What is Blue Buffalo Allergy?
The term food allergy is often used interchangeably with food intolerance. The main difference between the two terms is from where the body’s reaction stems -- basically a straightforward gastric disturbance versus an immunological response. The immunological response would, of course, be the more serious and severe form of food allergy reaction, the cause of which would emanate from the immune system’s response to the introduction of certain ingredients ingested from foods or snacks offered to your pet.
A food allergy can be defined as an intolerance to foods or snacks consumed or ingredients contained in a food or snack. This intolerance can range from mild food reactions to more severe life-threatening reactions which can send your feline family member straight to the emergency clinic.
Symptoms of Blue Buffalo Allergy in Cats
While the symptoms of Blue Buffalo allergies in cats can vary from feline to feline, some of the basic symptoms to watch for are listed below and can be found in varying degrees of intensity:
- Skin inflammation and irritation
- Loss of hair - bald patches
- Changes in appearance and feel of the animal’s coat
- Lethargy
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Changes in appearance and odor of urine
- Foul smelling breath
- Foul smelling gas
- Weight loss
- Changes in appetite
Types
There are various types of foods manufactured by Blue Buffalo for your feline family member which can be utilized if a food allergy or food intolerance with the associated symptoms is afflicting your pet. Here are the products which have been formulated to aid in various health issues in your cat:
- HF Hydrolyzed for food intolerance - A product formulated specially for cats who may be experiencing sensitivities to various foods and additives
- Blue Basics - Formulated using limited ingredients, this food is formulated for those cats who are experiencing problems with ingredients found in most cat foods and is formulated to give cats more nutrition while using less of the ingredients known to cause food intolerances and allergies in cats
- Blue Natural Veterinary Diets - Formulated to provide appropriate nutrition for those cats having food intolerance issues, gastrointestinal support, weight management,urinary support and kidney support
Causes of Blue Buffalo Allergy in Cats
Food allergies or intolerances are basically the body’s response to a food, ingredient or other additive which has been ingested. What is actually going on inside your feline’s body is this:
- The food or snack is consumed by the cat
- It gets into the digestive system where the body breaks down the food into various components (proteins, carbohydrates, glucose)
- Sometimes one or more components can be identified as foreign by the body while others are not
- Those components which are identified as foreign are treated as the enemy and a battle ensues
- The immune system gets involved by sending antibodies to fight the invader
- Some components actually naturally attach themselves to various cells in the digestive system and, when the battle begins, the immune system actually attacks and destroys cells which are normal and necessary for the functioning of various body systems
The result of this internal digestive battle can be diarrhea, vomiting and worse.
Diagnosis of Blue Buffalo Allergy in Cats
Diagnosis of Blue Buffalo allergies in cats can be challenging one for your veterinary professional. Your cat’s complete history will be needed which should include the food being fed, snacks being fed and the frequency the foods and snacks are being offered. The duration of this feeding regimen should also be noted along with any of the above symptoms which you have noted in your cat. Be sure to include any other unusual behaviors which you may have noticed in your cat especially those which apply to appetite, urinary and bowel habits and appearance and feel of the animal’s coat. Your vet will do a physical examination and, based upon his findings in this examination, he will likely order some tests on your cat.
There are many diseases in felines which can present with similar symptoms and physical appearance. It is for this reason that your vet will likely order blood tests, perhaps tissue samples, radiographic imaging (x-rays) and even CT imaging. It is necessary to utilize these testing modalities to rule out some of the other conditions and diseases which could be causing the symptoms and clinical signs found in your feline family member. He will also be assessing the overall condition of your pet to determine if emergent or urgent measures are needed.
Treatment of Blue Buffalo Allergy in Cats
Once the results of the blood work, tissue samples and various imaging modalities which were ordered have been collected and analyzed, a treatment plan will be developed and initiated. If your pet is determined to be in a condition which requires emergent or urgent care, that, of course, will be initiated immediately, with the balance of the treatment plan being incorporated once your pet is stabilized. Treatments would likely include fluids being administered IV or orally, rest and close observation.
Medications would likely be given to treat bacterial infections, for pain or inflammation. The current food being offered will be discontinued and a food elimination diet will be recommended to determine the culprit responsible for the signs and symptoms. This elimination diet will likely take several weeks or months to complete and how to go about it will be thoroughly explained by your vet. If your pet is very sick and is in very poor condition, be prepared for your cat to be hospitalized until he is healthy enough to return home.
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Recovery of Blue Buffalo Allergy in Cats
Food allergies or intolerances can be very serious for your pet and, if not treated sooner rather than later, could be fatal for your kitty. If you note the skin inflammations, irritations or gastrointestinal symptoms noted above, do not hesitate to get your family pet to a veterinary professional. Weight loss in a cat who is within normal weight limits can occur and become quite serious if not treated expeditiously. We all know how curious our feline family members can be and knowing this will hopefully keep up your awareness of your cat’s behavior, eating and litter box habits. If you suspect a food allergy or intolerance, please seek medical advice as soon as possible for your kitty - it could save his life.
Blue Buffalo Allergy Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Long hair domestic cat
Twelve Years
16 found this helpful
16 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Vomiting
My cat has thrown up four times in the last week. I’m worried it’s the Blue Buffalo adult weight mgmt food I’ve been been feeding her. I made a vet appt for her and the vet said BB can sometimes make pets sick... I’m unsure of to do. I’m going to make an appt with a nutritionist. What are the alternative brands that have the least amount of chemicals/additives?
July 11, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
16 Recommendations
Thank you for your question.
If your cat has food sensitivities, there are prescription limited antigen diets that can help, and your veterinarian would be able to prescribe one of those for you.
If you want to good quality senior cat food and she does not have any sensitivities, I trust Royal Canin and Science Diet as my diets of choice, personally.
I hope that all goes well for her.
July 11, 2020
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Russian Blue
Kate Bishop
2 Years
16 found this helpful
16 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Vomiting
I am having the hardest time trying to find my cat a food she can eat. I've gone through every flavor of Friskies and Whiskas, then moved onto grain free thinking it was an allergy to that. I got three different Purina Grain free, and still she kept vomiting. Finally, I heard blue buffalo was really good and grain free, so I got her the sensitive stomach one. She vomits far more often on this one than any other by far. (The others it was once a week or so, this one it's almost every day.)
Sept. 8, 2018
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Shorthair
Miles
5 Years
7 found this helpful
7 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
Vomiting
My cat has been on blue buffalo sensitive stomach for a few months now. When I was cleaning his litter box he jumped in and had diarrhea as it looked like there may have been some blood. He vomited this morning and it’s very liquidy.
June 5, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
7 Recommendations
If Miles is having diarrhea, and there is blood in it, and he vomited, he should probably be seen by his veterinarian. Whether it is related to his food or not, that is not normal, and he may have a parasites, an intestinal infection, or a partial foreign body. Your veterinarian will be able to examine him, determine what is happening, and get any treatment that he may need.
June 5, 2018
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Russian Blue
Toby
8 weeks
11 found this helpful
11 found this helpful
I noticed some little dry patches with no hair on my kitty. One is on his belly near his chest and the other is about an inch from his tail on his lower back. There is no red or black marks, just flakey skin and bare patches. I do notice that he scratches sometimes, but it doesn't seem excessive. He is only 8 weeks old. I am trying to figure out what it is. He got his shots yesterday and the doctor thought maybe food? He eats blue buffalo now.
Dec. 4, 2017
11 Recommendations
Food allergies are a common cause of skin problems in cats and dogs, if your Veterinarian is suspecting that the current food is causing an issue you could either move to a restricted ingredient diet for a few weeks or change to a different brand of food (like Royal Canin) to see if those patches disappear. It is also important to make sure that Toby is up to date on parasite control (worms, fleas, ticks). Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Dec. 5, 2017
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Orange tabby
Tobias (Toby)
6 Months
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Diarrhea, Vomiting, Lethargy
My six month old kitty, Toby, loves Blue Buffalo salmon treats- finished an entire bag. Before it was completely empty however, my girlfriend and I had bought him the chicken treats and Blue Buffalo wet food. He only ate the wet food two or three times before we noticed he wasn’t feeling well. Lethargic The next day from his last feeding he woke up with no appetite and promptly vomited- twice! The second time was just bile!:( He has also had diarrhea twice. He has moments of being himself, playful, alert, etc. but he also has moments of hiding and being lethargic. He doesn’t want to eat his other favorite wet food (diff brand), he doesn’t want his treats, and he doesn’t want his dry food (also diff brand). There’s no conclusion to this story yet, he’s going to the vet tomorrow if he still hasn’t eaten. We are very worried.
DOMESTIC
Harmony
11 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Hair Loss
My Harmony, a diluted long hair tortie, has a huge softball size patch of hair missing and other smaller patches void of hair as well. I switched to Blue Buffalo from Instinct purely financial reason while I was working part time and going back to school.
I found Merrick has a limited ingredient grain free gluten free wet food with a variety of flavors, I bought salmon for my girl to start healing. I don’t feed her much dry food, haven’t for years due to a uti incident.
