Can salmon oil cause greasy fur & scabs in cats with fish allergy?

Thank you for your post! Smokey's skin does not look too happy. Not sure what type of shampoo you are using but this almost looks a bit like a skin infection Or dermatitis. Insect bites can sometimes look like this as well. I would suggest starting him on omega 3 fish oil (such as welactin for cats) and use a shampoo such as duoxo chlorhexidine PS combination. It could also be a part of a condition known as eosinophilic granuloma complex. If it does not improve I would see you vet for a further workup as different treatment may be required. Feel free to contact me with further questions or concerns

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. Salmon oil is a great choice. I think though that the primary condition needs to be treated for this to get better. So if this is due to allergies, these have to be addressed for it to improve. Supplements in this scenario can only help if the primary condition is being treated. 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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. To be honest, the pictures of Kat don’t look that bad to me but I know that in real life things can be different. I’d first try about 300 mg per day of fish oil. This can take a month or two to really help but does often help with things like this. Brushing daily can also help with the greasiness. I see he is a little on the chunky side, so part of the greasiness may be that he is not able to groom that area easily any more. Brushing and weight loss can help there. Finally, there are true skin conditions (oil gland diseases, auto-Immune diseases, mites, infections) that can also cause skin problems like this so if it seems severe, gets worse in any way, or is not improving in 3 weeks, it’s time to see the vet. Best wishes to you and Kat!

Hmmm. Not sure the train of thought your vet was on. I commonly recommend fish oils, any fish oil supplement will work. There is no specific amount, though the biggest side effect is greasy stools. If you notice that, then you decrease the dose. It can take several months for you to see a change after starting fish oils. You can find a pet product at a pet store, or just use one from the human supplements section of a pharmacy or other store.

The fish oil works best if eaten, it will just make Winky Boy's fur greasy is applied to him. I would hide the fish oil in a fish based wet food to see if he will eat it. As for his ears, ear mites are typically found in younger kittens. He could have a bacterial or yeast ear infection. I'd take him into the vet to have his ear examined and diagnosed so they can be treated correctly.

Canned salmon is not a good food for a cat and could be the reason for the flaking. He likely is not grooming due to either pain (cats older than 7 years usually start getting osteoarthritis and will groom less the worse the arthritis pain gets) or being so stiff, that he cannot reach everywhere. You should also check his teeth and gums. If they are red, if he smells bad from his mouth and/ or if you see brownish crusting on his molars (cheek teeth) , then he may have a tooth ache and not groom because of that. Besides brushing, you may also want to take a moist towel and wipe him down. Most cats like that. He may have mites, which causes crusting, flaking and thinning of the fur. These would not necessarily be itchy. I suggest you make an appointment with your vet for a geriatric exam, some base line blood tests, to make sure he is healthy.

The first thing I would do with Bonnie is put a flea prevention on her. Even if she doesn't go outside and you do not see fleas she can be very allergic to them. The reason I jump to this first is the two locations for fleas to go are at the base of the tail and the belly. Cats typically you cannot see the fleas or flea dirt since they groom so much so you will just see hairloss and sometimes scabs. If she has scabs or she is licking a lot, a veterinarian can give medication to make her feel more comfortable. If this does not help then I would pick a salmon based formula food and gradually wean her onto it. It can take up to 12 weeks for a food to help. If either of these doesn't work then it is most likely behavioral and your veterinarian can prescribe medication. If this is a new thing then it is more likely a flea jumped on her at one point creating an allergic reaction. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.