TREATMENT FOR ALLERGIES
Allergies, are caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to something in the environment that usually causes little problem in most people. Through my research, I’ve learned that allergies are quite common among the canine community.
Allergies include environmental allergies such as hay fever, and food allergies, atopic dermatitis, allergic asthma, and anaphylaxis. Symptoms may include red eyes, an itchy rash, runny nose, shortness of breath, or swelling. Food intolerances and food poisoning are considered separate conditions.
If your dog shows symptoms of allergies, it is important to have them tested to find out if it is, in fact, allergies. If so, what the allergen(s) are
Poor Henry suffers both; environmental and food allergies. At first, it was an irritating itch which became almost constant. As well as watery, red eyes. Then came the skin irritation. Not understanding what we were looking at, we decided we’d better have it looked at. So, off to the vet, we went. Our usual vet was not available, and the one who saw us believed it to be ringworm. At the height of his misery, Henry’s belly was raw with blisters and sore patches. Immediately, we paid a visit to our vet who decided it was not ringworm. Instead, he suggested it might me Lupus – a Systemic Autoimmune Disease. Poodles are believed to have a predilection to this condition.
A biopsy was taken – the results ‘inconclusive.’ We have another appointment scheduled this week during which, I plan to to discuss the issue further.
A little blue stitch after biopsy
It is a horrible thing knowing your companion(s) are uncomfortable and to watch them suffer. We were prescribed Prednisone, a corticosteroid to suppress the immune system (allergic reactions are caused by an overly active immune system).
Other common treatment options include:
- Anti-inflammatory/immunosuppressive drugs such as NSAIDs
- Additional immunosuppressive drugs such as Azathioprine.
- Antibiotics to treat any secondary infections.
- Chemotherapeutic treatments to suppress abnormal immune responses and pain.
- Limiting exposure to sunlight.
We try to restrict the amount of medication, administering only when required. It is a known fact that prolonged use of corticosteroids has harmful side-effects . Many holistic vets do not condone overuse of steroids, especially prolonged use for chronic allergy dog patients.
We have found a holistic veterinarian in our area, and I plan to take Henry to visit the clinic. In the meantime, we researched various, natural methods to help provide some relief for Henry.
Natural allergy remedies include:
Honey:
Raw – still contains living enzymes needed to protect body from a histamine overdose
Local – contains the pollen to which the sufferers are reacting
Allergen Appropriate – If you suffer during the fall, you need to use raw, local honey that is harvested in the fall as these batches contain pollens present at this time of year.
Pollen:
The direct source! A small number of people experience a reaction to this powerful remedy, so it is important to start with just a grain. Watch for an increase in itching and redness around the eyes or other allergy symptoms. If you do not experience any issues, start to use ½-1 tsp. of pollen daily for a month before and during allergy season.
Oat & Lavender Baths:
Add oats to your dog’s bath water. Include three to four drops of 100% pure Lavender essential oil for additional soothing properties.
Alternatively, you can purchase shampoos that contain colloidal oatmeal and aloe. Aloe contains acemannan (a glycoprotein), which can produce relief from itching and inflammation. See additional point about aloe, below.
DO NOT use oats if the itching is caused by yeast infections
The grain is a carbohydrate, containing sugar, which yeast thrives on. That’s why it is so important to find out the cause of the itch before you give treatment to your dog.
If, like Henry, your dog licks or chews for relief from itching, I don’t recommend Aloe Vera Gel. Although it is a soothing, anti-inflammatory, when applied directly to a dog’s skin, aloe is also toxic for dogs, when ingested.
Better safe than sorry!
Epsom Salt Soak:
Make a ‘Paw Soak’ for itchy, and irritated paws. Dilute Epsom Salts
Cucumber Slices – The signature ‘SPAW’ treatment. And rightly so:
Cool cucumber slices are soothing and hydrating when applied to hot spots and itchy skin.
Make an infusion of any of the following, and spray on the affected areas. These are a great alternative to steroid creams.
Calendula: Calendula
Thyme: Thyme also
Echinacea: Ingested, Echinacea
Apple Cider Vinegar: when used as a rinse, Apple Cider Vinegar provides quick relief from itchiness caused by allergies.
Witch Hazel: an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. Effective on moist, leaky, skin irritations.
I hope this information helps you through allergy season!
OMD! You article is perfect for me today. Skipper our Vizsla has been having hives which was treated and now has a lump that I used espom salt warm cloth on it which started the lump to ooze. Skipper also has been losing weight since May and when I had him back in 2 weeks ago weight was down 5.5 pounds. They did not think anything about it. I have been doing for a week because we could not get into the vet no available appointments. I guess it is harder to get into a vet than a dr. So I was giving Skipper a bath with oatmeal shampoo which made him feel good for awhile. He has been licking and biting at the sore so I have a shirt on him. I told them I thought he had allergy said to give him benadryl which was not helping. I am going to try the honey. I take the bee pollen myself. Never thought about it for my dog. I am going to check in my area for a holistic dog vet. Plus Skipper had 2 doses of rabies shot because the vet forgot to put it down and of course didn’t charge me and told her yes you gave him the shot 3 months ago…said he needs a rabies shot and he would not hurt him. I think it might be time to find another vet. Thank You for the blog today! Very helpful for me.
Hi Sharon. I hope you do find a vet that is able to help with Skipper’s discomfort.
It’s scary when those we trust make such careless mistakes – our vet always refers to our file when we visit. I’m not a fan of vaccinations and my vet is one that will only do what he feels absolutely necessary.
Also, I hope the new vet will look at the lump to determine allergies. Perhaps it is a ‘sebaceous cyst.’ Those are quite common and can become irritated. I’m not a vet – just a person who has had plenty of experiences with her dogs.
I hope Skipper feels better soon! Please come back and let us know how you get on with your new vet.
That looks awful. I’m glad you found things that help. Mr. N has a flea allergy but he usually only gets flare ups a couple times a year and it passes.
I’m looking forward to hearing what the holistic vet says.
Great info provided here, thank you! I hope Henry feels better. It’s so hard to see our pets in pain or discomfort.
Thanks Rachel. Yes, I feel awful!
Wow. That looks extreme. I hope you find the reason for the reaction. I didn’t know that about aloe vera – good to know. My schnoodle goes through stages of excessive itching. I’m finding, at least this week, that Lucy’s leave-in coat conditioner is helping. He doesn’t like the scents, though I do. I’m hoping it’s still working next week, and not a fluke. If it does work… there’s a post in the future.
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Fingers x’d for you – look forward to reading the post.
Wow, I’m totally going to save this post. So many wonderful ideas. I’m actually going to try the cucumber slices today!
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Thank you. I hope the cucumber slices are a hit!
Isn’t honey such a wonderful gift from Mother Nature? I love finding local honey for sale at festivals in our area.
I’m glad you were able to get to the bottom of Henry’s symptoms and hopefully everything is on the uphill swing now.
Jane recently posted…The Life of Pets With Allergies
Thanks Jane. Yes, honey and so many other delights.
If our guys had issues with allergies, I’d definitely try raw local honey.
Jana Rade recently posted…Veterinary Visit Checklist: Part 2 Before You Leave the Office
I’m glad you don’t have to deal with allergies. Honey is a yummy treat regardless 🙂
Fantastic post thank you thank you thank you and am gonna get some raw honey this week
I’m glad you liked it. You (and crew) will enjoy the honey.
We love hearing about natural remedies. This is a great post!
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Thanks Lola!
Poor Henry, I sure hope his allergies can be relieved soon. He must be so miserable. Very interesting holistic remedies, thanks for sharing!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
He is. Hopefully the holistic vet will have some good news for us. Thank you.
Your poor pup. Rosa has terrible allergies too and I had her tested to find out what all is affecting her. (environmental & food) but now I know what she can and can’t eat. It’s so helpful! I love all you suggestions too. Very helpful.
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Thanks Maureen. I remember you posting about the tests. I plan to ask the holistic vet about that.
Poor Henry. You are such a good Mom. Seeing a holistic vet for allergies is a great idea. Holistic vets really do tend to look at the whole picture and results are usually pretty amazing. We do not have a local holistic vet, so we started with a phone consultation with one, the best move I ever made for Dexter! Please feel free to reach out if you ever need a referral. <3
Thank you Tonya. I try. This picture makes it look as though Henry is NOT cared for. That was the condition at it’s worst. We have been trying different things and it has settled. Henry is still itchy. Hopefully the holistic vet will come up with something for my poor little man.
These are great solutions! I’m sorry that your dog has suffered with such difficult immune system issues. As a human with an autoimmune disease, I know how hard it is to deal with the strange medical problems that pop up. I think natural solutions are a great way to go. I don’t know if it is true for dogs too, but many human medications just make immune reactions get worse. It is frustrating.
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So true Robin. I am looking forward to our consult with the holistic vet.
Your poor dog. I know my mom’s dog has allergies and they don’t know exactly what is causing his problems.
Sweet Purrfections recently posted…Bring Your Cat to the Vet Day #askyourvet
I plan to share our experience with the holistic vet – hopefully that will help others.
Great article!! Charlie has a grass allergy and when it’s acting up again, an oatmeal bath helps him to relieve the itching! Allergies are the worst 🙁
Thanks Valerie. Grass is a challenge – how do you prevent them coming in contact, or eating grass?!
Oh no -poor Henry. Hope you find out exactly what is causing such discomfort. I have allergies and my husband has started keeping bees not too far away so I’ll be trying my own local honey soon. Kilo has not shown any signs yet but I may try the bath and the cucumber on his paws and nose as they get a little dry sometimes.
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How cool that you’re going to be a bee-keeper! I love coconut oil on paws/nose too.
Thank you so much for this great post! I never knew pups could have honey!
Spencer the Goldendoodle recently posted…Wild, Wet Weekend at a Doodle Romp
They LOVE it. PB and honey on banana OMD!!!
I love this post and that you told folks about the benefits. We used honey as a cough expectorant when Dex had a horrible case of kennel cough last year. It is the pure stuff that was not overly processed that rocked.
Thanks for sharing that use for honey too! Kennel cough is no fun, I’m glad the honey worked.
Thank you very much for your useful post. Some shared information I have not ever know before. Honey is totally a great product from nature.
…and the dogs love this sweet nectar.
Thanks a lot for sharing! It’s really informative post. I don’t know that much about benefits of honey. Now I know and agree with the saying “Honey’s not just for pooh”
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Thanks Monica!
Thank you very much for the post I find it very helpful. I have known that there are many ways to treat dog’s allergy, especially with honey. Definitely going to try that.
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…and honey is a treat!
You have chosen the right medication for Henry. Too much of steroids do have harmful side effects. Going natural is the best, I have heard a lot about the beneficial effects an oatmeal-aloe shampoo has on the skin. So I think it is worth trying.
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