How can a vet distinguish whether cat skin problems are caused by a food allergy or something else?
The easiest way to determine if it is a food allergy is to change your cat’s diet. Cats have sensitive stomachs, so you can’t completely change their food right away — you’ll need to start with a 50/50 mix of their previous brand to their new brand.
Some skin conditions can be treated simply by adding a special blend of Omega 3 to your cat’s diet, which you can find in specially labeled dry cat foods. The fatty oils are essential to help your cat’s coat.
Allergies to external causes can also be a factor. If you have not dusted or cleaned, or you have new indoor plants, consider making a change and seeing if your cat has a positive response after a few days.
The other factor that can cause skin conditions: stress. If your cat has recently moved or you have new family members (human, dog, cat, or other), then you might consider giving your cat a new place to escape from these changes. You could give them a separate room with a tall cat scratching post that gives them an escape from it all, or you could increase play time and give your cat a way to release the stress through activity.
Your vet can take blood tests if conditions do not improve, since skin conditions can be a symptom of other ailments for your cat. Keep an eye on your cat’s mood and if they are shedding or have white flecks on their fur coat.
Food allergy is considered a diagnosis of rule outs. In other words, you need to rule out the food sources that don’t cause a reaction until you’re left with the ones that do.Other causes behind the skin problems may include: • Scabies • Ear mites • Demodectic mange • Fungal disease • Endocrine or hormonal abnormalities • Arthritis or musculo-skeletal pain • Inhalant or contact allergies Each tentative diagnosis has specific tests that may be done to assure that we are or are not dealing with that problem.
