SYMPTOMS: SIGNS OF FOOD ALLERGIES
Food allergies cause inflammation throughout the body. Signs of food allergies are principally seen in the skin, the gastrointestinal system, urinary system, and the musculoskeletal system. However, I believe there are subtle signs in all systems of the body such as the glandular, respiratory, nervous, and sensory systems. Cancer in any organ can be a sign of food allergies… And since we have been noting it, we have not seen a case of cancer where the pet did not have food allergies for over 15 years.
1. The Skin – The most obvious symptoms occur in the largest organ of the body, the skin. Some of the symptoms of inflammation are itching, redness, and swelling as the body increases blood supply to the affected area. Often there is a loss of hair and in long term cases darkening of the skin or pigmentation as the body tries to protect itself. In the dog common areas affected are feet, flanks, ear canals, around the eyes, and sometimes the face especially the mouth and the anus, where the antigens enter and leave. Whatever we eat we have to poop or pee out eventually. The antigens are incorporated into tissue body parts and as they are replaced they will have to be eliminated as the body renews itself down the road. At this time the body will have to deal with a re-exposure to tissue antigens to which it has become allergic.
2. The Gastrointestinal (GI) system– If an animal has digestive problems, vomiting or diarrhea on a repeated once a month basis, or indigestion, flatulence or gas, food allergies should be suspect. Occasional vomiting and diarrhea, even a few times a month, is a sign of food allergies. A chronically excited stomach or gut does not need a lot of stimulation to cause it to want to empty. (It has been months since I’ve vomited and even longer since I have had diarrhea and there was expected causes for both.) An occasional GI upset is not normal for a well individual, but it is a possible sign of underlying food allergies.
A scavenger type animal such as a dog should be able to switch from one good food to another without having to go through the gradual mixing procedure to keep from having GI problems such as diarrhea. I myself eat a wide variety of foods without having to mix them without a hitch, and I’m not even a scavenger. Is it unreasonable to expect our scavenger wards to do the same? I don’t think so. Admittedly one of the problems is feeding the same fare daily for many years which most of us owners would rebel at.
3. Respiratory Problems– It may not seem logical that food allergies would be associated with these symptoms, but we have definitely seen symptoms clear up when the food allergies are eliminated. Respiratory problems seem to be more common in flat-nosed, toy dogs. However, the animals in question may also have food allergies along with respiratory allergies that are cumulative in their effects. When the food allergies are eliminated the animal’s immune system may recover enough so they will be able to resist the inhalant respiratory allergies in seasonal pollens, etc.
The respiratory system does not seem to be as much of a target organ in the dog as other species such as people, cats and horses. There are animals that have asthma-type symptoms and chronic sinusitis, but the symptoms are not nearly as prevalent as the conditions are in humans.
4. Cancer– I see food allergies associated with almost every case of cancer treated in my veterinary practice in Brentwood, Tennessee. When we do a cancer consultation I ask clients to bring in their dog food so I can see what allergies to it exist.
SHOCKINGLY EVERY CASE OF CANCER WE’VE SEEN HAS FOOD ALLERGIES.
I also find that a high percentage of cancer victims have insect or tick vector diseases such as Ehrlichiosis or Lymes, which may have been responsible for the trauma that caused the allergies to develop in the first place. The combination of a chronic disease state and allergies create an inflammatory condition in the body that is conducive to the cellular changes we know as cancer. Part of my treatment of cancer is eliminating the inciting causes.
Animals scheduled for a cancer consultation at our clinic are requested to bring in their food and treats along with their ingredients list. We then discern what they are allergic to and what food allergies are causing the inflammation in their bodies. These foods are then eliminated from their diet and the animals are then treated with herbal remedies to cool the inflammation down in their bodies. An inciting cause of cancer is malformed cellular proteins that are made up of offending antigens to which our bodies have formed an immune defense against. The cells of our body try to protect themselves from the inflammatory response that is being manifested against our own body’s allergic proteins. As the cell tries to defend itself against the body’s own defense it puts up protoplasmic organelle defenses against the ensuing attack. The cell membranes then change and become much more defensive cells fighting our own body’s attack. The cells become not normal but modified, defensive cells not working for the common good of the whole body but are a changed aberrational cell, thus cancer or pre-cancer.
Alfred Pletchner in his book Pets at Risk states that he sees an inherited adrenal insufficiency in almost every case of cancer. I have not seen this in every case but in many cases, 90-95 percent. What is the situation that causes the adrenal gland to be overwhelmed? What we see is chronic allergies, sometimes of years’ duration, that caused an inflamed state beyond what the adrenal gland could control naturally and has caused the body to use up more cortizone than it could produce thus exceeding the adrenal glands’ ability. The adrenals then begin to produce sex hormones that have a similar configuration and possibly some cortisol properties. Cortisol is used by our bodies to control excessive inflammation caused by allergies or injury. It is necessary to prevent inflammation to become a run-away train of which cancer is at least a prominent car. I am of the opinion that we should make every effort to control inflammation in our own bodies and our friends’ lives. This would be controlling allergies or chronic diseases that cause an inflammatory response in the body.
5. Other– Almost any problem in the body can be due to a food allergy and the body attacking the proteins and causing inflammation in the tissues that make up that organ. This can be anything from retinal degeneration to arthritis with itching skin, chronic cystitis, ear problems, and heart, liver, and urinary problems in between.
We sometimes see allergies as a cause of chronic cystitis or re-occurrent bladder or kidney problems. Allergies are way beyond what is obvious and the ultimate cause of much of what ails our friends and ourselves.
Please call 615-377-6457 for detailed instructions on what we need to conduct these allergy tests for your dog long distance.
Be sure to provide our staff with a complete food ingredients list including any treats, supplements and medications. There have been extreme cases where we’ve had to put on our Sherlock Holmes hat and figure out that the allergic reaction was coming from a favorite blanket, toy, shampoo, yard treatment, essential oils, or other antigen sources. However, most of the time it is fairly simple and the culprit is a food ingredient that is constant. We have most food samples, either dry or frozen, at our clinic. We shall determine your dog’s sensitivities and quickly communicate them to you with recommendations of how to stop the travesty.