Feline Dermatitis

[kuri]

So I made a post recently trying to figure out what was wrong with my cat. I eventually took him to the vet and was told he has Feline Dermatitis. So the vet gave him two shots, one was supposed to stop the itching and another was an antibiotic. He told me to think of something that changed in my house that my cat could be allergic to, the thing is there is nothing that has changed. His food is the same, litter, everything.

A few weeks before, he did get into a bad fight and I had him treated for it. All seemed to heal well except I realized he had a weird texture to his fur in one spot. Once I checked, there was a huge bald spot and some blood where he had scratched himself so much it caused scabbing and bleeding.

Well, it's been a week on his meds and he was having bad diarrhea. The vet gave us new antibiotics to try, but he is still itching his neck area like crazy.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be causing this? And any tips on how to relieve the itching? Thanks in advance.

 

[huxleysmom]

Sorry to hear your little guy. If nothing has changed in your house (no new litter, no new detergent or cleaning products....) then it could either be seasonal or food allergies. Depending one where you live, fall allergies can be pretty bad especially with leaves mold and such. What food has he been eating? If he has been eating the same protein like chicken for years, there is a chance he has become allergic to it. The best way to deal with this is to identify the allergen by doing an elimination diet and start by feeding him a completely different protein. For example, if he’s been eating chicken, avoid all poultry for now and try rabbit or pork for example. Let him eat this for at least 6-8 weeks. If the symptoms dissapear, you found your culprit. Also check if the food he is currently on has soy, fish or peas. Those are commin allergens. I hope you figure this out quickly!

 

[carebare]

My cat had bad diarrhea, some weight loss, then conjuntivitis, and then miliary dermatitis. I beleive it's an allergy (possibly food and fleas, or maybe litter) alongside stress. I stopped feeding him anything fish and used Revolution, and the diarrhea stopped. The conjunctivitis finally cleared, but he still has a skin rash.

I saw vets several times, and they ran tests (not for allergies) where he came out fine, so those were a big waste of money. Two vets brought up allergy but did not give him anything for the itching unfortunately. I wish I can go back and ask for an anti-itch shot as his self-trauma was bad. The last three vets all said the colititis and skin condition were completely separate conditions, but it seems odd that a cat progressively comes down with all three issues.

Right now I am just worried about how long it takes to clear up. None of the vets seemed knowledegable about the miliary dermatitis. It was bumps at first, then turned into pustules and leaky scabs, and in hindsight I think if someone had been more pro-active (including myself) his rash wouldn't have turned so horrible :-(

 

[kuri]

I think it is actually his food that was causing the problem but now his mouth on the right side is swollen at the gums...ugh it never ends.