Cat allergy test

shebaa

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I know they do dog allergy test on easy-dna.com. Do vets do them for cats? Has anyone gotten one for their kitty? How much is it? Do I have to go to a special type of vet?
 

FeralHearts

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Yes, allergy tests are available for cats, but, as both of my Vets have told me - they are expensive and often inaccurate. They've let me know straight up that it's a waste of money.

As far as I am aware it would have been the regular vets had I insisted... but as I trust them... I never bothered past a few questions about testing.
 
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shebaa

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Yes, allergy tests are available for cats, but, as both of my Vets have told me - they are expensive and often inaccurate. They've let me know straight up that it's a waste of money.

As far as I am aware it would have been the regular vets had I insisted... but as I trust them... I never bothered past a few questions about testing.
maybe thats why my vet never mentioned it. gone through years trying different things to help but it isnt working. wasted money on expensive food brands that didnt even work.
 

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maybe thats why my vet never mentioned it. gone through years trying different things to help but it isnt working. wasted money on expensive food brands that didnt even work.
Probably. Mine didn't mention it to me either. I asked as I was at my wits end hoping I would find an easy solution. I wouldn't have minded the expense if it would have given a definitive answer.

I assume one of your kitties has an allergy? Do they think food or?
 
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shebaa

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Probably. Mine didn't mention it to me either. I asked as I was at my wits end hoping I would find an easy solution. I wouldn't have minded the expense if it would have given a definitive answer.

I assume one of your kitties has an allergy? Do they think food or?
i think so. i called one place and they charge $150 for consultation and the estimate for the test is $1500. i wonder if all places charge that much. i once watched some animal planet show and one episode show a dog (or cat, i cant remember) getting a allergy test and thought that would be something my kitty will benefit from. its so expensive though
 

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i think so. i called one place and they charge $150 for consultation and the estimate for the test is $1500. i wonder if all places charge that much. i once watched some animal planet show and one episode show a dog (or cat, i cant remember) getting a allergy test and thought that would be something my kitty will benefit from. its so expensive though
And also remember that two stellar Vets I have both said no to bother as it's useless as a test.

So you think kitty has a food allergy? Can you talk a bit more about it?

I have a cat with a food allergy so I've been there - and I am sometimes still there. I understand how frustrating it is. I spent three years trying to get the stubborn boy on a different food so we could test the theory. He did not make it easy on me.
 
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shebaa

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And also remember that two stellar Vets I have both said no to bother as it's useless as a test.

So you think kitty has a food allergy? Can you talk a bit more about it?

I have a cat with a food allergy so I've been there - and I am sometimes still there. I understand how frustrating it is. I spent three years trying to get the stubborn boy on a different food so we could test the theory. He did not make it easy on me.
my cat is 6 years old. been throwing up her whole life, not so much as a kitten but gotten worse for the past 2 years. ive tried z/d food, science diet sensitive stomach, RC fiber response, a slow feeder and now wet food. next on the list that the vet gave me is a hairball remedy. if that dont work then vet said either rc digestive care food or some novel protein diet. sometimes she can go a week without throwing up or she can throw up 3x a week to even 3x a day, like yesterday. threw up a hairball. then after dinner, so she threw up food. then 10 mins later again with a small hairball. so even with 3x yesterday at the end of the day i wasnt concerned since i knew hairballs were the problem. but most times it isnt hairballs. and now i feel shes been scratching more and has a bald spot on her head. she test positive for ear bacteria, which isnt the first time. so now im thinking maybe she really does have a allergy. but at the same time i feel like her condition would be worse if it was an allergy. im so confused :disappointed:
 

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All vets I know--in person in Turkey and online from North America and the UK--say allergy test aren't reliable for cats. They don't even suggest it to their patients.

my cat is 6 years old. been throwing up her whole life, not so much as a kitten but gotten worse for the past 2 years. ive tried z/d food, science diet sensitive stomach, RC fiber response, a slow feeder and now wet food. next on the list that the vet gave me is a hairball remedy. if that dont work then vet said either rc digestive care food or some novel protein diet. sometimes she can go a week without throwing up or she can throw up 3x a week to even 3x a day, like yesterday. threw up a hairball. then after dinner, so she threw up food. then 10 mins later again with a small hairball. so even with 3x yesterday at the end of the day i wasnt concerned since i knew hairballs were the problem. but most times it isnt hairballs. and now i feel shes been scratching more and has a bald spot on her head. she test positive for ear bacteria, which isnt the first time. so now im thinking maybe she really does have a allergy. but at the same time i feel like her condition would be worse if it was an allergy. im so confused :disappointed:
There could be more than one thing going on. My cat is short-haired but even I use malt paste daily especially during the shedding season. Not all hairball remedies are for daily use though - don't forget to check the box for instructions. If your cat has long hair or just an overgroomer, then daily remedy is really needed IMO. I use this one:


Also, cats don't always throw up hair when they have hairballs inside. Mine doesn't even cough.

All the foods listed there are grainy I believe. If she's intolerant to a grain(s) like my cat, even most hypoallergenic foods have grains them. Have you tried a grain-free food?

And small meals throughout the day is much easier on the digestion. Only 2-3 meals a day also leads to some other problems like eating fast, or too much acid in the stomach when they go hours without any food.

Not to say she can't have an allergy too of course - food or environment.
 

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my cat is 6 years old. been throwing up her whole life, not so much as a kitten but gotten worse for the past 2 years. ive tried z/d food, science diet sensitive stomach, RC fiber response, a slow feeder and now wet food. next on the list that the vet gave me is a hairball remedy. if that dont work then vet said either rc digestive care food or some novel protein diet. sometimes she can go a week without throwing up or she can throw up 3x a week to even 3x a day, like yesterday. threw up a hairball. then after dinner, so she threw up food. then 10 mins later again with a small hairball. so even with 3x yesterday at the end of the day i wasnt concerned since i knew hairballs were the problem. but most times it isnt hairballs. and now i feel shes been scratching more and has a bald spot on her head. she test positive for ear bacteria, which isnt the first time. so now im thinking maybe she really does have a allergy. but at the same time i feel like her condition would be worse if it was an allergy. im so confused :disappointed:
I will confess I've not gone through your other threads fully but it is sounding more and more like a food allergy. I don't know what tests, if any, you've done with the Vet but it could be a lot of things.

Like people, cats can be allergic to anything.

Charlie's vet suspected a food allergy and possible IBS/IBD. The only way to confirm IBS/IBD was a biopsy and I'm not putting him through that as he already has a heart condtion. For Charlie, he has intestinal inflammation (ultrasound and x-rays showed that.) If your kitty has allergies or IBS / IBD the good news is that treatment is the same. Heal the tummy and change the food.

He would toss his cookies a couple days a week for two weeks straight and then - be fine. Sometimes he would throw up from eating too fast too. He also had a bald spot on the backs of his legs.

There are some pictures in my first post here:

Charlie: The Food Trial Diaries (ibd / Food Allergy (sensitivity) Or Stress)



what has worked best for you?
Personally, it was a few things. All focused around trying to heal him from whatever was irritating him.

A novel protein diet for over 12 weeks. No treats, no nothing that could have been a trigger. A treat I knew for sure wasn't a trigger I could use, but often best if you have no suspects to avoid anything and everything.

I added bone broth (just bone broth - no garlic, onions or ANYTHING else in it) to his wet food.

He had always been fed several small meals a day, so I didn't need to change that but it is recommended for tummy issues. So 3 - 4 smaller meals a day of wet food. For dry he got a tiny amount at night of Royal Canin Multi-function Urinary + Hydrolyzed Protein. I hate that food but it's about healing him so I've sucked it up.

He barely throw ups now, unless he's eaten to fast, and his skin has healed. It's been about 10 months now. *knock on wood*

At this stage I'm trying to add more variety back into his diet. When you get to that stage, we can talk more. I don't want to overwhelm you.

This was a link someone gave me that I'll try to find about cats and IBS/IBD.

My old vet had Charlie on RC Fiber response at one point. I think it upset his stomach. He is suspected to have a chicken / Turkey allergy and guess what RC Fiber response is? Chicken.

Fell free to ask me anything. I'll help as much as I can.

I'm not a Vet but it sounds like you might be travelling a similar road to what I have.
 
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shebaa

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All vets I know--in person in Turkey and online from North America and the UK--say allergy test aren't reliable for cats. They don't even suggest it to their patients.



There could be more than one thing going on. My cat is short-haired but even I use malt paste daily especially during the shedding season. Not all hairball remedies are for daily use though - don't forget to check the box for instructions. If your cat has long hair or just an overgroomer, then daily remedy is really needed IMO. I use this one:


Also, cats don't always throw up hair when they have hairballs inside. Mine doesn't even cough.

All the foods listed there are grainy I believe. If she's intolerant to a grain(s) like my cat, even most hypoallergenic foods have grains them. Have you tried a grain-free food?

And small meals throughout the day is much easier on the digestion. Only 2-3 meals a day also leads to some other problems like eating fast, or too much acid in the stomach when they go hours without any food.

Not to say she can't have an allergy too of course - food or environment.
i guess i will skip the test and to my own trails and see for myself. i didnt check on the directions before ordering but the hairball paste i bought says use 1-2x a week..oops! and my cat is a medium haired. we'll see if this works first
 
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shebaa

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I will confess I've not gone through your other threads fully but it is sounding more and more like a food allergy. I don't know what tests, if any, you've done with the Vet but it could be a lot of things.

Like people, cats can be allergic to anything.

Charlie's vet suspected a food allergy and possible IBS/IBD. The only way to confirm IBS/IBD was a biopsy and I'm not putting him through that as he already has a heart condtion. For Charlie, he has intestinal inflammation (ultrasound and x-rays showed that.) If your kitty has allergies or IBS / IBD the good news is that treatment is the same. Heal the tummy and change the food.

He would toss his cookies a couple days a week for two weeks straight and then - be fine. Sometimes he would throw up from eating too fast too. He also had a bald spot on the backs of his legs.

There are some pictures in my first post here:

Charlie: The Food Trial Diaries (ibd / Food Allergy (sensitivity) Or Stress)





Personally, it was a few things. All focused around trying to heal him from whatever was irritating him.

A novel protein diet for over 12 weeks. No treats, no nothing that could have been a trigger. A treat I knew for sure wasn't a trigger I could use, but often best if you have no suspects to avoid anything and everything.

I added bone broth (just bone broth - no garlic, onions or ANYTHING else in it) to his wet food.

He had always been fed several small meals a day, so I didn't need to change that but it is recommended for tummy issues. So 3 - 4 smaller meals a day of wet food. For dry he got a tiny amount at night of Royal Canin Multi-function Urinary + Hydrolyzed Protein. I hate that food but it's about healing him so I've sucked it up.

He barely throw ups now, unless he's eaten to fast, and his skin has healed. It's been about 10 months now. *knock on wood*

At this stage I'm trying to add more variety back into his diet. When you get to that stage, we can talk more. I don't want to overwhelm you.

This was a link someone gave me that I'll try to find about cats and IBS/IBD.

My old vet had Charlie on RC Fiber response at one point. I think it upset his stomach. He is suspected to have a chicken / Turkey allergy and guess what RC Fiber response is? Chicken.

Fell free to ask me anything. I'll help as much as I can.

I'm not a Vet but it sounds like you might be travelling a similar road to what I have.
i already feed her 4 meals a day and giving her more wet food for 2 months. so i can rule these out now. she was on z/d food which is for allergies which didnt work but it had chicken. all her foods either had chicken, turkey, salmon, or whitefish. im thinking trying rabbit or duck foods.
Royal Canin Multi-function Urinary + Hydrolyzed Protein has chicken fat in it. or does it have to be the 1st ingredient to have a reaction if the cat is allergic?
 
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shebaa

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All vets I know--in person in Turkey and online from North America and the UK--say allergy test aren't reliable for cats. They don't even suggest it to their patients.



There could be more than one thing going on. My cat is short-haired but even I use malt paste daily especially during the shedding season. Not all hairball remedies are for daily use though - don't forget to check the box for instructions. If your cat has long hair or just an overgroomer, then daily remedy is really needed IMO. I use this one:


Also, cats don't always throw up hair when they have hairballs inside. Mine doesn't even cough.

All the foods listed there are grainy I believe. If she's intolerant to a grain(s) like my cat, even most hypoallergenic foods have grains them. Have you tried a grain-free food?

And small meals throughout the day is much easier on the digestion. Only 2-3 meals a day also leads to some other problems like eating fast, or too much acid in the stomach when they go hours without any food.

Not to say she can't have an allergy too of course - food or environment.
also i dont think she has tried a grain free food. she has been on so many foods i should chart it down by now before i forget what she has tried. right now im looking for a protein she hasnt had before
 

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i already feed her 4 meals a day and giving her more wet food for 2 months. so i can rule these out now. she was on z/d food which is for allergies which didnt work but it had chicken. all her foods either had chicken, turkey, salmon, or whitefish. im thinking trying rabbit or duck foods.
Royal Canin Multi-function Urinary + Hydrolyzed Protein has chicken fat in it. or does it have to be the 1st ingredient to have a reaction if the cat is allergic?
Good you have the more, smaller meals covered. :cool:

Hydrolyzed Protein is safe for cats with allergies. Whatever the portion of the protein in it that the cat reacts to - it has been removed.

So let's say you had a super-duper picky eater; like my Charlie, and let's say they thought he was allergic to chicken and turkey (which actually is the case) I could feed him Hydrolyzed Chicken or Turkey as a food trial for allergies as Hydrolyzed protein is hypoallergenic.

Duck is where Charlie landed as he'd never had that before. I wish he would have liked the rabbit

also i dont think she has tried a grain free food. she has been on so many foods i should chart it down by now before i forget what she has tried. right now im looking for a protein she hasnt had before
Charts are a really good idea to help Monitor what is a trigger and what isn't.

It can be a very challenging road as it takes time. Trial and error.
 

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also i dont think she has tried a grain free food. she has been on so many foods i should chart it down by now before i forget what she has tried. right now im looking for a protein she hasnt had before
I definitely suggest grain-free then. Personally I would make that a priority since sounds like you have already tried different proteins but not "no grain."
 
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shebaa

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when she was on z/d which hydrolyzed chicken, looking back on her chart that i made to track down her vomit, it looks like she did a tad better on that then other food trails. still threw up a lot but if i had to choose which worked better so far it would be the z/d so maybe something similar?
thank you to you both! i will try the hairball paste this month and then go from there. but now i have a better idea what food to try if the paste doesnt work
 

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If you can afford it, Rawz is an excellent brand that has single protein foods without extra problematic ingredients. The trouble could be a grain or a gum (agar agar and carrageenan make my Krista vomit) rather than a protein. This makes food trials so much more difficult. Even a so called Limited Ingredient Diet food like Natural Balance Duck and Peas has peas and carrageenan which may not agree with your cat.

Tiki Cat Raw might also be a good choice as it already has bone broth and comes in a number of single protein formulas without any gums. However the bone in Tiki Cat Raw (and pretty much every other commercial raw) could be problematic if your cat has intestinal inflammation. (An ultrasound would confirm that but a history of regular vomiting would also suggest that.) Stella and Chewy’s Selects and Darwin’s Lamb (only the lamb) are boneless options.
 

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when she was on z/d which hydrolyzed chicken, looking back on her chart that i made to track down her vomit, it looks like she did a tad better on that then other food trails. still threw up a lot but if i had to choose which worked better so far it would be the z/d so maybe something similar?
thank you to you both! i will try the hairball paste this month and then go from there. but now i have a better idea what food to try if the paste doesnt work
I personally like the idea of a novel protein that is also a L.I.D. (Limited ingredient diet) The less stuff going into her system the better. It will be easier to start finding triggers this way. IMHO.

You're welcome. Happy to help in any way I can as I know how "not fun" this road is. it's frustrating.

XO
 
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shebaa

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i am stuck between duck and venison.
Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Green Pea & Venison Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Grain-Free Formula Duck & Potato Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food

also if i switch dry food should switch the wet food too?
 

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I don't like dry food at all for food trials because there are way too many inappropriate ingredients that go into making a shelf-stable dry food. I would look to reduce or eliminate the dry food altogether. You can use timed feeders to help you with daytime and overnight nibbles. If she's already eating wet food, that's half the battle. I would attempt to reduce the dry and replace the calories with wet over a period of a few weeks. That alone may be all that's needed.
 
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