Introduction
A diagnosis of skin allergies in cats is based upon the cat’s symptoms, response to treatment, and eliminating other possible causes of the symptoms. If an allergy is suspected, but confirmation remains difficult, an elimination diet or patch test series may be performed.
Diagnosing Skin Allergies in Cats
Diagnosis Based on Symptoms
Skin allergies in cats cause classic symptoms to develop, and many veterinarians are comfortable with making a skin allergy diagnosis based upon the cat’s symptoms alone. If treatments to reduce the symptoms are administered, and the cat’s symptoms improve, than no further tests are needed. For example, if a cat with fleas is showing flea bite allergy dermatitis and the cat’s symptoms disappear after the flea infestation is treated.
Testing for Skin Allergies
In some instances, a veterinary will want to perform additional tests to ensure that nothing else is causing the cat’s symptoms. Complete blood tests and a urinalysis are usually used to screen for any other possible underlying medical conditions that could be causing the skin allergy-like symptoms to appear. These screening tests are usually performed in older cats, or in cats that have unknown histories.
Elimination Diet
If a food allergy is suspected based on the cat’s symptoms, the veterinarian may prescribe an elimination diet. This process can take many months, but if the cat is found to be allergic to a certain type of food ingredient the time is worth the effort. If a veterinarian suspects a skin allergy is occurring, but treatments are not helping the cat, then a patch test may be prescribed to try and pinpoint the allergen that may be causing the symptoms. The patch test places a small amount of known allergens on a piece of gauze which is taped on the cat’s skin; after a few days the skin is examined for any type of reaction.