Ragweed Allergy

Melissa M writes:

While the hot weather and practically non-existent presence of precipitation may be bad for the flower beds, the weeds just love it! For the first time, one of my Bichons has an allergy. It turns out the culprit is ragweed. Our veterinarian told me that since ragweed season began, practically all they did for 2 weeks was see dogs with itching and diarrhea.

Twinkie was itching non-stop! I began giving her 1/2 of a 10 mgm. Benadryl caplet, twice a day, (with myveterinarians approval) and hoped that this would do the trick. I wanted to avoid having to put her on steroids. She was getting some relief with the Benadryl, but not totally. I dedided to do some research and try to find something that might keep her from having a reaction next year while relieving her present symptoms.

I knew that alot of people have had success with bee pollen, so asked a woman that sells holistic brands of dog and cat food at her store here in Ontario what she thought of the idea. It turns out her own dog has environmental allergies that profoundly affect her skin. She has successfully treated her dog, (a dalmation) with bee pollen for the past few years.

I purchased the bee pollen, and have been instructed to give Twink a little less than 1/8th of a tsp. with her food, twice a day. I'm to give it to her all year. What the bee pollen does is to stimulate the body to produce antibodies. It makes perfect sense, but does it work? It can take 30 to 60 days before a change is noted, but I noticed she had less itching after the first week.

For those that are interested, the Company that sells the bee pollen, Solid Gold, is an American Company based in California. The dose is 1/8th of a tsp. for every 15 lbs. of body weight. You are not to exceed the dose, and you should always inform your veterinarian of holistic remedies that your pet is taking.

DarStar responds:

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize that dogs could get allergies to ragweed. And I have heard other good things about Solid Gold from other people also, as it apparently supports the immune system for a wholistic approach. Also, I have found that pure Aloe Gel is great to apply topically for anything itchy, burny or stingy . I keep mine in the refrigerator and then it also is cooling two ways-the actual temperature and the way that aloe vera feels. Our whole family uses it for sunburn, etc.

Meme responds:

Hi, I'm just curious? was your dog itching all over? or just in a certain place? My Bichon Munchkin starting itching around her face this fall, it got so bad that I ended up getting a funnel (itch guard) for her, and she wore it for 3 days.

I felt horrible having to make her wear it, but it seemed to do the trick, she quite itching, and her face healed right up, My vet thought it might have been from no see em bug bites (small nats) but he wasn't sure, I was very interested to hear you say your dog itched, could mine have allergies to do you think?

Melissa M responds:

Hi, Meme;

You wondered if I thought your bichon might have allergies. I'm not qualified to say. I could only guess. My vet makes that determination by weighing several factors such as when the symptoms started, where the dog itches, if there is accompanying hair loss, and/or the presence of a rash, and the type of rash.

In Twinkie's case, there was no rash or hair loss. She was itchy everywhere! The poor thing scratched herself raw in places. It started out of the blue, and there didn't seem to be any precipitating factors such as dry skin, or fleas.

The itching can be localized, as it is with your pup, or all over like Twinkie. I assume each dog responds differently as my veterinarian told me that some respond with diarrhea only and don't exhibit any outward signs or symptoms.

The bee pollen has worked remarkably, and it worked fairly quickly, too. I will keep Twink on it all year so her system continues to build up antibodies.

Now that autumn is here, some dogs who might not react to ragweed will have a reaction to the molds from the heaps of damp, decaying leaves on the ground just like some of us humans, *sniff*, *sniff*.

I hope this helps you, meme, and I hope your pup is feeling better!

Meme responds:

THANKS!!!! she is feeling much better, We have good friends that run a animal specialty store, and he was able to recomend some anti itch spray for Munchkin, it seems to be working really well, she is for the most part healed up, and no longer itching. I will keep in mind about the bee pollen if I she has any more troubles,, thanks again!!! Meme.