Stumped with the scratching....

[cpietra16]

Can anyone give me ideas as to what Antonio might be allergic to. This started in August, the same time that we got our german shepard...but the vet does not think this has anything to do with it...I first thought it was stress at having a new dog in the house, then I thought it was allergies; a cortizone shot to stop the itching didn't work...any ideas??? We changed foods as well!
Antonio use to have this happen during allergy season only but this is now since August..into February...

[Winston]

Oh Cpietra that looks horrible. Poor Antonio. I was wondering do you use the advantage flea control that you put on the back of their neck? maybe he is allergic to it. The other thing I was thinking was does the dog lick the cat on the back of the head? maybe its something to do with saliva?

Did Antonio have this when you just had Winnie and not Sam?

[Dog Dancer]

Oh that looks horrible! Poor Antonio. Sorry I can't help, but the licking question is good. That may cause it. I sure hope you find something to help soon.

[chico2]

OMG CPietra,poor Antonio
When we got Vinnie,Chico started licking off his fur and still does,but never breaking the skin like Antonio.
I hope you find out why this is happening,it looks really painful:-(
I hope you don't get upset,but are you sure the pup did not bite him?

[cpietra16]

My vet does not think it has to do with Sam (dog) ; however, Sam does keep licking the wound...licking or tasting...not sure which.
Antonio has always had seasonal allergies. He does not have and fleas/ ticks/ ear mits, etc...all checked.
I was think food allergies now because its winter and he is still scratching the heck out of himself.
I changed his food. Still waiting to see....what is the most common allergen in foods for cats?

[Winston]

cpietra i think chicken....i wouldnt let sam lick it either just because of bacteria.

[cpietra16]

I will take out chicken, fish, eggs and see what happens

[growler~GateKeeper]

Does Antonio usually wear a collar?

Many years ago my Mischief had the same but just on the back of her neck/between the shoulder blades in October, also cortizone shots helps for the first while but after that the only thing to do was stop her access to the skin - she had to wear a sweater made from a leg warmer type sock.

Back in those days I didn't know about the better quality foods, food allergies etc. She didn't get flea treatments as there were no fleas around & her vet figured it was the change in seasons/lack of moisture in the air with the furnace heat coming on. He had another client whose cat had the same symptoms.

Mischief only had it really bad one year & not after that. I wonder though if vaccines had something to do with it, as back in those days between the shoulder blades is where cats got all their shots.

Originally Posted by cpietra16

My vet does not think it has to do with Sam (dog) ; however, Sam does keep licking the wound...licking or tasting...not sure which.

Sam's likely just trying to clean it for him, as that is the way dogs clean all wounds. Any other reason Sam would already be munching

[Koteburo]

Poor Antonio
This is not a solution to the problem but is there a way you could cover it?
I know most cats don't like to have anything on but his skin seems so terribly irritated. At least to protect from more scratching
I think growler mentioned a sweater made of leg warmer. Maybe something like that while he gets better.

[cpietra16]

Growler, Antonio does not wear any collars, flea or otherwise.

Kotebuor, I did cover it at first but that was short lived when Antonio kept pulling the collar off, and I put on a tube sock, and he still managed to scratch underneath it...still not sure how he managed that, but I have another appointment to see the vet and find out if there can be other reasons for this. I am still leaning towards food allergies, although it was always seasonal and this year its gone beyond the normal month. I will keep you updated.

[Myka]

If it is food allergies, try switching to a high quality canned cat food. All cats should have canned food anyway because unlike dogs, cats are obligate carnivores and their bodies cannot digest the highly processed carbohydrates that even the best dry cat food has. Also, cats are designed to get most of their hydration from their prey's bodies, so most cats that eat dry food are continually dehydrated which can cause other issues long term as well.

Here is a link to Tracy Hotchner's (she wrote the book The Cat Bible) approved cat food choices from premium quality to some super market foods which she has chosen according to ingredients of particular flavors, not just brand names. http://www.traciehotchner.com/cc/fil...atFoodList.pdf

Here's her website and book: http://www.traciehotchner.com/cb/

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by cpietra16

I changed his food. Still waiting to see....what is the most common allergen in foods for cats?

I agree with Myka that you should probably switch to a wet food (a novel protein source would be ideal) rather than kibble for Antonio. Just switching from one kibble to another often won't be enough, especially since most dry foods have some pretty common ingredients that can potentially be hyperallergenic. Stuff like yeast, soy, wheat, corn, fish, dairy, chicken and beef are at the top of the list. There are some decent wet foods with simple ingredients, like By Nature Organics or Weruva, and some with novel protein sources like Innova Evo 95% venison or duck, Nature's Variety Instinct lamb or rabbit.

How often is Antonio vaccinated?

Some other things that might help are soothing aloe vera gel and Transfer Factor.

[cpietra16]

Thanks everyone for all your input. Antonio is on wet now and waiting to see if it clears. I will also go out and get the liquid bandaid so that if Sam sneaks in a lick or two , there will be some form of a barrier.

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by Myka

Here is a link to Tracy Hotchner's (she wrote the book The Cat Bible) approved cat food choices from premium quality to some super market foods which she has chosen according to ingredients of particular flavors, not just brand names. http://www.traciehotchner.com/cc/fil...atFoodList.pdf

Here's her website and book: http://www.traciehotchner.com/cb/

Just to let people know, there is an error on the linked list. Nature's Variety Prairie is NOT grain free, it is their Instinct brand that is.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

Just to let people know, there is an error on the linked list. Nature's Variety Prairie is NOT grain free, it is their Instinct brand that is.

Good to know, I will send Tracie an email about this.

EDIT: Tracie checked the labels and L4H is right, she is going to correct the mistake in the pdf.

[Koteburo]

Poor Antonio. I figured that much that he probably got out of the sock because most cats do that.
I really hope he gets better soon ♥ I'll be keeping an eye on your updates~

[sandyrivers]

I have seen ''violeta genciana'' work wonders on wounds of this kind on HUMANS,

i am not certain that it is appropriate for animals though...
Perhaps you could look into this.

But be sure you discuss this with your vet before using it on your cat.

Perhaps your vet can suggest a natural/herbal medecine...

Best of luck.

Sandyrivers

[Myka]

How is Antonio doing?

[marko]

I missed this thread - wow that's a nasty wound. on it getting better asap.

Great ideas in this thread.

I can say this, if it is a food allergy, our cat Baci has been thriving on Hills prescription diet d/d feline skin support venison formula (wet). He also gets the same formula in kibble format (venison and green peas) from time to time. He had terrible skin allergies before we switched to this food.

SCM is bang on with the novel protein idea when food allergies are involved and this was confirmed by 2 vets and the great members on this board.

[cpietra16]

Antonio is doing much better...he's been on duck and peas and it looks good so far. He has also been sporting a sock (extra small) around his neck. It is snug enought so that he can not get to the skin. He seems happy so far. I have been mixing it with wet and dry.
His fur has not grown back but at least the bleeding has stopped!

thanks for all your input....very informative!