Cat's skin red, bumpy, losing hair after fleas. Can Benadryl help?

Hi there and thanks for your post! Fatty acids can be beneficial to restore and maintain healthy skin barrier such as omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. While Benadryl can help somewhat for an allergic reaction, the best treatment for flea allergy is using a good flea preventative monthly to kill fleas and keep them from coming back. I have included a link to great omega supplement. Use the code petcoach20 to receive 20% off your order. http://www.vrshealth.com/feline-products/feline-omega-benefits/

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Molly. Poor girl, I'm sorry she's so miserable. I wish we could legally say it's safe to give her Benadryl, but we can't because we are unable to see her in person. It's also against the user terms of the site. Give her vet a call now, and they can let you know if it's safe and can give you a dose for her. Best of luck.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I've not had much success using topical benadryl to relieve itching in dogs or cats. I recommend using malacetic conditioning spray. You can find this online quite easily. If that does not help, I would suggest having a vet take a look at saber as there are prescription options that will help more than the spray. If you are not using a flea preventative I would consider starting this as well. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

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.

Poor Skyler! Since the Benadryl and coconut oil is not working, I recommend to call your veterinarian. The doctor has better and stronger medications to relieve the inflammation and can even address any underlying causes. Pets can have several types of allergies and the most common is environmental causes like pollen and dust mites. There are blood test that can be done to detect these allergens and then make a specific medication for Skyler. I hope this helps and that his skin starts looking better quickly. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Soxx. Since it is so severe, I would definitely have your vet take a look at her. There a good chance she will need some antibiotics and steroids to help her heal. You should also talk to your vet about high quality flea products you need to use on her monthly. You could try Benadryl but I doubt it will be strong enough. See link below for dosing. Also since the fleas don’t live on the pet but in the environment, make sure you treat your house, yards and all other pets for fleas. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/

Try to get a Capstar or Comfortis tablet in your local pet shop. This will kill all the fleas that are on her. I doubt Benadryl is strong enough to alleviate the itching. You can also try to bathe her with an anti-itch shampoo. Another alternative is to take her to a pet ER or an out of hours vet near you for an exam and an injection that will make her stop itching. As for fleas, here is how to get rid of them: Unfortunately fleas only hop on the body of your pet when they want to feed, then they hop off again and stay in your pet's environment. So you need to treat all pets in the household as well as the environment (which contains the fleas, their eggs and larvae). Flea treatment:  1) Get some flea medication such as a Flea spray or a spot on from a pet shop or your veterinarian and apply monthly 2) get flea powder, put some in your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum your house and furniture and also non-carpeted areas frequently to remove flea larvae and eggs which live off house dust., Dispose of the bag in the trash outside. Hot-wash all the pet's bedding, If you do this diligently for a few months you will get rid of the fleas. Flea products: Spot-ons and/or chews Advantage, Advantix Advantage Multi (Advocate in the UK) Frontline (ticks as well) Bravecto spot on (ticks as well) - for cats, in tablet form for dogs Simparica, Nexgard Revolution (stronghold in the UK) Tablets: comfortis (will only kill fleas once) Collar: Seresto (ticks as well) House spray: Indorex