Allergy Help for Your Dog

Guest Post from Dorcas Giesbrecht with Holistic Mutt services.

Usually by the time I see a dog all kinds of mainstream methods have been tried. The dog’s skin is usually red and itchy, and there is hair loss. The dog frequently chews at their feet and they paw their face. Chronic ear infections or diarrhea can also be reasons for a visit. Anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics may have been given many times to treat the symptoms, but the problem keeps coming back and getting worse. This is a typical allergically reactive dog.

From a holistic point of view, the dog’s living terrain, which is the body itself has been under siege and because of this the immune system spirals out of balance and produces symptoms that make the dog miserable. Owners assume that their dog will be stuck with allergies for life, because this tends to be the outcome when allergy cases are not approached from a holistic perspective. My experience has been different and I feel there is a lot we can do, but I think differently about allergies. I focus on a disturbed immune response being the cause.

In allergic reactivity, the immune system mistakenly identifies harmless substances as threats and responds to them in a way that causes damages to tissues such as the skin. From the holistic perspective, to return a dog to wellness the approach to healing must be to support the disturbed immune system, to track back to the sources of stress that caused the disturbance, and to minimize or remove them altogether.

I offer a multifaceted approach and follow a plan that is individualized for your dog. It is important that you understand how your pet’s immune system is producing the problem. In order to re-balance the immune system it is important to identify what kind of emotional, environmental or other types of stressors your dog may be dealing with and what can be done to reduce or remove them. Relentless discomfort can also place additional stress on your pet and this must be addressed with non-invasive remedies that do not suppress the immune system but encourage it to improve.
Nutrition is the keystone for maintaining wellness and it is very important to put your dog on an unprocessed diet since food is the best way to support the body. There are many wonderful new foods available that can help support your dog’s overall health. It is the single most important thing we can do for their wellness. I take further steps to help figure out which foods, if any, your pet may be sensitive to. I use bioenergetic assessment to identify which foods may be triggering an inflammatory response. Bioenergetic assessment is non-invasive and helps detect changes in the energy field and provides us with clues to help identify the underlying stressors.

It is important to support digestive function with probiotics because a well-functioning GI tract has a profound effect on a healthy immune system. These supplements help to balance the GI tract in the short run and support its efforts to re-balance itself in the long run.
Overall the goal is to support your dog’s body become more self-sufficient for the long term, rather than prop it up in the short run. When harmony exists between the innerbody and the outer environment the body enjoys an ideal state of wellness.

Dorcas Giesbrecht MASc is a 15 year member of the International Organization of Nutritional Consultants. She has her Masters of Applied Science in Holistic Nutrition. In 2007 she trained as a Registered Holistic Allergist with The Institute of Natural Health Technologies. In the spring of 2009 she completed training in Auricular Therapy with Dr. M. Adams N.D. to help both pets and their people in her holistic practice. Dorcas has also taken classes in Healing Touch for Animals and Animal Communication. In 2012 she studied Acupressure for Animals with Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute. In the late summer of 2013 she will also be offering Chinese Tui Na Massage as she expands her practice. Call her to ask how these healing modalities can help your pet with improved health.

The Artemis Centre
1922-12th Avenue SW, Calgary, AB
403-701-4705
dorcasg@telus.net