Lisa,
My heart goes out to you and your precious cat.
I probably don't have much wisdom in this, but I'll give it a try :-)
No matter if all the vets don't advocate raw feeding, do it anyway. You don't
even have to tell them. The worst they can do is voice their
displeasure.......so what. It is your pet and you want the best for her.
My one cat throws up beef, so don't give up on raw feeding. The same cat has the
same reaction to dairy and seafood, so you are not alone in narrowing down what
your cat can and can't handle. My other cat has no food allergies, but she
refuses to eat beef. So, they both get strictly chicken and turkey and some
organ meat. Both love it and I have no problems with allergies.
Have you searched for a holistic vet in your area? They can be hard to find, I
know. Mine is 1 hr. from me, but worth the trip.
With the amount of drugs your poor cat has had in her system, it may take some
time to heal, but if you would at least get started on raw feeding, it could
really help. If she is resistant, try giving canned food to make the transition
easier.
My 2 cats are resistant to eating bones.....they gnaw a little, but they won't
eat it. sigh.
I had a cat several years ago that was HIGHLY allergic to a particular brand of
cat food and exhibited the same symptoms you describe in yours. She was pulling
her fur out and scratching constantly. I did the process of ellimination and
stopped feeding her that brand and within a few days she was better and within 2
weeks her fur was coming back. That was "pre raw feeding" and I wish I had known
then what I know now and perhaps she would still be alive(she died of diabetes).
Here is a link to some info that may help you and your cat.......
http://www.homevet.com/petcare/index.html
Also, found this reply to a post on a message board that sounds like your
situation..... http://www.homevet.com/index8.html
If none of these links work, I can copy/paste them and send them privately.
Keep us posted!
,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤øKaren



----- Original Message -----
From: misnya
To: purelypets@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 3:16 PM
Subject: [purelypets] Food allergies/ chin acne


Hello,

I'm new to the group. I have one very sick stray cat who has food allergies and
recurrent chin acne for at least 7 months. We haven't been able to figure out
the
right food yet. In the mean time, she's just miserable and itchy all the time.
I'm
having a hard time just trying to prevent things to progress to a secondary
infection.

She is a very sensitive cat and has been on too many steroid shots/pills and
other
meds. Seems like everytime I go to the vet, it's always to pick up more drugs
for her.
Sometimes there are so many of them, I have to line up the bottles just to make
sure I
give them correctly with the right amount and dosage.

To make a long story short, she just can't be on drugs all the time like she has
been.
It's not a way to live. I don't know what's best for her at this point, but
I'm hoping
someone can help me find an alternative holistic way to help her.

Here's some background on her:

Symptoms: Itching and scratcing 24/7. Redness & inflamtion on body and chin
area.
Black crusts developing like crazy everyday after a washing per day. I have to
keep
an E-collar on her 24/7 except for meal & bathroom time for fear she would
literally
mutilate herself from scratching; she licks at herself and pulls at her skin
until they
become raw. When it gets really bad, she has lack of sleep due to relentless
itching
all nite long.

Problem #1: Food allergies & chin acne sometimes leading to secondary
infection.

Problem #2: I tried 3 different vets all of which do not want to have anything
to do
with raw diets. Their treatment method is providing medication to take care of
the
infection, provide comfort, and tests to confirm what I already know which is
food
allergies - but they have contributed nothing to solve the real underlying cause
which
is food allergies. Well, one vet put her on a prescrition hypoallergenic diet
but even
being on this diet the chin acne and itch still does not go away. None of the
vets
even want to discuss raw diets. I tried to give a few slices of raw beef and
discovered
she's allergic to beef the hard way. I'm too "chicken" to try raw again.

As I am typing this in, I can hear her in the background trying to scratch but
she can't
because of the E-collar. If you can help or know someone who has been through
this
and could give me pointers, I would really appreciate it. Thank you!

Lisa






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