Seeking Advice Once Declawing

Not sure if this is the right forum, feel free to move the post.

My cat has an itch problem for about 3 years now or so. The vet thinks it's allergies because it get's better when she has a cortisone shot, but I can't keep her on cortisone all the time due to all the side effects. The itching seems to be centered around the eyes and ears. I had her with a different vet too, they took skin samples from the eayr, checked for parasites, bacterias and fungus, all came back negative.

I give her zyrtec now and I think it's better, it may be wrong and that just other conditions changed, she had an ear infection at one time that was treated and maybe that caused bat scratching aund now its jsut naturally better, I just dont know, but I keep giving her the zyrtec.

The main problem is that from time toi time she hurts her eyes with the scratching. I had her treated for eye wounds like 3 or 4 times now, just now shes back on antibiotic eyedrops for the same reason again. I tried to remove the cone around her head and she immediately went back to scratching her eye with the hindleg which hurt her again of course.

I don't know anything to do about the itching anymore, most of the time it is not too bad but sometimes this happens. So my last idea is to have her declawed so at least she can not hurt her eye anymore when she scratches.

Now, I am NOT looking for religious or political advise here, I am fully aware of the peta and other sites who equal people who declaw their cats with concentration camp guards. I am looking for pragmatic advice.

- How do I find a good doctor that has experience with it

- How much will it cost

- What should I observe when I do it? Special Pet litter? Other things?

- Any other advice on the itching problem is also much appreciated.

Right now I really don't know what to do. She is about 8 years now and I am either looking at a lifetime of cortisone shots which will damage her health undoubtedly or let her scratch her eyes and wound them every few month risking that there is a much worse wound or infection which may blind her some day, so declawing seems to be my only way of easing the situation at least somewhat

Thanks

You can probably use those little claw caps on her hind claws.  You clip the claws and apply the nail covers with glue.  Also, if her claws are clipped short, they may not do so much damage and you may not even need the nail caps.  As for continuing cortisone shots, unlike people and dogs, cats have a good tolerance for cortisone and can be on it for years.  I have a 16-year-old who has been on it for years because of stomatitis and she's healthy otherwise.  I have another one slightly younger who also has been on it for stomatitis and his stomatitis has greatly decreased, less flare ups, so instead of getting cortisone once a month, he gets it about once every three months now.  He gets very stressed by vet trips and car rides so I get the cortisone in a syringe from the vet and give it myself.  I would suggest trying to avoid declawing her as that will add to her stress.  You might try one of the natural calming remedies like Jackson Galaxys Herbal Essence called Stress Stopper. 

i would consult a cat vet: http://www.catvets.com/  and also an allergy/dermatology specialist vet: http://www.acvd.org/tools/locator/locator.asp?id=16

Have you tried trimming her claws? Sigh...I declawed my cat--I could not move into my place without doing this. Or so I thought.

There are alternatives. Claw covers, trimming, and even different things like tendon release, which means the toe bones aren't removed. It means the cats nails are still there they just can't use them. The nails have to be kept trimmed.

Sometimes nails come back after surgery. My cat really took awhile to recover. The anesthesia caused problems. Please discuss this with a vet. Prices will vary.

Declawing is WRONG. Period. There are so many other options

http://cats.about.com/cs/declawing/a/declawing.htm

Could it be an allergy to the food?  What are you feeding your cat? Certain ingredients can cause itching in sensitive cats. Pet food companies often change the formulation and may not note the change on the label. You could try a limited ingredient diet for awhile to see if that helps. I also agree with seeing a veterinary dermatologist for further testing and treatment.

I was thinking along the same lines with the food. I know the gut instinct for a lot of us is to jump in and yell don't do it, so in your search to find a good vet who may be able to do it for you, I would suggest finding one that can help you explore more options. Skin problems can very well be a reaction to food. If you can get a second opinion, having a fresh pair of eyes may yield better results for other potential options.

I also think that it may be food. Allergy, not enough fat, or dehydration....

Have you tried fish oil?

The problem is if you do declaw her she can't scratch her itch and she will find other ways to mutilate herself trying to scratch the itch, carpets, corners of walls, wood chairs corner, metal corners and she may end up poking her eye out anyway. Have you considered claw caps? have you tried filing down the claws so there is no sharp point? With regard to the specialists most towns have one vet that specializes in allergies. The office visit is usually higher, in my town its $85 but it's worth the money. It could be anything from her food, to the detergent you use, or even a flea allergy from a couple bites. A specialist can tell you what it is maybe just by looking at the skin. Your own vet can tell you where the nearest specialist is. If not the Internet is a good place too.

Sorry for the repeat of everyone's comments I didn't refresh the screen before I started typing!!!!

Yes I thought about food allergy as well. I tried to get her on allergy food twice, once on Science Diet and once on Royal Canine. She hated science diet and developed constipation after a few weeks, Royal Canine was better at least she ate some but also developed constipation. I had to go to the vet and he poked her butt after which it came out, but then she started to be constipated again so I gave up. The problem with the food is that she wont eat wet food. I tried to soften the bits, ground them down and mixed them with water, add pumpkin, everything but it just wouldnt help, she ate too little and got constipated, only her regular food keeps her eating and keeps her bowel movement going.

I am not so sure about that allergy thing. I dont think a dermatologist will do much good. I was at one some years ago for a weird patch she had and ended paying 500$ for a "well, we don't really know what it is" and then my regular vet removed it and send it to a lab and got back it was a bacterial infection, so I don't really trust the company that's here in my area and does this sort of thing. And the itching is really centered around the eye and ear and I understand that allergy would make her itch everywhere.

Fish oil, yes I have that here, gave it to her for a while, then stopped because of all the other stuff going on and I didnt want to torture her more, I didn't see an effect either, but I may start it again.

The cortisone shots my vet gave her lasted for about 2-3 weeks. Which makes me wonder if there isn't a longer lasting one. When I was a child I was treated for hayfever by my doc and got a corstisone shot once a year during the allergy season and I was fine all year long, so I always wondered why it only lats a few weeks for cats.

PLEASE do not declaw your cat. Information about the horrors of declawing is everywhere and I won't get into that but please do some research before you even think about doing it. In most countries it  is considered mutilation and is illegal. Most vets in the US will no longer do it, if you wonder why please do your research. My best friend declawed a cat 16 years ago when it was a more' popular' thing to do. Her vet actually had suggested it and all these years later my friend still cries sometimes because she did it, it was wrong and she can't take it back.

Could be dry skin. I get eczema during cold months and it's just around my neck and shoulders. If you are feeding only dry, she may be dehydrated. Does she like chicken stock (with no additives but just chicken and low sodium)? 

Please do some serious research on food and allergies.  And when you do your research remember rule #1: consider the source.  A lot of information is put out there by pet food companies who really only want to sell their product.

Consider a switch from dry to a high protein grain free wet food. You might be surprised at the difference in skin and coat.  Also, an occasional egg yolk is great for skin and coat.

There are several good suggestions here for keeping the nails trim and blunted or capped. 

Your cat needs her back claws, they are more than just scratchers, they are functional to the operation of her back legs.  Please don't give up.

Alas she doesn't take anything but dry food, I even tried cooking chicken etc. I had some success recently with a particular brand of wet food and their tuna flavor, I don't remember the name but it was one that did not contain chicken byproduct, which is why I bought it. She drinks a lot though, usually empties her water bowl in one or two days, so I don't believe its dehydration. The other vet gave me cortisone pills to be used after the injection wears off, I might try that, especially at present with the current situation. It may help her get through this wound phase with less itching. I try the egg thing, I never heard of that before, but it's worth a try.

My cats fur gets nice just giving him Hartz hairball goop a couple times a week. It's mostly fish oil and he LOVES the taste.

Has her thyroid been checked? Liver enzymes?

I also think you should look into a food allergy. My cat for 3 years did fine eating any kind of wet food I fed her and then suddenly she started itching and digging at her eye and face. It was always the same eye and the same side of her face she would dig and scratch at, never anywhere else. Vet said it was allergies to food. It took a long time to figure out but it ended up being canned food that had fish of any kind in it. I now have to read the ingredients of canned food because it can say chicken or turkey but somewhere in there can be fish in that food. She is also allergic to peas in canned food.

Playerdark said:

 
The cortisone shots my vet gave her lasted for about 2-3 weeks. Which makes me wonder if there isn't a longer lasting one. When I was a child I was treated for hayfever by my doc and got a corstisone shot once a year during the allergy season and I was fine all year long, so I always wondered why it only lats a few weeks for cats.

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Cortisone shots should never be given over an extended period of time. They are meant to be a temporary relief to speed up healing, not to treat a long term condition. The cortisone shots can actually cause more irritation after it wears off.

 My kitty Maia has been diagnosed 3 times having bacterial skin infection. This is diagnosed simply with a skin scraping.  I keep her in a clean environment, litter cleaned, food and water dishes cleaned daily.

    Do you have any pictures of your kitties break out?

    I really hope it isn't but another possibility  is viral.