Question:
Bruce has been on his special diet for almost ten weeks now and has been doing really well for the past month or so. I figured he was definitely something in the food that he was allergic to - I reckoned it was the corn. About two weeks ago I stopped the fatty acids and antihistamines and had an appt for this coming Monday scheduled for the vet to check him over before I put him on Innova.
I got up yesterday morning and when Bruce came to greet me, I noticed...his bottom lip is swollen Whatever it is that he's allergic to, he's still been in contact with it all this time; only, the antihistamines were masking the symptoms I was so discouraged I nearly cried. But it could be worse, after all.
So he's still going up with Isobel for a checkup at the vet on Monday night where we'll discuss the situation. The vet assistant suggested putting him on Hill's but I won't touch that stuff with a ten foot pole. Besides, I've had it with paying high prices for food with by-products in it!
I think I'm going to go ahead and switch him gradually over to the Innova anyway (I know now it's not chicken he's allergic to, cos he's been chicken-free for at least 10 weeks). He's back on the fatty acids and antihistamines for now (he's a bit disgruntled about that) while I work on what on earth else he could be allergic to If I can't find the cause of his allergy, I want to boost his immune system safely.
I'm glad my vet agrees with me that steroid injections are a very, very last resort. I hate the thought of the things unless they're necessary.


Answer:
How bad is the swelling? I have had cats get swollen lips but it would go down on its own....
Also, the makers of Innova do a special allergy formula called California Natural. I would try that one out. It is also by-product free & human grade.
Good luck.


Answer:
I may have missed this earlier as I only vaguely recall you mentioning something about Bruce having allergies before this, but is it most certainly FOOD that he is allergic to?
I would hate to think that there was something in your house that was causing him a reaction, food seems much easier to deal with, but I was just wondering what you had done to discover that it was food he was allergic to.
Is it not possible to test cats for allergies (like you can humans) or just not feasible to do so?


Answer:
His two flareups we'd given him oral steroids and they sorted his lip out quickly. But the third flareup didn't respond to the oral steroids and I didn't want to start pumping him full of steroids unless it was absolutely necessary, so we tried a few different things at once. We didn't go for the allergy tests because they're tremendously unreliable. In the end, we decided to start by trying for possible parasites, putting him on a food with Duck, which he'd never had before, as well as puting him on antihistamines and fatty acid supplements. We're at the 10th week now, and he'd been clear of symptoms for at least three weeks. I can honestly say now that it's either not food-related or it's still something in the ingredients of the special food he was on (ie by-products (duck) or white rice). I'm meeting with the vet this Monday night to discuss what to do next. I can't honestly think of anything else at home that could be causing this. But I'm not giving up yet.


Answer:
I hope that you guys can figure out what the problem is! It's not fun being pumped with medication for the rest of your life, or even for a large portion of it.
and that things will go well for Bruce !


Answer:
I hope you are able to find out more at the exam on Monday. Here's wishing Bruce & you the best!


Answer:
Aw. Bridget. That is so discouraging!
Good luck at the vet today. I hope that Brucie is feeling better soon!
Perhaps you could start keeping a daily journal of his activities? Maybe there is something else causing the reaction. It could be pretty much anything but cleaning products are the first that come to mind. Let us know how things go at the vet.


Answer:
Thanks everyone for the well wishes. Well, the vet looked Brucie over (and Isobel, as well), and we had a talk about what he might be allergic to. We've tried both diet and parasites now. It could be the white rice in the diet (or the icky by-products), and I've changed his diet to a healthier food not containing either. The vet reckons it's more than likely the other big culprit - dust mites.
I had to laugh at Bruce. Usually so laid back and happy-go-lucky, he really is getting fed up with going to the vet. Last time he hissed at the vet. This time he was hissing and growling - almost a running commentary! He was trying to be ferocious but he just looked adorable It was a bit of an ordeal for Isobel cos she is terrified of strangers and isn't used to travelling. But she was a brave girl and did really well
I'm going to get him established on the new Wellness food I bought for them, keep giving him the antihistamines and fatty acids, then ease up on the antihistamines and see how it goes. If he flares again with no white rice and by-products in his diet, I'll have to assume it's dust mites. If I can't eliminate the allergen, I can work on boosting his immune system naturally and hopefully get him off the antihistamines. But if worse comes to worse, antihistamines are definitely preferable to injectible steroids.
In the meantime, I went crazy on the weekend buying cat food - I bought Wellness dry and tinned. And just about swooned when I saw all the funky flavours they have for kitties -- I mean! Chicken and LOBSTER!? My guys go nuts over the food, too - it makes a change from that horrible Duck & Rice they had to eat for 10 weeks


Answer:
Sounds promising, Bridget.
that Bruce will over come this soon!
and purrs for Bruce and Isobel for "behaving" at the vet's


Answer:
How is Bruce doing?