SUDDEN ALLERGY: what food now 😢 ?

lisahe

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Humidity worsens some allergies like dust mite allergy.
Yes, it worsens some allergies but I do love a good rain to take summer pollen out of the air! I've had allergies -- including pollens and dust -- all my life and cleaning/dusting/laundering more after our cat's asthma diagnosis has reduced them more than just about any medications ever have.

In Adam's case, my first suspicion would definitely be the diet because of his diarrhea. But inflammation can come from lots of places so it's always worth reducing dust and pollen in the cat's (or human's! :)) environment.
 

lisahe

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Well, the OP's initial post starts off with this:

My 2yo boy Adam is having an allergy and some sort of inflammation and after ruling out environmental causes, I suspect it's the food.

Some key data:

- he has sensitive stomach and anything that has too many fillers or ingredients besides pure protein, give him diarrhea (also oils and fish give him diarrhea)
Allergies and/or sensitivities can include both digestive issues and scratching/licking issues -- we saw that with our previous cat. Her symptoms came and went over the years, sometimes not lasting long at all, making her very difficult to diagnose. (FWIW, she never was properly diagnosed because of frailty but we and the vets were pretty sure she had IBD.)

Basically, even though Adam's diarrhea is currently controlled by the diet the OP is feeding him, there's still something causing the other symptoms. At the time the OP started the thread, Adam was still eating some of the canned food, which I suggested removing from his diet, in the hope (distant? perhaps, but you have to be really methodical about this stuff and the fact that reducing the canned food eliminated the diarrhea is a cause for hope) that it might help reduce and/or eliminate more symptoms.

Of course the big problem is that it can be so hard to definitively pinpoint the source of sensitivities and allergies, whether they're dietary or environmental.
 

daftcat75

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If he likes red meat, that makes sourcing so much easier. You can go to a Whole Foods or even a Safeway and find alternative meat burgers like ground elk, wild boar, venison, bison, and more. Just make sure it's not seasoned. Whatever he likes, you can lightly cook it and then add Alnutrin with calcium. Make sure you're using the Alnutrin with a calcium supplement since you won't be buying meat with bones. On the same point, if you're buying grinds from a raw feeders coop, make sure you are buying boneless grinds. You cannot cook grinds with bone as the cooked bone can splinter and cause trouble in the GI tract.
 

carebearbaby1

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I used Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit for my allergy girl. They have dry, canned and raw options.
 
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Mrcclms

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Sunday I started the homecooked chicken + alnutrin to test if the Buffalo Basics potato or carrageenan or other fillers might be the culprit (and not the poultry per se)

Today he had soft stool but I guess it's the sudden transition


If this doesn't work out (either still allergic, scratching etc or soft stool) here the options I'm trying to pinpoint and evaluate


- DARWINS raw lamb

- RawFeedingMiami raw rabbit grinds (I think rabbit could work but I'm concerned by this wholesome grinds with bones included...maybe too harsh for his GI)

- SMALLS cooked beef (he loves beef but this recipe has also veggies)
 
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Mrcclms

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- raw boneless rabbit that I will cook and add alnutrin too





So difficult to decide !


Some experiences from the past:

- bone-in raw always did great to his stool but he has vomited in the past...that is why I think if I go raw, should be boneless
 

lisahe

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No matter how the first step goes, I hope you're able to figure things out relatively quickly, Mrcclms Mrcclms ! It could take a few days for Adam's gut to respond... and like you mentioned, even the transition itself could cause, er, issues. Good luck!
 
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Mrcclms

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It's weird that no company has a Raw boneless rabbit solution ...I'd give that the first try
 

She's a witch

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have you checked your aircon and all the vents? There might be something in there (even mold) that triggers the allergy.
 

daftcat75

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It's weird that no company has a Raw boneless rabbit solution ...I'd give that the first try
I was about to comment on this yesterday. I would have been surprised if you were able to find boneless rabbit. There's not a lot of meat on rabbits. A boneless rabbit grind is probably prohibitively expensive--more effort for little return.

I know my Krista loves leg meat and will barf if I give her saddle--and there isn't much meat left after those two cuts. To make 1 lb. boneless raw from leg meat, it takes two fryer rabbits (or four hind legs.) Fryers cost about $35 apiece out here. So each batch of boneless raw rabbit was running me about $75/lbs. This was not sustainable as a full-time food for Krista. Even the nearby rabbit farm wouldn't sell me just the legs. I called them to place a special order and they took my information. But they have never called me back. Fossil Farms in New Jersey sells rabbit legs. But the shipping! It doubles the price and brings it right back in line with whole fryers. Maybe the shipping won't be so expensive for you since it's down the coast rather than across the country.

I would try this and add supplements or a premix. You'll have the cut the meat from the bone yourself. But that's still easier than butchering a whole fryer.
Rabbit Hind Leg & Thigh Bone-In

Aside from that, perhaps Rawz rabbit pate, a high quality canned food might help here. Unlike every other cat food with rabbit meat I have seen, rabbit is the only protein in the Rawz recipe. It's not rabbit plus some pork or some chicken or some other protein that defeats the whole purpose of buying rabbit in the first place.

Rawz rabbit pate:
RAWZ | 96% Rabbit PÂTÉ

Where to buy:
RAWZ | Where to Buy

I have ordered from Hearty Pet before in Maryland:
https://www.heartypet.com/products/rawz-96-rabbit-pate?_pos=2&_sid=c366720c3&_ss=r
 
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Mrcclms

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I was about to comment on this yesterday. I would have been surprised if you were able to find boneless rabbit. There's not a lot of meat on rabbits. A boneless rabbit grind is probably prohibitively expensive--more effort for little return.

I know my Krista loves leg meat and will barf if I give her saddle--and there isn't much meat left after those two cuts. To make 1 lb. boneless raw from leg meat, it takes two fryer rabbits (or four hind legs.) Fryers cost about $35 apiece out here. So each batch of boneless raw rabbit was running me about $75/lbs. This was not sustainable as a full-time food for Krista. Even the nearby rabbit farm wouldn't sell me just the legs. I called them to place a special order and they took my information. But they have never called me back. Fossil Farms in New Jersey sells rabbit legs. But the shipping! It doubles the price and brings it right back in line with whole fryers. Maybe the shipping won't be so expensive for you since it's down the coast rather than across the country.

I would try this and add supplements or a premix. You'll have the cut the meat from the bone yourself. But that's still easier than butchering a whole fryer.
Rabbit Hind Leg & Thigh Bone-In

Aside from that, perhaps Rawz rabbit pate, a high quality canned food might help here. Unlike every other cat food with rabbit meat I have seen, rabbit is the only protein in the Rawz recipe. It's not rabbit plus some pork or some chicken or some other protein that defeats the whole purpose of buying rabbit in the first place.

Rawz rabbit pate:
RAWZ | 96% Rabbit PÂTÉ

Where to buy:
RAWZ | Where to Buy

I have ordered from Hearty Pet before in Maryland:
https://www.heartypet.com/products/rawz-96-rabbit-pate?_pos=2&_sid=c366720c3&_ss=r
 

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Mrcclms

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Found this raw boneless ground rabbit

But I think I'll start with Darwin's Lamb
 

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My cat developed an allergy to my fabric softener and possibly detergent she lost a lot of hair and constantly scratching her ears. We couldn’t figure out until we stopped using that. Just a thought :)
 

Furballsmom

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By the way, have you/did you try the brand of food called Primal?

Skin Conditions In Cats – TheCatSite Articles

believe that as owners we know them better than any 30min rushed visit at a vet
Yes but only to a point. We haven't gone through the intensive medical training and gained the experience that a veterinarian has, so be very very careful that you don't carry your point of view too far.

Try chamomile tea; from Mamanyt1953 Mamanyt1953
Chamomile tea is GREAT for outer skin hot spots (not into the ears or eyes). It is extremely soothing, as well as being antibacterial and antifungal. DO use the commercial tea bags, as those are all German chamomile, medicinally active and safe for cats. The English variety is useless and toxic to cats. ALL COMMERCIAL chamomile tea bags are German, BTW, so just grab a box at the grocery store, brew a cup, and chill before using. It can also be used internally for anxiety.

Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

You have no way of knowing whether, for example, there's a repetitive sound that you can't hear, such as a generator in the distance, that is causing stress. Have you tried any commercial calming products? Bach's Rescue Remedy is one, and there's also cat music. Spotify, YouTube, RelaxMyCat and MusicForCats are wonderful sources and many TCS members have had remarkable results.

Speaking of, for vet trips Only Natural Pet has a quite good product called Just Relax.

With all that said about allergies and stress, the head shaking indicates something that you can't address with food changes or stress relievers.
 
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daftcat75

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Found this raw boneless ground rabbit

But I think I'll start with Darwin's Lamb
That's a good price on the boneless rabbit. If Krista wasn't so picky about the cuts she can tolerate, I'd see whether they ship and how much that would inflate that good price.
 

LTS3

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I'm pretty sure any good butcher shop can source rabbit for you and even grind just the meat for you.
 

daftcat75

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I'm pretty sure any good butcher shop can source rabbit for you and even grind just the meat for you.
You'd be surprised! In the SF Bay Area, I only found one butcher shop that can source anything other than whole fryers. They are the butcher shop for the rabbit farm up north. They are the ones who took my contact information for a special order of rabbit legs and never got back to me.

Having butchered many a fryer myself for Krista, I can tell you that rabbit only has a couple of meaty cuts: hind legs and saddle. A lot of effort would go into not a lot of meat and a lot of carcass would go to waste. There's meat elsewhere on the rabbit. But not enough to make it worth it once you've removed the hind legs and the saddle.
 

Furballsmom

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By the way, if you use your search engine and look for " freeze dried cat food " which is what we did this morning, we found one I wasn't familiar with that we're going to try for my boy called Simple Food ( simplefoodproject . com) , my thinking being that there are more makers of cat food these days that might fit what you're looking for in this area :)
 
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Mrcclms

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UPDATE

I removed the canned food for 5-6 days and he almost stopped shaking his head/ears and scratching BUT he had really bad diarreah cause I switched him to homecooked chicken (didn't find turkey at the supermarket) and he seems to be intolerant to it (I remember that happened the same 1.5 years ago...)


So now I'm back to the canned turkey + homecooked turkey, mixed, basically the diet he had for the last year just to get his stomach soothed

From here, if the cause of this "allergy" really is the canned (it could be POTATO or CARRAGEENAN), I have two options:

- transition into Darwins raw lamb (he likes red meat, his stool was perfect with darwins when I tried 2 years ago...I stopped because he started vomitimg but I'm pretty sure was the bone content of darwins turkey...their lamb has no bones)

- keep his current diet but switch the buffalo basics turkey and potato to a new canned one with turkey but without potato/carrageenan and keep mixing it with homemade turkey

Question is: does a turkey canned food with out any filler, emulsifier, gum, carrageenan and veggies exist ? At a fair price of <$2 per can
 
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