Dog Allergies
A Conundrum Indeed!

Dog allergies is a diagnosis that covers many things. When your vet says your dog has allergies it's a way to explain a whole range of dog health problems, like dog rashes, dog itchy skin, dog hot spots, dog hair loss, chronic dermatitis, and more.

Any dog who has problems like these, is not a healthy dog. Bottom line!

Dogs shouldn't have these problems at all.

Dogs are having more allergic reactions than ever before and the canine allergies epidemic is getting worse, not better.

Dog Allergy Symptoms

Dog allergies may be characterized by these symptoms.

• itching, scratching
• rashes
  
• sneezing and nasal discharge
• red eyes
• ear problems
  
• swollen itchy paws
• bad body odor
  
• oozing skin sores ( hot spots )
  
• digestive system disorders

The Dog Allergy Problem
Appears to Be a Riddle

To understand the mystery, let's look at the definition of Conundrum so you can see why I use that word to describe the dog allergy problem.

• A riddle whose answer has an unexpected twist.
  
• A truth that evades resolution, an intricate and difficult problem

So why is it so hard to solve dog allergy symptoms? Because...

According to

Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary:

An allergy is a condition of unusual sensitivity to a substance or substances which, in like amounts, do not affect others.

In other words, your dog is reacting to substances which really shouldn't, under normal circumstances, bother him.

Remember these words ..." under normal circumstances ".

What Is An Allergen?

Allergens are usually protein substances but, can be non organic things too, such as light, cold and heat. An allergen is any substance which causes an allergic reaction. Allergens can be the underlying cause of other dog health problems too. There are three main types of dog allergies.

Allergens cause inflammation. The allergy symptoms will show up as inflammation either externally ( on the outside of the body  ) or internally ( on the inside of the body  )

• inflammation of the eyes (conjunctivitis)
• inflammation of the ears ( otitis )
• inflammation of the skin ( dermatitis )
  
• inflammation of the digestive system ( gastritis, enteritis )
  
• inflammation of the anal glands ( anal sacculitis )
• inflammation of the intestinal system ( colitis, IBD, Crohn's )
  
• joint inflammation and pain ( arthritis )
  
• inflammation of the respiratory system such as sneezing, coughing, breathing problems ( bronchitis )
  

Dog allergy reactions are the same as human allergy reactions. Dogs and people have an Immune System to help fend off and protect against invading allergens and pathogens. If this is not happening, it means your dog's immune system...

• is unable to work hard enough,
• or is reacting incorrectly to what should be a harmless substance 

If that's the case, then the reactive allergy symptoms that you can see are not the real problem. The real problem lies with your dog's immune system. Since 70 % of your dog's Immune System resides within his gut micro biome environment, let's start there!

1. That would make the allergen that causes the inflammation, a symptom, wouldn't it?.
2. It would also make Immune System malfunction a symptom too, wouldn't it?
3. So logically, the gut microbiome imbalance would be the root source of your dog's allergy problem. Right?

The allergy response therefore, is not the real problem. Your dog's allergy symptoms are the result of an imbalance in the gut micro biome, which has...

1. created a gut flora ( bacteria ) imbalance 
2. damaged the intestinal mucosal lining creating dysbiosis aka leaky gut
   
3. caused your dog's immune system to stop working efficiently, or even worse, work against itself ( autoimmune ).

You only noticed a problem when your dog started exhibiting outward symptoms, but the truth is, that the allergy problem started long before that. This is ' the twist ' to dog allergies. The problem started with and remains deep inside your dog's gut microbiome.

Here's How You Can Solve
the
Conundrum of Canine Allergies

So if you have an itching dog or any of the other dog allergy symptoms listed above, your goal should be to get back to more normal healthy circumstances.

Forget about trying to get rid of your dog's allergy symptoms. Focus on restoring balance to your dog's gut microbiome.

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Affiliate disclosure

This is our beautiful English Springer Spaniel named Pager. He came to us when he was about 4 with one of the worst cases of dog allergies that I have ever seen.

It took about 2 years for Pager to fully recover from his itching, scratching, oozing, smelly odor, hair loss, ear infections, diarrhea, sinus and breathing problems.

Pager's previous owner had done extensive allergy testing. He was allergic to almost everything. Pager's allergies included substances from all three types of dog allergies.

Here are some examples of what he was allergic to...cats, grass, household dust, beef, chicken, common summer pollens, mold, his own skin dander and saliva. He was allergic to himself!

So you tell me...how was I supposed to eliminate all those allergens? I had cats, dust, grass and a dog who was allergic to himself!

YIKES!!!

As I said, it took about 2 years to get Pager back to  more ' normal circumstances '. It wasn't fun for him or me, but we did it.

It took a lot of patience, persistence and trust in the body's own ability to heal itself when given the right help.

Pager passed away at 16, leaving me heart broken but I am so grateful that he had 12 wonderful years living allergy symptom free.

It has been the pleasure of my life to have been able to return a dog as sick as Pager was, back to good health so he could enjoy 12 wonderful years free of the health problems that plagued him throughout his younger years.

  Pager lived the rest his life free of allergy symptoms and cured from Candida Albicans which made a mess of his Immune System and gut microbiome.

All dogs are wonderful.

Some dogs are special.

Pager, your place in my heart is your special place forever!