Vest's skin problem is getting worse......

[Auntie Debbie]

I hope the Hills will do the trick and that he likes it. I'm glad his skin has improved and hope it stays that way. Poor little guy has been through alot! Give him a big kitty kiss for me, okay?

[Sara]

I am still waiting for my vet to get the Hills Rx ZD diet and am feeding the Royal Cannon HA diet right now. The thing I wanted was some wet HA food as well. I went to the Hills site and they don't have any in the wet form. Vest is so miserable with this diet and acting out sometimes or just looking depressed. He is anxious and begs whenever I go into the kitchen and I can just see it in his face that he is very upset about this food. Just in case the Hills is not much better for him I thought maybe some wet HA food might make him happy. Is there any brand that makes this so my vet can look for it?

Vest did get some of the regular cat food. He would sneak into the kitchen when I thought the door was closed and once I ran out and fed him the regular. He has one tiny spot that looks raw again, not the whole area that was raw before but just a spot on top of the old spot. I can't be sure if that's because he got just a tad of the regular food or if it's because he is not getting the shots anymore.

I sure hope I can find him a diet he likes soon. The other cats don't like this diet either, well two of them do but 4 don't. I have an unhappy household here. You know how cats just let you know when things aren't right. If they are not happy, I'm not happy.

[Sara]

I got the Hills ZD this AM. Eihter Vest was really hungry or he liked it. I still want to find a HA wet treat though. His spots are still not gone but better. I sure hope this works. The only problem is the vet does not want all the cats eating this Hills because it's fattening. I had to seperate him. I think he is gaining a bit of weight too.

[Sara]

Well it's been quite some time now on the HA food and his rash is still there. It improved only when get got that series of cortozine/antibiotic shots. He has been on the HA food and I even switched the whole household to it to make sure he was not finding a grain of regular food anywhere hidden on the floor. No improvement. I tried Pervinox and that did not help, it's like your Betadine OTC wash. Yesterday and today I am trying a wet cotton ball soaked with HA cat shampoo first then just clear water to rinse. I don't want it getting infected. How long should I try this food before doing the CBC? My vet said there is a test that requires a big blood draw, spinning the blood and sending it out to a lab. They test for like 150 allergins to try and figure out what it is he is allergic to. Have we reached this point? Vest is a delicate little thing, taking blood from him is not easy and it would be very traumatic. We don't have HA laundry soap in Argentina, the best I could do is switch from regular to Woolite. Is that worth a try? But we have no gentle fabric softner. I really don't know what to do. Also, Vest is very unhappy with this food and not getting his nighly wet treat. It's like I messed up his lifestyle. He begs desperately all the time for something different to eat. He seems so unhappy. Diet is a big part of his life and I took that enjoyment away. We both are feeling terrible.

Sara

[Mona]

Sara~
I do know that the Royal Canin Special tastes good!! maybe he could eat that one.

Good luck,

Mona, HOneybun and Chloe

Is Vest eating anything, I hope so.

[Sara]

He doesn't like the Royal Canon HA food. He will eat the Hills but does not like that either. At least he is eating but he is very unhappy about this diet and wants the wet treat at night and the regular food. I hate to see him not only unhappy but also with this skin rash. I am just wondering how long I should wait before doing the blood work. Sara

[Sara]

Vet came today. He needs another series of cortizone shots until he can get allergy/blood work done next week. The one where they take lots of blood, spin it, and test for 150 different allergins.

I removed all the wool rugs and blankets from the house and put them away.

The HA food is still not making a difference. I wonder if home cooking a lamb and rice mixture or something might be better.

Any thoughts or suggestions you guys? I also am switching from regular laundry soap to Woolite. Thanks!

Sara

[Traci]

Sara,

I don't recommend home-cooking the diet unless it is the absolute last resort. Such diets need to be properly supplemented, and they shouldn't be used long term.

You have to keep in mind that when using any hypoallergenic diet, you have to expect to give it a try for at least up to 6 weeks or longer. Ceasing it too soon may not be an ideal approach. If nothing else, ask your vet about IVD Limited Ingredient or Eukanuba LB.

You can of course opt for the allergy testing, but I'm not sure it's going to prove too much. Depending on the lab who performs the test will depend on how efficient/accurate the testing is. For example, you might get a report sheet a mile long telling you Vest is allergic to 100 substances or allergens, when in reality, he may only be allergic to a few.

I'd also ask your vet to once again seriously consider a feline serology in the event this could be immunological or fungal in nature. Can she consult with an allergen specialist in the states?

[Sara]

I think that is what she is doing. It's something complicated that takes a big blood draw and spinning it. Is this the feline serology? And I think it's being sent out to a lab. Let me find out more info and post back. I will keep him in the ZD. Thanks for being there... Do you think I should hold back on the shots? She just doesn't think we should let this rash continue on like it is. But I swear, this is the last round as I don't like cortizone. I hope it's not as strong as prednisone. I wonder how long it will take without wool around if that's it. I will give the HA diet a good 8-10 weeks. I am trying to find some HA canned food. He wants a treat so bad and he is so unhappy with this food. There has to be something I can give him that will brighten his day. His universe is pretty small so something like this diet change can really affect him. I am attempting to grow some grass for him but the seeds have not come up. He begs for grass, regular food, the wet food treat and also years ago he had a month long dose of cat vitamins from the vet and loved them so much whenever I open that same drawer her runs over and begs for those darn old vitamins. He seems to really be craving things.

I can look for a feline allergist in Miami since that is the closest state to us and see about a consultation with my vet. Do you know of a way I could find a really good one? Bi-lingual? I'll try and find one here as well if they exist.

[Sara]

It's an invetro allergy test. They take the blood, let it sit for two hours, centrifuse it. They send it to Spectrum labs in the US to be analized. Do you think this is the proper test? She is having us speak to the vet that does this, I guess it's not her. So we will get more details when we speak to this vet. Sara