Sores caused by food allergy in cats - advice please :)

[ChasseurSauteur]

Hi guys!

We adopted a precious 8-year-old cat from our local humane society about six months ago. Suffice it to say he is the most adorable thing that ever lived and has fully converted me from a total non-cat person to a crazy cat lady.

About 6 weeks ago developed an open sore on the back of his neck from scratching himself. A quick google suggested this was probably a consequence of itchiness due to a food allergy (as novice cat owners, we were probably feeding him more fish and turkey than was good for him.) We took him to the vet who suggested it was eosinophilic plaque due to allergies, and prescribed a topical cream, steroid pills, and a diet change. He was put on on hypoallergenic dry food and Natural Balance venison canned food. The sore closed within a few days of being on the meds/cream.

Fast forward to this past weekend – I noticed he had scratched himself on the same spot and given himself a new (smaller) sore. We’ve been applying the topical cream a few times a day but he is obviously still itchy and tends to scratch and re-irritate it while we’re away at work. We will likely be taking him back to the vet tonight or tomorrow, but I’m curious – have any of you cat people encountered this before?

We’ve now switched him entirely to both wet and dry hypoallergenic food, but I don’t know if that’s going to be sufficient to stop the itching. I’m afraid that the vet is going to prescribe a steroid injection; having him on the steroid pills was very hard on him, however (think breathing difficulties and extreme lethargy) so I’m dreading that suggestion.

Any advice for a kitty helicopter parent?!

[beowulf]

Well, beyond the “contact your vet” spiel…

We have a kitty that has a similar condition. She would have occasional flares, but not frequent enough where it was a pattern - it only happened a few times in the five years we owned her and never lasted long… But then this winter she flared full force, scratched herself raw under her chin, cheek, and back of her neck…

Here’s the thread on it:
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?483677-cat-chronic-itchiness-and-skin-dermatitis-(solved-post-8)

It resolved once we switched her food to a food that did not have any fish or chicken in it…

But then my SO was eating sardines last week and fed her some… and now she’s itchy again… :mad:

[OTTBMareScare]

I am the proud parent of a pretty much lifetime allergy feline. Over the years, we have had to go through almost all single-protein source foods, finally landing upon the current, lamb. She is allergy to all poultry, most fish, beef, venison, grains, by-products, and I keep her away from plastic in the house because she likes to lick it and that causes flareups too. My understanding is, they can develop an allergy to a protein that previously worked for them. I think we are still ok with salmon and rabbit. I have also tried a purely raw (like, meat from a butcher and mix in all the supplements…not fun or ideal.)

My cat did the steroids early on. Not ideal long term as it can cause diabetes and other things. She then was on Atopica for years. Once she tolerated pilling, it did help until she developed growths on her tongue from the meds as a side effect, which had to be surgically removed. $$$$$

Stress causes flare ups. It just does.

I am now to the point that I have her off her thyroid meds totally, off the atopica, and on a STRICT regimen of food and supplements to boost her immune system and allergy support. After several months of this, her hair has grown back, she has gained weight, and looks better than she has in years. It is not cheap, but it has worked for her.

I should add, the original diagnosis when she was about 2 (she is 11 now) was Rodent Ulcers/eociniphilic granulomas - her mouth/lips developed these horrible sores and she got them on her feet too. More recently the symptoms were hair and weight loss, itching constantly, and little sores on her belly. All controlled now.

Honestly, I have always had “special diet needs” pets so I have researched this stuff a LOT…I also have a Shiba Inu who eats very specifically.

If you want more info, lemme know!

[SmartAlex]

Advice: spend the $$ on allergy tests and save yourself months of trial and error.

My cat used to groom all the hair off her front legs and belly. She also gave herself acne. Vet #1 was sure she was allergic to fleas but never found a solitary one on her. Turns out she’s allergic to chicken (try finding a cat food not based on chicken!) and about every other thing under the sun.

Treatment protocol: Advantage flea gook, bath every other week, cortisone shots about twice a year, and pork based food.

She’s much less allergic these days and can no longer handle the cortisone anyway. Does fine on daily Zyrtec and controlled diet.

[ChasseurSauteur]

Thanks everyone! Took the little guy to the vet last night, she prescribed two weeks Keflex (systemic antibiotic) to take care of any bacterial component and told us to just keep him on the hypoallergenic food for a couple more months before making any changes.

Unfortunately she also discovered he has a gallop rhythm in his heart - which was not present at his wellness exam in November - so we may be off to the cat cardiologist. So I’ll add that potentially mega vet bill to the growing stack that my horse has accumulated this month