When you have a dog scratching constantly or intensely, it indicates a far greater problem than one such as fleas. Too often, dog people and veterinarians alike, simply look for something to address a symptom, without a thought as to what is the cause.
And all too often, that something is suppressive. Suppression means that the underlying cause is not addressed, but the symptom goes away. The only way you can do that is to ‘switch off’ the immune system, so it stops reacting to the trigger or cause.
I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how dangerous that is. The health of the immune system and its freedom to act in anyway that it deems appropriate, is the ONLY way to remain healthy, free from disease or to recover from disease. So switching it, or parts of it, off means more problems MUST develop. Maybe not immediately. Maybe a bit further down the track so that neither you nor your vet will make a connection. A homeopath may be the only person who can see enough to make that connection.
If your dog scratching annoys you or you feel sorry for your dog, don’t automatically reach for the vet product such as Trifexis (also known as Panoramis or Comboguard) or Apoquel. People are regularly reporting serious reactions, sometimes death, from these products, which the manufacturing pharmaceutical companies are hotly denying. Of course they would. And your vet believes them.
Most vet meds for fleas are neurotoxic – they affect the nervous system including the brain. Flea collars are the same.
Instead, consider the cause. Irritating skin conditions are one of the ways a body tries to eliminate toxins. Other routes can be the stool, the urine and nose or mouth discharges. This means you need to consider what your dog is ingesting, absorbing or being given in the way of toxins that he needs to eliminate.
We all know our world is very toxic – from the air we breathe, to the environmental issues. Important to consider though these are, they are less important than the real culprits.
Commercial dog food is not made with your dog’s health in mind. It is made with the manufacturer’s bank balance in mind. This means that whatever the price you pay, whoever sells it to you, whatever the packet claims, the ingredients are the same; cheap, poor quality, nutrient deficient and riddled with chemicals that are passed off as vitamins and minerals.
The main ingredient may be meat, or should be, but where from? Normally it comes from a rendering plant, which takes in anything deemed unfit for human consumption. End products from rendering plants go into making soap, blood and bone fertiliser for the garden and, you guessed it, commercial pet food.
Cheap fillers are next added, which can range from spoilt grain to waste collections from fast food outlets.
Then the chemicals to preserve (even when it claims to be preservative free) and to try to re-dress the very poor nutritional content.
By consuming this daily, your dog also has to try to eliminate the toxins daily. Is it any wonder that your dog won’t stop scratching?
Then come the veterinary drugs. Few people seem to connect the dots – drugs are chemicals. Medications are chemicals. So from the annual vaccination and the frequent medications, your dog has yet another onslaught of toxins to eliminate.
The bad news is that a switch to a natural dog health approach will not stop your dog scratching immediately. It takes time for all the toxins to be expelled. The good news is that good homeopathic treatment can speed up this process.
But a change is the ONLY way to permanently resolve the problem. You need to appreciate what a scratching dog is trying to tell you. The priority is to stop feeding your dog a toxic diet. Instead, feed a quality, natural, species-specific diet. Yes, it can take a while to get your head around it, but if you care, I know you can do it.
A dog scratching has a message. And it isn’t fleas. Fleas are actually really helpful, as they eat the toxins. A natural dog not only is free from toxins, but also free from fleas. And worms. And has a wonderfully healthy immune system. And is happy. Playful. Young at heart.
