Itching and food sensitivities - cats

[DeborahF]

My husband and I are somewhat new to HA and amazed at all the info out there. We have 2 senior cats with food sensitivities/allergies manifesting in 2 ways; one with extreme itching face and belly and the other with IBS. We are contemplating a homeopathic vet for them, but are not sure how much success we can hope for? Going to vet's offices are quite traumatic; we try to avoid this if at all possible. One requires sedation for a visit; hence the reason for trying homeopathy vs TCM which seems to require bringing the animals into the office. We realize all animals will respond differently, or maybe not at all, but what can we realistically hope for with homeopathy?

Would welcome any shared stories or opinions...... gratefully, Deb and Lew

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Welcome to HA! Deb, and thanks so much for making your first post.

Fantastic question about what to expect if your kitties with food sensitivities get treated with homeopathy.

First, know that this form of "treatment" is not part of the conventional vet model. It's an adjunct to your local vet exams, diagnostics, etc.

That being said, I find homeopathy to be the most effective way to tret both conditions!

Regarding what to expect, that depends on the history, previous health challenges and treatments, vaccines, etc. of the individual.

I'd also love to hear what expert vet homeopaths like @Dr. Christina, @Dr. Sara, and @dr_ judy herman have to say about your question.

 

[dr_ judy herman]

Welcome to HA! Deb, and thanks so much for making your first post.

Fantastic question about what to expect if your kitties with food sensitivities get treated with homeopathy.

First, know that this form of "treatment" is not part of the conventional vet model. It's an adjunct to your local vet exams, diagnostics, etc.

That being said, I find homeopathy to be the most effective way to tret both conditions!

Regarding what to expect, that depends on the history, previous health challenges and treatments, vaccines, etc. of the individual.

I'd also love to hear what expert vet homeopaths like @Dr. Christina, @Dr. Sara, and @dr_ judy herman have to say about your question.

Jeff states it perfectly. I have treated many cats and dogs, including my own, for these issues. Each patient is an individual and treated as such. What will work for one Kitty may not work on the other.

 

[Dr. Sara]

Dear Deb and Lew,
Welcome to HA!
I am a homeopathic vet with additional training in acupuncture and TCM. I have treated many cats with skin and bowel signs secondary to food sensitivities and allergies. I have had good results with most patients; I find most cats respond even better to homeopathic medicines than dogs! I believe the approach I outline below is similar to that used by most homeopathic vets.

I start with a thorough physical exam and a complete history. With older animals especially I want to see baseline blood work, as it can reveal organ weaknesses, which are important to understanding the case. A homeopathic vet wants to understand all aspects of the case.

Next, the guardians work with me to remove obstacles to cure. This means optimizing the patient's diet and environment. By removing allergic triggers and toxin exposure, you improve health and decrease the effect of other allergies.
Most animals will benefit from a diet adjustment and / or supplementation, if they will accept it.
Often the environment has problems, like low humidity, or particulates in the air, or new furniture or rugs that off gas. All of these things worsen allergies, especially those that manifest on the skin or in the airways.
Some pets are exposed to toxins in the form of parasite treatments on them or in the environment.
Stress can be a significant factor, if there have been changes in the house, or problems with housemates.
As you can see, there is a lot you can do before we even start prescribing homeopathic medicines!

I will use the complete history, discussion of the patient's physical and mental signs, and the lab work to thoroughly evaluate each case. I will then choose the most appropriate homeopathic medicine that fits the totality of signs for that individual, and prescribe it in a form acceptable to the patient and their guardian.
The guardian will now watch and record signs and symptoms, so that we can assess the response and evaluate treatment.

If it is possible, start now to record carefully when and how your kitties are most affected, as that will help your homeopathic vet understand the case, AND help you evaluate the kitties' response to treatment.
Stay well, Sara
S.F. Chapman DVM, VetMFHom, CertIAVH

 

[DeborahF]

Unfortunately, we were not able to get a homeopathic consult until the end of this month. In the meantime, one of our cats has degraded with increased itching, sometimes after meals, which can accompanied by head tremors if the itching is really bad. Repeat Food sensitivity testing (Nutriscan) inconclusive because of possible food contamination (even with 12 hours of fasting; pending repeat testing) . Subsequent consult with Dr. Dodds resulted in food recommendations being turkey, pork and lamb. Unfortunately his appetite has dropped off somewhat, which concerns us as he normally cannot get enough food!! He is very miserable because of the itching; has been in double E collars since end of September. Has slightly elevated creatinine at 2.5 ,VERY normal BUN of 10. U/A revealed specific gravity of 1.025. Traditional vet is advising a trial of Apoquel for itch relief and feels strongly that appetite decrease is due to impaired kidney function. Behavior is slightly subdued, energy is a bit less, appetite decreased somewhat, mood is still loving and purring. Concerned that we might be approaching some level of crises before we can get a homeopathic eval. Would welcome any suggestions!!! Thanks very much!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Deborah. I'm very sorry to hear that your kitties are worse.

It would be grade if you could take and share a video of the head tremor of your one cat.

The decrease in your kitty's BEAM and appetite may or may not be directly related to his kidneys.

However, one thing we do know is that the underlying problem of any symptom is insufficient energy. Cells can not work properly without fuel.

Science also shows us that all medications to stop symptoms can decrease cellular energy.

With that being said, then strategies that increase cellular energy should also help BEAM, itch and maybe even kidneys (depending on the degree of structural damage).

However, this is not documented by research (tho I see it every day in practice).

These strategies that build and preserve vitality (energy) start with feeding fresh, and ideally raw, food.

What have your kitties been eating, and what do they eat now? What foods or treats have you tried?

 

[DeborahF]

Thanks Dr. Jeff for your input. Right now, he is limited to turkey and pork protein, and possibly lamb because of his food sensitivities. We are trying to retest with Nutriscan since the last test was inconclusive, but it is stressful for him to get the saliva sample and we are hoping his symptoms will calm down a bit before we try again. We feed a combination of raw turkey and canned limited ingredient by Koha pet foods. . Dr. Dodds did send us a recipe for raw food; which he wouldn't touch, which surprised us so we went back to our canned options and rotate that with the raw turkey, which he will eat. The only snacks he gets are dehydrated raw turkey and raw lamb treats. He is a big eater, and I suspect part of his scratching may be behavioral, since it occurs a lot of the time around mealtime before and after. Once the scratching starts, it seems to start an itching "cycle" which we have to try to distract him to break.

The video I have is too large to attach here..... I will email it to you. Thanks! Deb

 

[Dr. Jeff]

You're welcome Deborah.

The increased itch related to eating may be behavioral or it may be a great energetic clue for a homeopath or TCM vet to determine the best remedy.

For example, this may be a relevant rubric:

GENERALITIES; EATING; before (76) : 4IOD., 3Fl-ac., 3Laur., 3Nat-c., 3Phos., 2ambr....

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Unfortunately, allergy tests (blood, saliva, and hair) have proven to be spectacularly inaccurate. They're essentially worthless, especially in cats. You're definitely doing the right thing with an elimination diet, which is the most accurate tool.