Question:
Some time ago, I read some recommendations here regarding Dr. Goodpet's
natural products. Since many articles on cat allergies mention the first
thing you should think of is flea bites, I was wondering if I should try
one of their natural remedies in lieu of the steroidal prescriptions like
Triamcinolone and Prednislone. Even Gentaved and Tresaderm have multiple
ingredients. Various vet sites say that one flea bite could cause an outbreak to an
allergic cat. My cat doesn't show any signs of fleas (although I found
one small dead insect on her tail about 5 months ago), and she doesn't
really scratch either. She just licks her hind legs
excessively and leaves patches of hair missing.
This product is called Scratchfree:
http://www.goodpet.com/library/pharmacyFiles/scratch.asp
Answer:
What exactly is "natural" about a solution containing dilute arsenic? Homoeopathy is a 19th century crank science, it has no tradition
behind it (as herbal medicine does) - just another bunch of macho
theorizers using their patients to experiment on.
What does the cat usually lie on? Could there be something in your
house it's reacting to, like house dust mites? If you have central
heating, carpets and double glazing, your house will be heaving with
mites - you might be able to reduce them with wet-dry vacuum cleaner
and a steam cleaner, but it's better to make their environment less
welcoming for them.
I think you need to find out what is causing the allergies. What are
you feeding your cat? Usually these homeopathic remedies that are a
sort of general type made up of several remedies aren't effective. If
you really want to try homeopathy with your cat, you should consult
with a good homeopathic veterinarian. Try the website
www.altvetmed.org which lists them state by state. You really should consult with a vet, whether allopathic or holistic.
It's next to impossible to treat these conditions on your own, I've
found.
Homeopathy holds that, as a medicine becomes more dilute, it becomes
more effective. As a result, what you have is basically overpriced
water, with only a few atoms of the supposed medicine. So, I don't
think the cat is likely to be poisoned by the white arsenic. On the
other hand, it isn't likely to be helped by the homeopathic medicine,
either. What little effect homeopathic medicines have is by the
placebo effect (the patient expects to get better, and so does so).
Since the cat doesn't understand that what is being given to it is
supposed to cure it, I would not expect any placebo effect to happen. The apartment does have a central heating vent with a filter that's
cleaned once a year, plus carpeting in one room, so you may have
something there. The cat, when she stays in the carpeted room, lies on
the carpet, and she loves to sleep on the heating vent when it's not on
(this is a heater that blows warm air through circulated water when it is
on, not the kind with oil or coils). It will be difficult to influence my mom to get rid of that carpet as it
took me quite awhile to get her to remove the one in another room.
She's an elderly woman and quite set in her ways. Since I don't live
with her, it's going to be hard to get her to agree to a steam cleaner
and a wet/dry vacuum.
It's amazing how you could put ten cats in that kind of environment (i.e.
cats who live in warehouses,stores or fully carpeted homes) and no
problems occur. Another cat can be wildly allergic just like humans.
I don't know if you've been reading my posts over the last two years, but
I've tried changing foods, Prednisolone, Triamcinalone, Gentaved, Tresaderm
, an anti-depressant, an anti-allergy med, etc. I've been to the vet over
a dozen times either on visits or to pick up meds. I've written feline
specialists who think my vet is on the right track, though they recommend
full blood workups. From what I've read here, everyone who's had the blood
tests for allergies still winds up without the desired result. I had her take a blood test several years ago for something else, and the
yelping, squirming, and frightened look on her face was enough to make me
avoid them unless absolutely necessary. The vet and his assistant had to
put a cone on the poor thing so she would see the procedure.
It just seems after reading the posts here, and on other sites, that skin
problems are nearly impossible to cure in cats.
