We have a 4 year old F3 Male Savannah named Zeus. We have had him sine 10 weeks of age. He has always appeared to have food allergies so he is only able to eat Royal Canin HP dry food from his vet. Lately he hasn t wanted to eat his food (dry kibble) we thought he had a sore tooth but upon further exam by the vet discovered his throat and very back roof of his mouth is very inflamed and raw. all he wants to eat is deli black forest ham and has lost 3 lbs in 3 weeks. he has been on depo injections whish is anti inflammatory for a year for his food allergy symptoms but this is no longer working for him. I am heartbroken that he may die. please help. My vet does not know what to do either
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Savannah Cat with Allergies
- Thread starter Jacky
- Start date
I'm so sorry about Zeus, this sounds so worrying :-(
Is it a fungal/yeast infection possibly? steroids can weaken the immune system leading to infections... has the vet taken a biopsy for pathology to see what it looks like?
How often was he getting the depo-medrol injection over this year? And if he has food allergies but with the diet he is eating he was still symptomatic, makes me wonder if that food was still not right for him... or it was something other than food causing his allergies?
Is it a fungal/yeast infection possibly? steroids can weaken the immune system leading to infections... has the vet taken a biopsy for pathology to see what it looks like?
How often was he getting the depo-medrol injection over this year? And if he has food allergies but with the diet he is eating he was still symptomatic, makes me wonder if that food was still not right for him... or it was something other than food causing his allergies?
When all else fails, I'd try a raw diet from either Feline's Pride or Rad Cat. If there's a possibility that he's allergic to turkey or chicken, try whole ground rabbit (with bones & organs) for a bit.
We aren't really sure wat he is allergic too , other than when we put him on the hydrialized protein food he did better. He has been getting the depo-medrol every 5 weeks just over a year. The vet did not take a biopsy as she was worried that he may bleed a considerable amount and she did not have the proper equip. if that were to happen ( his blood vessels seem to be close to the surface of the affected area. We are going to Buffalo to a strictly feline vet ( we live in Canada in an area where there isn t a lot of vet help ( other than Guelp which we attended paid thousands and found out nothing. They had never even seen a Savannah before. I am hoping the vet in Buffalo can help us. Thanks for your suggestioins , I will mention the biopsy and ask if it a yeast infection possibly.
The breeder we got our Savannah from did not agree with the raw diet so we have never given it to him. When he first came to us I would cook him a little ground turkey but he would never eat it. He has gotten very fussy over all this discomfort in his mouth/throat. Poor guy! Thank you for your suggestions
Is the breeder helping you with advice now then?
I don't think that a Savannah-experienced vet is that important, I don't believe Savannahs have any specific needs that all felines don't need... so just a GOOD vet is going to be fine. Possibly an internal medicine specialist or an allergy/immune specialist would be great at this point. I know we are blessed here to have not only a wonderful vet hospital 5 minutes from the house but the emergency specialist vet hospital is even closer. Expensive but a wonderful resource when something weird is going on and your regular vet is stumped. It's like us humans, we go to a specialist when it is something not run-of-the-mill ...
I don't think that a Savannah-experienced vet is that important, I don't believe Savannahs have any specific needs that all felines don't need... so just a GOOD vet is going to be fine. Possibly an internal medicine specialist or an allergy/immune specialist would be great at this point. I know we are blessed here to have not only a wonderful vet hospital 5 minutes from the house but the emergency specialist vet hospital is even closer. Expensive but a wonderful resource when something weird is going on and your regular vet is stumped. It's like us humans, we go to a specialist when it is something not run-of-the-mill ...
Jacky, just an FYI -- the Rad Kat is very soupy and doesn't need to be chewed. If he is having trouble swallowing, it may be easier for him to eat something that wouldn't irritate tissues like kibble or even canned. And it's very easy to digest.
You could also try chicken baby food to lap up... but Deborah is right, raw ground meat might slip down easier than most foods.
jacky, I am so sorry to hear about Zeus...the fact that he has already lost three pounds is worrying. I like Deborah and Brigitte's suggestions of either rad cat, felines pride or chicken baby food.
It is true that depo medrol is a pretty strong steroid and could possible be causing a fungal infection. Can you try to give him some plain yogurt? it may soothe his throat and will possibly help with the side effects of the steroid.
My vet is a feline only guy, but he had never met a savannah either - doesn't matter...a savannah is a cat...I'm glad to hear you will be taking him to a vet in Buffalo...not sure why the breeder was against raw food, but raw is what helped Taj with his IBD.
It is true that depo medrol is a pretty strong steroid and could possible be causing a fungal infection. Can you try to give him some plain yogurt? it may soothe his throat and will possibly help with the side effects of the steroid.
My vet is a feline only guy, but he had never met a savannah either - doesn't matter...a savannah is a cat...I'm glad to hear you will be taking him to a vet in Buffalo...not sure why the breeder was against raw food, but raw is what helped Taj with his IBD.
I agree with Brigitte, a fungal infection would be my first thought, and I would start him on an antifungal medication. Yogurt is a good idea too, as well as chicken baby food (make sure you get the earliest stage with no additives, especially no garlic or onion). You can syringe both and force feed him this way if necessary until his mouth is better. I would also worry about him becoming dehydrated if his mouth is so sore, so give him water with the syringe, or give him subq fluids to avoid this.