My little cat Ruby has had allergy tests and is basically allergic to everything. I found him as a 3 month old starving kitten I'm Aruba and brought him home with me. He's 6 now. Clearly his system was not adapted to live in New England as he's allergic to pine, there's pine tress everywhere all year long, many other local plants and weeds not native to Aruba but common here and timothy. I have 2 horses and timothy is in the hay they eat so I'm sure I bring that home constantly on my shoes and clothes. He's also allergic to flies which he loves to catch and eat all summer when they get I'm through the holes he loves to make in the window screens.
He also tested positive to many of the foods he loves, pork, salmon, many other things but the dermatologist said food allergy tests are completely unreliable and to ignore those tests? So did the regular vet. Why do them so specifically if they're so unreliable? He gets raw skin from scratching and constant overgrooming.
Steroid shots work for a few weeks nut I don't like steroids as they're dangerous so I don't want them used much.
Questions, dermatologist wants him on a restricted diet but he's a very picky eater and is a thin small cat, only 7 pounds.
Anyone have any similar experiences? I only have 2 cats left and they're both thin and inseparable so both would be eating the same thing. Now the 2 of them eat 1 or 2 small cans if Fancy Feast a day (that's all they will eat I know it's not high quality but they refuse everything else and both are on the verge of too skinny) and I put out 1 cup of Iams indoor hairball dry food but it takes them a few days to finish the 1 cup so neither are big eaters. That's the only dry food that doesn't have any of the things that Ruby's allergic to in it. Vet says not good enough. They're both also pretty active, run, play, wrestle so burn off a lot apparently.
He's going to get allergy shots for the environmental allergens. I went to a dermatologist because I wanted the comfort of him getting the shots and being at the vet hospital for the day in case he has a bad reaction or anaphylaxis he'd be in a full hospital and monitored so they could save him better than I could half an hour away from any vet. But now I find out that they order the shots and want me to give them myself at home and watch him for 6 hours. Is this normal or should I go somewhere else? I've lost a lot of pets in the past and this little guy is very attached to me and otherwise young and healthy. I know allergies can be risky and I don't want to take any unnecessary chances.
I'm even afraid to give him his vaccinations while his immune system is so sensitive. The vets always make everyone do the rabies because it's legally required but his skin lesions were so bad and infected every time I brought him in even with repeated antibiotics injections none of the vets has said a word to me about it but said to get his allergies under control first. So I guess he counts as a medical exceprion for now.
To be honest I do believe in vaccines being necessary but know they can cause serious allergic reactions and am petrified to give him any. He's an indoor only cat his whole life. He had them last a year and a half ago so might still have immunity, probably titers make sense.
But my main questions ate about palatable and affordable food and if it's standard to give the allergy shots myself, and how risky is it.
He also tested positive to many of the foods he loves, pork, salmon, many other things but the dermatologist said food allergy tests are completely unreliable and to ignore those tests? So did the regular vet. Why do them so specifically if they're so unreliable? He gets raw skin from scratching and constant overgrooming.
Steroid shots work for a few weeks nut I don't like steroids as they're dangerous so I don't want them used much.
Questions, dermatologist wants him on a restricted diet but he's a very picky eater and is a thin small cat, only 7 pounds.
Anyone have any similar experiences? I only have 2 cats left and they're both thin and inseparable so both would be eating the same thing. Now the 2 of them eat 1 or 2 small cans if Fancy Feast a day (that's all they will eat I know it's not high quality but they refuse everything else and both are on the verge of too skinny) and I put out 1 cup of Iams indoor hairball dry food but it takes them a few days to finish the 1 cup so neither are big eaters. That's the only dry food that doesn't have any of the things that Ruby's allergic to in it. Vet says not good enough. They're both also pretty active, run, play, wrestle so burn off a lot apparently.
He's going to get allergy shots for the environmental allergens. I went to a dermatologist because I wanted the comfort of him getting the shots and being at the vet hospital for the day in case he has a bad reaction or anaphylaxis he'd be in a full hospital and monitored so they could save him better than I could half an hour away from any vet. But now I find out that they order the shots and want me to give them myself at home and watch him for 6 hours. Is this normal or should I go somewhere else? I've lost a lot of pets in the past and this little guy is very attached to me and otherwise young and healthy. I know allergies can be risky and I don't want to take any unnecessary chances.
I'm even afraid to give him his vaccinations while his immune system is so sensitive. The vets always make everyone do the rabies because it's legally required but his skin lesions were so bad and infected every time I brought him in even with repeated antibiotics injections none of the vets has said a word to me about it but said to get his allergies under control first. So I guess he counts as a medical exceprion for now.
To be honest I do believe in vaccines being necessary but know they can cause serious allergic reactions and am petrified to give him any. He's an indoor only cat his whole life. He had them last a year and a half ago so might still have immunity, probably titers make sense.
But my main questions ate about palatable and affordable food and if it's standard to give the allergy shots myself, and how risky is it.