[midgiepooh]

This is related to my previous posts, "Itchy Cat" and the one about the fear of bringing in a new kitten into a house with FIV+ kitties.

I just got a call from the dermatologist for my "itchy" cat, getting bloodwork results before we begin treatment - they ran a battery of tests for diseases before giving me the green light to medicate.

Turns out my boy's FIV status was a false positive. He never had FIV!

So that makes me feel great! A whole slew of treatment options are open to him, and none of them involve expensive specialists anymore!

And I don't really have to worry about the kitten either! I've got another boy who tested positive for FIV. I might have him retested, I don't know.

Now the specialist is faxing over the results to my primary vet. Ugh...if you read my previous posts, she's the one who wants to euthanize positive kitties in a negative household.

That's not gonna happen with this cat-mama! Definitely switching vets now! She's either gonna want to put one to sleep or kick itchy out of the house.

Not gonna happen!!!

Sorry, I just had to come here and gloat! I am so happy! :jump

 

[Nan]

Hooray! That's a relief! You are a good kitty-mama

 

[Ragdoll_Joy]

That is great news!!! SO HAPPY FOR YOU

 

[Dave_ph]

I have an itchy kitty. She's headed in this week for further investigation.

Please keep postiing about the dermatologist's findings

 

[midgiepooh]

Oh no, you have an itchy kitty too? That stinks!

My dermatologist said we could test him for allergies to find out what the problem is, but it would be around 4 months or so (from what I remember) before they could pinpoint the problem and treat it.

We opted instead to use Atopia to stop him from itching. He's been like this his entire life, but a dose of Ovaban and a shot of steroids always did the trick. Since the (false) positive FIV result, the vets have refused steroids - and thus my baby boy hasn't improved.

We'll see how the Atopia works. If not, we'll just go back to the steroids like normal! This negative test is the best thing that's happened to my cats in three months!

 

[Dave_ph]

Fay definjitely has a sever flea alergy. If I don't get her flea meds on every 3 weeks she's a mess. The areas around her eyes get red and I can feel scabs under her coat. She's pretty bad right now and chewing away at herself. I'm going to bring her to the vet this week. It's been quite a while since her last set of steroid shots.

 

[midgiepooh]

Fay definjitely has a sever flea alergy. If I don't get her flea meds on every 3 weeks she's a mess. The areas around her eyes get red and I can feel scabs under her coat. She's pretty bad right now and chewing away at herself. I'm going to bring her to the vet this week. It's been quite a while since her last set of steroid shots.

Oh my goodness...my Francis has the exact same problem, but not caused by fleas (this time). Fleas have been the cause before, but it seems to be ANY "prick" of the skin, flea bites, scratches, immunizations, etc. The derma said he probably has underlying allergies that the "pricks" are bringing out the urge to scratch.

Has your vet ever given your Fay some Ovaban? It always worked like a charm for us before (plus the steroids). If we could catch the itch before he started mutilating himself, we could get away with using only Ovaban and save the vet visit.

Of course, this was before poor Francis' itch got way out of control this time. He's been wearing a cone for almost three months now. Of course, it wouldn't have taken three freaking months if he hadn't had a positive FIV test!!!

I'll let you know how the Atopica works. I'm afraid it appears to be a really heavy-duty solution to the problem, though. It suppresses the immune system in order to "turn off" the itch. That's why Fran had to have that bloodwork done.

Either way, I'll let you know so you can at least ask your vet about it.

 

[minikin44]

Yay!!! :-D My kitties and I are so happy for you! There's some good karma for taking in the kitten (what would your mom say to that?! hmmph).

 

[Dave_ph]

I've never heard of Ovaban. We have a vet appointment Weds morning. I dread the possibility of the cone with 2 other cats in the house including 1 she doesn't get along with

 

[midgiepooh]

I never thought about karma "coming to get me" for taking in that kitten! That's a good way to think about it! Thanks!!!! I'm sure my mom will love it! I'll tell her! haha!

Dave - ask your vet about Ovaban! Can't hurt to just ask! Tell 'em you have a friend with a similar issue and you were just wondering if Ovaban were a possibility.

Ovaban is "doggie birth control," but for some reason it helps cats control their allergies. About 20 years ago I had a vet tell me sometimes males have hormone issues after neutering. So taking that into consideration, I don't know if Ovaban is only prescribed for male cats with skin issues....but who knows! It can't hurt to just ask! It really does work wonders, its just not working for us this time - but I've got years of experience using it!