Eukanuba or Science Diet Sensitive Skin for Itchy Flaky Cat?

[anneryan]

Hi All,

I'm most appreciative of all the wonderful advice that I've received from this forum! And now, I need more advice!

After a bout of what my vet thought was flea bite dermatitis (shedding, severe dandruff and otitis), my 11-month old (indoor-only) kitty's skin seems to be settling down. We're now using Frontline and she is on Hill's Science Diet Feline Maintenance wet and dry food. She has been eating the Hill's consistently for about 6 weeks and we saw the vet 4 weeks ago for the dermatitis. He mentioned at the time that sometimes EFA's help with the dandruff and shedding if it doesn't settle down.

Anyways, she is getting better but still has some dandruff and continues to frequently scratch and chew. I'm debating changing her dry food over to Eukanuba or the Science Diet Sensitive Skin formula, both of which have more Omega 3 and Omega 6 in them. Have any of you had success with either of these foods helping with skin and coat condition because of the higher fatty acid content?

Or, is it too soon to switch off of the regular Hill's formula? I don't want to switch foods unless it's necessary, but I might if any of you think it would help with her itching/dry skin and dandruff.

Thanks, as always!

[Traci]

Can you refresh my memory, was a skin scrape or culture done to rule out other causes? (other insect bites can cause this, not necessarily fleas).

Have you completely ruled out other environmental triggers?

Do you have clear evidence there are fleas? Or, do you actually have fleas in the home that would necessitate flea treatment? If there are no fleas in the home and you haven't noticed visible fleas on kitty since the last application of Frontline, you may not need to treat with Frontline from this point on.

I've used both Science Diet Sensitive Skin and the Eukanuba, both are good starting points. If the current adult maintenance formula hasn't produced results, it's doubtful the Sensitive Skin formula would, although you can talk to your vet about a hypoallergenic trial (i.e., D/D or Z/D)...this would be helpful when you are trying to stay within the same brand. However, the Eukanuba varieties are comparable, I like the Lamb&Rice formula.

It may be time for your vet to get more agressive in ruling out other causes to the dandruff, scratching and chewing. (i.e., cheyletiella mites, dust or food mites, allergic reaction to something else in the environment, fungal or mold spores, viral or immunological, pain response to something (i.e., hyperasthesia), etc.).

[davet]

Like Traci said you gotta get a reason for the skin problem and then you can try any and all diets to reveal and allergic problems...but you gotta find out why the problem...then food later.

[anneryan]

Hi Traci,

No, the vet did not do a skin scrape when I took her in 4 weeks ago. However, at that time, she did have evidence of fleas (flea dirt). I had found one or two dead fleas in her litter box before we started the Frontline and she was scratching and biting like mad. She does go out on our screened porch, which may be where the fleas are coming from as there are flower beds right outside the porch, so I'm still concerned about the possibility of more fleas jumping on her from out there.

I asked the vet about the possibility of mites when I had her in and he did not think that her dandruff looked like mites (but, then again, he did not do a skin scrape).

As far as environmental, I haven't ruled anything out yet. Since my son has allergies, we are pretty careful around here to keep mold, dust mites, etc. under control. I vacuum and clean all the time. I don't use carpet powder, but I have had my carpets steam cleaned once or twice since we got our kitty last January.

She is better than she was when I took her to the vet 4 weeks ago. Her shedding has decreased dramatically, her dandruff has decreased and her ears are clearing up. The dandruff is just not gone completely. Do you think that maybe I just haven't waited long enough for things to settle down and for her skin to regenerate? That's why I was thinking that the extra fatty-acids might help.

One interesting fact--the vet asked me if she ate any cat treats. He said that he sees lots of animals that have allergic skin reactions to the preservatives/food dyes in the semi-moist foods and treats. Lo and behold, I had been giving my kitty the Pounce semi-moist treats. He told me to discontinue those, which I have done.

PS--I wish I had known about this board when I had my CRF kitty who passed away last January. I think that your wonderful advice would have helped me make better decisions regarding his care.

[anneryan]

Very good point, Davet...! It sounds like it's time for another trip to the vet!

[Traci]

Well, it's possible she could have suffered flea-allergy dermatitis if there was in fact, evidence of fleas. However, and this is only my opinion, after one application of the Frontline and no remarkable improvement has been seen after 4 weeks, I would ask your vet to try a hypoallergenic dietary trial (depending on what Rx brands he carries, I would recommend first, the Hill's Rx Z/D, it seems to have a high success rate for food allergies and sensitivities to ingredients).

In addition to the dietary trial, I would ask him for a skin scrape and possibly culture to rule out mites or fungal problems, etc. The skin scrape is a harmless procedure, your vet can look at a sample under the microscope in seconds....if the slide is inconclusive, I would seriously discuss getting a culture done.

If the culture is negative, initiate a hypoallergenic diet. Feed the diet for approximately 4-6 weeks, make note of any significant improvements. If there is no improvement within this time, discuss another brand (IVD or Purina Veterinary diets).....a more advanced approach would be skin testing for various allergens, although this could be a bit pricey and should be done by someone with experience.

I think I would attempt the hypoallergenic diet NOW. You can try another application of the Frontline once the 30 days is up from the last application, but the problem would be not knowing if the improvement was from the Frontline's effectiveness against a flea or two (causing the allergic reaction), or the hypoallergenic diet. Ask your vet about this approach and see what he says. In any event, I believe the hypoallergenic diet should produce favorable results. Also ask him if he feels an additional EFA supplement could help, something like DermCaps or Linatone, for cats.

If you apply Frontline again, and if you feed the hypoallergenic diet for at least 4-6 weeks and you DO note significant improvement, then try ceasing the use of the Frontline at that time. If the scratching/chewing and dander returns in a short amount of time, then the flea allergy dermatitis may be culprit. If no scratching/chewing or dander return, then the hypoallergenic diet is most likely the remedy. You could also try to initiate the hypoallergenic diet first, and without using the Frontline. If significant improvement is noted, then continue to feed it and see if the skin problem resolves completely. In the meantime, you could try to keep kitty away from the screened porch area at least for the first 4 weeks on hypoallergenic diet (screens are not effective in keeping fleas out).

[upsun]

hello,

my cat has been having a problem with continually scratching at her neck though she has been treated for fleas. i am currently feeding her the Hill's d/d (duck & green pea) dry food and she seems to be scratching much less. the food is pricey but it's worth it if it will stop the scratching. you might want to give it a try. it is a prescription food so you will need to ask your vet about it. good luck.

upsun