11/30/2023 0 Comments Cat pica food allergiesMany people erroneously assume itching due to food allergy requires a recent diet change of some sort. In dogs, signs include facial itching, foot or limb chewing, itchy anal area, and recurrent ear infections. Cats i tch around the face or neck which produces scabs and hair loss. The resulting inflammation may target the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or other organ systems, but in dogs and cats it is the skin that most often suffers from this immunologic activity. Proteins may be combined or changed into substances recognized by the immune system as foreign invaders to be attacked. Animals eat a variety of processed food proteins, flavorings, and colorings that are further processed inside their bodies. The cause should be determined.įood allergy is one of the itchiest conditions for cats and dogs. Red, oozing bald patches rashes and large expanses of hair loss are unfortunate markers of very real discomfort. Hofve, Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, ragdollcatguide.Itchy skin in dogs and cats is often more than just a minor annoyance. It is worth pointing out that the itching referred to above in the ears and over the head, neck and sometimes the back is due to food allergy dermatitis. A very good book that I have on genetic diseases in cats does not provide any information on Ragdoll cats and food intolerance. Therefore, it is impossible to say that Ragdoll cats have a propensity for food intolerance or food allergies without further evidence. The cat owner has to discover this by trial and error. Some cats are unable to tolerate certain foods or specific brands of commercial cat food. Ragdoll cats are purebred cats but all cats have the potential for food intolerance. Perhaps the Ragdoll cat owners were providing the wrong cat food for their individual cats. However, we don’t know what caused these problems. In my estimation about two thirds of the owners said that their cat had a sensitive stomach or the indications were that that is the case. There is a Ragdoll forum where this is discussed. Ragdoll owners can provide good evidence. There are no scientific studies and therefore we have to rely upon anecdotal evidence. I did some research on this on the Internet. Ragdoll catsĪs an aside, it has come to my mind that people ask whether Ragdoll cats have a sensitive stomach. The cat may develop inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or lymphoma. The visible symptoms will usually be diarrhoea or vomiting. This is a common sense reference because it is obvious that a domestic cat will have digestive problems because of a food allergy. There may be hair loss and oozing sores due to constant scratching and biting. There might be a bald spot in front of the ears. The symptoms of a food allergy on the skin may be in the form of rashes particularly around the face, head and ears. This leads to a secondary bacterial infection which of course makes the problem twice as bad. Importantly their feet may carry poop from the litter box which contains bacteria which can then be deposited onto the broken skin caused by scratching. Domestic cats don’t know when to stop or they don’t realize that they’re doing damage to their skin when the irritation is very severe. The real problem comes because domestic cats can very efficiently scratch their ears with the claws of their hind paws. But some dermatologists, think that ear infections affect up to 50% of cats suffering from a food allergy. It is not a connection that a cat owner would immediately make. I think it is important to recognise that a food allergy can manifest itself in the ears of a domestic cat.
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