Dr. Maro: Tips to help pets with allergies
When it comes to pet allergies, nothing is more frustrating than having a pet up all evening licking, scratching, biting and chewing, or coughing, sneezing and rubbing their face.
There are steps you can take at home to help reduce allergy symptoms. These include improving the air quality, improving diet, controlling internal and external parasites and insects and reducing inflammation causes, including stress reduction.
Who could have guessed that something as simple as rinsing a pet’s foot pads after a walk outdoors could reduce allergy symptoms?
Regular bathing with a hypoallergenic and emollient shampoo helps many of my patients reduce their itchy skin and paws. But, no one is going to bathe their pets every day (and you shouldn’t, except in certain instances and for short periods of time when treating something like an open wound.)
When using regular bathing for allergy control, keep in mind that topical (spot-on and collars) flea and tick control products will lose effectiveness. Ask your vet for oral flea and tick products when pets need medicated baths to control skin and allergy conditions.
To manage allergens and toxins on a daily basis, a quicker solution is often effective. Pets absorb toxic substances through their feet and they also groom their pads with their tongues.
The act of wiping pets’ coats and feet can help remove not only dirt, but pollens, chemical residues and ash (think wildfires.) Just use a cloth that’s been rinsed in distilled water and wipe clean. For feet, pets can walk through a distilled water foot bath and dried before coming indoors. This also serves to keep your home and floors cleaner.
Owners can help pets by removing shoes at the entryway or in the garage. This reduces the pollens and debris people bring into the home. Changing air filters in the furnace and A/C is also good for reducing allergens in the home. Adding an air filter and regularly cleaning duct work is also beneficial for pets and people who suffer from itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing and pruritic (itchy) skin.
Regular vacuuming also helps, but remember to change and clean vacuum filters regularly.
Pet food and treat choices also make a difference when it comes to allergies. Feeding an anti-inflammatory diet can increase tolerance for contact and inhalant allergens. Aside from very specific foods your pet may be allergic to, the foods that promote inflammation are those made with grains, carbohydrates, sugars and sugar substitutes.
Whole foods, wholesomely produced, help reduce inflammation. Fresher foods have lower histamine levels. Older foods tend to produce more histamine, which increases the allergic response. Feeding processed bagged pet foods and treats which have been open for more than 30 days will increase histamines and inflammation.
Adding nutrients to the diet, like probiotics, fiber (shaved carrots, pumpkin filling), omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil, grass-fed butter, raw milk products from animals which are outdoors grazing on grasses, fermented veggies, raw apple cider vinegar, raw yogurt (not the processed yogurts we often eat which are high in sugars) and leafy greens all help reduce histamine and inflammation.
In my office, in addition to diet changes for allergic pets, I recommend therapeutic herbs and nutrients that naturally lower histamines and enhance the liver’s ability to process toxins and “clean the blood.”
When pets are having significant difficulties with allergies and need more relief, they benefit from plant steroids, antihistamines and drugs that target more specific symptoms, like coughing and sneezing.
Stress reduction is also key to decreasing inflammation in the body. Pets are more prone to allergy problems when they’ve gone through several changes in owners/homes, or when they suffer from separation anxiety, noise fears and phobias, or live in homes with lots of schedule changes or fighting and arguing.
Identifying ways to reduce emotional stressors and medicate/supplement pets to help them cope better with their anxieties also helps them manage their allergies better.
Not all allergic pets require pharmaceuticals to become allergy free. Many of my patients gain control through diet change and stress reduction, like changing exercise routines and learning “a job.” Having an outlet for energy, such as agility or scent-work, can be very calming for dogs. Cats who receive interactive playtime sleep better and engage in fewer destructive behaviors.
If your pet suffers from allergies, be certain to talk with your veterinarian about the best ways to help them find comfort.
Dr. Cynthia Maro is a veterinarian at the Ellwood Animal Hospital in Ellwood City and the Chippewa Animal Hospital in Chippewa Township. She writes a biweekly column on pet care and health issues. If you have a topic you’d like to have addressed, email ellwoodvet@msn.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Dr. Maro: Tips to help pets with allergies
