AN OPEN PROSPECTIVE INVESTIGATION INTO ETIOLOGY IN A GROUP OF CATS WITH SUSPECTED ALLERGIC SKIN-DISEASE

This prospective study evaluated the cause(s) of dermatitis in a serie s of cats with signs suggestive of allergic skin disease. Twenty cases completed the diagnostic evaluation, which included intradermal skin testing, a rigorous flea-control programme, and a 4-month stabilizatio n period on a restricted protein source commercial diet, followed by r echallenge with the cat's original diet. The most common final diagnos es included flea allergic dermatitis (seven cases), and flea allergic dermatitis together with atopy (seven cases). Three additional cases w hich did not complete the study were also considered to be atopic. No cases were considered to be primarily associated with food hypersensit ivity, an observation supporting previous data indicating this to be a rare cause of allergic skin disease in the cat. These observations em phasize the value of a rigorous flea-control programme as part of the management of many cases of feline allergic dermatitis.