My allergic to life baby is getting her first dermatologist appointment soon, very nervous...

[macaroonie]

After 5 months of waiting, we finally got an appointment. Just in time since her allergies are acting up again. I'm excited, but also very worried about whether or not they'll be able to help her, and whether or not I'll be able to afford it. I do have a small saving for her, but I know specialists costs a lot and the money I've saved is going to disappear fast.
Any other cat parents have taken their babies to the dermatologist and see improvements? And can maybe give me a rough idea on how much their treatments cost? Thank you so much everyone

 

[Jmgbethel]

Hi! I didn’t even know there were animal Dermatologists, but I Googled and we have one here in my City. I never knew. I did Google is it’s expensive and I’m sure prices vary in different locations. I live in Evansville, In. It said most initial outpatient evaluations cost a total of $300-$600. But, subsequent progress check examinations are typically between $80-$100. Is there a way you can get Pet Insurance? I know I couldn’t do it. Get the Insurance I mean. Is there maybe a Holistic way to help your baby?

 

[Jmgbethel]

I’m sorry. I mean I did Google if it is expensive or not.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I think for treatment costs, that could be vastly different just depending on location and patient issue(s). As to whether or not dermatologists helped, that probably also depended on the issue. With your furbaby, she seems to have digestive issues as well, so it may be a little more difficult to determine what the cause is.

 

[fionasmom]

My avatar is currently seeing a veterinary dermatologist in the Los Angeles area. We were referred by our own very competent vet once the initial treatments were unsuccessful. At this point, we are calling her condition feline miliary dermatitis but the problem with that is it covers just about any skin condition or eruption.

With specialists there is usually a fairly high fee paid up front for the consultation which may only cover a conversation. It usually runs about $250 out here. I paid it up front and when we saw the derm for the first time he did a skin scraping which ran about another $220. However, so far we have paid less to him than to the regular vet and this has been my experience with many veterinary specialists. They end up not being as expensive as they are able to get to the root of the problem quicker and resolve it.

I do see as mrsgreenjeens noted that your baby has digestive issues. These can go hand in hand with skin issues. I did elect to do food allergy testing with my own vet, although those results are not always conclusive.

Don't do any service that is not explained to you and ask how helpful or conclusive certain tests or strategies might be.

What skin symptoms is your cat showing?