Allergic reactions to substances are as common among pet companions as they are among human beings.
Just like us, animals can react to a particular substance, item, or emotion. ie food, inhalant, flea bite, thunder, etc.
What is an Allergy? It's a defect in the immune system; an over reaction to a foreign substance - one that the energy system does not recognize.
The energy system and the brain of the animal may interpret any item or experience as harmful. The energies of the animal's immune system spring immediately into action and set out to defend the body, to prevent the allergen from entering deeper into the body.
"The immune system," says Dr. Bernard Straile, DC, "senses the invasion and floods the body's cells with the disease-fighting protein IgE in an effort to restore energy balance." The immune system defense mechanism is wonderful. It's usually successful and all returns to normal. It's when the immune system is overwhelmed, stressed out, that symptoms appear and we know that something is not right.
Symptoms are as varied in animals as they are in humans. Cats may react differently than dogs. Additional allergies may appear as an animal ages. Here are a few, general symptoms for starters:
Food Reaction: diarrhea, vomiting, scratching any part of the body, dermatitis, irritability, eating weird things (deficiencies)
Inhalant Reaction: scratching, rubbing the face against the floor, coughing, sneezing, wheezing
Contact Reaction: hair loss, blisters or abscesses
FleaBite Reaction: scratching/biting the lower back, tail area, stomach; hot spots
Emotional Reaction: change in behavior such as timidity, aggressiveness; eating weird things.
Allergy triggers for the animal are as endless as they are for us humans. Examples: molds, mildews, the house dust mite. In spring time, when everything is flourishing: tree, grass, weed pollens. The animal's bedding is known to trigger a reaction. Dr. Doug Knueven, DVM, states that an allergic reaction he witnessed was the result of bisphenol in some pull-top cans of cat food. And now that there is the "super size" distemper shot, any item in that shot may produce an allergic reaction.
Treating animals with allergies is similar to treating allergic reactions in humans. The veterinarian may recommend steroids, hypoallergenic shampoo, allergy shots, food trials.
Pet Vibes, with its bio-feedback system, advocates an alternative approach, epigenetic modulation.