Tips to help with allergies would be to feed a fresh, raw diet to boost gut health and improve your pet’s natural immunity.
Allergies develop from ingredients in your pet’s diet or something in the environment that triggers a response. Food sensitivities can be determined through testing, and then you can remove those ingredients from your pet’s diet. Environmental triggers are a little more challenging, even after you find out what they are. Some of the most common triggers are trees, grass and weed pollens, mold and dust, and airborne pollutants. The antibodies in your pet’s immune system think these substances are dangerous, even though they may not be. The antibodies try to get rid of the foreign invaders.
In your pet’s bone marrow live stem cells that produce a white blood cell called a B cell. They produce antibodies that identify any foreign matter that shouldn’t be in your pet’s body – viruses, parasites or allergens, for example. There are five different classes of antibodies in your pet’s body.
When a trigger enters your pet’s body, the antibodies go on alert for the immune system to get rid of it. At the same time, those antibodies attach to mast cells. Mast cells, in the connective tissues, help regulate the immune system. They contain chemicals like histamines that fight allergens. When allergens enter the body, mast cells release histamines to kill them. Histamines cause redness and inflammation, itching, sneezing and irritation. That’s where the symptoms will start.
Tips to help with allergies would be to feed a fresh, raw diet to boost gut health and improve your pet’s natural immunity. When the pet’s natural immunity is strong, most allergens don’t cause inflammation, which leads to the symptoms we see. There are several commercial raw companies. Each company has different formulas with raw proteins that have different benefits for healing the gut, building the immune system and helping the body recover from the damage the allergens left behind. An allergy test, or wellness scan, can determine the food triggers so that you can avoid them for 60 days to let the body heal from fighting those allergens. Then, reintroduce one protein/food trigger at a time back into the diet. Some antihistamine foods that can help are fruit and vegetables, like apples, bananas, berries, broccoli, garlic and parsley.
Some easy tips to try at home to relieve environmental allergens would be starting with changing your filters in your home often to keep the air in your home allergen-free. When you vacuum, let your pet hang out in a different room. Vacuuming can stir up dust and cause the allergies to spike. Wipe them down with a damp cloth or towel. This will greatly reduce the allergens that stay on their coat and cause skin irritation. After they come in from playing outside, rinse their paws with a bucket of water to clean between the toes and under the fur.
Raw, organic apple cider vinegar can relieve allergy itches. It also helps get rid of the offending allergens. One of the most common effects of environmental allergies in pets is itchy feet. Try an apple cider vinegar/warm water foot bath to help. When you replace your cleaning products with more natural options, this protects your pets from the harmful chemical ingredients in cleaning products and avoids allergies to those toxins. Having your house checked for mold is helpful so you can get it removed, and that prevents reactions for everyone in your home, not just your pet. Every little thing helps to move toward the goal of less itchy and happier pets! QCBN
By Sandy Haffner
Sandy Haffner is a pet nutrition specialist and owner of Preskitt’s Pawz ‘N’ Clawz.
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