VPN ALLERGY CARE GUIDE

ALLERGY CARE AND TREATMENT

ALLERGY CARE AND TREATMENT Dogs and cats, just like humans, can have allergies. In fact up

to 40% of all skin irritations in our pets can be attributed to

allergies. These allergies can come from foods, inhaled

allergens like weed, tree, and grass pollens, fungi, even insects

and storage mites.

Since there is no known “cure” for allergies and the prospect

of avoiding all the things your pet reacts to may be unrealistic,

we suggest that you turn to hypo-sensitization, or allergy

injections and an immune system building diet to help most

effectively manage your pet’s allergies. If the allergy is caused

by food we can help with hand crafting a whole food diet plan

to strengthen your pets immune system helping it fight off any

other potential allergens.

No one enjoys getting or giving injections but the benefits far

outweigh the negatives. Suppression therapy like steroids,

antihistamines, Cyclosporine can not only be more expensive

than treatment but with long term use come with some

potentially serious side effects. At best, these methods are

only effective in about 40-50% of the time.

Increasing a pet’s tolerance to the allergens they react to through hypo-sensitization and a diet change to a more nutrient rich bio-available food source has proven to be, other than avoidance, the best way to successfully manage allergies and provide lasting relief. It is also safe for long-term use and can provide your pet with much longer-term relief than suppression therapy. Done correctly PNS garner success rates as high as 90%. Pet Nutrition Systems offer allergy testing and treatment for canine and feline allergies through its partnership with Spectrum Labs. Up to 40% of all skin irritations in these animals can be attributed to allergies. Allergens cause reactions through skin contact, inhalation or ingestion. Allergic animals contain antibodies to the specific irritating allergen that cause changes in the body to produce allergy symptoms resulting in scratching, feet licking and chewing, face rubbing. If allergies become more severe, the chewing may eventually lead to bacterial skin infections and large open sores.

Food allergies can also cause skin problems, but may also lead to vomiting and diarrhea. Seasonal allergies are very common and result from the increase in allergens you pet is allergic and exposed to during certain times of the year. Your pet is going to be allergic to pollen for example throughout the entire year, but as spring and summer approach, the pollen count dramatically increases and therefore increases your pets exposure and send them over their limit of what their immune system can handle.

What types of allergies are there? 1. Foods: The common symptoms of food allergies consist of skin irritation, excessive itching, hair loss, and hot spots. In addition, they can cause the dog to have loose bowel movements and even cause them to throw up from time to time. !!There are a number of causes for food allergies including a built-up intolerance to beef, dairy products, chicken, corn and soy. Dog food allergies can develop over time making it all the more important to be aware of these symptoms. The easiest solution is to change to a different dry dog food and see if the skin problem clears up. If this is not the answer, a visit at the veterinarian is necessary for further assistance. !

!2. Fleas: Much like food allergies, the dog will develop redness to the skin, become itchy, and may begin chewing in spots. The primary cause of dog fleas is the saliva of fleas that irritates dog’s skin. Similar to mosquitoes, fleas suck the blood out of the dog. Possible treatment is giving the dog a bath in cool water with a shampoo designed for fleas. If the dog has chewed his own skin, antibiotics will be sometimes needed, depending on the severity of the problem. !!

3. Bacter ia: Bacterial allergies can be identified by red blotches, pus pockets, hair loss and skin formation that looks like ringworm. Typically, bacteria allergies are secondary to other problems the dog may have such as parasitism or hormonal disorders. It is vital to get a blood test to see what the actual problem is. !!

4. Contact: The symptoms of contact allergies are very similar to flea and bacteria allergies symptoms. The cause for contact allergies is the dog coming into contact with any kinds of allergens. Anything from the bedding, chemicals, plants, or household cleaning products can bring on contact allergies. There are several different treatment methods including using a certain kind of shampoo, a prescribed oral form of steroids, or any natural treatments like omega-3. !!

5. Atopical: Atopical allergies start with itching, biting, hair loss and face rubbing. Other symptoms may be papules, which are small red bumps, or pustules, which are small pimple-like lesions. Atopical allergies are typically caused by fleas, but can also be caused by airborne, chemical, and by many of the common products found in your home

How do you diagnose allergies?

After a thorough examination, you and/or your vet will decide if allergy testing is an appropriate option for your pet. Having ruled out all other possible causes, a blood sample will be taken and submitted to Spectrum Labs for diagnostic evaluation. There it will be tested for sensitivity to inhalants such as certain pollens, food types used in commercial dog/cat foods and treats, & potential environmental allergens such as grasses, house dust and smoke.

What is the treatment involved? The best form of treatment for allergies is avoidance of the offending allergen/s. In most cases this is not possible and steroid drugs are often used for SHORT TERM relief of symptoms. Use of steroids does contain side effects so Hypo sensitization (allergy shots) is another alternative. Treatment sets are developed and formulated specifically for your pet based off of the allergy blood testing done earlier. The treatment injections are given in increasing concentrations all in effort to build up your pet’s tolerance to the allergens involved. The goal is to enhance the immune system to the allergies so your pet can be more comfortable without the worry of side effects.

How effective is treatment?

There are some allergies that decrease with time and treatment. Other times a pet may need continued allergy shots to maintain tolerance to the specific allergens. Improvement in most cases is seen within 3-5 months of treatment at which injections are only given monthly. Food allergies need to be carefully scrutinized by the owner since they cannot be hyposensitized by allergy treatment. Spectrum labs will supply a list of food recommended for their specific allergies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlOzQk‐b8Es http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN6k‐nXCDBk http://www.vetallergy.com/veterinarians/login/

PNS ALLERGIES AND FOOD INTOLERANCES WELLNESS PROGRAM (For dogs)

PNS FOOD ALLERGY WELLNESS PROGRAM

A. Identify the Allergen (s)

B. Design a Dietary Nutrition Plan

C. Managing Proper Medications

D. Supplementation Assistance

At Pet Nutrition Systems we encourage a proactive holistic approach to pet health care. We believe it to be the best way to protect our pets and keep them healthy. I f your dog is suffer ing from food intolerances, we offer a comprehensive program to help indenti fy the al lergens and create a Veter inary prescript ive diet plan to natural ly aid your pet’s body and immune system heal. Following the guidelines in this wellness plan can give your dog the support to stop the suffering sooner.

STEP A: Identify the Allergen(s) - getting to the source of the problem

Determining exactly what is causing the allergic reaction in your dog is not always easy and may require some patience. PNS has found that the quickest and easiest route to determining the problem is to do an allergy blood test. Spectrum is the most common but there are others that will

identify the allergens and tell us what are the safe ingredients to form your diet plan around. There are other blood tests that we recommend to determine what physiological and dietary deficiencies are present in the pet’s body. Armed with this information we will be able to design a holistic organic rotation diet plan that with correct the deficiencies, bolster the immune system and avoid any ingredients that maybe working against the body’s quest for optimum health. An allergy is an overreaction of the immune system when it feels threatened by a protein of a food, a bee sting, a drug (like penicillin), or an airborne mold or pollen. If the body views this environmental input as an invader it releases an overload of histamines in response. This can create symptoms as simple as a runny nose, itchy eyes, hives and general swelling to more

severe reactions such as vomiting, diarrhea, quickened heart rate and trouble breathing and even possibly a loss of consciousness due to a drop in the patient’s blood pressure. This is called anaphylaxis shock.

Flea Dermatit is

The most common allergen is flea dermatitis, which is an allergy to flea saliva. It only takes one flea to make a dog with a flea allergy miserable. Flea dermatitis is difficult to discern from other skin conditions since the intense itching results in excessive licking, biting and chewing - resulting in skin eruptions and hot spots. Eliminating the fleas and keeping them away from your dog could be an easy solution to your dog's skin problem. PNS prescribe the best products for you to use to manage any parasite issues. Our all-natural flea, tick and insect repellent is the best daily alternative to flea colors,

and toxic sprays.

Inhalant and contact al lergies

Your dogs could be allergic to the same types of inhalant stimuli that we are, such as molds, dust mites, household chemicals, house dust, feathers, pollen, etc.

Identifying an inhalant or contact allergen is easily done with our blood test. Then making the simple changes to your living environment with help alleviate the problem.

Food al lergies

It is estimated that up to 45% of pet allergies are the result of food ingredients. It is very important to select the right allergy test when it comes to identifying food allergies and the alternative elimination diet take a long time and is rarely correctly administered.

If you choose to do an elimination diet rather than the simple blood test be mindful that it is a very lengthy process requiring planning, consistent follow through and no missteps or mistakes or you will have to restart the program from the beginning.

An elimination diet starts be restricting the dog’s diet to two items (one meat and one carbohydrate) that are not a part of their normal diet. Examples are venison and potato, duck and sweet potato, rabbit and rice, etc. The diet should contain only the same two items for 12- 14 weeks. If symptoms improve you place the dog back on their original diet. If symptoms return you know you are dealing with a food allergy.

Once a food allergy is determined, you will begin the lengthy process of returning to the two-item diet until symptoms show

up allowing you to identify the ingredients causing the reaction.

STEP B: Assist With PNS Nutritional Diet Plan

Pet Nutrition Systems food intolerances formulations help dogs deal with unresolved allergies by fighting inflammation and strengthening the digestive system.

These particular formulations have added additional amounts of long chain fatty acids, found in the highest concentrations in fish oil, for a variety of health reasons. Fish oil not only helps reduces inflammation, reduces itching and has the added benefit of supporting kidney function, the cardiovascular system, the digestive system and helps maintain a healthy coat and skin.

We use 100% wild salmon, not farmed sources, organic chicken and pure protein sources. Wild salmon has higher levels of beneficial omega-3 and lower levels of saturated fats. In addition, farmed salmon have been found to contain significantly higher concentrations of PCBs, dioxin and other cancer causing contaminants.

Our use of organic and natural human grade whole food promotes the growth of friendly bacteria in your dog's digestive tract. Unlike processed food products like canned food or kibble which need the addition of digestive enzymes, which are necessary to properly breakdown food and absorb nutrients.

Once we have obtained your blood test back from the lab and receive your PNS Veterinary Prescriptive Nutrition form our animal nutritionists will select the proper recipes for your pet’s

diet plan. You will receive these recipes to make for yourself or have our commercial kitchen make and ship to you.

Step C: Manage proper medication With the allergens correctly identified, any needed changes make to the living environment and the proper diet plan put into place your vet will be able to start reducing and eliminating the medication that was need to ease the symptoms of your dog’s allergies.

Traditionally treatments for allergies cost allot of money and took years to manage. Now with the combination of modern blood test, PNS Veterinary Prescriptive Nutrition Service and you vets management of all medication the process is made safer, cheaper and takes a fraction of the time to heal.

Step D: Supplementation Assistance

Primary Benefits of Isotonix® Digestive Enzyme Formula with Probiotics*

· Helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels

· May help ease occasional stomach upset

· Promotes digestion and absorption of nutrients

· Provides enzymes and good bacteria that promote the absorption of nutrients

· Supports a healthy digestive tract

· Supports healthy immune functions

Unit Price: $35.99

“VPN Service Guide"

VPN Prescriptive Pet Formulation Form Pet Information Pet Name (first, last):___________________________________________________ Species: cat / dog Age:__________yr / mo Breed:________________________________________________________________ Weight:___________lb / kg Sex: M / MC / F / FS Client Information Name:_______________________________________________________  

Mailing address:______________________________________________________  

Phone Number:_____________________________________________________  

Email Address:_________________________________________________________________________ BCS (Body Condition Score 1 – 10) ________ MCS (Muscle Condition Score 1 – 10) _________ Body Weight ________________

Daily Calories Calories will be calculated based on signalment and weight unless a custom amount is entered here:____________Cal/day Check up to 3 Conditions or Approaches* __Healthy Pet ____Food Allergy,__ IBD,__ Adverse Reactions to FoodGI  __Highly Digestible (acute GI-itis, constipation, post GI surgery) __High Fiber (diabetes mellitus, colitis, constipation) __Low Carbohydrate (diabetes mellitus) __ mod. fat restriction Pancreatitis, Hyperlipid., Lymphangiectasia __ severe fat restriction Pancreatitis, Hyperlipid., Lymphangiectasia __Early Renal Disease __Advanced Renal Disease and/or Protein-losing Nephropathy Hepatic Disease  __ normal protein level (no encephalopathy) Hepatic Disease 

__ protein restricted (encephalopathy) __Urolithiasis (calcium oxalate) __Urolithiasis (struvite not for dissolution, FLUTD, for cats only) __Urolithiasis (urate or cystine) __Other _____________________________________________________________  

Human Foods to Avoid (ex.chicken):_________________________________________________________________________________________ Desired Protein Source, if available Example (Pork)____________________________________________________________ To submit email to [email protected] or call 570.262.9914 or 562.295.6391  * NOTE: certain combinations and/or foods may not be available/appropriate. See petnutritionsystems.com or call 1-570-262-9914 for an up-to-date listing of available recipe options. , All rights reserved.

References

International Renal Interest Society Guidelines. http://www.iriskidney.com/guidelines/en/treatment_recommendations.shtml

Subcommittee on Dog and Cat Nutrition, Committee on Animal Nutrition,

National Research Council. Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats 2006. Available online at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10668#toc Accessed 12/19/09.

Association of American Feed Control Officials. Official publication. Oxford,

Ind: Association of Feed Control Officials 2010. Available!online at http://www.aafco.org

Thatcher CD, Hand MS, Remillard RL. Small animal clinical nutrition: an

iterative process. In: Hand MS, Thatcher CD, Remillard RL, et al. Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 5th Ed. Marceline, Missouri: Walsworth Publishing Co 2010;3-21.

Bauer JE, Olson WG. Development of a modular curriculum for education in

nutrition. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1994;205(5):681-684. Bauer JE, Buffington CA, Olson WG. ACVN highlights common principles of

nutrition. Vet Forum 1995;(12):55-58. Michel KE. Using a diet history to improve adherence to dietary recommendations. Compendium of Continuing Education For

Veterinarians 2009;31(1):22-26. University of California Davis Nutrition Support Services Diet History Form.

Available online at http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/small_animal/nutrition/ newsletters.cfm

German AJ, Holden S, Moxham GL, et al, Simple, reliable tool for owners to

assess the body condition of their dog or cat. The WALTHAM International

Laflamme, D. Development and validation of a body condition score system for dogs. Canine Practice 1997;22:10-15.

Laflamme, D. Development and validation of a body condition score system for cats: a clinical tool. Feline Practice 1997;25:13-18.

Scarlett JM, Donoghue S. Associations between body condition and disease

in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998;212:1725-1731. Bren L. Pet food: the lowdown on labels. FDA Veterinarian Newsletter

July/August 2001;XVI(IV). Available online at http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/fdaveterinariannewsletter/ ucm130726.htm Accessed 4/26/10.

Finley R, Ribble C, Aramini J, et al. The risk of salmonellae shedding by dogs

fed salmonella-contaminated commercial raw food diets. Can Vet J 2007;48:69-75.

Weese JS, Rousseau J. Survival of salmonella copenhagen in food bowls

following contamination with experimentally inoculated raw meat: effects of time, cleaning, and disinfection. Can Vet J 2006; 47: 887–889.

Wojciechowska JI, Hewson CJ, Stryhn H, et al. Development of a

discriminative questionnaire to assess nonphysical aspects of quality of life of dogs. Am J Vet Res 2005;66(8):1453-1460.

Http://Www.Petfoodindustry-Digital.Com/Petfoodindustry/201002/#Pg36

Taylor J. Puzzling Petfood. Pet Food Industry Magazine 010;52(2):34-39. Subcommittee on Dog and Cat Nutrition, Committee On Animal Nutrition,

National Research Council. Nutrient requirements of dogs and cats, 2006. Available online at Http://Www.Nap.Edu/Catalog.Php?Record_Id=10668#Toc

If you would like us to help you further, please fill out our Veterinary Prescriptive form and email it to us or call for assistance. (the form is on the following pages)

Feel free to call for further assistance. www.petnutritionsystems.com