It’s interesting to note that when we enter the realm of energetic holistic medicine, we leave the field of biology and enter the field of physics. Every day, new research in physics challenges old beliefs about how the body works and heals. Even though the Chinese recognized energy pathways (called acupuncture meridians) more than 6,000 years ago, it has taken the advent of new scientific methodologies to recognize how changes in energy fields affect and determine health.

The autonomic nervous system plays an integral role in recognizing what the body’s computer has deemed enemies. It then calls the immune system into action to defend the body against the enemy.

Allergy-elimination corrects the autonomic nervous system’s perception of the allergic substance so it is no longer perceived as a threat. It all happens within the realm of physics on an energetic level, and it translates into physical healing. Each treatment teaches your pet’s body that an allergen is a friend rather than an enemy.

The technique I have designed and use is called Allergy Elimination 4 Pets.

The typical scenario of the owner of an allergic pet is a path of avoidance—and it’s a lifelong job. It simply doesn’t have to be that way. If you’ve been dealing with your pet’s allergies for years, it may be hard for you to believe that there exists an allergy-elimination technique that transforms an allergic pet into a nonallergic pet. It may seem too good to be true that you can turn your pet’s chronic problems around, but it happens all the time.

After first identifying a pet’s allergy triggers through muscle response testing (applied kinesiology), I work with the pet owner to correct the blockages or imbalances. I do this by correcting the immune system’s misperception of the allergen, which, in effect, enables the body to heal itself by restoring the unrestricted flow of energy. Think of it as corrective reprogramming.

It all happens within the realm of physics on an energetic level and translates into physical healing. A specific program is created for each pet. The energetic resonance of each allergen combination that your pet needs is placed in a vial. The vial containing the allergen is placed directly on the animal, and specific acupuncture points on the body are lightly stimulated. This

readjusts the autonomic nervous system’s perception of the substance, and the allergic reaction to the substance is eliminated. It may be amazing to learn that something so simple can work so well, but the proof is in the rewarding results.

The first step is identifying the substances to which the patient is allergic. In the first comprehensive assessment on approximately 2000 items.

designed for this purpose are checked using muscle response testing. So what exactly is muscle response testing?

Professional medical doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and veterinarians use muscle response testing, or applied kinesiology, to determine exactly what a person or pet is allergic to. The inventor of applied kinesiology is George Goodheart, Jr., DC, a Detroit chiropractor. After his first seminar in 1974, many other practitioners began using the technique with great success to determine the causes of problems that had previously seemed to defy diagnosis.

In the decades since then, this method of testing for the causes of various conditions has blossomed into a major diagnostic art, with many more medical professionals, including veterinarians, adopting it in their practices. (The book Your Body Doesn’tLie by John Diamond, MD, is an excellent source of information on the subject.) Allergy-elimination treatments do not only relieve the symptoms but also correct the inappropriate response.

I’ve been practicing different varieties of allergy elimination techniques for so many years, and, with my extensive clinical experience, I pretty well know what vials need to be used with most dogs or cats with allergies. That’s good news for you and your pet because my protocol has been tested over time with many, many patients.

After I’ve identified the allergens through muscle response testing, I decide in which order to treat the allergens and create a program for the patient. I then mail the vials to the pet owner along with clear instructions on how to gently massage easy-to-find acupuncture points (cats particularly appreciate this!) and carry out the treatment in the comfort of his or her home.

Truman’s Story, Told by His Owner

Truman is a Bouvier des Flandres. He was six years old when we began Dr. Khalsa’s Allergy Elimination 4 Pets technique.
We brought Truman home as a puppy in October 2008, and in November 2008 he began frantically biting at his rear legs and licking and chewing on his feet. Many times, his feet would be raw from chewing. He

had constant ear infections and suffered from terrible gas, accompanied by soft and runny stools. After countless visits to a slew of different veterinarians, the episodes of chewing and gas continued.

We tried different foods, including grain- free and limited-ingredient diets, with no improvement. Before I went to Dr. Khalsa, another veterinarian treated him and changed his diet to all-beef raw. I gave the raw diet for more than two months, but the stool problems, gas, and itching remained.

Many years ago, when Dr. Khalsa had her practice in Yardley, Pennsylvania, she was my veterinarian for many of my cats and dogs. I would drive an hour and a half each way because the drive was worth it to have her treat my pet kids. In April of 2014, I reached out to Dr. Khalsa again and scheduled a phone consult with her to discuss Truman’s itching, chewing, and gas. We discussed her Allergy Elimination 4 Pets technique, and I decided to go with it. The great part was that I could do it all at home.

After the Allergy Elimination treatment, I slowly started introducing different foods into Truman’s diet. Finally, more than six years after we brought Truman into our life, he is itch-free, he no longer chews his feet, and he has no more horrible episodes of gas. He eats a raw diet with protein sources other than strictly beef. I add vegetables and garlic to his diet, and I give him Deserving Pets Canine Everyday Essentials supplements.

Many veterinarians prescribe drugs that mask the symptoms rather than cure the ailment. After years of Truman’s suffering, going to numerous veterinarians, and having him tested, all it took was a phone consultation with Dr. Khalsa to find the treatment that finally gave Truman the relief I had sought for years. Dr. Khalsa offered a drug-free approach to freeing Truman of his allergies.

Goose’s Story, Told by His Owner

Goose, our gray cat with green eyes, started plucking tufts of hair from his back around the age of one. At first, it was occasional and hardly even noticeable. As the problem escalated, I would come home from work to find piles of hair in all of his usual hangouts.

the food was working? Some hair would start to grow back, and then, suddenly, the telltale piles would appear again, often accompanied by bouts of diarrhea and almost daily vomiting.

Goose was scrawny, usually weighing around 7 pounds, and the 2 × 4-inch bald patch on his back was beyond unsightly. This ebb-and-flow cycle continued for more than two years.

We concluded that Goose’s allergies were partly food-related and partly seasonal. We would control what we could with diet and then medicate through the bad stretches. I knew he didn’t feel well, but I was helpless and certain that we had exhausted our options.

Then I found Dr. Khalsa and had a consult. She did Allergy Elimination 4 Pets with Goose. My husband, who wasn’t into holistic practices, had a field day with my journey into the world of holistic veterinary medicine. He delighted in telling friends and family that I had invented new and unusual ways to spend money on our cat.

As we did the treatments (totally noninvasive, by the way), my husband adopted the same look each night: part resignation and part disgust. Our friends were in stitches over the stories of these holistic treatments, and I played along, figuring that, at the very least, I had bought a great way to entertain others.

But then…

Before we knew it, months had passed without Goose plucking one hair. I thought maybe it was just an unusually long good stretch, and surely it was only a matter of time before I would happen upon a nest of plucked hair and feel the wave of dread wash over me (I can be pretty dramatic). But there was no denying it: this was out of the ordinary. Not only had Goose’s hair grown in, but he was filling out, had stopped vomiting, and was playing like a kitten.

I was so afraid of a relapse that I said nothing, figuratively holding my breath with hope. When Goose had his regular check-up, he had gained more than a pound. Really? My mother, who affectionately referred to Goose as “Rat” because of his pathetic appearance, remarked, “That’s not

Goose’s gray coat is now healthy, full, and shiny.

To watch him do it was painful. He would attack his back and rip the hair in frenetic bursts. My cat was self-mutilating.

I made an appointment with my regular veterinarian. She did blood tests, fungus tests, bacteria tests, parasite tests, even IQ tests (just kidding)—all were inconclusive. My vet’s best guess was food allergies.

We started trying different prescription limited-ingredient diets. We had three cats at the time, and there was always
one of them who didn’t like the food. Separate feedings were nightmarish.

Weeks would pass, and it would seem as if the plucking was subsiding. Maybe the same cat.” I welled up when a friend, fishing for the latest comedic update, inquired, “How’s kitty’s treatment going?” and my husband answered, “I think it worked.”

Maddie’s Story, Told by Her Owner

At our first appointment with Dr. Khalsa, we read some testimonials and prayed that someday we could also write one. I had been brainwashed to believe that traditional medicine was the best and only way to treat our four-year-old English Bulldog, Maddie. The nightmare had started in July 2000, when 44-pound Maddie developed an extreme case of diarrhea. Every time we stopped the medication that our veterinarian gave us, her stools became liquid. Her weight plummeted
to 35 pounds in three weeks. Blood tests showed elevated pancreatic and liver enzymes with the albumen and total protein in her blood dropping. Our regular vet recommended that we see a gastrointestinal specialist, so we made an appointment immediately.

Maddie was diagnosed with an extreme case of IBD and a small liver, which could complicate things due to the medication that the vet prescribed: prednisolone, azathioprine, furosemide, metronidazole, and metoclopamide. The specialist told us that this approach was around 70 percent successful and that it would take a month to see results. Two weeks after beginning the medications, she was down to 32 pounds. The fluid in her abdomen worsened, and she was now vomiting.

In late August, Maddie went into convulsions, and we drove her to a renowned veterinary hospital in our area. After three days there, she was rediagnosed with the same problems plus lymphangiectasia, a condition in which the GI tract loses its ability to absorb nutrients. Four weeks of treatment in intensive care and $14,000 later, the vets recommended that we put Maddie to sleep. She now weighed 25 pounds and was just skin and bone. We took her home and kept her alive with calcium injections and special intravenous feedings that would increase the protein in her blood.

In mid-October, Maddie had her first appointment with Dr. Khalsa and began Allergy Elimination 4 Pets treatments. After the first treatment, Maddie’s condition remained stable, and on some days she had semiformed stools and some energy. Her leaky gut also began to stabilize. After just two treatments, we were able to stop the calcium injections and special IV feedings. Her blood-test results started moving toward normal. By January 2001, Maddie no longer needed any medications. She weighed 36 pounds and was jumping on the sofa and playing like she used to.

(Dr. Khalsa’s note: Maddie went on to live a normal, long life, and she died at a ripe old age for an English Bulldog.)

The Path to Relief

Owners of allergic pets: I’ve created this blog just for you—to fully educate you about allergies and sensitivities. We’ll talk about how to prevent them, how to treat them, and why they’re so awfully common in today’s world. . I hope, someday you can have a success story like Truman’s, Goose’s, or Maddie’s.

The post Interested in TRULY ELIMINATING ALLERGIES, FOOD SENSITIVITIES AND FOOD INTOLERANCE IN YOUR DOG OR CAT? Can you imagine that you have a healthy pet with no problems? No more diarrhea? No more itching? No more ear infections? first appeared on Natural Remedies for Dog Allergies.

In fact, the skin’s first line of defense actually
consists of a bunch of bugs, living in harmony. The collective
group composed of all these bugs is called a microbiome.

These many different types of bacteria and yeast live on our pets’
skin in balance, sort of respecting each other’s boundaries. When
a yeast called Malassezia steps over the line and overgrows its
boundaries, the result is most often some pretty intense itching.

This intense itching is oftentimes misdiagnosed as skin allergies.

What’s important to know is that the increase in heat and moisture on a dog’s skin, due to allergies, gives this yeast a leg up and it overgrows and causes itchiness all by itself.

Just like any other yeast, Malassezia likes to grow in moist,
dark areas where the “sun don’t shine.” This yeast likes ears
(where it is commonly mistaken for a dark sweet smelling ear-
wax), underarms and groins, under the chin and around the
anus and private parts.

Malassezia is lipophilic, which means having an affinity for fats
or lipids, so dogs who tend to have a lot of oils on their skin will
be more prone to the overgrowth of this yeast.

Dogs who are particularly greasy, such as the Labrador Retriever, have more
problems with Malassezia. Dogs who swim a lot, leaving damp
areas where the yeast can thrive, can also have more problems.

That said, almost any dog can have a problem with Malassezia.
Many people confuse Malassezia with candida and attempt to
treat dogs with starch free diets, thinking this will handle the
problem. This is internet misinformation !

In fact, the problem with Malassezia is the change in
the microbiome of the skin, and not a candida of the gut.

ALLERGIES AND MALASSEZIA GO HAND IN HAND

Allergies encourage Malassezia overgrowth by causing inflammation.
Skin inflammation from allergies, followed by scratching and
biting, makes the skin irritated and moist, resulting in yeast
overgrowth and giving the allergic dog a double whammy. It’s a
vicious cycle because the yeast is, in itself, extremely irritating
and itchy.

A dog with both allergies and Malassezia, which is
very common indeed, has two very good reasons to itch.

There’s also a triple whammy as over 60 percent of dogs who have Malas-
sezia overgrowth are actually allergic to the Malassesia and this
allergy to the yeast intensifies the entire situation.

Malassezia is commonly found on the thickened, denuded areas
of the skin of dogs with chronic allergies. A dog with Malassezia
can have skin in the groin or underarm that looks like someone
sprinkled pepper on it, or have little red bumps in areas, or gray-
ish crusts that flake off the skin, or an orange-peel appearance
to the skin, or hairless, elephant-like darkened skin. Dogs with
Malassezia often smell, with an odor similar to old musty shoes.

SUBTLER SIGNS

Malassezia isn’t always this obvious. It can have a variety of
sweet, yeasty smells and can appear as just
a reddening between
the toes or some brown crud on the top border of the toenail, or
even as a dark grey-black patch on the skin. Malassezia can pres-
ent itself as a reddened groin area or red inflamed areas under the
folds of the front or rear legs. When it occurs in the ears, which
is very common, you may find thickened ear flaps with an orange
peel texture inside the flap, along with very itchy ears and brown
ear secretions. If you put a cotton ball down your dog’s ear canal
and find dark brown stuff on it, then it’s very likely your dog has
Malassezia overgrowth in the ear. A dog’s ear canal is much lon-
ger than ours and you’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
Oftentimes, but not always, the budding yeast organisms can be
found by placing tape on the skin and then staining it under the
microscope, appearing as blue round or oval cells.

TREATING MALASSEZIA

While bacterial infections of the skin are typically recognized
and treated, fungal and yeast infections can often go unde-
tected, resulting in years of frustration because one of the real
causes is unidentified.

It’s important that you know if your dog has Malassezia in
addition to allergies because Malassezia will cause the itching to
persist even after the allergies begin to improve. That’s why I
recommend that you treat for the yeast infection concurrently if
you believe it’s present.

In my consulting practice, I prescribe and
prefer an energetic allergy elimination procedure because it’s so very effective. This stops the itching, irritation, increase in temperature and moistness of the skin and slows the growth of this yeast. Basically, we eliminate the allergies with Allergy Elimination 4 Pets technique which I have Trademarked.


SAY NO TO IMMUNE SUPPRESSING DRUGS

I specialize in treating allergies and have treated many patients
who’ve been given Apoquel (or other immune suppressing drugs)
because they have been incorrectly diagnosed with allergies –
when they actually have a simple overgrowth of yeast. As I said
earlier, it’s far more common to see a combination of allergies
with concurrent Malassezia, playing off each other and creating a
more intense itch.

The bottom line is that skin problems in dogs
are epidemic with younger and younger dogs succumbing to both
allergies and yeast or yeast alone. I predict that the reckless use
of these new allergy drugs will produce next generation dogs that
have even more problems. Steroids like prednisone are meek and
mild when compared to what Atopica and Apoquel do.

SHAMPOOS CAN MAKE IT WORSE
I recently got a new English Labrador Retriever puppy from a
very devoted breeder. She adamantly told me that Labradors
should never be bathed, but simply hosed down with water. She
said the only shampoo she used if she really had to, was an enzy-
matic shampoo. Her dogs all had beautiful coats and no smell. It
makes sense, because by not using a detergent shampoos, we’re
keeping the microbiome intact and healthy. Once the imbalance
sets in, the yeast has the opportunity to overgrow.
Washing your dog with a non-abrasive detergent shampoo, such
as a Castile soap shampoo, will prevent the oil and microbiome
from being stripped from his coat and skin.
Conventional veterinarians will often prescribe medicated sham-
poos for skin conditions. But washing your dog repeatedly with
detergent based, medicated shampoos is the last thing you want
to do when he has a skin problem. Harmless-appearing shampoos
with essential oils may actually be stripping your pet’s micro-
biome, and many shampoos labeled “natural” are anything but,

often containing potentially toxic chemicals like sulfates, which
they disguise by calling them “coconut-based.”

You’ll, perhaps, indulge me in a personal story. I got an area with Malassezia overgrowth, because
I treat so many new patients who have Malassezia. So I treated
myself with ketaconozole, which is a very good antifungal drug,
for two weeks with no results. Then the dermatologist told me
that I only needed to take one pill once only, then eat a little food
and then go to the gym an hour later and work out till I was really
sweating. I did it and it worked.

Here’s the rub, dogs sweat through
their feet, but that’s about it. They can get Malassezia all over their
bodies. So that’s another reason to avoid conventional drugs.
The yeast grows slowly, yet tenaciously. It can be difficult to get
rid of because once it’s established it’s slow to recede.

In my clinical experience, an unsettling number of dogs are pre-
scribed immunosuppressive drugs when they simply have
a Malassezia yeast problem causing them to itch. The problem is
that this drug eviscerates their immune system while we need to
actually increase immune function to help handle the problem.
The moral of the story is that we should not lose sight of the
forest for the trees. The bugs on our pets’ skin make up their first
line of defense. It seems, in treating Malassezia, many of the
common treatments are backfiring and that’s why so many dogs
continue to have this problem.

The post MALASSEZIA- THE YEAST ON YOUR DOGS SKIN -IT’S ITCHY AND SMELLY! first appeared on Natural Remedies for Dog Allergies.

symptoms of IBD. The thing is, just like in the case of actual wars being fought between countries, these clashes and brawls in your dog’s gut can be avoided.

Many years ago I heard a lecture by a veterinarian highly re- nowned for his research in the field of Irritable Bowel Disease. Experience had taught me that questions asked privately were often times more candidly answered. That’s why I discreetly asked, “Why do you think we’re seeing an epidemic rise in IBD?” He replied, “We’re vaccinating them with the same stuff we’re feeding them.” That was almost 20 years ago

Why would the stuff in vaccinations cause IBD? You may already be familiar with the fact that vaccines contain chicken embryo and bovine serum. During vaccination, these food proteins are in- troduced into the body along with the other vaccine components. A dog’s immune system identifies all of these vaccine components as enemies, and, far as the immune system is concerned, when any enemy shows its ugly face, it’s time for battle. IBD in our dogs comes about when the battlefield is in the gut.

SIGNS OF WAR: THE SOLDIERS SET UP BASE CAMP

When a dog has IBD, the soldiers (inflammatory cells) infiltrate the intestinal walls and set up base camp. In the trenches are the regiments made up of different types of white blood cells such as lymphocytes, plasmacytes, eosinophils, and sometimes neutro- phils. After many battles, the intestinal walls become thickened and nutrients are not absorbed as well. This collateral damage within the walls of the intestine commonly results in symptoms such as diarrhea, mucous or blood in the stool, vomiting and weight loss.

THREE-LETTER AGENCIES: IgA AND IgM

In governments, three-letter agencies like the CIA and FBI pro- vide intelligence services identifying enemies. The immune sys- tem uses immunoglobulins, also known as antibodies, to identify enemies: three-letter agencies protecting your dog’s body.

Special immunogloblins live in your dog’s digestive tract. The immunoglobulins IgA and IgM serve as the gut’s intelligence service by identifying enemies. They initiate the battle in the gut by calling in the regiments: the eosinophils and plasmacytes. This starts the battle of food intolerance or food sensitivity, battles that can easily escalate to the War of IBD.

It’s important to know that food intolerances and sensitivities cause a delayed response in the intestine. In other words, your dog can eat the offending food on Monday and the reaction can occur much later in the week.

Most dogs are fed the same thing day after day, and this repetition tends to actually create food intolerances and sensitivities. It’s pretty typical for a dog parent to sigh in relief, if not jump for joy, when a food that agrees with a dog with IBD is finally found. Unfortunately they then feed that food day after day, greatly increasing the chance of later developing a reaction to that same food!

The post What ‘IS’ IBD or IBS? first appeared on Natural Remedies for Dog Allergies.

The post This Fat Cat is sitting on some Pet Allergy Secrets first appeared on Natural Remedies for Dog Allergies.

OUR DOG NEEDS HIS IMMUNE SYSTEM TO PROTECT HIM FROM DISEASE. DOG ALLERGY MEDICATIONS CAN DAMAGE THE WAY IT WORKS … SOMETIMES PERMANENTLY.

What Is A Dog’s Immune System? Your dog’s immune system is an extraordinary network of cells, tissues and organs that work together to defend against attacks from foreign invaders that cause infection and illness. The immune system is amazingly complex, recognizing and remembering millions of enemies and able to wipe out each one of them. I’ve always thought that if a country’s military commanders did an in-depth study of how immune systems worked, that country would never lose a war.  One important secret to the success of this system is an elaborate communications network that’s organized into swarming subsets, passing information back and forth. These cells rapidly enlist their fellows and direct recruits to trouble spots with special helpers. Unfortunately, most of the conventional medications we routinely use for the most common problems in dogs work to sabotage, if not destroy, this most precious asset. Allergies are a good example. In the case of allergies, the dog’s immune system responds to a false alarm.  Harmless material such as pollen is mistaken for a threat and attacked as an environmental allergy. The immune system considers healthy foods to be enemies and responds with food allergies.  Dog owners resign themselves to reading ingredients, changing foods and purchasing product after product to find relief. Yet, dogs (and people) tend to get allergic to what they contact all the time.As an example, in my 35 years of specializing in allergies, I’ve found that in almost every case, dogs given fish oil every day become allergic to fish after 3 to 6 months. The attempted fix becomes a problem, and the unsuspecting owner keeps giving that fish oil capsule every day, only increasing the allergic reactions within their dog. In the case of allergies, food sensitivities and food intolerances, the immune system is misbehaving. Food sensitivities and intolerances are 15 times more common than allergies. Importantly, they have a delayed reaction … from 7 to 28 days or so. This can be quite confusing if you’re diligently watching your dog’s reaction to any and all foods.Itching and chronic diarrhea are both so very common in our dogs nowadays so it’s important we understand what’s going on inside our fuzzy friends! Vaccinations are the largest contributor to the epidemic of dog allergies. They confuse the immune system, activating it against substances your dog’s body should consider friends. For example, bovine serum and chicken embryo are used as proteins to culture dog vaccines. And then your dog’s immune system identifies these proteins as attackers. This starts the beginning of the immune system corruption and confusion.An allergy is due to a misbehaving immune system. The immune system is reacting to something it shouldn’t be reacting to. Think of a person with peanut allergies. All his friends may be eating all kinds of peanut candies and peanut butter sandwiches, but he can’t touch them. Is the problem the peanuts or the immune system? That’s right, it’s the immune system.So how do conventional treatments handle this misbehaving immune system? By abolishing it. No matter what drug I mention below, it’s an immune system extinguisher.  How Allergy Drugs Work  Conventional veterinarians have one basic avenue of approach and that’s to weaken, if not destroy the immune system.  The prescription medications used have become more and more frightening … particularly in a world where a functioning and active immune system is so important.Side Effects Of SteroidsIt used to be that vets dispensed steroids like prednisone excessively. Veterinarians had little choice about what to use for dogs with allergies. Steroids worked because they suppressed the immune system. Steroids caused side effects like excess drinking and urinating, along with fur loss. That’s why dogs were weaned off as soon as they were comfortable again.But often, within months most doggies would have to go back on another round of steroids. Lots of dogs had seasonal allergies so they would go on prednisone in, let’s say, just the spring and fall seasons. At least they were only on these immune-suppressing drugs for short stints. For the most part, the steroids did not change how the immune system would function after the pet stopped them.Side Effects Of AtopicaThen a new dog allergy drug called Atopica (cyclosporine) became available. Some veterinarians began using Atopica instead of steroids. It didn’t cause excess drinking and urinating and panting. But the side effects of Atopica inside your dog’s body were considerably worse, with a far more devastating effect on the immune system. Cyclosporine was developed in Switzerland in the 70s. It was designed to prevent the rejection of organs in transplant patients. In order to do this, it had to knock the immune system to smithereens. Dogs were getting cancer (one of the many noted side effects of cyclosporine) because they were on this drug. Nurses, who had to suit up before administering cyclosporine in the hospital to their patients, would call me for consultations on their pets after they had been prescribed this drug. They couldn’t understand how they needed to suit up in protective gear for work and then were casually told to handle and give this drug to their dog.  Side Effects of Apoquel When this drug- Apoquel- came onto the market, it seemed to be a dream come true. There was no excessive drinking as with steroids. There were no apparent serious immediate immune-depressing side effects as with cyclosporine. Dogs simply stopped itching and were, once again, comfortable in their own skin. Veterinarians loved it, as it worked well in just about every case. The dogs loved it because they stopped itching. Pharmaceutical companies and vets loved it because people had to buy it and refill it each month … for the dog’s entire life.And that’s because the dogs who start it can’t seem to get off of this drug.  When a 7-month-old puppy is put on Apoquel, the itching is often way worse when the owner attempts to wean him off than it was before the pup ever went on the drug. (In the old days, the puppy would have had 10 days of prednisone and been OK for months.) Dogs weren’t taking Apoquel. for some short period in the spring or fall when they had their allergies. Once they started the drug, the dog would seem to need it forever. I specialize in allergies and I see it all the time. You try and try to wean your pet off, with no success, so you wind up refilling and refilling … to Big Pharma’s delight. Apoquel works because it slays the kinases, which serve as the communicators in the body.The capacity for internal communication in the body is compromised. Earlier I noted that the secret of the incredible success of the immune system is the elaborate communications network. Apoquel demolishes this network because it kills the kinases, which serve as very important communicators. Kinases coordinate absolutely everything in the body. One talks to another and that one talks to 1000 more kinases and the immune system works because of them. Apoquel Damage Can Be PermanentOK … so wouldn’t the kinases just start working again when the pet is taken off the drug?  I personally don’t see this happen. With prednisone the adrenals come back up to par quickly after a short course of the drug. But with Apoquel, the whole system of communication within the body has been changed. Let’s use a military example again. Roads previously used get closed, trains get shut down. Cell phones don’t work in certain areas. Suddenly the roads open. But all the soldiers are now used to taking the long route – or no route at all –and there is no one to tell them to go back to the old way of doing things. So they continue to work inefficiently and with less communication. They have adjusted and they pretty much stay that way. I do have ways to help the communication systems return to normal as I see so much of this in my practice. The patient who has been on Apoquel and is now cured of the allergies, food sensitivities and intolerances using my holistic methods, still keeps getting the yeast Malassezia which overgrows on the skin and/or secondary bacterial infections. Their immune system is not kicking back in.  In these cases, I need to super-boost the immune system with a somewhat unusual product that works well. .

DOES IT HAVE TO BE ONE OR THE OTHER? CHANGING FOODS, READING LABELS AND AVOIDANCE … OR THE ALTERNATIVE OPTION OF HAVING YOUR BELOVED FRIEND ON AN IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE DRUG?     WITH ALLERGIES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS MISBEHAVING AND CONVENTIONAL DRUGS SIMPLY WHACK-A-MOLE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.  YOU DO HAVE OTHER OPTIONS BECAUSE THERE ARE THERAPIES THAT WORK … AND WORK PERMANENTLY … TO PERMANENTLY ELIMINATE ALLERGIES, SENSITIVITIES AND INTOLERANCES IN YOUR DOG. LEARN ABOUT ALLERGY ELIMINATION 4 PETS.

The post Why Dog Allergy Medicines are NOT SAFE first appeared on Natural Remedies for Dog Allergies.

In fact, garlic contains a variety of active components that can effectively inhibit the both occurrence of and development of cancer.

The European Journal of Nutrition [in 2023], after conducting a meta- analysis of 61 research articles, confirmed garlic as a rich source of compounds with anti-tumor potential. 

Garlic was to have cytotoxic, cytostatic, anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic activities both in in vitro and in vivo models of colorectal cancer in humans.

Animal and cell studies in 2021 suggested that garlic can inhibit carcinogenesis through various pathways, including inducing apoptosis, suppressing cell proliferation, reducing tumor size and enhancing the activity of important enzymes such as glutathione.

HISTORY OF GARLIC

Garlic (Allium sativum) has been valued for thousands of years for medicinal purposes.  Five-thousand-year-old Sanskrit and Chinese medical manuscripts describe the benefits of garlic. Garlic was also a valued staple for the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans.  In fact, fifteen pounds of garlic was the going price for a healthy male slave in Egypt.  When King Tut’s tomb was excavated, bulbs of garlic were found scattered throughout.

Hippocrates advocated garlic for infections, cancer and digestive disorders. The great Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder recommended it for a wide variety of ailments ranging from the common cold to epilepsy, leprosy, cancer and tapeworm. 

For as long as people have been using garlic, they have been feeding it to their animal companions.  However, recently, the safety of garlic for dogs has come into question.  Knowledge is a powerful thing – but astute pet owners should gather all the data before shunning this celebrated bulb.

THE TRUTH ABOUT GARLIC SAFETY- YES- IT IS SAFE AND VERY HEALTHY

Garlic is approved as a flavoring, spice or seasoning for use in pet food, yet the FDA has garlic listed in its poisonous plant database. 

WHAT?

Follow along and check out the absurdity of this study.   

Let’s get to the bottom the garlic story.  Where do you draw the line on how much garlic your dog can get in his meal?  The data presented in the FDA study referenced above was based on the average Golden Retriever [at 75-lbs] eating about 75 cloves of garlic in each meal before any adverse effects occurred. Similarly, a dog weighing mere 12-lbs would need to eat [30 grams of garlic] which is about 8 to 10 garlic cloves in a meal to experience any adverse effects. 

Do you know anyone who would even consider feeding 75 cloves of garlic to their Golden Retriever in one meal?

Importantly, the reported adverse effects of garlic add up to a total non-event over the past 28 years.  The National Animal Supplement Council responsibly records both Adverse Events and Serious Adverse Events resulting from the use of natural products. In fact, the President of the NASP thanked me many years ago, for clarifying that all the BS about garlic that pet owners see on the web is a tall tale. Because garlic is quite simply… NOT A PROBLEM.

What is significant is all the positive research delineating the medicinal powers of garlic.  Of all of garlic’s reputed benefits, one is its use as a natural antibiotic, with reports going back through history.   Modern researchers have compared the effectiveness of garlic with that of antibiotics and have found that garlic has a broad-spectrum anti-bacterial effect. Additionally, bacteria don’t seem to build up a resistance to garlic as they do to many modern antibiotics. Garlic  also increases general immune activity along with the activity of Killer Cells (cells that seek out and kill invading bacteria and cancer cells).   

THE SECRET TO USING GARLIC

There’s a secret to releasing the healing powers of garlic.  Allicin is the most powerful medicinal compound derived from garlic, providing the most important health benefits.  Garlic must first go through a chemical process to create allicin.   When garlic is crushed, a specific amino acid contained within it reacts with a specific enzyme, creating allicin. 

USE RAW GARLIC

You must finely chop or crush a garlic clove then wait for 5-10 minutes to allow the chemical reaction to occur. 

CRUSH OR FINELY CHOP THE RAW GARLIC

Additionally, allicin is unstable when exposed to air and heat so don’t wait more than 20 minutes before you top your dog’s meal with some healthy raw garlic. 

WAIT 5-10 MINUTES AND FEED

Buy a garlic press or simply chop some garlic very finely and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.  You can then mix it in with a tablespoon of cooked, cooled chopped beef or chicken and place it on top of your dog’s meal.

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Garlic has also been fed to dogs to help prevent fleas.  When using garlic as a flea preventive it’s important to use a castile soap or detergent free shampoo.  Dogs don’t sweat as humans do and the garlic ‘aroma’ comes out in the oil on their coat.  It takes several weeks for the garlic compounds to build up in the oil and a detergent shampoo removes the oil and you’re back to square one again.

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A host of studies provide evidence that the allicin in garlic works to inhibit cancer formation.  With cancer being the number one cause of death in dogs…let’s all get going with garlic!     Voila- a meal fit for a Dog, a King – or a Pharaoh!

My book, Dr. Khalsa’s Natural Dog goes over the benefits of garlic and doses of it for your dog.

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Aloe Vera 

There’s a real difference between aloe vera gel you can buy in the store and that which comes from the live plant. The live plant has important enzymes that last for less than three days in the refrigerator. These special enzymes are incredibly powerful and work rapidly to heal itchy skin, but they are not present in bottled aloe vera gel.

Soothing gel from the aloe vera plant. Each aloe leaf contains a jellylike substance that rapidly regenerates damaged tissue; it also contains antibiotic and coagulating agents and can be used for wounds, fungal infections, and insect bites in addition to itchy areas. Gel from the aloe plant increases the rate of healing in the cellular matrix and decreases inflammation.

Obtain fresh aloe gel by splitting a leaf. Use the hard cuticle of the leaf to apply the green-tinged jelly inside the leaf to itchy areas. If you cut a leaf and use only part of it, store the rest of it in the refrigerator. Remember—after the leaf is cut, the ingredients will remain active for less than three days.

You can find aloe plants at nurseries and garden centers, and they are easy to maintain in your home. Place a terra-cotta pot with an aloe vera plant on your windowsill, and it will always be available to you.

Witch Hazel 

Witch hazel, also known as winter-bloom or spotted alder, is a flowering shrub common in North America. The leaves, bark, and twigs of witch hazel are high in tannins, which are found in any natural astringent because of their ability to tighten, dry, and harden tissues. Witch hazel liquid, easily and inexpensively purchased at any drugstore, is actually a steam distillation of the bark, leaves, and twigs of the witch hazel shrub. When applied directly to the skin, witch hazel helps soothe itchy skin, reduce swelling, repair broken skin, and fight bacteria.

Some other wonderful things about witch hazel are that it’s 100 percent natural, it smells fresh, and it doesn’t stain furniture or carpets when you apply it to your pet. To use, simply soak a cloth or cotton ball in witch hazel and rub it on your pet’s skin. It’s also great for itchy paws. You can put some witch hazel in a plastic bowl, dip your dog’s feet in it, and then pat dry.

Calendula Officinalis 

This herb is a favorite first aid treatment among herbalists, and for good reason. It has an almost magical effect in healing wounds. Calendula has a more powerful ability to hinder bacteria than many antibiotics, and it also has the important benefit of an anti-inflammatory effect while promoting the healthy growth of new cells. It also helps eliminate fungal infections.

The Romans coined the name calendula to reflect the herb’s blooming schedule because it would flower on the calends, or new moon, of every month. Officinalis refers to its official medicinal value. Calendula tincture diluted with water from 1:5 to 1:10 is effective and dependable for the treatment of itchy spots, and it can stop a hot spot in its tracks. You can buy tincture of calendula from a health food store or an herbal or homeopathic supply store. After diluting and mixing the tincture, apply it with a spray bottle or just pour some on the area and rub it in.Alternatively, you can steep dried calendula petals to make your own tincture. Pour a cup of boiling water onto five tablespoons of calendula petals and steep for fifteen minutes. This tincture does not have to be diluted the way a purchased tincture does.

The post Topical Tips to Stop that Itch first appeared on Natural Remedies for Dog Allergies.

Apis mellifica 6c—This is recommended for itching with hot, puffy sores or hives and sometimes facial swelling.

Arsenicum album 30x—Typically, this is used with a pet who is seeking heat because warmth relieves the itching. He or she has dry, scaly, itchy sores; is restless; and has intense itching even though the skin may appear normal.

Grindelia 30x—This is more of an acute remedy to slow the itching down while the other remedies begin to work. It can be given three times a day for several weeks with no problems.

Ledum 6x—This works to relieve itchiness from flea or tick bites.

Psorinum 200c—This is a deep-acting remedy for the skin, particularly skin that looks unhealthy and heals slowly. It’s often a good remedy to make the body more receptive to other remedies, helping them work better. Unfortunately, it is not available in the United States, but it can be purchased overseas.

Rhus toxicodendron 6x—This remedy is made from poison ivy. It works for symptoms that resemble the rash and itchiness caused by the plant.

Silicea 30x—This works for recurrent skin infections with persistent but not intense itching, including infections that may begin after vaccination.

Sulfur 6c—This is a chief remedy to soothe itching in the pet that avoids heat and seeks cold. Bathing may aggravate the skin condition.

Thuja 6c—A key antivaccinosis remedy, this is indicated if skin problems began within weeks to months of vaccination. Also good with pets who tend to develop warts, have poor hair growth, and have skin that tends to become pigmented or turn black in areas.

The post Homeopathic Remedies for Itching first appeared on Natural Remedies for Dog Allergies.

No kid says, “Hey, Mom! Look at the dog! Isn’t he funny?”

Instead, the family members feel their pet’s discomfort: “Stop itching! Please, stop!

Diarrhea isn’t a pleasant diversion, either. Accidents in the house, constant concern over a pet’s diet, and frequent visits to the veterinarian aren’t really among the good things in life. The incidence of IBD (irritable bowel disease) in cats has been rapidly escalating for years and has just about reached epidemic proportions. Numerous companies, over the years, have formulated special foods for cats experiencing chronic and sometimes debilitating diarrhea.

Pruritis (itching of the skin) and intestinal disorders, such as IBD, have become so very prevalent that it’s seriously alarming. In my opinion, our relationship with our pets is supposed to enhance our lives while we enhance theirs. In four decades of veterinary practice, I’ve grown to understand that both obtaining health and maintaining health in our pets do not have to be constant struggles.

Regarding problems with diet, food allergies are not the same as food sensitivities (or intolerances). Food sensitivities are much more common than food allergies, but food allergies are a real problem, too.

A person with an allergic pet typically follows a path of avoidance. Pet owners will carefully read labels to circumvent foods to which their pets are allergic. However, allergy patients will often subsequently become allergic to ingredients in new foods if they eat them day after day. For example, a pet that was never allergic to lamb may become allergic to lamb because of repeated exposure to it.

Older drugs, like Benadryl and steroids, don’t work nearly as well anymore. Therefore, veterinarians often prescribe new and stronger drugs- with side effects, which often handle the itching, routinely. But using these drugs is a catch-22 because they impair very necessary vital functions in the animals’ bodies.

It doesn’t have to be this way. If you’ve been dealing with allergies for years with your own pet, it may be hard for you to believe that you can cure allergies. In this blog, you’re going to learn how to find out what is wrong with your dog or cat. You’re also going to learn what you can do about it.

The post What to do about that itchy dog? first appeared on Natural Remedies for Dog Allergies.