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Allergy season is upon us, so I thought I would post some basic care tips to help you get through the season more comfortably. Most of these tips can also be used year round to keep your pups in excellent health.

1. FOOD: Is your pup eating a quality, limited ingredient food? If not, take a list of your dogs food allergens with you to the pet store and spend some time shopping for the best food that you can afford that doesn’t contain any of your pups allergens. If you’re not sure what your pup is allergic to, find a limited ingredient food – 1 meat , 1 carb – and try a small bag. Continue to try different brands until you find the right one for your dog. Remember: Just because it says allergy formula on the bag, doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for your dog. There are many “allergy formulas” that my girls can’t eat.
2. PROBIOTICS & DIGESTIVE ENZYMES: I highly recommend the Miracle Pack from Nusentia. We have had great luck using that for our dogs. Probiotics and digestive enzymes helps to balance the digestive system, boost the immune system, improve skin and coat condition, relieve gas, and reduce allergy symptoms. This formula contains Bromelain which is a natural antihistamine & anti-inflammatory. The powder can be easily added to food at each feeding.
3. SUPPLEMENTS: Organic Virgin Coconut Oil has been very helpful to Emma and Phoebe during allergy season. My dogs LOVE to have the coconut oil added to their food. It is great at fighting yeast, boosting the immune system and improving the skin and coat. Along with adding it to food, it can be used topically on hot spots and in ears. Dosage is 1 tsp per 10 lbs or 1 TBS per 30 lbs AM & PM. Coconut oil melts at 76 degrees. You can feed it in solid or liquid form. You can find Coconut Oil in the natural foods section of your grocery store.
4. BATHING: Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly bathing can be a great help you your dog with allergies. We bathe the girls weekly during allergy season or they end up with skin infections. A gentle, castile based shampoo works best. If you have a larger dog that is harder to bathe but likes to swim, that is also a great option. We take Emma swimming quite a bit. It’s a great way to remove allergens from her skin and coat, and I’m sure the cool water feels great on her irritated skin.

I hope these tips are helpful to you and your pup. I’m always here if you have questions. Remember, I’m not a vet or even an expert. Just a gal with two dogs with allergies. If you haven’t been over to our Facebook page, be sure to stop in and share your story. If you’re in need of help there are lots of great people to offer advice. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon!

Andi

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I came across this article about dog bathing and wanted to share it with you. I’ve been told by many people, not to bathe my dogs on a regular basis because it dries out their skin. Well, I’m a bit of a rule breaker ( like washing dry clean only clothes at home – gasp! ) and I like to try things on my own and see how they work out.

Emma and Phoebe have terrible seasonal allergies, and are miserable from mid July to the end of October. When they were first diagnosed, they had terrible skin infections and were constantly on antibiotics to clear up their skin. I got tired of having to take them in all the time, and also having to spend all that money on antibiotics, when the infection just came back as soon as they were off of them. So I decided to go a different route.

Weekly bathing for the girls has been the best remedy for their smelly, oily, infected skin during allergy season. I have never had their skin get dried out while doing this. The weekly bathing reduces the smelliness, excessive oil, and quickly heals the infections. I just use an all natural gentle shampoo, like castile soap and wash them up real well. I pay extra attention to their legs and bellies, since these seem to be the scabby, infected areas. You can find castile soap at Target, Walmart and in the natural foods section of your grocery store

I really like not having to rely on antibiotics to heal their skin infections. Like the article states, a lot of antibiotics are being overused in pets and people, causing antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. And antibiotics also wreak havoc on the digestive system, leaving room for a systemic yeast infection to take over. Systemic yeast infections are a pain to deal with and they make your dog miserable. However, some skin infections will still require an antibiotic or antifugal treatment. Be sure to consult your vet.

I think weekly bathing is a great idea for those of you with dogs that are extremely itchy and prone to skin infections. If it seems like once a week isn’t enough, you could try twice a week. If your dog’s skin is a bit healthier you could try once every week and a half to two weeks. You’ll find a balance that works best for you pup.

I hope you and your pups are doing well. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon!

Andi

Hi everyone!

Dog with Allergies

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Limited ingredient foods usually consist of one protein and one carbohydrate, plus a beneficial oil like canola or sunflower. Here are a few of the limited ingredient brands that are available:

 

Wellness Simple Solutions

I really like the simplicity of this brand. It contains only 5 main ingredients in the formula: Duck, Lamb or Salmon, Ground Rice, Canola Oil, Tomato Pomace and Vitamins & Minerals. This simple, natural recipe limits the number of ingredients your dog is exposed to each day while nourishing simply and completely. We tried bot the Lamb & Rice and the Duck & Rice formulas. Both Phoebe and Emma liked the food and did quite well on it. The downfall for us was the higher price and smaller bag. We go through food rather quickly around here with two dogs, but if this food fits your budget, I highly recommend it. Wellness Simple Solutions is also available in canned food.

 This is the brand that we are currently feeding. We like the Lamb & Rice formula. It’s available in large & small bites, and also comes in cans. The girls both do great on it and it’s reasonably priced. It has 9 main ingredients including: Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins & Minerals, Taurine and Rosemary Extract. There are other formulas available like Chicken  Rice, Herring & Sweet Potato, and some new grain free formulas, but they’re not quite as simple as the Lamb & Rice. Grain free formulas can be tricky with allergenic dogs, because the foods tend to include a large amount of vegetables and fruits to make up for the grains. When you add in more ingredients, there’s a higher chance for your dog to be allergic to something in the formula. But every dog is different, so if you know what your dog is allergic to and you find a grain free formula that works for your dog, you should definitely give it a try. 

Natural Balance Lamb & Rice

 Photo Credit: www.naturalbalnceinc.com

Natural Balance Allergy Formulas

This is another brand that we’ve used a lot. We sometimes rotate this with the California Natural Lamb & Rice. Main ingredients include: Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Ground White Rice, Rice Bran, Canola Oil, Lamb and Tomato Pomace. This formula also comes in large bits and canned food. Natural Balance makes 7 allergy formulas, so you should be able to find one that’s right for you dog. The bags are a decent size and are reasonably priced.

Now for some treats…

Finding limited ingredient treats is a lot easier than it was when Phoebe was first diagnosed with food allergies almost 6 years ago. The thing that always bothered me, was that you could have a great limited ingredient food, but the treats from that same brand weren’t limited at all. I make my own treats occasionally, and you can find that recipe here. But for those of you who would prefer to buy treats, here are a few brands I recommend:

Barkwheats Pumpkin & Sage Treats

Barkwheats

Barkwheats Grain Free Dog Treats are made with a variety of nutritious ingredients. Barkwheats is located in Stockton Springs, Maine and they source all their ingredients locally, with the exception of their Fair Trade Ginger. Barkwheats uses buckwheat flour which is actually not a grain but a berry, making these treats grain free. The treats are available in four flavors:

SeaVegetable & Chamomile: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Honey, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Kelp (Sea Vegetables), Organic Chamomile

Blueberry & Lavender: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Blueberries, Honey, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Lavender

Ginger & Parsley: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Honey, Organic Canola Oil, Fair Trade Certified Organic Ginger, Organic Parsley

Pumpkin & Sage: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Pumpkin, Honey, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Sage

 Max & Ruffy’s 5 Star Blueberry Treats

Max & Ruffy’s

Max & Ruffy’s organic, vegan treats are handmade using nutritious, limited ingredients and are available in six flavors and two sizes, regular bites and mini bites:

W.P Pizza: Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Tomato Paste, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Parsley, Organic Oregano, Organic Garlic

Molasses Explosion 1919: Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Blackstrap Molasses, Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil

5 Star Blueberry: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Blueberries, Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Ginger

Powerhouse: Sweet Potato & Alfalfa: Buckwheat Flour, Organic Sweet Potato, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Sun-Cured Ground Alfalfa

The Kelp Highway: Butternut Squash & Kelp: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Butternut Squash, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Dried Kelp, Organic Parsley

Mother Quinoa’s Pumpkin Patch: Organic Pumpkin, Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Quinoa Flour, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Cloves

I hope these suggestions are helpful to you and your pup. If you have any other questions about limited ingredient foods or treats, please feel free to leave a comment. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon.

Andi

Dogs with Allergies

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Andi : )

Snuggle Pups

First off, let’s discuss what probiotics are.

Probiotics are good bacteria that help maintain the natural balance of organisms in the digestive tract. There are about 400 different types of probiotics that occur in the digestived tract, Lactobacillus acidophilus is the most common. Probiotics can be helpful in preventing diarrhea caused by antibiotics or stomach infections, they can help with stomach inflammation, and they can even boost the immune system. This is where they come in handy for decreasing your pets allergies.

In order to fight off allergies, your pets immune system needs to be in proper working condition. It’s been said that 80% of your immune system resides in the intestinal tract. If that’s true then probiotics will be a huge help to your pup during allergy season.

I’ve been giving them with every meal along with the Oil of Oregano and have seen great improvement with both Emma and Phoebe. Granted things have cooled off nicely here, which always helps but I think the combo has been helpful too. There has been less itching, no gas, and they’re blackened skin spots have faded away. Emma and Phoebe are taking a probiotic and enzyme combo from Pet Balance. Emma is using the powder form of both (more economical ) and Phoebe is using the easy to feed Probiotic/Enzyme combo tablet. I love these! I wish they were cheaper or were made to dose larger amounts of food ( 1 tablet treats 1/2 cup of food). These are perfect for Phoebe since she is so against anything in pill form, and she eats 1/3 c food AM & PM, so I give her a half tablet with each meal.

The enzymes are made to break down food so they are easier for you pet to digest. They can be helpful with excessive shedding, joint issues, weight problems, & stool eating. If you have a cat, they can be helpful with hairballs too!

I’ve used other types of probiotics and had pretty good luck, but I really do like this brand. I was so happy to find their website. My runner up suggestion would be the Plant Enzymes & Probiotics from Animal Essentials.

I hope this has been helpful for you and your pup. If you have any questions feel free to contact me here or on our Facebook Page. I would love to hear about your experiences with probiotics or anything else that has helped your pups allergies. Take care of yourself and your pup. Talk to you soon!

Andi

Dogs with Allergies

Dogs with Allergies on Facebook

I just wanted to let you know that I created a fan page for the Dogs with Allergies blog on Facebook. I would love it if you would stop over and become a fan. I’m hoping we can get a great community going, and share all of our tips for dealing with our pups allergies. You can click on the words “fan page” above, or click the link on the right. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon!

Andi

Dogs with Allergies

Allergy season is in full swing around here, and I’m sure it must be for your pups too. Emma is itching like mad, and poor Phoebe has already rubbed the hair off around her eyes, they are watering terribly! The last few years, it seems like the season has started a bit early, during the last week in July. This year it was mid July and it came on fast. Are any of you noticing the same changes?

I just ordered a new products to try from Herbsmith called AllerQi. It’s a blend of chinese herbs that are supposed to cool the skin and balance the system. I’m guessing it will be here by the end of the week. I will let you know if we see any improvement.

Now, to discuss the wonders of Oregano Oil. I had been doing some reading about it and discovered it might be a good yeast fighter. As you know, Emma is constantly battling systemic yeast and gets build up in her ear, around her mouth, and on her lady bits. She has been on the Oregano Oil capsules since June 30th and we have seen MAJOR improvements. I started her on 2 capsules per day, 1 AM/1PM. The capsules contain 181 mg’s of Oregano Oil, 17.6 mg’s of Ginger Oil and 19.3 mg’s of Fennel Oil. I started to notice improvements within the first week. Her ear was the first to clear up and then her mouth. She still had a ton of build up around her lady bits, so I decided after two weeks to double her dose. So she now gets 2 capsules AM and PM. That made all the difference. She is almost completely clear of her buildup now, and the staining in that area (from all the licking) has almost gone away. I am so happy that I’ve finally found something to help her. We bought the NOW Foods brand and I found it in the natural foods section of our grocery store. It’s around $9 for 90 capsules.

Oregano Oil is antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral. It helps to prevent the spread of germs, bacteria and fungi, plus it has been known to kill viruses.  I’ve read a few articles about people using it to get rid of intestinal worms and to ward off fleas. It can also be helpful for dogs with arthritis and allergies, although it doesn’t seen to be helping with Emma’s itching. I would like to try it for Phoebe, but it’s so hard to give her a pill. It does come in liquid form, but dogs are extremely sensitive to the taste, making it hard to administer this way. Oregano oil is safe for short term use such as the allergy season, or when clearing up an infection.

I hope you’ll give it a try if your dog is having yeast issues. It has really helped Emma out. I’ll keep you posted on her progress, and let you know how the Herbsmith AllerQi powder works out for us. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon!

Andi

Dogs with Allergies

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I hope that your spring has been well so far and that your pups are in good health. Emma and Phoebe are doing well for now. Just a bit of mild itching, and Emma has her low energy days every now and again due to her Addison’s.

I recently came across two brands of treats that are focused on beneficial, limited ingredients and I wanted to tell you about them. I have placed an order with both companies and they should be arriving at  www.goodthingsgreenthings.com soon! I think they will make a wonderful addition to our pet section. Here they are:

Max & Ruffy’s

Max & Ruffy’s makes 6 different flavors of vegan treats including 3 grain free options. All ingredients are certified organic. Their packaging is biodegradable and compostable, even in a home compost setting.

- Molasses Explosion 1919:  Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Blackstrap Molasses, Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil

- Five-Star Blueberry (Grain Free): Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Blueberries, Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Ginger

- Powerhouse: Sweet Potato & Alfalfa ( Grain Free): Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Sweet Potato, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Sun-Cured Ground Alfalfa

- The Kelp Highway: Butternut Squash & Kelp (Grain Free): Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Butternut Squash, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Dried Kelp, Organic Parsley

- Mother Quinoa’s Pumpkin Patch (Wheat Free): Organic Pumpkin, Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Quinoa Flour, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Cloves

- W.P. Pizza: Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Tomato Paste, Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Parsley, Organic Oregano, Organic Garlic

These treats have shipped out and are on the way to Good Things Green Things. They should be posted by early next week and you can find them in the Good Green Pets section under Treats and Supplements.

Barkwheats

I was thrilled to find Barkwheats dog treats for so many reasons. They source all their ingredients locally (Maine), with the exception of their Fair Trade Ginger that comes from Belize. They use buckwheat flour in their treats. Buckwheat is a berry, not a grain making it safe for those with grain allergies. Plus, it is very low glycemic and safe for dogs with canine diabetes. It is milled on a buckwheat only mill, so there is no chance of cross contamination. Also, their packaging is completely biodegradable and compostable in a home compost setting! There treats are available in four  flavors:

- Blueberry & Lavender: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Blueberries, Honey, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Lavender

- Ginger & Parsley: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Honey, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Ginger*, Organic Parsley. *Fair Trade Certified

- Pumpkin & Sage: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Organic Pumpkin, Honey, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Sage

- SeaVegetable & Chamomile*: Organic Buckwheat Flour, Honey, Organic Eggs, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Kelp Powder, Organic Chamomile.

*Allergy Note: If your dog is allergic to ragweed, you should also avoid Chamomile, as it is a member of the ragweed family.

I’m hoping to have the Barkwheats treats at Good Things Green Things within the next two weeks. I will keep you posted, and let you know as soon as they get here! I’m so happy to have found healthy, treats for our sensitive pups. I can’t wait to share them with you, and to hear how your pups like them.

Take care and we’ll talk soon!

Andi

Dogs with Allergies

www.goodthingsgreenthings.com