My cat has eczema. What are natural, steroid-free treatments?

Steroids can be indicating is allergic dermatitis but have extreme side effects when used at high doses or long term. I would not recommend this as a long term course. Any steroid over time leads to a resistance where it just won't work anymore and can lead to liver problems and diabetes in cats. Prednisolone is better tolerated and seems to work better in generally in cats compared to dexamethasone. There is a medicine called Atopica or Apoquel that is made for allergic skin disease and does what the steroids do just without the side effects and resistance, so you may be better trying one of those instead. All are prescription medicines so you will have to call your vet to see if they can fill this since they already have a medical report on her. I would stay on the hypoallergenic diet as this can take 2-3 months for max affect and treats count as far as food allergy go, so make sure those are hypoallergenic or don't give any. I would consider a treatment for mange and fleas also. It is not common in cats but causes them to be itchy and it is hard to prove and super easy to just treat to be safe.

It sounds like Zumba is having a form of allergy. There are different form of steroids that can be prescribe and that can help but definitively this medication is the best to resolve the itch (I would continue with that). I would discuss it with your veterinarian, as long acting injections and minimal oral dosages are available. There is also a nice topical spray available, it's called Cortavance and you can get it at the vets.

Hello. This is an indication that Tigs is allergic to something in his environment, be it pollen, dust mites, possibly even his food. Cortisone can keep his symptoms under control, but over time there can be side effects from multiple steroid injections. You could try allergy testing to see what Tigs may be allergic to & start a desensitization protocol. This can take some time, so it is best to work with a veterinary dermatologist to get the best results. If he might be having some issues with his food, then a trial with a hypoallergenic diet may be appropriate. Make sure you are doing as good a job as you can controlling fleas as this is a major cause if skin irritation in cats. The important thing to know is we can not cure allergies, just control the symptoms. Steroid injections ( cortisone ) are just one tool to help keep the symptoms under control. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Steroids generally used are Prednisolone or Depo-Medrol. If Steroids can not control the lesions, we often go to Atopica ( cyclosporine ). For the antibiotic, I would start either with the amoxicillin/clauvalonic acid or one of the cephalosporins ( Covenia if available to you). You might also investigate using a hypoallergenic diet for cats, such as one with a novel protein or one made with a hydrolyzed protein. Science Diet & Royal Canin are very popular ones here. Hope this helps. Take care.

No, I don't recommend to start giving him the medication again. It may not be good anymore. Also, long term steroids are not ideal as they can cause problems in the body. There are other methods to address itching. Ideally, you would figure out the underlying cause. The four main causes of itchiness are allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Comfortis. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. There is a drug called Atopica that is better for allergies. There is also the option of immunotherapy. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the itching should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Tucker wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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!

Hello. This may be a condition called military dermatitis, a type of allergy. You can try changing the things in her environment like the litter & food, but you cannot change what she touches & breathes in. You can try switching her to Science Diets Sensitive Stomach & Skin, but she may need a true hypoallergenic diet, or it may be something completely different causing her allergies. The best thing to do is to see your vet who may decide to give Mittens a long acting steroid shot. If it clears up her skin, then she may periodically need an additional injection. The alternative is allergy testing, but again this is something to discuss with your vet. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.