# vomiting and diarrhea - could it be a flea allergy?



## maggie23 (Mar 10, 2012)

hi all,
we are bringing our angel to the vet today but wanted to see what others thought about this. for the past week, angel has been vomiting and had some diarrhea as well on and off.

we'd been transitioning her to all raw (from BG wet) for the past couple of months and she seemed to be doing great! lots more energy, better poops, smaller pees, etc... however, she always seemed to have scabs around her face and neck so we thought if was a food allergy. we kept eliminating different flavors, but she still had scabs. it finally dawned on me that maybe it was a flea allergy, since she did also start going outside (enclosed backyard) during this time.

i'd like to give her a flea treatment, but do you think this is wise while she seems so sick? (she has thrown up just about everything she has eaten in the last 2 days and has been lethargic) will it hurt her immune system even more if the flea allergy is not really what's causing her to vomit and have diarrhea?

thx for any thoughts on this.


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## LCSP (Dec 31, 2012)

In December/January, one of my cats developed all sorts of scabs on his body, very itchy and oozy, and I thought he had a food allergy. The vet gave him an antihistamine to see if that would help and that's when the vomiting and diarrhea started. We stopped the antihistamine, discovered a flea, and he got a dose of Advantage. Two months later, all scabs were gone. 

Although my cat did not develop the vomit/diarrhea until after the antihistamine, it can be a manifestation of a flea allergy. Here's a site to read. Allergic Reaction to Fleabites & Flea Allergy Symptoms in Cats | VCA Animal Hospitals 

I'd give her a dose of Advantage right away and see if it helps. It won't hurt her. My cat seemed to be more comfortable shortly after the Advantage, but again it took a couple months for all sores to heal. My cat has had a couple follow-up doses just to be sure all fleas are gone. I'd also keep your cat inside for awhile. 

It's much easier for you if it is a flea allergy as opposed to a food allergy. Good job on the raw - we do the same.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Use ONLY flea products recommended by your veterinarian. A number of the flea products available at retail stores are highly toxic and have been implicated in the serious illnesses and/or deaths of a number of cats and dogs. Make SURE you are using a safe and effective product by consulting your vet.

Laurie


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## maggie23 (Mar 10, 2012)

oh thank you so much! we'll go ahead with the advantage treatment and hope it does the trick, too. i really hope it's "just" a flea allergy. thx again!


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I will only use Advantage on my cats. Even though they are indoor, my dog goes outside and so we will still see fleas without them being on flea treatment. We only have to do it while it's really hot, usually, but we are in FL, which means we really only get a break from like Dec to Mar. I have had no issues with Advantage, and I have known people who have used OTC stuff and their cats lost all their fur and got very sick.


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