Allergies to dogs and cats:
When I first graduated from the vet 20 years ago, it seemed to me that I know how to treat every disease in animals known to man. For several years in suburban practice, I was quickly taught me the mistakes of my thinking - and the biggest stumbling block I had ever encountered was trying to treat skin allergies in dogs and cats. I quickly realized that the side effects of most of my treatments worsened quickly than the initial disease itself. It was against this background that I was forced to look deeper in order to look for an invisible cause of allergy.
Allergies are mostly “inappropriate” or “excessive diligence” of animal responses. (or persons) of the immune system. The reaction is caused by exposure to certain chemical or organic agents, commonly referred to as "allergens." Genetics certainly plays a role in pretreatment of an animal for the development of allergy, but the environment and food will be extremely decisive to what extent the allergy is expressed.
Allergies to pets are divided into several different categories, but almost all allergies have a common expression - chronic allergic skin disease (allergic dermatitis or “eczema”). Allergies can be caused by airborne allergens (atopic dermatitis), by direct contact with the skin (contact allergies), exposure to certain foods (food allergies), or exposure to parasites (for example, flea allergy dermatitis). A skin disease model can vary widely, but subtle differences can help determine which type of allergy is associated. The classic signs of allergy include generalized itching, chewing on the feet, wrinkling of the face and face, dermatitis of the inner legs, stomach and armpits, chronic ear infections, hot spots and most recently asthma in cats.
Traditional veterinary procedures for the treatment of allergic skin diseases included the use of drugs such as cortisone, antibiotics, antihistamines, antiparasitic drugs and local medical shampoos. A good old “bucket on the head,” known more professionally as an Elizabethan collar, has also been widely used to prevent personal injury. More recently, testing of known allergens has become popular, and the use of de-sensitization (the gradual exposure to diluted forms of a known allergen) has shown some success. Recognition of the role of essential fatty acids (primarily omega-3 fatty acids) and their inclusion as a food additive also showed some promise. But in general, allergic skin disease is still one of the most common and frustrating, veterinary complaints that pet owners bring to the lounge. One unfortunate reality of allergies is that, despite all the advances in modern medicine, allergies are still considered a “chronic” disease, which means that “no” allergy treatment, the best we can hope to do is “control "An expression of allergies and limit the use of medications necessary for this.
Understanding the immune system:
The key to controlling allergies is understanding how and why they occur. As already mentioned, allergy is an inappropriate immune response to a specific allergen — a reaction that is not “programmed” into the immune system according to the basic genetic code, but a “scientific” or “random” occurs. The study of the immune system (immunology) is a fascinating science, and one that provided most of the information that governs modern medical advances. One of the fascinating facts about the immune system is that it works almost equally in all types of animals - from humans to fish. This is an ancient and untouched genetic code and is designed to "protect" the animal from disease and to assist in repair.
A full description of how the immune system works is beyond the scope of this article, but a very simplified review will help you understand allergies. In very rough conditions, the immune system can be divided into 2 parts. One part is involved in the creation of antibodies - cells that produce special proteins that are specifically designed to "recognize" specific foreign molecules (for example, bacteria or viruses), which are called "antigens." The body has millions of different cells (B-lymphocytes) that produce different types of antibodies that protect us from infection, and these antibodies form the basis of immunization practice (where we inject non-dangerous parts of bacteria or virus, so the body can make antibodies to this particular pathogen) . The second part of the immune system is known as the "innate" immune system, and it includes cells that we commonly call "leukocytes." These cells are responsible for the direct destruction of foreign agents, infected cells, or antibody / antigen complexes formed by another part of the immune system. When your body is exposed to bacteria or a virus, these cells are poor in the bloodstream to fight off the agent, and the result is that when you have a blood test, you have a “high white blood cell count.” Because white blood cells capture and destroy these foreign particles, they actually die themselves, and the resulting protein precipitate, which remains, is known as pus (when it concentrates in a small area).
With an allergic reaction, we have a "side" response. Let's look at an example of pollen inhaled grass. Usually, the immune system should not recognize grass pollen as foreign or dangerous (we inhale microscopic pollen all the time during spring and summer). But with an allergic response, for some reason, the immune system creates a specific antibody to pollen. This antibody looks for pollen and binds to it. Then a certain part of the innate immune system (leukocytes, known as “eosinophils”) is released into the blood to capture and destroy these antibody / antigen complexes. When these eosinophils have done their work, they also "die", but as the cells burst, they release histamine - which causes intestinal local swelling and itching. In humans, this reaction usually occurs locally, at the location of the nose and eyes, where the pollen first comes into contact with moist mucous membranes, and leads to "symptoms of hay fever" (swollen teeth and nose, sneezing, etc.). If the reaction occurs deeper in the body, at the level of the bronchi in the lungs, this can cause asthma. In dogs and cats, these cells actually migrate to the skin (and sometimes to the lining of the intestines), where they cause a reaction of intestinal itching, which we call allergic dermatitis. When the animal is itchy, it breaks the skin and allows for a secondary infection, which further intensifies the irritation - and so the cycle continues.
The nature of the allergy is determined by the type of allergen. Some allergic reactions are seasonal, which means that the allergen is only in the environment during a certain time of the year - most of them are caused by plant pollen, etc. (referred to as atopic allergies). Some allergic reactions to allergies, such as grass allergies, occur only when the herbs are dry and produce seeds, and most of the symptoms occur on the lower part of the dog, in places where there is no fur that protects the skin (for example, groin, armpits, stomach) . If the allergen is present all year round, for example, food allergy (to a certain type of food) or dust mite allergy, the signs of atopic dermatitis will be permanent.
So why doesn't the immune system work ?:
The answer to this question is the key to solving the secrets of allergies, and, unfortunately, there is no simple answer. Genetic predisposition (i.e., an inherited trend) is certainly one big factor. Some breeds of dogs (for example, West Highland White Terriers) are genetically predisposed to develop allergies. Staffordshire terriers before contact allergies, German Shepherds are prone to food allergies and chronic ear infections, etc. But in veterinary practice, we see more and more dogs with allergies (probably the number one reason people go to see their vet apart from vaccination), and genetics alone cannot be the answer.
Modern immunology has shown us that both nutrition and the environment will affect the performance of our immune system. When we talk about the environment, we really mean the "artificial" environment and the effects of chemicals created by man. Pets may be exposed to chemical cleaners, carpets and floor products, insect sprays, deodorants, perfumes, etc., in the home. There are air pollutants (for example, petrochemical fumes), weed sprays, and herbicides , water pollutants (fluoride, chlorine) and many other "unnatural" potential allergens. What about the products we usually use for our pets: shampoos, conditioners, worm tablets, blocking fleas and ticks, heartworm prevention, even the chemical stabilizers used in vaccines - all this can be a potential trigger for allergies. Naturally, some of them cannot be avoided, but we need to exercise some caution when we have an allergic pet. Other recognized triggers also include a huge range of chemical preservatives and dyes used in processed pet foods, some of which are now recognized as carcinogenic. Sulfur dioxide, a common preservative used in meat for pets, is also a known trigger for asthma and eczema in humans. It is important to remember that most of these chemical agents are “new” to the immune system (they were not hundreds of millions of years ago when the immune system developed in fish), so it’s not surprising that our bodies react to them as “foreign.”
Recent studies of immunology and parasites have also shown some initial results in this area. Dogs and cats developed on Earth for about 40 million years, and in the first 39.98 million years they did it without human intervention. Their bodies developed a natural balance between intestinal and local parasites, which were controlled by their immune system. The part of the immune system that controls parasites is the same cells (eosinophils) that are involved in allergies. When these eosinophils react at the intestinal level, the release of histamine actually causes swelling and increased mobility, which helps eliminate intestinal parasites (worms). At the level of the skin, the release of histamines causes itching, which in turn helps to remove fleas. This process has preserved the natural balance of parasites over millions of years. With the advent of modern chemical worm tablets and the widespread use of 3-month worm programs, worms in the intestines are a thing of the past. To add to this, modern all-in-one themed drugs that control current parasites and heartworm also kill most intestinal worms, but on a monthly basis. Although it may seem at first glance to be wonderful for our pets (and don't get me wrong, these products are very useful), we have now reached a position where our pets can be completely “sterile” of all the parasites.
However, according to modern immunology, when the body is a sterile parasite, part of the immune system that has evolved over millions of years to control them, eosinophils are now out of work, and as a result, a large number of these cells are currently available to respond to "Allergens". This means that the effect of an allergic reaction in domestic animals that do not have parasites for control is actually much more intense than in a domestic animal, where these cells actually do the work they planned to do. In short, dogs and cats that are "sterile" are much more prone to serious allergic skin diseases.
And what of the food? How does what we eat or what we feed our pets affect the immune system? Most people today believe that what we eat will affect our overall health and longevity, but we cannot understand that it affects our health by affecting our immune system. Simply put, the better your immune system works, the better your health will be every day, and the longer you live (with the exception of failure). Modern nutrition recognizes that there are 76 well-known macro and micronutrients necessary for perfect health. Simply put, your immune system needs all 76 elements to function perfectly. Now we also understand that our bodies (and your animals) do not exist in a “sterile” environment. In the intestinal tract, probiotic bacteria (often called “good” bacteria) are required. Names such as acidophilus (bacteria found in natural yogurt) are now generally recognized as healthy. Our pets also have their own population of good bacteria, and they are also necessary for good health. It is a combination of a diet that provides all the necessary nutrients in combination with the intestinal tract, full of probiotics, which allows our body to absorb the nutritional value. And it absolutely guarantees that the immune system gets all 76 elements necessary for its functioning while its optimality.
Unfortunately, for people and pets, the supply of healthy and healthy food is not as simple as it used to be. Just two hundred years ago, people ate quality fresh food. Products were grown organically, harvested and grown. There were few ways to process or conserve, and the soils used to grow crops, fruit, or livestock were healthy and nutrient rich. Compare this to today, when an apple bought at the supermarket may be 9 months before you eat it, and it has grown abundantly on artificial fertilizers and sprayed with chemicals, or the fact that the vitamin C content in the orange supermarket has fallen up to 2% of what was on that day when he was chosen, and we see that it is not so difficult to understand what went wrong. If we add to this that the processing and preservatives used to extend the shelf life, and the excessive amount of sugars and salts included in the processed food and drinks, we begin to see the insidious picture of modern "malnutrition".
But do not think that you love to love this reality. For the past 40 million years, dogs and cats have been fed a healthy diet of wild prey, raw, soggy, and untreated, supplying not only the necessary probiotic bacteria for intestinal health, but also the full 76 nutrients for perfect health. But in modern society, we now know better, and pets eat from human garbage! In general, processed pet foods are made from hard-to-reach carcass residues (into meat meal and meat by-products), cheap sources of saturated carbohydrates and vegetable matter, sugar, salt, flavors and preservatives. Add to this a cocktail of about 25 + chemically derived essential vitamins and minerals (a commercially available product that ensures that pet food meets AAFCO nutritional standards). Then, finally, mix it all in biscuits, cook at high temperatures (> 260 ° C for import to Australia), and then spray with liver digestion and fat (so your pet will really eat it) - this was replaced by a natural diet of dogs and cats
Modern pet foods are sterile (they do not contain probiotic bacteria), and they certainly don’t provide the body with 76 of the nutrients needed for optimal health, no matter how much they cost or what they say on the package. Of course, there are much better and much worse ones, but together they contribute to the same “today's malnutrition” that affects Western society. We are slowly turning our pets into "unhealthy gourmets."
So back to allergies, how does it all cause allergies in pets? It is quite simple. The way to respond to immune cells actually depends on a wide range of nutritional factors, many of which modern science has not fully understood. Мы знаем, что если диета животного происхождения недостаточна для жирных кислот Омега-3, иммунная система будет реагировать более воспалительным образом, производя большее количество гистамина и большую «аллергическую» нежность, чем по сравнению с животным, которое имеет адекватное диетическое потребление жиров Омега-3. Мы также знаем, что жиры омега-3 обычно недостаточны для обработанных кормов для домашних животных или легко окисляются и оказываются бесполезными при обработке и обработке сухих и консервированных кормов для домашних животных. И это лишь один из 76 элементов, которые могут повлиять на иммунную систему. Когда мы объединяем этот тип дефицита, с другими неправильными питательными факторами, вызванными слабыми диетическими ингредиентами и обработкой, возникает картина. Добавьте потерю пробиотических бактерий и стерильную кишку, вызванную чрезмерным контролем паразита, и у нас есть «проаллергическое» состояние в иммунной системе животного - которое просто ждет реакции.
Поэтому, когда «здоровое» тело, возможно, проявляло легкую реакцию на аллерген (скажем, блоху слюны от укуса блохи), у нас внезапно возникает массивная чрезмерная реакция на введение обычно мягкого аллергена - при широкомасштабном высвобождении гистамина и интенсивный зуд и жевание (и в итоге мы получаем собаку с «горячими точками»). Если мы объединим все это с живой средой, полной современных химических агентов и потенциальных «триггеров» (а в пищу мы кормим наших питомцев), то нетрудно понять, почему мы наблюдаем такую «эпидемию» аллергий у домашних животных , и в людях.
Так что мы можем сделать ?;
Конечно, я не утверждаю, что имею все ответы на лечение аллергии, но есть некоторые основные рекомендации, которые я придерживаюсь на практике, которые последовательно приводят к эффективным позитивным результатам у домашних животных, у которых есть аллергия.
1. Чтобы наилучшим образом обеспечить необходимую пробиотику и 76 элементов, измените свое домашнее животное на естественную, сырую, сбалансированную и необработанную диету, используя свежие мясные продукты и продукты, которые не обрабатывались химическими консервантами (избегайте диоксида серы = консервативный 220, 221 , 222 и т. Д.). Выберите источник мяса, который ваш питомец вряд ли имел регулярный доступ (например, мясо кенгуру или троица) - избегайте курятины и говядины. И придерживайтесь простых углеводов, таких как рулонный овес или коричневый рис. For example. Vets All Natural Premium Choice, или Complete Mix
2. Добавьте следующие ежедневные добавки - дозу пробиотиков (например, Protexin), все натуральные поливитамины и минеральные добавки, добавку жирной кислоты Omega 3, такую как масло семян льна или рыбьего жира (рыбий жир лучше для кошек). For example. Vets All Natural Health Booster и Omega Blend Oil.
3. При использовании управления паразитами попробуйте использовать продукты, которые влияют только на паразита, на который вы нацеливаетесь. Например, используйте продукт, который убивает только блох, если у вас есть проблема с блохами, или продукт, который убивает личинок сердечного червя, а не тот, который также убивает кишечных червей. Для регулярного гельминга подумайте о проведении фекального теста, чтобы увидеть, есть ли черви, присутствующие на больших количествах (так же, как мы делаем для лошадей и других животных), а не просто обрабатывать каждые 3 месяца. Домашние животные могут терпеть небольшое количество червей естественным образом.
И если только эти изменения не устраняют проблему, попробуйте:
• Рассмотрите возможность использования дождевой воды для питьевой воды, а не для хлорированной и фторированной водопроводной воды.
• Внесите необходимые корректировки в окружающую среду вашего дома и заднего двора - старайтесь избегать использования жестких химических спреев или чистящих средств
• Когда кожа животных завышена, избегайте использования шампуней и лечебных мытей, они часто обеспечивают только временное облегчение и могут фактически «способствовать» текущему циклу.
Мой опыт, накопленный за последние 15 лет на практике, показал мне, что более 70% аллергических животных можно поддерживать в свободное от наркотиков время, если они следуют этим рекомендациям. Конечная цель состоит в том, чтобы заставить вашего питомца покинуть все принимаемые лекарства и лечение (особенно кортизон) - даже если у них есть случайный зуд.
