Need help with cat who has food allergy and itchy ears...

[purplnurpl]

sorry, it’s a thread about my itchy cat who’s ears suddenly drooped.
rah rah rah! :lol:

So I have this awesome exotic cat–he’s a 5 year old.
He’s a throw back and was the runt. He’s weird (in a good way) and has issues.

He has chronic ear infections. If I don’t treat his ears once or twice a week he gets gross.
I know that he has some sort of food allergy and he is currently on Science Diet grain free.

quick background:
2 years ago his ears fell. They droop now like a scottish fold. He has no droopy ears in his lineage.
His ears fell when he was a 2 year old when I switched from Iams to Blue. After a few months I figured out Blue was the devil and I switched him to Science Diet Grain Free and his ears stood back up…the food choice was just luck of the draw.

My parents then bought a Maine Coon and during the day my cat would visit and eat the Maine Coon Royal Canin (not grain free) food and he started having major ear issues and his ears fell again, he also became very skinny. Took a full month to clear up his ears.
That’s when I made the food correlation to ear infections.
Back to Science Diet only and he plumped up FAST.

Currently his ears are clear 90% of the time but he still itches the crap out of them. I know this because he has a LARGE bald sections around both ears.
I do wonder if he itches them partly due to the cartilage droop…

He’s been to the vet for his ear infections. He has NOT been to an allergist. Vets really don’t have much to say about the droop.

What would you do next?
Try over the counter benedryl?

Pics on his page of pre droopy ears:

J.T. KIRK

ears today:

He’s currently being treated so he’s greasy…

[LexInVA]

Jingles for JT!

[wendy]

I’d put the poor cat on a GOOD grain-free food. If he improved on a low-quality potato and pea based food, guess what, he’ll probably improve even more if you put him on a meat-based grain-free food. He seems ok with the tiny amount of chicken in the food you’re feeding, so look for a canned grain-free chicken-based diet.

[Coanteen]

[QUOTE=wendy;7939279]
I’d put the poor cat on a GOOD grain-free food. If he improved on a low-quality potato and pea based food, guess what, he’ll probably improve even more if you put him on a meat-based grain-free food. He seems ok with the tiny amount of chicken in the food you’re feeding, so look for a canned grain-free chicken-based diet.[/QUOTE]

I’d try that too.
Blue is pretty good, but he might have reacted to cranberries, or yucca extract, or who knows what. Didn’t work for him, at any rate. I’d keep him on the current food it there were no issues, but since there are, I’d keep searching.

[Simkie]

I third the food suggestion. Check out By Nature 98% meat cans or Wild Calling.

Might also want to check him for ear mites.

He’s a very neat looking kitty!

[_Teddy]

Get him checked for mast cell tumours in the ear canal, totally treatable in cats. They release histamine so ictchy!
Mine is managed on daily prednasone and baby benedryl on flare ups(best water it down cause you get a foamy reaction to the flavour)

Sorry for spelling, migraine brain

[Bristol_Bay]

I asked the mods to move this to the menagerie forum so I don’t have to look at the title.:disgust:

[purplnurpl]

[QUOTE=Bristol Bay;7939494]
I asked the mods to move this to the menagerie forum so I don’t have to look at the title.:disgust:[/QUOTE]

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[purplnurpl]

I thought Science Diet was a good feed?

Blue is a very very bad feed. I have a few friends who are vets and they HATE Blue.

They have all told me that Hills (Science Diet) is very good. As is Royal Canin–though that one def gave him issue.

[starhorse]

[QUOTE=purplnurpl;7939768]
I thought Science Diet was a good feed?

Blue is a very very bad feed. I have a few friends who are vets and they HATE Blue.

They have all told me that Hills (Science Diet) is very good. As is Royal Canin–though that one def gave him issue.[/QUOTE]

Science Diet is not good food. I worked at a pet store in high school (super high end, carried ridiculously good/expensive food). Haven’t worked there in about 6 years, but when I did, Science Diet was made with terrible ingredients - the bag’s label included corn and peanut hulls, to name a few.

Not sure if it’s still the case, but for a while, Hills was sponsoring a lot of the nutritional seminars for vet students. Vets also sell the Hills prescription food, so it’s in their best interest to say it’s good food and sell it through their practice.

[Coanteen]

[QUOTE=purplnurpl;7939768]
I thought Science Diet was a good feed?

Blue is a very very bad feed. I have a few friends who are vets and they HATE Blue.

They have all told me that Hills (Science Diet) is very good. As is Royal Canin–though that one def gave him issue.[/QUOTE]

Have they told you what’s bad about it? Which ingredients they have an issue with? They’re your friends, you should be able to find out. When I call up the ingredients for Blue’s grain free indoor cat food, and Science Diet’s grain free cat food, there’s not actually much difference (your cat’s fine with cranberries apparently, both have them). Both have potato, starch (cassava and potato respectively), pea protein, flaxseed, tocopherols, bunch of minerals and vitamins.

Both Hills (Science Diet) and Royal Canin are major sponsors of veterinary conferences, congresses, and nutritional information teaching. Sooooo…

[Simkie]

Science Diet is trash, especially for a cat.

Cats are obligate carnivores. They need to be eating meat. And, really, ONLY meat.

Great place to start:

www.catinfo.org

[Pancakes]

Has your cat ever been treated with topical medication while it was having flare-ups of infection? And did that medication include a steroid (something ending in “-one”)?

Drooping ear tips is usually due to topical or systemic steroids, or catabolic disease (diabetes, Cushing’s, wasting). It can be idiopathic, traumatic, or due to vasculitis and/or collagen disorders.

While it is very likely your cat has allergies related to food, the ear droop is probably a direct result of the medication used to treat it. Steroids make the cartilage softer.
If not, then it is probably related to a metabolic issue. Least likely is a direct result of inflammation.

If you haven’t tried a hypoallergenic diet yet, you should. At the very least, try your cat on a novel protein diet – one containing a primary protein source that is new and different than one you’ve ever fed before. They make rabbit, kangaroo, or duck-based diets for cats with allergies. Carbohydrate sources are less likely to cause an issue than proteins, but selecting a new source is important. If you don’t feel comfortable asking your vet, do seek out a veterinary dermatologist for help.
Search for a dermatologist in your area: https://www.acvd.org/tools/locator/locator.asp?id=16

Some other reading:
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/health_resources/foodallergies.cfm
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=652

[Jhein12]

I would either try a premade raw food, like Stella & Chewy’s or Nature’s Variety Instinct (pick one without chicken and potatoes) or a limited ingredient wet food like Nature’s Variety Instinct LID. If you can find a vet dermatologist or a holistic vet in your area they might be able to help more than your standard vet.

[Simkie]

I’d really like to like NV Instinct, but it just has So. Much. other stuff in it. Even the raw. Apples, butternut squash, broccoli? In a cat food??? WHY? :no:

Tough to sign on for that, especially for an allergy cat, especially for the cost.

[jen-s]

I’ll second the novel protein idea!

[Milocalwinnings]

Of course the vets are going to suggest Science Diet…They are major sponsors for a lot of vets and in turn vets push their product on anyone who walks through the door. It’s crap. Blue is a better feed than Science Diet. Do some research online looking up grain free foods as well as what ingredients to stay away from.

[Chall]

[QUOTE=Simkie;7939938]
I’d really like to like NV Instinct, but it just has So. Much. other stuff in it. Even the raw. Apples, butternut squash, broccoli? In a cat food??? WHY? :no:

Tough to sign on for that, especially for an allergy cat, especially for the cost.[/QUOTE]

I had a cat that would knock me over for butternut squash, broccoli or tomato soup. But only organic . Actually heard of more than one cat who liked cooked broccoli.

[Mosey_2003]

[QUOTE=Simkie;7939938]
I’d really like to like NV Instinct, but it just has So. Much. other stuff in it. Even the raw. Apples, butternut squash, broccoli? In a cat food??? WHY? :no:

Tough to sign on for that, especially for an allergy cat, especially for the cost.[/QUOTE]

I really wanted to like their LID and my dog flat-out refused to eat it. At all. Just absolutely would NOT. Scarfs down Orijen fine though. Weird…

[Simkie]

[QUOTE=Chall;7940337]
I had a cat that would knock me over for butternut squash, broccoli or tomato soup. But only organic . Actually heard of more than one cat who liked cooked broccoli.[/QUOTE]

And I might knock you down for some Chick-Fil-A, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for me :lol: (Mmmm…chicken strips and cross cut french fries…)

I approve of your cat’s organic requirement :yes: