PREPARING YOUR PET’S IMMUNE SYSTEM
FOR THE ONSET OF ENVIRONMENTAL ALLERGIES
We see it every year. When spring is in full bloom, pet parents start to complain about their pets itchies and scratching and licking and hot spots. By the time one decides they need to take action to control the symptoms, it becomes more and more challenging to get things under control.
Like any responsible pet owner, we want what is best for our pets. The challenge is that most of us make decisions in a reactive manner. Most of us have been in a situation where our animal has needed veterinary assistance. It can be pretty stressful. But this is when they need us to be the strongest. We need to be there to advocate for them and do what we think is best. Sometimes we go down the road of thinking we should throw every drug in the book at them to make them feel better but it doesn’t always work out for the best, in terms of long-term health. This is the best way to describe reactive animal care.
How can we stay in the presence of our pets today? When it comes to environmental allergies, what can we do now to do the best we can to ensure our pets can enjoy a spring, summer, and fall free of the inflammation of allergic reactions to certain environmental factors? I am suggesting that we begin the New Year by starting to strengthen your pet’s immune system now to give it the best chance of not having to rely on pharma to mask the symptoms of environmental allergies. The first 3 health articles of 2022 will deal with a step-by-step process you might want to consider getting your pet’s immune system in a good place and ready to deal with his/her environmental issues.
Remove-Rebalance-Replenish-Restore
This will be our mantra for the next 3 articles. So where do we start?
START WITH A GOOD FOUNDATION
Before we get to Step 1, we need to give your pet the very best chance of getting its’ immune system to (or as close to) 100%. Consider these 4 suggestions as a foundation for achieving optimal health
1. Feed a species appropriate diet. Enough said???
2. Consider deferring any unnecessary vaccinations for the foreseeable future. Vaccinations can wreak havoc with the immune system and can put your pet behind the eight ball right away.
3. Eliminate or limit the use of antibiotics when a bacterial infection has not been diagnosed. Antibiotics are being prescribed every day with no diagnosis or proof of bacterial-related illnesses. They are a valuable tool but they have been so overprescribed that it’s causing serious health and
environmental problems. Not only do they damage the gut microbiome, but they also cause antibiotic resistance. Damage to the gut microbiome will definitely negatively affect your pet’s immune system.
4. Eliminate the use of all tick, flea, and heartworm medication. These medications are pesticides masked as a safe and efficient way of dealing with the critters. There are natural ways of dealing with fleas and ticks. You can learn more by clicking here.
The Second Largest Organ In The Body…..The Liver
We are all familiar with the word histamine, or at least we should be. It’s part of what causes the reactive/allergic/trauma response to something like a bee sting, hives, etc. It’s the body’s defence against foreign proteins in the blood. The body sees an “attack”, releases mast cells that then release histamine, and this causes the body to react.
It’s also what causes people and vets to reach for antihistamine drugs like Benadryl or Vanectyl P (big guns with steroids).
Initially, this histamine reaction is a good thing, targeting only true invaders. However, the problem starts when a protein that should be non-reactive becomes either a TRUE allergy or leaks into the bloodstream and an “allergy” diagnosis is next. Sometimes, though, it’s not really an allergy.
This happens when the body has too much histamine. Sometimes you’ll also hear “histamine intolerance.”
The two most common reasons for this are:
- When the body either absorbs too much histamine from the GI tract (leaky
gut syndrome)
- When it does not break it down well in the liver.
So, consider Step 1 of strengthening you pet’s immune system as a Liver Cleanse.
After the skin, the liver is the largest organ in the body, with just as large a task list. It’s responsible for detoxification, for flushing out all those toxins your animal takes in and cleaning the blood of impurities.
There are lots of amazing herbs that aid the liver, helping to boost effectiveness and allowing it to break down and filter out some of that extra histamine.
We have found that Adored Beast Liver Tonic is a very easy to use, effective and inexpensive method of getting you pet’s liver into a good and healthy spot. The key ingredients of dandelion root, milk thistle, barberry, and greater celandine work synergistically to cleanse and strengthen the liver.
Without an optimal liver, it is going to be a little more challenging to get a compromised immune system turned around.
Read Part 2 of the 3 Part Blog Series
This information is intended to provide information only. Each animal health situation is unique. This information is not intended for use in diagnosis or treatment of specific health problems or diseases and should never be considered as a substitute for veterinary advice.