As spring approaches, many dog lovers are bracing for weather that can turn their dog into an itchy, relentlessly scratching misery, and seeking online support just in case anyone has found a perfect solution – a new supplement that stops itching without the side effects of a steroid, or a diet change that makes all the difference….but as time goes by, it becomes clear that for those whose dogs are allergic to pollen the shots and prescription diets are going to be necessary. Many will eliminate carbs, with little or no change, dose up on quercetin and *maybe* see improvement, and many more will switch whatever commercial diet they use for a new one, with a new (novel) protein, in the hope that this elimination diet approach will finally be the ticket to the dog’s relief.
Then again, there are those whose dogs simply scratch and lick all year long, and do so despite the meds, the “holistic” supplements, and the never-ending food changes.
These two groups represent owners of dogs who have allergies, seasonally, and/or food intolerances, year-round. Both groups do best, absolutely, on a true elimination diet which is NOT simply removing carbs (what if the intolerances are to proteins, which they so often are) or trying a new, ostrich or cricket or bison-based kibble. It’s a therapeutic measure which is best undertaken with the support of a professional who knows how to take the recipe apart and build it back up again, and preferably too, one who has the herbal knowledge to add powerful natural support to the process. An Elimination diet is a homemade recipe that contains 2-3 foods, one animal protein and 1-2 carbs, and nothing else is fed for a period as little as 2 weeks and as long as 12. It is challenging – hard to make sure your dog never gets a single bite of anything else, hard when you are sneaking into the bathroom to eat because you just can’t stand those puppy dog eyes another moment. Hard when your dog gets easily bored decides not to eat another bite of that rabbit, much as she adored it for the first 7 days.
It’s difficult, it can be expensive, and it works.
Rabbit is an excellent choice for many dogs, but expensive, especially for the larger breeds. Sometimes, we can use a very lean meat, such as venison, with a leafy green and coconut oil; in other cases, we will need a starchier, more energy-dense carb such as buckwheat, to meet caloric needs without driving up phosphorus, iron and total protein.
Unlike all the money thrown at vet appointments, shots that only mask symptoms, and every new “holistic” superfood or supplement on the market, the gold standard for getting your itchy, stressed out, miserable dog back on track is to start on the therapeutic approach, find what works one food/supplement at a time, and watch the positive results.
Since I started my career in this work, dogs with seasonal or environmental allergies, and dogs with food intolerance, have made up around a third of my caseload at any given time. That’s a lot of itchy dogs.
And now that the Internet has exploded and more people are getting their info from social media than I for one could ever have imagined, it’s so important to set the facts straight regarding itchy dogs, what causes the problem and what food and herbs can actually do (in some cases, just help ease symptoms, in others, stop the beast in its tracks).
So, to that end, I put together a pdf for you to download, that will hopefully set the stage for everyone trying to manage all this on their own. Not a substitute for a consultation, and I heartily encourage anyone with the problem to seek out a professional, like myself, who has training in both nutrition and herbs, and especially with allergy and intolerance. I am available, obviously, but there are many others and we.can.help. Especially at the time when you are starting to put the diet back together, you need to know how much of each nutrient is needed, how to add supplements, if need be, and much more.
But at the very least you can start off by having a full diagnosis done and test an Elimination Diet using two novel foods. I hope the pdf is useful, and as always, I’m here for questions, or a full support service/consultation if need be.
And put an end to prescription foods with questionable ingredients, expensive shots with worrisome side effects, and endless oatmeal baths and “natural” supplements that do little to help, or nothing at all.
Click here to DOWNLOAD the PDF
