Eosinophilic granuloma complex - Desperate

[Tosca]

Hello,

Is there possibly a new miracle cure for EGC? My cat Misty suffers badly from these. In addition to the rodent ulcers on her lip, she recently had a nasty lesion on her leg (still wearing a cone to stop her from licking). Now she has something on her ear. The cortisone injections help for a short period of time only

I have tried ........ No plastic bowls, a hypoallergenic diet, cyclanvance & cannabis oil.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated. Not sure if anybody has tried a homeopathic approach? It's really hard to give Misty any medication though - the daily cyclavance dose drove us both to despair.

 

[FeebysOwner]

ECG can be the result of an allergy - of most any kind including food or environmental. Cortisone just suppresses the body's reaction to the irritant, so until the source of the allergy is found and removed, it is likely to recur after the cortisone wears off.

How old is Misty and how long has she suffered from bouts of ECG? Were there any changes you can think of that were made shortly before the time she started having ECG events?

How long did you try the hypoallergenic food? Sometimes, it can take weeks and weeks for it to help - if food is the source. And even at that, the food you tried might not be the appropriate one for her.

Otherwise, you have to look at other things, like litter, cleaning products, aerosol sprays used in the house, perfumes, dyes, carpet and furniture that might have been treated with a protectant. If she goes outside, anything out there is another potential source. The list goes on and on, so a careful analysis of any and all changes needs to be made to see if you can narrow down the possible causes.

 

[stephanietx]

Are you feeding her anything with chicken or fish? Those two are common allergies and sensitivities for kitties. Have you tried oral steroids?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I was going to suggest oral steroids as well. They typically work well for EGC, but as noted above, if it's caused from something in your household and that something is still there, it will probably continue . This may require a lot of detective work on your part.

 

[Tosca]

Misty is about 4 years old. She and Daisy, presumed to be her daughter, were found abandoned. After spending some time with a foster mother I adopted them about a year ago. The daughter Daisy also occasionally gets rodent ulcers, but she responds well to the cortisone, and for months she will be just fine.

I did the hypoallergenic diet for 6 weeks, and near the end of that period Misty developed an ulcer, so I gave up on that.

Misty does go outside. She was always rubbing up against fern palms in the garden - after reading that these are fairly toxic to cats, I removed them. This has not helped though.

Is there an antihistamine medication that cats like? Something that I could add to their food?

Or what about an allergy test? Is that useful?

As far as detergents and sprays go, I would not even know where to start And as Misty has had these ulcers since I got her, it is not possible to identify something that has changed.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Antihistamines might be something to try, but I would run it by your vet first. I know some folks use Benadryl, but there may be more appropriate ones. Just ask the vet about trying one on a 'trial' basis to see what happens.

Or, as mentioned above, trying an oral steroid, perhaps also on a trial basis.

You could ask the vet about an allergy test for plants/vegetation/pollens/etc. Probably easier than trying to test for food products, although vet do that as well with some of the most obvious ones (chicken, fish).

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Well, as far as detergents and sprays go, I would try using fragrance free "everything", and homeopathic cleaners like vinegar, baking soda, etc.

Some cats do take antihistamines line Zyrtec or benedryl, but I'm not sure that would help with EGC. Worth a try though, I guess. Your Vet could tell you how much/when.

 

[stephanietx]

We give our asthma kitty plain Claritin (Loratidine, 1/4 to 1/2 10 mg tablet) once a day.

 

[maggie101]

Would an air purifier help?

Air Purifier Recommendations for Litter Room?

 

[LeiLatte]

My cat has this somewhat… and allergies. He just overgrooms himself and irritates the skin. It flares up and gets better and flares up again.

We have done pred daily, now tapered down to 1 every other day. It works and then it doesn’t work. I think I will stop giving that to him and try atopica one time instead because I am concerned about him developing diabetes.

We have also tried allergy testing, allergy shots, allergy oral drops, certirizine, prescription food, air purifiers, paper litter, tiled room. Nothing has definitively helped except a tiled room and paper litter because he gets asthma and wheezing flare ups too once in a while.

He is allergic to certain pollens and plants, certain molds, fleas, dust mites, dog dander and human dander. We haven’t done food testing but the expensive prescription rabbit diet did not help.

 

[Tosca]

Thank you all you BEAUTIFUL cat people for your replies & suggestions.

 

[Tosca]

My cat has this somewhat… and allergies. He just overgrooms himself and irritates the skin. It flares up and gets better and flares up again.

We have done pred daily, now tapered down to 1 every other day. It works and then it doesn’t work. I think I will stop giving that to him and try atopica one time instead because I am concerned about him developing diabetes.

We have also tried allergy testing, allergy shots, allergy oral drops, certirizine, prescription food, air purifiers, paper litter, tiled room. Nothing has definitively helped except a tiled room and paper litter because he gets asthma and wheezing flare ups too once in a while.

He is allergic to certain pollens and plants, certain molds, fleas, dust mites, dog dander and human dander. We haven’t done food testing but the expensive prescription rabbit diet did not help.

Good afternoon, Hope your kitty is doing ok. Thought I would just let you know the outcome with my 2 cats. I managed to find a vet who specializes in skin issues. She prescribed apoquel which I give them daily. I grind up the tablet and mix it with some ostrich mince. Other than that I only feed them the hypoallergenic biscuits. It has been a few months now, and they are both so well. It has been a life saver for me.

 

[LeiLatte]

That’s good you found relief and treatment for your kitties. I will ask my vet about apoquel. His skin issues aren’t as big of a deal as his frequent wheezing so he’s on high dosage steroids right now for that. It is bad for him long term so I don’t know what else to do but it has been the only thing to make him more comfortable. I’ve only heard him wheeze a few times over weeks, versus all throughout the day without the steroids. I just don’t want him to suffer no matter how long he has.