Itch, Itch, Scratch, Scratch
What a strange spring and fall this has been on our beautiful Olympic Peninsula. High temperatures and no rain have brought out both the best and the worst of Mother Nature. I don’t know about your area, but on our farm we have seen things growing and blooming that we have never seen before. Unfortunately, with their beauty has come more pollen and more itching for my Cookie the Wonder Pup, who is already an environmentally allergic dog. Luckily for me, Cookie responds well to non-pharmaceutical treatment (I will share the details with you), so although it has been a challenging season, she has done well without having to resort to any prescription medications.
An allergic reaction in your dog is due to an inappropriate immune system reaction to a benign substance. Allergies in dogs fall into two main types, food allergies and environmental allergies. In dogs, allergy symptoms tend to be dermal and consist of inflamed itchy skin, paws and ears. Holistic treatments focus on supporting the immune system to return it to appropriate functioning, and supportive care for symptoms to make your dog more comfortable. Excessive scratching, licking and biting the itchy, skin will exacerbate the condition.
Traditional veterinary medicine usually treats allergic reactions with steroids, antihistamines, and antibiotics. Although these treatments may be necessary in some cases, they do not resolve the cause of the allergic reaction, they merely treat the symptoms and secondary conditions and are sometimes associated with unwanted side effects.
As a nurse, I am a firm believer in knowing what we are treating rather than blindly guessing, or repeatedly treating symptoms rather than the cause, which can result in increased discomfort for both your dog and your wallet as you try multiple products / supplements/ treatments. I think allergy testing for both food and environmental allergies is essential for dogs with significant or recurrent allergies. This allows you to target what the real problems are. Allergy testing can be done by most veterinarians at a reasonable cost.
Holistic treatment focuses on treating the imbalance in the immune system of the dog that is resulting in an allergic reaction. This is a totally different approach than treating just the symptoms. Holistic therapies range from making changes in the environment when necessary, to acupressure, diet, and herbal supplementation. There is no simple solution that applies to all cases. Each dog is an individual and may require different methods, or combinations of methods, to achieve a successful outcome. Resolving allergies holistically is often a case of trial and error and some time and patience will be required to achieve results.
A holistic approach to allergic reactions in dogs focuses on treating the whole dog. Several approaches to address overall health and immune system function in your dog are recommended. There are several steps which can be taken to ensure that your dog's overall health is maximized, and allergic reactions are minimized. These include:
· Ensuring that parasites such as fleas and ticks are eradicated. Many natural preparations are available. Please read ingredients carefully when buying these products. Frequent vacuuming indoors, cleaning up areas in your yard where fleas congregate, and eliminating areas of standing water where possible will reduce incidence. I am not personally an advocate of chemical flea and tick preventatives in any form, whether topical, oral, or injectable, due to the high incidence of side effects. Natural preparations to prevent infestations are available, and can be very effective if used consistently. I particularly like Dr. Peter Dobias’ FleaHex line Natural Flea and Tick Prevention for Dogs | Dr. Peter Dobias and Kin and Kind’s products. Flea and Tick Protection Set for dogs and cats – kin+kind - Natural & Organic - Pet Grooming & Wellness (kin-kind.com) I live on heavily wooded acreage and spray Kin and Kind spray on my pups each time they go out, and knock on wood, I have never had a problem with either fleas or ticks.
· Ease skin lesions and irritations with soothing baths and topicals such as Aveno oatmeal baths (if grain allergy is suspected, avoid oatmeal baths), and coconut oil, lavender, chamomile, and mullein preparations for irritated skin. Aloe Vera gel, calendula, thyme, and chickweed creams and cucumber slices can also be applied topically to relieve irritations. Cookie lets me know when her paws are getting itchy or yeasty by waking me up at night smacking as she chews on her feet. I use a paw dip of 1 part apple cider vinegar, 1 part alcohol free Witch Hazel, and 3 parts water for her once a day for 5 days. Just dip each paw for about 30 seconds being sure that you work the solution between each toe and into the nail bed, and then let it dry on its’ own. I do this outside and just let her air dry. Within 2 days she is not itchy, but I continue for 5 days to be sure to eradicate any yeasty beasties.
. For dogs with itchy ears, my go to cleaning solution recipe is as follows: Brew 2 teabags of organic Pau d’arco tea in 1 cup of water and let it steep until cooled. Add 1 tablespoon of alcohol free Witch Hazel, 1 tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel. Mix well and use cotton balls soaked with mixture to clean each ear gently. This mixture is magical and will fix most any ear problem. You can get the Pau d’arco at any health food store. If your pup has foul smelling discharge or obvious pus draining from an ear, do not attempt to clean the ear yourself, but see your veterinarian immediately, as this is a sign of significant infection.
· Adjust your pup’s diet to support the immune system. Reducing carbohydrates in your dog's diet is recommended, as excess carbs may compromise immune system functioning. Avoiding artificial colors and flavors is also recommended. Holistic veterinarian Judy Morgan has several wonderful books that can assist you in diet suggestions for making your own food suited specifically to your dogs’ needs. It’s not as challenging as it sounds. I make Cookie and Romie’s food for two weeks at a time and package it in one day portions and freeze it. They love it and I enjoy knowing that what I am feeding my pups is organic, locally sourced, clean, and made with love. It also saves me a bit of money compared to feeding the high quality commercial food from Open Farm that I was using. I use recipes from Judy Morgan’s book Yin and Yang Nutrition for Dogs, which is a fabulous introduction to feeding according to traditional Chinese medicine theory. For those of you who do not object to Amazon, you can get it there for a very low price. Also, supplements to aide gastrointestinal functioning such as probiotics (you already know that I think all dogs need probiotics), digestive enzymes and dandelion root may be added to the diet. I will discuss diet in detail in a later blog post.
· Immune system supplements to support immune system functioning such as omega 3 essential fatty acids, vitamins, ginseng and echinacea may be useful. Raw local honey can be a useful support for immune system and is easy to administer as dogs readily consume it with their food. Local honey will contain local pollen and antigens your dog is exposed to and can act as an “allergy vaccine”, exposing your dog to low levels of the allergen and training your dog’s immune system not to react negatively to the antigen.
· Natural anti-inflammatories such as licorice root, quercetin with bromelain, and nettles may also be useful for immune system reactions.
· Natural antihistamines found in edible mushrooms can reduce immune system reaction. Be sure to discuss use with a veterinarian prior to use, to ensure appropriate dosage and type, and that no interactions with medications are likely to occur. If your dog has multiple food allergies you may wish to bypass the use of mushrooms.
· If a food allergy is suspected, a food elimination diet, whereby different ingredients are removed from the diet to see if improvement in symptoms results should be part of the treatment plan to identify and avoid food allergens. Remove one ingredient at a time and give a trial of at least 4 weeks with every ingredient eliminated before you assume that an ingredient is not the culprit.
· Preventing exposure by wiping down your dog's feet and fur to remove pollens and other environmental allergens when they have been outdoors can help. A cloth dampened with witch hazel spray may be effective at decontaminating your dog and lessening allergen exposure.
· Avoid unnecessary vaccines that stimulate the immune system. Much research has been done to support the theory that vaccines may provide longer lasting immunity than once thought. There are blood tests known as “titers” which your veterinarian can do which will show if your pup still has immunity from a previously administered vaccine. If positive, this would allow you to decide if you wish to hold off repeating the vaccine. I get titer levels done for all routine vaccines on my pups annually to assure that they still have immunity from prior vaccines.
· Acupressure therapy is very useful in restoring immune system balance in your dog and benefits dogs with allergies, so don’t forget to call on me when needed.
Efficacy of Holistic Allergy Treatment in Dogs
The effectiveness of holistic treatments for allergies in dogs depends heavily on the pet owner's dedication, willingness, and patience to try various therapies and achieve a solution. As no one solution is right for all dogs, experimentation to determine what works for each specific dog is required. It may take several weeks or months to determine which treatments provide allergy relief for your dog, and this can be very frustrating to both itchy pups and their guardians. Combining traditional medications with holistic therapy may be necessary to address allergic conditions in the short term while experimentation with holistic therapies to resolve the condition long term takes place. Holistic therapies for allergy relief very seldom cause the side effects that steroids and antihistamines may produce, which is a strong positive. However, I am not an advocate of leaving a dog scratching and miserable for months just because we have yet to find the perfect holistic approach. As with human medicine, there is a a place for both traditional and naturopathic approaches, which is why we call is “complementary medicine”.
THIS FACT SHEET IS NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE OR SUPERCEED THE ADVICE OF YOUR VETERINATIAN. ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR VETERINARIAN BEFORE MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR DOG’S DIET OR MEDICATION REGIME.