Hi all,
I am relatively new to this site, and wanted to inquire about Atopica, a drug I give my cat for his allergies. I will first say that he has been on Atopica for almost a year after a 2 year struggle of trying every other treatment on earth (except steroids). We tried allergy shots for almost 1.5 years, and unfortunately, we saw little improvement in his symptoms.
A little on my snuggle muffin (very dignified nickname) and his battle with his immune system:
Magic is a 8-10 year old (he was a hoarder rescue, so I don't know his age) black shelter special that I adopted in Milwaukee. I moved down to South Carolina in mid 2013 for a job, and all hell broke lose as soon as we entered the south. He had zero symptoms in Wisconsin.
He started ripping apart his face and got infections from the open wounds. All of his itching was centered on his face, so my first vet and I did a food trial initially (he is always treated for fleas and I had my apartment sprayed repeatedly just in case). I always rotated his diet and he was grain free, so the only protein he could get was venison (Ziwipeak). He had been fed all the major proteins previously and had peas, so I had to eliminate all these ingredients. Unfortunately, I couldn't get novel proteins that I could make myself (my only options were bison or venison). His symptoms did not improve (he was in a cone the whole time and had to be replaced twice due to the constant scratching at the cone), so we moved on to environmental allergies. I have major mold allergies, so I clean a lot and have HEPA filters. He was tested and was allergic to longleaf pine, ragweed, and a weak response from mold. I live in South Carolina, so those pollens are around year round in high quantities. Then, I tried allergy shots, and was really hopeful. Unfortunately, the veterinary dermatologist and I finally decided to discontinue them because we had no improvement after 1.5 years.
So, I finally with a heavy heart decided to try Atopica. I hate drugs, but I had done everything else. He is still on a raw diet (Rad cat, Ziwipeak, and some homemade stuff). He gets bored easily, so I try to keep him interested. He also is on omega 3/6 supplements to help with his skin. They have definitely helped with severity, but he still needs the Atopica most of the year so far. I did recently get a job in Ontario, so I am hoping moving to a colder climate will help with the pollen.
Anyway, he actually doesn't mind Atopica too much as long as he eats, and he knows he gets Ziwipeak afterward (it's his favorite, he loves deer). He hates the dry food however... I am wondering if anyone has been on Atopica longterm and seen any side effects. I have had bloodwork done after 6 months, and everything looked great. He acts completely normal otherwise, no strange side effects so far. Is there anything that I should look out for? The vet admitted (both the derm and normal vet) that they are reluctant to put cats on Atopica, and haven't had many cats on them longterm. Both said that the cats that were on Atopica, tolerated it very well for 2+ years.
I am sincerely hoping the allergies will greatly improve when I move up north again, but I have learned to not assume anything with his allergies. His symptoms are largely controlled with Atopica, but rarely can I go more than 1 or 2 days without a dose (right now he is full dose due to the high amount of ragweed). The really hot, lengthy summer caused a huge allergy season this year.
Thanks in advance!
Liz and Magic
I am relatively new to this site, and wanted to inquire about Atopica, a drug I give my cat for his allergies. I will first say that he has been on Atopica for almost a year after a 2 year struggle of trying every other treatment on earth (except steroids). We tried allergy shots for almost 1.5 years, and unfortunately, we saw little improvement in his symptoms.
A little on my snuggle muffin (very dignified nickname) and his battle with his immune system:
Magic is a 8-10 year old (he was a hoarder rescue, so I don't know his age) black shelter special that I adopted in Milwaukee. I moved down to South Carolina in mid 2013 for a job, and all hell broke lose as soon as we entered the south. He had zero symptoms in Wisconsin.
He started ripping apart his face and got infections from the open wounds. All of his itching was centered on his face, so my first vet and I did a food trial initially (he is always treated for fleas and I had my apartment sprayed repeatedly just in case). I always rotated his diet and he was grain free, so the only protein he could get was venison (Ziwipeak). He had been fed all the major proteins previously and had peas, so I had to eliminate all these ingredients. Unfortunately, I couldn't get novel proteins that I could make myself (my only options were bison or venison). His symptoms did not improve (he was in a cone the whole time and had to be replaced twice due to the constant scratching at the cone), so we moved on to environmental allergies. I have major mold allergies, so I clean a lot and have HEPA filters. He was tested and was allergic to longleaf pine, ragweed, and a weak response from mold. I live in South Carolina, so those pollens are around year round in high quantities. Then, I tried allergy shots, and was really hopeful. Unfortunately, the veterinary dermatologist and I finally decided to discontinue them because we had no improvement after 1.5 years.
So, I finally with a heavy heart decided to try Atopica. I hate drugs, but I had done everything else. He is still on a raw diet (Rad cat, Ziwipeak, and some homemade stuff). He gets bored easily, so I try to keep him interested. He also is on omega 3/6 supplements to help with his skin. They have definitely helped with severity, but he still needs the Atopica most of the year so far. I did recently get a job in Ontario, so I am hoping moving to a colder climate will help with the pollen.
Anyway, he actually doesn't mind Atopica too much as long as he eats, and he knows he gets Ziwipeak afterward (it's his favorite, he loves deer). He hates the dry food however... I am wondering if anyone has been on Atopica longterm and seen any side effects. I have had bloodwork done after 6 months, and everything looked great. He acts completely normal otherwise, no strange side effects so far. Is there anything that I should look out for? The vet admitted (both the derm and normal vet) that they are reluctant to put cats on Atopica, and haven't had many cats on them longterm. Both said that the cats that were on Atopica, tolerated it very well for 2+ years.
I am sincerely hoping the allergies will greatly improve when I move up north again, but I have learned to not assume anything with his allergies. His symptoms are largely controlled with Atopica, but rarely can I go more than 1 or 2 days without a dose (right now he is full dose due to the high amount of ragweed). The really hot, lengthy summer caused a huge allergy season this year.
Thanks in advance!
Liz and Magic
