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Allergy season is upon us, so I thought I would post some basic care tips to help you get through the season more comfortably. Most of these tips can also be used year round to keep your pups in excellent health.
- FOOD: Is your pup eating a quality, limited ingredient food? If not, take a list of your dogs food allergens with you to the pet store and spend some time shopping for the best food that you can afford that doesn’t contain any of your pups allergens. If you’re not sure what your pup is allergic to, find a limited ingredient food – 1 meat , 1 carb – and try a small bag. Continue to try different brands until you find the right one for your dog. Remember: Just because it says allergy formula on the bag, doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for your dog. There are many “allergy formulas†that my girls can’t eat.
- PROBIOTICS & DIGESTIVE ENZYMES: I highly recommend the Miracle Pack from Nusentia. We have had great luck using that for our dogs. Probiotics and digestive enzymes helps to balance the digestive system, boost the immune system, improve skin and coat condition, relieve gas, and reduce allergy symptoms. This formula contains Bromelain which is a natural antihistamine & anti-inflammatory. The powder can be easily added to food at each feeding.
- SUPPLEMENTS: Organic Virgin Coconut Oil has been very helpful to Emma and Phoebe during allergy season. My dogs LOVE to have the coconut oil added to their food. It is great at fighting yeast, boosting the immune system and improving the skin and coat. Along with adding it to food, it can be used topically on hot spots and in ears. Dosage is 1 tsp per 10 lbs or 1 TBS per 30 lbs AM & PM. Coconut oil melts at 76 degrees. You can feed it in solid or liquid form. You can find Coconut Oil in the natural foods section of your grocery store.
- BATHING: Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly bathing can be a great help you your dog with allergies. We bathe the girls weekly during allergy season or they end up with skin infections. A gentle, castile based shampoo works best. If you have a larger dog that is harder to bathe but likes to swim, that is also a great option. We take Emma swimming quite a bit. It’s a great way to remove allergens from her skin and coat, and I’m sure the cool water feels great on her irritated skin.
I hope these tips are helpful to you and your pup. I’m always here if you have questions. Remember, I’m not a vet or even an expert. Just a gal with two dogs with allergies. If you haven’t been over to our Facebook page, be sure to stop in and share your story. If you’re in need of help there are lots of great people to offer advice. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon!
Andi
I came across this article about dog bathing and wanted to share it with you. I’ve been told by many people, not to bathe my dogs on a regular basis because it dries out their skin. Well, I’m a bit of a rule breaker ( like washing dry clean only clothes at home – gasp! ) and I like to try things on my own and see how they work out.
Emma and Phoebe have terrible seasonal allergies, and are miserable from mid July to the end of October. When they were first diagnosed, they had terrible skin infections and were constantly on antibiotics to clear up their skin. I got tired of having to take them in all the time, and also having to spend all that money on antibiotics, when the infection just came back as soon as they were off of them. So I decided to go a different route.
Weekly bathing for the girls has been the best remedy for their smelly, oily, infected skin during allergy season. I have never had their skin get dried out while doing this. The weekly bathing reduces the smelliness, excessive oil, and quickly heals the infections. I just use an all natural gentle shampoo, like castile soap and wash them up real well. I pay extra attention to their legs and bellies, since these seem to be the scabby, infected areas. You can find castile soap at Target, Walmart and in the natural foods section of your grocery store
I really like not having to rely on antibiotics to heal their skin infections. Like the article states, a lot of antibiotics are being overused in pets and people, causing antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. And antibiotics also wreak havoc on the digestive system, leaving room for a systemic yeast infection to take over. Systemic yeast infections are a pain to deal with and they make your dog miserable. However, some skin infections will still require an antibiotic or antifugal treatment. Be sure to consult your vet.
I think weekly bathing is a great idea for those of you with dogs that are extremely itchy and prone to skin infections. If it seems like once a week isn’t enough, you could try twice a week. If your dog’s skin is a bit healthier you could try once every week and a half to two weeks. You’ll find a balance that works best for you pup.
I hope you and your pups are doing well. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon!
Andi
Hi everyone!
Allergy season is in full swing around here, and I’m sure it must be for your pups too. Emma is itching like mad, and poor Phoebe has already rubbed the hair off around her eyes, they are watering terribly! The last few years, it seems like the season has started a bit early, during the last week in July. This year it was mid July and it came on fast. Are any of you noticing the same changes?
I just ordered a new products to try from Herbsmith called AllerQi. It’s a blend of chinese herbs that are supposed to cool the skin and balance the system. I’m guessing it will be here by the end of the week. I will let you know if we see any improvement.
Now, to discuss the wonders of Oregano Oil. I had been doing some reading about it and discovered it might be a good yeast fighter. As you know, Emma is constantly battling systemic yeast and gets build up in her ear, around her mouth, and on her lady bits. She has been on the Oregano Oil capsules since June 30th and we have seen MAJOR improvements. I started her on 2 capsules per day, 1 AM/1PM. The capsules contain 181 mg’s of Oregano Oil, 17.6 mg’s of Ginger Oil and 19.3 mg’s of Fennel Oil. I started to notice improvements within the first week. Her ear was the first to clear up and then her mouth. She still had a ton of build up around her lady bits, so I decided after two weeks to double her dose. So she now gets 2 capsules AM and PM. That made all the difference. She is almost completely clear of her buildup now, and the staining in that area (from all the licking) has almost gone away. I am so happy that I’ve finally found something to help her. We bought the NOW Foods brand and I found it in the natural foods section of our grocery store. It’s around $ 9 for 90 capsules.
Oregano Oil is antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral. It helps to prevent the spread of germs, bacteria and fungi, plus it has been known to kill viruses. I’ve read a few articles about people using it to get rid of intestinal worms and to ward off fleas. It can also be helpful for dogs with arthritis and allergies, although it doesn’t seen to be helping with Emma’s itching. I would like to try it for Phoebe, but it’s so hard to give her a pill. It does come in liquid form, but dogs are extremely sensitive to the taste, making it hard to administer this way. Oregano oil is safe for short term use such as the allergy season, or when clearing up an infection.
I hope you’ll give it a try if your dog is having yeast issues. It has really helped Emma out. I’ll keep you posted on her progress, and let you know how the Herbsmith AllerQi powder works out for us. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon!
Andi
Dogs with Allergies
http://dogswithallergies.wordpress.com
I had a previous post about Emma’s systemic yeast infection and I thought I would provide a little more information about it. Systemic yeast can mimic some allergy symptoms, and sometimes your pet will have both. I treated Emma naturally for about two months and her symptoms seem to have cleared up. If your dog is having major issues, I would suggest seeing your veterinarian first since they can prescribe an antifungal antibiotic, and a chlorhexidine shampoo. If you are completely against the use of antibiotics or standard antifungal shampoo, then you can follow this treatment below. I AM NOT a vet! I just prefer to treat my animals naturally if possible. This is what I found and it seemed to work well. First choose your antifungal: Oil of Oregano or Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, the add Glutamine Powder & the Probiotic of your choice. If you’re already giving coconut oil to your dog for other health benefits, you can use it along with the Oil of Oregano.
Oil of Oregano – For small dogs: start with 1 capsule & work up to 2 ( 1 AM/1 PM). For large dogs start with 1 capsule AM & PM & work up to 2 capsules AM & PM. I prefer the NOW Foods brand, and have not had much luck with other brands. You can find this in the natural foods section of your grocery store, at places like the Vitamin Shoppe, or online vitamin stores.
Organic Virgin Coconut Oil - 1 tsp. per 10 lbs, or 1 Tbs. per 30 lbs. AM & PM: You can find this in the natural food section of your grocery store. I recently stumbled upon it at Wal-Mart too, it located with the cooking oils. Coconut oil is a natural antifungal and helps rid the system of yeast.
L-Glutamine Powder – Dogs 1 – 25 lb: 1/2 500 mg capsule AM & PM
25 – 50 1/2 – 1 500 mg capsule AM & PM
50 – 100 lbs 1 – 2 500 mg capsules AM & PM
L- Glutamine is restorative and reparative to the digestive tract. It’ helps balance and heal the digestive system. It’s also a great immune system booster. It is an amino acid that we produce, but we can benefit from more of it when we’re ill or stressed. When yeast is over abundant in your dog’s system it will eat holes in the digestive tract causing leaky gut syndrome and it results in a very stinky dog. Plus, nutrients from your dog’s food aren’t being absorbed. You can find this at your local vitamin store, the natural food section of your grocery store, and I recently found this at Wal-Mart too.
Probiotics - I don’t have an exact dose for probiotics. Emma is using the probiotics from Animal Essentials and she gets 3/4 tsp per day. Follow the instructions on the package. You can find probiotics at your grocery store, vitamin shop, or Wal-Mart or Target. When we were using capsules, I would give Emma 2 – 4 of them. Probiotics restore the good bacteria in the digestive tract which can be wiped out from overuse of antibiotics. If your dogs is put on an antifungal antibiotic, make sure your put them on a probiotic as well.
I hope this helps you and your pet. It’s a great natural way to restore and balance your dog’s system. Take care and we’ll talk soon.
Andi
Dogs with Allergies
 I recently stumbled across a really great article about yeast infections in dogs. You can read it here. Some dogs have allergies, some dogs have yeast infections, and some dogs have both. I’m guessing this is a lot of Emma’s problem since she has many of the symptoms of a whole system yeast infection. Urinary issues, stinkyness, itching and so on. She actually has an allergy to yeast, so it makes a whole lot of sense that this could be a lot of what we’re dealing with. The symptoms are what makes diagnosis tricky too, since they are often the same symptoms we see with allergies. Here’s a complete list of yeast infection symptoms:
- Itchy, inflamed skin
- Smelly, itchy ears
- Rubbing the face or muzzle on floors & furniture
- Recurring ear infections
- Frequent eye infections
- Chronic bladder or urinary tract infections
- Persistent respiratory problems (wheezing, coughing, nasal discharge)
- Stinky dog syndrome: smelly skin, bad breath, stinky ears, etc.
- Joint pain
- Anxious or nervous behaviors
- Dull or greasy coat & excessive shedding
- Food or environmental allergies and sensitivities
- Chronic gastrointestinal problems (loose stools, gas, IBD)
- Leaky Gut
Most dogs end up getting diagnosed with allergies, and treated with antibiotics and steroids. These wreak havoc on the system and disrupt the natural balance of good bacteria in the digestive system, allowing the yeast to take over and destroy your dog. Convential treatments seem to do more harm than good, because of the antibiotics killing all the good bacteria and allowing the yeast to grow. The article has many great suggestions for naturally curing your dog of a yeast infection.
We are currently treating Emma with Coconut Oil ( antifungal effects, attacks and kills yeast cells) 2 Tbs. AM & PM, probiotic powder (this is your acidophilus type stuff which helps re-establish good bacteria in the gut) 1/2 tsp. AM & PM, and Glutamine Powder ( a naturally occuring amino acid that works to repair the gut an detox the dog of the killed off yeast cells) 2 – 500 mg capsules AM & PM.
I recently ordered a new supplement called Total Biotics  and should have it by the end of next week. It is a probiotic powder that contains glutamine powder, so it seemed like an easier option. I also needed to find something without sugar in it since yeast feeds on sugar, and the Probios powder that we’re using now has sugar in it.
I’m also contemplating a food switch since it’s recommended in the article that you put your dogs on the lowest carb food possible. Carbs turn to sugar, sugar feeds yeast. The article recommends raw food, but it’s so expensive. I think I might do a grain free canned food for two weeks and see if that helps.
I know I can’t completely cure her of her allergies, but if she does have a yeast infection like I think she does, treating her would probably be a great help. I will keep you posted on our treatment and how it’s going. It can take months to get rid of it, depending on the dogs health, and how long the infection has been present. I’m guessing this could take a while for us since, she was diagnosed with her food and seasonal allergies two years ago. I was thinking of all the times she’s been treated with antibiotics since then. I think it could be a long road.
My hope is to see some improvement before her seasonal allergies kick in around August. I think if we get the yeast under control, she might handle allergy season a bit better. Take care of yourselves, and I hope your pups are well. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. Take care and we’ll talk soon.
Andi
Dogs with Allergies
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