Until holistic care is considered, it seems to be an endless battle of symptom suppression while searching for the next medication or change in diet to work. Usually with each passing season, the animal gets worse, the medications less effective and the diets a waste of money. This is not an uncommon cycle when the body is not taken care of as nature intended.

As the immune system struggles, it simply gets weaker and more burdened as time passes, until the whole body breaks down. It is also not uncommon to see the more serious diseases, such as cancer, in older dogs and cats with a history of allergies.

Once you understand how the immune system works, it becomes very clear why dog allergies and cat allergies are blamed for so many symptoms that are actually a reaction to a depressed immune system. What is so frustrating is that alopathically this is not recognized, and things are lumped under a diagnosis so that symptoms can then be treated, rather than addressing the whole body.

While the immune system is suffering, the kidneys and liver are involved. As these vital organs become burdened, through ingestion of by-products, rancid animal fats, and chemicals (common pet food ingredients) structural or negative emotional imbalances (prohibiting proper digestion), waste products continue to back up in the body. The skin, which is the largest eliminatory organ, than takes on the challenge of releasing these wastes. This can result in skin irritations in dogs and cats. The symptoms most often noticed are small red pimples, rashes and red spots, which lead to scratching and biting of the body, paws and face rubbing.

The eyes and ears are also representative of what is going on inside the body. As the body is overwhelmed, the eyes redden, the ears produce excessive wax and irritation, and the owner is often perplexed at the fact that there are no more allergens present, such as grass in the yard at that time of the year, yet their pet is still scratching and the vet is still claiming “allergies”!