Cat's Reoccurring Skin Problem

[beccakb]

Hi all,

I've been a frequent poster about my Daisy's skin problem for the past several months. We've had some good months of no problems and now we're back to the same problem again.

At this point I'm leaning more towards allergies as the potential trigger, as there are minimal stressors in her environment that would make it a behavioral problem. Also when the open sores she creates after chewing/licking her skin begin to heal, they scab over very easily and have a eczema look to them. The spot usually has very small, red bumps surrounding it as it heals.

We've done two doses of Depo within a 5 month period, alongside Covenia. The first round of Depo was also accompanied by a round of clindamyacin and a ringworm treatment to cover all bases. This brought great success as she was wound free for about 3 months. Then our little problem crept back up in November, where we got another Depo shot in December. It disappeared again and then decided to come right back a few weeks later.

I've tried giving her benadryl when it's really itchy, but that was not successful - I can easily give her liquid medication but pills are a no-go for her. I haven't tried another antihistamine and I might as the vet recommended another one to try, but not feeling hopeful about the pill route.

I've been reading on here about Atopica and am considering bringing this up to the vet. What are the major side effects I should be concerned about if anyone knows or what people have experienced?

Any other remedies or medication options are welcomed! She wears a soft E-collar as her spot is in her armpit and it successfully keeps her from getting to it and she's tolerant of the cone for awhile. But hate having to use it for longer than a few weeks.

Thanks for the help in advance for my sweet Daisy girl!

 

[Silver Crazy]

Is the cat getting enough fats in its food??
Could be a dietary problem and not getting enough fats and oils for the skin.

 

[Pouncecat1]

Try claritin or zyrtec. I had my boy on claritin for years for his allergies. 1/2 tablet a day. He's 10 lbs.

Make sure to treat with flea control- absolutely no fleas are allowed on allergy cats

Try a hydrolyzed diet. Most are soy based. Blue buffalo just came out with one that is fish based.

Wash the effected areas with chlorhexidine to kill bacteria. Leave it on the affected area for 5 minutes and rinse off. If they lick it, it should not cause any harm because it is often found in mouthwash and oral rinses for pets.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Have you asked your Vet if you could give Children's Benedryl or other Children's antihistamines? They usually come in liquid form so you could at least see if that helps.

 

[stephanietx]

If your kitty likes wet food, you can crush 1/2 of a plain Claritin (loratadine) into wet food with a little bit of water added. You could also add fish oil to help with skin issues. We also give our kitties evening primrose oil (liquid, not pill or capsule form) to help with skin conditions. I have been doing the crushed claritin for years and my cats don't even know it's in there. They like the taste of the oils, too.

 

[WMM201]

Chlorpheniramine (sold as Chlortrimeton and Chlor-Tabs at Walmart). They are big tablets, but a cat can have one 4 mg tab twice a day. It works for my cat, but she eventually stopped letting me pill her because it's extremely bitter. I have to give it in a compounded solution now. But it really helps.

 

[beccakb]

Thank you all! Going to try the allergy medications mixed in some wet food and give that a shot. She’s on a hydrolyzed diet per the vet’s recommendation at the moment. We also tried children’s Benadryl awhile ago but she just spit it all out. A picky little girl but I’m determined to get an antihistamine in her system somehow haha.

 

[Khrad]

Thank you all! Going to try the allergy medications mixed in some wet food and give that a shot. She’s on a hydrolyzed diet per the vet’s recommendation at the moment. We also tried children’s Benadryl awhile ago but she just spit it all out. A picky little girl but I’m determined to get an antihistamine in her system somehow haha.

Hi all,

I've been a frequent poster about my Daisy's skin problem for the past several months. We've had some good months of no problems and now we're back to the same problem again.

At this point I'm leaning more towards allergies as the potential trigger, as there are minimal stressors in her environment that would make it a behavioral problem. Also when the open sores she creates after chewing/licking her skin begin to heal, they scab over very easily and have a eczema look to them. The spot usually has very small, red bumps surrounding it as it heals.

We've done two doses of Depo within a 5 month period, alongside Covenia. The first round of Depo was also accompanied by a round of clindamyacin and a ringworm treatment to cover all bases. This brought great success as she was wound free for about 3 months. Then our little problem crept back up in November, where we got another Depo shot in December. It disappeared again and then decided to come right back a few weeks later.

I've tried giving her benadryl when it's really itchy, but that was not successful - I can easily give her liquid medication but pills are a no-go for her. I haven't tried another antihistamine and I might as the vet recommended another one to try, but not feeling hopeful about the pill route.

I've been reading on here about Atopica and am considering bringing this up to the vet. What are the major side effects I should be concerned about if anyone knows or what people have experienced?

Any other remedies or medication options are welcomed! She wears a soft E-collar as her spot is in her armpit and it successfully keeps her from getting to it and she's tolerant of the cone for awhile. But hate having to use it for longer than a few weeks.

Thanks for the help in advance for my sweet Daisy girl!

Hi,

I just saw this. OMG, I'm going through the same thing, vet says food allergies, but nothing has changed in her diet. Another vet said it was stress, but I'm not convinced. Did yours turn out to be seasonal allergies? Please let me know if your issue got resolved as I am going crazy trying to figure out what to do with mine. Thank you!

 

[Khrad]

Hi,

I just saw this. OMG, I'm going through the same thing, vet says food allergies, but nothing has changed in her diet. Another vet said it was stress, but I'm not convinced. Did yours turn out to be seasonal allergies? Please let me know if your issue got resolved as I am going crazy trying to figure out what to do with mine. Thank you!

 

[Khrad]

Below is the thread I posted under Cat Behavior. Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm leaning towards seasonal allergies and/or separation anxiety rather than food allergies. What should I give her? TIA!

Hi all,

I've been dealing with some issues with one of my cats for about a year now and I'm at a point now that I'm even considering re-homing as a last resort. I really need some advice, especially from anyone who has gone through this. The issue is with my female cat who is now grooming to the point of baldness and scabs. So here is the summary of all that has happened so far:

I have two bengals, both my cats are young, female is 4 yrs old, male is 3 yrs old, I've had them since they were 10 weeks old. This all started after I went out of town for some weddings back to back. Up until the weddings, my cats were fed a home cooked diet with Alnutrin Eggshell supplement (Obviously, I did not think this through for when I ever had to go out of town!). Since I needed to go out of town, I needed to find something easier for the pet sitter to feed as well as have something for them in case she was unable to come one of the days. I went with Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Chicken and Rawz can wet food. Everything was fine at least I thought, until the female started urinating outside the litter box and started to lose fur around belly and scabs.

9/2019 - Took her to the vet, found out that she stressed herself so much that she developed struvite crystals which resulted in a UTI. The vet said that the food had nothing to do with her condition and that she is just an overly sensitive cat and me being out of town just put her over the edge. After a bill of $310 for ultrasound, antibiotics, steroid and ointment, she recovered but has not been the same.

4/2020 - The fur loss and scabs reappeared again. This is probably due to the change of everyone being home due to Covid? Took her to vet, was given antibiotics and steroid and charged $110.

6/2020 - Took cat to different vet as the fur loss and scabs did not seem to disappear. Was told the same that she is stressed, was given antibiotics, Gabapentin (kitty Prozac) for as needed and different ointment. Was charged $100 for an exam, ointment and meds. Antibiotics and ointment helped clear scabs, but not completely.

9/2020 - Took cat back for recheck, this time after charging me $80 for meds and ointment, the vet said to put her on Gabapentin (kitty Prozac) regularly as her condition is due to stress.

10/2020 - I wanted a second opinion before putting her on Gabapentin (kitty Prozac), so went to different vet, who after charging me $300 for a fungal culture, skin cytology (stain), antibiotics and steroids, she said that it's allergies and wants her on a hypo allergenic diet and suggested Royal Canin. After looking at the labels for Royal Canin, I'm wondering if this vet has any idea what she is talking about regarding nutrition!

My cats are and have been on 20% - Primal freeze dried rabbit & venison, 20% - Rawz can wet food (shredded variety chicken & duck) and 60% home cooked organic chicken, beef, turkey with Alnutrin Eggshell. Primal & Rawz are two of the most cleanest labels I could find.

If my cat has allergies to food then I don't even know where to begin to eliminate. The only issue I can see is maybe the home cooked beef?

Please advise as I'm having a very hard time with this as she is my baby and I only want what is best for her. She has become a very anxious cat. This has also effected her relationship with the male cat who is very playful, but now she doesn't want to play with him. And now they are getting into fights regularly and she is starting to spray during fights. And when they are not fighting, then she is growling/hissing at him as soon as he is within her view. I'm afraid that this is going to start effecting him health wise.

I am currently unemployed and can not afford to have a major issue with either of the cats. I've already spent enough money with no solid solution. I'm trying to see if there is a decent holistic vet in my area, maybe they might be able to shed some light on this. I don't know how much more I can do this, my house smells like cat piss, I have to constantly keep the cats separated due to all the fighting and more piss! Please HELP!!!