Itching & Allergies in Pets Caused By Pollen, Perfume, Cigarettes and Air-borne materials

Fleas, food, airborne materials, and contact materials are common causes of itching and allergies in pets. In our recent Caring for Pets entries, we’ve discussed how to stop itching and allergies caused by foods and fleas, now it’s time for airborne allergens.

Airborne allergens
Because exposure to airborne allergens can be irregular and fleeting, we may have difficulty identifying them, but there are so many possibilities, we could almost become paranoid.

Some of the air-borne materials that cause pet allergies are those we commonly think of, such as ragweed pollen, and some are materials we seldom think of as allergenic, such as perfume, floor cleaners, and cigarette smoke.

How to Stop allergies caused by airborne allergens
Here are some tips that help limit or remove allergens from your itching pet’s environment
1. Use an air filter in the room it most frequently inhabits.
2. Turn on the fan over the stove to suck allergens from the kitchen.
3. Open windows in the laundry room.
4. Don’t ask your pet to spend much time in a garage or a workshop.
5. Double rinse the soap from your pet’s bedding so that you can’t sniff the bed and smell the detergent.
6. Rinse the floor after scrubbing with a soap or damp Swifter.
7. Don’t use perfumed soaps or sprays directly on your pet.
8. Don’t let the groomer express the anal sacs and cover the odor with a perfumed spray.
9. Don’t use perfumed ear cleaning medications.
10. Remove the perfumed air freshener from the bathroom and the car.
11. Clean up the dust and feathers from birdcages and rabbit hutches.

Air Vigilantes
Feels as though we need to be paranoid because everything can upset our pets and send them scratching. Instead of being paranoid, be vigilant. The new army--Air Vigilantes, all we need are brains. No bombs. No land mines.

What’s next?
In our next Caring for Pets blog, we’ll discuss what to do about contact materials that cause allergies.

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Itching & Allergies Caused By Food and the Exclusion Diet

Fleas, food, airborne materials, and contact materials are the four most common causes of itching and allergies in pets. In our last entry, we covered how to handle the flea problem, now, let’s discuss food allergies and I’ll give you the most bizarre food-related allergy tidbit at the end.
Food Allergies
Food allergies are pretty steady throughout the year—as long as the pet is eating the problem food steadily, but we can be fooled into thinking a problem is not food if we see seasonal changes in itching. Food can cause itching, but we will have fluctuating bouts of itching if food allergies are compounded by fleas, pollens or contact materials.

Is the food allergy caused by bad food?
No. Most food-allergic pets will be reacting to something that’s perfectly healthy to eat—just not healthy for them. For example, many pets are allergic to beef and will react to beef in their kibble, in their treats, or in their beef-flavored joint medications or heartworm medications. Many cats are allergic to beef too.

Other pets are allergic to fish and react to it by becoming itchier when we give them Omega 3 fatty acids in the form of fish oils. This is gloriously frustrating because we often prescribe fish oils to counteract itching.

Some dogs are allergic to corn and react to it in popcorn, corn syrup in dog treats, and corn mealin kibble.

Exclusion Diet
The best way to stop food allergies is to switch to a 2-ingredient diet (exclusion diet) that includes two foods your pet has never eaten before, such as pork and bok choy or buffalo and pumpkin. No other supplements, vitamins, or flavored meds, snacks or treats can be used during the food trial. After 3-6 weeks, an additional food is offered and the trial is continued for another 3-6 week period. Gradually we build up a list of foods that are healthy for your pet. If symptoms of itching occur, we stop what we’ve just added; go back to using only safe foods.

Helping the pet recover with herbs and holistic therapies
During this food trial, we can prescribe Chinese herbs that reduce the tendency to develop allergies. We can also reduce the tendency to be allergic by using acupuncture and homeopathy.

Signs that pets with allergy symptoms are improving
As the exclusion diet period progresses, pets quit chewing their feet, licking or sliding on their bottoms, having hot, yeasty ear infections. Eventually, pets return to a healthy state in which they may occasionally itch, but will not be so reactive to food that they are kept awake or driven crazy during the day by itching.

Allergy Tidbits
NO SNACKING ON CAT FECES. Everything the cat ate is available in its stool, so this habit has to stop during a food trial. Also, don't use flavored toothpaste. For example, if your pet is on an elemination diet and eating only pork and bok choy, don't use poultry-flavored toothpaste.

What's next?
We’ve covered fleas and foods as common causes of allergies. Over the next Caring for Pets entries, we’ll cover air-borne materials and contact materials that contribute to itching and allergies.

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Itching & Allergies Caused By Fleas

What causes allergies?
Fleas, food, airborne materials, and contact materials cause itching and allergies in pets. Fleas are the most common cause. Although our northern pets don’t have much problem in the winter, our southern pets can be plagued year round.

Stop itching caused by fleas:
• Wash pets and leave soap on at least 10 minutes to kill all fleas on the pet.
• Flea comb cats.
• Treat the carpets with a safe, inert substance such as boric acid powder.
• Wash bedding.
• Vacuum like your life depends upon it, at least twice a week.
• Apply topical flea repellents to dogs CAREFUL WITH CATS. Use Skin So Soft from Avon or Cloud 9 Dip from Halo. For dogs, make up a mixture of essential oils (lavender, citronella, peppermint, eucalyptus) diluted in oil or water and apply daily. Because many dogs dislike the smell of these oils, apply the repellant to a harness that they can wear when outside and can have off when in the flea-free home.
• If necessary, apply commercial flea treatment such as Frontline or Advantage. Treat all pets in the family.
• Clean up debris in the yard that harbors fleas.
• Get chickens to eat fleas in the yard.
• Increase health of your pet so that fleas aren’t attracted to it. The healthier our pets are, the fewer fleas they have. To promote health, feed more natural foods, less kibble, less grain.
• Give Omega 3 fatty acids either as freshly ground flaxseed, such as Missing Link, or Nordic Naturals fish oils.

What's next?
We’ve just covered fleas as a common causes of allergies. In the next few Caring for Pets entries, we’ll discuss how to eliminate itching and allergies caused by food, air-borne materials, and contact materials.

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Itching & Allergies

Nothing is worse than constant itching caused by allergies.

Some signs your pet has allergies are that it:
• chews and licks its feet,
• chews its tail and back creating hot spots,
• rubs its bottom on the carpet or grass,
• has hot, infected, smelly ears,
• has frequent diarrhea
• has frequent gas and stomach gurgling

Four of the most common causes of allergies and itchcing are:
1. Fleas
2. Food
3. Air-borne materials
4. Contact materials

To help pets that itch, we'll address all four causes. Often, each of the areas contributes to the itching problem, and if we remove the contribution from each cause, overall itching is reduced to a tolerable level.

Over the next few Caring for Pets entries, we’ll cover what we can do to control itching and allergies. Our next entry will focus on fleas.

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Worms & Contagious Diseases in Pets, 5 Zoonotic Diseases

Zoonotic diseases are illnesses that spread from pets to people. The five most common zoonotic diseases affect the gut and skin, three of these are intestinal worms, one is an intestinal protozoan parasite, and one is a skin disease:
• Roundworm
• Hookworm
• Tapeworm
• Giardia
• Ringworm

Take these steps to prevent zoonotic disease in your family:
1. Have routine fecal exams for your pet.
2. Keep feces picked up and disposed of.
3. Wash hands after picking up feces.
4. Have your vet check hairless areas on dogs and cats for signs of ringworm.
5. Wash hands and don’t scratch your skin after handling your pet.

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Medications & Supplements for Pets, Paying Too Much?

There’s no doubt that good medications cost money, but the most expensive medications may not be the best. A recent study asked consumers to compare pain medication priced at $2.50 with pain medication priced at 10 cents. The consumers were actually given sugar pills, but 85% reported significant relief from the $2.50 pill compared with 61% reporting relief from the 10 cent pill.
So, how do you get the best product for the best price. Certainly, we can use price as a guide, but we should not use it as the only indicator of effectiveness. We must also consider
· What do veterinarians recommend
· Which companies have 3rd party laboratories that verify purity and concentration
· What helps our pets so that we can see the difference in their health

Among the products I recommend are some that are very inexpensive and some that are expensive. My favorite inexpensive product is moxa. Moxa is a rolled up herbal cigar that we light and hold near the skin to warm acupuncture points and ease arthritic joints. I give all my clients free moxa because it allows them to treat their pets between acupuncture visits and extend the benefit of the visit.

Many veterinarians, including me, recommend meds and supplements that contain the highest quality ingredients. These products are much more likely to be effective than are cheaper products—so why waste your money. Among the best veterinary products are

1. Flower essences from http://www.spiritessence.com/,


2. Chinese herbal remedies from http://www.kanherb.com/,


3. Omega 3 fish oils from http://www.nordicnaturals.com/,


4. Omega 3 flax products from http://www.designinghealth.com/.

With each of these companies, consumers can feel certain they are purchasing pure, unadulterated supplements that have not been contaminated with heavy metals or melamine.

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Flower Essence Remedies for Pets

Many physical problems have an emotional aspect. The following are pets with obvious physical problems that often have strong emotional components:
· cats that urinate outside the litter box
· dogs with chronic allergies
· senior pets with arthritis
· dogs & cats with weepy eyes and tear stains.

To treat the health problems, we use medications, nutrition changes, herbs, and supplements; but these are not enough. We want to ease whatever emotional component predisposed pets to develop these problems and change their emotions so the health problems are less likely to reoccur.

Among the methods to treat emotional problems are homeopathy, pheromones, aromatherapy, and flower essence remedies. Flower essence remedies by SpiritEssence are both powerful and safe. They are ideal for pet families to use. I’ve prescribed many other brands of flower remedies, including the Bach Flower remedies such as Rescue Remedy, but none of them come close to the effectiveness of SpiritEssence remedies.

At the SpiritEssence website, you’ll find products for dogs, cats, horses, and birds. There are dozens of remedies, including flower essences for asthma and respiratory disease, training, travelling, feral cat rehab, arthritis, aging, gut problems, grouchiness, and holiday stress. Choose a remedy most likely to benefit your pet, and if there is one that is very close, but not perfect, contact Jackson or Dr. Jean and ask that they tweak the remedy for your pet.

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Veterinarian Recommended Pet Products, Fish Oils, Flax, and Joint Supplements

Ever wonder what veterinarians use on their own pets? Well, I use the same products for my pets that I recommend to clients. I don’t make money from mentioning anything on this blog and my interest is not in persuading you to buy particular products, but I’m passionate about some supplements because they make such a difference in a pet’s life. My three favorite products are Nordic Naturals fish oils, Missing Link, and Joint Optimizer.

Fish and Flax, two great sources of Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 fatty acids help pets in almost every conceivable way:
· Promote immune health to decrease the incidence and severity of cancer
· Decrease the severity and incidence of allergies
· Decrease the severity of arthritis
· Promote heart, kidney, liver, and brain health
· Promote learning and ability to model desirable behaviors
· Maintain healthy skin that doesn’t flake or have an offensive odor

The best fish oils are from Nordic Naturals
For pets that do well with fish, the best sources of fish oils are Nordic Naturals pet products. There are hundreds of fish oils out there, and many are made by wonderful companies, but I’ve never seen any that work as well for dogs and cats as the Nordic Naturals products. In addition, Nordic Naturals has independent third-party laboratory testing that guarantees purity and freshness of their products. This is essential with pet supplements because we have so many adulterated products on the market.

The best flax seed products are from Designing Health
For pets that don’t care for fish, for pets with a tendency to constipation, and for pets with cancer, I recommend Omega 3 fatty acids from flax, such as those made by Designing Health. Whole ground flax is better than flax oil supplements because of the benefit of lignan in the flax seed hull. Thus, I recommend the whole ground flax, rather than the oil.

Designing Health makes a pet line with Missing Link and a human line including MegaFlax and Omega 3 Basic. I often recommend that pet families choose one of the human products because they are made with organic flax, but all of the Designing Health products will benefit pets. Most pets enjoy the taste—even cats—and it’s easy to add ground flax to the normal diet. Be sure to stir it in so that your pet doesn’t take a deep sniff and suck ground flax up its nose.

The best joint product is Joint Optimizer
The joint product that works better than anything else I’ve ever tried and that I regularly recommend for dogs is from Pure Encapsulations. It’s called Joint Optimizer. In my experience, Joint Optimizer controls pain better than products with MSM, and it contains antioxidants that provide widespread benefit. It my favorite joint product for dogs with arthritis and for dogs prone to develop cancer, especially the Boxer, Golden Retriever, and German Shepherd.

Joint Optimizer also helps pets with trauma, including over-use athletic injuries, which are common in working dogs, assistance dogs, and dogs training for agility trials or herding trials. Joint Optimizer is one of the medications I recommend for Dachshunds, Pekinese and other dogs with disc disease.

These medications are safe
Fish oils from Nordic Naturals, Flax products from Designing Health and Joint Optimizer are safe when given to health pets. They can be taken with other medications or when taken for long periods of time. This is not true of all medications, and you should be careful to check with your veterinarian before starting supplements to ensure you're not hurting your pet. For example, you can harm a pet with calcium-based bladder stones by supplementing with cod liver oil.

What's coming?
In an up-coming blog, we’ll look at the best flower essence remedies, and you’ll see why SpiritEssence is so widely recommended by holistic vets like me.

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Joint Medication for Pets, My Favorite

No pet should ache. And no pet should take medications that may fix the ache but leave it with stomach ulcers, kidney or liver disease. So, we holistic vets look for medications that relieve pain but won't, as many NSAIDs do cause serious problems in their own right. My fear is that one of these pet NSAIDs will eventually be a catastrophic kitty Vioxx.

I've tried everything in dogs and cats, and one of the best pain medications I found is for humans. We have to use it "off-label" for pets. That is, it hasn’t been legally approved for pets, but it works for them, just as it does for people. I don't think aspirin was ever tested in pets, either, but it works for dogs. (Not very well for cats, though, because it cannot be given to them but every third day.)

The medication I like to relieve painful joints is Joint Optimizer from Pure Encapsulations. Heidi at The Holistic Hound is now carrying this med. I'm hoping all our local Berkeley, CA, dogs will benefit from it so they won't need to take as many potentially damaging NSAIDs, such as Rimadyl or Etogesic.

No, I don’t make money from from Pure Caps or from Holistic Hound, but I do get points in heaven every time I help a pet.

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