05/05/2024
Allergies can be a year-round challenge for fur kids, so here is a little helpful info that has helped me and I hope it helps you.
A brief Canine Allergy Treatment Summary by Dr. Randy Kidd (excerpted from "Understanding Canine Allergies"). Dr. Kidd is a past president of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association
"My general treatment protocol for allergies looks something like this:
• Reduce the flea populations on and around your dog.
• Reduce the potential for food allergies by improving the quality of the food you feed (think whole & fresh food additions) and consider nutritional supplements that boost immunity.
• Don’t challenge the immune system excessively with any vaccines that are less than absolutely necessary.
• Use natural anti-inflammatory herbs and supplements (Omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamin C, etc.)
• Consider acupuncture or homeopathy for chronic and/or severe cases.
• Reduce environmental causes of allergy – airborne smoke and dust particles, for example. Air quality is important in preventing the passage of allergens through the air. If your dog (or anyone else in the family) has allergies, consider using a quality household air filter.
• Whenever possible, use methods that enhance the animal’s innate ability to balance its own immune system and use methods that are the most natural and have the least potential for toxicity. However . . .
• If early therapeutic attempts are not productive, consider testing for specific allergens (using skin or blood tests or a food elimination diet) if other methods do not seem to be working.
• There may come a time when you may need to resort to medicines we know to be toxic and/or medicines that shut down the immune system rather than helping to balance it.
It has been said that sometimes, along our journey to wellness, we need to see and feel how it looks and feels to be well, so we can try to get back to this place. Sometimes I get the feeling that dogs affected with allergies – after perhaps months of itching and scratching, of evident pain and sleep loss – have forgotten how it feels to be well. With these cases, I think it is important to let them experience wellness, however briefly, even if it means that we may have to resort to medications such as glucocorticoids and/or antihistamines that I would ultimately like to avoid.
I think we need to approach allergies (and other chronic diseases) with an understanding that the treatment protocol we choose will likely require time, effort, and discipline; that we may never be able to come up with a treatment regime using a linear-logical approach; and that, in the end, we may not truly find our way out of the maze of allergies, no matter what we try."—Dr. Randy Kidd
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