Its allergy season for your pets. In past issues, we have written a number of articles that you can read for tips and to identify the various types of allergies, but dont forget, there is a simple nutritional protocol for dealing with the seasonal allergies in dogs and cats.
Determine the Type of Allergies Your Pet Has
Dogs can suffer from allergies due to a number of reasons; food, environment, fleas, irritants, and more. If you need help identifying the culprit, view some of the articles below:
A Nutritional Approach to Allergies in Pets
If you have determined that your pets allergies are due to the season (inhalant), then this simple nutritional protocol has benefitted many of our pet owners:
Supplement: Fish Oil
Add omega-3 fish oil to your dog's diet. Fish oilprovides essential fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation caused by dog food allergies and inhalant allergies. Below is a sampling (two studies) showing the positive effects that fish oil can have for allergies in pets:
Watson TD,Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, Waltham-on-the-Wolds, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, UK. J Nutr. 1998 Dec;128(12 Suppl):2783S-2789S.
Diet and Skin Disease in Dogs and Cats a placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over study has demonstrated a clear benefit of high dose (n-3) fatty acids in the management of pruritic skin disease. There is also preliminary experimental evidence that specific dietary (n-6):(n-3) fatty ratios are useful in the dietary management of inflammatory diseases. Although results of controlled clinical trials are awaited, the argument exists that it is the absolute amount of (n-3) fatty acid intake rather than ratio that is responsible for potential health benefits. Popa I, Pin D, Remoué N, Osta B, Callejon S, Videmont E, Gatto H, Portoukalian J, Haftek M. Vet Res Commun. 2011 Dec;35(8):501-9. Epub 2011 Jul 23. Analysis of epidermal lipids in normal and atopic dogs, before and after administration of an oral omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid feed supplement. A pilot study. The effect of a 2 month treatment of atopic dogs by food supplementation with a mixture of essential fatty acids was evaluated on skin samples taken before and after the treatment period. Electron microscopy revealed that the non-lesional skin of atopic dogs exhibited an abnormal and largely incomplete structure of the lamellar lipids
Following oral supplementation with the mixture of essential fatty acids, the overall lipid content of the SC markedly increased "...the semi-quantitative electron microscopy study revealed that the treatment resulted in a significantly improved organization of the lamellar lipids in the lower SC, comparable to that of the healthy dogs."Our results indicate the potential interest of long-term alimentary supplementation with omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids in canine atopic dermatitis.
Celavin is an ultra-pure omega-3 fish oil produced in Norway at one of the most prestigious plants in the world. This fish oil supplement for pets is also third party tested to be free of contaminants, which makes it a natural fish oil of highest standard for dogs and cats. [
Dietary Supplement: Dermix™
Use Dermix for Dogs, a nutritional formula (Allergy, Skin and Coat) which contains antioxidant compounds, such as, betacarotene, bioflavonoids, vitamins C and E, selenium, and sulfur-containing amino acids, which are needed to protect the body from the tremendous increase in free radicals that takes place during an inflammatory process.
Dietary Supplement: Probiotic Miracle®
One of the best things you can do for your pet to increase wellness is to support the immune system with probiotics. Probiotic Miracle® is renowned as the most effective and complete probiotic supplement for dogs and cats. Combining these three formulas in the Allergy Pack will give your pet the protection it needs during allergy season. Have a great spring and say goodbye to allergies in your pet!