TCM Helps Dogs With Skin Problems
Chinese Remedies for Dog Allergies Relieve Itching and Hotspots
May 6, 2008
Allergies to foods and plant pollens can make a pet uncomfortable. Warm weather may aggravate the situation. In the worst cases, allergies lead to moist eczema, which leads to hotspots, those damp, itchy areas that become infected. Other dogs may suffer from dry heat with red, itchy eyes and flaky skin that is hot to the touch.
Allergies and Skin Problems From the Chinese Perspective
A TCM practitioner will do a complete assessment before deciding what the individual dog’s imbalances are. But in general, allergies fall into the Wind category. Moving stagnant Qi and Blood will help relieve the Wind. Those dogs that develop warm and moist skin conditions such as hotspots will often be assessed as having Wind Damp Heat. Drawing the Wind from the body as well as drying and cooling it may relieve the dog’s allergy symptoms.
Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Approach to Allergy Diets
In western medicine, the dog’s diet may be changed to reduce exposure to food allergens. The Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner will also look at the energetics of the foods to determine whether they are aggravating the dog’s underlying imbalance.
For example, a dog’s hotspots or moist eczema would be worsened by the use of warming foods such as lamb and damp foods such as corn. Drying and cooling foods including pork and barley may be best in these cases. All meats tend to have some warming effect, so it is best to minimize the total amount of meat in the dog’s diet during allergy flare-ups. In addition, individual food sensitivities need to be taken into account when developing a Traditional Chinese Medicine based allergy diet.
Chinese Herbal Remedies for Dog Skin Allergies
A Chinese Herbalist can develop a formula specific to the individual dog’s skin problem. A formula for dry itchy skin will be very different from that used for hotspots. If the pet has other health issues, these will be addressed in the formula as well.
Topical Treatment of Skin Lesions
Treating dog allergies that have manifested as hotspots or other skin lesions will include the use of some topical products as well. Tui Na massage to move Qi and Blood and alleviate Wind, can be supplemented with Chrysanthemum flower tea bags (or the flowers, if tea is made from the dried plant) applied directly to the hotspots. Or the tea can be put into a spray bottle for easy application. If the dog will tolerate them being held there, place the tea bags on the dog’s red itchy eyes as well. And if the dog will drink some of the cooled tea, so much the better.
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