My cat is still scratching after 6 weeks on new food. Is it allergies?

First you have to rule out other things as well like fleas and secondary infection which can both be itchy. If there are any lesions under the skin there may be a secondary infection (common with allergy). For food allergy it can take time for symptoms to resolve (8+ weeks for some dogs) and those pets who are very itchy may need medications to stop the itch (itching can lead to secondary skin infection as well). So if your pup is very itchy you may want to talk to your family vet about meds to help with itch while going back to the old food. And treat for fleas just in case (even if you do not see any). I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I'm sorry to hear that Gofret is having so much trouble! There are a number of things that can cause itching similar to what you describe - it's true that allergies are one of the most common causes, but he could also have a bacterial or fungal skin infection, parasites like fleas, or even skin mites (mange). Your vet should test for these things if this hasn't been done already. If skin tests for all of these problems are negative, then it's likely that your cat has an environmental allergy of some kind since the hypoallergenic diet has not helped. In that case, you will probably need to use a long-term medication to control his symptoms such as prednisone, Atopica, or Apoquel. It may also be an option to have allergy testing done so that you can do hyposensitization injections if you wish - you can ask your vet for referral to a veterinary dermatologist, or get a second opinion from another veterinarian in the area if needed.

It can sometimes take up to two months to fully see results of a new food before any symptoms are completely gone if it is a food-based reaction. I would hesitate to keep switching foods as you won't be able to accurately judge if a food is causing it and may just cause added GI upset on top of the itching and scratching. If Jax is still breaking out very badly it would be best to contact the vet doing the food trial with you so they can take note and make suggestions on whether a change should happen or if you should stay on the food for a while longer.

That is good that you are looking into food allergy. It is important to rule out all causes of allergies. You should not expect to see any changes in his behavior for AT LEAST 4 weeks minimum. A food trial is a full 16 week event and you will not know the full effects until then. Make sure you are conducting a proper food trial and keep your veterinarian updated. Don't stop the diet without talking with your vet. If Jorge seems uncomfortable, your vet can provide medications to make him feel better. I hope this helps.

I'm sorry but no photo was provided other than a photo of your question. Was there supposed to be a photo of the cat? I think you need to give her more time. If she really has a food allergy and the itchiness has reduced on the rabbit raw diet and it has only been 3 weeks, you need to continue as you have been and give it at least 6-8 weeks to work. Be sure you are not feeding her anything else but her diet - no treats, human foods, etc or that may cause a flare up and will ruin your food trial. If after the 6-8 weeks she is still very itchy then you need to speak to your vet about allergy testing. If you would like to post again with photos that did not come through you are welcome to do so. Best wishes!

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, 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, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

You will want to rule out each possible allergy cause (fleas, food allergy, atopy or hyperthyroidism). It sounds like your vet wants to look into food allergies first. Make sure you conduct a proper food trial with the diet. This is the ONLY thing Cheeky can eat. No treats, flavored tooth paste....anything for 12 weeks. You will not see any changes for the first 4 weeks. Yes, you could address the laundry issue as well. Keep in mind he may not have any allergies to the detergent. Dreft is a brand that tends to be low allergen but it's not impossible to see a reaction. I hope this helps.