Allergies...help me without steroids

[kmaot]

Hello. What natural methods or remedies have you used and with what success?

Thanks!

[littledmc17]

Steroids are horrible
try benadryl

[kmaot]

Hi littledmc. Thanks for the reply.

Assume I don't want to do the Benadryl (or that it has tried and failed). So what I actually want are natural rememdies to help bolster the immune system and counteract the inflammation.

One could even assume vaccinosis.

And not just "try fish oil"...I have. I would love to know dosages and heavy duty regimens.

Thanks gang

[LisaT]

What kind of diet and supplements are you using now?

[Maedchen]

Is there a holistic vet in your area? It would be good to start with detoxing the organs etc first, f.e. with chinese or western herbs, or look for a pract. that does <u>classical</u> homeopathy and can also give you guidance about natural diet etc.

It's not gonna be a quick fix. You don't just throw in a couple supplements and see immediate results- it might take years. You have to provide the best possible diet (home made if possible) and most def. avoid all vaccinations and pestice products (HW, flea/tick stuff). My girl took over 2 years until she was cured of her hotspots, swelling in the armpits, chronic eardischarge and "grass allergy". She wasn't cured bc of the supplements, they only helped to help herself, along with the diet and avoiding additional toxins.
Fish oil recom. I believe is 1g per 10lb bodyweight for inflamm. conditions. I'd also look into spirulina.

[Kava3]

I tried everything on Kaio that the vet gave me, he was itching and chewing horribly. Benadryl didn't work and neither did prednisone.
I now give him 1TBS of vinegar per day. I found out about it on a website. He doesn't itch or chew anymore and his coat is gowing back where he had chewed himself bald in places.

[BowWowMeow]

Braggs organic apple cider vinegar. Mix 1 to 1 with water and you can spray it on too.

[BowWowMeow]

To the OP: what kind of allergies? Can you be specific, even if you don't know what you're doing is allergic to--symptoms, etc.

[LisaT]

Here is Belfield's allergy program (www.belfield.com), from an email that someone sent me about 10 years ago:

For an Adult, Medium (20-50 lb) dog, give the following with the dog's meal:

Vitamin C: 1,500 to 3,000 mg (for a 45 lb dog, I'd give 2,700 mg)

Vitamin E: 200 I.U.

Comprehensive vit/min supplement (I use Theralin VMP vit/min tablets by Lambert Kay - you can get them cheapest from Cherrybrook 1-800-524-0820) Dose is 1 tablet per 20 lbs per instructions on the bottle. I STRONGLY suggest that you use only Theralin VMP. An owner who used a less comprehensive vit/min found that her dog did not respond for 3 weeks longer than any other dog on the program.

Also give BYS (garlic/yeast tablets) It's loaded with B vitamins. Also from Cherrybrook - Dose is 1 tablet per 10 pounds per instructions on the bottle. A side benefit is that it gives the dog's skin a smell that fleas and ticks find offensive, so they tend to stay off the dog. People cannot smell anything different.

I get the C & E at the drugstore. Don't bother to buy C with rose hips, according to Belfield it does nothing to help the C work. I do, however, buy the brand that says on the label, "No soy, no sugar, no preservatives, etc." Do not buy time released vitamin C. [Belfield actually uses sodium ascorbate.]

Give the above with food as vitamins are absorbed better that way and the food buffers the dog's stomach against the acidity of the vitamin C. If the dog's stool becomes mushy, it's the C. Back down on the dose and gradually over a week or so build it back up to the proper level.

The supplement program takes 5 weeks to totally strengthen the dog's immune system. I've seen dogs respond in a week and heard of one case where it took a Great Dane 7 weeks.


Modifications that can be used....

I used Vetriscience's Canine Plus multivitamin and Missing Link, and that worked like a charm. (Assuming no allergies to the ingredients in either of the two -- my GSD is allergic to brewer's yeast, and some dogs can't handle flax.)

I know someone else that got her dog off of steroids using Missing Link and the MegaC product that is sold on the Belfield site.

That BYS product above also contains zinc and biotin, very good for allergies: http://www.botanicaldog.com/proddetail.php?prod=BREWERS

I think a good bioflavanoid product also helps, this is the one I use: http://www.nowfoods.com/Products/Sup...ts/M003398.htm

Of course this is all based on a foundation of a good quality food that the dog is not allergic to.

[kmaot]

Hello. Thanks for the responses. Sorry for the delay!
Well my male licks his paws a fair amount. Chews them actually. Skin is very dry and the fish oil is just not helping. There are no thyroid issues as this has been tested.

At times there will be a terrible itchiness all over without sign of "anything" per se. No parasites.

We have used fish oil and probiotics on and off. Not likely on a regular enough basis to see a marked improvement.