It’s Fall…and My Pet Is Still Suffering From Allergies!

Pet allergies can cause discomfort

With regard to allergies, there are definitely certain times of the year that create more stressful periods for people and pets. Those who are affected by pollen, molds, pesticides, and other stressors can have a really tough time. In the case of our stress-affected pets, it becomes an even more serious issue.

Although things are getting a little better as cooler weather kicks in, many veterinary clinics are still dealing with allergy issues as you may be with your pet. There are a variety of factors that lead to allergies along with a combination of environmental triggers, food items, and other unrelated triggers. Notice how varied the list is:

Genetics
Dead and devitalized food (processed food)
Over-vaccinating with modified live viruses
Chemicals in the environment and food
Drugs such as cortisone, antibiotics, vaccines
Stress
Viruses, bacteria, parasites, yeast, and fungi

As you review this list of triggers, it is apparent that both allergies and autoimmune diseases have the same root cause – an imbalance of the immune system.

All of this got me thinking about allergies in humans and in pets, and I couldn’t help but acknowledge that allergies seem to occur in greater numbers within our pet population than with humans. Why would this be so?

The reason is as clear as the nose on your face. The animal’s nose is 2 to 4 inches off the ground most of the time, trying to pick up a scent. This is when your pet absorbs the highest concentration of external environmental factors that cause the allergic reactions. If we were to crawl around on our carpets all day we would be a mess by the end of the day too. This type of extended exposure is harmful to our defense mechanisms, namely our immune system, and leads to increased stress both to humans and animals. Think again about how close your pet is to the ground all day long.

If you or anyone close to you is severely affected by pollen and molds, you know how miserable it can make you feel, and it definitely affects the stress load on the body.

Here at Barf World, we supply Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, a nutritious raw meat diet, to animals throughout the country. We know it helps to build a stronger immune system, and as a result, many of the pets we serve do not suffer from allergies to the same degree as those pets that are fed on a kibble diet. We often receive calls frompet owners who are not getting relief from conventional medications. In the majority of cases, the BARF diet helps to relieve the symptoms and resulting stress on the animal.

For those of you feeding a heat processed dry diet, you may want to consider the unwanted levels of chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, aflatoxins, and other grain-based molds found in your food that could be causing havoc with the sinus cavities, eyes, nose and respiratory system.

At Barf World we support the theory that allergy conditions that are prevalent all year long are triggered from the contaminants found in dry, heat-processed dog food. Switching to a more biologically appropriate, natural raw food diet (the BARF Diet) can frequently reduce the allergy symptoms to tolerable levels. At the same time then you are reducing the stress levels on the animal.

There are many illnesses and medical conditions that become worse with added stress. Relieving the allergic triggers causing the stress is an important aspect of the treatment and getting you pet back to perfect health.