- If your dog has allergies, hotspots, or itchy feet,
then there are home remedies that you can try.
In fact, I would really encourage you to use them
because allergy drugs should only be used
as a very, very, like, very last resort
because they essentially disable your dog's immune system.
The last thing you want to do is have a dog
with allergies and cancer too.
So let's look at the top natural home remedies
for allergies.
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Okay, so I'm going to go through the list
from most likely to be effective, to the least likely.
And we're going to start with bovine colostrum.
Now, colostrum is found in the first milk
when babies are born
and it's there to help newborns' immune systems
and digestive tracts develop.
In fact, animals that are bottle fed are much more likely
to have allergies because they miss out on colostrum.
And the good news is colostrum has benefits
for adult animals too.
And that's because colostrum contains something called
proline rich polypeptide, or PRP.
Now, PRP changes the way that the immune system responds
to allergens like fleas or grass.
It helps switch off the immune response to allergens
and it reduces histamine.
Now, colostrum also contains antibodies to common allergens
and that's because cows develop antibodies
to pollen, fleas, and other allergens
that they're exposed to.
And they pass these antibodies to their calves
through colostrum, so the calves won't develop allergies
to otherwise harmless substances.
So when you give your dog colostrum,
he gets the same benefit.
Now colostrum works especially well for seasonal
or environmental allergies.
It usually comes in a powder and you can give your dog
about an eighth of a teaspoon per 25 pounds of body weight.
Twice daily is good and try to give it away from his meals
and maybe in a little broth.
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Now this next home remedy might surprise you
and surprised me too.
But medicinal mushrooms can really help dogs with allergies.
Some species of mushrooms like reishi, maitake,
and shiitake, contain a fiber called beta-glucan.
Now these beta-glucans, which are only found in mushrooms,
by the way,
can change the immune response to allergies.
They're adaptogens,
which means that they help the immune system
respond normally, which doesn't happen with allergies.
Now, maitake is a great adaptogenic mushroom
that balances the immune response,
while reishi contains compounds called triterpenoids,
that act like natural steroids
to inhibit histamine production.
Now, just sure that the mushrooms that you buy
contain the whole mushroom and aren't just mycellium.
They should also be hot water and alcohol extracted
to make sure that your dog gets the benefits
from the beta-glucans and triterpenoids.
These beneficial compounds have to be extracted
for your dog to use them.
So, you can't just use ground up mushrooms
and you want to give about 200 milligrams per 25 pounds
of body weight daily.
Next is quercetin.
Now this is a phytonutrient that's found in fruits
and plants and it's a pretty impressive antihistamine.
In fact, quercetin is called nature's Benadryl
because of its ability
to turn off the histamines that make dogs itchy.
Now, one of the best food sources that's also healthy
for dogs is apple skins,
but just make sure they're organic.
Now you could also give a supplement and I would give
about 160 milligrams of quercetin
for every 20 pounds of body weight.
Now, finally, is probably the most important home remedy
for allergies,
because you won't have much luck managing
your dog's allergies if you don't look at his gut health.
The bacteria living in your dog's gut are an important part
of his immune system.
And new research shows that the more diverse the species
of bacteria that live in the gut,
the lower the incidence of allergies.
In fact, some species of bacteria protect against allergies.
One of the biggest threats
to these beneficial bugs is antibiotics,
along with a lot of prescription drugs.
So it's really good that you're trying home remedies
before resorting to drugs for your dog's allergies.
And an important part of this is prebiotics and probiotics.
They'll help build more diverse communities
of bacteria in the gut,
which will help build a better immune response in your dog.
And some of the foods that you feed your dog
will also feed the beneficial colonies of bacteria.
So give your dog a daily serving of blueberries,
cruciferous veggies, and seeds,
because their fiber will feed the beneficial gut bacteria
and they're also healthy additions for your dog.
I recommend soil-based probiotics like Bacillus Subtilis
because it can survive the stomach acid
and it helps grow other species of bacteria,
which is exactly what you need to do in dogs with allergies.
Now, if you have any questions about your dog's allergies
or immune system,
just leave a comment and check out the links
for research and more information.
And if you like this video,
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Thanks for watching.