Allergy Season Is Here

Itching can be from a variety of different things like environmental allergies, seasonal allergies, anxiety, dry skin, and certain foods. Allergy tests can not just be very expensive, but they're also not the most accurate! Many tests will show a list of possible allergens like fleas, corn, chicken, wheat, chemical cleaners, pollen, and other things we know are not the best for dogs. So instead of going through an entire book of everything your dog might be allergic to, lets take a look at a few things that can help you determine what type of allergy your pet is experiencing and a few things that may help your dog's excessive itching! Remember! Signs of itching and chewing may also be an underlying medical condition so always consult your veterinarian first!

Environmental and seasonal allergies are actually the most common cause of itching and allergies in dogs. Many people believe signs of itching is automatically a food allergy, but food allergies are actually less common than you think! For many dogs, walking in grass, moss, pollen, and even bark can cause allergens to get in-between their toes causing them to itch and drive them crazy! (Hey we would be too!) Unfortunately this can be the most difficult allergy to avoid without having to get your dog's boots on every time they go outside. So lets look at a few things you can do to help make walks and potty breaks more enjoyable for them!

Skout's Honor Probiotic Topical Solutions like shampoos, sprays, and ear cleaner are great for topical application (don't worry we'll talk later about helping internally too!). These contain topical probiotics that help support a healthy microbiome to defend against common skin problems such as itching, odor, dryness, dandruff, hot spots, yeast and excessive shedding. These are great for a quick-fix, but may not help long-term! For long-term support you will want to consider something to treat internally as well!

Holistic Hound Mighty Mojo Mushroom Powder is one of our personal favorites for seasonal and environmental allergies! Mushrooms are great for supporting histamine levels, supporting and modulating the immune system, and helping reduce inflammation. Many of our amazing customers have seen a difference with their itchy dogs just from introducing the powder to their pet's daily routine! Check out our customer Jacob's Google review on our page "Mushroom supplement is a miracle for dog allergies."

Does your dog start itching within 30 minutes of eating or chew around their legs?
Food allergies or intolerances can also cause itchiness, but did you know other signs of an allergy or intolerance can be seeking cool places, panting, thirst, red eyes, dry skin, dry cough, yeast, hair loss, and restlessness.

The easiest way to determine if your pet has a food allergy or intolerance is an elimination diet. Look for Yin Tonifying Foods, or "cooling" ingredients like whitefish, duck, rabbit, and yes, even mushrooms! Some proteins like chicken, lamb, turkey, and venison can actually warm the body, so transitioning to a cooling protein like whitefish and duck may help lower the body temperature.

Zignature offers many great dry and canned diets with limited ingredients (single proteins!) to help make an elimination diet easier to determine what proteins may work best for your pet. Available in dry food, canned food, and even treats so you can continue treating your pet! Their complete and balanced foods are grain-free and potato-free for a reason! Grains and potatoes are high in sugar, and as anyone who has ever made beer can tell you, yeast loves to feed off of sugars. By eliminating these high sugar ingredients you are able to help get yeast under control! Grains and potatoes are also high-glycemic compared to peas so great for dogs who may be diabetic!

Feeding a raw diet like Primal or Northwest Naturals is a great way to help eliminate unnecessary ingredients like carbs and fillers as these complete and balanced diets include fresh meat, fresh fruits and veggies, and no binders or unnecessary ingredients. Incorporating fresh, raw ingredients into a pet's diet is always recommended! (Check out our blog on how to enhance your pet's meal!)

Don't forget to read your food labels! Corn, wheat, soy, meat by-products, poultry by-products, animal digest (if it doesn't say what type of animal these are coming from that should raise a few eyebrows!), even BHA is found in many grocery store foods. These are just a few ingredients used as the main source of protein, fillers, or preservatives that can cause many itchy dogs or loose stool. Also don't forget to clean their bowls, food scoops, and any food storage containers regularly! Those oils on the food can become rancid over time and transfer to these areas causing dogs to breakout around their mouths. TIP! Leave their food in the original bag when storing it in a container! This will help you not have to clean it as often AND if there is ever a food recall you'll have the lot number on the bag to check!

With elimination diets it's very important to make sure they are not eating anything other than their food, so no people food, table scraps, or sneaking unhealthy treats or dental chews back into their routine. It can take several weeks to notice a difference with food allergies as it does take some time for all of those allergens to leave their system. A good way to check to see if it is working is to watch them 30 minutes after feeding to see if they start scratching again. Also stay on the same food for 30-60 days to make sure. Once your dog is happy and back to normal you can slowly start re-introducing different proteins or ingredients back into their diet. If you notice the itching starts up again make a note of what changed to avoid later.

Is your dog pacing, panting, or restless?
Along with allergies can also come anxiety. Signs can be excessive scratching, licking, chewing, pacing, restlessness, or panting. It's enough sometimes to drive us crazy too! The latest go-to for anxiety is CBD, but did you know there's a different cannabinoid that may help your pet more for anxiety AND itching? Let's talk about CBG!

Holistic Hound is the very first to offer a full spectrum CBG oil for pets! Their CBG oil is USDA certified organic and made from hemp grown right here in Oregon! Cannabigerol (CBG) is a relatively newly discovered non-intoxicating phytocannabinoid considered the chemical parent or “stem cell” of CBD and THC. However, it is completely distinct in both chemical structure and concentration within cannabis plants. CBG is considered one of the five major cannabinoids along with: cannabidiol (CBD), cannabichromene (CBC), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabinol (CBN).