Usually by the time I see a dog all kinds of mainstream methods have been tried. The dog's skin is usually red and itchy, and there is hair loss.  The dog frequently chews at their feet and they paw their face.  Chronic ear infections or diarrhea can also be reasons for a visit.  Anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics may have been given many times to treat the symptoms, but the problem keeps coming back and getting worse. This is a typical allergically reactive dog.

From a holistic point of view, the dog's living terrain, which is the body itself has been under siege and because of this the immune system spirals out of balance and produces symptoms that make the dog miserable. Owners assume that their dog will be stuck with allergies for life, because this tends to be the outcome when allergy cases are not approached from a holistic perspective.  My experience has been different and I feel there is a lot we can do, but I think differently about allergies.  I focus on a disturbed immune response being the cause.

In allergic reactivity, the immune system mistakenly identifies harmless substances as threats and responds to them in a way that causes damages to tissues such as the skin.  From the holistic perspective, to return a dog to wellness the approach to healing must be to support the disturbed immune system, to track back to the sources of stress that caused the disturbance, and to minimize or remove them altogether.

Dorcas Giesbrecht MASc is a 15 year member of the International Organization of Nutritional Consultants.  She has her Masters of Applied Science in Holistic Nutrition.  In 2007 she trained as a Registered Holistic Allergist with The Institute of Natural Health Technologies.  In the spring of 2009 she completed training in Auricular Therapy with Dr. M. Adams N.D. to help both pets and their people in her holistic practice. Dorcas has also taken classes in Healing Touch for Animals and Animal Communication.  In 2012 she studied Acupressure for Animals with Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute.  In the late summer of 2013 she will also be offering Chinese Tui Na Massage as she expands her practice.