Does your dog or cat suffer from seasonal allergies?  Do their allergy symptoms appear more in the Spring or the Fall?  Do they lick their paws, have runny eyes or itchy skin?  If their symptoms are more pronounced with the change in the seasons rather than all year long then they possibly could have a response to outside allergens like pollen from grass, trees and flowers.  Our dog, Salem, suffers from seasonal allergies but we’ve found a great solution for him with the help of a couple of terrific products from our friends at Herbsmith! 

Be Prepared! 

clear alert you can help stem the effects of seasonal allergies with a little preparation.  We recommend two of the core Herbsmith products:  Clear AllerQi and Milk Thistle.  Both of these Chinese herbal blends work at reducing the “heat” in the body and restoring the proper flow of Qi in your dog or cat and act as natural detoxifiers too. Herbsmith MilkThistle 

This is also a great combination for pets that are always “hot” – look for signs such as seeking out cool tiles to lay on, sleeping near a cold door, avoiding resting in the sun indoors or outdoors, or any signs you see that tell you your pet is warm.  Think of them as a boiling pot of water – you want to cool them down – and the combination of  Clear AllerQi and Milk Thistle are very effective in cooling them and balancing out their energy flow. 

In addition, you can check out their Food Energetics charts – very helpful in helping you find more cooling proteins like duck and rabbit rather then hot proteins like trout, lamb or venison. One of our Four Muddy Paws team members can also help you find the right diet for your pet. 

The key is start ahead of the season – so for Springtime allergies you should start in February as it takes four to six weeks for these natural products to reach their full effectiveness.  Then your pet will be protected as the pollen begins to fly! 

It’s available in either powder or tablet form.  Warning – these are not tasty treats – so use some natural peanut butter or a little cheese with the pills and use the more economical powders in their raw or wet food. 

Here’s a great blog post we’ve written specifically on the benefits of Milk Thistle and a couple of short videos explaining both Clear AllerQi and Milk Thistle. 

Protect your pet before and after flea and heartworm treatments too! 

Clear AllerQi and Milk Thistle are also very effective at helping your pet’s body detox after their monthly flea and heartworm treatments.  Here’s what you do: 

Take Clear AllerQi and Milk Thistle one day BEFORE treatment, the DAY of treatment, and TWO DAYS after the treatment.  This will help your pet’s body handle the extra chemical load they experience after their treatments.  It will not counteract the benefits of the treatment but it will help their bodies reduce the toxic load of these treatments.