A DOG WITH ALLERGIES - MY JOURNEY
About 10 years ago, I adopted my first precious furry baby, "Buttons" a Schnauzer mix breed from North Shore Animal League.
Even as a puppy Buttons would itch and scratch terribly. I did the usual, brought oatmeal soap and conditioners and took her to Vet after Vet who gave her steroids, antihistamines, antibiotics, ointments and salves. She was particularly miserable in the Spring and Summer months with some relief in the Fall and Winter. But as her allergies worsened it seemed that she was suffering year-round.
Even with all the medications she was taking, she was still suffering and at times was literally covered from head to toe in crusty spots. I have to admit when it got really bad and I thought I had no other choice, I considered putting her down; I felt she was just suffering too much. Watching her scratch, lick and bite herself constantly, she seemed like she was in agony and I felt absolutely helpless and guilty. Guilty because I felt I wasn't doing all I could do to help get her relief.
Thankfully before I made that decision, I did some research on alternative ways to treat dog allergy from a holistic stand point. I even found a Holistic Vet, but at $450 for an initial visit, it was out of my reach. In my research I discovered that there might be several things causing her allergies. I decided to start with her food and by elimination discovered that she was highly allergic to chicken. Chicken, in one form or another, was in just about everything she ate, even stuff labeled beef or lamb. By eliminating chicken in all forms, her allergies improved about 50%. This success fueled further research and I found all natural, safe herbal remedies that would treat her allergies and cleanse and build her system.
I started Buttons on a regime of rebuilding and detoxing her system with herbal preparations designed to cleanse the body of harmful toxins and heavy metals. I also gave her a daily supplement of Probiotics and herbs to support her immune system. Probiotics puts back healthy bacteria in the pet's system. In addition, the herbal preparations help to boost the immune system which unlike antibiotics, does not destroy the friendly bacteria in the system but helped to boost the immune system so it could better respond to pathogens.
Well, I am happy to say that Buttons is no longer suffering from the horrible allergy symptoms she once had. I have also had the Vet comment more than once about how good she looks for her age. I now call her my 'golden puppy' as her vitality and playfulness rivals that of my 1 year old puppy, Basha.















