Cat has crusty skin after fleas. Should I give her an antihistamine?

I'm sorry your cats (and you!) are dealing with you. Unfortunately, once a cat has a flea dermatitis, the itching and skin problems can continue even once you get rid of the fleas. The degree of which really depends on the severity of their sensitivity to flea bites. Often, we have to use antihistamines or steroids to resolve the inflammation. Sometimes we also have to incorporate antibiotics if there is an infection. For dogs, there are topical shampoos we can use, but those are often not a good option for cats. So, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine your cats' skin to determine if there is a secondary skin infection or just inflammation in order to help you determine the best treatment. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, sorry to hear about Eli. Unfortunately, anti-histamines don't work well with that time of allergy reaction. Typically, we can use a short course of steroids or a steroid injection to break the itch cycle. These may be obtain from your veterinarian through a prescription. Know that steroids in cats can cause increased anxiety and muscle loss. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I have a flea-allergic cat too and it is very frustrating. Ask your vet about giving her an over-the-counter allergy medication to help relieve the itching. Chlorpheniramine and cetirizine (Zyrtec) are commonly used to help cats with itching. Something else to consider is that your cat may have other allergies that are contributing to the problem. A common allergy is to the protein source in the food. Ask your vet about a limited diet or about getting Boris started on a product like Prescription Diet z/d. This diet is formulated with hydrolyzed proteins, a process that changes the protein in the food in such a way that the body doesn't recognize it as an allergen, and it still provides the nutrition your cat needs to be healthy. Also, consider asking for a recommendation to a veterinary dermatologist. They have more and better testing available to them as well as specialty education in skin problems that may make them better able to help you and your cat.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It depends on which pill you are giving. I would recommend that you check with her veterinarian who knows her medical history well before giving any medications. I agree with you that this is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

It sounds like Missy has allergic dermatitis, which can be to something in the environment or something in her food. I would suggest taking her to your vet for treatment, because over the counters don't really work for allergies in cats. She will likely need steroid therapy and antibiotics to treat for any secondary infections on her skin. You can also give her daily fish oils, which are a natural anti-inflammatory for the skin, and can be given long term. Best wishes with your pet Missy and her allergies. I hope her skin resolves soon. Take care!

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas, infection or mites.

First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation.

 If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy.

 Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollins, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Poor Lilo! If there is any concern for flea allergy, treat for fleas even if you don't see them. Frontline or a similar product used regularly may help immensely. (a flea allergic animal does not have to be riddled with fleas to be itchy.... just 1 or 2 fleas will make a flea allergic animal feel super itchy and affect their skin). Once you have that base covered (treating for fleas) you can try treating with an over the counter product such as Zymox. https://www.petco.com/shop/SearchDisplay?categoryId=&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&searchSource=Q&pageView=&beginIndex=0&pageSize=48&fromPageValue=search&searchKeyword=&searchTerm=zymox They have a shampoo and a conditioner that may be helpful, as well as a spray that you can use to focally treat irritated spots. However, if this is not helping, please take Lilo back to your vet or consider a referral to a veterinary dermatologist so you can get her some relief. Thanks for asking PetCoach!