Holistic Insight, The Nelco Panel for Pet Allergies

7-7-20                                               Holistic Basics of Nelco Allergy Panel for Pets   

               So, your pet has allergies, that’s really unfortunate but surprisingly common nowadays. It’s common for humans to have allergies, same can be true with our pets. Clients come to Holistic Pet Care for skin issues and tell us stories about going to other animal hospitals for various medications, steroid injections, costly procedures and nothing has worked. The first thing we ask is, “have you checked what they are allergic to,” and a surprising amount of people answer no. How can you, as a pet owner or us as the Doctors and technicians, find a way to help your pet when we haven’t answered the most basic question of, “what is causing this?” 

               Thankfully, you have taken the first step into understanding the problem so you can be proactive in helping your pet.  

We have various allergy testing methods; the primary one we are going to discuss is the Nelco Allergy blood panel by Nelco Vet. 

This guide will give you a breakdown on what are allergies, some reactions, the Nelco Allergy Panel allergens and what you can do for your pet. Keep in mind, all pets experience allergies differently and have different sensitivities to various things; so always be sure to communicate with the Doctor about any concerns you may have.    

WHAT ARE ALLERGIES: 

First, let’s go over the basics of allergies and some red flags/reactions your pets may have with them. 

               Allergy: is an immune system response to a foreign substance 

               Allergen: a substance that causes an allergic reaction 

Nelco Allergy Panels divide things by HP (high positive) and LP (low positive). These determine how strong an allergic reaction is based upon the allergen. If things are HP, than the reaction to the allergens will be at a higher sensitivity while LP will have a lower sensitivity. Our Doctor’s still recommend getting your pet checked for allergies even if they show low sensitivity signs. 

Common allergy reactions are: 

                              -Itching                  -Redness of the skin              -Sneezing                              -Vomiting 

                              -Licking paws               -Hives                            -Watery eyes                                           

WHAT CAUSES ALLERGIES: 

               Short answer, immune system issues and genetics. Some pets and humans are born with allergies while others develop it over time.    

TYPES OF ALLERGIES: 

               For the Nelco Allergy Panel, we can look for food and environmental allergens. The food is fairly straight forward; are they eating anything they can be allergic to? If they are, then stop feeding them that food. Environmental allergens are more expanded, checking for inhalants (i.e.: mold, hair) and various pollen/grasses based on the region they are living in. Since we at HPC live in the North East, below is a diagram of potential environmental allergies in this area.           

  Environmental Pollens   

  GRASSES                                                         WEEDS                                      TREES 

Environmental Inhalants 

                              MOLDS/FUNGUS                                                                            INHALANTS 

 Food 

               Those are a lot of allergens and unless you’re a botanist some of us don’t really know what any of those grasses are or look like. Luckily, we live in a glorious age where the Internet exists so we can research things we don’t understand and there are plenty of resources to help us learn; such as http://www.pollenlibrary.com/   This link will bring you to a wonderful website that helps break down the pollens and grasses. Enter your zip code and conduct some research on what grows in your area during the different seasons of the year. It also shares a nice little picture of the plant and potential uses in medicinal remedies.   

WHAT YOU CAN DO: 

               Now that we have some understanding on what causes the allergies and what affects them; let’s discuss what you can do back home to minimize interactions with these allergens.  

               DIET: Change the food. If they are eating something that is making them sick, stop feeding it to them. Speak with your Veterinarian about recommended diet changes.  

               ENVIRONMENTAL: Sadly, we cannot change the weather (yet), but we can help our pets remove the pollen attached to them.  You can wash their paws after walks, use pet boots, brush their coat with a slicker brush and support their immune system with immune supporting supplements and proper dieting.    

WHAT WE ADVISE vs. WHAT TO AVOID: 

               Pets can experience allergies with medications similar to humans, so always speak with your Veterinarian before purchasing any supplements or medications as a “quick fix.” Holistically, the best thing we can do for our pets is supporting their immune system.  

               Best ways to support immune system: 

                              -Proper dieting                                     -Chiropractic Adjustments 

-Immune supplements (Allerplex, Whole Body Support) 

                              -Kyosenex                                           -AnimalEO Essential Oil (Boost in a Bottle) 

               Although it is tempting to get a quick fix for our pets, it will only cause harm in the long run. Most of these fixes like steroids and medications (Atopica, Apoquel) suppress the immune system which doesn’t solve the original issue and may lead to future complications.    

Holistically, we are here to give our clients the best quality of life, which means no short cuts and dealing with symptoms WHILE solving the initial problem.    

SOURCES 

http://www.pollenlibrary.com/      https://www.nelcovet.com/       https://drfungus.org/ 

 https://www.spacecoastpetservices.com/2019/03/27/dog-or-cat-allergies-in-brevard/