My Little Allergic "EGC" Asthmatic Cat

Last I posted she was doing great and had not had any wheezing or bumps (she
has the linear granuloma type of Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex) since last
November which is when she had her last Depo Medrol shot. She is not on any
other medications, is on a canned-only diet of food with no wheat gluten or
other meal products, and I keep dust, perfumes, cleaning fluids, other
chemicals and smoke away from her as well as I can.

She began scratching more than usual ten days ago and by Thursday I noticed
that she had little scabs on the baldish places in front of her ears--and
that the mucus membrane just inside her lower lip had begun to swell a
little. This would be the second time in four years that she has not had the
linear granuloma bumps on the back of her legs, but got the lip lesion
instead. (I thought they had to have one or the other but I guess not.)

Anyway, Friday evening she got a Depo Medrol shot, and I have already
noticed that she is not scratching much. The vet said that while asthmatic
cats often need Depo shots more than twice a year, the drug stays in the
system for six months in sufficient concentration to keep allergic cats from
scratching themselves raw.

Her checkup was fine--though she is down to 7 pounds, she tends to lose
weight in the summer, for whatever reason. I have increased her canned food
by a little each day as she is best at about 7.5.



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cybercat wrote:
Last I posted she was doing great and had not had any wheezing or bumps (she
has the linear granuloma type of Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex) since last
November which is when she had her last Depo Medrol shot. She is not on any
other medications, is on a canned-only diet of food with no wheat gluten or
other meal products, and I keep dust, perfumes, cleaning fluids, other
chemicals and smoke away from her as well as I can.

She began scratching more than usual ten days ago and by Thursday I noticed
that she had little scabs on the baldish places in front of her ears--and
that the mucus membrane just inside her lower lip had begun to swell a
little. This would be the second time in four years that she has not had the
linear granuloma bumps on the back of her legs, but got the lip lesion
instead. (I thought they had to have one or the other but I guess not.)

My Mimi has EGC and tends to get lesions on her lips and chin. She
does occassionally get them along her spine and back of her legs, so
it's not uncommon to see them present in multiple places, especially as
the cat ages.


Anyway, Friday evening she got a Depo Medrol shot, and I have already
noticed that she is not scratching much. The vet said that while asthmatic
cats often need Depo shots more than twice a year, the drug stays in the
system for six months in sufficient concentration to keep allergic cats from
scratching themselves raw.

Her checkup was fine--though she is down to 7 pounds, she tends to lose
weight in the summer, for whatever reason. I have increased her canned food
by a little each day as she is best at about 7.5.

How old is she? Cats tend to lose weight over time, after about age
12-15. It's just a trend I noticed at the vet, and my boss concurred -
he didn't seem to think it was anything to get too concerned about.
And as you stated, some cats do fluxuate with the weather - natural
survival instincts make them chow down more in Fall and Winter. My
Mom's cat Pinky used to become a big, fluffy orange butterball in the
Winter (indoor/outdoor).

-L.

We had surrender that had eosinophilic plaque- its just a different form of
the same disease process. She's been getting a concentrated dose of
omega-3s- 3V Caps (DVM Pharmaceuticals). The scratching has almost stopped
completely and the lesion is fading. Don't use Derm Caps or any omega-3s
that come from plant sources- they contain too much omega-6- which are
proinflammatory. 3V omega-3s come from cold water fish and contain more
omega-3 and less omega-6. They're also more bioavailable than plant-derived
omega-3s and they're balanced with antioxidants (vitamin E).

DVM makes two versions of 3V Caps: regular and

http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/di...VCaps%20Liquid

HP (high potency).

http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/di...%20Liquid%20HP

The HP is very strong and your cat might like it. I had to switch from HP
to the regular.

You might want to speak to the vet at DVM (Dr. Kristin Boos) 1-800-759-3664
x 1383 to calculate the exact dose for your cat. The dosing recommendations
on the bottles is too wide. If your cat doesn't like it or if it doesn't
help, you can get a full refund. When I switched from the HP to regular, I
received the replacement in 3 days.

My hyperthy/CRF cat has been on 3V for about a month and her GFR *increased*
and BUN/Creatinine came down! Her kidney values are now high normal and her
USG has increased from 1.011 to 1.023!

I had to opt for the I-131 because the Tapazole affected her appetite to the
point where almost stopped eating completely. It was definitely the
Tapazole itself and not simply the bitter taste- I always put the 1/2 in a
#4 gelcap followed by a 10 ml chicken broth chaser. From day one she never
tasted the Tapazole so I know it wasn't the taste the killed her appetite.
The Tapazole also drove her WBC down to borderline leukopenia.

Anyway, the radiologist gave her a lower than usual dose of I-131- and hit
the perfect dose right on the head. Her post I-131 kidney levels were
almost identical to her kidney levels while she was on Tap. Now, they're
actually better and will improve a little more as more of her normal thyroid
tissue becomes functional again. Hyperthy surppresses normal functioning
thyroid tissue- it takes a few months after I-131 to become fully fuctional
again.

I'm buried in kittens! As soon as I finish feeding the last one, the first
one is ready for another feeding- I have to start the feeding cycle all over
again! lol! It seems like last kitten season never ended. Good thing
someone's helping with the colonies!

Don't forget to call Dr. Koos. She's really great. Tell her I said hello
and thanks.

Good luck,

Phil


"cybercat" wrote in message
...
Last I posted she was doing great and had not had any wheezing or bumps
(she
has the linear granuloma type of Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex) since
last
November which is when she had her last Depo Medrol shot. She is not on
any
other medications, is on a canned-only diet of food with no wheat gluten
or
other meal products, and I keep dust, perfumes, cleaning fluids, other
chemicals and smoke away from her as well as I can.

She began scratching more than usual ten days ago and by Thursday I
noticed
that she had little scabs on the baldish places in front of her ears--and
that the mucus membrane just inside her lower lip had begun to swell a
little. This would be the second time in four years that she has not had
the
linear granuloma bumps on the back of her legs, but got the lip lesion
instead. (I thought they had to have one or the other but I guess not.)

Anyway, Friday evening she got a Depo Medrol shot, and I have already
noticed that she is not scratching much. The vet said that while asthmatic
cats often need Depo shots more than twice a year, the drug stays in the
system for six months in sufficient concentration to keep allergic cats
from
scratching themselves raw.

Her checkup was fine--though she is down to 7 pounds, she tends to lose
weight in the summer, for whatever reason. I have increased her canned
food
by a little each day as she is best at about 7.5.



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Phil P. wrote:

I'm buried in kittens! As soon as I finish feeding the last one, the first
one is ready for another feeding- I have to start the feeding cycle all over
again! lol! It seems like last kitten season never ended. Good thing
someone's helping with the colonies!

Are you feeding bottle babies? God, I remember those days...and
nights!
-L.

"-L." wrote in message
s.com...

My Mimi has EGC and tends to get lesions on her lips and chin. She
does occassionally get them along her spine and back of her legs, so
it's not uncommon to see them present in multiple places, especially as
the cat ages.


Good to know. Do you get the shots or do oral pred or control it in
some other way? How often does Mimi need treatment?


Her checkup was fine--though she is down to 7 pounds, she tends to lose
weight in the summer, for whatever reason. I have increased her canned
food
by a little each day as she is best at about 7.5.

How old is she?

I thnk she was a year old when I adopted her in 2001, so I guess she is 6-7.
There are times when she will not finish her food and I have to throw it
away.
I keep dry food down for her when this happens because she is so skinny, but
usually she will not touch it. Other times she eats all of her canned food.

Cats tend to lose weight over time, after about age
12-15. It's just a trend I noticed at the vet, and my boss concurred -
he didn't seem to think it was anything to get too concerned about.
And as you stated, some cats do fluxuate with the weather - natural
survival instincts make them chow down more in Fall and Winter. My
Mom's cat Pinky used to become a big, fluffy orange butterball in the
Winter (indoor/outdoor).


This makes sense, both the age thing and the seasonal thing. Happily,
since she got her shot, Gracie is eating all of her canned at breakfast
so I put down more, and she ate all of that too yesterday! I figure as
long as she is really skinny I will feed her all she wants. But, also,
she has that "oriental" build, you know? Triangular head, huge eyes,
long skinny legs, long tail, long skinny body. It is actually hilarious the
way she runs all over the house with her tail held high like the mast
of a tallship. She runs from us everywhere except upstairs in the
main bedroom or in my office, she just zips all over the house.

How did you come to get Mimi? Does she also have asthma?



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"Phil P." wrote in message
news:A47jg.24539$X02.20183@trnddc02...
We had surrender that had eosinophilic plaque- its just a different form
of
the same disease process.

Interestiing, thanks for letting me know. I will Google the phrase for more
information.

She's been getting a concentrated dose of
omega-3s- 3V Caps (DVM Pharmaceuticals). The scratching has almost
stopped
completely and the lesion is fading.

Wow! And no steroid side effects! That is great--these are omega-3 fatty
acids,
right? Like the kind in the fish oil gelcaps I took until I got tired of
burping up fish
when I had not had any for dinner!


Don't use Derm Caps or any omega-3s
that come from plant sources- they contain too much omega-6- which are
proinflammatory. 3V omega-3s come from cold water fish and contain more
omega-3 and less omega-6. They're also more bioavailable than
plant-derived
omega-3s and they're balanced with antioxidants (vitamin E).

DVM makes two versions of 3V Caps: regular and

http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/di...VCaps%20Liquid

HP (high potency).


http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/di...%20Liquid%20HP

The HP is very strong and your cat might like it. I had to switch from HP
to the regular.

You might want to speak to the vet at DVM (Dr. Kristin Boos)
1-800-759-3664
x 1383 to calculate the exact dose for your cat. The dosing
recommendations
on the bottles is too wide. If your cat doesn't like it or if it doesn't
help, you can get a full refund. When I switched from the HP to regular,
I
received the replacement in 3 days.

Excellent, I will certainly call her and send your regards. Gracie is easy
to pill so
far, too, when I give her Chlortrimeton. Phil, she is going so long between
Depo
shots now, it might be time to try another approach. The only thing is ...
she has
asthma too. That is what, to me, justifies the risk of the Depo shots. EGC
is just
annoying but asthma can be life threatening.


My hyperthy/CRF cat has been on 3V for about a month and her GFR
*increased*
and BUN/Creatinine came down! Her kidney values are now high normal and
her
USG has increased from 1.011 to 1.023!

Now this is wonderful, too. As you know, my cat Boo is hyperthyroid. She
goes
in for bloodwork next week, to check her levels. But of course she is not
CRF--
hope she never gets that way but we never know, it seems to be common.

I had to opt for the I-131 because the Tapazole affected her appetite to
the
point where almost stopped eating completely. It was definitely the
Tapazole itself and not simply the bitter taste- I always put the 1/2 in a
#4 gelcap followed by a 10 ml chicken broth chaser. From day one she
never
tasted the Tapazole so I know it wasn't the taste the killed her appetite.
The Tapazole also drove her WBC down to borderline leukopenia.

My goodness, I didn't know it could do that. These are things we do not
talk about often here, regarding Tapazole, appetite, and white blood cell
count, so I am glad you brought it up. By I-131 you mean the radioactive
iodine treatment? I have not forgetten about it. So far Boo does very well
on the Tapazole--Phil, she still weighs 8 lbs, down from 18!--so we will
stick with that a while, but should there be a problem, it is good to know
that I-131 might be an alternative.

I'm buried in kittens! As soon as I finish feeding the last one, the
first
one is ready for another feeding- I have to start the feeding cycle all
over
again! lol! It seems like last kitten season never ended. Good thing
someone's helping with the colonies!


Man, I know this is hard work but I love kittens so I envy you!
You have been missed around here. It's good to see you back. I will
call Dr. Koos, I saved your post to my "personal" folder for reference.
Thank you, Phil.



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cybercat wrote:
"-L." wrote in message
s.com...

My Mimi has EGC and tends to get lesions on her lips and chin. She
does occassionally get them along her spine and back of her legs, so
it's not uncommon to see them present in multiple places, especially as
the cat ages.


Good to know. Do you get the shots or do oral pred or control it in
some other way? How often does Mimi need treatment?

Depo IM. She hasn't needed a shot for, wow - a couple years, maybe.
When she was 8-10 her lesions were pretty bad - she got shots about 3-4
times/yr, and we had trouble controlling them - I think she may have
had an allergy to something in that location. Prior to that the
lesions were lip/chin only. She's 16 now (almost).

snip

How old is she?

I thnk she was a year old when I adopted her in 2001, so I guess she is 6-7.
There are times when she will not finish her food and I have to throw it
away.
I keep dry food down for her when this happens because she is so skinny, but
usually she will not touch it. Other times she eats all of her canned food.

snip


This makes sense, both the age thing and the seasonal thing. Happily,
since she got her shot, Gracie is eating all of her canned at breakfast
so I put down more, and she ate all of that too yesterday! I figure as
long as she is really skinny I will feed her all she wants. But, also,
she has that "oriental" build, you know? Triangular head, huge eyes,
long skinny legs, long tail, long skinny body. It is actually hilarious the
way she runs all over the house with her tail held high like the mast
of a tallship. She runs from us everywhere except upstairs in the
main bedroom or in my office, she just zips all over the house.

I'm glad she is eating again - I think the EGC just makes them feel
yucky all over. My Mom had a long-haired cat that ran around like that
with his tail up - nick named "Sail Tail", LOL.... I love that
Oriental build. I always wanted an Oriental Shorthair, but never would
pay a breeder. In all the years I worked at the HS I never saw an OS
come through.


How did you come to get Mimi? Does she also have asthma?

She was a HS kitten, adopted at about 5 weeks. She was in a box with
like 10 other skinny little kittens, covered in fleas, filled with
worms and coccidia and was anemic. She had her first EGC outbreak at 8
weeks. She does not have asthma and in fact has been remarkably
healthy. She does have arthritis now, though. She's kinda goofy and I
wonder if she isn't inbred to some extent (I also think there may be
either a viral cause or genetic predisposition to EGC). The note on
the box only said "To many cats" (sic) so who knows what the
circumstances were...

-L.

Phil P. wrote:
DVM makes two versions of 3V Caps: regular and

http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/di...VCaps%20Liquid

HP (high potency).

http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/di...%20Liquid%20HP

The HP is very strong and your cat might like it. I had to switch from HP
to the regular.

Hi Phil,
How is this different than a formula that is bought at a health food
store? We're using whole body fish oil by Carlson (has vit E in it).
Here is their website for the product we use:

http://www.carlsonlabs.com/product_d...7815dd4a91c99a

I know this is a reliable company and they really do the testing they
say they do. But if the DVM one is better, I'd like to know.

Thanks,
Lauren

"-L." wrote in message
oups.com...

Phil P. wrote:

I'm buried in kittens! As soon as I finish feeding the last one, the
first
one is ready for another feeding- I have to start the feeding cycle all
over
again! lol! It seems like last kitten season never ended. Good thing
someone's helping with the colonies!

Are you feeding bottle babies?

Yeah- with *my* hands! Ain't that a hoot? Its like threading a needle while
wearing boxing gloves! lol


God, I remember those days...and
nights!


Only two left- the rest are eating on their own. I'm glad I got to them
first- I weaned them all on canned kitten food. Their first food will
strongly influence their texture preference later in life. I brainwashed
them! lol

Phil

"cybercat" wrote in message
...

"Phil P." wrote in message
news:A47jg.24539$X02.20183@trnddc02...
We had surrender that had eosinophilic plaque- its just a different form
of
the same disease process.

Interestiing, thanks for letting me know. I will Google the phrase for
more
information.

She's been getting a concentrated dose of
omega-3s- 3V Caps (DVM Pharmaceuticals). The scratching has almost
stopped
completely and the lesion is fading.

Wow! And no steroid side effects! That is great--these are omega-3 fatty
acids,
right? Like the kind in the fish oil gelcaps I took until I got tired of
burping up fish
when I had not had any for dinner!


Don't use Derm Caps or any omega-3s
that come from plant sources- they contain too much omega-6- which are
proinflammatory. 3V omega-3s come from cold water fish and contain more
omega-3 and less omega-6. They're also more bioavailable than
plant-derived
omega-3s and they're balanced with antioxidants (vitamin E).

DVM makes two versions of 3V Caps: regular and

http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/di...VCaps%20Liquid

HP (high potency).



http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/di...%20Liquid%20HP

The HP is very strong and your cat might like it. I had to switch from
HP
to the regular.

You might want to speak to the vet at DVM (Dr. Kristin Boos)
1-800-759-3664
x 1383 to calculate the exact dose for your cat. The dosing
recommendations
on the bottles is too wide. If your cat doesn't like it or if it
doesn't
help, you can get a full refund. When I switched from the HP to
regular,
I
received the replacement in 3 days.

Excellent, I will certainly call her and send your regards. Gracie is easy
to pill so
far, too, when I give her Chlortrimeton. Phil, she is going so long
between
Depo
shots now, it might be time to try another approach. The only thing is ...
she has
asthma too. That is what, to me, justifies the risk of the Depo shots. EGC
is just
annoying but asthma can be life threatening.


Have you tried inhaled steroids- Flovent and inhaled albuterol for rescue?
Speak to vet about it. If he agrees, let me know, I get a smoking deal on
Flovent but I can't tell you about it- someone might rat me out.




My hyperthy/CRF cat has been on 3V for about a month and her GFR
*increased*
and BUN/Creatinine came down! Her kidney values are now high normal and
her
USG has increased from 1.011 to 1.023!

Now this is wonderful, too. As you know, my cat Boo is hyperthyroid. She
goes
in for bloodwork next week, to check her levels. But of course she is not
CRF--
hope she never gets that way but we never know, it seems to be common.

I had to opt for the I-131 because the Tapazole affected her appetite to
the
point where almost stopped eating completely. It was definitely the
Tapazole itself and not simply the bitter taste- I always put the 1/2 in
a
#4 gelcap followed by a 10 ml chicken broth chaser. From day one she
never
tasted the Tapazole so I know it wasn't the taste the killed her
appetite.
The Tapazole also drove her WBC down to borderline leukopenia.

My goodness, I didn't know it could do that. These are things we do not
talk about often here, regarding Tapazole, appetite, and white blood cell
count, so I am glad you brought it up. By I-131 you mean the radioactive
iodine treatment? I have not forgetten about it. So far Boo does very well
on the Tapazole--Phil, she still weighs 8 lbs, down from 18!--so we will
stick with that a while, but should there be a problem, it is good to know
that I-131 might be an alternative.

I'm buried in kittens! As soon as I finish feeding the last one, the
first
one is ready for another feeding- I have to start the feeding cycle all
over
again! lol! It seems like last kitten season never ended. Good thing
someone's helping with the colonies!


Man, I know this is hard work but I love kittens so I envy you!

The problem with kittens is they don't stay kittens- a lot of people dump
them when they're not so tiny and cute anymore. I'm making it a project to
keep track of this brood for as long as possible. I'm thinking about
micochipping all of them when they're a little older, maybe I'll be able to
keep track of them through their registration numbers. I really got
attached to a few. I should know better.


You have been missed around here. It's good to see you back.


You're probably in a minority! lol



I will
call Dr. Koos, I saved your post to my "personal" folder for reference.
Thank you, Phil.


Let me know the results of your conversation.

Good luck,

Phil