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- Aug 16, 2012
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My 8 year old BSH has been shaking her head for a couple of months now. Some scratching, not much. She seems especially sensitive in her right ear. She has been checked for infection and mites. She had a mild outer ear infection and was treated with antibiotics (that she hated!). No change in the behavior, but all signs of infection are gone. The vet then put her on a steroid liquid, but the head shaking continues. The vet recommends changing diet to a safer allergy food (not sure which one yet). She said that the next step was an animal dermatologist, but any dermatologist would ask if she had been put on a food allergy diet, so we should start with that. I'm reluctant to change her diet that radically without any better sense of what's going on, but we have to do something. I notice several people have mentioned chicken as a possible problem. Maybe we should eliminate the chicken she eats, but wouldn't a medically approved allergy diet be better?Hello guys
My male 1.5 yo scottish cat Adam started shaking his head and scratching his ears (above/behind his ears, almost on the head) 5-10 times a day.
Nothing alarming, I know, but it was kind of sudden and it's been lasting for 2 months also.
When it started, I gave him Revolution thinking of mites (even tho his ears are fairly clean....just some wax here and there).
It didn't stop.
Then I thought of dry air in my apartment, AC always on. I added a humidifier.
Still on.
Thought of dry skin or too much brushing from myself (he is long hair). So I stopped brushing him and I simply wash him once a week with a soothing, oatmeal dry shampoo and shed him once.
Still scratching.
I was giving him some Tryptophan to keep him calmer. I stopped 10 days ago thinking it could be the reason.
No change.
WHAT IS LEFT ?
- Sudden food allergy ? I feed him a mix of Buffalo Basics Turkey + homecooked chicken breast. Should I try to cut the chicken out and replace it with turkey ?
- Ear mites ? His ears are fairly clean but in the past I thin he had some cause I often got bitten as well, from his "mites"
- Hyperesthesia? He has some zoomies, sometimes the bottom of his back skin "rolls" and sometimes he licks/bites his bottom. But he is a healthy cat overall, I never really believed he had Hyperesthesia
- Environmental allergy ? Not sure to what, my place is clean, I vacuum often. Windows are closed so no pollens
Any insight is highly appreciated
