Florida Allergies and Meds

[Annieca2016]

I have two wonderful DSH girlies - Snap is 9 and Pompom is 7. Both have seasonal allergies although Pompom's is worse. With her, she can get gunky eyes and has had at least one eye infection because of it. I currently live in South Carolina where they get bad allergies maybe for two weeks but then either the pollen count is low enough or their body says "Yeah, I can handle this!"

I got a new job in the Tampa area so I'll be moving to Florida after the holidays. Having family that live in Florida and from visiting, I know the pollen and allergy season is basically year round. My poor sister's kitty, Miss G, will lick all the fur off her majestic tum because of allergies. Sister's vet gives her a cortisone shot but warned my sister two things - 1) repeated cortisone shots can cause feline diabetes and 2) there's no medicine that works for Florida allergies other than cortisone.

So naturally, I'm concerned. Both are indoor only but that doesn't stop allergies from happening. I don't want them to suffer either with allergies or potential future diabetes. For those of you that live in year-round allergy season and have kitties suspectable to it, what have you done? (I'll lastly add that of course I'll watch them and ask a vet down there once I get established.)

 

[FeebysOwner]

I guess I would wait until you can establish a vet near your new home and ask them about the idea that nothing else works down here besides cortisone. There are a number of members, maybe some in FL (I don't know for sure), who have treated environmental allergies with antihistamines, or perhaps something like cyclosporine.

It is also possible that the allergens that affect your sister's cat aren't necessarily the same ones that bother your cats and therefore they may be able to be treated differently.