TCM Helps Dogs With Skin Problems

Chinese Remedies for Dog Allergies Relieve Itching and Hotspots

© Dawn M. Smith

May 6, 2008
End of Winter Often Brings Skin Problems, P & M Smith
Traditional Chinese Medicine can be used for treating dog allergies that lead to skin conditions. Diet, herbs and Tui Na massage are used to relieve allergy symptoms.

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.


The copyright of the article TCM Helps Dogs With Skin Problems in Dog Care is owned by Dawn M. Smith. Permission to republish TCM Helps Dogs With Skin Problems in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.


End of Winter Often Brings Skin Problems, P & M Smith
       


Post this Article to facebook Add this Article to del.icio.us! Digg this Article furl this Article Add this Article to Reddit Add this Article to Technorati Add this Article to Newsvine Add this Article to Windows Live Add this Article to Yahoo Add this Article to StumbleUpon Add this Article to BlinkLists Add this Article to Spurl Add this Article to Google Add this Article to Ask Add this Article to Squidoo