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| Editor's Notes | ||||||
I hope you’re not suffering like me right now with all these nasty allergies. I’ve been sneezing and blowing my nose all week and it’s driving everyone else in the office insane! I guess it’s official – allergy season is in full swing. Did you know that we are not the only ones that are vulnerable to allergies? Our pets can also be being affected by environmental allergies too. This week’s article is all about environmental allergies and what you can do to help give your pet some relief this Spring. Well, don’t let me keep you from reading this issue – I’m off to get another tissue anyway. Happy reading, Amber Keiper and the rest of the BARF World team P.S. Rob and I are planning on hosting another webinar event soon. This time the focus is on allergies - big surprise right? The truth is that allergies are the #1 PET HEALTH PROBLEM in the world and is something that we get asked about the most. It seems to be turning into quite an epidemic! Stay tuned for more information about this webinar and instructions on how you can participate.
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| If Dogs Could Talk | ||||||
Allergy Season Relief For Your DogBy Robert Mueller
Spring is almost upon us and you know what that means – allergy season has started. One of the most common concerns that we handle each and every day is the intense and aggravating allergy symptoms of itching and scratching that many dogs suffer from. We always try to resolve the issue with a change in nutrition, but during particular times of the year (such as springtime) the culprit may be more of an environmental cause.
If your dog gets hot spots or discoloration of the skin because of the constant itching and scratching, it may be a symptom of seasonal allergies rather than simply a nutritional deficiency. The condition is called “atopy” or atopic dermatitis. In this regard, our pets are no different than us humans – they can develop a sensitivity to their environment just like a we can. An inhalant allergy in canines is similar to our asthma and hay fever and can cause sneezing in your pet and commonly develops into skin rashes. A seasonal allergy can be encountered about as often as an allergy caused by fleas. Seasonal causes are often overlooked when trying to find a solution to allergy issues. However this should not be the case. The allergy triggers that we most often encounter are indeed caused by food sensitivities. Unfortunately, we can't always cure the condition with a simple change to a biologically appropriate raw food (BARF) diet. Once the diet is improved and the food changes don't make for a better, less allergic pet, it is then time to change the course of action and look at a possible genetic connection. If an animal inhales or absorbs through the skin an allergen (such as pollen or grass) it causes an allergic response in the animal and the immune system is attacked. Pollen and dust are not the only things in your environment that your dog can be allergic to. They can be stimulated from a variety of different sources: dust mites, weeds, molds, trees and a variety of flower pollens that become the trigger. Again, this is no different than it is for humans. Because of the genetic connection, an inhalant allergy may be more predisposed in certain breeds. Those that have a tendency to have a greater number of problems are:
If it is a seasonal allergy, the dog will only exhibit symptoms for a few weeks a year, usually during the Spring and Fall. It is also not uncommon for dogs with seasonal allergies to also suffer from chronic allergies to food and other things in their environment. You can submit your dog to a series of allergen tests to determine what allergens might be troubling your dog. Besides being quite costly, these tests are not always conclusive and may sometimes offer some false positive suggestions. There are a variety of allergy medications that can be used to ease the symptoms during the peak times. Many times the allergy is triggered in-house. You can reduce allergy symptoms by vacuuming your carpets during the allergy season and keep your dog inside as much as possible. Reduce the pollen count in your home by keeping your windows closed during the allergy season. A HEPA filtration device is another way to reduce allergens in the home.  One of the very best ways to reduce the effects of the allergy is to strengthen your pet’s immune system. A biologically appropriate raw food diet (BARF Diet) can help to build up the immune system that will be effective in attacking the inflamed sites. This internal medication is Nature’s finest solution to treating allergy issues. Your vet may prescribe anti-inflammatory medication such as corticosteroids and antihistamines to alleviate itchy skin conditions but watch out! These remedies can cause undesirable side effects and may reduce the effectiveness of the immune system, especially when used as a long-term solution. Many new holistic treatments have been used to offer natural itch relief. An effective treatment is a colloidal oatmeal shampoo used every 1 to 2 weeks in combination with an herbal anti-itch treatment. With this treatment, most pets will quit itching within the first couple of days. Using effective omega oil supplement, like Alaska Naturals Salmon Oil, is another great step to allergy prevention and treatment that will keep the skin tissue in optimum condition. 
Robert Mueller, BSc, Pharm. is a registered pharmacist, author of "Living Enzymes: The World's Best Kept Pet Food Secret", and co-developer of BARF World's BARF diets patties, nuggets and supplements - the first company to make the Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods (BARF) diet conveniently available to animals everywhere. He and his wife love to travel around the world with their dog, Moxie – a Yorkshire Terrier/Maltese mix. For more articles like these and to learn more about the benefits of raw food for your pets, sign up for "The Intelligent Pet" monthly e-zine at barfworld.com/ezine |
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| Bark Out Loud | ||||||
"Whose Line Is It Anyway?" – Duet Sung To Lassie The DogLassie guest stars on the popular improvisational comedy show, "Whose Line Is It Anyway?". Comedians Brad Sherwood and Wayne Brady sing an old country duet to the famous canine television star, Lassie.Wags of Wisdom:"Isn't it wonderful how dogs can win friends and influence people without ever reading a book?"-E.C. McKenzie, Australian author "And then there's the personal question so many of Lassie's fans want to ask: Is he allowed on the furniture? Of course he is – but, then, he's the one who paid for it." Julia Glass, journalist |
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| Hot Dog Products | ||||||
Give Your Dog “ALLERGY ARMOR” With E-BARF Plus For many people, allergy season can really kick us in the butt and leave us feeling tired, congested and blue…but did your know that our pets can have similar allergy problems too? Like us, our dogs simply can’t escape from the environmental allergies that may be triggering their symptoms of itching, scratching, hot spots, and sneezing. That’s why it’s important to give them the BEST ALLERGY DEFENSE possible. The first step is with the right nutrition – a biologically appropriate raw diet – The BARF Diet.
But when the BARF Diet isn’t enough and your pet is still suffering from occasional allergy conditions, it’s time to bring out the big guns and give them the best immune system support possible. E-BARF Plus is a mineral supplement loaded with all the things your pet needs to be healthy and stay healthy:
We often recommend E-BARF Plus for:
*Dosage amount may vary depending on dog’s weight. A “68-day supply” refers to a dog weighing 25 lbs. Please refer to product label for complete feeding instructions and dosages. |
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| Tail Us What You Think | ||||||
| Got something to say? Well we'd love to hear from you! Feel free to send your comments about our articles to ezine@barfworld.com. You can also share stories, jokes or whatever dog-related content you like. And we may even post it on the next issue of The Intelligent Pet! Here are some of the responses we received from last week's article, “Things to Consider Before You Vaccinate Your Dog”: “I live in the UK - my wife and I own two 2 year old Rottweilers which we feed with raw meat and veg. Both animals are extremely active (probably the fittest dogs we have had). We have kept Rotties for nearly thirty years and have always had them vaccinated, but although we vaccinated our present dogs the first year; we are not fully committed to repeat again. We feel that on their present diet of raw meat with chopped fresh carrots, swede, cabbage, apple, pears and raw egg (including the shell) they should perhaps avoid most types of illness. Rabies is not a vaccine called for in the UK, although we are thinking this way we know we would feel extremely guilty if they should contract one of the avoidable diseases, so the question is, "to be or not to be"?” -William A., United Kingdom “I live with four puppy mill survivors - all Cairn Terriers. As with most rescues, they were vetted and assaulted with every vaccine that was available when they first came into rescue. One of them, a four-month-old puppy, suffered an extreme case of vaccinosis. It took over a year to get his system, especially his gastro-intestinal system and skin, calmed down. Feeding him a raw diet was the only thing that worked. I also took into rescue and fostered a 5 year old Cairn with extreme skin allergy issues. The owners could no longer afford his vet bills, which included (unhappily) steroids. I took him off all grains and fed a raw diet. Within one month, his skin cleared up completely. I became a foster flunky and he is still with me at 10 years old. He has never had another skin flare-up, hot spot, or lesions. My dogs are not vaccinated. I read everything Dr. Jean Dodds has written on vaccine protocol and I've written my own article on my philosophy regarding vaccinations (http://www.helium.com/items/1564462-do-older-dogs-need-to-be-vaccinated-yearly). I titered my dogs for the first 3 years and they always came up with numbers that assured me they were protected from distemper, parvo, and rabies. Now they are all seniors, and it would be criminal to compromise their naturally failing immune systems (it happens to all of us as we age) by assaulting them with vaccines. I'm doing everything in my power to protect their immune systems by feeding them quality foods, supplementing them with the proper nutrients and providing them with a stress free life. They are all healthy, and appear much younger than their years! Vaccinations for puppies, like human babies, are necessary. After that, it is just a moneymaker for drug companies and veterinarians who care more about money than our pets long-term health. Worse yet, just may not know better!” -Van Uriyu, proud owner of four healthy Cairn Terriers |
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