Allergies in pets are very common. Skin conditions caused by allergies are the most common reason for a veterinarian visit. There are two types of allergies: food and environmental.
Food allergy symptoms include itchiness, gastrointestinal issues (vomiting, diarrhea, gas, soft poops with mucous, frequent poops 3-4 times per day), red runny eyes, yeast infections.
A problem commonly confused with food allergies is an overgrowth of yeast. Too often, dogs are diagnosed with allergies when they are actually suffering from a systemic yeast infection that lives in the gut, which is where 70% of the immune system resides.
Environmental allergens can include tree, grass and weed pollens, mold spores, dust/dust mites, cleaning products, insect bites, insect control products, prescription drugs.
Symptoms include itching, licking paws, hot spots, red and runny eyes, runny nose, restlessness, irritability.
While pet with seasonal allergies will only have symptoms during certain times of the year, food allergies will trigger symptoms year around. So how can you help your pet?
Lets start with environmental allergies. There is no way to avoid pollen particles completely, but you can reduce exposure to them inside your house. Invest in a good air purifier; replace AC filters frequently and purchases ones rated to reduce allergen particles in the air; vacuum, mop the floors and dust more frequently; wash your pet’s bedding in plant based mild detergent; wash paws and wipe down or rinse your pet after each walk; bathe your pet regularly, add vinegar or chamomile tea to a rinse; use safe cleaning agents around your house. Limit the amount of time your pet spends outside when pollen counts are high.
Quercetin is a bioflavonoid with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It’s called “nature’s Benadryl” because it does a great job suppressing histamine release from mast cells and basophiles. You can try Quercetin with Bromelain (which increases the bioavailability of Quercetin). How to calculate the dosage? Take the weight of your pet and multiply it by 1000mg, then divide it by 125 to get the milligram dosage your pet needs. Example: 70lb x 1,000mg= 70,000 then divide by 125 = 560mg. Round up to 500mg, it’s best to split into 2 doses and give 250mg in the morning and 250mg in the evening. Quercetin is safe for cats and dogs but not recommended for pets with kidney problems. It is meant to be used short term when symptoms are present only.
If you’re interested in trying herbs look into Stinging Nettle and Oxeye Daisy. Allergies are caused by an overactive immune system and immune stimulants such as Echinacea are contradicted in pets with allergies. Experienced herbalists may be able to rebalance the immune system with herbal adaptogens and improve the overall body’s reaction to allergens.
Food allergies. True allergies that cause anaphylactic shock are rare. Most commonly pets have food sensitivities or intolerances. But for the ease of it we’ll use the term food allergies. Proteins are the most common culprits but other substances and additives can also be responsible. 34% of pets are allergic to beef, 17% to dairy, 15% to chicken. Fish, wheat, and lamb were other common allergens. Less than 10% of dogs with a food allergy are affected by soy, corn, egg, or pork. Sometimes it’s really hard to figure out what’s causing the reaction. It can be brewer’s yeast, additives, and preservatives in your pet’s food. There are many tests on the market advertised to determine allergens your pet reacts to. Unfortunately, none of them proved to be accurate. The only way to determine food allergens is to do an elimination diet. It is very simple, but very tedious and requires patience and cooperation from all household members. If you feed kibble, you have two options: novel protein (one your pet has never had before) or a hydrolyzed protein kibble. Keep in mind that it’s very difficult to find a kibble that truly only contains one protein. Independent analysis of many brands showed that what’s on the label and what’s inside the bag are completely different things. Some brands had only one or two protein sources listed on the package, but laboratory analysis showed as many as 7 to 11 ! different protein sources. That could be cross contamination due to equipment it’s produced on or simple dishonesty from manufacturer. Either way, you need to be certain there is only one protein source in that food. Keep your pet on this food until all symptoms are clear, may take up to 8 weeks. Make sure there are no treats, table scraps or anything else fed to the animal, you must be very strict! There are treats sold that are made from hydrolyzed protein you can use for now. Once symptoms cleared introduce one ingredient. Let’s say a small piece of chicken. Wait 1-2 days for any symptoms (some may take up to a week), if none seen repeat again to make sure, maybe a bigger piece this time. If symptoms occur, wait till they resolve and either try again to confirm or just add ingredient to a “No” list. I like to test everything twice just to be certain. And you continue like that with every ingredient. It’s a slow and frustrating process but it is the only way to figure out what your pet should and shouldn’t eat to stay symptoms free. The goal is to find at least 2-3 sources of protein, carbs, veggies and fruits. Just enough to build a healthy diet. You don’t have to try every single ingredient under the sun, that would take years. We just need to find enough to have a healthy diet for your pet. It is always best to stick to limited ingredients if you do choose to feed commercial, and you might try different brands to find the food that agrees with your pet. Don’t worry about providing a big variety of foods, they don’t do any good if they make your animal sick. It’s ok if your pet eats the same 5-7 things for the rest of the life, as long as the diet is complete and balanced. With time, if pet stays symptoms free for a while, the gut lining will heal, immune system calms down, and you might be able to introduce new foods. But the main goal is to have a healthy, symptom free pet, regardless of how limited the diet might be.
Food allergies have been connected to gut health. Leaky gut can also be responsible for food allergies as it allows large protein molecules to leak through intestinal walls triggering a reaction. So intestinal health should be of utmost importance. Supply good probiotics to your pet. Newest recommendations are to give probiotic with liquid 1 hour before meal. Mix it with water or broth.
Let’s talk about foods high in histamine or ones that trigger histamine release in the body. We want to avoid those foods in pets who are prone to any allergies. Fermented vegetables, apple cider vinegar, kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese, green tripe, broth cooked for longer than 2 hours, oysters, mussels, canned fish: sardines, anchovies, tuna, and mackerel, eggplant, spinach, canned pumpkin, tomatoes, apples, bananas, citrus, strawberries, pineapple, papaya, cherry, plums.
Allergies can cause a lot of misery for your pets, but you can help them get rid of the symptoms and live a happy and healthy life with some lifestyle and diet modifications.
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