I got this nice email in response to a caller I’d had on the air – but for safety’s sake I passed it along to the wonderful vet of CAT CHAT®, Elizabeth Hodgkins. As always she came right back with words of wisdom – which serve as a warning to all of us that we cannot simply guess at what might help our precious pets.
I was listening to your show on Sirius, and a gentleman called in who was having problems with his pet having some sort of allergy. He tried to give it Benadryl, but due to the bitterness his pet wouldn’t take it even in food. I just wanted to suggest that you might want to try out (or have someone try out) using one of the dissolvable film products that have diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl) in them. I know that Benadryl has one, and there is also a Theraflu and a Triaminic one. I have tried the Theraflu one, and the bitter taste is pretty well masked in that product. They dissolve really fast, so it might be easier to give one of those.
I really enjoy your show!
Molly
I wrote Molly back as follows and included Dr. H’s comments:
I really appreciate your sharing that thought but I ran it by the official vet of CAT CHAT® – and her response is a heads-up to all of us that we cannot self-diagnose or prescribe for our pets. But I’m so glad you wrote in and I’m delighted to know you’re out there listening!
The problem with these other products is that they have other ingredients, like acetaminophen, which can be toxic, even fatal for cats. Did he use a pill form of Benadryl? At best this is not a solution just a temporary “band aid.”
The problem is likely at least partly the food, no matter what the tests showed. Allergy tests in cats are a waste, not at all proven reliable. He should switch to a hypoallergenic diet like the canned rabbit and pea, duck and pea, venison and pea types etc. A raw diet, especially rabbit is also good for such cats. He may want to seek a second opinion from a dermatologist….in human med, when a physician has run out of ideas with no solution to a problem, the case is referred. In vet med, there is no legal liability for just throwing up one’s hands and saying “too bad, I have no idea” as there is in human medicine, but owners can take the initiative to keep looking until someone figures it out. Best advice is for him to find a specialist, who will likely put the cat on a hypoallergenic diet (remind him NO dry food!) and perhaps drugs for the short term.
Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM, Esq.
