Special Diets for Special Needs

Hippocrates said, "Let your food be your medicine" and indeed, many animal diseases respond well to nutritional therapy. Today, lets look at one timely example, itchy, allergic dogs and cats. We are at the tail end of tree pollen allergy season, and grasses are just around the corner. Many of our pets have been literally ripping their hair out trying to get relief from allergy symptoms. Traditionally these pets have been managed with cortisone steroids, anti histamines, and frequent anti itch shampoos. We use all of these in our therapy of allergic pets. This year, we are also focusing on several diets that are formulated to have anti inflammatory properties based on nutrition. The biggest bang for your buck involves feeding an easily digestible protein source packed with the correct balance of omega 3 fatty acids. We have several options of both canned and dry diets for dogs and cats that pack more fatty acids in than you could possibly give in pill form. These diets will decrease the amount of medication you need to give your pets, and may limit the use of steroids to only the most severe cases. Give us a call or write a comment if you want to learn more about nutritional therapy for your allergic pet.