cat has runny, crusty, pink eyes - what's wrong?

[tampagirl]

my friend's cat has had irritated, runny, crusty pink eyes for the past year or so. he's less than 2 years old and he just looks miserable all the time. she's taken him to her vet and she said its allergies but she stopped trying to give him pills because it was too much trouble. i know most pet allergies are from foods and i've told her she should try switching to a hypoallergenic food. what else could she try?

[Traci]

Without a further workup, I wouldn't rely on the vet's comments about allergies only. One condition that should be ruled out is rhinotracheitis (feline herpes).....this condition can be intermittent or life-long, but effective treatment/managing the condition is available.

If respiratory infection, immunological disease has been ruled out specifically, and if in fact, allergies are suspect, then yes, a controlled hypoallergenic diet may help, but will need to expect up to 6 weeks of a new trial diet to gauge results. If no results after 6 weeks, then another similar diet should be approached. Depending on the symptoms and severity, response to dietary modification, etc will depend on further diagnostics, such as specific allergen testing, something worth discussing with the vet, or in this case, a specialist. Allergies are difficult enough to diagnose specifically, so your friend needs to be prepared for a process of elimination, i.e., food vs environmental pollens, parasite allergies (fleas, mites, etc), and so on. Specific allergen testing can be done as well but it can be expensive and should only be approached by a qualified, experienced vet/specialist.