Pet Allergies in Dogs and Cats

Holistic veterinarian and author, Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM., offers dog and cat owners up to date information about the most common causes of pet allergies, discusses what signs to look for and offers natural pet  allergy therapies, home remedies and diets for dogs and cats.

Allergic dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin that occurs after exposure to an allergen.  An allergen is something to which the body is allergic.  The number-one sign of allergies in pets is itching. Pets lick, bite, chew and scratch themselves to the point of self-mutilation.  The result is red, raw areas of skin with oozing sores and hair loss in your dog and/or cat.  The difficulty that vets face is isolating the allergen responsible for the reaction because in many cases there is usually more than one substance involved.

TYPES OF PET ALLERGIES AFFECTING DOGS and CATS

Fleas are the number one cause of allergies in pets.  Over half of all canine and feline allergies are due to fleas. The pets are actually allergic to a protein component of the flea saliva.  One fleabite in these pets can cause intense itching lasting up to 14 days.

Allergic Inhalant Dermatitis is also referred to as Atopic Dermatitis and/or Atopy.  These terms are used for allergies that develop in response to inhaled particles.  Inhaled allergens, like house dust, mold and pollen, are the second most common type of allergy in pets.  These allergies start at a younger age in pets and some breeds seem to be more prone, such as West Highland White Terriers and Sharpeis.

Food allergies account for 10-20 percent of dog and cat allergies.  Skin infections (Dermatitis) are the primary sign. Consider organic, natural diets for your pet as opposed to commercial grocery store brands. Home made diets take more time but are well worth the extra effort. 

Dr. Carol’s Tip:  Identifying the source of an allergy can be frustrating.  Pet bedding that contains cedar chips or other scented material can be responsible.

WHAT YOUR VET CAN DO FOR YOUR PETS ALLERGY

Today, Intra-dermal skin testing is the most accurate method available to figure out what’s causing your pet’s allergy.  Small amounts of different substances called allergens are injected into your pet’s skin.  If your pet is allergic to one of the substances, the skin reacts by getting red and swollen at the injection site within 15 to 30 minutes.  Once you know what your pet is allergic to, it may be possible to avoid it, for example, pet beds with cedar chips.

Dr. Carol’s Tip:   An elimination diet is used to diagnose the offending dietary ingredient in a food allergy. Elimination diets can easily be made at home or purchased commercially.

When a food allergy is suspected, an elimination diet is most effective to detect the offensive food.  Hypoallergenic diets are indicated once the diagnosis is confirmed and are easily made at home; they are also available commercially.  

Hyposensitization is one of the best treatment options for allergies like pollen and mold that cannot be avoided.  Hyposensitization involves giving injections of small amounts of the actual allergen.  These allergy shots are dosed and given in increasing increments weekly or biweekly.  The goal is to stimulate the body to become immune or less sensitive to the allergen.

WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR PET ALLERGIES

High doses of Vitamin C can help reduce itching and antibiotics may be indicated to treat secondary bacterial infections. Weekly bathing with hypoallergenic oatmeal-based shampoos and using leave-on after-shampoos moisturizers with aloe Vera and alpha-Keri or Dermalustre help decrease skin irritation and are in this veterinarians experience one of the most effective and least costly options for allergic pet owners.  

Omega 3 fatty acid supplements found in Salmon oil, along with the minerals Selenium and Zinc, the Antioxidant Vitamins A, C and E along with Bioflavanoids help to improve dry, flaky skin and hair coats. Consider all-natural, patented products like Paaws Pet Vitamins or VitaLife Pet Supplements, both of which contain all these vital nutrients and many more.

Comprehensive, all-natural, balanced nutritional vitamin supplements, made in the USA, such as PAAWS and VitaLife that are designed for pets and cats, specifically based on their size and age help to boost overall immunity and have proven to reduce the incidence of allergic out breaks and itching by over 80 percent.

For ongoing flea problems, monthly flea products such as Revolution, Advantage and Frontline available through your veterinarian and over the counter and are generally effective to prevent flea infestations.

Chlorpheniramine Maleate is a mild antihistamine available as a 4mg tablet that is both inexpensive and effective to help relieve itching in dogs and cats. 

The Pet Allergy Diet Dilemma for Dogs and Cats

Consider removing as many potential allergens from your pet’s body as possible, starting with the water your pet drinks. 

Distilled water, available for example at Wal-Mart and K-mart for ~0.79 cents a gallon is just PURE water. Distilled water is helpful and far superior to bottled, tap and spring water. Distilled water contains no fluoride, which is another common pet allergen. Distilled drinking water also does not contain, any arsenic, cadmium, lead or mercury; all toxic chemicals found in FDA “allowable levels” in tap, spring and bottled water. These chemicals are as harmful for pets as they are for people.

Pet Food today presents a myriad of dilemmas!

Pet Food Safety has become a major concern for most loving dog and cat owners.  Aside from the offers high price tags, tainted food is being recalled by the FDA on a daily basis. Recent pet food issues involve bacterial contamination primarily with Salmonella and/or E-coli, both of which can lead to explosive diarrhea that can be life threatening. 

Pet food contamination with toxic chemicals such as Melamine and/or Glutamic acid is also an issue. These two chemicals were both cited in the 2007 Menu Pet Food Recall. These two chemicals caused pets to initially suffer with acute kidney failure; after which thousands died.  It is relevant for dog and cat owners to understand that the same chemical, Glutamic acid was and still is approved by the FDA as a legally allowed pet food additive. Why you ask?.......To artificially raise the protein content of dog and cat food without adding any real protein at all!!  

This year, the Nutro Pet Food Recall was responsible for causing Epileptic seizures and Pancreatitis in an undisclosed number of pets, several of which died. Many of the pets that managed to live through the Pancreatitis developed Diabetes as a result. 

The vast majority of pet food commercially available today unfortunately offers innocent pet owners big price tags loaded with “empty” label claims backed by no scientific validation at all. 

Today’s multimillion dollar pet food marketing campaigns,  their new “natural” and “premium” pet diet names along with their fancy dog and cat food labels and colorful packaging, look quite impressive, spending hard earned dollars to feed pets ”slaughter house floor scraps, inedible for human consumption” doesn’t make any sense at all to this veterinarian. 

What’s even worse is the recent surge of articles being spread all over the internet about “people foods toxic to pets.” This is simply more “marketing hype” developed by publicists hired by the pet food companies specifically geared to scare pet owners away from  making home-made pet meals for their dogs or cats. Why? So the pet food manufacturers protect their bottom line…pet food sales and revenue! 

Pet owners now not only fear inadvertently adding a toxic ingredient to their pet’s meals, but in addition how can they be sure their pets home-made meals are “balanced”?  As a result, loads of loving pet owners are educating themselves and many have found that home-made diets are not only safe and healthy, but are also economical.  In addition, balancing your dog and/or cat’s home-made meal can be as easy as adding a natural, balanced vitamin supplement like Paaws or VitaLife!

Making carbohydrate or “grain free” home-made meals for those pet owners who feel that “carbs” aggravate pet allergies is also as easy as ABC! Half of your pet’s home-made allergy diet would consist of lean protein. Sources could include chicken, turkey, beef, duck, venison or fish like salmon for example. The other half or 50% of your pet’s grain free anti-allergy diet would consist of fresh vegetables. Sources could include broccoli, cauliflower, peas, green beans, string beans, spinach or carrots, which might be available right in your own garden. 

Simply cook the ingredients any way you prefer. Cooking choices include broiling, boiling, steaming, frying, baking or grilling. Then mix them all together, cut into bite sized pieces or for finicky felines cat owners can puree the diet in a blender.  Next, add a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Why? Extra virgin olive oil enhances the smell and taste of your pet’s home-made meal and it’s a great natural source of Essential Omega-3 Fatty Acids. 

Finally, remember pets like food that smells good. So season it up!  The top 3 seasonings most dogs and cats enjoy are barbecue sauce, pasta sauce or Tamari sauce. Tamari sauce is the brown sauce Chinese carry out comes in. Most local grocery stores carry Low-Sodium Tamari sauce for about a dollar a bottle. 

For pet owners who are not against adding carbohydrates to their pets diet, choose long-acting carbohydrates, Choices include any kind of rice, potatoes, pasta, macaroni or oatmeal. Your pets diet would then consist of 1/3 lean protein, 1/3 long acting carbohydrates and 1/3 fresh vegetables. For example, a nice diet could be a fresh chicken breast to act as the lean protein, a sweet potato which fulfills the long acting carbohydrate category and green beans might be your choice for the vegetable. Cook, mix and prepare this pet diet as indicated above.

Dr. Carol’s Tip: Fresh vegetables are a source of fiber. They not only help to keep your pets anal glands free of problems, but also provide energy and add bulk to your pet’s diet.

Dr. Carol’s Tip: Avoid frozen and canned vegetables. Both are very high in sodium which most pets do not need.

CCOMPLEMENTARY PET ALLERGY TREATMENTS

HOMEOPATHIC PET REMEDIES

A range of homeopathic remedies may be useful which include Sulphur, Hepar Sulph, Arsenica alb, and Rhus tax.  Dosages range from 30c to 1m. Acupuncture stimulates the immune system and generally requires six to eight treatments for effective results.

HERBAL PET REMEDIES

Herbs for Topical Use:

• Witch Hazel
• Aloe
• Calendula
• Comfrey
• Chamomile
• Oregon Grape
• Licorice

Chinese Herbal Pet Formulas for Dogs & Cats that may be useful include:

• Scutellaria
• Tribulus
• Anemarrhena
• Capillaris