Allergies vs Sensitivities Part 2- A Holistic Approach to Management

In my blog Allergies vs Sensitivities Part 1- Defining & Decoding, we learned the difference between an allergy, a sensitivity, and an intolerance. I also explained how the immune system works, which parts of the immune system are hyperreactive when it comes to allergies and sensitivities, and what symptoms your pet may exhibit if they’re suffering from them. Now let’s dive deep into holistic approaches to managing what can feel like a confusing, scary, and overwhelming condition for pet parents worldwide.

Conventional Methods

First, I think it’s worth understanding what the conventional approaches are for allergies and sensitivities, and why we really don’t want to reach for these for our beloved furbabies. The three most commonly used drugs include Apoquel, Cytopoint and steroids. Hydrolyzed diets or limited ingredient diets are often used as well.

Medications

Historically, when one visits a conventional veterinary office for what tends to get labeled as allergies (even though we now know they’re usually sensitivities), the veterinarian doesn’t pursue a root cause approach to management. Now, I’m not a vet nor have I attended veterinary school, however I have heard many holistic vets speak out about the fact that they simply aren’t taught a root cause approach to diseases in school. Instead, they’re educated on which medications or synthetic drugs can be used to ‘treat’ the symptoms that the pet is expressing. But now we know that to ‘treat’ a symptom really means suppressing a symptom. This is like unplugging the check engine light in youre car- just because the warning light disappears from the dash doesn’t mean that the issue with the engine disappears. And you can only ignore a problem for so long before it blows up in your face- both figuratively and literally!

Kibble

Along with reaching for one of the three modalities I mentioned above, our conventional vets tend to also recommend a limited ingredient or hydrolyzed kibble. These treatments, and the kibble (which is ultra-processed and full of non-species appropriate and sometimes outright harmful ingredients) lead to a compromised immune system, gut damage and increased intestinal permeability, don’t actually resolve the problem, and increase the risk of cancer and chronic illness. As it stands, more than 50% of dogs are being diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime- do we really want to be giving drugs that increase that risk even further? So, you can probably see why I have a problem with this symptom-suppression and/or avoidance approach to management.

We can do better!

“When we know better, we’re supposed to do better”

– Angela Ardolino, mushroom & cannabis expert

I’d like to share a personal story so you’ll understand why I feel so strongly about this topic, and why I chose to quote the founder of CBD Dog Health and Mycodog…

My own dog, Bear, was diagnosed with ‘seasonal allergies’ when he was around 2 years old. This manifested as a lot of itching, licking, hot spots and chapped paws. He also had intermittent diarrhea and recurrent yeast infections of his ears and skin. At the time, I had no idea that he was showing me that he had both food and seasonal sensitivities due to increased intestinal permeability, aka leaky gut. Instead, I took him to our conventional vet who diagnosed him with ‘allergies’ and placed him on Cytopoint, which was presented to me as the ‘miracle treatment’ for allergies with absolutely no discussion about the risks, no written information handed over, and no alternatives mentioned. In addition, I was never educated about what might be causing what was diagnosed as allergies in the first place!

This isn’t a cure, it’s a band aid over a bullet hole. And eventually, that band aid ripped free, leaving Bear worse off than he was before getting the first injection. He licked his paws until they cracked, he was given antibiotics and antifungals for his recurrent skin and ear infections, and he was switched to different kibble proteins due to ongoing diarrhea, which of course was treated with Metronidazole multiple times. This cycle continued, and he lasted less and less time in between injections before his symptoms would return. Eventually, I said enough is enough, and I started down the looooooong path of education and research that brought me here, writing this article, for you.

Now that I know better, it has become my mission to do better- not just by my own pets, but for fur family members everywhere. As for Bear, doing better started with not only improving his gut health and feeding a species appropriate diet, but also using a full spectrum hemp extract (FSHE), specifically EASE from CBD Dog Health. This FSHE improved his quality of life exponentially, and I’ll get into more details on that below. His journey inspired me and hopefully it spoke to you as well. Now, let’s get to the good stuff!

Holistic Methods

There are many many many holistic and natural approaches to allergies and sensitivities. Most of these modalities are geared toward improving gut health and restoring those tight junctions between the cells lining the small intestine, which are supposed to let the good things in and keep the bad things out. This keeps the immune system happy and helps the body maintain homeostasis. However, once the body does tilt off its axis, the way back to wellness can take many paths. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, and every pet should be approached as an individual with their own unique needs. Below are a few natural approaches to managing sensitivities naturally.

Feed Fresh Food

In my opinion, the first and most important method for managing food and environmental sensitivities (with the goal to resolve them completely!), is to feed a species appropriate diet. I define a species appropriate diet as a variety of minimally processed (organic if you can manage it) fresh foods. Now, I don’t want to get too deep into the weeds here, but the underlying reason for this is two-fold.

• First, fresh food is not inherently damaging to the gut lining. When food is fed raw or gently cooked (no more than ~165 degrees f) and isn’t heavily sprayed with pesticides, the body knows exactly what to do with it and how to effectively turn that food into energy and nutrients. The presence of fresh food implies the absence of ultra-processed kibble. We already know that kibble is the top contributor to leaky gut since we discussed it in Allergies vs Sensitivities Part 1- Defining & Decoding. So, if we avoid kibble and feed fresh food, we should have a happy gut at baseline.
  • The takeaway- fresh food nourishes the gut, while ultra-processed kibble damages it.
• Second, feeding a variety of fresh food exposes our pets to different food proteins constantly, which is important, especially if there is already some evidence of leaky gut present. When you feed the same thing over and over, you constantly present that food to the immune structures that lay right below the lining of the small intestine. If there is any increased intestinal permeability present, the immune system can start to develop antibodies against the foods with the most frequent exposures. The same goes for pollen, dust, and other environmental particles that make their way into the GI tract. By providing variety, it makes it more difficult to develop those inappropriate antibodies.
  • The takeaway- rotation and variety helps prevent the development of antibodies against foods, while feeding the same thing constantly increases the risk of antibody development (but we mostly only need to worry about that if there is leaky gut present).

Cooling vs Warming Foods

Other ways food can be used to help manage allergies and sensitivities is by feeding foods that are naturally anti-inflammatory and avoid foods that are pro-inflammatory! This can mean incorporating foods that are considered cooling according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, such as pasture raised duck and turkey, rabbit, cucumber and many more, while avoiding foods that are considered hot, such as lamb, venison and caged chicken. This doesn’t mean feeding only cool foods and avoiding warm foods forever, but it can be helpful during acutely inflamed periods or seasonally.

Omega 3’s

Omega 3’s are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that are naturally anti-inflammatory; the ones I’m talking about are EPA & DHA (found in fish) and ALA (found in seeds). Now, PUFAs can be a little bit unstable, meaning when you expose them to oxygen or you don’t have enough vitamin E in the diet, they can oxidize and are no longer helping with the inflammatory burden. This is why I like to feed my Omega 3’s in whole food form instead of as an oil. This includes oily fish such as anchovy, mackerel, herring and sardine, ideally frozen whole or freeze dried. Canned in water in an option but canned foods can be higher in histamines so that’s a last resort for an itchy pet. We never want them canned in oil, and I also don’t like to get them as a fish oil either unless its from a completely trusted source who makes them in small batches, stores in glass bottles, uses humane sourcing and tests for heavy metals. As for ALA, chia seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds/hemp hearts are my favorites. I like to buy these organic in small batches, store in glass away from the light, and I make sure to grind my flax immediately before feeding (otherwise it can oxidize).

On the other hand, seed oils such as safflower, peanut, canola, etc. are your Omega 6 PUFAs which are very pro-inflammatory and should be avoided. Sadly these seed oils are abundant in foods for both our pets and for us and contribute to significant metabolic dysfunction and inflammation. You can read more about omegas in my article about Oils & Omegas.

Herbs, Plants & Antioxidants

There are many beneficial plants and herbs out there, but here are a few that top my list that deserve their own mention and explanation for the role they play in managing allergies and sensitivities:

• Quercetin- this antioxidant is often jokingly referred to as “Natures Benadryl” although it obviously existed long before someone in a lab created Benadryl! It helps to stabilize mast cells, which are the cells that open and release histamine (which causes itching, redness, swelling, etc.) into the system. It also can suppress the COX and LOX enzymes that drive inflammation, neutralizes free radicals which cause oxidative stress, quiets inflammatory cytokines, and may even enhance gut barrier function. Now, we want to get our quercetin in whole food form whenever possible. Foods that have quercetin include kale, cranberries, apples with skin, blueberries, broccoli, decaffeinated green tea, buckwheat, cilantro, spinach and parsley.
  • Tip: feed foods high in quercetin with healthy fats and vitamin C! The fats help quercetin cross cell membranes to work more effectively, and the Vitamin C helps regenerate quercetin and boost its antioxidant powers.
• Stinging Nettles- another natural antihistamine, nettle blocks histamine from binding onto receptors on cells. This can be great for pets with seasonal inhalent-type sensitivities (pollens, grasses, ect.). Nettle also contains quercetin along with other compounds such as lignans and carotenoids which reduce the production of inflammatory players in the body and restore balance to the Th1 and Th2 immune responses we learned about in Allergies vs Sensitivities Part 1.
  • Tip: learn how to harvest nettles locally or source from a local market! When steeped into a tea or given in tincture form, it can be very impactful.
• Dandelion- all parts of a dandelion are edible, and you can often find leaves at Whole Foods Market. I like to steam the leaves then puree and feed as part of the fiber portion of my dogs’ dish. You can even eat them fresh in a salad!
  • Dandelion roots help the liver do the job of detoxifying, and often the detox pathways can get overwhelmed when the immune system is overstimulated. The liver breaks down histamine, prostaglandins, and other inflammatory mediators.
  • The leaves support the kidneys and lymphatic system and have mild natural anti-inflammatory effects. They’re also packed full of potassium, magnesium & Vitamin C.
  • The flower is rich in antioxidants wuch as luteolin which reduce inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress.
• Milk Thistle- this herb is the liver’s best friend, and acts by supporting those natural detox pathways. Milk Thistle is an herb you’d want to find in tincture form since it should be extracted to provide the most benefits.

Adaptogens

When I say adaptogens, the top two that come to mind are hemp and mushrooms. In our house, everyone takes a full spectrum hemp extract and functional mushroom tincture daily! The important thing to remember when selecting an adaptogen is that sourcing matters, and that means you get what you pay for. When it comes to hemp and mushrooms, you’re looking for:

• Full spectrum hemp extract (FSHE), since the compounds work synergistically to enhance effects.
• Organic, because we can’t support the immune system or body with something sprayed with pesticides.
• Grown in North America or areas with low pollution, because some adaptogens are bioaccumulators (this means they clean they environment by absorbing toxins and eventually clearning them, but we don’t want to eat something loaded with toxins!).
• Not suspended in alcohol (our pets don’t metabolize alcohol like people do and it can accumulate in the system and cause harm).
• Grown on species appropriate substrate, because this often gives them their adaptogenic properties.

Hemp

While switching Bear to fresh food went a long way toward improving his symptoms, they still remained after stopping the Cytopoint. Using a full spectrum hemp extract brought him the relief he needed and gave him back his ability to enjoy the outdoors without itching, hot spots, and dry paws. When we first started using a FSHE with other adaptogens, he needed a higher dose then he gets now because he was so inflamed and out of balance. Now that his gut health has improved, his diet is species appropriate and anti-inflammatory, and many of his sensitivities have resolved, he no longer needs a ton of seasonal support. Instead, we use a small daily ‘maintenance’ amount of EASE just to keep his endocannabinoid system replenished and happy, and if he ever did have a seasonal flare, I would increase the dose as needed.

Here are some of the ways hemp can help with allergies and sensitivities:

These benefits are ones that I like to employ across the lifespan, so we use EASE from CBD Dog Health. This FSHE is made with other adaptogens which only enhance the overall benefits and immune support. And remember, your pet doesn’t have to be experiencing a chronic or acute issue to use this powerful tool- it can be used for prevention and promotion of overall wellness too. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Mushrooms

I won’t lie, I’m a little bit obsessed with mushrooms. They’re incredibly versatile, beneficial, and to top it all off, they’re delicious! Even culinary mushrooms have excellent benefits, and I incorporate them into my meals as well as my dogs’ dishes. Everything from button to shiitake to oyster to trumpet, these fantastic fungi are worth adding to the daily regimen for their overall body-wide benefits.

In respect to helping out with allergies and sensitivities, here are some insights:

Once again, quality and formulation matters when it comes to functional mushrooms. I like to get mine in tincture form since that’s the most bioavailable. I use Mycodog tinctures since they’re organic, grown on natural substrate, and North American sourced. We rotate between their four blends constantly, and each has their own benefits. Plus, by rotating, you incorporate all the above mushroom and additional species that I didn’t even mention but that still have their own benefits such as Lion’s Mane and Red Belted Conk!

Astragalus & Ashwagandha

These two A-team adaptogens are beneficial as well! Astragalus root can help the immune system stay more resilient by supporting gut integrity and balancing that Th2 hyperactivity. Ashwagandha also helps balance the immune system and is anti-inflammatory.

What’s so exciting about adaptogens is that alone, they work well, but together they’re like a superhero team! They build on each other’s strengths to give the body the best support possible. Luckily, CBD Dog Health‘s full spectrum hemp extracts and Mycodog’s mushroom blends are formulated with additional adaptogens including astragalus and ashwagandha so give the body the support it needs.

The Buzz on the Bees

Local honey and bee pollen are potential additions to help with environmental sensitivities, but it really has to be local to do the job. Honey that is made by bees who collected nectar from local flowers will expose the body to trace amounts of the local pollen, which can help build an immunity to that irritant over time, kind of like a natural allergy shot. The same goes for the local bee pollen itself, but in a more potent product. This can take time, and unfortunately pollen can be expensive and difficult to collect, so be aware and look for deals at your local farmer’s market.

Colostrum

Colostrum can be a sensitive topic for some due to ethics, but it’s a product that could make a big difference for some pets. Colostrum is the first milk produced by cows within the first few days after they give birth. It’s full of antibodies and immune modulators that a calf needs to begin building their own immune system and has been shown in studies to improve gut barrier function. Below are some of the ways colostrum has been shown to be beneficial.

• Seals and restores the gut lining with help from growth factors such as IGF & TGF, which promote cellular repair and regeneration.
• Regulates the immune response through polypeptides that help rebalance function, and by modulating cytokine release (cytokines stimulate the release of histamine and increase inflammation).
• Has natural antihistamine effects by reducing mast cell degranulation (the process that releases histamine into the blood stream).
• Supports the microbiome by providing prebiotics that feed beneficial gut flora.

The ethical issue is that we don’t want to be taking large amounts of the much-needed colostrum from calves of course! Luckily, cows tend to produce more colostrum (about 15L) than a calf can drink (about 4L), and companies who are doing it right are only taking the extra supply. The takeaway here is to only buy colostrum from a company who humanely sources. You can learn more about the benefits of colostrum in my blog about, you guessed it, colostrum!

Holistic vs Conventional – You Choose!

It should now be clear that conventional approaches are only good for symptom suppression, while holistic and natural approaches actually take a root cause approach to targeting the underlying inflammation and immune dysfunction that leads to the development and expression of allergies and sensitivities for our pets.

In the end, we know that each of our furry family members are individuals and should have an approach to managing allergies and sensitivities that reflects their individual needs. When it comes to my own approach, conventional band-aids aren’t in the repertoire, because I know that Apoquel, Cytopoint, and hydrolyzed kibble diets aren’t the solution- they only perpetuate the problem. I’ll reach for holistic and natural remedies as often as possible and cheer every time I see an animal have improved quality of life with their application.