Collie Seasonal Allergies - Help Please

[DebB]

My rough collie Vinny is 9 years old, male, neutered (at appx. 12 weeks through shelter), 80 pounds.
BEAM is great! Moderately active, plays, loves walks and enrichment, eats very well, gentle, content and sociable.
Diet - 1/2 dry food grain free wild fowl, 1/2 whole cooked meat, veggies, some fruits, and some raw veg/fruit snacks. Whole foods added a year ago.
Vaccines started as puppy 8 weeks. Heartgard whole life. Flea/tick as needed and none over past 3 years. Seasonal allergies began shortly after a rabies vaccine (his second one, so he was 1 year old - rabies given in Aug, by end of Sept had severe allergic reactions). Each year since, he has symptoms end of Aug through sometime in Dec. We have lived in the midwest and the east coast and symptoms continue to happen at the same times.
Symptoms begin with licking/chewing back feet and scratching face. Progress to also chewing front feet. Feet become discolored and raw. Face can become bloody from repeat scratching with back feet.
Originally vet said to put on Benadryl which we were doing several times/day. He was very sleepy and didn't seem to cut out all the itch so had to also use some topical sprays (genticin?) for raw spots on feet. Next vet said to try Zyrtec, which he's been on ever since - 10 mg once/day. This seems to keep much more of the itch under control but not totally. We might need to use the topical spray 1-2 times/season.
Other concerns - Vinny is a double merle and was born both blind and deaf. He is extremely sensitive to anesthesia and sedation, and to many medications. The Zyrtec does make him more tired and a bit out of it cognitively, but it is better than his scratching and harming himself. Vinny also was diagnosed with rt side elbow arthritis this past year, but with diet and exercise changes, the severe limping is gone! yay!

I'm looking for some more natural alternatives and if possible a way to help his body overcome this allergic response. Vinny gets regular fun training sessions, walks, lots of sniffing and play. He also gets regular access to chiropractic care (every 6-8 weeks), healing touch for animals, TTouch, and craniosacral therapy as needed.

Any suggestions would be very appreciated. @Dr. jeff @Dr. Christina

Thank you!
Deb

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Deb!

Welcome to HA! and thanks for making your first post.

Vinny sounds like one super special boy. He's very lucky to have you.

Wow, a dominant (double gene) Blue Merle!! That makes him even more special.

Dog Coat Colour Genetics

with diet and exercise changes, the severe limping is gone!

Good work! Go Vinny...

I'm looking for some more natural alternatives and if possible a way to help his body overcome this allergic response.

Great. There's lots that you can do. A helpful place to start is with the 101 course that is in your member area. Then move over to the 2018 vitality, balance and homeopathy weekend seminar. It's all about balancing the immune system energetically to reduce allergies, arthritis, etc.

What are Vinny's absolute favorite things to do? Does he have a snuffle mat?

The Happiness Protocol is a very effective way to help with his allergies.

The Happiness Protocol in Your Pet's Life

At HA! we are committed to much more than helping pets become dis-ease free. We promote restoring and maintaining vitality, balance, energy, & happiness.

www.holisticactions.com

Breathing: A Powerful and Surprising Way to Increase Your Pet’s Health and Happiness - Holistic Actions!

www.holisticactions.com

 

[DebB]

Thank you @Dr. jeff . I love all the teaching you do about this Happiness Protocol and sniffing. Vinny's favorite thing to do is learning and practicing new tricks with me, and playing with his large stuffed toys. He knows dozens of tricks which he does through tactile cues, and believe it or not, he loves to catch his toys and then shake them all around! Oh, and he loves getting his bum rubbed too!

I am well-versed with double merles and blind/deaf dogs and I always do my best to give them the best quality of life. It's unfortunate that dogs are being bred this way, but I feel they still deserve the best lives. Vinny enjoys his sniff walks, and he has many snuffle toys - a mat, a basket, a snuffle ball and more enrichment.

I will review the 101 course - I have already completed it, but it's so full of great information that I'm sure I will glean some more information from it. I'll also search for the seminar you've mentioned, and then I'll come back here if I have further questions Thanks again - Deb

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thank you Deb for helping these pups have the best possible lives.

Thanks as well for sharing that beautiful pic.

 

[DebB]

@Dr. jeff I have a question. I have reviewed the 101 course and I'm listening to the homeopathy seminar and working my way through it.

My question is, how do I keep Vinny comfortable and not scratching himself raw without decreasing his vitality by giving zyrtec? Will it work to start him with some homeopathy while he's taking zyrtec? I'm guessing the zyrtec may cancel out any benefit of the homeopathy, and/or that I won't be able to see if his symptoms are changing if they are blocked by the zyrtec.

I am also guessing that it's important to use the homeopathy and other modalities while symptoms are present ... as in it won't work to wait and try to treat this pattern after the allergy season is over so he won't be scratching himself raw.

I hope that makes sense. I'm trying to understand how I can best help him without him being miserable and injuring himself in the meantime. Can you offer any clarity for me please? Thank you,

Deb

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Will it work to start him with some homeopathy while he's taking zyrtec?

Yes! They work in two totally different ways.

Drugs and supplements work on the physical level while homeopathy works on the energetic level.

I won't be able to see if his symptoms are changing if they are blocked by the zyrtec.

Yes, palliative drugs can make assessing the symptom more difficult. However, there are many ways to assess his progress. That's one of the reasons why working with aa trained vet homeopath is often best in chronic conditions.

it won't work to wait and try to treat this pattern after the allergy season is over so he won't be scratching himself raw.

You can actually do this as well. It will just severely slow the process.

Does that make sense? @Dr. Christina may be able to explain more clearly. And you and I can discuss this during an HMDM coaching call.

 

[GinnyW]

Let me take a whack at this: homeopathic remedies work by showing - giving a message - to the body overall, allowing it to deal with the itchy expression. The drugs merely suppress the itch, right there where it is without addressing the underlying systemic misfunction. But the homeopathic remedy adjusts the body's function to let it eventually just not react by itching - kinda like saying, "Hey, you don't need to do that..." It's a gradual awareness that develops, with prodding from the tiny remedy doses.

How wonderful that we can reach this boy on a deep level, regardless of his lack of conventional communication means. You're an angel for caring for him!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks Ginny!

 

[DebB]

Yes! They work in two totally different ways.

Drugs and supplements work on the physical level while homeopathy works on the energetic level.


Yes, palliative drugs can make assessing the symptom more difficult. However, there are many ways to assess his progress. That's one of the reasons why working with aa trained vet homeopath is often best in chronic conditions.


You can actually do this as well. It will just severely slow the process.

Does that make sense? @Dr. Christina may be able to explain more clearly. And you and I can discuss this during an HMDM coaching call.

So very fascinating - thank you for this. I'm a new member so I'm not exactly sure how the coaching calls work. I've been mostly watching the replays of the Q&A and Monday calls and loving them.

I need to find a vet in my area, but this is proving difficult. We do see a vet for chiro and acupuncture an hour away. I may need to find and do a virtual option.

Deb

 

[DebB]

Let me take a whack at this: homeopathic remedies work by showing - giving a message - to the body overall, allowing it to deal with the itchy expression. The drugs merely suppress the itch, right there where it is without addressing the underlying systemic misfunction. But the homeopathic remedy adjusts the body's function to let it eventually just not react by itching - kinda like saying, "Hey, you don't need to do that..." It's a gradual awareness that develops, with prodding from the tiny remedy doses.

How wonderful that we can reach this boy on a deep level, regardless of his lack of conventional communication means. You're an angel for caring for him!

Thank you Ginny - this is exactly what I'm looking for! And I'm so relieved to hear from Dr. Jeff that I can use both at the same time if necessary. I sure didn't want Vinny to be miserable while trying to clear up the underlying causes, since I know this can take some time.

Vinny is an amazing and very intuitive boy. He's a therapy dog, can alert to the medical conditions of others, and we have a lovely 2-way communication. It's not at all apparent that he's blind and deaf until he bumps into something. <3