Itchy nose? Watery eyes? Rashy skin? Sounds familiar, right? While it may seem surprising, your pet can also experience allergy issues many people experience. The good news is that a dog’s allergies are easy to treat using the same allergy remedies used for people. From the most common to some of the more unusual, dogs can typically be treated using natural remedies such as acidophilus, evening primrose oil, omega-3 fats, and coconut oil.
Dog Allergy Remedies
Catching a pet’s allergic response early on is one of the most important steps to fighting allergies. In some cases, you may notice symptoms of allergies in your pet before it develops to a systemic response, which allows you to begin treating immediately and avoid additional vet visits. However, if you pet is red, itchy, and swollen, you should probably head to the vet with the animal to get a more thorough diagnosis. In any event, though, natural cures are helpful supports for safely and effectively alleviating allergy issues in pets. Consider trying acidophilus, evening primrose oil, omega-3 fats, and coconut oil to treat your pet’s allergy symptoms.
1. Acidophilus
Acidophilus is a form of good bacteria that helps balance the body’s immune system. When the natural bacteria is “in check” in the gastrointestinal tract, your pet’s immune system functions more optimally. You can find acidophilus in the form of a dietary supplement and even in yogurt or food forms for your pet.
2. Evening Primrose Oil
Evening primrose oil has active anti-inflammatory and anti-itch compounds. You can apply primrose oil to you animal’s skin to treat dry or itchy skin issues. Likewise, giving your pet evening primrose oil by mouth helps calm allergies and boost the immune system.
3. Omega-3 Fats
Omega-3 fatty acids are more balanced, complex fats than other forms. These supplements help decrease inflammation and relieve allergic responses throughout the body. Omega-3s are especially helpful for treating seasonal allergies. Consider using krill, salmon, or tuna oil as a dietary supplement or topical application for your pet.
4. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is another complex fat. This blend contains lauric acid, which actually helps fight the production of yeast, a common inflammatory component. Coconut oil also helps decrease inflammation and can be used internally and externally for treating your pet’s allergy issues.
How Can I Stop My Dog From Chewing His Paws?
If your dog is chewing or licking his paws, it might be from allergies in the environment. Rinsing your dog’s paws after she or he returns from the walk may help immensely.
Other Options
If dietary changes and home remedies don’t work in improving your dog’s itchy skin, especially if his/her immune system has been compromised and weakened, ask your vet about a Cytopoint injection, which treats itchy skin and atopic dermatitis in dogs with minimal side effects. One shot, though quite expensive, lasts 4-8 weeks.
What Types of Allergies Are Common in Pets?
The two most common forms of allergies that your pet may experience are food allergies and environmental allergies. As a general rule of thumb, seasonal allergies are situated within the “environmental” category of allergies.
Allergies of any type are an overreaction of the immune system, in which the immune system identifies the allergen as a foreign substance that it must eliminate. As the animal’s body tries to fight this substance, the reactions in the form of allergy symptoms occur.
Several different types of pet allergies are relatively common including dust mite sensitivity and sensitivity to chemicals such as latex or aerosol. Nonetheless, the absolutely most common allergies that may be affecting your pet are environmental allergies that include ragweed, grass, pollen, mold, and trees.
What Kind of Symptoms Will My Pet Exhibit If It Has Allergies?
Much like you experience allergy symptoms, animals do too. The symptoms your pet exhibits may vary depending on the specific allergy it has, but generally animal allergy symptoms are relatively common. Some of the symptoms that your pet may exhibit include inflammation in the sinuses or airways, coughing, excess mucus, nasal discharge, runny eyes, swollen eyes, redness in the paws or belly, and itching and scratching. Bowel issues are also common in relation to environmental allergies and may include issues such as vomiting and diarrhea.
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Below you will find user submitted natural remedies for pets with allergies. Our most popular treatment for allergies in humans, apple cider vinegar, is also very effective for pets. Many users have also suggested dietary changes for your cat or dog; food allergies to certain brands are quite common. Please let us know if you try any of the remedies mentioned below for your beloved pet!
I now have a chorky a chihuahua + yorkie, she has horrible allergies airborne she will bit, nip, scratch till she looks like she has mainge! She came into my life to make me as happy to have a lil` girly girl again she was right around 8 weeks, I noticed she had this tiny little bump no bigger than the tip of ball point pen. months later I noticed it had grown and split into 2 bumps still small I got nerveous and had her checked out while I was in Georgia and she said it was a cysts and could be removed but was small that it may go away or grow but was nothing dangerous, we'd watch it and if it got worse or painful she'd remove it. well what seemed like overnight [and was a couple months later] it not only grew but ruptured! Omg I didn't see it go from an eraser size to a bump split wide open oMg, I cried, cleaned it up and poor baby she looked at mommy with sad eyes, they said that was good to release and put her on antibiotics I kept it clean and researched!!
I found Turmeric I purchased my from Health xxx site vitamins etc, … it was purest form and I sprinkled it in her food and WoW never had one again 4 years later she had a small one and after a few couple and a half years i didn't think she should be on it for life so I quit giving it to her and a couple months ago she had a small one. So I'm going back to Tumeric, guess my point was that it's healing properties are for cysts, tumors, cancer, and more! I just noticed that her ear seemed darker and bumpier than her other one and she's never been one to allow her ears to be manipulated to see inside, she's all black lol and disapears in a shadow, lol. there seems to be a tint of what I can't be sure of but either from her scratching or there is something irritated I pray thats the only reason is irratation! But Tumeric is extremely dooable price I paid …4 years ago was around $8 and some change, was on sale but a larger pouch size of a bag of salad croutons. research the amount you'd need for your pet and sprinkle it in their food, she never seemed to not like it.
Good Luck. I hope my story tho long but hopefully helpful! Tc & gb!
Hi There,
i just wanted to share this remedy for allergies. My cat is allergic to pretty much every food known to man, he was tested, even rice, corn, and I heard on the radio in London, BBC Radio London, The Barking Hour, that raw green tripe helps bring dogs out of allergies. So, I tried it on my cat. It has helped so much, he has never been better, not totally allergy free but much better even than when he was on steroids. He has been my "project" for the last eleven years and I cannot say how relieved we both are for the tripe. Here in London, it gets delivered from Mobile Pet Food, minced and frozen. So you just thaw it out, I mix it with quarter tsp coconut oil, courgettes, pinch kelp and sometimes some lamb heart ( he can tolerate a bit more 'normal' food now)
Grate fresh turmeric root on your pet's food to treat allergies. Protects the liver and reduces inflammation. I heard fresh pepper makes it more assumable but I am not giving it to my dog without a few vets weighing in on it. I'm a 10 yr veterinary technician with a blue pit bull myself who has terrible allergies. It comes down to a toxin in their environment working its way out of them and a faulty immune response. Find the culprit and remove it or antigen therapy may be needed. Building up tolerance and immunity to the allergen. Do not use essential oils with them. Doesn't work the same. I grate half a root for my 110lb dog.
One of my dogs has severe skin allergies and his skin tends to get infected at times, especially in the spring and summer. I can usually keep it in check with turmeric capsules, fish oil and a tea tree oil containing hotspot spray, but his skin continues to flare along his spine, ribs and tail. I recently had to do a round of antibiotics from the vet to stop the infection from spreading and it really threw his system off. His skin smelled terrible after that, even with probiotics. Then a friend recently suggested I try spraying 20 ppm (parts per million) Colloidal Silver several times a day.
I put 20 ppm CS (undiluted) in a spray bottle with a fine mist and I spray the colloidal silver on all the areas he is having skin issues (quite a large area). I do not towel the CS off.
Colloidal Silver is the first remedy I have tried that is working wonders on a recurring skin condition. I spray him with CS 3 times a day, parting his fur to make sure the CS gets directly to the problem skin. I started to see improvement in 48 hours. His skin is no longer red, the flaking has stopped completely and his smell is back to normal!
P.S. When you buy the colloidal silver in a store, make sure the color of the liquid is yellow. They tend to sell Colloidal silver in blue or brown bottles so it is impossible to tell the color of the liquid inside until you get home and open it. But 20 ppm TRUE colloidal silver is yellow… 320-500 ppm is copper colored. You will have to dilute the stronger concentrations of CS but instructions are usually given on the label. If the liquid is clear, you have bought ionic silver and not colloidal silver.
Hope this information helps some of the dogs suffering from skin infections and issues.
My dog has had skin ALLERGIES soooo bad FOREVER– (since 8wks old she is now 2—-itchy eyes like goggles, hot spots on her front paws and YEASTY ears/skin – also inflammed itchy lips)- I went though TONS of natural remedies for red mange/YEAST/allergies (because the symptoms can mimic each other) including but not limited to—- coconut oil, ACV, elimination diets, supplements, essential oils— you name it – I tried it— did TEDS Mange treatment, and have been making her food ( ground turkey with cruciferous veggies only …even with all of the evening primrose, immune support anti yeast probiotic protocols, even making 24 hr fermented homemade yogurt!!!
For all I was doing I was seeing small improvements where it would DEFINITELY improve but not go away completely— no REAL RESULTS that I could say WOW – that worked–my husband who makes fun of my 13 hour research sessions for our pup has been giving Stella a raw egg once a day for the last week with her breakfast. – PROBLEM SOLVED —no joke— I can't even believe it! AMAZING!!!!
Natural dog skin allergy cures
Why r u not recommending turmeric in the dog's food and in pill form for eye and skin rashes. I found it to work in just a few days.
My dog had a very bad rash all over his body plus runny ichy eyes..I started putting turmeric in his food and within three days eyes started clearing up and his skin returned 98% clear..I'm still trying other herbs to clear up the rest….THIS was after spending almost $2000.00 at a vet.
Are u using the powder or root
WORKED TEMPORARILY
After learning more about K9 allergies from this site. I had my Jack Russell Clothes FREE & Bucket Head Free, for 3 wks. She was ROCKIN!!! I feed Raw, doing the yogurt, apple cider vinegar, Diatomaceous Earth. Omegas, all in her food. Bentonite Mud body masks, apple cider/ water/ tea tree body sprays. She has had a SERIOUS RELAPSE. For the past week she is Chewing & Scratching herself to the point to open wounds over her body. She is back wearing clothes & back to her bucket head. I'll be buying a muzzle today for her as well. I Need HELP!!! Both of Us are Worn Out.
Hello Janice,
Did you keep up with all the RAW and DE and body masks and then the symptoms came back when you stopped?
If you have continued with the program and the itching came back despite the RAW diet et al, you might consider a few additional dietary supplements. Consider yucca and quercetin for the inflammation, and also colostrum to help build the immune system.
Maybe a it's a lot for the system … I do know that when my Bells gets a hot spot she gets caught in a scratch and turns her brows upwards in a look saying" I don't have fleas… I swear! "
Vinegar works great for us, and wheat free. Stress never fails to set her back though.😇
Have you tried bovine colostrum? it's the miracle cure in our house. My cat has almost doubled his life expectancy of 2 yrs. I haven't used it for allergies but I know it claims to work for them.
Everyone with any animal with skin allergies….Please please feed your animals with tumeric. Add a half teaspoon to their food twice daily. My chow mix weighs 110 lbs This summer notice Max itching slot and both eyes were watering. Like everyone else we went straight to the vet. His entire stomach was red with sores and the sores were on his chin and also throughout his thick hair. The vet gave him medicine that was over a hundred dollars per script. We went through several scripts and had only partial results. I read about turmeric that also contained pepper. Within 3 days eyes were back to normal within 10 days almost all the rashes were cleared up I've since started making my own 500 ml. Capsules also adding 10% clove. It works unbelievable…I also have started taking them myself and have notice a HUGE improvement in my arthritis pain……..It works trust me everyone should at least try it on their pets….If u make your own capsules it only cost pennies to make. Amazon has the empty capsules cheap they r OO caps and the filling tool runs around $20 it takes me about 20 minutes to fill 50 caps….
Good Morning Jeffrey,
Could you please share the ratio of the turmeric and pepper you used? And can u share the brand of capsules? Thanks a bunch
Jeffrey, Please, please..I'm desperate here…Since I don't know if all tumeric is created equal, could you please give some more specifics? My 7 yr old blue nose that I just adopted has the same problems your pup had. Just ended the 2nd dose of prednisone with antihistime and 3 days later she is a mess. how much pepper??
This is about evening primrose and my dogs allergies
Hi,
i came across this site when I was looking for remedies to help my Staffordshire Bull terriers itching.
His allergies first came to our attention when we noticed a bald patch on his hind leg.He was very red on his belly, ears and eyes. Runny nose. We took him to the vet and through his insurance got him tested for everything. His main allergies are Dustmites, Storage mites( found in dry food ) wheat, and some seasonal grasses, and leaves. We started off on the prescribed vets tablets, but I thought there must be something better for my young dog. He was only 5-6 months at the time. I found this site and started him on Evening Primrose 1000mg plus Chlorphenamine ( antihistamine 4mg)with his food in the morning and 500mg Evebing Primrose and an anthistamine in his second meal. I stopped feeding my birds bread as he would happily eat the leftovers( wheat)got him on a raw food diet( natures menu frozen nuggets) wipe him with wipes after every walk to get any allergens off. Even sausage treats whilst training him were stopped as sausages have breadcrumbs in them. So really it's all trial and error, but he is 19months old now, And his symptoms are well and truly at bay and bald patches are no more!
So thankyou for the information on your site, it has changed my beautiful dogs life.
Nickyadams6, you are lucky. You got on your dogs problem so soon. Some people go for years before finding a solution to skin problems. You have to try something then if that dosen't work try something else. But a good place to start is always the diet and then the environment. Good luck for the future.
Nickyadams6, you are lucky you got on your dog's problem so soon. Some people go for years before finding a solution to skin problems, you have to try something then if that doesn't work, try something else, but a good place to start is always the diet and then the environment. Good luck for the future.
T's Skin Cleanse –
This recipe was created after reading through EC's pages paying particular attention to Ted's advice for skin issues in dogs. The basic recipe consists of hydrogen peroxide, borax, Epsom salt, and Milk of Magnesia.
Take one 16oz bottle of 3% drugstore hydrogen peroxide and dilute it with 32 oz of water to get a 1% solution of hydrogen peroxide.
To this add 1 cup each of the borax, Epsom salt and Milk of Magnesia.
I will make up a vat of this at one time, filling a medium sized plastic storage tub with the solution, using up an entire box of borax, entire bag of the Epsom salt, 2-3 bottles of Milk of Magnesia and half a dozen bottles of hydrogen peroxide; when filling a bin/vat/tub I tend to add more water to bring the level up in the tub I am using. It helps to use HOT water to mix up the borax to get it to dissolve.
When the ingredients are all mixed and I have a nice, toasty dip for my pack, I wash each dog first, squeegy off excess water with my hands and then into the tub full of skin cleanse dip they go. I keep them there for at least 10 minutes and pour the solution over them constantly.
I use the solution in any skin folds, the male's prepuce, tight areas around the tail, and also inside the ears to flush out debris and cleanse the inside of the ears. After time is up I take them out of the tub and let them run around the bathroom wet while I dip the next dog. When you make up a big tub, it helps to do multiple dogs to get your money's worth.
If the solution gets cold, I pour some into a pot and put it on the stove and reheat it, and then mix it back into the big vat and on to the next dog. Having the dog standing in the solution, or for smaller dogs to be up to their chin in the solution, helps treat the entire skin and having them stand in the wet working solution for at least 10 minutes allows the active ingredients to really penetrate the dermis for a good deep cleaning. The solution has about a 24 hour 'working' life, and after that time I pour it down the drain.
I have found this skin cleanse dip to nip an allergy break out on the skin in the bud, and also relieve itching to boot. Because of the hydrogen peroxide this may not be the ideal solution for black show dogs, as it will bleach their black coat into a dull red.
I am caretaking my brother's Shih-Tzu, who is the sister of my own Shih-Tzu. I know that skin problems are genetic because I struggle with periodic scabs on my dog. However, My brother's dog has an absolutely horrible skin problem where she is bald in 30 percent of her body and the skin is sticky and smells horrendous. I too have assisted him and tried everything-yesterday I bought vetricin which was recommended by my groomer. Its safe to spray areas where the dog will lick. I just gave her her second bath in Miconazolle-type shampoo and let it sit on her for 15 minutes-then dried her and sprayed again with Vetricin. I shall keep you posted.
I wanted to mention-I see a lot of posts about changing the diet. I have a lab mix that was my husband's when we met. For the first 3 years that I've had her-she's had a chronic ear problem where gobs of gunk would come out of her left ear-everyday.
Finally her ear is better! After several vet appointments and ointments-washes-etc….a new vet suggested that she may have a food allergy and said that most of the time the allergy is CHICKEN!!
She hasn't had chicken in 2 years and her ear is clean as a whistle.
My dog had that smell combined with itching and it was a yeast infection. I gave her baths with tar shampoo for humans and rinsed her before she was finished with white vinegar. Also, added plain yogurt to her non-grain diet. Research earth clinic animal yeast infection for more details.
We have had Dilly, our rescue Lhasa Apso, for 9 months. She had been used for breeding then abandoned. She is about 4 years old and has had a very bad start she came with a very seriously dry red inflamed skin.
So far we have put her on a grain free diet give her mega 3 6 9 shampoo her in organic chemical free products keep her hair short give her cider vinegar … she is about 75% improved in the 9 months we have had her but she can't stop licking and scratching … I am unsure if she is getting a recurring mite as her skin will flare up look very red and angry then go very dry – she won't sleep on her own and is keeping us awake night after night. I just want to get her well as she can be.
Please can you help? I have booked to see a homeopathic vet in July earliest I can get photo how she was when she was found … how she was when we adopted her And how she is now when not flaring up.
Hello Merice,
You might try bathing her and using a vinegar rinse – or dipping her in a vat of vinegar solution; rinse or dip should be 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water- for topical use I use the white vinegar.
Also while you have changed the diet to grain free, you might consider changing protiens as some dogs do not tolerate beef while others do not tolerate poultry. So change it up and try feeding one bag [ie beef] and then when it runs out try a different bag [ie chicken] and keep a daily log to note any changes.
Merice, I would try probotics and here in aussie we can buy curash – its a powder for itchy skin its actually for babies. I have used it for my dogs and it has helped a lot. Maybe you can buy it there or something similar.