17-month-old neutered rescued male. Very itchy lesions on head behind ears. Three vet trips. Steroid and antibiotic shots. Skin scrape. No answers. Changed food from chicken. Grain-free fish only. Revolution Plus most of his life. Indoor only. Only pet. Does not appear to affect appetite or energy level but seems to get depressed. Wears cone 24/7. Hates!! Help!! I love my baby so much and he is miserable. Vet can not help.

Updated On November 1st, 2021

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 1 year and 6 months old | 11 lbs

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

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Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. I'm sorry that multiple trips to the vet have not helped. Unfortunately, not everything is easy and cut and dry. Sometimes advanced diagnostics are needed to find out the problem. My best guess is that this is an autoimmune disease. You would need to have that skin biopsied to get an answer. This is my best guess based on what you have stated. It is difficult for me to say much else without the whole medical history. You didn't mention but I'm guessing there is no ear infections? Any blood testing done? This could be a food allergy but what you need to do is use a food with a hydrolyzed protein. A novel protein, like fish, is not likely to help. With hydrolyzed diets the protein particles are too small for the body to react to them. With any diet trial you have to be 100% sure he doesn't eat anything but the new food. No treats, no people food, nothing. If after 8 weeks on a hydrolyzed diet he is not significantly better then it is definitely not a food allergy. You will need a prescription from your vet OR you can order it from my website and I will authorize it for you. ( https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/198943_Home.pml?productId=114505 ) He could have otitis media which is an inner ear infection (behind the ear drum) that would only be seen with advanced imaging though. I suggest you do a hydrolyzed diet trial. If no resolution then you should take him to see a veterinary dermatologist. I suggest this one - seems to be close to the zip code you provided: ( https://www.dcaseattle.com ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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