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Have you noticed that Apoquel has commercials now? Now that we’re in the midst of spring allergy season (I’m feeling it) many pet parents are noticing that their dog is uncomfortable. With allergy season comes red, itchy paws, red inflamed skin, and gunky ears – to name a few symptoms. I have mixed feelings about the Apoquel and the commercials. This drug has helped many dogs, but the side effects are risky.

What is Apoquel?

Apoquel is a drug that helps decrease inflammation, stops itching, and is prescribed to treat environmental allergies in dogs. Dogs Naturally Magazine wrote an eye-opening blog post sharing how Apoquel works in a dog's system and they don't paint a positive picture.

What are the Side Effects of Apoquel?

The main side effects I've read about include:

• vomiting
• diarrhea
• lack of appetite
• lethargy
• increased lumps and bumps, including histiocytomas
• decrease the body's ability to fight infection by reducing white blood cells (leukocytes/globulins)
• decrease the body's natural blood clotting and liver functions (globulins)
• pneumonia
• skin infections
• ear infections
• UTIs

And, the FDA came out with a correction regarding Apoquel that better explained the risk:

“APOQUEL may increase the chances of developing serious infections, and may cause existing parasitic skin infestations or preexisting cancers to get worse.” Read More: FDA.gov

5 Natural Alternatives to Apoquel for Dogs

I'm not writing this post to bash Apoquel or discourage people from asking their veterinarian about the drug. While this drug comes with risks, I know many dogs that are on Apoquel and living a great life. The goal of this article is to offer alternatives for people who are interested in trying something natural instead of Apoquel or along with Apoquel to help keep the dosage low.

These tips come from my experience with my dogs and what worked for them. There are many more ideas out there.

Homemade Dog Food or Raw Feeding

One of our dogs has environmental allergies that flare up in the spring and fall seasons. When he was younger, his allergies included red, itchy paws, obsessive paw licking, inflamed skin, skin rashes, ear infections, and digestive issues.

I switched him to a local raw food company that delivers nationwide and fed commercial raw until I learned how to make the food myself. Today, I provide a combination of DIY raw and commercial raw.

After switching him to raw, most of the symptoms disappeared within the first couple of weeks – the rest vanished over the years. Today, the only sign that he has environmental allergies is one habit he's never been able to shake – licking his paws. It's not nearly as bad as it used to be.

Before changing his diet, Rodrigo would be up all night licking his paws, only licking them when he came in from outside during the spring and fall. He does better if I clean his paws and massage coconut oil on them at night.

How to Start Feeding Raw (or Home-Cooked) Dog Food

The easiest way to switch to raw is to start with a commercial product. You can sign up with an online service that delivers raw to your door, or you can visit your local, independent pet store (not the large chain stores) to see what they have on hand. I've found that the store owners and managers put a lot of thought into what they bring into their stores and can help you choose a diet that is best for your dog.

Since not everyone can feed raw or a home-cooked diet, here are more ideas on what you can do to give your dog relief from seasonal allergies.

1 – Raw Goat's Milk

Over the years, I've always wondered if I would have been able to prevent his allergies if I had spent more time focusing on Rodrigo's gut health. Raw goat's milk is a whole food that is loaded with probiotics that help build a healthy gut microbiome. Adding raw goat's milk to our dogs' diet…

• improves digestion and nutrient absorption
• boosts the immune system
• reduces allergy symptoms
• reduces inflammation
• naturally detoxes the system

Not to mention that raw goat's milk is a nutrient-dense whole food that is rich in calcium (not enough to replace bone in the diet), Vitamin B2 (which converts food to fuel, supports skin and coat health), and Vitamin A (great for vision health, bone health, and the immune system).

It may be tempting to head off to the grocery store to pick up milk, but what's found at most grocery stores isn't the same. The milk is pasteurized, which means that all of the beneficial bacteria have been processed out of the milk, and cow's milk is higher in lactose, making it harder for dogs to digest.

Several raw food companies produce raw goat's milk products, and if you live in a rural area, you may be able to pick up raw goat's milk at a local farm.

How I Add Raw Goat's Milk (and Kefir) to My Dogs' Diet

My dogs enjoy raw goat's milk regularly. I fast my dogs twice a week due to a dog that used to have hunger pukes. Every Tuesday and Thursday, my dogs enjoy a modified fast. They drink raw goat's (or kefir) milk on Tuesdays for breakfast and dinner. On Thursday, my dogs don't eat until the afternoon when they either have a regular meal or a meal of raw goat's milk.

Some raw feeders feed raw goat's milk every day or several days a week as a meal topper. I prefer feeding bone broth as a meal topper. There is also a raw goat's milk meal topper made by Raw Paws Pet Food (they also offer raw goat's milk). I don't know how the meal toppers (or powdered goat's milk) compare to the liquid counterpart. I've read that, due to the processing, powdered raw goat's milk doesn't offer the same benefits.

How Much Raw Goat's Milk to Feed Dogs Daily

I feed my dogs 1 cup of raw goat's milk per meal (Zoey gets 3/4 cup). According to Bones and Co, the recommended feeding amounts are:

• < 20 lbs – 2 ounces of raw goat's milk daily
• 20-40 lbs – 4 ounces of raw goat's milk daily
• 50-80 lbs – 8 ounces of raw goat's milk daily
• > 80 lbs – 10 ounces of raw goat's milk daily

2 – WINPRO for Allergies

WINPRO is a supplement I was introduced to several years ago to help with a dog's mobility. Forty-eight hours after I started giving the supplement for joint support, she went from struggling to stand to running out the door, counter-surfing, and playing with her siblings. It was amazing.

Today, I use several of WINPRO's supplements, including their Allergy supplement. Rodrigo takes both the Hip & Joint and the Allergy supplements. He gets two of the joint supplement chews and one of the allergy chews. He gets excited about his “treat” every night.

One of the main ingredients is blood plasma, which travels through the circulatory system to deliver antibodies to inflamed areas of the body. WINPRO Allergies:

• Helps soothe itchy, irritated skin
• Promotes healthy skin & coat
• Supports healthy eyes, ears & nose
• Calms inflammation triggered by stress, environment & seasonal allergens

The pineapple stem promotes healing and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Nettle root extract soothes irritated skin. And the plant-based Quercetin (found in many plants and foods, such as red wine, onions, green tea, apples, and berries) is a natural antihistamine.

3 – CBD Oil for Dogs

CBD oil is often recommended for anxiety and pain. The cannabinoids in CBD also strengthen the immune system, helping a dog's system better respond to an allergy attack and reduce inflammation. I give Rodrigo a full dropper (1 ml) of EASE by CBD Dog Health daily. I used to do it when he had flare-ups, but daily doses keep the CBD oil active in his system. Not only does it help with his allergies, but it also helps with arthritis pain, gut health, and anxiety.

There are a lot of CBD oil brands on the market, and not every brand will work for every dog. The three brands that I've had success with are:

• CBD Dog Health
• Earth Buddy Pet

I apply the CBD oil directly to my dogs' gums once daily. I have one dog that isn't a fan of this, so he gets a treat afterward, which has made him a lot more cooperative.

Speaking of treats, I haven't noticed a significant impact when I give my dogs CBD treats. I give them to my dogs along with CBD oil on the Fourth of July or before veterinarian appointments. In my experience, they don't do anything for my dogs' allergies or joint pain.

4 – Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a natural anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-yeast, which means that applying coconut oil to my dog's skin, ears, and paws helps to clear up allergic reactions quickly. This includes soothing itchy skin, calming inflammation, and healing hotspots. Adding coconut oil to the diet helps to strengthen the immune system.

How I Use Coconut Oil to Treat My Dog's Allergies

Coconut oil is huge in my house, and I use it on our dogs; it's part of my skincare regimen, and I add it to my dogs' meals occasionally. When using coconut oil to treat allergies, I clean his paws before bedtime and massage them with coconut oil. I primarily do this during the spring and fall when my dog's allergies present – he does continue to lick his paws (coconut oil is yummy), so I make sure to massage it in well.

How Much Coconut Oil to Feed Dogs

There are different schools of thought on the dosage, and, in the end, we have to figure out the right amount for our dogs. To start, you can use one of the following guidelines:

• feed 1/4 tsp to small dogs and up to 1 tbsp to large dogs, according to Healthline.com
• feed 1 tsp per 10 lbs of body weight daily, or 1 tbsp per 30 lbs, according to Whole Dog Journal
• with MCT oil, feed 1/2 tsp per 10 lb body weight, according to CocoTherapy

I add a spoonful of coconut oil to my dogs' dishes from time to time. And, for my dogs that aren't fans of eating coconut oil (I'm not), I give them MCT oil.

And when one of my dog's ears has a yeasty/musty smell, I mist it with a water/apple cider vinegar mixture, wipe it with a soft cloth or tissue, and then massage in the coconut oil daily for at least five days.

5 – Si Miao San Chinese Herbs

My experience with canine cancer introduced me to Chinese herbs. During my research, I came across Chinese herbs that help slow and stop the spread of cancer. One of the herbs, Si Miao San (or The Four Marvels), also helps reduce inflammation, which made me wonder if it could help Rodrigo's allergies and arthritis – yep, it does.

Si Miao San is a blend of four herbs:

• Huang Bai (Phellodendron bark)
• Yi Yi Ren (coix seed)
• Cang Zhu (atractylodes rhizome)
• Huai Niu Xi (achyranthes root)

I'm new to Chinese herbs and can't tell you why they work; I know they work for my dogs. I mix one teaspoon into one of Rodrigo's meals daily. Rodrigo hasn't exhibited many seasonal allergy symptoms since I began adding Si Miao San to his diet, and the weather has been the perfect storm for red, itchy paws. Instead, Rodrigo is sleeping peacefully through the night.

I order Chinese herbs from Kingdom of Basil. There is a powder and a tincture available. I use the powder because it's more affordable than the tincture (we have big dogs).

What About Local Raw Honey and Bee Pollen?

Local raw honey has helped my allergies. I add a spoonful to tea once or twice a day, and I can cut way back on allergy meds. But I haven't had the same success with Rodrigo. Looking back, I think Rodrigo's experience resulted from my failure to be consistent and my use of pet products that claimed to be the same as local products but weren't that effective.

Because of my success, I plan to take advantage of the benefits of local raw honey and bee pollen for all my dogs. It does more than ease allergy symptoms.

• Boosts healing.
• Boosts the digestive system.
• Supports liver health.
• Corrects the deficiencies in a dog’s diet.
• It helps a dog maintain a healthy weight.
• It helps to heal skin conditions.
• Increases energy and vitality.
• It’s said to aid in the prevention of cancer.
• Relieves aches and pain.
• Bee pollen is anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral.
• Relieves stress and anxiety.

Where I live, the best place to start is at the farmer's market. There is also a small produce store that only sells fruits and vegetables from local farmers. They've had local raw honey and bee pollen in the past.

When Natural Cures Don't Work

This isn't an exclusive list of natural cures. There are many natural ways to treat seasonal allergies; this list is what has worked for my dogs. But if you've tried these and others with no success, it's time to sit down with your veterinarian to dive deeper.

If you have one in your area, there are holistic veterinarians experienced with nutrition, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and other herbal treatments that might help. With TCM, you can add or remove foods that will help alleviate allergy symptoms. A great book to learn more about TCM and diet was written by Dr. Judy Morgan: Yin & Yang Nutrition for Dogs: Maximizing Health with Whole Foods, Not Drugs

And some prescription medications offer relief to dogs when nothing else works. When speaking with your veterinarians about your options, explain your concerns and ask what you can do to prevent any of the side effects associated with the medication.

Read More About Dog Health

• How Raw Feeding can Help Alleviate Dog Allergies
• 5 Ways to Naturally Reduce Inflammation in Dogs
• How to Treat Allergies in Dogs Naturally
• Understanding How to Treat Heartworm in Dogs Naturally
• Everything You Need to Know About Dog DNA Test Kits