelling sometimes. Maybe an upper back tooth?

Hope you find out and Honey does well. :YMHUG:
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Dear Heather,

Debbie just posted exactly what I was going to post.

My Ketchie had that bad abscessed tooth in the upper back on top, and her face was swollen some from that, PLUS she had congestion on that side in her nasal passage, and it was really pretty bad. I even used one of those little baby syringes to suck some phlegm from her nose on the right side, even after she had the tooth pulled, it never did heal up well.

Do you have some Buprenex that you could also give to Honey Squeegee Jr.? I saw his pictures, and he looked similar to Ketchie.

My vet didn't notice the abscess until Ketchie really started not eating, and she finally really looked good and saw the area was all inflamed way up inside. That could be a possibility.

Hope it is something more simple, but what about your laundry detergent and stuff? You didn't change anything did you?

Keep us posted. Sending lots of hugs to your handsome boy! Give me a call sometime if you can.

Hugs,
Jean and Charcoal (GA)
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Some more Honey pix...
Here is a pic of him last fall:
http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc32 ... 9840AE.jpg

A couple of weeks ago...
http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc32 ... 030FBA.jpg

Just now, while he's resting
http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc32 ... 380231.jpg

One more just now...I tried to get a good shot of how misshapen his forehead looks
http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc32 ... 2A3F78.jpg

This is the same pic I posted yesterday, but as you can see he looks very different from the Honey I've always known.
http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc32 ... 987477.jpg
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

I was thinking the same thing about something going on in Honey's mouth.

Sandy
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Thank you everyone for your replies and suggestions. I just posted some comparison pix of him.

When he went to the vet today the tech whisked him away from me in the waiting room, so I was unable to be with him during the exam. Honey just had a dental done, two months ago. His teeth were in good shape and he did not have to have any extractions. He had no lesions, although he did have one when he had a dental in 2011 (but still no extractions). I will ask my vet about the possibility of a mouth problem, but it seems unlikely. Also, would his forehead look weird as well if there was a tooth infection?

I don't think it is a cleaning/detergent allergy. I haven't used anything new lately.

I gave Honey some more Benadryl this evening, three hours ago, but it hasn't brought down the swelling. I'm afraid it will never go down at this point.

Jean, thank you for the idea of the little noses swabs. I have some but forgot about them. He definitely could use a little help. As for the Bupe, no I don't have any. I've seen it mentioned here often but I'm not familiar with it. What is it for?

I wish there was something I could do for him. I feel so helpless. He is truly one of the sweetest cats in the world.
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

well here is one I don't want to say.... and I hope the slight fever rules it out.
My father in law just lost a cat to the C word.... his head started growing a knot.... and it grew quickly and became the size of a golf ball...
I'm praying for it to be teeth instead....

absessed tooth can have a fever ... and if he had a dental a few months ago... that doesn't rule out other teeth issues... those can develop
quickly sometimes.
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Rhiannon, the c word was on my mind. I lost my Seasaidh to it, although I couldn't see his.

I will ask my vet about possible tooth problems. I'll keep you all updated on my sweetheart.
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

There are so many things it COULD be, I'm so sorry you two are having such a hard time. :YMHUG:

Thinking though, if it might be something he is coming in contact with continuously at home, maybe you could talk to your vet about boarding him for a few days and see if it makes a difference. If he started doing better, without any other changes, then you know you would have to look for whatever was causing the reaction. Or if you have a family member or friend that would keep him a few days for you. It doesn't have to be something NEW that he could be reacting to, it could be a product that you have used for years and he has suddenly developed an allergy to.
I found that out the hard way with myself. :-D I developed an allergy to something I had used for years.

Just a thought, I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for you.

I don't know if there are tests for allergies in cats, like the multiple allergen tests they do for humans or not. But if there is, it might pinpoint the allergy and help you to find the item at home.

Wishing you both the best. Please keep us posted with what you find out. :YMHUG:
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

My other thought is could it be an absess from a bite? Like a deep puncture type cat bite or a claw poke from one of the other cats? Maybe he just has a deep pocket of infection in there, that would explain a low grade fever too.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

I just looked over his face and it seems that the swelling on the side(s) is gone, but there is still this puffiness in the spot right above his eyes, in the center; i.e. the lower part of his forehead. He doesn't like me touching it, but that could be because he thinks I might be trying to dump more yucky medicine in his mouth.

Debbie, that is a good idea about separating him away from his environment for a bit.

Mel, Honey is the most loving cat in the world, so it would be weird for him to get a bite wound. Not impossible though, and the thought did cross my mind after Spirit getting a couple in the past (and the last one was awful--he tore open the side of his face before I could get him to the vet).
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

If he's around other cats, do they play? Just playing, they can break the skin slightly with a claw or a tooth and it can abscess. Quite common for it to happen playing with another cat. A couple of mine have had them over the years, both from playing and fighting. It can cause a fever too, since it is an infection. I remember the vet telling me that they usually get them on the face and the butt, when in a fight, real or play, depending on whether they are winning or losing. ;-) Just a tiny scratch can abscess, even when so small you can hardly find it.

I hope it's something that simple, like a bad tooth or a simple abscess from playing around. Will be keeping fingers crossed. :-D
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Dear Heather,

On the picture you posted where you can see the swelling, I also noticed his chin has some redness to it, like chin acne?

Maybe he even scratched himself, and could have an infection from that?

Buprenex, or the nickname "Bupe" is for pain. It is a narcotic, but one of the safest ones to use for cats.

The thing I used for Ketchie for her nasal congestion, was one of those little syringes that have a long soft end on them, and you can try to suction their nose with that type of device, if it is safe for him, or if he needs it.

How old did you say Honey is? He is such a pretty boy. Reminds me of my Woodee.

Hope he will be better tomorrow!
Hugs,
Jean and Charcoal (GA)
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

I was thinking abscess from a scratch too, since you said he had a fever. I hope he is doing better and the swelling has gone away.
There is an allergy test but it is very expensive.
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Thank you all so much for your help. I'm sorry for not posting an update sooner. We just had a Nor'Easter and got two feet of heavy, wet snow with a layer of ice underneath. I had an awful day. My 4WD got stuck, my plowguy got stuck in my driveway (and everyone else's) and Bingley got another mourning dove despite my attempts to save the poor bird.

Honey looks *much* better. I talked to my vet who had been conferring with another vet about Honey, and they both think it's an allergy of some sort. She said she examined him very thoroughly and there were not bite or scratch marks. The swelling was centered on his "M" tabby marking above his eyes on his forehead, so it couldn't have been a tooth related issue.

I recently bought some new Friskies flavors, "Rise 'n Shine" that have egg, cheese, and bacon flavors that he has never had before. I bought both wet and dry versions (I know, I know, but I don't have a diabetic anymore). I kept filling up the bowl with the new dry food and that could explain why the allergic reaction wouldn't go away. He had sampled a little of the canned, but it was mostly this new dry food that he munched on.

The depo shot is a longer lasting steroid, two to six weeks, so we are going to wait and see what happens with Honey. I got rid of this food and won't buy it again.

Rhiannon, those were very kind words. Thank you.

Jean, thank you for all of your help and good thoughts. Honey showed up in my yard nine years ago. The vet said he's at least 12, but he could be older. He recently had a full senior exam with bloodwork and a dental and he got an excellent check up with no problems. He does have chin acne--you are very observant.

Jill, several years ago I had an allergy test done for Seasaidh. He was FIV+ and was always having allergy problems. I don't know why it isn't an option for Honey. If he continues to have this problem after the depo wears off, I will look into getting that test done if possible. Nothing is cheap anymore, but I'm sure I could find a way to afford it.
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I have a heating pad on my bed that Honey had been laying on (with a blanket over the pad). I thought that that may have been a factor to his fever, but the vet didn't seem to think so.
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

I'm glad to hear your vet kept thinking about it.
I hope this is the solution and Honey starts getting back to normal.
Maybe there was one of those new scary additives in the cat food that seems to be a trend these days. If you can't pronounce the word, don't buy it.... :roll: :-D
Scritches to Honey cat_pet_icon



OT:
Here's the latest example for humans. They put it in bread to keep it soft longer. I just discovered it in Sara Lee wheat bread which I won't be buying again.
It's not in the multi-grain version....

Scary Ingredient #8: Azodicarbonamide
A synthetic yellow-orange dough conditioner

Why it's scary: This chemical is used most frequently in the production of industrial foam plastic, and although the FDA has approved its use for food in the States, the United Kingdom has labeled it a potential cause of asthma. In a review of 47 studies on azodicarbonamide, the World Health Organization concluded that it probably does trigger asthmatic symptoms. The WHO concluded, “exposure levels should be reduced as much as possible.” I’ll put it more concisely: Avoid it.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Rhiannon, yuck! It is frightening what is put in foods for humans and pets. One of my cats, Ronan (Honey's best buddy), was just dx'd with CRF so I am planning on doing a major shakedown on what I feed them. My attempts in the past to feed them something better was met with resistance, though.

I'm definitely going to be reading the labels on my food more as well. I heard that artificial sweeteners like Truvia turn into formaldehyde in the body. Not sure how true that is, though, but just the idea of it was too nauseating for me.
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

There is a definite lump shape the size of a large green grape on his M tabby mark. It is closer to his right eye and not exactly in the center. The swelling never really went totally down after the depo shot, but it seems more noticeable to me now. He appears to be feeling ok, but he doesn't like me staring at and messing with his forehead. He's a "shy feral" so this behavior is quite normal and because of this I am not sure if the lump is tender or not.

I'm really hoping that it doesn't bother him and that it is nothing serious. I'm not so sure it's allergy related anymore. His best friend, Ronan, was just dx'd with CRF & hyperthyroidism, so I wouldn't be surprised if Honey's problem is psychosomatic in nature.
 
Re: Civvie with an allergic reaction to something??

Heather & Seasaidh (GA) said:
... I heard that artificial sweeteners like Truvia turn into formaldehyde in the body...
Click to expand...
Truvia is derived from the Stevia plant.

I believe it is aspartame (ex Nutrasweet) which breaks down under heat and may become formaldehyde. I'll need to check when I'm on my PC again.
 
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