Allergy shots can create a lot of pain at the injection sites, and usually need to be administered for life.  Is that a cure if something needs to be done for the rest of a patient’s life?  Also, types of allergy testing vary in reliability and accuracy.  Blood testing is less invasive than intradermal testing, but is not generally considered as reliable.  Intradermal testing involves sedation and many shots into the skin to determine which allergens are a problem, or create a welt on the skin of the animal.

If skin eruptions are due to chemicals trying to escape the body through the skin, then adding more allergens and preservatives in the hypoimmunization (allergy) shots may not be helpful.  These animals tend to get even more red, itchy, damp, and stinky with the allergy shots.  They also tend to get very resentful of the shots, becoming nippy and crying when they are administered.  This can make it more difficult to administer acupuncture to these patients later, as now they are extremely tender to the touch. 

Herbs, acupuncture, food therapy, aromatherapy, and other natural remedies can be extremely useful for dogs (and cats or other animals) with allergies.  Seasonal allergies, adverse food reactions, environmental triggers, and metabolic processes can all be addressed with these gentle techniques.  All of these therapeutics are also really safe, if used appropriately, with very low likelihood for adverse reactions, and at good value for your money. 

(See “Treating allergies in dogs with natural therapies—beyond steroids and antibiotics,” “Holistic tips for pets: skin” and “Holistic tips for pets: ears”)

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