Allergies in Dogs

Is Your Dog Itching constantly?

The definition of "Frustration" is an Itchy Dog.

You have read almost everything that you can and have talked to as many pet professionals as possible in an attempt to find a solution for your dog's itchy misery. When you take a look at the top 10 treated medical conditions in dogs, you will find that the top 3 insurance health issues all relate directly to the presence of allergy. Namely, ear infection, skin allergy and skin infection or hot spots.

As any dog owner and veterinarian will tell you, very often it may be easier to know that your paw chewing, itching, skin & ear issue pet has allergies, than to actually determine the true source of your pet's allergy suffering.

So, armed with this information, that you now know the enemy, off you go in pursuit of those allergy enemies that are causing your dog's, and your misery. You begin by considering fleas, but your groomer says that your dog does not have fleas. You try various shampoos, which seem to provide some short term relief, but the itching always comes back. You have read about food allergies and intolerance, and have tried various special diets, but they just don't seem to be able to turn your dog's itchy condition around.

As you review your checklist of potential allergy sources, you find one major source still to be explored. You find to your surprise, that dogs also suffer from the same elements that us humans suffer from; namely, allergy to environmental sources. In fact, your research indicates that 85% of all itchy allergy canines are allergic to the same pollens, mites and mold spores that you are! Voila, we are now hot on the allergy trail! But, when you look closer, you find that these pesky environmental allergy elements are not the easy push over that you thought they would be. In fact, they are very stubborn, almost hard wired into your dog's immune system. You read further and find suggested treatment options include medicines, that only mask symptoms on a short term basis and have nasty side effects, steroids that have a whole other set of risks, and costly allergy skin testing, followed by daily allergy shots, which do work, but are to say the very least are not very pet or pet owner friendly.

Fortunately, modern medicine, both human and animal have also recognized and know this allergy enemy and have trained their sights directly at it's neutralization. You see, most physicians, veterinarians and Human & Animal Clients are familiar with subcutaneous immunotherapy, or Allergy Shots, for treating allergies. This method of immunotherapy has dominated the human and pet allergy field in the United States for more than 50 years. Human and canine allergy shots are clinically proven, time tested and offer the only therapy option which is actually drug free, treats the underlying cause of the allergic disorder, stops the progression of allergy, and neutralizes the disease at its source. But, as anyone will tell you, no one likes shots, especially dogs! It is because of their ouch factor that subcutaneous immunotherapy translates to less than a 30% completion rate for humans; for dogs, it is most likely even less.

Fortunately for humans and dogs alike, there is a new, human-friendly and pet-friendly method of immunotherapy delivery, it is called Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT). Sublingual Immunotherapy is a method of allergy treatment that introduces allergy extracts into the body via the thin mucosal barrier of the mouth. From here, they are absorbed directly into the blood stream, avoiding first-pass liver metabolism and prompting a reduced underlying immune system sensitivity to offending allergens.

Recently, several major human medical organizations have critically reviewed the evidence of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) and have published statements supporting the clinical efficacy and safety of this treatment.

Unfortunately for dogs, there have been virtually no studies in veterinary medicine, which explore if sublingual immunotherapy delivery works, nntil now. It seems, that the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine Dermatology Clinic has been working to discover if SLIT is effective for atopic dermatitis (AD), which is the common, itchy skin disease of dogs that is caused by allergies.

University of Wisconsin-Madison veterinary dermatologist Dr. Douglas DeBoer presented preliminary study abstract results at the 24th Annual Congress of the European College of Veterinary Dermatology, which indicated that sublingual immunotherapy delivery is not only pet friendly and well-tolerated, but also produces approximately the same improved allergy response rate, if not faster, than those expected from conventional allergy shots in the immune-neutralization of dust mites in trial dogs.

For Dr. Kristin Holm, Veterinary Dermatologist and Medical Director for Healthy GOO, this is good news. "In my practice, I have long recognized that the majority of animal illnesses and health challenges have their basis in some sort of immune irregularity, with the most common immune imbalance being environmental allergies, i.e. atopic dermatitis. I also know that while allergy shots do work, because pet owners are required to administer their dog's allergy shots, together with the ouch factor, many pet owners simply do not take advantage of this therapy. For me, this has always been a major source of frustration," explains Dr. Holm. "When Stephen approached me with his concept for a canine immune system health supplement, which uses pet-friendly and pet owner-friendly sublingual delivery to build immune system tolerance to environmental allergens, I was immediately interested."

To address this suffering canine population, Healthy GOO, an innovative pet healthcare company, introduces its veterinary dermatologist-formulated, Doggy GOO ™. Doggy GOO ™ is the first-ever, premium canine immune system health supplement that sublingually leverages the adaptive abilities of the dog's immune system to build immune system tolerance to common pollens, mites and mold spores. It also simultaneously targets, supports and balances the Innate, Acquired and GUT Tiers of the dog's immune system. And best of all, the "GOO" in Doggy GOO™ is 100% Natural Organic Peanut butter.

Dr. Holm states "A dog's immune system is capable of defending and fighting off most of what life throws at it every day. But, Mother Nature can always use a little extra help. With these preliminary clinical results demonstrating the clinical and pet-friendly effectiveness of sublingual delivery, we are excited to offer pet owners a Pet Friendly, 100% natural allergy care option before they consider cyclosporine, steroids, or even shots".

So in your fight against canine allergies, modern human and animal medical science has been working hard to provide you and your dog with a natural allergy care option that just might dislodge those nasty elements that are causing your Dog itch like crazy!

Whether you have an "Allergy Stressed Dog", or wish to pre-emptively build immune tolerance to the possibility of environmental allergies in your puppy, it is now possible to Give your Best Friend a Healthy GOO Glow with Doggy GOO!

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