7 year old Bengal licking her skin raw?

[lostsymphonies]

Hi all,

I was hoping for some insight regarding my 7yo Bengal that consistently licks herself raw. She has been doing it ever since I adopted her, and the breeder I adopted her from said she never did that. I have taken her to two different vets, one said that it could just be boredom (which I'm ruling that out since I now have spent 24hrs a day with her due to working from home because of COVID), and the other said it may be feline eosinohilic granuloma complex - which has no cure. About every 6months, she gets a Depo-Medrol shot which seems to have a positive effect for a few months, then the licking starts up again. She has been through tons of sweaters - she just eventually chews through them and since the spots are so spread - no sweater can contain all of them. I have also shampooed her with vet prescribed shampoo for itchy/dry skin.

The breeder told me that she would only feed her raw meats - but the vet advised me against doing this. The breeder recommended me wet/dry food from Natures Abundance. About a year into it, I switched from their wet food to Blue Buffalo Chicken, since the only protein it contained was chicken. The breeder had stated that she was fed raw chicken before so I figured the chicken wet food was a good start since the other wet food had chicken/turkey/shrimp/fish oil. She is still on the same dry food, and I'm now considering switching that to a limited ingredients protein source she has never had before, such as duck or turkey.

I have plans to visit a board certified veterinary dermatologist. The only one around here is only taking "televisits from previously seen" animals.

Does this behavior sound like an allergic type reaction? I know for a fact that these spots she licks are itchy, because if i scratch them for her she loves it. Are there any tests that can be done besides a food trial to help determine if this truly is an allergic reaction?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lutece]

I've seen some cats improve on a novel protein limited ingredient diet. It's worth a try.

 

[LTS3]

It's ok to disagree with the vet about food It's YOUR cat after all, not the vet's cat.Food is one of those things you can with the vet about.

I've heard that food allergy testing isn't always accurate or helpful.

I'd eliminate chicken from the diet for now. Chicken is a common culprit of food sensitivities in cats. A food trial usually needs at least 13 weeks or so for any improvement. As said, a novel protein LID type diet would be best to feed. Rabbit is a common novel protein available. Here are some brands:

BLUE Basics® Limited Ingredient Cat Food | Blue Buffalo
Limited Ingredient Diet - Grain Free Cat | Merrick Pet Care
Cat Food - Limited Ingredient Diet - Kohapet
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet | Instinct Pet Food
RAWZ | 100% Rendered Free Cat Food
NutriSource Pet Foods

You can start a raw diet again if you wish. There are commercially available brands. You could also make raw food yourself. There is a forum here on TCS where you can get more info: Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food

 

[goingpostal]

If she didn't do this on a raw diet why not switch her back? I'd likely skip the chicken at this point also since it's been her main diet and try her on a duck or rabbit based limited raw. I'd consider a canned LID also but I'd steer clear of any dry, it's not great for cats under the best of circumstances.

 

[lostsymphonies]

If she didn't do this on a raw diet why not switch her back? I'd likely skip the chicken at this point also since it's been her main diet and try her on a duck or rabbit based limited raw. I'd consider a canned LID also but I'd steer clear of any dry, it's not great for cats under the best of circumstances.

Thanks for your input. I'll be honest, this is the first time I'm hearing to steer clear of any dry food whatsoever. Are you recommending that I just feed her LID canned food, and nothing else?

 

[LTS3]

Yes only canned food. Dry foods are often full of fillers that can cause skin issues, even LID ones. Dry food isn't necessary to feed any cat. It's a convenience item for people since it's easy to store and feed with minimal odor.

 

[goingpostal]

Yes. as stated dry food tends to be mostly carbs and the lack of moisture can be a real issue for cats as they age. You need this cat to be as healthy as possible. Dry food also contains kibble mites that many allergy pets react to. I had a cat with that forever had gastro issues on dry, canned really helped me narrow down what she could and couldn't have and her overall health improved greatly. I also have a dog with severe allergies that aren't gone but are a fraction of what they were before I took him off kibble. You have to be able to narrow the ingredients big time to figure out what she can eat without issue.