Pet Allergies & Itchy Skin Problems –The Root Cause

Our pets are loyal companions that offer unconditional love and affection, so in recognition of National Pet Day (April 11), I thought I would write on one of the most common problems pet owners ask me about… itchy skin, ears, and paws and allergies. This can lead to excessive scratching and skin infections. One of the most common causes is Leaky Gut Syndrome. Our intestinal wall lining is like a sieve or cheese cloth and should only let the smallest of particles into the blood stream. Protein gets broken down or digested into amino acids, similarly to a string of pearls being broken down into single pearls. The single pearls are what gets through the gut lining into the blood stream. If the lining of the intestines is damaged, then larger strands of the pearl necklace (“pearl strand”) can sneak through into the blood stream. Your body will see this as a foreign invader and attack, triggering an immune response causing inflammation throughout the body including on the skin, paws, and ears. Toxins, bad bacteria, and yeast by-products and licking environmental allergens off their paws, can also be triggers.

Studies have shown that gliadin proteins in gluten/wheat can cause damage to the lining and trigger antibodies to the “pearl strand.” If the “pearl strand” is eaten again then it can trigger an inflammatory response. This is why grain-free diets are recommended. Food allergies can occur when “pearl strands” of different meat proteins get into the blood stream, so switching to meat proteins with no artificial ingredients and fillers that the pet has never been exposed to is recommended.

I recommend various products to help repair the damaged gut lining. Herbs like slippery elm, marshmallow root, deglycerrhizinated licorice, NAG, and L-glutamine can help strengthen and repair the gut lining. Older dogs/cats can produce less digestive enzymes from their pancreas. Digestive enzymes can help to break down protein into “single pearls.”

Prebiotics and probiotics are a mainstay in promoting gut health. There are probiotics you can feed, which has no taste and easy to give to cats. There are also products with species-specific probiotic strains which may provide diversity of good bacteria not seen in other products. Fulvic and humic acid may help support gut health and immunity.

If yeast is suspected, then products containing caprylic acid and pau d’arco may help with eliminating the yeast. It’s important to make sure elimination pathways are working well to help clear the yeast by-products as the yeast die-off. Liver supporting herbs like milk thistle, dandelion root, and berberine may be helpful.

Ideally, one would like to stay away from immunosuppressive agents like steroids, cyclosporine, and JAK inhibitors (e.g. Apoquel, Cytopoint) as they only manage symptoms and not the root cause. By focusing on the root cause, maybe you can help your furry friend lead a happy, healthy life, free from uncomfortable and frustrating skin issues.

Lyle Sunada is a pharmacist specializing in veterinary medicine and alternative medicine at Cloverdale Pharmasave. Lyle has helped small and large animal owners for over 30 years and believes in looking at the root cause of health conditions.