The senior vet said yesterday that we have to find a way to “measure” Tabs’ condition so that we know whether it is improving or not. At the same time, we can also try to identify the allergen even though that is going to be an extremely challenging task. And finally, if all else fails and her itch gets worse, the “easy way out” would be to go for steroid therapy.
Yesterday’s consultation at the vet’s was almost an hour long and throughout the entire hour, the vet highlighted to me that Tabs did not even scratch once. Could it be due to the air-conditioning in the room? Is Tabs itching because of the heat? Again, we will never know. We can only make calculated guesses. The vet did say that he thinks it is likely to be Flea Allergy Dermatitis, an allergy to the saliva from a flea bite. At the same time, we also cannot rule of a sudden allergy to food. Just like in humans, we can suddenly develop an allergy to a certain food which we have been eating without problems for decades. It can just happen suddenly.
I spent all day yesterday learning as much as I could from websites about Tabs’ condition. I started monitoring her closely too and noticed that she tended to scratch a lot after eating each meal. Could she be allergic to a certain ingredient in her food? That would be extremely difficult to isolate.
Last night, Tabs was very hungry and kept nudging at the kibble jar. We only have a kibble jar because of Ginger – he demands that a few pellets be added to his daily raw food. Otherwise, he will go on a hunger strike. All our cats are on raw food. I really hope Tabs isn’t allergic to raw food because it would be a setback if I have to change her to another type of food. But she was very hungry last night and kept nudging at the kibble jar. So since I was testing and trying to do some elimination trials, I gave her some kibble. She ate it all up and did not scratch after that. That observation really made me wonder if Tabs could be allergic to some ingredient in the raw food.
But this morning, I gave Tabs her usual raw food and she was okay after that. No scratching. So, why was she scratching after her meals yesterday and not today?
It is so difficult, isn’t it?
I think for now, our “measurement” will be the amount of fur that we pick up from the floor. Also, we will take photos of the bald spots on Tabs on a daily basis. Whenever we can, we will watch her and monitor her scratching as well and try to see if there is a pattern.
But I really, really hope she isn’t allergic to food. I hope it is as the senior vet’s guess – allergy to a flea bite.
It’s a cool day today. Hardly any scratching all morning.
The senior vet said it is only a superficial problem and her condition isn’t bad. I’m not worried about the cosmetic problem, but I don’t want Tabs to have to endure too much itching as that would be very uncomfortable too. So we would have to monitor and measure her scratching episodes as closely as we can. Other than this, I’m still thankful that Tabs is alert, active and happy. None of her routine has changed.