Cat ear sores from allergies: treatment, testing cost, and vet help?

I'm sorry to hear Lily is having this issue! Mites can be a common cause of itchy ears in younger cats but in older cats ear infections are more common. Food allergies can be a trigger for ear infections in older cats as well. Unfortunately because the problem has been going on for over a year she really needs to be examined by a veterinarian. They can take an ear swab to look for mites or bacterial infection. They can also make sure Lily's ear drums are okay. Without knowing what kind of infection is causing the issue and not knowing if her ear drums are okay there's really nothing safe you can do at home. Most veterinary clinics accept Care Credit so this may help you with payments and make Lily's treatment more financially feasible for you. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Lily's ear issue resolves quickly!

I recommend to either have Lilly checked for hyperthyroidism or try a diet trial with a hydrolyzed protein for 12 weeks. Call your vet to discuss which option seems like the best for Lilly. Unfortunately, Allergies to something in the environment, food allergies, flea allergies and hyperthyroidism will all look the same so you must start ruling them out one by one. You may also look into joining a clinic like Banfield or VCA that offer wellness programs. These programs are not insurance but the office visits are free and you get a discount of services and medications outside of the program. You will need to check and verify details with any of these clinics in your area. Not every service will be covered by the program. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Luna! I would have Luna on year round flea treatment. Dogs and cats that are flea allergic, meaning have a severe reaction to the saliva, will break out this bad from ONE flea bite. She should have a skin scrape done to rule out mites. There no good test for food allergies. It is best to do food trials. To save money and Vet visits for Luna I would bite the bullet and immediately go for a prescription hydrolzyed diet like Hill's z/d or Royal Canin HP. She may need steroids or antibiotics to get her comfortable during this outbreak. Cats can be maintained on off label use of antihistamines and apoquel. And some cats do well on atopica. Omega 3 fish oils never hurt either. It is hard for Vet who have never examined Luna's skin to give you an estimate over the phone. Skin allergies are expensive but once you find the right medication and food regime Luna will likely do well. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/zyrtec/ https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24785

Poor Love Bug! There are different types of allergies that cats can get - blood testing is usually quite accurate for environmental allergies, but less so for other issues like fleas or food allergies. Bacterial or fungal skin infections or skin mites (mange) can also cause recurring itching issues in cats, so it's important to rule out these possibilities as well. I would definitely make sure that Love Bug is on a good quality monthly flea control medication to make sure that fleas are not the problem, and ask your vet about doing a skin scrape to rule out mites if this hasn't been done already. A skin cytology test and/or fungal culture could also be considered if her skin problems look suspicious for some type of infection. If you're hesitant about going forward with blood testing for environmental allergies, you could also consider a hypoallergenic food trial first - if she has a food allergy, this is a more effective way of diagnosing it than using a blood test. If all of these things have been done already and your vet is fairly certain that Lady Bug has environmental allergies, then yes - a blood test would be a good, accurate way of determining what she is allergic to. From there, you can either do allergy hyposensitization injections (similar to what is done in humans) to help train her immune system over time, or start a daily allergy medication like Atopica or prednisolone as-needed to control her symptoms. If you opt for the allergy hyposensitization treatment program, the success rate for significant improvement (not necessarily a cure, although some cats do have complete resolution of their symptoms) is about 60-70%.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to allergies. Benadryl is good as is prednisolone for example. However, these are only going to help with the itch temporarily. However, it is crucial to get rid of the allergic component and treat the allergy as if not, the itch will continue. Also, it is crucial to treat the likely secondary infection. There is no at home treatments as the other medication that can be used in cats for this is a prescription medication called prednisolone. One thing you can do at home besides dealing with the possible allergies is using an e-collar which you can get from your local pet store or online to prevent any further self-trauma. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his 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!

Because you don't know the cause of these lesions, I do think having the biopsy done is best. That could help diagnose the problem, which will dictate the treatment plan. I can't say what treatment to do because I don't know the cause and I can't see KittyThree in person. I would see if you can borrow money from family and friends to afford this test, and I can give you some resources that may help. You can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ Check out these resources, and I hope one of them helps you afford the biopsy. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be secondary infections due to allergies for example. 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!