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#1
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Cat dermatologist?
Is there such a thing as a cat dermatologist? I think Nanki-Poo needs one.
A couple of years ago, I noticed a bald spot on the back of his neck. It was perfectly round, about the size of a penny. There were tiny blood spots. My first thought was that a bird had pulled out a beakful of hair. The spot bothered him, and he started digging at it. He ended up with a nasty wound on the back of the neck, and it took quite a while to clear it up. Even though I was using Frontline, TED was convinced it was a flea allergy. She ignored my theory about the bird. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a similar spot on the back of his neck, so I took him to TED right away. She found a similar spot on the side of his neck. This time, neither spot bothered him, and he hasn't dug at them at all. TED shaved around the spots and cleaned them. She also gave him a steroid shot, and gave me some antibiotic pills to give him and told me to come back in two weeks. She also gave (sold) me some very expensive hypoallergenic food, because this time she had decided it was a food allergy. He wouldn't eat the food, although Lindy ate some of it. I finally went back to their regular food. When we went back, the spots were pretty well healed. However, they have become red and raw looking again. I don't see how it could be a food allergy, since he gets pretty much the same food all the time. He is an indoor-outdoor cat, and I suspect it could be an allergy to something he encounters outdoors, but only occasionally. I'm going to have to take him back to the doctor on Monday, unless I can come up with an alternative solution. She offered me a different kind of hypoallergenic food last time, and I turned it down. She'll probably push it this time. She is also likely to tell me to keep him in the house. Unfortunately, Lindy can open the cat door if I lock it, and does as soon as she finds it locked. That means the only way I could keep him in the house would be to shut him in one room. I did that when he was really sick soon after I got him, but doing it when he's perfectly healthy is another thing. He would be miserable. Also, the only room that would work is now filled with fernows (I'll put it here for now and figure out what to do with it later), so he'd be really cramped. Does anybody have any suggestions? -- Joy Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. |
#2
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Cat dermatologist?
On Aug 18, 4:58 pm, "Joy" wrote:
Is there such a thing as a cat dermatologist? I think Nanki-Poo needs one. A couple of years ago, I noticed a bald spot on the back of his neck. It was perfectly round, about the size of a penny. There were tiny blood spots. My first thought was that a bird had pulled out a beakful of hair. The spot bothered him, and he started digging at it. He ended up with a nasty wound on the back of the neck, and it took quite a while to clear it up. Even though I was using Frontline, TED was convinced it was a flea allergy. She ignored my theory about the bird. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a similar spot on the back of his neck, so I took him to TED right away. She found a similar spot on the side of his neck. This time, neither spot bothered him, and he hasn't dug at them at all. TED shaved around the spots and cleaned them. She also gave him a steroid shot, and gave me some antibiotic pills to give him and told me to come back in two weeks. She also gave (sold) me some very expensive hypoallergenic food, because this time she had decided it was a food allergy. He wouldn't eat the food, although Lindy ate some of it. I finally went back to their regular food. When we went back, the spots were pretty well healed. However, they have become red and raw looking again. I don't see how it could be a food allergy, since he gets pretty much the same food all the time. He is an indoor-outdoor cat, and I suspect it could be an allergy to something he encounters outdoors, but only occasionally. I'm going to have to take him back to the doctor on Monday, unless I can come up with an alternative solution. She offered me a different kind of hypoallergenic food last time, and I turned it down. She'll probably push it this time. She is also likely to tell me to keep him in the house. Unfortunately, Lindy can open the cat door if I lock it, and does as soon as she finds it locked. That means the only way I could keep him in the house would be to shut him in one room. I did that when he was really sick soon after I got him, but doing it when he's perfectly healthy is another thing. He would be miserable. Also, the only room that would work is now filled with fernows (I'll put it here for now and figure out what to do with it later), so he'd be really cramped. Does anybody have any suggestions? -- Joy Don't have any suggestions, but that's really weird, isn't it? I'm afraid I don't know much about allergies. I hope Cheryl sees this. She's very knowledgeable about skin allergies from trying to help Shamrock. She's done about everything humanly possible to help him. I bet there is an animal dermitologist in most larger cities. At least an animal allergist. I drive by a sign in Oklahoma City that says "Animal Allergy Clinic." I used to think it was for *people* who were allergic to animals. Found out later it is for the animals! Sherry |
#3
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Cat dermatologist?
"Sherry" wrote in message
ups.com... On Aug 18, 4:58 pm, "Joy" wrote: Is there such a thing as a cat dermatologist? I think Nanki-Poo needs one. A couple of years ago, I noticed a bald spot on the back of his neck. It was perfectly round, about the size of a penny. There were tiny blood spots. My first thought was that a bird had pulled out a beakful of hair. The spot bothered him, and he started digging at it. He ended up with a nasty wound on the back of the neck, and it took quite a while to clear it up. Even though I was using Frontline, TED was convinced it was a flea allergy. She ignored my theory about the bird. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a similar spot on the back of his neck, so I took him to TED right away. She found a similar spot on the side of his neck. This time, neither spot bothered him, and he hasn't dug at them at all. TED shaved around the spots and cleaned them. She also gave him a steroid shot, and gave me some antibiotic pills to give him and told me to come back in two weeks. She also gave (sold) me some very expensive hypoallergenic food, because this time she had decided it was a food allergy. He wouldn't eat the food, although Lindy ate some of it. I finally went back to their regular food. When we went back, the spots were pretty well healed. However, they have become red and raw looking again. I don't see how it could be a food allergy, since he gets pretty much the same food all the time. He is an indoor-outdoor cat, and I suspect it could be an allergy to something he encounters outdoors, but only occasionally. I'm going to have to take him back to the doctor on Monday, unless I can come up with an alternative solution. She offered me a different kind of hypoallergenic food last time, and I turned it down. She'll probably push it this time. She is also likely to tell me to keep him in the house. Unfortunately, Lindy can open the cat door if I lock it, and does as soon as she finds it locked. That means the only way I could keep him in the house would be to shut him in one room. I did that when he was really sick soon after I got him, but doing it when he's perfectly healthy is another thing. He would be miserable. Also, the only room that would work is now filled with fernows (I'll put it here for now and figure out what to do with it later), so he'd be really cramped. Does anybody have any suggestions? -- Joy Don't have any suggestions, but that's really weird, isn't it? I'm afraid I don't know much about allergies. I hope Cheryl sees this. She's very knowledgeable about skin allergies from trying to help Shamrock. She's done about everything humanly possible to help him. I bet there is an animal dermitologist in most larger cities. At least an animal allergist. I drive by a sign in Oklahoma City that says "Animal Allergy Clinic." I used to think it was for *people* who were allergic to animals. Found out later it is for the animals! Sherry Thanks, Sherry. I'll do an Internet search and see what I can find. Joy |
#4
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Cat dermatologist?
I don't see how it could be a food allergy, since he gets pretty
much the same food all the time. Human and cat food allergies are pretty similar, and it's not at all unusual for a human to develop an allergy to something they've been eating regularly for decades. It's also not unusual for formulations of processed foods (either for humans or animals) to change without warning and without adequate documentation on the packet. Since the problem did clear up as a result of the elimination diet, it looks like your vet is onto something. Stick with it. One problem that is common with human food allergies is for people to be addicted to foods that make them ill - the allergic reaction releases morphine-like substances and you literally get withdrawal symptoms when removing the offending food from your diet. (This seems to be most common with wheat and dairy allergies). It wouldn't surprise me if a cat reacted the same way. In humans, the withdrawal phase usually lasts two weeks to a month. ============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ============== Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760 http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/ for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975 stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557 |
#5
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Cat dermatologist?
There is an animal veterinary clinic that I've seen in Marina del Rey
http://www.animaldermatology.com/han...ate&cpid=14749 Animal Dermatology Clinic Marina del Rey 13286 Fiji Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292 (310) 822-3376 phone (310) 306-9623 fax We specialize in diagnosing and treating: Chronic and severe skin and ear disease Immune mediated and hormonal skin disease Nail and nail bed diseases Skin manifestations of internal disease Wayne Rosenkrantz, DVM, Dip ACVD Rudayna Ghubash, DVM, Dip ACVD Kinga Gortel, MS, Diplomate ACVD Christina Restrepo, DVM Allison Kirby, DVM Gennie |
#6
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Cat dermatologist?
Thanks, Gennie.
-- Joy Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. "Gennie" wrote in message ups.com... There is an animal veterinary clinic that I've seen in Marina del Rey http://www.animaldermatology.com/han...ate&cpid=14749 Animal Dermatology Clinic Marina del Rey 13286 Fiji Way Marina del Rey, CA 90292 (310) 822-3376 phone (310) 306-9623 fax We specialize in diagnosing and treating: Chronic and severe skin and ear disease Immune mediated and hormonal skin disease Nail and nail bed diseases Skin manifestations of internal disease Wayne Rosenkrantz, DVM, Dip ACVD Rudayna Ghubash, DVM, Dip ACVD Kinga Gortel, MS, Diplomate ACVD Christina Restrepo, DVM Allison Kirby, DVM Gennie |
#7
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Cat dermatologist?
"Joy" wrote in message
... Is there such a thing as a cat dermatologist? I think Nanki-Poo needs one. A couple of years ago, I noticed a bald spot on the back of his neck. It was perfectly round, about the size of a penny. There were tiny blood spots. My first thought was that a bird had pulled out a beakful of hair. The spot bothered him, and he started digging at it. He ended up with a nasty wound on the back of the neck, and it took quite a while to clear it up. Even though I was using Frontline, TED was convinced it was a flea allergy. She ignored my theory about the bird. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a similar spot on the back of his neck, so I took him to TED right away. She found a similar spot on the side of his neck. This time, neither spot bothered him, and he hasn't dug at them at all. TED shaved around the spots and cleaned them. She also gave him a steroid shot, and gave me some antibiotic pills to give him and told me to come back in two weeks. She also gave (sold) me some very expensive hypoallergenic food, because this time she had decided it was a food allergy. He wouldn't eat the food, although Lindy ate some of it. I finally went back to their regular food. When we went back, the spots were pretty well healed. However, they have become red and raw looking again. I don't see how it could be a food allergy, since he gets pretty much the same food all the time. He is an indoor-outdoor cat, and I suspect it could be an allergy to something he encounters outdoors, but only occasionally. I'm going to have to take him back to the doctor on Monday, unless I can come up with an alternative solution. She offered me a different kind of hypoallergenic food last time, and I turned it down. She'll probably push it this time. She is also likely to tell me to keep him in the house. Unfortunately, Lindy can open the cat door if I lock it, and does as soon as she finds it locked. That means the only way I could keep him in the house would be to shut him in one room. I did that when he was really sick soon after I got him, but doing it when he's perfectly healthy is another thing. He would be miserable. Also, the only room that would work is now filled with fernows (I'll put it here for now and figure out what to do with it later), so he'd be really cramped. Does anybody have any suggestions? Bam-Bam gets similar, mostly on the front and sides of his neck, occasionally on a cheek. We noticed the first one after he picked a fight with Barney. And there was a tuft of white fur on the floor near where the skirmish broke out. No such marks on Barney. Seems that Bam-Bam is a bully - just not much of a fighter (more of a lover, actually)! Seems he gets the worst out of the fights he picks - no matter who the oponnent is! -- http://www.firstgiving.com/nalee1131964 About my charity: Monroe County Humane Association Established in 1956, the MCHA is the longest standing animal welfare organization in Monroe County. The MCHA is dedicated to "Leading, Advocating and Educating for Animal Welfare." Find out more at www.monroehumane.org. |
#8
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Cat dermatologist?
On 2007-08-18 16:58:38 -0500, "Joy" said:
Is there such a thing as a cat dermatologist? I think Nanki-Poo needs one. A couple of years ago, I noticed a bald spot on the back of his neck. It was perfectly round, about the size of a penny. There were tiny blood spots. My first thought was that a bird had pulled out a beakful of hair. The spot bothered him, and he started digging at it. He ended up with a nasty wound on the back of the neck, and it took quite a while to clear it up. Even though I was using Frontline, TED was convinced it was a flea allergy. She ignored my theory about the bird. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a similar spot on the back of his neck, so I took him to TED right away. She found a similar spot on the side of his neck. This time, neither spot bothered him, and he hasn't dug at them at all. TED shaved around the spots and cleaned them. She also gave him a steroid shot, and gave me some antibiotic pills to give him and told me to come back in two weeks. She also gave (sold) me some very expensive hypoallergenic food, because this time she had decided it was a food allergy. He wouldn't eat the food, although Lindy ate some of it. I finally went back to their regular food. When we went back, the spots were pretty well healed. However, they have become red and raw looking again. I don't see how it could be a food allergy, since he gets pretty much the same food all the time. He is an indoor-outdoor cat, and I suspect it could be an allergy to something he encounters outdoors, but only occasionally. I'm going to have to take him back to the doctor on Monday, unless I can come up with an alternative solution. She offered me a different kind of hypoallergenic food last time, and I turned it down. She'll probably push it this time. She is also likely to tell me to keep him in the house. Unfortunately, Lindy can open the cat door if I lock it, and does as soon as she finds it locked. That means the only way I could keep him in the house would be to shut him in one room. I did that when he was really sick soon after I got him, but doing it when he's perfectly healthy is another thing. He would be miserable. Also, the only room that would work is now filled with fernows (I'll put it here for now and figure out what to do with it later), so he'd be really cramped. Does anybody have any suggestions? It really could be a food allergy. It's the most common reason besides flea allergy I believe. Currently Pearl has a bald spot on her neck but it is not irritated at all, so I think she grabbed a chunk of hair out with her toe. But "hot spots" seem to be related to food and they *can* become allergic (as we can) to anything at any time. Very often, it can be to grains. You might see if you can get some grainless wet foods and feed just that for a while. Wellness has some (look for the little triangle symbol on the label) and there are a few Fancy Feast flavors that do not have grains in them (you just have to read the labels: chicken gourmet feast and tender beef are two that are grain free.) Many cats with bad allergies have turned around on a raw diet, but that is a tricky proposition to make raw food at home and switch them. Allergies just suck all the way around. |
#9
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Cat dermatologist?
"Magic Mood Jeep" wrote in message
... "Joy" wrote in message ... Is there such a thing as a cat dermatologist? I think Nanki-Poo needs one. A couple of years ago, I noticed a bald spot on the back of his neck. It was perfectly round, about the size of a penny. There were tiny blood spots. My first thought was that a bird had pulled out a beakful of hair. The spot bothered him, and he started digging at it. He ended up with a nasty wound on the back of the neck, and it took quite a while to clear it up. Even though I was using Frontline, TED was convinced it was a flea allergy. She ignored my theory about the bird. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a similar spot on the back of his neck, so I took him to TED right away. She found a similar spot on the side of his neck. This time, neither spot bothered him, and he hasn't dug at them at all. TED shaved around the spots and cleaned them. She also gave him a steroid shot, and gave me some antibiotic pills to give him and told me to come back in two weeks. She also gave (sold) me some very expensive hypoallergenic food, because this time she had decided it was a food allergy. He wouldn't eat the food, although Lindy ate some of it. I finally went back to their regular food. When we went back, the spots were pretty well healed. However, they have become red and raw looking again. I don't see how it could be a food allergy, since he gets pretty much the same food all the time. He is an indoor-outdoor cat, and I suspect it could be an allergy to something he encounters outdoors, but only occasionally. I'm going to have to take him back to the doctor on Monday, unless I can come up with an alternative solution. She offered me a different kind of hypoallergenic food last time, and I turned it down. She'll probably push it this time. She is also likely to tell me to keep him in the house. Unfortunately, Lindy can open the cat door if I lock it, and does as soon as she finds it locked. That means the only way I could keep him in the house would be to shut him in one room. I did that when he was really sick soon after I got him, but doing it when he's perfectly healthy is another thing. He would be miserable. Also, the only room that would work is now filled with fernows (I'll put it here for now and figure out what to do with it later), so he'd be really cramped. Does anybody have any suggestions? Bam-Bam gets similar, mostly on the front and sides of his neck, occasionally on a cheek. We noticed the first one after he picked a fight with Barney. And there was a tuft of white fur on the floor near where the skirmish broke out. No such marks on Barney. Seems that Bam-Bam is a bully - just not much of a fighter (more of a lover, actually)! Seems he gets the worst out of the fights he picks - no matter who the oponnent is! -- http://www.firstgiving.com/nalee1131964 About my charity: Monroe County Humane Association Established in 1956, the MCHA is the longest standing animal welfare organization in Monroe County. The MCHA is dedicated to "Leading, Advocating and Educating for Animal Welfare." Find out more at www.monroehumane.org. Lindy and Nanki-Poo don't fight, but there are other cats in the neighborhood. However, it seems strange that all three of the sores have started out being almost perfectly round. Joy |
#10
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Cat dermatologist?
"Karen" wrote in message
news:2007081818380816807-kchuplis@alltelnet... On 2007-08-18 16:58:38 -0500, "Joy" said: Is there such a thing as a cat dermatologist? I think Nanki-Poo needs one. A couple of years ago, I noticed a bald spot on the back of his neck. It was perfectly round, about the size of a penny. There were tiny blood spots. My first thought was that a bird had pulled out a beakful of hair. The spot bothered him, and he started digging at it. He ended up with a nasty wound on the back of the neck, and it took quite a while to clear it up. Even though I was using Frontline, TED was convinced it was a flea allergy. She ignored my theory about the bird. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a similar spot on the back of his neck, so I took him to TED right away. She found a similar spot on the side of his neck. This time, neither spot bothered him, and he hasn't dug at them at all. TED shaved around the spots and cleaned them. She also gave him a steroid shot, and gave me some antibiotic pills to give him and told me to come back in two weeks. She also gave (sold) me some very expensive hypoallergenic food, because this time she had decided it was a food allergy. He wouldn't eat the food, although Lindy ate some of it. I finally went back to their regular food. When we went back, the spots were pretty well healed. However, they have become red and raw looking again. I don't see how it could be a food allergy, since he gets pretty much the same food all the time. He is an indoor-outdoor cat, and I suspect it could be an allergy to something he encounters outdoors, but only occasionally. I'm going to have to take him back to the doctor on Monday, unless I can come up with an alternative solution. She offered me a different kind of hypoallergenic food last time, and I turned it down. She'll probably push it this time. She is also likely to tell me to keep him in the house. Unfortunately, Lindy can open the cat door if I lock it, and does as soon as she finds it locked. That means the only way I could keep him in the house would be to shut him in one room. I did that when he was really sick soon after I got him, but doing it when he's perfectly healthy is another thing. He would be miserable. Also, the only room that would work is now filled with fernows (I'll put it here for now and figure out what to do with it later), so he'd be really cramped. Does anybody have any suggestions? It really could be a food allergy. It's the most common reason besides flea allergy I believe. Currently Pearl has a bald spot on her neck but it is not irritated at all, so I think she grabbed a chunk of hair out with her toe. But "hot spots" seem to be related to food and they *can* become allergic (as we can) to anything at any time. Very often, it can be to grains. You might see if you can get some grainless wet foods and feed just that for a while. Wellness has some (look for the little triangle symbol on the label) and there are a few Fancy Feast flavors that do not have grains in them (you just have to read the labels: chicken gourmet feast and tender beef are two that are grain free.) Many cats with bad allergies have turned around on a raw diet, but that is a tricky proposition to make raw food at home and switch them. Allergies just suck all the way around. I suppose it could be a food allergy. However, my vet is adamant that a little wet food is okay, but they should have mostly dry food. I've noticed that both sores look a little better than they did when I posted. Joy |
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