Pet Allergies : Remedies for an epidemic ( Orthomolecular Medicine ) [1 ed.] 0961545208, 9780961545208

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P3J

«»»«

.HAi

Remedies for

Alfred

J.

an Epidemic

Plechner,

Martin Zucker

DVM

cat i

-3^

^$J9

Remedies for an Epidemic

by Alfred

J.

Plechner,

DVM

and Martin Zucker

VERY HEALTHY ENTERPRISES P.O. Box 4728

•

Inglewood,

CA

90309

mmt

Copyright

©

1986 by Alfred

All rights reserved.

distributed in

No

J.

Pleehner and Martin Zucker

part of this publication

may

any form or by any means, or stored

retrieval system,

be reproduced or in a

Printed in the United States of America

First

data base or

without the prior written permission of the authors.

Edition

Library of Congress Catalogue Card ISBN 0-9615452-0-8

Published by

VERY HEALTHY ENTERPRISES

PO

Box 4728 Inglewood CA 90309 Telephone: 213-672-3269

Number 85-051341

To the memories of "Dune," "Paris," "Edson," "Alex" and "Ruppert," who gave me the inspiration to help other needy animals.

Digitized by the Internet Archive in

2012

http://archive.org/details/petallergiesremeOOplec

TABLE OF CONTENTS

•

Acknowledgments

•

Part

1.

Roots

2. Is

Pet

One

—

The Epidemic

Of An Epidemic Food

Fit

Food?

5.

Food Allergies — Trouble By The Mouthful Why Are Foods Allergenic? Food Allergies Can Strike Anywhere

6.

Missing Minerals

3. 4.

7.

8. 9.

10. 11.

The Enzyme Connection Breeder's Blight The Genetic Problem The Adrenal Timebomb When The Timebomb Explodes [Dogs] When The Timebomb Explodes [Cats]

—

12. Fleas, Insects

•

Part

Two

ix

And Inhalant Allergies

—

3 11

18

25 33 40 48 52

60

69 79

85

The Remedies

14.

What — And What Not — To Do The Hypo allergenic Diet

15.

Mineral Supplementation

102

16. 17.

Topping Up The Enzymes Hormone Replacement Therapy

106

18.

Prevention

120

13.

19. Is

• •

There

A Human

Connection?

95

97 104

125

Selected References

126

Index

127

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would

like to

thank the following individuals for

their

contributions in the creation of this book:

• First and foremost to Jim Konopisos, of Miracle Mile Business Systems, Inc., Los Angeles, whose encouragement tranformed idea to action and

whose generosity transformed manuscript

to

finished

book.

•

To

the Miracle Mile art department staffers

talents in bringing the

book

who

to print: Bill Lucas, Tevis

applied their

Harvey, and Liz

Castro.

• To Roz Wheelock, Jim Keel, Richard Wolters, and Suzanne Beedy, for sharing their special insight into the problems of breeding, and, for the second time, thanks to Persian breeder Laneen Firth for her candor and information.

•

To Charlene Hunt and Judy Flerman, two favorite clients who helped me explain the serious problems afflicting many

mine,

of of

the guide dogs for the blind.

•

To

Officer Jay Broyles of the Beverly Hills Police Department, for

sharing the story of "Boss," the No. 1 police dog in the world.

•

To

Dr. Michael Fox of the Institute for the Study of Animal Pro-

blems.

• To Jim Murchison for technical advice, and Jeff Abel, of Overload Publications in Torrance, for extending courtesy in a time of need.

IX

PART ONE The Epidemic

1 Roots

Of An Epidemic

Are your cats and dogs eternally scratching? Are there "hot spots" of raw, red flesh on their bodies? Is

there loss of hair?

Severe reactions

Do Do

to flea-bites

and ear mites?

your animals carry, or suffer from, potentially deadly viruses? they suffer from frequent diarrhea?

Vomiting?

Weight loss? Epileptic seizures?

Chronic

liver disease?

Kidney ailments? Hyperactivity?

Lethargy?

Do If

your animals simply have

less

they could talk, would they

good health than you think they should?

tell tales

of woe

like the following:

•

"Kahlua," a two-year-old Golden Retriever, enjoyed reasonably good health, marred perhaps by an occasional summer itchy skin. One day a friend advised her owners that she needed a higher protein diet. So the owners bought the most expensive commercial formulation on the market and fed it to "Kahlua." Within eight hours, the dog developed a hive-like reaction over her body, followed by shaking, vomiting and diarrhea. The owners, thinking they had introduced the new food too

fast, backed off and mixed smaller amounts of the new food in with the old. The same thing happened. The dog couldn't tolerate something in the new diet. • 'Henry," a three -year-old domestic shorthair cat, was fed a predominantly beef diet by his owner since being obtained from a rescue organization. For a year there was no problem. The owner then decided to put some '

variety in the animal's diet

and introduced canned tuna. Almost immediately,

"Henry" began vomiting and

•

'

'Buddy,

' '

his ears

became inflamed and swollen. same diet

a seven-year-old fox terrier, had been fed the

all

He was always a healthy animal but now had developed a terrible skin rash. He bit and chewed his feet. His ears became thick and swollen. A

his life.

4

•

Pet Allergies

bald patch

was spreading near

tion. But that wasn't

all.

He

The diagnosis was

his tail.

flea allergy reac-

also had a history of chronic ear mites.

Upon

have a genetic defect causing proexamination, He was hypersensitive to his food imbalances. found endocrine-immune

"Buddy" was found

to

and environment.

• but

was

"Flower," a purebred Burmese, had an very small and

frail

irresistable personality,

despite a ravenous appetite. She

chronic sneeze, along with runny, red eyes, and inflamed

By age one she developed

a bad odor.

was

a

glamour

kitty, the

feline

was plagued by a

gums that produced

leukemia and soon died. She

offspring of champions. But physically she

was an

endproduct, a defective cat programmed for an early death. • "Nancy, a two-year-old Cocker Spaniel from a prominent line of '

'

champions, had been

in

and out of animal hospitals since her owners bought

her as a young puppy. She gained weight very slowly, developed a chronic ear infection at 4 months, an itchy rash on the stomach shortly thereafter,

On

and suffered from epileptic seizures. towards her human

"Nancy'

family.

occasion, she acted aggressively

still

'

hadn't

come

into heat.

She suf-

fered from a genetic adrenal deficiency seriously affecting her overall health and behavior.

THE UNRECOGNIZED EPIDEMIC Acute or chronic, early foregoing accounts

all

in life

have a

or

later,

common

mixed breed or blueblood,

denominator. In each scenario

is

the

an

animal who has lost the ability to cope with the environment — with food, with viruses, with bacteria, with insects, with life. These animals have become sickly before their time. They represent the tip of a massive, unchartered iceberg — an epidemic

of disease fession.

— that

At

this

like the Titanic, I

consider

is

Over

not yet fully recognized by the veterinary medical pro-

and

will continue to

a very real and

The problem 1)

is

very time, millions of our domestic pets are going down,

is

do so unless we take steps

growing

what

two-fold:

the last thirty or forty years there has been a proliferation of im-

properly designed commercial pet food. quality ingredients

is

It

typically filled with poor-

and chemical additives and bears

food created by Mother Nature.

may be met by some

Minimum

minimum

little

resemblance to

daily nutritional requirements

products but they are just that

products don't even meet

more

to avert

disaster.

— minimums.

Many

standards. Manufacturers often put

effort into cosmetic effects for you, the buyer, than into nutritional

They want food that looks good to eat. Whether it is on is another matter. Among pets there is widespread intolerance of commercial foods. This rejectivity shows up as

quality for the animal.

good enough

for the animal to live

violent sickness or chronic health problems.

It

often triggers a hypersen-

Roots Of sitivity

and overreaction

to flea

and insect

An

•

Epidemic

bites, pollens, soaps, sprays

5

and

environmental contaminants. 2) Similarly, over the last fifty years or more, intensive breeding for particular physical features has created seriously defective animals with

im-

paired ability to tolerate their environments. These purebred cats and dogs

may have cost

is

the fashionable features valued

by fanciers and judges, but the

high: animals with inferior equipment for survival, for health. Such

animals enter

life less

able to cope and begin to have problems early on.

And not only are biological flaws passed on to purebred offspring but to mixed breed descendants as well. have created an poor food and genetic defects These two elements

—

—

allergy disease epidemic ravaging our pet population.

An

allergy

is

defined by medical dictionaries as "a hypersensitive state

acquired through exposure to a particular allergen."

An

allergen

is

any

agent that can bring out an immediate or delayed reaction.

Based on twenty years in practice, I think the meaning of allergy as it permedicine should read something like this: A hypersensi-

tains to veterinary

tive state either inherited or acquired that is ruining the health

of millions of

pets and seriously threatening their survival.

Strong stuff? Well,

I

don't say

it

lightly.

On a daily basis in my practice I

see cats and dogs by the numbers, with inferior or are seriously affected by environmental input.

damaged immunity, who The experts really don't

know the extent of allergies among pets. Some say 5-10 percent. Guestimates for food allergies alone begin at 1 and range all the way up to 30 percent. I think the problem is much bigger, greater than anybody realizes. I think perhaps one out of two animals brought in to veterinary hospitals today may be suffering from some degree of allergic malady, a hypersensitive that

can cause death just as easily as

problem. Allergies are so

it

state

can cause an everyday scratching

common that pet owners probably

face the prob-

lem sometime or another during the lifespan of their animals. I have seen unmistakable patterns of disease poking pathetically out of kingly breeding lines and unmistakable patterns of sickness resulting from consumption of specific diets. Long ago I said, "Whoa, Plechner, something's going on here. " And I began my detective work. I began looking for causes.

CAUSE NO.

1:

FLAWED FOOD

became aware that many of the cats and seemed to have some sort of hypersensitivity condition such as itchy skin, red mucousy eyes, or overreaction to flea bites. It was so common I began to wonder if I had missed the boat in school. I didn't remember any academic fuss about any emphasis at all allergies. I never had the remotest expectation I would be seeing this so freWithin five years

dogs brought

in practice, I

in for treatment

—

—

•

6

Pet Allergies

Was

quently. I

seeing what

I

was going by

arians used.

books and

I

I

was seeing? Or just seeing things?

the book, using the standard treatments that all veterin-

did what

journals to

I

And

had been taught to do. sure I was on track.

make

I

I

reviewed

my

text-

did skin scrapings. Skin

biopsies. Intradermal allergy testing for 175 different allergens. Desensitizing programs. I took blood samples. I used cortisone to stop inflammation. I

dispensed the recommended

pills, shots,

soaps, ointments and powders.

But results were mixed. Nothing seemed to work consistently. Animals would often benefit temporarily but the signs would come marching back. I

purchased whatever was available

in professional literature

continuing education courses. But they provided

little

and took

help and no inspired

However, the new information did condiagnoses. I was indeed seeing an extremely high

direction for inquiry or treatment.

firm the validity of

my

number of animals with hypersensitivity, with allergic-like reactions. I examined all the possibilities for allergy. There are only so many ways through bites, that allergens can enter the body and cause a reaction

—

fleas, contact directly through the feet and skin, through inhaling, and

through eating. In time signs

realized that

I

many cases

— related directly to food.

I

— with surprisingly widespread clinical

wasn't seeing just the usual scratching or

skin rashes or gastro-intestinal reactions

you would expect from

allergy,

but things like epilepsy, liver and kidney ailments and other serious disease processes. There

problems determine I

was a huge spectrum of conditions

how

set out to

certain foods could affect certain areas

all

I

on an animal's body.

design some dietary strategies that would enable pet owners to

deal with the problem of food. cent of

fit the mold of was even able to

that didn't

related to just allergy or just food. Eventually

the animals

I

To my amazement I found

was

treating

improved

that about

partially or

30 per-

wholly on

modified diets in which certain antagonistic foods were eliminated.

With further sleuthing

I

discovered that

tions are woefully deficient in

key nutrients. This deficiency

I

a result of

found that absence or insufficiency of important nutrients can also

contribute to hypersensitivity.

added

is

which many of our agricultural crops are

the abused state of the soil in

grown.

many commercial food formula-

to foods

I

also found that

some vitamins

— whether — can

by the manufacturer or given to pets by their owners

themselves cause allergic reactions.

My food:

clinical research turned

up

many animals have enzyme

still

another major health clue related to

deficiencies and are not able to properly

process their food. This handicap creates nutritional deficiencies leading to allergic-like reactions

Altogether

I

and disease.

determined that about half of the animals

problems related specifically to food and digestion. they could be helped.

I

I

was

treating

also determined

had

how

Roots Of

CAUSE NO. The

2:

is

replete with

stincts, altered

bad news

among

along breeding

In

and sales

many

results

animals.

began

I

and dog

cat

and bizarre behavior, and specific health problems.

in highly defective

7

— animals with gross deformities, lost in-

cases, the headlong rush for ribbons, cups, titles, prestige

Long ago

Epidemic •

THE GENETIC T1MEBOMB

recent history of cosmetic breeding practices

breeders

An

to

lines.

observe patterns of similar disease and allergy signs

Often these signs or reactions could be neutralized only

through the use of cortisone, a drug commonly used by physicians and veterinarians.

to allergens.

tive

acts as an anti-inflammatory agent

It

The drug

is

and also reduces reaction

a synthetic and limited version of a highly protec-

and regulating hormone produced by the adrenal glands.

The parade of

sick animals in

my

clinic raised

two nagging questions:

In addition to well-documented genetic problems, could

1)

widespread cosmetic-oriented breeding also be producing hormonallydefective animals unable to adequately defend themselves against allergens, 2)

microorganisms and disease?

And could we, the veterinarians, unaware of the depth of such a pos-

sible genetic flaw, inadvertently

be compensating for that deficiency while

patching the surface signs with our massive use of cortisone drugs? Years of clinical investigation gave Yes,

I

was seeing

sooner or creators,

later

problem

many

animals.

explodes inside

was creating

still

— yes on both counts. — an adrenal timebomb that

me the answers

a genuine genetic

more damage

in the

Man,

that

most amateur of

arrogant attempt to improve

on God's own design. In

some

cases, the

timebomb goes off with

a great bang. I've seen sob-

—

helpless pathetic animals,

bing children carrying

in

the casualties

sometimes with oozing sores over

body, sometimes hairless and

their

emaciated, sometimes so weak they can't stand, sometimes

all

of these.

The timebomb can also tick relentlessly for years, producing small problem after small problem that eventually develop into serious disease and organ In

failure.

my opinion,

it's

a dinosaur effect. Animals are being

disaster, for extinction.

Many

tive adrenal glands unable to vital for health

The

and resistance

manufacture adequate Cortisol, a hormone to disease.

signs of this defect are expressed as various diseases which

to use these

for

of them are biochemical cripples with defec-

inarians often treat with steroid drugs.

There

is

we veter-

generally strong reservation

drugs over a long period of time for fear of side effects.

However, with the proper

many

programmed

testing

and the proper hormonal replacement,

severely allergic and sick animals can be restored back to health with-

out suffering any side effects whatsoever.

I

have discovered,

in fact, that if

8

•

Pet Allergies

these deficient animals

need

it

do not receive

this

kind of therapy

for a lifetime — they will never get well.

It's

a

— and often they

new and powerful ap-

proach to serious disease.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK If you are an owner of purebreeds you may be asking yourself whether you have a timebomb on your hands. Is it ready to go off? Has it already gone off? What can you do to defuse the bomb and what can you do to

minimize the damage If you are the

if it has already gone off? owner of mixed breeds don't think you've been spared. Many

mixed animals carry the blood of champions within them. fraction

may

well contain the timebomb, the

When animals breed naturally,

And that pure blood

same defective genetic

imprint.

according to their own choices, hybrid vigor

To what degree is the purebreed defect being perpetuated and elbowing out the hybrid vigor in your animals? What makes for tough,

resilient creatures.

timebomb

:an you do about the

in

This book takes a piercing look It

your mixed breed animals?

at all the

questions raised on these pages.

examines the role of food and neglected biochemical imbalances that

together are creating an epidemic of allergy and disease

When

with health problems that otherwise

and

among our

pets.

recognized and understood they provide a powerful tool for dealing

may

escape our best efforts to prevent

treat.

Most importantly,

book

the

offers practical advice

— remedies

for the

epidemic.

The

solutions

I

propose are based on years of searching for alternatives to

standard therapies that just don't work, or just

work

temporarily. These

—

have been years of clinical research and trial and error lots of trials, lots of errors and lots of failures, I should say. Happily, the long process led me to exciting

The

treatment breakthroughs.

ideas presented here have been effective for thousands of animals

perhaps over 8,000 of them by yours.

I

have crystallized

my

now

—

—

and they can certainly work for findings into an easy-to-follow, step-by-step

plan which includes doing things both on your

own and

with the help of

your veterinarian.

The

basic problems

I

am

concerned about are correctable and control-

Even such deadly diseases as feline leukemia and feline infectious peritonitis can be better managed by following my guidelines. The book is divided in two parts. The first covers the following problems, many of them overlooked in general veterinary medicine, that can lable.

severely impact the health of animals:

• The food connection, providing startling details about mercial pet food can undermine animal health. •

Food

allergies, a frequent source

of

irritation

how com-

and upset and cause

An

Roots Of of both acute and chronic

My

•

"Allergic

•

Epidemic

9

illness.

HIT

List" of major food offenders and the surprising

scope of health problems they can cause.

•

Mineral deficiencies, the depleted

depleted state of American agricultural

• •

Enzyme

How

state

of pet food, reflecting the

soil.

deficiencies, a usually undiagnosed cause of ailments.

fad breeding practices have caused a multiplicity of serious

genetic health problems.

One such overlooked problem — the devastating adrenal deficiency. How animals are made super-sensitive to flea, insect and environ-

• •

mental allergies.

two contains the plan of action

Part

my

enzyme supplementation, and hormonal replacements.

mineral and

diets,

practice

I

— using combinations of hypoallergenic

find

can help about

I

When

and supplements.

work,

that doesn't

In

percent of the sick animals with diet

fifty

prescribe the appropriate replacements and

test for

I

am

hormonal imbalances,

able to successfully treat and

provide lasting relief for a large percentage of the most resistant cases. I

will tell

you how

some through your In

to

formation appears

am

I

have compiled comprehensive testing and hor-

details for veterinarians. This in a

term cortisone therapy administered with

Among

book. is

necessary

maximum

in

My

many

goal in writing this book

how Many

place and

if

So

I

is

to

will to

'Silky,'

'

how

it

why

long-

can be safely

have an important chapter

avoid problems.

show you how

to prevent health prob-

your animals do have problems then

way

stubborn conditions can be remedied, just as '

explains

it

cases and

best to deal with them in the most effective

•

the first time such in-

health benefits.

a big believer in prevention.

in the first

is

other things,

packed with practical information on how lems

— some of them on your own,

veterinarian.

Chapter Seventeen,

monal replacement

I

apply these measures

a one-year-old

Doberman

at

to explain

possible.

following cases:

in the

the time,

was brought

a second opinion. His condition had been diagnosed as ulcerative serious intestinal disorder, and

had chronic diarrhea and was

it

was recommended he be put

literally starving to death.

in for

colitis,

to sleep.

a

He

We determined the

dog to be suffering from a straightforward food allergy — beef and chicken, among other things — and we put him on a non-meat hypoallergenic diet.

The dog recovered and today

•

is

a beautiful specimen.

"Big Foot," a two-year-old grey tabby, had a

feline infectious peritonitis.

He had

with fluid. Blood tests revealed a Cortisol problem. priate

hormone replacements.

eventually regained

•

' t

classical case of

the typical distended

In three

months the

We

abdomen

initiated the

filled

appro-

cat shed the virus

and

full health.

Samantha,

,,

a three-year-old domestic shorthair, suffered

weight loss and anemia associated with feline leukemia.

from

We determined the

10

•

Pet Allergies

presence of the genetic biochemical insufficiency along with a sensitivity to beef and tuna.

The

We

prescribed a treatment program that addressed both prob-

and tested negative for leukemia. These were animals who normally would have been put to sleep. Today

lems.

they

are

cat fully recovered

all

thriving.

Read on

to

see

problems... or better yet, prevent them.

how you can remedy

similar

2 Pet Food Fit Food?

Is

More

than 30 percent of the ailments

I

treat in

related to food. After reading this chapter

my

practice are directly

think you'll understand

I

why

that's so.

Next time you are stocking up on pet food supermarket, step back and take a good look

and sacks

see

your favorite pet store or lineup of cans, packages

of you.

in front

What you

at

at the

mega-business

is

— sales of $5 billion dollars a year. Ameri-

cans spend four times more on pet food than on baby food, and twice as

much

than on cereal, macaroni, and flour products. In 1973, pet foods overtook

among dry grocery commodities.

coffee as the largest-selling category

Competition

is

fierce

among

the several thousand manufacturers.

They

spend more than $160 million a year on TV, newspaper and magazine advertising.

They broadside you with

trick

photography, meaningless and

"Meow

misleading nutritional claims, and tongue-tickling names such as

Mix," "Fish Ahoy," "Snausages," "Lollipups" and "Doggie Donuts." In the competitive scramble, quality to

economics and

quality. Quality lines

is

profit.

and good nutrition are often sacrificed

There are no government standards regulating

like shifting sands.

It

changes even within single product

of a company as cheaper ingredients are constantly sought to replace

more expensive ones. Most people want to feed

their pets cheaply

and conveniently. So price

is

always an overriding commercial consideration.

One manufacturer concerned about nutritional quality in the industry summed up in print what we veterinarians have known for years: food is the cause of many routinely diagnosed ailments. "There

is

one major reason

that considerable

and

Company

in the

March 1985

end of the

battle line

the other

is

that

is

is

tonnage of pet food

is

nutrition-

competition," wrote Robert Pett of Pett Food

ally inadequate,

issue of

DVM,

a veterinary journal.

price, causing the use of

"On one

cheap ingredients, and on

the quest to enhance appeal through the use of chemicals."

Feeding cheaply can cost more

in the

long run

— in veterinary

bills.

In 1983, the University of California-Davis alerted veterinarians to be

on

12

•

Pet Allergies

consumption of

the lookout tor a potentially-serious skin disease traeed to

various generic dry dog foods sold

veterinary columnist tor the Los Angeles Times,

Anna Clark, the commented that many Dr.

veterinarians and dog breeders are familiar with

them "starvation diets."

these cheaper generic foods and call

"Probably not appear

generic pet foods provide inadequate diets, but

all

the

overall,

that,

supermarket chains.

in

it

would

you-get-what-you-pay-for adage applies

old

here." she said. But even expensive high-profile brands

come

a cropper

now and

then as

was found responThe investigation dogs. working highly-trained

they attempt to cut corners. Recently, a top specialty diet for the deaths

sible

revealed that the

o\'

company had been using peanut

product. Unfortunately, one that

produced a

lot

shells for fiber in the

of shells were contaminated with fungus

lethal toxin.

Peanut shells?

Uh

huh. They're cheap and add volume to the product.

FEATHERS, BEAKS, HOOVES, HORNS Manufacturers are highly creative a professor of

James Corbin.

once cited some of the foods.

The

list

re-routed

foi'

concocting penny-pinching recipes.

animal science

more unheralded

at the

University of Illinois,

ingredients used

in

cheap canned

included "gristle, hair, lungs, pig feet, pig snouts,

cheeks, udders, and

Condemned

in

AND DISEASED TISSUE

parts

condemned hog

tails,

livers."

and animals rejected for human consumption are routinely

commercial

pet foods.

A

similar fate applies to so-called

4-D

animals. These are feed animals picked up dead, or that are dying, diseased, or disabled, and do not meet human-food qualifications.

They

are processed

straightaway for pet consumption. Little goes to waste.

Food processing refuse of

all

sorts

winds up

in

your animals' dinner

bowls. Moldy grains. Rancid foods. Meat meal. The

latter

is

ground-up

slaughterhouse discards often containing disease-ridden tissue and high levels of

hormones and pesticides

— the very things that may have contrib-

uted to the death of the steer or hog. In the

book "Dr.

Pitcairn's

Complete Guide

and Cats," Dr. P.F. McGargle terhouse wastes to pets

k

is

to Natural

Health for Dogs

quoted as saying that feeding such slaugh-

'increases their chances of getting cancer

and other

degenerative diseases."

From

his

experience as a veterinarian and a federal meat inspector,

McGargle says

that these products

lk

can include moldy, rancid or spoiled

processed meats, as well as tissues too severely riddled with cancer to be eaten by people."

You commonly see the word byproducts on pet food ingredient lists. Do you know what it means? Euphemistically speaking, byproducts imply

Pet Food

Is

Fit

Food? •

discards, rejected matter, fecal matter, and parts guaranteed not to

13

make

your mouth water.

Chicken byproducts include feathers, beaks, feet, waste material, the leftover parts after poultry has been slaughtered and processed for human consumption.

Beef byproducts include hooves, horns, skin with

esophagus,

hair,

left-

over organs and glands.

Who would buy

a product

if

such contents were disclosed? Byproducts

clearly an alias designed to cover

up on the ingredient tents.

up the

truth.

meaning they comprise a good chunk of the con-

list,

Byproducts often make up a big part of the

utilize

such ingredients poorly,

The diseased

is

Usually byproducts are high

total protein.

Your animals

if at all.

tissue, pus, hair, assorted slaughterhouse rejects,

and car-

casses in varying states of decomposition are sterilized with chemical, heat,

and pressure procedures. Then crafty processing techniques are applied to

"food" that tastes and looks good. Finally, product labels are written by shrewd merchandisers who hide more than they tell. In 1983, the Pet Food Institute, representing the pet food industry, successfully petitioned the Food and Drug Administration for changes in labeling information. These proposals were made: "cheese" to describe cheese fashion a

rinds, "vegetable fiber" to describe corn

husks and peanut shells, "poultry

protein products" to describe hydrolyzed chicken feathers, and "processed

animal protein" for ground bones.

A

rather unsavory business for a supposedly savory business,

The Humane Society of the United istic

States

I

would

say.

and the American Veterinary Hol-

Medical Association were strongly oppossed.

According

to the International Journal for the

such vagueness sitive pets.

in labeling

Study of Animal Problems,

could cause serious health problems

among

sen-

Furthermore, said the journal, the labeling of animal byproducts

that are actually

of

little

or no nutritional value as "protein" not only

misleads the public but can also be detrimental to animal health. All those percentages of protein, fat and carbohydrates

provide no useful information on biological values, that zation quality of ingredients. it,

and process

it

For much of

Can your animals

into the necessities

of

on the container

is,

the actual utili-

really use the food

— digest

life?

no way. Animal "protein" such as feathers,

hair,

beaks

and claws are virtually indigestible yet such ingredients contribute

to the

percentage

total protein

package.

it,

An

percent of the protein in that are less than

Fats

may

"Guaranteed Analysis"

that

appears on the

"good"

diets

is

actually utilized.

What about

diets

good?

consist of rancid oils lacking essential fatty acids and certain

fiber contents

The

in the

authority on cat nutrition once estimated that only about 50

may

act as irritants.

fact is that the

"Guaranteed Analysis" on the

label

is

no guarantee

at

•

14

Pet Allergies

that the contents are nourishing. In the

all

opinion of

many

veterinarians,

an overload on the kidneys, the extra protein and harsh ingredients place food processing. Loose bodily in involved intestines and other organs liver,

intestinal tract, and a whole stools, gassy bowels, direct irritation to the of allergic reactions and illnesses are typical results when the

assortment organs can no longer cope.

For sure, the poor-quality excess protein over the long-run is a prescription for kidney disease. The kidneys have to process and excrete the toxins and nitrogenous waste products from protein breakdown. But nature never designed canine or feline kidneys to handle the volume of impurities that

comes

their

way. The result

is

fatigued, irritated,

kidneys after several years of

life.

cannot perform the normal task of the

filtration.

instead of being excreted.

body

tissue

and cause shabby coats and

mimics an

damaged and

deteriorated

Scar tissue replaces healthy tissue and

Waste products are retained

These poisons often

in

collect in skin

itchy, dry or scaly skin, a situation that

allergic dermatitis. Left untreated, the toxic buildup leads to

vomiting, loss of appetite, uremic poisoning and death.

Kidney disease should be a prime suspect w hen an animal seems constantly and drinks large amounts of water. The signs also include pale, often

thirsty

colorless, urine. Excretion In

my

practice

I

is

many

see

more frequent than

cats

usual.

and dogs with diet-caused kidney disease

too advanced to treat. Dr.

Mark Morris,

Jr.,

one of the country's leading veterinary

has stated that a high protein food

is

"not good for your dog" and

has kidney problems, "an all-meat dog food can national Journal for the Study of that all

kill

what

is

if

the animal

him/' The

Animal Problems quoted Morris

of the commercially available dog foods contain so

tein than

nutritionists,

actually required that

it

much

Inter-

as saying

extra pro-

would take an extraordinary search Research has clearly shown high

to find a food with insufficient quantities.

protein diets to have an adverse effect on kidneys, the journal said.

San Jose veterinarian Wendell Belfield, Healthier

Dog,"

in his

reports the case of a terrier

book

who was

"How To Have A fed a cheap high-

protein diet and died of complete kidney shutoff and uremic poisoning.

"In a healthy animal, you should see kidneys the size of nice walnuts," said Belfield.

"When opened I

the

dog

for autopsy,

kidneys, half that size, and hard with scar tissue.

hyde for many years

to

show

clients just exactly

I I

found two shriveled-up kept them in formalde-

what can happen

to

animals

fed an inferior diet."

A CHEMICAL FEAST The manufacturing process

also includes a hefty infusion of some of the fore-

most chemical additives of our time. There's sodium nitrite, to prevent fading of colors and make meat products look a healthy blood-red. There's

Is

Red Dye 40

to create a fresh,

Food

Pet

Fit

Food? •

15

animal would The cosmetics product looks good enough to

meaty appearance. Not

that the

notice the color. Cats and dogs are thought to be colorblind. are

you think the

for you. It's important

all

eat. Er, rather, that

Sodium

nitrite

looks good enough to buy.

it

and Red dye 40 have long been linked

fects in laboratory animals.

They

are banned in

some

to

cancer or birth de-

countries, but not here.

— butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and buty— have been associated with liver damage,

Two

widely used preservatives

lated

hydroxytoluene (BHT)

fetal

abnormalities, metabolic stress and increased cholesterol in

They

laboratory testing.

No

doubt you've heard of the "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome." That's

where

sensitive individuals will experience headaches, feverish flushes

rapid heartbeat after eating a Chinese meal.

mate (MSG), a flavor enhancer used

same

MSG

So, too,

also used in a

is

is

liberally in

is

number of the most popular dog and

its

it

causing

A vast array shelf

in sensitive

of chemicals are

pumped

into

liberally laced with artificial flavors as pet

Digest several years ago.

in sensitive

humans.

animals?

commercial pet food

and make the products attractive and

life

cat foods.

cause brain damage, difficulty swallowing,

ability to

weakness, loss of consciousness and other major grief is

and

monosodium glutaChinese restaurants. The very

The cause

sodium metabisulfite, a preservative, which has been making

headlines lately for

What

some

also have a questionable relationship to cancer.

is

to

extend

foods are so

foods," reported Consumers

The magazine quoted

dustry as saying that phony flavors

tasty.

"Few

the only

a source in the additive in-

way

to get pets to eat the

quality -poor food.

Do you

much

tains as taste

The version for dogs consugar! The sweet stuff gives it

feed your pets semi-moist products? as 25 percent of the contents as

and also prevents bacterial contamination.

It

may be

also creating

canine sugar junkies. In addition to semi-moist products, treats and snacks are often loaded with sugar, syrups and artificial sweeteners.

Cats don't have the sweet tooth that dogs do, so the semi-moist feline version contains propylene glycol as a substitute for sugar. Propylene glycol, an iffy additive to a

known

to cause puzzling irregularities in the

chemical family that

known

to

is

used

in anti-freeze, oils

blood of cats, belongs

and waxes. In dogs,

it

is

cause a severe skin inflammation, hair loss and even death.

Semi-moist

is

a near-total chemical concoction that

regard as pure garbage.

I

have seen

with heart problems, and cause

it

many

veterinarians

lead to cardiac failure in older dogs

many

cases of diarrhea, vomiting and

allergic reactions.

Too much

salt in the

realize that there's too

human diet is a well-known problem. But did you much salt in semi-moist and other highly-processed

common additive, used as a preservative to prevent When listed on the label, as much as 6 percent of the for-

pet diets as well? It's a

spoilage of meats.

mulation

may

consist of salt.

•

16

Pet Allergies

Too much

(and sugar, too) can

salt

irritate the

stomach and the

intestines.

promotes an excess drinking of water. It can create an abnormal thirst that so much liquid they vomit. Then they with up Animals will sometimes bloat will bloat up again on water and vomit once again in a continuing cycle that drains their bodies of essential minerals.

weak and near death

—

hapless victims

Industry usage of additives Safety testing

is

is

have treated many an animal,

I

o\'

a disastrous diet.

inadequately controlled by government.

generally conducted by the individual manufacturers

themselves and not by independent researchers.

many loopholes

in safety

And

there are seemingly as

— and there are

regulations as there are additives

thousands of them.

Consider

this:

The U.S. Government's General Accounting Office

a report in 1979 indicating that to

all

commercially-sold meat

some degree with chemicals. Something

dressed raw meat and poultry sold

in

like

issued

contaminated

is

"fourteen percent of the

supermarkets might contain

illegal

residues of chemicals suspected of causing cancer, birth defects or other toxic effects," the report said.

Six years later, in 1985, the

Food and Drug Administration was taken to consumers from

task by a Congressional committee for failing to protect

exposure to dangerous drugs that are fed to animals and can turn up

in

meat,

dairy products and eggs.

Such and

I

is

the heightening situation for

eat.

One

quality food

Imagine the degree of contamination

FDA toxicologist expressed

Wendell Belfield

that

among

in pet

— food that you

foods.

"a great deal of concern'

'

to veterinarian

the questionable things going into pet foods

are "the toxic agricultural chemicals killing

human

—

the pesticides and herbicides

—

numbers of livestock every day."

Such animals are processed for pet food, livestock and poultry feed, the toxicologist said, and the processing.

While

nobody knows how much of the poisons are surviving sterilization will eliminate the

microbes contained

in

contaminated food, most agricultural chemicals will survive the high temperature involved in processing, he added.

Medical science cannot possibly keep pace with the rapid progress of profit-motivated food science. the deluge of chemicals they

man-made

Nor can our animals. They did

now

not evolve on

get during a lifetime of eating a totally

diet.

Unfortunately, the public and most veterinarians receive their entire nutritional information

from manufacturers whose primary

After a study of pet foods during the 1970s, Dr. Paul

interest

is

sales.

M. Newberne of the

Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had this to say: "Much of the information... on how best to feed your pet.

with very

.

.is

little if

misleading and primarily designed to

sell

a product. .often .

any supporting evidence to back the claims made by the

manufacturer. The pet-owning public and in

many

cases the veterinary pro-

Is

Pet

Food

Fit

Food? •

17

mercy of the mass media advertising, often to and increased cost to the client." In a highly critical 1979 article on pet food, Frances Sheridan Goulart of Consumers Digest issued this caveat: "There is mounting evidence that a fession has thus been at the

the detriment of the health of the animal

lifetime of eating

commercial pet foods can shorten your pet's

life,

make him

fatter

than he ought to be and contribute to the development of such increas-

ingly

common

disorders as cystitis and stones (in cats), glaucoma and heart

disease (in dogs), diabetes, lead poisoning, rickets and serious vitamin-

mineral deficiencies

And

(in

both cats and dogs)."

1980 book for cat owners, pet columnist Jean Burden described

in a

the difficulties encountered by the

modern

cat trying to adapt to

man-made

environment and food: "It doesn't always wholly succeed. Sometimes teeth fall out at an early age;

sometimes

it

its

gives birth to stunted kittens. All

because of poor nutrition."

For years

And what

I

I

have been watching the pet food market with growing concern.

see are antiquated and improper formulations full of chemical

additives, questionable ingredients that cannot be utilized, and inadequate levels of vitamins

Today's food

is

and minerals. daily

becoming more inadequate and unacceptable for tois no longer what food is best, but

day's animals. The criterion for purchase

rather what food will cause less problems.

3 Food

Allergies

Where's the beef? they "Allergic

Beef No.

HIT

Beef

Trouble By The Mouthful

say.

is

you.

tell

I'll

the very top of

at

It's

my

List" of foods that cause our pets the most problems.

fed so frequently in so

is

allergic

1

—

many ways, shapes and forms,

that it's the

hitman by a big margin.

beef,

you

say. Steaks

and prime roasts. Whatya mean different

ways, shapes and forms? unlikely

It's

you are feeding choice cuts

to

your animals. More

are feeding commercial formulations that include beef

likely

you

from condemned

parts

and byproducts. These are the typical forms of beef generally processed

into

canned, semi-moist and dry kibble products, into pet snacks such as

and bone

biscuits

treats, into

rawhide chew

sticks,

and

into

meat sauce,

meat meal and bone meal.

These

— and Is

If

entities all is

it

literally

have the beef antigen

flooding the digestive tracts of animals everywhere.

your animal diabetic?

your animal

well.

The

is

insulin

Is

it

on insulin?

sensitive to beef

may

it

may

way

it

may

the insulin

— provoking allergic

your animal on thyroid therapy?

If so,

Is

from a beef source?

also be sensitive to beef insulin as

therefore be totally ineffective for the diabetes yet ef-

fective in an undesirable Is

— the offending protein molecule

not be effective at

all if

Is

reactions.

the thyroid replacement

the animal

is

from beef?

sensitive to beef.

Are you giving your animals supplements or coat enhancers containing a beef source? Read your labels.

Out

in

nature animals can follow the heeding of instinct and choose their

own meals and

snacks. But pets are beholden, both benefactor and victim of

their master's decisions.

And

too often they receive the

day, can after can, sack after sack.

meat and meat byproducts Actor

Bill

in

And

in

after

one form or another.

Shatner, the Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame, and his actress

wife Marcy, are long-time clients of mine and can

beef allergy.

same food day

those cans and sacks are usually

It

tell

you

first-hand about

almost killed "Heidi," their pet Doberman.

About ten years ago, "Heidi" developed a sudden hind leg paralysis. The incident occurred while I was on vacation and the Shatners took the dog

Food

•

Allergies

19

"Heidi" was diagnosed as having a serious spinal condition affecting her legs. She was in obvious pain. The

to see another veterinarian.

veterinarian thought she should be put to sleep.

The Shatners were extremely attached wanted

to get a

'

to

'Heidi.'

They

'

second opinion, so they waited a few days

until

said they I

returned.

The X-rays showed that the first veterinarian had made a mistake. There was no spinal problem. But there was a horrible gas problem. The dog's abdomen was severely distended with gas and she was dragging her hind legs. The pressure was apparently causing a referred-type of pain in her legs much the same way that angina (heart-related chest pain) in people can cause pain

allergen.

As

in the left

arm.

suspected "Heidi" was having a

I

I

in this

common

intestinal reaction to a

food

had seen many cases of gassy bloating as a result of food allergy. case, sometimes the hind legs are painfully affected to the point

where the animal appears paralyzed, thus imitating a sign of disc disease which dogs are often put to sleep. I

gave "Heidi" some medication

to soothe her gut

for

and sent her home

with a prescription for a non-meat diet. Within two weeks she was dramatically better and walking normally again.

me

Moreover, within three months, Marcy told

that

undergone major changes. The dog was five-years-old frolicked with the vigor of a puppy.

at

"Heidi" had

the time but

now

Her coat improved and her personality

blossomed.

The Shatners maintained life.

dog on a non-meat

the

She enjoyed radiant health almost

age of

until the

diet for the rest

end. She died

of her

at the ripe

old

14.

So impressive were the changes "Heidi" made those ten or so years ago that

we came

the details

to

name

and recipe

the diet after her in

— the

"Heidi Diet."

I'll

give you

Chapter Fourteen.

The Shatner case represents

a typical finding about food allergy. It's this:

animals often become sensitive to the foods they eat the most frequently.

"Heidi" had been receiving a steady stream of beef in her diet. At the time, were feeding her the best possible diet Unfortunately, as things turned out, they learned that the continuing volume of beef was overcoming the animal's ability to cope. One day, the dog's body finally said "no more." the Shatners felt they

It is

.

important to note that

it

is

been eating perhaps for years, gers allergic reactions. in

When

I

usually the old diet, the food the animal has

that

most often becomes offensive and

mention

to clients that diet

may

trig-

be involved

a particular problem, they sometimes react quite defensively.

"Well, I've been feeding the same food for years without any problem," they will say. That very admission

is

a strong clue for

same food over a prolonged period can

Many

certainly

me. Exposure

do an animal

to the

in.

animals can handle small or moderate amounts of a problem food.

.

•

20 But

Pet Allergies

when you heap

chow

the

doggy or

in the

overloading the threshold. Again,

let's

bowl then you are often

kitty

use beef as an example.

The food

becomes an allergen because of the frequency it is fed. There's beef in the main course, beef in the chewsticks, and more beef in the snack. It's too much exposure. The animal cannot handle it all. The more one-sided the diet the greater the

chance for rejectivity

to

The constant bombardment of beef is why

occur earlier on I

in life.

will routinely take

many

sick

animals off a beef diet. Often they will recover just on the basis of this one simple measure. recall one dog — "Archie" was his name, a three -year-old mixed breed — who suffered chronically with stomach and intestinal upset. Occasionally I

We

he would break out with severe facial swelling.

took him off beef and

the intestinal

problem disappeared. However, the swelling returned from

time-to-time.

It

in the

turned out that he was

still

getting an occasional shot of beef

form of pastrami. His owner was a

and enjoyed sharing

it

New

Yorker who loved

with "Archie." Pastrami, of course,

is

his deli

yet another

form of beef.

Animals can develop an

intestinal

problem over a period of time,

"Heidi," experience an acute onset where there may be

a

or. like

tremendous

pocket of gas or vomiting or diarrhea. Burbly stomaches, gassiness and loose stools on a regular basis are tip-offs that an animal isn't handling the diet well.

Based on years of watching and treating food allergies, "Allergic ble.

HIT

I

created

These are the foods

have a cat or a dog

that

I

have observed causing the most trouble. You may

is

sensitive to any

one or several of them.

THE ALLERGIC HIT LIST Dogs 1

2.

Beef and beef byproducts.

5.

Corn and corn

Milk.

6.

Pork.

Yeast,

3.

yeast-containing

foods,

7.

Turkey,

brewer's yeast (as given to animals

8.

Eggs.

for supposed flea protection).

9. Fish

4.

and

oil.

fish oils.

Wheat, wheat germ, wheat germ

oil.

Cats

Beef and beef byproducts.

4. Yeast

2-

Tuna.

5.

Pork.

3-

Milk.

6.

Turkey.

1 .

my

List" of major food offenders,, HIT stands for High In Trou-

and yeast products.

Food

•

Allergies

21

Let's look at these frequent offenders in greater detail. Later, in Chapter

Fourteen,

I

foods along with some hypoallergenic

will discuss the safest

recipes you can either prepare yourself or purchase for your animals.

•

Milk. There

is

a great misconception about cow's milk, thought to

be ''Mother Nature's perfect food."

may be

It

— but only

perfect

if

you are

a calf.

know of one Texas

I

physician

who

studied the effects of milk for over

40

poorly absorbed, impairs the uptake of

years and concluded that

it

nutrients, stimulates excess

mucous production, and

is

leads to a host of prob-

lems including diarrhea, weight gain, chronic fatigue and allergic reactions.

Textbooks on human food allergies

New York

list

milk as the most offending of

foodstuffs.

One

study in

cow's milk

will

develop one or more allergies.

revealed that 25 percent of infants fed

A

recent study in England

indicated that milk caused 30 percent of headaches experienced by a group

of schoolchildren. For most people around the world, drinking what

in this

country would be considered normal amounts of milk past infancy

likely

is

to result in sickness.

The

our pets

situation with

is

much

pretty

the same, despite

all

those images

of cats contently lapping up bowls of milk. Afterward, the cat

may

rush

behind a bush or barn and throw up. In

my

experience, perhaps as

many

as 80 percent of our cats and dogs, no

matter what age, cannot tolerate cow's milk. After drinking

have gassy stomachs, vomiting, loose stool or diarrhea.

what form the milk

seem

is

— raw,

in

have a greater tolerance

to

•

Yeast. Another

common

low

opinion,

it

doesn't.

What

"Abba, "a two-year-old Siamese inflamed ears and hair loss over the the animal brewer's yeast.

I

cat, tail

is

will protect

will often do,

it

cheese and other cheeses.

misconception it

they usually

or non-fat. However, animals do

fat

to cottage

dogs with brewer's yeast, thinking

it

doesn't matter

It

to

however,

is

was brought

base.

I

supplement cats and

them from

my

fleas. In

cause skin allergies.

to

my

learned the

clinic with red,

owner was giving

suggested she change to a hypoallergenic diet

and stop the yeast. In a

week's time, she reported the condition of the skin was improving.

After another couple of weeks she said hair was starting to

grow back on

the

cat's hind end.

Within a month she and friend of her's

—

"Abba" were back

a "health nut"

—

in

my

office.

It

seems

that a

had resold her on the virtues of

brewer's yeast. The old skin problems were coming back. The owner

became

now

She kept the cat off brewer's yeast and the condition cleared up. She was even able to resume his standard diet. I

in

see

a believer.

many animals

Chapter Twelve

•

Wheat and

I

in

my

who have difficulty with yeast. Later, why yeast doesn't work against fleas.

practice

will explain

corn. In a sensitive animal, wheat and corn products

can induce vomiting and itchy, scratchy skin. Wheat, of course,

is

a major

•

22

Pet Allergies

among humans, ranking

allergen

right

up there with milk. Corn

is

also prob-

lematic, but less so.

foods, these grains are used as cheap tillers and sources of carbo-

In pet

hydrate. Often they are the single largest ingredients

in

the product.

breeders are aware of the highly allergenic effects of wheat and will feed a corn-based product instead. In formulations that contain both grains, a sensitive animal is getting a double dose of trouble.

Many

interesting to note that corn

It is

is

the

number one

ingredient in

many

cat

food products. What's curious about this is that the cat was domesticated about three thousand years ago as a protector of grainaries precisely because it refused to eat grain. Only within the last twenty years or so has This latter-day development has absolutely

the cat been eating grain.

nothing to do with feline evolution or dietary preference, but rather with the

you mask corn with animal fat, a The cheap price and plentiful supply of corn is most likely a

discovery by food manufacturers that cat will eat

it.

if

primary motivating force here.

•

Tuna.

A

very appealing flavor and popular food with cats. The

high exposure results

in

frequent skin problems and intestinal upset as well

as contributing to pancreas, liver

and kidney problems and urinary

tract

blockage.

•

Pork and turkey.

Come

predictable flood of sick animals

ous that the festive

spirit

her share of the bounty

is

Turkey

it.

veterinary clinics everywhere.

has extended to the family pet,

is

in the

who

It's

obvi-

receives his or

form of leftover turkey and ham.

is

that

a

probably too expensive for pet food manufacturers to use rou-

tinely in their formulations. to

Christmas and Thanksgiving, there's a

many animals can't tolerate turkey or pork. For some, enough to make them ill with vomiting or diarrhea.

Problem nibble

at

From my

Otherwise we might see more allergic reactions

experience, the incidence of turkey reactions tend to follow

a holiday schedule.

As

well as pure allergic reactions there have also been cases of classic

holiday overeating

—

pets perhaps following their masters' example.

never forget one sick Beagle told he

had downed

all

who had been

the yuletide turkey

particularly gluttinous.

and ham tossed

his

I

I'll

was

way. For

dessert, he had found

and finished an entire box of See's chocolates. Another Beagle once got thoroughly sick when he ate a small turkey hen, pop-up thermometer included.

Many

—

times following holiday celebrations leftover

and forgotten

—

in refrigerators.

ham bones

are stored

People will sometimes discover the

ham weeks afterward and give it to Fido. As a result of eating the ham, the animal may become violently ill, with vomiting and diarrhea. What happens is

that a

powerful toxin forms on the meat after two weeks or so and can

cause intestinal upheaval. I

have also found

that high-fat foods

such as pork can

elicit

damaging

Food reactions in the pancreas.

remember one woman who

I

of bacon every morning.

strips

Raw egg

biotin,

biotin can result in skin problems,

in

So

if

you are going

among

in

my

to feed eggs, serve

practice

Years ago, eggs were used

Eggs were dropped from

in

is

not

to the body.

A

lack of

them cooked

please. But

in particular the

whites.

a dramatically egg-sensitive animal.

preparing distemper vaccines for dogs.

the formulation,

to be causing allergic reactions in

Other food allergens

many

however,

were found

after they

animals.

have seen with some frequency

I

beans, nuts, shellfish, chocolate, fresh

tice include peas,

may

It

eggs his face will swell up grotesquely.

In his case if he eats

•

eggs.

other things. Cooking neutralizes

doing so be aware that eggs can be allergenic,

One of the poodles

dog three

fed her

whites contain avidin, a protein that renders

one of the B complex vitamins, unavailable

the avidin.

23

eventually killed the animal. Autopsy

It

showed an inflamed, hemmorhagic pancreas. • Eggs. Many people like to feed their animals raw be such a good idea.

•

Allergies

in

my

fruit,

prac-

grapes,

pineapple, tomatoes, cabbage, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms,

and spices.

how

Just I

little

it

takes to cause an allergic reaction

is

dramatized by a case

had involving a dog with a chronic dermatitis, a skin rash.

dog

and put him on a special diet and he did

into the hospital

cleared up. that diet

I

dog home

sent the

and not

We brought the

to stray off

after a

week and

told the

fine.

owners

The

rash

to maintain

it.

Well, the animal was back two weeks later with the same rash even

though the owner swore he was following the

What happened? Our owner liked to munch on Innocently, he that

would

was enough.

toss a

Just a

I

recall a terrier

the

•

to his pet

TV

sprawled

in the

evenings.

at his feet.

few peanuts a week. The dog was so sensitive

who was

a housekeeper,

dog

when he watched

few peanuts

bloom

his skin rash returned in full

when

peanuts

strict diet.

who

a slice of chicken

just

from

this

minimum

And that

exposure.

deathly allergic to chicken. She almost died

hadn't been informed of the chicken ban, tossed

one day.

to keep in mind regards the chemicals that accompany food. These can intensify or wholly activate an allergic reaction. The list includes the endless array of artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial

Another important point

sweeteners, preservatives, stabilizers, etc., used in the manufacturing

process.

It

animals.

And

includes the drugs, it

may

hormones and

anti-biotics used to fatten feed

also include pesticides and insecticides applied to those

animals and which have survived processing to reach the feeding bowl.

•

Mold can

also be an allergic turn on.

And

it

doesn't just stem from

food that's going bad.

"Mickey"

is

a Collie

I

treated for allergies and he

seemed

to

be doing

24

•

fine

his

Pet Allergies

on

a special diet that eliminated

owner, an

biting

artist,

and scratching

moved

to

his skin

many of the common

allergens.

When

an old farmhouse, the dog suddenly started

and developed severe diarrhea. This happen-

ed despite maintenance on the same good diet.

We

finally tracked the

problem down

to

mold present

in the rather anti-

quated plumbing system. The dilemma was solved with distilled water.

4 Why Are Foods Allergenic?

Classic allergies involve abnormal and symptom-producing reactions of the

immune

system. Intolerances involve physical reactions to environmental

substances that interfere with normal bodily functions. In dealing with food problems,

everybody has a favorite term. Allergies.

Intolerances. Sensitivities. Hypersensitivities.

The name

is

trouble

is still

really

academic. Call

whatever you

it

whenever you or your animal

food cause disease by

itself

but

it

The bottom

like.

eat certain foods.

line

Not only can

also can act as a priming agent to increase

sensitivity to other allergens. Signs

can occur

at

any time, from a few weeks

of age on up to old age.

A

sensitive

animal

reaction or illness

is

one who overreacts or experiences an abnormal

from eating certain food. And certain foods seem

a greater reaction than others. But

Why

another?

Cat

A

How

is

Dog A

in

eats

and

Brand

is

fine, yet

Cat

X kibble and

to elicit

one particular animal and not

one animal's meat the next animal's poison?

eats a can of tuna

is it

why

B

How

is it

in

that

breaks out with a skin rash?

seems

to

do

fine, yet the

dog next

door gets violent diarrhea from the same food?

The answers are not simple nor are there always answers. There can be a number of possibilities involved. Let me try to make as clear as possible what

is

not really a fully understood chain of events.

THE INTESTINAL WAR ZONE In

my

animals,

clinical

when

and order

experience

tested,

I

in the intestinal tract.

immunoglobulin A.

have found

have an imbalance

It is

is

antibody responsible for law

The name of this antibody

is

IgA, standing for

an antibody found throughout the mucous membrane

linings of the body, including the lining of the

IgA

of the sensitive

that the majority

in the

stomach and

intestines.

produced by a systemic army of protective white blood

phocytes by name.

It's

easier

if

you think of them

cells,

lym-

as soldier cells because

they do battle with "foreign invaders" throughout the body, such as bacteria and virus.

Among the

various

"weapon systems"

utilized

by these

?s

26

•

Pet Allergies

lymphocytes are specialized antibodies. They act as roadblocks or biois one of them.

chemical bullets. IgA

In the gut lining, these soldier cells alert for the impurities

try

and bacteria

occupy front-line positions, ever on

that arrive with the food. It's their job to

and neutralize such contaminants and block passage through the

tinal

If all is well, a multiplicity

of efficient digestive processes are going on

Food is being broken down by components for absorption.

this time.

nutrient

However, a genetic biochemical defect

at

visceral secretions into basic

common to many, many

undermining the function of the lymphocytes. As a

may

intes-

wall into the bloodstream.

react wildly, producing either too few, too

pets

may be

result, these soldier cells

many

or totally impotent IgA

antibodies. This erratic action can interfere with digestive processing and also irritate the intestinal lining.

Among other things,

the disorder created allows

many impure and toxic inOnce inside,

gredients or improperly digested foods to enter the bloodstream.

they can act as irritating allergens

burden on

As

filtering

—

—

1

"foreign invaders

'

and/or put a

organs such as the liver and kidneys to eliminate them.

things stand anyway, ingested food

may

require prolonged processing

because of the impurities and unnatural combinations. This extra labor and churning further

more entry

irritates the intestinal walls,

You

for impurities.

stomach. Loose stool. Diarrhea. Vomiting.

more turmoil and You get the burbly

creating

get the gas buildup.

And

then from the endless

me-

chanical and chemical churning and irritation of the lining, the blood

comes. In a

manner of speaking,

SKIN

a

war zone has been created

the gut.

- EXTERNAL SPOKESMAN FOR INTERNAL AFFAIRS

Veterinarians treat to a national survey.

more

skin disorders than any other problem, according

Although

it

doesn't receive as

related flea allergy, food allergy can be just as Intestinal turmoil permits

bloodstream. Certain cells to this

in

unwelcome

familiar to

all

traffic

many

much

recognition as skin-

troublesome to the skin.

allergens and impurities to enter the

body

—

—

called mast cells are sensitive and they react by secreting histamine, a name in the

of you.

The histamine has an "open sesame" effect on the walls of the tiniest blood vessels, making them more permeable. Blood now seeps into the adjacent tissue through the porous walls, causing

damaging chemical

reactions,

inflammation, and itchiness. The animal will respond to these local disturbances by scratching, chewing and biting making the situation even irritation,

—

worse.

The mast

cells are located in greatest

number just below

the skin in and

Why

Are Foods Allergenic? •

27

around the ears, around the eyes, on the chest and abdomen, above the tail base and on the feet. Here, on the skin, are the major surface impact areas

where

allergic reactions

— so-called allergic dermatitises — are most fre-

quently seen. Frenzied licking of

paws or scratching of any of these areas

are pretty sure signs of a food allergy.

"Billy" was an orange tabby cat

and inflamed ears.

humans would be

He would

who developed

scratch so hard at

occasional thickened

them that he created what on serum would enter the

called cauliflower ears. Blood and

space between the skin and the cartilage of the ear, creating an extremely unsightly looking animal.

The owner had a stepson who was very fond of the cat and whenever he came to visit he would bring some fresh tuna. It was after the visits that the scratching would start. In this case, "Billy"

was highly

After two of three incidents,

Lick granuloma

and

feet

is

sensitive to tuna.

we were

able to pinpoint the problem to tuna.

a frequent skin affliction usually occurring

of dogs. Veterinarians usually attribute

pent up and has nothing to do but lick, bite and

it

to

on the legs

boredom: the dog

chew what

is

is

obviously a

nagging itchiness. The constant mouthing creates inflammation and large thickened strawberry-sized wounds. I

see this problem often as a

form of food allergy which has stimulated the

large cluster of mast cells in the legs and feet.

"Buck" was lomas on

all

a black labrador

who had

suffered from these lick granu-

four legs and paws. Standard treatment hadn't worked.

He had

been injected with cortisone directly under the granulomas, been given oral

bandaged for five weeks and one of those Elizabethan restraining collars put around his neck. When the bandages came off the legs were much improved. However, "Buck" immediately began the frenzied licking and chewing again and

cortisone, and various ointments. His legs had been

soon turned his legs into a bloody mess.

The animal was

referred to me.

I

found out he was eating a high potency

kibble product containing seven of the most

recommended he be taken genic diet. No other therapy was

dogs.

I

common

allergic foods for

off the kibble and started on a hypoaller-

used.

Within five days the licking, chewing and biting stopped. Within three

And two weeks later we saw hair growing back The improvement was dramatic. Dachshunds, English Bulldogs and Huskies are known to be susceptible to

weeks, the wounds healed.

on the

sites.

interdigital cysts, bubble-like

them sometimes,

growths

too. I've seen

that

form between the

toes.

Boxers get

dozens of poor dogs chronically crippled with

paws swollen to twice normal size. When these cysts are opened and drained they are sterile inside. There is no infection. There has been no foreign body puncture. So how do you treat it? Again, I regard this as a mast cell-histamine release problem triggered by food allergy and I have had many, many animals totally liberated from

this painful condition, their

•

28

Pet Allergies

these eysts simply by plaeing

them on hypoallergenic

diets.

UNHOLY, UNNATURAL MIXTURES The reasons why

certain foods act as allergens are in

many

cases specu-

lative. Surely, one can put forward the argument that our pets did not evolve on the unnatural configurations of commercial food. Look at the labels of some of the products out there. Can they possibly

have any relationship with the food that cats and dogs ate over centuries and millenia? The bodies and brains of these animals have been genetically pro-

grammed to utilize certain foods. I doubt man-made mush they are fed today.

if this

programming includes

Most commercial combinations are pure science haps

may be

fiction.

An

animal per-

when you

able to tolerate beef and corn by themselves, but

combine the two such Ingredients

are

the

as in a kibble, then tolerance takes a tumble.

often

impure, their taste and appearance

grossly

"enhanced' by a conglomeration of chemicals for which there '

is

absolutely

no evidence for long-term safety.

much of the commercial

on the market

pet food

is

so

alien, so multiply altered, so chemically-laden, that only the strongest

of

I

frankly feel that

animals can remain healthy on

Too much of any one food system

in a sensitive

it

—

animal's gut.

over a lifetime.

— can

overload the fragile

Some creature may

tolerate perhaps only

such as beef

450 in a pound) of an offending food without him 4 grams and you overwhelm the threshold, causing of overt disease. Infinitesimal amounts can indeed light the fuse.

2-3 grams (there are about reacting, but give

signs

An animal may tolerate an when the insects and pollens of spring tolerance may vanish. A summation effect,

There can also be a seasonal connection here. allergenic food during the winter, but

and summer enter the picture, that

is,

the combination of food

and environmental allergens, can throw an

animal into allergic episodes.

you determine a seasonal pattern you may do your animal a great favor by feeding him a low protein, additive-free, hypoallergenic diet. That can If

free the sects

weapons of the immune system

and pollens

at

to

pour

all

their firepower

Dr. Marshall Mandell, of Norwich, Connecticut,

outstanding clinical allergies. In his

on the

in-

hand.

investigators

into

is

one of this country's

environmental medicine and

book, "Dr. Mandell's 5-Day Allergy Relief System," he

describes the chemical situation as

it applies \o humans. Mandell asks the question why should a person be allergic

that

he eats, drinks or inhales

something

that

is

if all

things are derived in

to

anything

some form from

part of our planet.

"The answers, we have discovered, involve mankind's

increasing inability

Why to

•

are Foods Allergenic?

cope with natural as well as unnatural substances

29

environment,"

in his

says Mandell.

human

''For hundreds of thousands of years during the course of tion,

changes occurred much more slowly

in

evolu-

man's natural environment than

they do in the rapidly changing chemicalized and polluted world of today...

"When organic chemistry began

whole

in the nineteenth century, a

series

of combinations of chemicals were created that were never found naturally in the

environment. Pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, waxes, preser-

and additives, although they did the jobs they were

vatives, colorings,

designed

contaminated the environment and

for, (they)

with residues that were totally alien to the

Added

filled

man's body

human system..."

growing chemical heap, continues Mandell, was

to this

ating contamination

from automotive

fuels, jet fuels,

and

oil

prolifer-

and coal burn-

ing industry.

"In short, everything

man

now

eats, drinks, or inhales is

chemical agents that are foreign to his chemistry, and he

consequences of possessing a body

that

is

polluted with suffering the

incapable of handling the bypro-

is

ducts of his amazing chemical technology."

According

to a recent issue

of the Journal of the American Medical Asso-

ciation, the proliferation of drugs

and industry

so widespread

is

it

is

and chemicals used

in

food, agriculture,

contributing to an alarmingly increasing

number of people "who are allergic to everything." And according to a 1981 Ford Foundation Report on nutrition in this country, there is a growing epidemic of chronic disease among Americans attributable in large part to the

depleted, chemicalized and highly processed nature of

our food.

The It's

— and

parallels

— to our animal

implications

even frightening when you consider

are eating has been declared unfit for

KIBBLE More

population are clear.

much of the food our animals human consumption. that

— A SACKFUL OF TROUBLE

convenient. Less money. That's the positive side of kibble. After

that it's all negative. I

have found

that

tolerant to kibble.

lection of

I

many of the animals believe the reason

many of the

cally everything

on

is

I

have treated over the years are

because kibble

is

in-

a concentrated col-

foods that are the most allergenic for animals. Practi-

my

Allergic

HIT

List

is

found

in

those sacks: beef, milk,

wheat, corn, yeast, fish meal, plus a bountiful array of chemical additives.

There's probably some mold, hair and other impurities

Kibble

is

the easiest

in there as well.

form of food for the manufacturers

to blend

and hide

inferior protein. First they pressure

Two. Then they

cook

flavor

it

all

all,

those delectable parts color

it,

dehydrate

it

I

mentioned

in

and often blow

Chapter

air into

it

•

30

Pet Allergies

to create

bigger surface particles so

chunks for your money. All bably poor to

looks as

it

if

you are getting bigger

means multiple adulteration

this

to protein pro-

start with.

The number of preservatives

listed

on the package

is

a

good indicator of

the quality of the protein and nutrients inside. The more preservatives, the poorer the quality. It takes more of man's ingenuity to maintain the shelf

The greater

life.

you need

to

the decomposition of a corpse, the

make

it

more embalming

fluid

look pretty.

The dehydration of this product eliminates moisture and that can increase the impact of an allergen. Water acts as a diluter of allergens. If little moisture is present the allergen is likely to be in a more potent, concentrated form. Thus, the allergens found in kibble are generally more numerous and more concentrated than

Most Over

pet food manufacturers

the years one of the

in

employ

canned or semi-moist food.

sales

gimmicks

so-called high protein kibble.

The makers

for

you are getting

A

And you go

your animal. is

enhance

sales.

for

it.

all

over the

real high

powered

splash high protein

packaging. You, the consumer, think you are getting

chow

to

most effective gimmicks has been the promotion of

some

Every time. You buy the

What

lie.

a clever cover-up that leads to a host of health problems.

manufacturer will use an excessive amount of cheap, inferior-quality

protein in order to obtain a

minimum

that

animals can

utilize. In California,

Food and Drug Administration requires producers include 18 percent protein in dog kibble, knowing that animals may be

for instance, the state's to

able to use only 5-9 percent of

it.

Cats require more protein than dogs

— twice as much.

According

to the

National Research Council, felines should receive 30 percent of their diet in the in

form of protein But

if

.

a commercial diet

about the junk?

only a half

— in the best of products — of protein

absorbed and utilized, what about the rest? What

is

What kind of problems

is it

causing?

Kibble has long been thought to be one of the causes of feline urologic

syndrome (FUS).

If fish

bones are included

or fish meal are listed on the label, this means that

But bones contain much phosphorus and magnesium. Both can collect as gravel in the particularly narrow urinary tracts of male cats and create blockages. Excess amounts of dietary fish

in the product.

phosphorus and magnesium are undesirable.

To be

safe,

purchase products

low percentages of those minerals. Ask your veterinarian for a recommendation.

that contain

Does your dog or cat burp a lot? Expel gas? Have a rumbling tummy? Loose stool? Those are signs of an irritated intestine. The food is entering the gut and the organs of digestion are finding it too coarse, too unnatural, too incompatible. High-protein kibble

Do you

is often the reason for this. have an aggressive, frightened or hyperactive animal? I have often

traced the problem directly to kibble. I've seen Dobies and Shepherds

who

Why you couldn't get near. The day pussycats, wagging their tails.

after

Are Foods Allergenic •

you change the

31

diet they are like

SEMI MOIST — MORE TROUBLE Semi-moist

a horror story

is is

— the ultimate food fiction. Just read the

label.

Sure,

it

looks great. Nice and red and moist and pliable like real hamburger

meat. That's what the manufacturers want you to think

But

tinted, flavored

artificial

good In

fillers.

They are

flair for special

colors and flavors, emulsifiers, preservatives,

humans avoid who

sugar, and whatever else most

salt,

is.

and processed with a genuine Hollywood

They use

effects.

it

nothing more than the standard discards and

it's

are interested in

health.

my opinion,

semi-moist should be placed

in a

record of modern food technology gone mad.

animal you can never be sure

if

it

will

fill

time capsule to serve as a

When you

Years ago veterinarians on the East Coast used to as a dietary regimen to alleviate food allergies. typical skin

problems related

to allergy

It

serve

it

to

your

tummy. recommend semi-moist

up or foul up seems

his

that

animals with

would improve when fed semi-moist.

But improvement was only temporary, the Easterners learned. Before long

would come roaring back, often with new problems added. could animals improve even if just temporarily when this product

the problems

How

many food

contains

allergens along with a heavy-handed array of chemical

additives? I

think

it's

because the processing of this particular product

so extreme,

is

the ingredients so thoroughly altered, that their physical characteristics are

changed. They are no longer simple beef, milk, wheat, corn or yeast proteins that the

body would recognize

troublesome ingredients are

as allergenic

and possibly react

now masked men,

to.

These

traveling the gut incognito.

The body's immune system doesn't recognize them

as "foreign matter."

So

no reactions occur. ...At least for a while.

You blood

just can't fool the cells

immune system

too long. Eventually, the white

(lymphocytes) recognize the charade and become sensitized to

And you can then often have a whole range of reactions from vomiting and diarrhea to dry, itchy, flaky and reddened skin. Along

these ingredients.

with that

is

the excess drinking and urination

semi-moist eater. So

do well, I

it's

— the tell-tale

signs of the

you switch to semi-moist and your animal seems probably just a honeymoon. if

frequently find semi-moist food as the cause of

allergic-like reactions.

My

advise

is

not to feed

it

to

common

to

allergic or

your animal.

32

•

Pet Allergies

CANNED FOOD Canned food, genic to

just like like the rest of

your animals. That's because

that pets are

most sensitive

Some animals

commercial pet food, may be it

contains

many of

aller-

the food items

to.

react, usually in the

form of diarrhea or vomiting,

to the

preservatives used in these products.

On food.

the whole, however, animals

The reason being

may be somewhat

that the contents are

than 30 percent of the contents

may have

less reactive to

canned

72-78 percent water. Thus,

less

and those

will

allergic properties

be diluted by the high water volume.

WHAT'S LEFT? Kibble. Semi-moist. Canned. What's left? you're thinking. He's torpe-

doed the whole marketplace.

Not

quite.

There are

still

many good products

readily available through

regular retail outlets and through your veterinarian.

And

some good simple hypoallergenic recipes for those of your animals some home cooking. Chapter Fourteen I will advise you how to feed your animals the bestthere are also

you who want In

possible diet

how

to give

— one

that eliminates, rather than causes,

to recognize signs

There

is

much you can do

the diets of

problems

— and

of allergy to a specific food.

your dogs and

— and with cats.

little

effort

— to put health back into

5 Food Allergies Can

Food allergy spot.

is

a missile with a multiple warhead.

map

the physical

Anywhere

Strike

— any surface, part or system.

The impact area can be

It

can strike anywhere on

Wherever

there

a

is

weak

genetically predetermined or follow predictable

And any food

patterns such as the mast cell-histamine route.

combination thereof can do the

or chemical or

causing one or more reactions

trick,

at

any

given time.

Gut and skin reactions may be the most subtle diseases are also

typical but other acute, chronic or

produced by food.

It is

a

common

misconception to

think that food allergy affects only the intestines or skin.

Here are some of the many disorders

you

me

to think

I

have traced

to food.

It

may

of them as food-related piublems. In the beginning

it

surprise

surprised

as well.

BEHAVIOR Allergens entering the system frequently affect the brain and nervous sys-

tem, resulting

in severe personality

Or

changes. Animals will suddenly become

become extremely timid and frightaway when you approach them. A typical case involved a six-month-old German Shepherd female who began snapping at the children in the house. Previously she had romped and aggressive toward owners.

ened and hide under beds or

they will

in closets

or shy

Upon examination,

played happily with them.

the

dog snapped

at

me

also.

I

questioned the owner and learned that the animal had recently been taken off a

puppy -type kibble and placed on a high protein formulation. The problem

seemed

related to the

change

fed her a low protein diet.

in diet.

I

kept the dog overnight in the clinic and

The next day

on the owner fed her a hypoallergenic

the

dog was a sweetheart. From then

diet without further incident.

Similarly, a sweet and personable three-year-old Siamese

changed

he charged

clawed

at

at the

male suddenly

One day, without any warning or apparent cause, owner who was sitting in a chair at the time and bit and

into a feline Jekyll

.

her leg. The cat was being fed a chicken-tuna combination along

with a popular brand of kibble.

33

•

34

Pet Allergies

Examination revealed a high eosinophil count. Eosinophils are a type of white blood released.

I

cell that race

onto the scene like cavalry whenever histamine

like to refer to

neutralize histamine.

I

is

as "histamine busters" because they act to

them

have found elevated eosinophils a

common accom-

paniment to food-mediated disorders. We put the cat on a diet of lamb, the least offending of meats for most pets,

and soon he became Mr. Nice Guy again. At a later date, the owner ran out of lamb and fed some leftover kibble to the cat. Within hours, the animal started acting strange again.

There has been precious to

little

research by veterinarians into the dietary link

abnormal behavior. However, the human experience gives us considerable

insight.

The work of

Benjamin Feingold

the late Dr.

Feingold, an allergist, found that

some

is

familiar to

many

people.

children develop adverse behavioral

when they eat food containing chemical additives and dyes. Since work was first published in 1973 there have been numerous subsequent

reactions his

investigations. In a

Some

support his findings while others are inconclusive.

1978 experiment with

common commercial

rat

pups, researchers found that a mixture of

food colorings contributed to hyperactivity and im-

paired the performance of the animals during intelligence tests.

Dr. Richard Pitcairn, the pet columnist of Prevention Magazine, has written that hyperactive children

"have often been helped by cutting out

all

foods

many processed foods and foods such products may well contribute to

with various synthetic additives, as well as

which may aggravate

allergies.

I

feel

animal hyperactivity also."

EPILEPSY Did you know

that epilepsy

is

more common in dogs than in humans? Conmore than any other domesticated

vulsive seizures also affect dogs far

animal. But despite

much

investigation into possible causes, the disorder

basically remains a mystery to veterinary scientists. Different researchers

have linked the problem to genetics, emotional reaction, food allergies, and hormonal and biochemical influences. Seizures range in severity from the so-called petit mal, or minimal attack, to the

most serious, the grand mal. In the lesser type, an animal usually ap-

pears frightened or anxious to escape his environment. This

is followed by and a rapid champing with the mouth, as if trying to remove a morsel of food with the tongue. There is often a foaming saliva. In the grand mal, there are violent spasms. The champing extends into jaw and

stiffening, immobility

neck muscle spasms with violent shaking of the head. The major muscles of body become rigid. The attack subsides with a relaxation of the jaw, a

the

running motion of the legs and often with urination and/or defecation. Afterward, for several minutes, animals have a dazed appearance.

.

Food In

my opinion,

Allergies

Can

Strike

Anywhere •

food allergies should always be suspected. In

always recommend

that

my

35

practice

I

an epileptic animal be placed on a low protein hypo-

allergenic diet.

Dr. Jim Wilson, a veterinarian

who practices

classic case involving a three-year-old

uncontrollable epilepsy despite a

We

anti-convulsant drug.

Concord, California, had a

maximum dosage of Primadone,

talked by

phone about the case and

The new

feeding her a non-meat kibble.

in

female Golden Retriever. The dog had

occurred. This encouraged Wilson to

diet

start

was

started

a powerful

I

suggested

and no new seizures

weaning the dog slowly off the

medication.

To this day, more than three years later, there have been no more seizures. The dog is maintained on a hypoallergenic diet and takes no medication at all. Here was an animal unable to be controlled by any drug and who was certain to be put to sleep. By treating the cause, instead of the end result, the suffering was stopped and the dog's life saved. After

I

graduated veterinary school

wood. One of my early

patients there

named "Oscar." She belonged

I

started in private practice in Holly-

was a big white

fluffy cat appropriately

to a struggling actress.

The

cat suffered

from

grand mal seizures and had been kept sedated for years on phenobarbital

The owner was feeding him

a standard diet of canned and dry food.

I

sug-

gested she try cooking up a rice and chicken combination for the cat and see that

might help. The seizures quickly stopped and

phenobarbital and then cut

Something

in the

out altogether.

it

commercial

diet

was causing

we were

The

if

able to reduce the

cat did fine afterward.

the epilepsy.

CHRONIC BRONCHITIS The

vast majority of bronchial cases have viral, bacterial or inhalant

origins and

few people would ever connect them

to food.

But food can

in-

deed be the problem.

These more unusual cases may involve IgA, the antibodies located throughout the body

in

mucous membrane. They

and they are also

just seen,

in the lining

are in the gut, as

an adrenal hormone imbalance — an irregularity find fre— then problems with IgA activity can occur anywhere in the body

If there is

quently

where the antibody

I

is

present.

When

the blood carries

some of the

food components through the lung tissue the IgA present

bizarre

may pounce on

such "foreign matter" and overreact to the degree that local created.

we have

of the lungs.

irritation is

This can then lead to inflammation, rapid respiration and

coughing.

"Max,"

a whippet, suffered terrible pneumonia-like bouts until

we

dis-

covered that his problem was beef. Take him off beef and he was fine. Once, a house guest fed^'Max" a hot dog, triggering a violent coughing attack that almost killed the animal.

.

•

36

A

Pet Allergies

veterinary radiologist

used to work nearby once took X-rays of a cat

who

who had a chronic coughing condition along with light, shallow respiration. The pictures showed lung inflammation. The case was referred to me. We attempted standard treatment with anti-biotics but to no avail. At that point I at the possibility

decided to look

of food involvement.

been eating a diet largely of tuna and beef.

and chicken. The tures

showed

cat

began

make

to

found out the cat had

recommended

I

lamb

a switch to

a steady improvement. Subsequent pic-

was gone.

the inflammation

CHRONIC HEPATIC Do

I

your animals have chronic

(LIVER) DISEASE

liver disease?

Have they been

in

and out of

treatment with the typical signs of listlessness, nausea, tense or distended ab-

domens, with jaundice

most severe cases? Has your veterinarian said

in the

there isn't anything that can be

done about

it

and your animal would just have

to live with it?

Living with this problem

Chronic

liver disease,

is

not a pleasant prospect

— for you or the animal

unchecked, can develop into a multisystemic

if

disorder resulting in death.

Here again

is

a fairly

common

condition

I

often trace to food. Food, inclu-

ding additives and impurities, can act allergenically as an

irritant to the filter-

ing units in the liver. Prolonged harassment of liver tissue can impair

block the gland's

critical functions

of processing and

filtering the

and

blood-

borne foodstuffs carried from the intestines.

A

standard blood

are levels of liver

test

helps determine liver disease. Specifically checked

enzymes (SGPT and SGOT) and eosinophils. High enzyme

counts represent a damaged, inflamed liver

— the enzymes are being dumped

into the bloodstream.

A

high eosinophil count

eosinophil count

percent

is

is

is

a sign of a food allergy. In dogs, a 2-8 percent

regarded as normal. In

my

experience anything over 3

suggestive of a damaging allergic reaction. Cat

sidered to be 2-12 percent but

enzyme and eosinophil counts food allergy and put

it

I

norms are con-

regard anything over 5 as suspicious. are both elevated

on a hypoallergenic

believe the dietary approach

I

will treat the

When

animal for

diet.

an effective and conservative first step. Switch the diet for a week's time and then recheck the blood. If the counts have dropped you know you are dealing with a food-related problem. I feel I

this is a

much

The biopsy

is

is

safer approach than resorting immediately to a liver biopsy.

performed

in

order to examine structural damage to the

Surgical removal of liver tissue can be a dangerous procedure. die

from

Some animals

it.

If a persistent liver condition exists, diet.

liver.

This

may

I

suggest switching to a hypoallergenic

alleviate the inflammation

and clogging within the

liver.

Food Animals often improve with

Can

Strike

Anywhere •

simple step. The best bet,

this

if

possible,

37

is

to

— such as rice, lamb and vegetables — and

cook fresh foods for the animal

make

Allergies

sure there are no chemical additives present.

Many

of the chronic liver conditions

get dramatic cures. In

my

I

see respond to this form of therapy.

I

mind, therefore, many cases are largely created by

impure food and food allergens. "Salty" was a large black and white cat with a huge appetite. his

owner

fed him, which

available at the neighbor's,

was

basically a dry kibble,

who

also

had

Over a two-year period, "Salty" developed

phils. I

So

diagnosis I

found high

liver

and also what was

a half-dozen or so episodes of

When

she brought the

enzyme counts and elevated eosino-

suspected food was involved.

instructed the

in the

I

what

ate

cats.

general malaise and vomiting, according to his owner. cat in for

He

owner

"Salty" a diet of baked chicken and keep him

to feed

house for a week. This she did.

When she brought the cat back he had im-

enzyme and eosinophil counts had returned to normal. All was well until the woman left town for a few days. "Salty" was left to the care of a housesitter. The cat managed to slip out somehow and get into the food bowl of the cats next door. When the owner returned, "Salty" was proved greatly. Both

his

sick again.

Back

in the hospital, I tested the cat

elevated counts.

We put

and found the same signs and same

"Salty" on a restricted diet and within a week's time

he was back to health.

named managed to clear up his skin by putting him on a commercial lamb product. However, the animal appeared listless. I checked his blood and found the elevated liver enzymes. There was probably something in the canned lamb that was disturbing his liver. When I Another vivid case

"Felix"

who had

I

recall

checked the can, sure enough,

woman

involved a blond Cocker Spaniel

a history of skin problems.

it

contained

I

BHA,

a preservative.

I

told the

she would have to cook for her animal because of his liver sensitivity.

She prepared lamb and

rice for

him and he did

fine afterwards.

CHRONIC PANCREATITIS Pancreatic disease it

is

usually regarded as one of the signs of aging. But

frequently in younger animals, too.

chemicals, and not just age, can also

The pancreas has two major

I

harm

functions.

juices into the small intestine for

I

see

believe that dietary impurities and the pancreas.

One

is

breakdown of

to send salvoes of digestive

foodstuffs.

The other

is

the

secretion of insulin to help maintain a proper level of blood sugar, the body's

energy

fuel.

With a chronic

pancreatitis, tiny ducts within the gland

become

and inflamed. These minute canals make up a feeder system creatic secretions along their

way

to the intestines.

I

irritated

that carry

pan-

believe local problems

•

38

Pet Allergies

here are in part caused by impurities that have been absorbed into the bloodstream and, as they pass through the blood vessels in the pancreas, exert a corrosive and damaging effect. In this disorderly situation, the digestive juices

begin to back up and,

destroy the host tissue. This backup impairs the specialized functions of the pancreas. At the other end of the ducts, with less digestive

food

tional deficiencies

You

enzymes

available,

improperly broken down. As a result, an animal can develop nutri-

is

and

weight despite eating normally.

start to lose

don't want the condition to

become

acute because

when

it

does

it

can

cause a painful death.

"Spanky" was

When

vomiting.

would be

a six-year-old Siamese male with a history of sporadic

he was sick he would bring up undigested food. Then he

listless for

a day or two afterward and wouldn't eat.

During a six-month period, "Spanky" had revealed the presence of elevated digestive

a

enzymes

of the kind of enzyme blockage and damage

"Spanky" was

lost

I

lot

of weight. Lab

in the

tests

blood, indicative

just described.

horribly allergic to tuna and wasn't absorbing

much of the

food he could tolerate because of the shortage of digestive enzymes.

On a tuna-free diet, made

a

Dog

the cat slowly regained health

and weight and eventually

recovery.

full

breeds that seem to be more susceptible to pancreas problems are

Miniature Schnauzers and Poodles.

KIDNEY AND BLADDER DISEASES In

Chapter

Two

I

mentioned

how

food impurities and excess protein place

a heavy burden on the kidneys and eventually can cause scar tissue and serious loss of function.

Food can also harm the kidneys in an animal with immune system where the IgA network is awry. In cats, particularly males, the bladder

problems. "Feline sity

and urethra are a major source of

said Dr. Carl

of Minnesota, describing the condition

syndrome. cat

Enemy No.l,"

In a

a malfunctioning

A. Osborne, of the Univer-

known

as

FUS

— feline urologic

1979 survey of veterinary hospitals, some 5 to 10 percent of

admissions were

FUS

cases.

FUS

involves inflammation, formation of bladder stones, and potentially blockages of the narrow urethra. Unless the obstruction is removed, the poisonous wastes normally excreted in the urine can back up into the body and cause uremic poisoning. fatal

There

Many

no consensus among veterinary researchers on the cause of FUS. experts blame the high dietary levels of magnesium and phosphorus is

contained

in

some dry

and plugs

is

primarily mineral.

cat foods.

The composition of the urinary

tract stones

Food Other sources say the problem

may have

Osborne,

A

variety of causes

One of them, war zone

is

may be

viral causes.

FUS

is

initiated

by any single mech-

is

the

IgA

factor. It's

my

opinion that a

mucous membranes of the urinary system They are producing too much or too little or should be protecting the mucous membranes.

cells in the

are not protecting the territory.

the traffic of wastes spills through the system

you have a chemical

irritation

A fertile bed for bacteria and virus growth is created. They join up

of the lining. with

39

involved, he suggested.

entirely overlooked,

defective IgA, the antibody that

As

Anywhere •

created in the urinary tract similar to the turbulence in the intestinal

The white blood

tract.

Strike

a leading authority, writing in a 1981 veterinary journal, ques-

tioned the commonly-held idea that

anism.

Can

Allergies

mucous

lining debris, minerals

and other particulate matter

to crystallize

much suffering. on this FUS-IgA connection.

and form the stones and cystitises that cause cats so In Chapter Eleven

Clinical studies irregularity I

I

I

will

go

into greater detail

have done point

between IgA

to a significant genetic tie-in

and the incidence of FUS.

had a case once with a three-year-old Abyssinian male named 'Doodles"

who

'

occasionally developed urinary tract infections and plugs.

strain

and yowl attempting

These are

typical

FUS

to urinate

and there would be blood

He would

in the urine.

signs.

The owner was feeding

the cat a diet of chicken and tuna.

From time

to

time she would serve "Doodles" a treat of beef heart, fresh from the butcher.

She eventually realized the treats.

of urinary problems coincided with

that the incidence

A blood test showed the cat had almost no IgA antibodies.

Again,

immune imbalance compounded by a food allergy. In dogs, Miniature Schnauzers are known to have frequent intestinal prob-

here was a case of

lems.

They suffer from an inability more kidney and bladder

also have

What

is

On

From my

They

infections than normal.

not generally appreciated here

urinary tract. disease.

to digest or tolerate certain foods.

observations

is

the link between the gut and the

we

are dealing with food-related

one hand you have food allergies and on the other you have a

problem with IgA antibody,

in the gut

many Miniature Schnauzers over

and

in the urinary system. In

the years

I

have often found

examining

this

extended

problem.

"Twiggy," a cute 18-month-old Schnauzer, experienced vomiting and diarrhea when her diet included many of the major food offenders, particularly beef and beef byproducts. There was also blood in the urine. On chicken and lamb she did

just fine.

Once her owner had a barbecue and somebody apparently slipped "Twiggy" a hamburger. She nearly died from it. There was so much inflammation

in the

kidneys that an acute shutdown took place, resulting in a serious

dose of uremic poisoning. Luckily,

we were

stabilized her after three days of treatment.

able to get her in time and

we

6 Missing Minerals

Mention

nutrition to

most people and they automatically think of vitamins.

They ignore minerals.

And

minerals really deserve better. After

more minerals by weight in without them and any bodily

a

all,

there are ninety -six times

body than vitamins. There could be no

cell

life

lacking in a single mineral cannot function

properly.

They team up form enzymes. They help transport oxygen in the

Minerals are involved with vitamins to

in

nearly every physiological reaction.

bloodstream. They are the building materials of strong bones, tissue, teeth, nails,

and hair coat.

Minerals are present

in the soil, in water,

even

in the air. In

minute amounts

they are absorbed from the soil by plants. Herbivorous animals eat the plants

and drink the water and

way

in this

obtain the bulk of their mineral nutrients.

Carnivores get their quota through the mineral content of the flesh they eat, the water they drink,

Much more This

is

true for

and the sporadic greens they chew.

known about vitamin requirements than about minerals. both humans and animals. That's because nutritional science

is

has only recently developed the technology with which to study minerals.

Veterinary science has determined that certain minerals are required for animals. For cats iron,

copper,

— calcium,

phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium,

and iodine. Chlorine, manganese, zinc, sulfur, cobalt,

selenium, molybdenum, flourine, chromium, silicon, and perhaps

and vanadium are assumed to be essential. For dogs iron, copper, potassium,

zinc, selenium,

tin,

nickel

— calcium, phosphorus,

magnesium, sodium, chlorine,

and perhaps molybdenum, flourine,

iodine, tin,

manganese,

silicon, cobalt,

vanadium and chromium. According to the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, which investigates and recommends levels of nutritional intake, nickel,

many

minerals have not been sufficiently studied to permit establishment of

precise daily requirements. Guidelines for formulating mineral intake for cats

and dogs are therefore

from other species.

40

partially

based on estimates and information borrowed

•

Missing Minerals

The National Research Council

who

is

comprised of subcommittees of experts and updating data on the

are responsible for periodic reviewing

tional requirements for all

41

nutri-

animal species, including humans. Their findings

are expressed in the so-called

RDAs,

or

recommended

daily allowances of

vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

"COMPLETE AND BALANCED" Such recommendations are essentially minimum standards for the If a product claims itself to be "complete

maintenance of adequate health.

and balanced,"

that

means

minimum

those daily

"complete and balanced,"

minimum It is

the suggested serving for an animal must

requirements. that

And

means

if

a product

meet

all

makes no mention of do not meet the

the contents probably

requirements.

important to keep the word

minimum

in sight at all times.

The

RDA

and "complete and balanced" claims are nothing more than

suggestions

minimums. They are not optimal in any sense. We haven 't evolved that far as food mavens to divine the best possible diet for ourselves, let alone our animals. Veterinary nutritional science surely has a long veterinary publication during the 1970s, Paul

way

to go.

Writing

M. Newberne of MIT

in

a

said that

much more is known about "the minimal requirements essential to the maintenance of the dog than. ..about maximum or optimal requirements... The minimum requirements are just that, and cannot be construed as

optimum." Moreover, he added,

the requirements for special

needs, such as those associated with pregnancy, growth, or illness, have not

been precisely determined.

Much

less

is

known about

cat needs. That's

because cats have been taken

seriously by the veterinary profession only in recent years.

The

first

com-

prehensive textbook on feline medicine was not published until 1964. In the past, standard treatment for

no

By 1981, on

dogs were often applied

to cats,

sometimes with

effect.

cats

were "in." That's the year Time Magazine did a cover story

feline popularity.

And

today there are even veterinary practices dedicated

exclusively to cats. But there

is still

The National Research Council,

a

lot

we

don't

in its latest

the available data are inadequate to set

know about

cats.

review on cats, admits "that

minimum

nutrient requirements."

Recommendations are "presumed" to be adequate to support maintenance and growth of the cat and "probable, but not certain," that they will also support reproduction.

Against

this

background, the loud and boastful nutritional claims made by

pet food manufacturers always ring hollow to

of course,

sumer

is

me. What's the fuss? The

about selling merchandise. But beneath the hype, you

— should know the claims are based on

little

else than

fuss,

— the con-

minimums. And

•

Pet Allergies

these

minimums of

42

nutrient content, along with

poor quality ingredients,

create minimally healthy animals.

order to meet the standards for vitamin and mineral requirements in •'complete and balanced' products, manufacturers add nutrient mixtures In

'

during processing. There can be considerable nutrient loss, however, particularly of the vitamins, as a result of their sensitivity to heat, moisture, light and oxidation. Such degradation occurs during processing, and storage in ware-

houses, stores, and the consumer's house. Because of this reality, consciencious manufacturers will fortify their products with extra vitamins.

But overages or not, a sack of dry food, for instance, is going to be conand nutritious after it has been opened fifteen or twenty

siderably less fresh

times than

when you first bought

it

from

the store.

A

large sack of kibble

the most economical. However, the longer storage

may be opening

results in

The most

and repeated

dwindling nutrition.

sensitive vitamins are the

B complex

group. Veterinarian re-

searchers and practitioners have traced serious problems directly to insufficient

B

vitamins

Hyperactivity and aggressiveness in dogs and

in the diet.

sometimes be remedied by B complex supplementation.

cats can

VITAMIN THERAPY DISAPPOINTING Over

the years

I

have had just so-so results with vitamin therapy. Allergies

have not responded very well vitamins can frequently

common commercial leading allergen. If

B complex The reason: yeast is the most B complex vitamins and yeast is a

at all. In fact,

make

supplementation with

allergies worse.

source of natural

you supplement B complex, you are probably

better off

with a synthetic form. I

have

my

doubts about

many of the vitamin products

the market, particularly the

most inexpensive brands.

quality are directly related. If you

product that but

may

is

Some

also be rancid. For these reasons

I

and

feel that price

buy a cheap vitamin you are

wholly or partly inactive.

on

that are available I

likely getting a

products are not only inactive

usually steer

away from purely

vitamin supplements. I

do believe

animals.

in

vitamin C.

It

Among other things,

and function. However,

I

can indeed be helpful vitamin

have found

that

it

for

is

if

many health

an animal

a widespread defect

I

will

be

upcoming chapters.

My experience with mineral have been able

many ways

has a reduced impact

has genetically-damaged adrenal glands. This talking about in

in

C contributes directly to adrenal

to help

supplementation has been consistently good.

something

like ten percent

of all the allergy cases

I

I

see

with this simple therapy alone.

This positive effect doesn't surprise me.

I

strongly suspect that commercial

pet food contains inadequate mineral levels.

Missing Minerals

The 198 Ford Foundation 1

report

on

nutrition in

ern farming methods alone account for

"Through

much

intensive farming, poor crop

abusive factors, the

soil in

•

43

America explains how mod-

lost nutritional

content of food:

management, erosion and other

which our crops are raised has been seriously

depleted of nutrients.

"The

increasing use of pesticides has

destroyed the

further

soil

by

left

killing

harmful residues on crops and has

earthworms and other necessary

organisms.

"Most produce

is

the ripening process

harvested before ripening to protect

on the plant

is

it

during shipping; yet

essential to high nutrient density in

Such practices rob the food chain of naturally-occurring and minerals. Thus the food you and your animal eat

from subtle

to severe,

can

is

food."

essential vitamins

shortchanged. Illness,

result.

With livestock and feed animals, the intake of minerals depends wholly on the geography. In certain areas there are tion

is

a

must

in

known

deficiencies. Supplementa-

order to prevent disease.

Over the years veterinarians have traced deficiency diseases to a wide number of minerals. They include nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, iron, chlorine, copper manganese, zinc, molybdenum, cobalt, iodine and selenium. ,

Mineral research

is

a dynamic, rapidly developing science. Sophisticated

techniques are being honed to probe the biological role of so-called trace minerals, the micro-nutrients present in infinitesimal amounts in the environ-

ment. These include dozens of lesser

known minerals with such

as yttrium, niobium, ruthenium, tellurium, scandium,

exotic names osmium, dysprosium,

gadollinium and praseodymium.

Any one of deficient soil,

these unheralded substances could be a vital missing link in

and the difference between health or disease, even

per million or less, which

is

how many

at

one part

of these minerals are present

in food.

The body's immune system is a particularly complex network that relies on optimal nutrition for good function. If all the ingredients are not present, the system will not work as it should. A shortage of minerals can also effect the body's enzyme system that is responsible for countless numbers of biochemical reactions. Allergy or allergy -like conditions can occur when either of these systems

fail to

receive proper nutrition.

MINERALS TO THE RESCUE I

have found mineral deficiencies

orders suffered by cats and dogs.

I

may be

phisticated analysis but through the simple diets

involved

in

many common

dis-

didn't reach this conclusion through so-

medium of supplementing

the

of animals with a trace mineral formula containing some seventy -two of

these micro-nutrients.

Based on observations involving some three thousand seven hundred dogs

•

44

Pet Allergies

and nine hundred

cats,

month period can help

• • • • •

found

I

that trace

mineral supplementation over a six-

these ways:

in

Darker, thicker hair coat with increased lustre.

Reduced scratching. Reduced

flakiness of skin.

Better maintenance of In geriatric cats

body weight with reduced caloric

and dogs, increased

activity,

intake.

weight gain, and im-

proved condition of hair coat.

•

Animals with heavy

tractive to insects after three

•

Improvement

flea

and

fly infestations

appeared to be

weeks of supplementation.

general health.

in

Supplementation with a multiple nutrient of

this sort

clearly a shotgun

is

approach. Attempting to determine individual deficiencies

realm of a clinician; less, the trace

it

is

the reserve of the

In

dogs

I

is

not within the

academic researcher. Neverthe-

mineral approach has often been effective alone or

junction with other dietary modifications.

dard therapy

in treating

have found

many it

I

have found

it

in

con-

also enhances stan-

conditions.

helpful in controlling food allergies, flea allergy

dermatitis, exocrine pancreatic deficiency,

endocrine-immune imbalances,

chronic active hepatitis and inhalant allergies. In cats liary dermatitis,

less at-

it

has helped for mil-

food allergy, flea allergy dermatitis, chronic active hepatitis,

leukemia and infectious peritonitis. I

have had quite a few cases where vitamin supplements, special diets and

standard medication weren't working satisfactorily until

I

added the trace

minerals. Just as a footnote

I

ticular trace mineral

might mention that studies done elsewhere with the par-

formula

I

use in

my

practice has

shown

it

to increase the

muscle mass of laboratory animals and increase the mineralization therefore strength

—

and

— of the bones. Supplemented to the diets of Idaho trout,

it

has increased overall weight by up to 20 percent. Later, in Chapter Fifteen,

how

tell

you

an essential mineral under intense scientific study these days.

It is

to use

I

will discuss the

formula further and

it.

THE ZINC PROBLEM Zinc

is

vital to the

healing process, the production of enzymes, the maintenance of

healthy hair coat and skin, and a well-functioning

immune system and

resistance to and disease.

A

serious zinc problem exists in this country today. In part

farming methods deficient

—

it

is

related to

the soil in over thirty states has been declared zinc-

by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The primary reason

overuse of chemical

is

fertilizers.

In recent years, veterinarians

have identified a number of allergy-like skin

Missing Minerals

•

45

conditions involving zinc deficiency. In late 1982 the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary

cine took the unusual measure of alerting practitioners to what

it

Medi-

regarded as a

"newly-recognized skin disease."

"During

the last three months,

we have recognized

a skin disease in

association with the consumption of various generic dry

dog foods sold by a

number of supermarket chains," the bulletin said. In case you are not familiar with generic brands,

these are products

sell for much money than the highly advertised national brands. The Davis alert described a number of common allergy-like signs related to the new skin disease. The signs included hair loss, and red itchy and crusting

marketed by supermarkets

that

have plain labels and usually

less

skin. In addition there

was

immune system

supressed

in

The researchers believed ciency.

I

fever, enlarged

more severe

that the

lymph nodes and evidence of a

cases.

cause of the condition was a zinc defi-

frankly believe the problem

not zinc alone but a deficiency in

is

other essential nutrients along with an overdose of impurities.

Buying generic products for your animals may be an

Cheaper price means cheaper ingredients and

inferior nutrition. That's

a 1985 University of Georgia study concluded. that

I

invitation to trouble.

I

what

should point out however

see plenty of skin disease in animals eating top of the line as well.

There can be other factors involved

mimic

in skin-related zinc

problems

that

allergies.

Dr. G. Robert Fisher, an associate of mine, treated a four-year-old female

husky

who seemingly evidenced the same kind of skin problems as the Davis name was "Tasha" and she was eating one of the top dry products

dogs. Her

on the market. She suffered from hair

loss

and red, itchy skin on her face and

legs.

Antibiotic and steroid medication helped the situation temporarily. But in

was back again. Fisher suspected a zinc problem and began supplementing the animal first with 50 milligrams of zinc sulfate daily. There was immediate response but not total improvement. A month later he upped the dosage to 200 milligrams daily and that eliminated the problem. two months

it

—

"Tasha" may have been an example of a that frequently affects Siberian

zinc-related genetic condition

Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes,

Pinschers and Great Danes. Studies have

Doberman

shown they have a decreased The ensuing deficiency often

capacity for zinc absorption from the intestines.

shows up

form of a skin condition.

seems

to

respond quite well to

Kittens lacking proper zinc in their diets can suffer

from poor hair coats,

mega

in the

It

zinc supplementation.

scaly and ulcerating skin. Again, supplementation

is

an effective remedy.

•

46

Pet Allergies

OTHER DEFICIENCY PROBLEMS There are other ways to account for mineral deficiencies: • Do you feed your pet cow's milk? Research has shown interfere with calcium, the very mineral

"Fatty acids

in

that

milk can

so highly touted to provide.

is

it

whole cow's milk form insoluble soaps with calcium

in the in-

testine and slip out in the form of fatty, malodorous stools before calcium can

Book of

be absorbed," according to Prevention Magazine's "Complete

Minerals for Health." Earlier

I

•

One

protein.

panic

mentioned

at

that

milk

is

highly allergenic.

will often

It

produce an

turbulence that can effectively reduce the intake of nutrients.

intestinal

commonly recognized

other

The excess

actually speeds

the sight of

calcium and channel

this

all

depleter of calcium

is

too

much

up the intake of calcium. But the kidneys it

out through the urine

it can go to work in the bones and other tissue where it is needed. The drain on calcium may in fact contribute to an osteoporosis condition in

before

older animals, particularly

weak,

animals

among

who

to build strong bones.

calcium, can create

something

ratio,

But too

brittle

many

geriatric cats with

Meat has an extremely high

like 20-1.

Both minerals are needed

much phosphorus in the diet and not enough have treated many growing Siamese kit-

bones.

I

tens so severely decalcified that they

A

find

are fed predominantly meat diets.

phosphorus-to-calcium

mal

We

cats.

and decalcified bones. This can also occur among young

brittle

would

sustain leg fractures during nor-

activities.

product such as high-protein kibble

may promote calcium tines, creating

excretion.

It

may

may

be double trouble.

The

protein

also irritate the stomach and intes-

an inflammation that hampers digestion and absorption of

nutrients.

•

The

impurities widely present in

intestinal irritation

•

Many

skin, out

animal owners are

comes

many food products can

oil

happy. The second they spot a dry, scaly

the bottle of vegetable oil to be

also popular to use oil as a coat conditioner coats. Well,

Feeding

also cause

and interference with nutrient absorption.

added

to the daily diet. It's

— to create those rich, glistening

you may be doing your animal more harm than good.

that extra oil

may

coat the intestinal lining and prevent uptake of

water soluble vitamins and essential minerals, particularly calcium and

phosphorus.

I

have seen many

oil -supplemented

puppies with signs of rickets

— limping, loss of bone structure and apparent pain — even though they were receiving extra calcium. Veterinarians will often

The

idea

is

that

you coat the

loose stools. This will

The oil was blocking calcium absorption. recommend oil as a remedy for a constipated animal.

may be

intestines to prevent the uptake

of water. Results:

OK for short-term therapy, but oil over the long haul

block nutrient uptake and cause problems.

You may want

to create loose

Missing Minerals bowels for a constipated animal but you surely don't want healthy animal.

• and

And

feeding

it

to create diarrhea in a

extra oil often does just that.

develop a condition

to store sugar in the liver. In order to

stuff,

47

Certain small breeds of dogs, namely Pomeranians, Teacup Poodles,

Shelties, frequently

levels,

•

in

which there

keep blood sugar

such animals have to be fed syrup or honey.

however, can cause water

to

is

at

an impaired

ability

normal functioning

Too much of

the sweet

be drawn into the intestines, resulting

swelling and interference with the uptake of minerals.

in

7 The Enzyme Connection

"Boss"

He

is

is

the star of the Beverly Hills Police Department's Canine Corps.

German Shepherd who has helped apprehend over 50 won the gold medal as the outstanding police dog in

a highly -trained

criminals and twice California.

However,

for the longest time,

"Boss" was

a source of great concern for

his handler, Officer Jay Broyles. I

first

told

me

saw

"Each year pics.'

dog

the

in

in for

an examination and

California the top animals compete in a 'Police

The competition

and attack

skills.

shortly after

"But

him

1984. Broyles brought

in

the following story:

we

'Boss'

got

won

to time.

in

1982, the

first

time

entered him. That

was

developed a lameness

in his legs that

would return

Unexpectedly, during some vigorous activity, he would

abruptly stop, pull up lame and go

down

in

obvious agony.

jumping a barrier during a training session or backyard.

we

him from Germany. He was outstanding.

inside of a year he

from time

Dog Olym-

includes obedience tests, obstacle courses, speed drills

He would be

laid

It

might come after

just chasing a ball

up and lame for four

to six

weeks

in the

after

each

episode.

"The

veterinarian

bone disease

we

consulted diagnosed the problem as pan-osteitis (a

The diagnosis was puzzling because the old, a mature adult. The veterinarian medication and said the dog would outgrow the condi-

that strikes puppies).

dog was already over three years prescribed a cortisone tion.

But he didn't.

"'Boss' would have a couple of incidents like this every year. Luckily,

never happened on the job.

it

He has always performed marvelously. But there

my mind that something moment. "We obtained 'Boss' when he was two-years -old and he has worked with me and lived with our family ever since. Once he saved my life by attacking an armed suspect who would otherwise have shot me if 'Boss' hadn't gotten has always been a nagging bit of fear in the back of

could happen

to

at

a critical

him. Obviously

we are very

losing this great animal."

48

attached to him.

We are very concerned about

The Enzyme Connection • 49 Officer Broyles

came

pan-osteitis diagnosis I

which

me

is

for a second opinion.

extremely rare

in adult

He told me about the dogs.

examined "Boss" and found a chronic skin disorder on

side is

to see

and heels.

I

his back, under-

took a stool sample and tested for trypsin deficiency. Trypsin

one of the digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas. I

suggested taking the animal off the commercial brand of dry food he was

eating and prescribed a hypoallergenic diet.

what looked

The

to

me

showed

tests

I

thought

this

might help with

like a typical food-related skin allergy.

that

"Boss" was deficient

in trypsin.

This deficiency was

probably affecting nutrient absorption, including calcium and other minerals vital for the

strength of bone tissue.

He

apparently was not able to keep his

bones properly mineralized and that was causing the pain and lameness.

The therapy included diet change and supplementation with enzymes and "Boss" responded dramatically to the program and in less than two months he appeared to be his old tough guy self again. The pain and lameness

calcium.

has not recurred.

The animal's began

skin problem also cleared

And he even

to glow.

up rather quickly. The hair coat

gained weight. Broyles said the dog was more

alert than ever.

"Boss" improved 1985 "Police

to

such a degree that

Dog Olympics." He

it

was decided

to enter

him

in the

hadn't competed since 1982 because of

his condition.

An

me to

elated Officer Broyles called

report that

"Boss" did

it

again.

He

beat out 49 other dogs — the cream of California's canine cops — to win the

gold medal. first

And a few months

he outperformed 32 other dogs to win the

later

ever "Police and Fire World Olympics."

SHORT ON ENZYMES, LONG ON TROUBLE The key

"Boss's" problem was trypsin, a generally overlooked enzyme

to

vital to the health

duced

in the

of man, dog and

cat.

It is

one of the digestive enzymes pro-

pancreas and secreted into the small intestine upon the arrival of

Long thought to be mainly involved with protein, recent research has shown than trypsin's biggest contribution is breakdown of fats and car-

food.

bohydrates.

The

classic sign of severe trypsin deficiency

stool. In the

is

an animal eating

its

own

absence of adequate trypsin, food passes through the gut without

nutrients being properly extracted

and dispatched

into the

bloodstream for

use in the body. In this situation, an animal instinctively eats large volumes of

food to feed the crying demand for nourishment, then passes large stools containing

much

undigested matter, and then frequently re-ingests the stool

because the nutritional demand very thin and eat insatiably.

still

hasn't been met.

Such animals are usually

50

•

Pet Allergies

In the gut a trypsin deficiency

have related elsewhere

breakdown of

in the

can contribute to the same kind of chaos

book

and carbohydrates creates further logjams,

fats

I

poor

to other causes. In this case, the

irritation

and

inflammation. The animal overloads with food. Intestinal traffic clogs with

food that

is

poorly processed and absorbed.

"Boss" wasn't producing enough and extract the

vital nutrients

trypsin to adequately process his food

a working dog needs to stay

fit.

It

wasn't a

severe deficiency but bad enough in his case to cause serious problems. In

my

clinical research I find

many animals

degrees of this enzyme deficiency. Even

The impact on

sorption and problems.

if

with minor or moderate

not severe, this results in malab-

health can

show up

puppies or possibly take several years. Often there matitis, hair loss,

and red, scaly itchy skin

is

early in kittens or

an allergic -like der-

an animal constantly gnaws

that

growing puppies, hunting and working dogs, there

on. In rapidly

is

often an

accompanying lameness. 'Boss" was a prime example. He had both the skin '

condition and the lameness.

Imagine the potential for trouble

if

you have a working animal or a

growing puppy with a trypsin deficiency. Both animals are under heavy

fast-

stress

maximum nutrition. Add a high-protein diet and you invariably make the situation worse — more intestinal chaos, less nutrient absorption. Add an oily coat condition and that's even more fuel on the flames. One notable case I had involved a Rotweiler puppy. His owner brought him in for a skin condition, weight loss and a rotating lameness of the legs. The and need

dog was eating a high-protein and, just to top

it

off, a

sure the growing dog

The road

kibble, getting a daily dose of coat conditioner

hardy serving of milk. The owner wanted to make

was receiving enough calcium.

to hell, they say,

is

paved with good intentions. This poor dog, the

was clearly in The owner compounded

To

recipient of the best intentions,

hell.

trypsin deficiency.

the problem,

start

with he had a mild first

with kibble,

then with the coat conditioner and then with milk, a leading allergen. suffered intestinal fire and brimstone and I

was sorely lacking

cut out the high-protein, the coat conditioner

a hypoallergenic diet.

week he was

I

The dog

in nutrition.

and the milk and put him on

him on an enzyme supplement.

also started

In

one

greatly improved. In a short period of time his skin and lame-

ness problems cleared up and he began putting on weight again.

This kind of moderate deficiency fest dermatitis

plus a variety of

than usual but

still

is

little

also

common

They

will

mani-

look thin and unhealthy.

In three generations of one Abyssinian line

generalized dermatitis, weight loss and lethargy.

had been passed on from grandfather

ching, and start to lose weight. With an health and vigor.

I

found similar problems of

A genetic trypsin deficiency

to father to son. In

year of age the cats began to develop dry,

full

in cats.

chronic disorders. They will eat more

brittle

each case, by one

and coarse hair coats,

enzyme supplement

all

it-

returned to

.

The Enzyme Connection • young

In the past, chronic diarrhea in

kittens has usually related to

per diet or parasites. Over the years

I

ciency involved. Very often there

a combination of

A

small, slow-growing

deficiency that

is

51

impro-

have frequently found a trypsin defiall

these things.

— or puppy — may be the sign of an enzyme

kitten

retarding normal development.

is

I find this situation so prevalent that every

animal who enters

my clinic is

routinely tested for trypsin along with the usual test for parasites. This pro-

cedure has yielded a startling

statistic:

nearly a quarter of the animals

who

pass through here have small or moderate trypsin deficiency. In

my experience the mild cases of trypsin deficiency The obvious

severe cases.

ciency

seem

may

to represent other causes.

medicine.

testing for trypsin

The causes Genetic.

may

I

usually associated with severe defi-

Mild trypsin deficiency

for trypsin deficiency I

have traced

Dobermans and

is

largely overlooked

believe this should be corrected.

provide the answer to

Persians in cats. In dogs, herds,

the

therefore not be present. Instead, the problems that manifest

in veterinary

1

tell-tale signs

outnumber

vastly

I

it

may be

many

I

suggest that

cases that defy solution.

two-fold:

through three generations of Abbysinians and

have found

Irish Setters.

It

it

will

frequently

show up

among German Shep-

in kittens

soon as they graduate to solid food. You will see voluminous

Animals may

the undigested fat clearly visible.

eat their

own

and puppies as

stool, often with

feces.

They

will

often be extremely thin despite ravenous appetite. 2.

Acquired. Anything adversely affecting the pancreas can impair trypsin

production. Viral and bacterial infections can do that. But, as earlier,

so can food allergies.

I

we have

seen

believe they are frequently involved in

creating chronic inflammations inside the gland that impairs both secretion

channels and production tissue for pancreatic enzymes. Degeneration of the

enzyme activicommonly among Siamese and Abbysinian

pancreas, a result of the aging process, can also interfere with ty. I

find the acquired deficiency

cats and, tzus,

among

dogs, the Miniature Poodles, Miniature Schnauzers, Shi-

and Cocker Spaniels.

MEDICATION IMPAIRMENT An important point to keep in mind may have

is

that

an animal with a trypsin deficiency

difficulty absorbing

medication as well as food. In the absence of adequate enzyme, undigested food components can clog the gut and absorption surfaces

and significantly block the uptake of medication. This provides

one explanation why,

in

many

cases, oral medication

is

ineffective. Veterin-

arians often are able to obtain desired therapeutical results only resort to injectables. This direct

when

method bypasses possible roadblocks

they

in the

intestines.

Later, in Chapter Sixteen,

your veterinarian

to

I

will discuss a simple test that

can be done by

determine the presence of trypsin deficiency.

worth the small cost to have

it

done.

It is

well

8 Breeder's Blight

The

—

The Genetic Problem

great value of cats used to be their ability to keep a granary or

household free of rodents. Dogs have been cherished as the hunter's sidekick, as sentinels

and loyal companions.

Domesticated animals were largely maintained for a specific purpose and they were bred

— or

left to

breed, according to their

own urges —for that pur-

pose and function. But animals have changed... or, to be more precise, have been redesigned

by man, the amateur creator.

GOING TO THE DOGS? For working dogs, animals with the greatest stamina, gence have been preferred as breeding stock qualities.

in

ability

and

intelli-

an attempt to perpetuate these

A husky of great beauty but no staying power would be passed over

in this selective process.

human need. Dogs are still bred

The overwhelming

assets

were performance and

fil-

ling a

for function but for the

most part they are now bred for a

fashionable look and structure, for fad and for sales. In northern California there are

still

sled

these competitions are bred for function

But

down

in

dog

trials.

The animals entered

in

— for pulling, for stamina, for vigor.

southern California, where

I

practice, the

same types of dogs

are bred for looks, for beauty shows, for the ribbons and titles that fetch high prices for offspring.

The breeds may be

the

same but

mals seem to be vastly superior

the vitality

to the

and health of the working ani-

ones bred for beauty.

Richard A. Wolters, veteran trainer and author of

Dog," and

"Gun Dog," "Water

other popular books on hunting dogs, says that

show standards

and breeding for fad and sales over many generations have changed many hunting animals.

"You now have

a situation

where there are non -hunting, hunting breeds,"

he says.

"Not only have dogs

lost their

hunting ability (the nose), but

in

many

cases

Breeder's Blight

— The

•

Genetic Problem

53

the temperaments and coats have changed. There are probably other negative

changes as well, such as to health.

"When working

animals are bred, you look for the best hunters, the most

vigorous animals. But

if you

are breeding for a look, then ability and vigor

seem to come into the equation. "The American Cocker Spaniel, a good hunter when I was a boy,

do

not

his

way

out of a paper bag now.

ing coat

is

gone.

He was

He no

can't hunt

longer has a hunting nose and his hunt-

turned into a pet and a temperamental, feisty one

at

that.

"The

Irish Setter

used to be an excellent hunter. Today, he

mahogany, with hair down

to his ankles.

is

gorgeous,

But he's a big happy, vivacious

He jumps gleefully about and you can't train him. "The Black Labrador, originally a hunting dog, is now

idiot.

the third

most pop-

dog in the United States. That kind of popularity spells trouble! Last century a Yellow Labrador was rare and considered a freak. Such animals were ular

put down. In this century, they realized the yellow

they started breeding for the yellow color.

was a recessive gene and

Now in England there are probably

more yellows than blacks and they are non-hunters. They are bred for color, not for field ability. The newest Labrador fad is chocolate and there are very few decent hunters among them." Jim Keel, of Carmel Valley, California, has owned and bred hunting dogs for

many

years.

He

is

convinced there

is

a health and vigor difference be-

tween function and show animals.

"Among absolutely

English Setters you have show dogs and field dogs and they are

two

different animals despite being the

"Years ago people began breeding the

dog shows. They turned the breed Irish Setters, ability

classic Setters for glamour, for the

into large, long

and not worth a damn

same breed," says Keel.

and lanky animals,

like the

in the field. Others, interested in the field

of these animals, bred for speed, stamina and and kept them as they

were, small and barrell-chested.

"The show field

have long, droopy eyelids

Setters

because of all the

dirt

and pollen they

that are disastrous out in the

collect.

They

but they don't have the nose or the stamina anymore.

seen they definitely have

more

it.

They

They have runny

I

try

have

eyes.

They

them, even when there are no

fleas

health problems.

bite at skin that's obviously irritating

can't hack

And from what

around.

"The hunting

He

lived

head

at

to the

seem to live longer, fifteen years or so. One of my favSam of Santa Monica, was a good example of this stoutness.

Setters

orite dogs, 'Sober

and hunted

'

until seventeen,

even surviving a shotgun wound

in the

age fifteen accidentally inflicted by a hunting friend of mine. Compared

show dogs, he was a runt, almost half their size. But what a hunter! What

What a stud! What a healthy animal until the end!" The bulldog is a prime example of what can happen when man tampers

a runner!

54

•

Pet Allergies

with nature. At one end, the facial skin folds and a breeder-shortened face

cause chronic dermatitis and respiratory difficulties.

At the other end, there's a serious testicle problem. About fifteen years ago constant inbreeding of the English Bulldog in England was seen to be producing dogs with only

maintaining

one descended

testicle.

The undescended

function, remained inside the

full

while

testicle,

body throughout an animal's

This was clearly a genetic phenomenon.

life.

The

situation

became so widespread

that the English breeders

England, the one-testicled Bulldog

fully accepted.

is

changed the

new development. Thus today

judging standards to accommodate the

A

genetic freak

in

was

created, validated, and then perpetuated.

The

health consequences of this development

under the carpet. because

it

is

An undescended

may

not easily be swept

higher temperature

testicle is subjected to

contained within the body cavity. This

may

production of testosterone, the male hormone. This, behavioral changes and aggressiveness.

result in a greater

in turn,

can lead

By two years of age there

is

We

are seeing

more of

one of which

is

these abnormalities in the United States but such

I

down

testicle,

the testicle so

vigorously

create a

it

still

bred,

perpetuate a freak?

know of a California veterinarian who

undescended

I

Why

regard as unfortunate.

I

date,

malignant.

animals are not yet accepted for showing. Nevertheless, they are

which

to

40 per-

To

cent chance of a growth developing in the undescended testicle. three varieties of growths have been recognized,

a

will take English

Bulldogs with the

give the animal certain hormones, and surgically pull

appears normal. Thus the dog can be shown and bred.

condemn such

practices.

A cosmetic operation is performed to

dog who looks normal. The animal

is

bred and the genetic flaw mar-

ches on.

Many

offspring are

situation

can lead to

breeders stop their

now

turning up with both testicles undescended. This

sterility.

Perhaps only when

this

happens

will the

folly.

Another example of breeding

fallout involves the collies.

veterinary medical school in the early 1960s ing multiple eye problems.

It

What had happened is that by "Lassie" — had become

seemed

to

we began to

unfashionable.

The

make

I

— as made famous

big eyes and wide head that

deemed declasse by

preferred a long, narrow face with small eyes. for natural evolution to

a student in

be an overnight phenomenon.

the natural look of the Collie

nature created were apparently

As

see collies develop-

don't

the Collie what he

the breeders.

know how

was but

long

They it

took

virtually overnight

the "fashion designers" of the canine world recreated the Collie according to their

own

blueprints.

With the change came problems.

We

began seeing

prematurely blind dogs and dogs with detached retinas. I

remember

we ever examined. trend. He staged shows

vividly the first case

the thick of the

new breeding

man

It

involved a

in

shopping centers,

in

— The

Breeder's Blight

Genetic Problem

•

55

putting his stable of collies through a variety of stunts. In one of the tricks the

dogs would climb up a 10-foot ladder onto a tower and then jump down his arms.

One of his

into

dogs missed the target once, and then twice... lan-

star

ding both times unhurt on the ground. After the second miss the owner

brought the animal to the hospital. The case was diagnosed as early retinal degeneration.

The condition became fairly widespread among Collies and Shelties and came to be known as progressive retinal atrophy. Today, breeders of these their animals for

dogs submit

eye examinations

in

order to obtain certification

for breeding. This has resulted in better control of the problem.

breeder told

me

that the condition is largely kept alive

"puppy mill" operators, who

practices of

fashion with

little

turn out animals in assembly-line

or no concern for health factors.

where there

Interestingly, in England,

"Collie Eye Anomaly," as the condition

70 percent of the

One Midwest

by the unscrupulous

collies

and

is

is

no

certification

called,

shelties are said to

is

on the

program, the

rise.

Fully 60 to

be affected there.

Scotty cramp, a defect in the central nervous system of Scottish Terriers,

is

another byproduct of selected breeding over generations of animals. Scotties with this condition have difficulty walking and even standing

become

Dr. Kenneth Meyers, a research veterinarian sity,

when

they

excited. at

Washington

has determined that a recessive gene became entrenched

gene pool and

is

responsible for the cramping problem.

can be eliminated by

mating only dogs

1) testing

who do

State Univerin the Scotties

He feels the condition

puppies for the disease before sale and 2)

not carry the flawed gene.

CAT-ASTROPHIES The

situation

among

In veterinary clinics

cats

is

not

much

better.

around the country

we

are seeing

more cardiomyopa-

thies than ever — enlarged hearts that lead to heart failure and death. We are

also seeing

more hyperthyroidism, accompanied with

Such abnormalities are thought possibly

We

to

a terrific weight loss.

have genetic causes.

are seeing Persians and related breeds with the chronic runny eye and

nose problem, the result of man-made structural changes to the shape of the head. These changes are also causing mechanical irritation to the eyes.

They as

now

are breeding such long faces

nervous systems are affected. There

one breeder put

it,

is

in the

Siamese

that the brains

"the cats are ding -bats."

Terrible skull and facial deformities are being reported cats.

According to a

Clinician,

May

1982

article in Veterinary

among Burmese

Medicine/Small Animal

more than 100 cases of grossly flawed purebred Burmese

thirteen widely separated states

The authors of the

and

a growing incidence of seizures, and,

had been

article also cited a

in at least

identified.

number of other significant health prob-

•

56

Pet Allergies

lems among Burmese. These include a common heart disease among kittens, a herniation of the abdominal wall, skin plaques and a malabsorption problem.

A number of veterinary schools have been investigating the situation among Burmese. Suzanne Beedy, a top breeder in San Jose, participated for four years in one such research program in conjunction with the University of

Minnesota and Cornell University.

"There

a definite genetic defect

is

resulting in

among

Burmese

certain lines of

monster-headed kittens," she says.

"What we

learned

that those lines

is

produced a big-headed look

closer to the classic standard than ever before. This, for breeders,

forward, or

to a giant leap

"But when we got kittens in the litter

at least

this spiffy

so

show

we

kitty

that

was

amounted

thought.

we

also got

some

horribly deformed

— cats with heads three times normal size, herniations of the

brain through holes in the skull, grossly

deformed bone

tissue,

missing noses,

and displaced eyes. '

Tf you breed to these specific

lines

you have the potential

to get litters with

both beauties and the beasts, with kittens reflecting varying degrees of the defect.

The

form

is

it

defect in

its

extreme manifestation

close to the ideal standard.

The most

is

deathly and in

very mild

its

show burmese

successful

are,

so to speak, very mildly defective.

"When we afflicted lines

"Some

published the findings,

we recommended

that

breeding to the

be discontinued.

responsible breeders suggested going back to safe lines and then

slowly working with them to try and recreate the classic look. But others took a different attitude which I

don't care

how

I

get

was

essentially, 'to hell with

it, I

want a winner and

it.'

"I would estimate mat perhaps 30 percent of the Burmese breeders chose to disregard the indisputable evidence.

They continue

to

breed and

sell

these lines

of cats that will inevitably produce the defect. They proliferate the problem.

"This defect was once exclusive to Burmese. certain lines of

No

And

(Black American shorthair and Burmese crosses).

America

how

to

longer.

It

has spread to

Tonkinese (Burmese and Siamese crosses) and Bombays

Europe among pure Burmese.

can you stop such a thing?

You

When

it

has spread from

people are irresponsible,

can't."

Beedy became so discouraged with the practices among

certain

Burmese

breeders that she chucked in 10 years of working with Burmese and switched to Abyssinians.

"There

is

a real

problem being caused by an increase among uninformed

individuals calling themselves breeders," she adds.

"Such people

typically

buy a registered female cat and the next minute call themselves breeders. They have no experience. No education. No awareness of the problems. Unwill

fortunately, these individuals

work of the many knowledge and

do a great deal of damage. They

offset the

good

sincere and responsible breeders, people with experience,

integrity

who

attempt to provide the pet buying public with

— The

Breeder's Blight

the personality

and looks

sought while

that are

Genetic Problem

•

57

same time seeking

at the

to

produce as healthy an animal as possible."

Laneen

of San Jose,

Firth, also

She

sians.

is

a leading breeder of grandchampion Per-

outraged over some of the current breeding practices.

is

"Sure, they

may be

creating

some gorgeous animals,

also creating a lot of monsters

but en route they are

who have no

and animals

health and no

longevity," she says.

'Today

there

is

just too

much

close inbreeding, the result of too

many

breeders unwilling to maintain an adequate stock of animals. They breed

mother-son, father-daughter, sister-brother,

problems from nose

And

etc.

they are producing

to tail.

"I don't breed any closer than aunt to nephew, uncle to niece. ble.

"As you

set in the

are also doubling this

type for the

on any

show bench,

fault that

may

don't dou-

if

you double

We

exist.

gene you

in that

many problems from

see

— one undescended testicle, bad liver, heart or kidneys, gross skull and

facial deformities, hip dysplasia, five

tearing of the eyes and

"Some of show

cat.

many

or six toes on the back

cats dying suddenly

The victims

in this

usually put to sleep.

walking veterinary

then breed

and heartache for the families

That's abominable.

They

all

if

breeds.

that

They They

are are

buy them.

Some breeders will go

the animal lives long enough,

are even doing orthodontia

work on

up flaws."

Dr. Michael is

bills

— both expressions of a

the latter cats that are the real problems.

surgeon to correct a defect and, it.

cats to cover

lems,

It is

disabilities

longevity, no health to survive.

not just talking about Persians, but

to a plastic

excessive

headlong rush for glory are monster kittens with

The former have no

genetic flaw.

T am

feet,

from 'unknown causes.'

today's breeding practices are designed simply to produce the

wierd defects and kittens with chronic

1

I

don't breed half-brothers or half-sisters, etc.

I

W.

Fox, director of the

Institute for the

outspoken about the harm being done

to

Study of Animal Prob-

animals through improper

breeding practices. For sure, he says, the show standards established for

many breeds are

leading to genetically -related abnormalities that can result in

unnecessary suffering.

Fox

also takes the veterinary medical establishment to task for not

strating sufficient

says, "there

concern about animal health and welfare.

would be

far

more

and

lifestyles to

it

demon-

were, he

public awareness. .for the plight of purebred .

pets afflicted with inherited abnormalities..." diets

If

and also about the improper

which so many pets are subjected.

FASHIONABLE DEGENERATION I

have no wish to make a blanket criticism of breeders.

cated and conscientious people

who care a great deal

Many are very dedi-

about the health of their

•

58

Pet Allergies

animals. These are people to

improve

who

take time to study the problems and

aspects of their breed.

all

salute these individuals

I

who seek

and always en-

joy working with them. Unfortunately, quite a few breeders are inexperienced and unaware of health ramifications.

Then

there are the operators of

"puppy mills" and

"kitty mills"

who

create sickness and problems enmasse. These businesses are deplorable.

Some faults

breeders are "kennel blind." They tend to close their eyes to stock

while striving single-mindedly for the

titles

and sales they believe a par-

ticular look or structure will bring.

"If a breeder

producing a beautiful

is

line

of animals that unfortunately has

say a respiratory or allergy problem, that person out the line because

dog breeder No.

1

told

is

it

attracting attention

may

just continue turning

and sales," one Southern California

me. "The health problem

is

ignored.

Looks are by

far the

consideration."

Among Dobermans brand's Disease.

there

is

Von

a fairly prevalent condition called

something

It is

hemophilia

like

among humans

Willi-

— uncon-

trolled bleeding.

know of a breeder who blatantly shrugs off the implications of this condiand mates bleeders who in turn produce more bleeders who in turn are bred by others and they produce more bleeders. This is the way a weak line I

tion

can clearly erode the

vitality

of a breed and proliferate disease.

The look of breeds appears to be a dynamic, changing thing, like the world of fashion. Influential show judges andbreeders determine what's currently in style.

Over the

last

twenty -five years the "in look"

every five years or so. During the sixties a

among Dobermans has changed

taller

dog with a big masculine head,

almost like a Dane, was most desirable. Then a smaller and more muscular look

became vogue. Then

it

went

again.

tall

Then small

again, with a

more

refined

appearance where males closely resemble females.

Breeding has largely turned

down

a cosmetic corridor,

natural or functional criteria. Animals, like our food, are

away from more

becoming more and

more processed, more and more unnatural, more and more unhealthy. There

is

a frightening surge in allergic and serious disease running through

breed and family lines and then spilling out to mixed breeds. Both cats.

I

am

in

dogs and

firmly convinced that contemporary breeding practices are directly

related to the disease epidemic. I

suspect that the hardy "All -American" mutt or alley cat

Hybrid vigor

ain't

what

it

used to be.

Random

is fast

disappearing.

cross-breeding spreads

sin deficiency

The mating of a German Shepherd with food allergies, a trypand dysplasia, with a Siberian Husky who has interdigital cysts

and

is

pureblood

faults.

allergies,

likely to

From what I see

in

produce offspring with

all

those problems and more.

my practice and from what I hear other veterinarians

Breeder's Blight

— The

•

Genetic Problem

59

are experiencing, I believe the fallout from erroneous breeding practices

may

be reaching catastrophic proportions

sickness being passed In

my

clinic

fad breeding. call

I

have been keenly interested

It is

out the pet population. In Chapter Nine

of

in

to generation.

one apparent consequence of

an endocrine defect that undermines the

"the dinosaur syndrome" because

it

— a wholesale susceptibility for

down from generation

I

I

think

it

immune

system.

I

has the potential to wipe

will explain the astounding

impact

overlooked problem.

this

This particular genetic flaw

is

aggravated by the unnatural food that

animals are fed today. Years ago, foods were less altered, less processed.

There were few or no hormones or chemical additives

in food.

There were no

discards, byproducts and undesirable food sources laden with toxins.

We

have gone from food of greater natural biological value to food

artificial,

imbalanced and often below

minimum

that

is

nutritional requirements.

Furthermore, animals have been taken out of their original habitats, situated in genetically-foreign enviroments,

and subjected

to strange things

indeed.

You

find cold weather huskies in Florida and Southern California... game

dogs corraled

in

apartments and "exercised" daily

leash... Old English

over their eyes

Sheepdogs with long

at the

end of a short

facial hair deliberately

groomed

— impairing vision and the health of their eyes —all for the

sake of a fashionable look. Cats, with a prowling and solitary hunter's temperament and once with the

run of the barn, are today's pampered pets, penned up in tiny apartments for a lifetime.

For the preservation of the furnishings, they are often neutered, so

they won't spray, and declawed, so they won't scratch. Sometimes they

belong to multiple animal households and catteries, where a phenomenon

known

as "social stress" can

undermine

their health.

You have major negative influences working simultaneously, feeding and aggravating each other. It's a matter of addition: emotional stress plus environmental All things considered, the ingredients for disease are obvious.

stress plus dietary stress plus

misguided breeding

=

trouble, lots of

it.

9 The Adrenal Timebomb

The timebomb

is

hidden deep within the viscera.

the mid-abdominal

the skin

in

beneath.

You

it

you penetrate

then the subcutaneous fatty layer

area,

Then comes

the peritoneum, the lining of the ab-

dominal cavity. Inside the cavity, you come net-like drape of tissue that binds

the

reach

pierce a tendonous-like band called the linea alba, which binds

the stomach muscles.

thin curtain,

To

you now see

deep brown

liver

upon the great omentum,

first

and protects visceral organs. Parting

the this

part of the stomach, the purplish spleen next to

above, and

in the center, the

it,

pink intestines processing a

cargo of food with an undulating rhythm.

Probing

still

deeper, you

move

this

winding mass

and see, one

to the sides

on each side of the large aorta artery and the vena cava vein, the bean -shaped kidneys. Behind them

two

is

the rib cage. In a large

silver dollars side-by -side, in a cat or small

dog each kidney

the size of

is

dog, two walnuts.

And there,

perched next to the inside head end of each kidney are the cream-colored, thumbnail-shaped adrenal glands.

The adrenals belong

to the endocrine system,

a scattering of glands

throughout the body that secrete minute but powerful amounts of chemical substances which have specific effects on other organs and parts.

Within the outer section of the adrenals of our attention.

— called the cortex —

This part of the gland

is

other half of the adrenal

to the

you

Cortisol

will see, the

middle layer

is

the

hormone

as lymphocytes, the

is

very important.

It

is

as the

made.

delivers Cortisol

regulating the activity of the white blood cells

immune system

to fight off virus, bacteria, disease

Cortisol, in turn,

gland. This

is

the brakes

soldiers that produce antibodies

and toxic matter.

regulated by a

hormone produced by

hormone, called adrenocorticotropin or

when

there's too

ACTH

when Cortisol levels are much circulating Cortisol.

the adrenal gland into production

60

known

— called the medulla — where adrenalin

body.

known The

the focus

not as celebrated as the inner cortical layer where the

sex hormones estrogen and androgen are produced nor as well

Yet, as

is

We are primarily interested in the middle layer of the cortex.

the pituitary

for short, prods

too low and applies

The Adrenal Timebomb • Thus, there

61

a finely tuned feedback system between the pituitary and

is

adrenal glands of the endocrine system that directs a major

arm of the body's

defense network.

When

system

this

is

normal balance the white blood

in

recognize the difference between friend and foe.

weapons on That's the

They

enemy. They don't attack the healthy

the

way

cells naturally

turn their chemical

tissue

of the host body.

should be and, for the most part, used to be. Until man,

it

it

appears, got into the act.

By bending

the looks

cosmetic standards,

and

inflicted

and

man

structure of various breeds to meet artificial has apparently put a kink into the genetic chain

heavy damage

to

canine and feline health.

After fifteen years of clinical investigation , /

am

convinced that the

mechanism linking the endocrine and the immune systems has been seriously damaged by excessive cosmetic breeding. critical regulating

Simply put, the middle layer of the adrenal cortex, chip,"

is

And

defective.

down from

that endocrine

the end result of this genetic defect, as

it

"microis

passed

generation to generation, from purebreds to purebreds, from

purebreds to mixed breeds, and from mixed breed carriers to other mixed breeds,

may be

programmed for mechanism has been affected I

the proliferation of animals increasingly

self-destruction. Specifically

why

the Cortisol

don't know. That will take genetic investigators to sort out.

Early on in

my

practice of veterinary medicine,

I

became thoroughly

perplexed by the constant confrontation of end diseases that no one had

answers

for.

Neither the textbooks nor continuing education classes nor more

experienced veterinarians could explain or provide solutions for the influx of allergic conditions

and

terrible afflictions

animals. Seemingly at every turn

I

I

was seeing

in

both young and old

encountered severe hypersensitivity, skin

with widespread inflammation, ulcerations and itchiness, chronic vomiting

and diarrhea, generalized mange, and along familial

internal systems out

of control, and dying

was often finding similar problems among lines. I began to suspect a genetic problem.

animals. Moreover,

I

For many of these conditions, veterinary medicine commonly

littermates

relies

on a

family of cortisone-based drugs (steroids), which are synthetic replicas of

They are anti -inflammatory and anti-itching agents work with great efficiency for a certain period of time.

Cortisol.

that usually

Varieties of these cortisone drugs are widely and intensely used by the

medical profession to

me

that

— both for humans and animals. The possibility occurred

maybe we might be supplying an

missing due to some unexplained disarray. Since cortisone at the

adrenal glands.

is

— or at

ingredient that

least

unknown

to

an adrenal hormone replacement

I

was somehow

me

— genetic

started to look

•

62

Pet Allergies

GROPING THROUGH THE BIOCHEMICAL MAZE During some two hundred or so routine autopsies on predominantly purebred animals I removed and carefully examined the adrenals. In most cases I found adrenal cortices that were visably smaller than normal to the naked eye.

Looking

oped

at the

tissue.

what age

glands under the microscope,

I

found grossly underdevel-

There was a lack of cellular content and structure, no matter

— puppies, kittens, mature animals. There was often inflamed and

hemorrhaged adrenal So frequently did

I

tissue.

find poorly developed cortices that

I

began

to believe in-

deed a genetic mutation was involved.

For a number of years, veterinary pathologists have noted the existence of varying degrees of abnormal tissue

—

but unrelated to classic adrenal

diseases and never directly linked to any signs of illness. In

man, some evidence suggests these kind of tissue

from

irregularities

bacterial infections, prolonged steroid therapy, or an

may

result

immunological reac-

tion directed against the adrenal glands. This latter possibility

is

referred to as an

auto-immune condition. The body's own protective agents turn on the body Certain adrenal cortical diseases in

itself.

The syndrome tends In 1978,

I

to be familial

man

are thought to be auto-immune.

and linked

to a recessive gene.

investigated adrenal pathology with

Edwin Howard,

the chief

Los Angeles County Veterinary Pathologist, on several cases of severely diseased animals.

One of the cases involved a six-month-old male Irish Setter mange and skin condition. Pathologic examination indi-

with a generalized

cated auto-immune adrenal destruction

— a lethal attack against what was ap-

parently genetically-defective tissue.

Not

all

of the autopsies

I

did

showed such adrenal damage. Some glands I wondered

appeared normal. But the animals had been profoundly diseased. then

if

the Cortisol

was biochemically flawed

in

some way and had

contrib-

uted to sickness.

This was an important question needing an answer

— whether the gland ap-

peared defective or not, was the Cortisol effective? I

conducted a simple blood

test to find

out

amazed me. In hundreds of were inadequate, below normal.

able.

The

That led to another question. What did there

was

not

enough

this

how much

shortage

Cortisol controlling the

mean

to the

much

maybe

antibody? Working closely with a laboratory,

developed a

I

the secretion of the antibodies, those fighting proteins

When

the

new

test

avail-

system?

If

lymphocytes, could they then

react unpredictably to foreign stimuli, secreting

immunoglobulins.

was

Cortisol

sick animals the Cortisol levels

results

too

known

was conducted

I

or too

test to

little

measure

scientifically as

found

in

many

in-

stances that antibody levels were either too high or too low.

The

specific antibodies

I

checked were IgA (Immunoglobulin A),

IgM and

The Adrenal Timebomb • 63 IgG. Let's put each one

•

in its place.

IgA, for our discussion,

is

basically

mucous membranes of the body. Thus

the

and urinary

gastro-intestinal, respiratory

ting these territories

•

IgM

roadblock to slow

IgG

is

produced by the lymphocytes

most abundantly found

is

in

in the

tracts. It is responsible for protec-

by neutralizing foreign invaders.

a primitive antibody released in the blood that acts as a

is

down viruses,

bacteria,

are detected in the bloodstream. This

•

it

a secondary,

more

is

and other foreign matter when they

a

first line

of defense.

sophisticated soldier. Imagine a

team. These guys have specialized biochemical weapons

SWAT

to neutralize

specific foreign invaders.

my

In

continuing investigation

I

tested a

number of sick puppies and found

them to have a deficiency of both Cortisol and antibodies tisone medication

and found, to

.

I

gave the animals cor-

my surprise, that the antibody levels increased.

This was totally unexpected because modern medical thinking says cortisone

immune system and should thus lower the antibody count. What was going on? Something else was exerting an influence here. What

suppresses the

was I

it?

went back to the books and the research. The

pituitary

was stimulating

the

adrenal glands, right? But there wasn't enough Cortisol being produced

because the Cortisol mechanism was

somehow

flawed. That meant there

might not be enough Cortisol available to shutdown the pituitary as part of the turn on-turn off arrangement between the pituitary and adrenals. Did that

make

sense, Plechner?

ACTH

do

What

I

if

I

the pituitary

learned

responsive to

is

asked myself.

hormone

that there

ACTH

— the

is

And

so what does

if

all that

extra

tap isn't turned off?

another part of the adrenal cortex that

inner layer, from

whence comes

is

the sex hor-

mones estrogen and androgen. If the

middle layer can't produce enough Cortisol

might not the uncontrolled

hormones? So

stimulate an excess secretion of the sex

test for

estrogen.

*

had the lab develop a

I

I

then found

many animals

very high levels of adrenal estrogen and some with very low levels. that both irregularities

•

mean

trouble.

and cause inflammation and

irritation.

have not found androgen to influence the conditions is

interesting to note,

acts like

however,

that

I

am concerned about.

an excess of androgen

nymphomania. This is a a male and mounts other animals.

associated with canine

dog

learned

Examples:

Too much estrogen, as with histamine, can cause tiny blood become more permeable. This allows for blood components to spill

into adjacent tissue

It

I

with

1.

vessels to

* I

ACTH,

to turn off the

ACTH

situation

is

often

where a female

•

64

Pet Allergies

•

2

Too much

.

pituitary, the

estrogen also has a turn -on effect on the

hypothalamus gland up

cortico releasing factor,

ACTH,

produce more

is

in turn stimulates

'

'boss

'

of the

A new substance, called the

in the brain.

then squirted into the picture.

which

'

more

It

makes

the pituitary

estrogen. Here

is

clear-

ly a vicious cycle.

•

3.

the activity of lymphocytes

•

4.

Excess estrogen binds and inactivates thyroid hormone, a secre-

Too much estrogen also suppresses and antibodies in the immune system. tion that

is

tremendously

to

vital

good

health.

regulates bodily heat,

It

metabolism and conversion of energy. Often, a veterinarian will not be aware of the estrogen connection in

animals showing what appears to be classic signs of low thyroid. The signs

The

are obesity, loss of hair, and sluggishness.

amount of thyroid hormone in the blood and looking for some other cause.

find

veterinarian will test the

But some veterinarians, even though the blood act

normal and then go on

is

it

tests are

normal, will

still

on the signs and administer thyroid hormone replacement anyway and ob-

tain excellent results.

What ing

has happened

that the estrogen binds the thyroid

is

The

function throughout the body.

its

However, amounts.

show

the blood tests It

does not

tell

the

hormone, impair-

signs of low thyroid then appear.

hormone present

the thyroid

whole story though: the hormone

in

normal

present but

is

has been rendered inactive.

Outside of the classic hypothyroid signs,

on immune function.

can

It

alter the ability

mally to stimuli, thus resulting

•

5.

in

An

First

of

blockage can have a subtle effect

of the lymphocytes to respond nor-

some degree of reduced

Meanwhile, our old friend

any rush of estrogen. defective.

this

all, in

Cortisol

is

affected animals Cortisol

excess of estrogen has the ability to

unusable; the same effect that Cortisol the flawed

system

up

tie

is

Cortisol

deficient or

and make

has on thyroid hormone. So whatever

it

producing

is

disease protection.

also highly vulnerable to

it

is

now being

it

little

neutralized by this out-

of-whack endocrine system.

•

6.

suggests to tex, is

where

Abnormally low estrogen

me a genetic defect the Cortisol

is

produced, but also

made. Under the microscope,

And just

as too

much

production can affect

body can't use

level,

which

I

I

is

some animals,

I

where estrogen

often found abnormalities in this layer, too.

estrogen neutralizes thyroid function, abnormally low it

the

same way. The thyroid hormone

is

there but the

it.

in the

ovaries

have been talking about adrenal estrogen, produced

female animals. Ovarian estrogen

and

in

in the inner layer,

You may be wondering where estrogen produced this.

found

not only in the middle layer of the adrenal cor-

is

found only

used primarily to create an environment

in the

in the

in

fits

into all

both male and

females of the species

womb that is suitable for

The Adrenal Timebomb • 65 the fertilization, implantation

estrogen

more

is

and nutrition of the early embryos. Adrenal

hormonal

closely involved in

interrelations

and immune

functions throughout the body.

THE CORTISONE CONNECTION As

struggled to unscramble

I

all

these biochemical knots,

I

learned

why

cortisones (steroid drugs) were creating healthy antibody levels instead of

suppressing them as would be expected.

My discovery

was

this: In

those animals with genetically-damaged middle

layer adrenal cortices, cortisone administration natural Cortisol.

ACTH

cortisone slows

in turn

down and

makes up

for shortages of

normalizes the production of

would happen under conditions of adequate Cor-

in the pituitary, as

This

tisol.

The

moderates the adrenal production of estrogen.

Too much estrogen, among other things, can suppress antibody activity. Now, with cortisone substituting for Cortisol and the estrogen stabilized, a environment

better biochemical

tibodies can

created wherein the lymphocytes and an-

is

resume normal operations.

In short, the steroid treatment stops the excess

cess adrenal estrogen, which normalizes

ovarian estrogen

Most

is

immune

ACTH,

which stops the ex-

function.

The production of

not affected.

veterinarians use steroids to treat a multitude of conditions.

They

are

probably unaware that they are simultaneously correcting a Cortisol deficiency

— the hidden cause of the problem. In animals with healthy adrenals, cortisone medication can indeed suppress

immune system because

the

—

is

too

much of this substance —natural and synthetic is why treatment with cortisone often has no

then present in the body. This

long -lasting benefits and leads to side-effects. In an animal with defective adrenals, the cortisone does wonders. Later, in Chapter Seventeen,

I

monal replacement. The information suggestion on

how

It's

a totally different ballgame.

detail a precise treatment is

program

for hor-

primarily for the professional, with

to utilize steroids for

maximum

health benefits without

side effects.

THE "DOMINO EFFECT" But

let's get

adrenals.

back

As we've

to

our original "home-grown" Cortisol, made

seen, this

hormone can be

in the

ineffective, insufficient

and

unusable due to underdeveloped glands, interrelated hormonal disturbances or adrenal wear-and-tear from aging. Whatever the background, the Cortisol is

a

"dud"

substance.

It

exerts

little

or no regulatory effect on the lym-

phocytes. Uninhibited, unchaperoned, out of control, these primary protectors react erratically,

Either extreme

much or too little antibodies. Too many antibodies will attack foreign

producing either too

means

trouble.

66

•

Pet Allergies

programmed

matter, as they are

ning on the body

The

state

is

it

can also swarm into healthy immune system, in effect, is tur-

to do, but they

tissue and begin devouring that as well. The

designed to protect.

of too few antibodies, on the other hand, allows foreign microor-

ganisms and toxins

to gain a foothold

body has

either case the

and create damage and disease. In

lost its protection

and

is

vulnerable to destruction.

There are many possible combinations for malfunction and disease because there are

many

possible combinations of endocrine-immune imbalance.

following chart shows

"domino

effects,"

at

a glance the most

you will — that

if

I

see

the defective adrenal cortex middle layer

The

The

common imbalance sequences — in my practice. All originate from

where

Cortisol

is

produced.

chart readily indicates the vulnerability of animals with flawed endo-

crine-immune systems. The defect helps explain susceptibility epileptic

allergies,

minimum

seizures,

altered

behavior and

why

to multiple

animals have

resistance to viruses and bacteria.

DOGS •

1.

Too much

Males and females with defective middle layer alone.

ACTH

plus thyroid •

Too much

estrogen Ties up existing Cortisol Abnormal lymphocyte/antibody activity. auto-immunity, generalized demodectic mange,

hormone

Results: Allergies,

interdigital cysts, lick

granuloma, epilepsy and abnormal behavior,

chronic virus and bacterial infections.

•

2.

Too much

Unspayed females with defective middle layer alone.

ACTH

Too much

plus thyroid hormone. Results: cies, cystic ovaries,

fection),

•

and 3.

pyometra

mammary

(a

estrogen

Same

Ties up existing Cortisol

as above, plus false pregnan-

severe hormonal ly -based uterine in-

tumors.

Spayed females with both defective middle

(Cortisol)

and

inner (estrogen) layers.

Too much

ACTH

Too little estrogen Blocks thyroid hormone Abnormal lymphocyte/antibody activity. Results:

utilization

Allergies, auto-immunity, epilepsy

and abnormal behavior,

viral

and

bacterial infections, urinary incontinence.

CATS •

1.

Males and females with defective middle layer alone.

Too much plus thyroid

ACTH

Too much

hormone

estrogen

Ties up existing Cortisol

Abnormal lymphocyte /antibody

activity.

Results: Allergies, auto-immunity, milliary dermatitis, feline acne,

eosinophilic granuloma, leukemia, infectious peritonitis, and feline urologic

syndrome (FUS).

The Adrenal Timebomb • 67 The Cortisol defect relates to a breakdown of intestinal wall protection, where IgA is being over or underproduced. This allows chemical toxins, insulting food molecules, and harmful germs to readily gain entry into the bloodstream.

the

In cats

gum

I

find the Cortisol imbalance related to urinary stones, the terrible

inflammations and infections leading to loss of teeth

leukemia and infectious

to feline

peritonitis.

me

endocrine-immune relationship helps

at

an early age, and

The understanding of

the

provide aid to these animals.

Here are animals who have been rendered genetic cripples, walking time-

bombs. The greater

bred for their looks the greater

may

well engulf

They,

The

our pets

all

like the dinosaurs,

this disease

may

their

This

is

no temporary

illness

epidemic will grow,

will prematurely die

or

me

a mystery to

live is

fear, until

cells

auto-immune collapse

no longer recognize the host tissue, may de-

to the

middle layer of the adrenal cortex.

or something that is outgrown. This the adrenal life

this

timebomb goes

is

off, the

a major

animal

with chronic health problems.

endocrine-immune

been recognized by veterinary medicine

at large. It

link to disease has not

could be that

this

phe-

nomenon falls between the cracks of adrenal conditions our profession more familiar with — Addison's Disease and Cushing's Syndrome. Addison's

is

it

holocaust of destruction by disease.

out a

why

I

not survive.

Once

lasting genetic defect.

their vulnerability to

way. The more they are

difference between a mild allergy and a complete

pend on the amount of damage

It's

germs coming

in a

of the body, where the defense

and

damage, the greater

their adrenal

the stresses, contaminants and

is

an acquired or genetic adrenal deficiency of a different cor-

tical secretion that

regulates

sodium and potassium balance. The

resulting

mineral imbalance leads to vomiting, diarrhea, muscle weakness and, finally, cardiac arrest.

Cushing's involves too

much

Cortisol production,

an acquired problem.

This leads to obesity, hair loss, excessive drinking and urination, and calcification of skin.

The problem I am concerned with does Cortisol deficiency, not

an excess.

It is

not affect mineral balance.

gross effects on hormones and antibodies throughout the body.

much trouble that we veterinarians are too busy diseases to see the I

have come

common

cause.

to regard the signs

We

It stirs

it

tially I

stir

up trouble. That

and

that

is left

why

so

is,

direct

The secon-

And left untouched, many of our therapies are par-

untouched.

or temporarily effective or just ineffective altogether.

have never found

this

endocrine-immune mechanism reported

erinary literature or textbooks as tion.

is

a

up so

treating the individual signs

and diseases as secondaries,

what get treated. But the defect

continues to

is

it

see the trees, but not the forest.

or indirect results of the underlying endocrine-immune defect. daries are

And

a wide-ranging syndrome with subtle or

And

I

inched along in

in the vet-

my own clinical investiga-

the connection to cosmetic breeding has not been scrutinized at

by anyone other than myself as

far as I

know.

all

68

•

In

Pet Allergies

1976 and again

in

1978 and 1979

I

reported

my

journals. The veterinarians who then began to look at that a new therapeutic avenue was opened to them. I

am

hoping

this

desperately needs

book

it.

will help bring

renewed

findings in veterinary this

problem reported

attention to the problem.

Otherwise the timebomb will continue

explode and our animals continue to be programmed for

greatest treatment for this pervasive condition lies first in recognizing istence

and secondly,

in acting to

prevent

it.

It

away and suffering. Our

to tick

its

ex-

10 When The Timebomb Explodes

The timebomb spares no breed. From what more. Some

less. I

(dogs)

see, they all

I

have found the adrenal defect

in

have

animals from

it.

all

Some

parts of

from the most aristocratic to the most humble of origins. The following are selected cases, conditions and patterns of disease which have made a vivid impression on me. Obviously, there is not room to mention the world,

every breed or disease with an associated Cortisol problem.

These observations are based on the

my

clinic.

After

many thousands of

epidemic of Cortisol -related problems

EXAMPLE NO.

1

specific traffic that has passed through

cases

I

feel they represent a

genuine

in animals.

- DOBERMAN PINSCHERS

commonly and most Doberman family. However, all types of Dobermans — Blacks, Reds and Fawns — are involved as well. I am inundated with sick Dobermans in my practice. "Blue Dobie Syndrome"

is

a serious set of problems

severely affecting a popular branch of the

Trouble often the head,

starts after

tually expected with

In 1979

breed. office.

A

a few weeks of age, beginning with hair loss on

elbows and hocks. This condition

I

Dobie puppies

is

so

commonplace

— a pathetic

rite

that

it

is vir-

of passage.

published a report on the genetic problem inherent with this

one-year-old dark Blue female

Doberman had been brought

to

my

She suffered from inflamed skin and purulent sores, generalized

demodectic mange, hair loss and scratching.

nounced adrenal suppression.

I

I

tested the

recommended she

dog and found a pro-

not be bred because of the

possibility of passing on the adrenal defect. During the treatment period, the owner even promised to spay the dog. However, six months later the bitch was bred. The sire was a three-yearold black Doberman with a history of summer hypersensitivity dermatitis. The pregnancy was normal. The litter contained thirteen puppies. At three weeks, all puppies developed inflamed skin and sores on the face and extremities. At twelve weeks, the signs of inherited immune disease were fully apparent. The pups had mange, severe oozing sores, swollen lymph

•

70

Pet Allergies

glands and widespread inflammation.

One of the puppies was brought

in for

have biochemical markers similar

to

diagnostic procedures and

to his

ing inherited a defective adrenal cortex. the

owner requested

mother

Due

was found

— evidence that the offspr-

to the severity of the disorder,

puppy be euthanized. The pathology report pro-

that the

vided by the Los Angeles County Veterinary Services indicated underdevel-

opment and degeneration of both adrenal I

cortices.

once closely studied the biochemical profiles of several generations of five animals

total

the breed. jority

Here too

I

were not only

— in one line of Blacks,

—a

supposedly the most robust of

found evidence of a perpetuated adrenal defect. The maCortisol deficient, but they

were also hypothyroid, had

estrogen and antibody imbalances, and a trypsin deficiency.

Often by the time such dogs become sexually mature, you can see the surface signs of food allergies and progressive disorder, things such as chronic

mange, ear mites, severe weight

skin problems, generalized

often die prematurely

genetic

away

damage

the

from kidney,

timebomb can explode

in five

These dogs

loss.

With severe

liver or pancreatic disease.

or six weeks.

Or

it

can tick

for years, causing chronic unwellness, until finally the animal dies

from

the failure of an essential organ.

An example

Doberman Black male who suddenly became at members of the household. The dog was

of this involved a

— lunging and snapping

aggressive

about to be sent away for training but

first

the

owners brought him

in for

an ex-

amination. I

did a

full

workup and found a

tremely high nitrogen felt

the

in the

Cortisol deficiency, high antibodies

blood.

The

dog was experiencing kidney

normal behavior. You might

call

it

latter is indicative

and ex-

of kidney trouble.

I

failure with a resultant interference in

a "nitrogen narcosis."

He would become

disoriented and not recognize his owners.

Indeed, the kidney

damage

in this

case was so severe that the dog had to be

euthanized. I

frequently see such IgA-cortisol -related end diseases of key organs.

IgA guarding

the

mucous

linings of these organs run wild

ing healthy adjacent tissue. In the kidneys, this situation,

overwork demanded by high protein

The Doberman breed called the

'

is

diets,

' '

combined with the

can lead to premature death.

also afflicted with a ligamental

'wobbler syndrome,

weakness

in the

neck,

widespread hip dysplasia, and a blood clotting

problem called Von Willibrand's Disease. These ailments occur as a indiscriminate breeding. Increasingly, certification

is

endocrine-immune

result

of

being demanded by pur-

chasers that animals are healthy and free of such disorders. tive action should also include

The

and begin devour-

I

feel that this protec-

certification.

When The Timebomb

EXAMPLE NO. I

hear

many

2

•

Explodes [Dogs]

71

- COCKER AND SPRINGER SPANIELS become

reports of behavioral problems as these breeds

bred away from their traditional hunting and

further

field functions.

a show animal, was brought to me by his owner who was attacking the judges at dog shows. Obviously you don't way. I did a workup and found a Cortisol imbalance with high

One Springer Spaniel, said the creature

win ribbons estrogen.

that

The dog probably wasn't

ing well. After identifying the

feeling well.

problem we

propriate hormonal replacement.

We

He

certainly wasn't behav-

initiated a special diet

were able

with ap-

to eliminate the anti-social

behavior so the dog could be shown again.

Another case involved a Springer Spaniel

was a puppy. His

initial

clear Cortisol deficiency. diets with

When sion.

problem was

He was

I

had been treating ever since he

food allergies with diarrhea.

to

be doing well.

he was six years old, he was in for a checkup and a grooming ses-

The owner asked me

said, yes, the

to

examine the dog's eyes.

dog had been acting bizarre

IgA-estrogen levels were

I

When

got close the

owner and she workup and found

at times.

I

did a

The aggressive behavior

off.

it.

reflected a

The dog had

a fear biter.

In a 1984 veterinary journal article, Dr. ian,

I

told this to the

deterioration of this imbalance despite our efforts to control

become

was a

subsequently maintained on hypoallergenic

hormonal replacement and seemed

dog snapped and just about took my thumb off. his

It

R.A. Mugford, a

British veterinar-

wrote that the frequent aggressive behavior of the English Cocker

Spaniel probably has a genetic basis.

"English Cocker Spaniels have a long-established reputation for their unreliable temperament: individuals

may be

exceptionally excitable,

and aggressive," and many owners ask a veterinary surgeon their animals as a result,

he said. The disturbed behavior

is

moody

to euthanize

variously referred

"Cocker rage syndrome" or "low threshold aggression." fifty problem Cockers brought in by owners, Mugford said that 74 percent of them were Red/Golden variants, "significantly more inbred" than

to as

Among

the particolored Cockers. In

76 percent of the cases, the dogs had displayed

aggression towards their owners, 63 percent had bitten their owners, and 23 percent had bitten children in the household.

The majority of Cockers make successful "if

rather excitable

companions," however, an unknown proportion of them are prone predictable and aggressive behavior, the British veterinarian said.

EXAMPLE NO. Another

3

— COCKERS,

to un-

BEAGLES, STANDARD POODLES

common problem among Cockers

is

chronic ear infections.

Beagles and Standard Poodles get them often as well. All these dogs have

been bred away from their traditional hunting

roles.

"

72

•

Pet Allergies

For years the infections have been attributed to long ears hanging down flat against the side of the head and thus preventing air circulation. Lack of venbed for germs, so

tilation creates a fertile

In

my

opinion, this

is

it

thought.

is

not the reason. There are

many breeds of dogs

The breeds

similar ear structures but without the problem.

with

have cited here

I

— and add Springer Spaniels to them — seem to commonly have an IgA imbalance and food allergies. The allergies impact

an abundance of histamine-producing mast

in the ear

cells.

When

area where there

is

the biochemical im-

balances are identified, corrected and the animals placed on hypoallergenic

can be usually prevented.

diets, recurrent ear infections

EXAMPLE NO. Over

the years

4

— DOG GUIDES FOR

THE BLIND

have treated a number of these animals, mostly Golden

I

Retrievers obtained from a California facility that breeds and trains them.

Problems are basically abnormal behavior.

monal replacement

similar: food allergies, gross skin conditions

keep these animals

to

seriously defective there

is

One such case was '^son,"

own

He developed

On

week.

a

a functional state.

a Golden Retriever

Some

are so

their responsibilities.

owned by Charlene Hunt

age of one-and-a-half and,

at the

words, "he was sick most of the five years

I

in

had him."

severe skin sores that sometimes required treatment twice a

number of occasions, people stopped Charlene

surdly accusing her of beating the society.

in

no way they can handle

of Santa Monica. The dog was obtained Charlene's

and

often requires specialized diet, medication and hor-

It

dog and threatening

in the street,

to call the

ab-

humane

At times the sores were so bad the dog could hardly walk and

Charlene would have

"Edson"

to take a

also suffered

cab

home from work.

from severe diarrhea when he

ate anything besides

a restricted hypoallergenic diet.

Although we were able decline. His energy

he had to be put to

to stabilize him to some degree, he continued to was never good. At six-and-a-half, well before his time, sleep. It was a very traumatic thing for me to do. I had

grown very attached to this animal and knew how much Charlene loved him. "Edson" was the third dog she had obtained from the same California training facility. Each time the animals were unable to fulfill their responsibility. The first dog had behavior problems and was returned after three months. The second animal had hip dysplasia and food problems and needed special diets. 1

She had

to

be retired early.

fects,

know of other guide dogs with terrible skin problems and other serious deCharlene says. 'And when we inform the school about this they want to

deny

that

'I

'

'

'

any problems

"People seem a

to

exist.

That

isn't right.

go back to the school often,

new dog. The animals never

last

a

Something should be done. like

good eight

every two years or so, for

to ten years as they should.

When The Timebomb Some time ago

contacted the training

I

ian there that a serious

My

negative.

facility. I

•

Explodes [Dogs]

73

explained to the veterinar-

problem existed with the animals. The response was

was ignored.

offer to help try and correct the situation

After Charlene's negative experiences,

suggested she find another dog

I

elsewhere. She traveled to an east coast school, hoping for better luck. There, she

was assigned a German Shepherd and has had him

now

for over a year

without any major problems.

Judy Flerman

is

a blind medical secretary

who has been a client of mine for — "Haven" — who was sick

years. She had received a Yellow Labrador

from day one.

"She was vomiting because of

all

day while we were training together

practically every

the school," Judy recalls.

at

the drilling

"They

told

me

she had a nervous stomach

and classes.

"But when we got home the vomiting continued.

Two

week. She was sluggish and didn't play very much. But

I

or three times a

had grown very

at-

tached to her by then.

"For

three years

took her from one veterinarian to another.

I

tremendously inconvenient and expensive.

was so

It

was

also painful

It

was

knowing she

sick.

"A friend told me about Dr. Plechner and I took 'Haven' to see him. He was going to be my last resort. He tested her and found she needed cortisone and thyroid replacement. We started the program. That was five years ago. She's been relatively healthy ever since, kept

"Today, soon when

at I

nine-and-a-half, she's

will

have to

and going through

this

retire her.

that

still

And

I

way on drugs and

special diet.

able to work. But the day will just dread the prospect

come

of a new dog

whole thing again."

The problems experienced by Charlene Hunt and Judy Flerman are repeated over the country. They will continue until the schools stop dispensing defective dogs. I am well aware of the noble intentions of the schools. They provide all

animals to the blind without cost. But whether they breed the dogs themselves or accept them as gifts from generous donors, these organizations should be con-

cerned about providing the healthiest animals they can.

As Judy Flerman

says:

"What's the use of

all

the

good

intentions

dogs bring more burdens than benefits. The one thing we don't need burdens.

We

shouldn't have to bring sick dogs home.

frequently enough to

make

this a

And

that

is

is

if

happening

very unsettling business."

Clean hips and clean elbows are not enough. These animals need clean sides too.

They need

the

more

certification for

in-

normal adrenal cortex function, and

normal antibody response. The guide dog schools should make an extra effort to ensure that their animals

can serve their handicapped owners without

becoming handicaps themselves.

•

74

Pet Allergies

EXAMPLE NO.

- LABRADORS AND GOLDEN RETRIEVERS

5

Black Labradors used to have that big square head and the huge

which

tail

with

Out hunting you would see those chunky bodies at the the wind and scanning the skies. They radiated health and pur-

to steer in water.

ready, sniffing

pose.

Nowadays you

see

slab-sided and empty-headed labradors with

tall, thin,

their sense and function bred out of them.

They are hyperactive,

drive.

like

yo-yos

They run on one speed

at the

end of a

leash.

A

People have tremendous difficulties trying to train them.

from a professional

return

trainer

and the

first

day back he

pillows on the sofa or be carousing with the kids

on

tions

this

theme

all

champions but these animals are People

who

like this friendly

you have a

labs.

losers.

chew up

the

I

hear varia-

may

swell with

block.

Their bloodlines

They are out of

control.

breed are beginning to look for animals with

backgrounds rather than show

ing the distinction

labrador will

will

the time.

These are the the offspring of show

field

down the

— over-

titles.

better

That's what

recommend. By mak-

I

chance of getting a healthier and more

stable animal.

''Dune," a male Golden Retriever him, was a tough case.

He was

His body was hairless

clinic.

who was ten weeks old when I

a pathetic runt

many He was

in

swollen three times normal size.

when he was brought

places. His

saw

first

my

into

muzzle and ears were

grossly deficient in Cortisol and

IgA

and was hypothyroid.

The breeder was

so upset that she brought in the bitch, an award -winning

showdog. The animal had experienced only occasional mild dermatitis during the

summers. Testing showed an IgA imbalance. This, her

first litter,

was

smaller than you would normally expect.

She whelped only two puppies.

IgA to

deficient, although not hypothyroid,

keep the timebomb

On years.

special diets

at

and apparently strong enough so

and hormones we were able

He was one -third

other pup and he also was far

bay.

the size of normal

he would contract a harsh still

We checked the

to

keep

"Dune"

alive for six

Golden Retrievers. Occasionally

viral condition, indicative

of an

immune system

subpar despite our intense efforts. Finally, he succumbed to a pancreatic

disease caused,

I

believe, by an

IgA antibody imbalance which

left

the pan-

creatic tissue vulnerable.

may be just somewhat off the norm. When somewhat abnormal, the genetic flaw seems to magnify as it passed down. And boom! you get the timebomb going off early in life with Here

the is

is

mate

a case where a parent

is

also

devastating effect.

When The Timebomb

EXAMPLE NO.

6

Explodes [Dogs]

•

75

- MINIATURE AND TEACUP POODLES

The grandmother, mother and daughter of a Silver Miniature Poodle line to me by their three different owners over a number of years.

were brought

Each animal,

until

spayed, experienced false pregnancies. All had food aller-

IgA antibodies. Each was Cortisol deficient with excess levels of estrogen. They suffered from chronic skin disorders, paws that would become swollen from constant biting and chewing, and itchy undersides they would scratch until blisters formed. The two gies related to an imbalance of their

younger dogs had epilepsy. All of these animals had experienced false pregnancies and had difficulties

reproducing. Each was eventually spayed. restore their fecundity through

was

the line

am

I

seriously defective.

Even

I felt.

if I

could

Why

continue

it?

many food allergies, cystic ovaries, mammary tumors, mange and, in particular, behavioral abnormalities and epilepsy

seeing

generalized

animals.

in these

According

to the Epilepsy Institute in

purebred and have a family history of the

among

A blessing,

hormonal replacement and other therapies,

New

York, epileptic dogs are often

illness.

certain breeds including Irish Setters,

It is

reported to be inherited

German Shepherds, Beagles

and Poodles. In

my practice I see more epileptic Poodles than any other breed. The prob-

lem often begins when an animal

is

about two but

it

can show up anytime,

earlier or later. I

am

not sure, and veterinary medicine

is

really not sure,

what creates such

blow outs of the nervous system. The cause of seizures idiopathic, In doing

which

is

that

is,

regarded as

is

nobody knows precisely why they happen.

workups on these cases

I

usually find a cortisol-IgA imbalance

adversely impacted by foods. Additionally, there will often be a high

estrogen level. This combination of biochemical imbalances and inability to

process food properly

may create a chronically toxic

situation in the

can eventually trigger seizures. The timebomb ticks away plodes.

I

have witnessed many complete remissions as a

until

body

one day

that

it

ex-

of defusing the

result

adrenal timebomb.

EXAMPLE NO. I

have found

that

7

— OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOGS

about 40 percent of the 200 or so Sheepdogs

I

have attended

over the years suffered from the repercussions of an endocrine-immune imbalance: gastro-intestinal disorders, skin problems, false pregnancies and epilepsy. I

closely followed five generations of one line and virtually

all

animals

in

it

developed an allergy to beef after two years of age. After eating beef they would experience diarrhea, vomiting and/or an outbreak of skin problems.

•

76

Pet Allergies

we

of the affected animals become what

Many

into Jekyll

and Hydes. Due

call

"fear biters." They turn

to a behavioral instability secondary to hormonal

imbalances, they often are shy, recessive and wide-eyed in unfamiliar situations. I

Then out of

recall vividly

fear they will snap

one dog who

and

bite.. and

then lick you afterward.

—

—

owner a rock star in the face, narThe attack was sudden; the two had been ex-

bit his

rowly missing a major artery.

tremely close. Here was an eight-year-old animal

who had a terrible cortisol-

good control for years IgA imbalance. We through diet and hormonal replacement. But the imbalance was too profound. After the attack he stood there and licked his master's face as if to say were able

"Forgive me,

know

I

to

not what

I

EXAMPLE NO.

A

keep him under

fairly

do."

8

- BASSET HOUNDS

ten-week-old Basset hound, the offspring of two champions, was pre-

sented in what

was

Blood and serum were weeping

clearly a dying condition.

from every pore of the body. The dog had no hair whatsoever. He was a study in

misery. His sole littermate

was

the bitch's

was

similarly afflicted, the

owner

said.

This

first litter.

Tests revealed the puppy was deficient in Cortisol, thyroid and antibodies.

He was

a sitting

duck

for virus

and bacteria.

The parents had always experienced "acceptable" problems such sional hot spots

and intermittent intolerance

flatulence, vomiting

the

is

tween both problems. in

9

early in

to their

progeny

in

life.

— MINIATURE SCHNAUZERS

a recognized problem of food allergies and bladder-urinary tract

infections in this breed.

Keep

and passed the defect down

timebomb exploded

EXAMPLE NO. There

food which manifested as

and diarrhea, the owner reported. Apparently they were

fractionally Cortisol deficient

whom

to

as occa-

mind

that

What probably escapes

On

IgA

is

examination

I

notice

is

the connection be-

constantly find imbalances of IgA.

supposedly protecting both the digestive and the

urinary tracts. In some animals the impact area is the gut. You will have food allergy and IgA imbalance leading to diarrhea and vomiting. Or you will have no GI

reaction but instead blood in the urine. Veterinarians often have to deal with

both problems concurrently.

With proper

diet

and adjustment of the endocrine-immune mechanism you

can restore these animals back to a good

life

without intestinal upset, bladder

problems or the tendency toward pancreatic and

liver disease.

When The Timebomb

EXAMPLE NO. Previously the most

Now

I

seem

to

10

Explodes [Dogs]

•

77

— GERMAN SHEPHERDS

common problem

with this breed was hip dysplasia.

be flooded with the manifestations of endocrine-immune im-

among Shepherds. many of them suffering from

balances I

find

false pregnancies, trypsin deficiencies,

food allergies, malabsorption, flea allergy dermatitis, generalized mange, ulcerative colitis, inability to gain weight, I

and epilepsy.

from Germany where they had

recently treated seven Shepherds imported

been bred and trained for police work. The hips were clean. The elbows

The German breeders apparently

clean.

are getting the upper hand

on the

dysplasia problem.

But that

is

only a part of the breeding problem. Each and every one of those

high-powered, high-priced animals was sick trypsin deficiency, food allergies and the I

in

some manner. Each had

a

endocrine-immune imbalance.

think the breeders are going to have to recognize that the consequences of

improper breeding extends beyond hips and elbows. In this country, the popularity of Shepherds has waned over the years. I wonder if those great animals of yesteryear the kind typified by Hollywood's "Rin-Tin-Tin" still exist. From what I see in my practice and what other veterinarians tell me, I have my doubts. Veterinarians nowadays are rather wary around Shepherds. Many of them are fear biters. They just aren't the gracious, solid dogs we once saw.

—

—

EXAMPLE NO. I

-

TERRIERS

among the terriers, way up to large Skyes. Often even when you correct endocrine-immune imbalance with proper hormone replacement, many see widespread food allergies and skin conditions

from the

11

little

Yorkies

all

the

animals must be maintained on the most carefully controlled diets.

Such an example was a Kairn Terrier who almost died because her owner could not understand the seriousness of the timebomb mechanism. The dog

was

basically healthly while

on a hormone program and a

diet free

of beef or

chicken. She was deathly allergic to these foods.

"A

little bit

But a

certainly can't hurt her," the

little bit

could indeed hurt her.

tion, after a series

owner kept

insisting.

took one exceptionally violent reac-

of lesser episodes, to make the owner a believer. Just a

morsel of forbidden food to the

It

this hypersensitive

animal was enough to explode

timebomb.

EXAMPLE NO. In the old days

when two

12

— MIXED BREEDS

healthy purebred dogs of different breeds got

together and mated, the union usually produced puppies radiating with what

•

78

we

Pet Allergies hybrid vigor. The mixed blood seemed to favor and perpetuate the

call

hardiest qualities of the parents.

But now, hardy progenitors seem to be vanishing. today's

"mixed mates"

are genetically -flawed animals.

or without man's help, they no longer

duce amplifications of their

A

male Collie with the

He was

allergies.

own

to

often than not,

they mate, with

produce hybrid vigor. They pro-

problems. They produce damaged goods.

imbalance suffered from terrible food

Cortisol

bred to the

seem

More

When

German Shepherd

history of false pregnancies, suffered

next door.

The female had

a

from generalized mange and had a tryp-

sin deficiency.

This mating produced a reduced little

vigor,

them

litter

of three puppies. The offspring showed

were undersized, and showed the skin signs of food

weeks and found they

at eight

all

allergy.

I

tested

had a trypsin deficiency.

At three months they were vaccinated for distemper. Shortly thereafter two of them died

— from distemper. Obviously, their immune systems were weak

and they had obviously not been unable

Do you remember "Daisy" She was a cockapoo

strip?

the

dog

to

in the

— part Cocker,

mount

a proper response.

"Dagwood and Blondie" comic part Poodle.

Today, our Cockapoos are the same shaggy, sweet and lovable creatures but with

A

little

ability to flourish.

year-old Poodle female with epilepsy and food allergies

Cocker Spaniel of three. The

was bred

to a

had a history of food allergies along with

latter also

premature loss of teeth and two episodes of seizures apparently triggered by a high protein diet.

The

result

of this union was a

litter

of five adorable females.

But beneath the good looks there was trouble. Each of the young developed horrible false pregnancies after their

had severe food

allergies.

first

The one

I

heat cycle and were spayed.

Each

subsequently examined developed

seizures by the age of two.

Do you Look

really expect to take

problems of the purebreds I have described above. Look at their Then do some simple multiplication. Multiply the diseases of one diseases of the other. The result is what you may well get when you

at the

diseases.

by the

two genetic cripples and produce a bionic dog?

breed the two.

11 When The Timebomb Explodes

(cats)

Behind much of the suffering and death of cats hides the cortisol-IgA imbalance, the genetic timebomb.

weakens

It

the fight

and

fiber of animals,

leaving them terribly vulnerable. Later, in Chapter Seventeen,

bomb. When done,

I

this greatly

discuss

how

enhances the

to identify ability

and defuse the time-

of cats to repel the most

serious threats to health.

EXAMPLE NO.

1

— FELINE LEUKEMIA

Have you ever wondered why some

(FeLV) leukemia and most

cats contract feline

others don't?

Why

is it

break with

Why

is

it

it

come down

My

that

around 30 percent of the animals exposed

that in a multiple cat

household of unrelated animals one

will

with leukemia and not others?

testing indicates that all cats

serious disease

who develop

clinical signs

of

this

very

complex are adrenally-defective. They are not producing

enough regulatory

Cortisol.

The consequence

and abnormal antibody response

When

to the virus actually

and not more?

the leukemia virus

is

is

loss of

lymphocyte control

to stimuli.

encountered, these out-of-control

immune

sys-

tems overreact. The lymphocytes overproduce antibodies. The antibodies go on a rampage, attacking both the virus and the

cat's

own

bodily tissue.

You

have a double dose of disaster: both the virus and the immune system collaborating in a destruction derby. These cats have a hormonal deficiency that

is

creating a hyperimmunity. If untreated, they will basically die from over-

processing of the virus.

The leukemia

virus can strike at almost any tissue or organ and

open the

door for a variety of associated diseases. Destruction takes hold depending

upon how and where the virus enters the body, where where there may be areas of genetic weakness.

Over them

the years

I

terminally-ill.

it

concentrates and

have treated some two thousand leukemic

By applying

the tests for

cats,

many of

endocrine-immune imbalance

79

80

•

Pet Allergies

and then following-up with individualized hormonal replacement able to save many of them from a probable imminent death.

I

have been

"Raja," a two-year-old Burmese, was a dramatic example. Here was a cat with a severe leukemic infection attacking the kidneys. I tested him and found the classical cortisol-antibody imbalances.

program a

In

carefully initiated a replacement

I

for his specific deficiency.

matter of three weeks, his previously enlarged, malfunctioning

He was

kidneys began showing signs of recovery.

showed

vigor. Tests

regaining appetite and

normal, meaning they were

his antibodies returning to

no longer devouring innocent tissue and killing the

At

cat.

six

weeks, testing

was leukemia negative. How, you may ask, is it possible that a cat with this terrible disease becomes virus-free? It is widely accepted that if the animal survives it plods indicated he

on

carrier, a source of potential infection for others. where the overlooked endocrine-immune mechanism comes

a

in life as

But here 's

in.

You test for this defect. You find it. You correct it. You put the animal 's derailed immune system on track, enabling it to fight and shed the virus just as it

would any other stimulant-allergen. The cat I

have seen

FIP

this reversal

many times,

will

respond negative

including even

Veterinary textbooks say this cannot happen. But

virus.

defuse the timebomb early enough before permanent

organs and

vital parts.

Early treatment

is

in testing.

among cats

damage

it

is

with the

can

if you

inflicted to

important.

not caught "Raja" when we did, he would have suffered irrepardamage to kidney tissue. We may have been able to beat the virus but not overcome the effects of severe kidney damage. As in this case and others, hormonal replacement therapy must be continued. If you stop it. you remove the crutch and the animal will fall. It's as simple as that. The genetic damage to the middle layer adrenal cortex is permanent. It doesn't grow back and heal itself and operate normally. If

we had

able

present and you stop the therapy, the bomb will explode The immune system will go haywire again. Signs of disease will return. Even if the virus has been shed and you discontinue therapy, you are still If the virus is still

again.

risking the cat's health. Should the leukemia virus be encountered at a later date,

immune

protection

Feline leukemia

is

would

the idiosyncrasies of the virus

the

likely be inadequate.

and a vaccine

endocrine-immune connection. Here,

to control I

vulnerable

in a

lies

no one has looked

at

promising avenue of

the cause: excessive in-

genetic adrenal defect which

when exposed

it,

feel, is a

both prevention and treatment. Here, perhaps,

breeding resulting

scramble to discover

a leading cat killer. In the scientific

makes

the animal extra

to the virus.

"Raja" has been doing quite well since he started the replacement program more than six years ago. Interestingly, I tested one of his sons and the younger

cat

had the exact same Cortisol imbalance. In junior's case, the time-

bomb was merely

ticking. His antibody count

was

just within the

normal

When The Timebomb Explodes The immune system was

range.

household of

still

[Cats]

•

81

able to elude the virus stalking this

cats.

The timebomb hadn't exploded yet but I could see what was coming. I suggested hormonal replacement. The cat, as his father, has been on this program for several years. He has maintained normal antibodies and so far been disease -free.

Today, there is

is

widespread

interest in a

new leukemia

vaccine.

a concentrate of killed leukemia viruses. After innoculation,

system

is

then expected to respond by developing the appropriate antibodies

for the disease.

mune system

Thus, should the

will

be encountered, the animal's im-

real thing

Or

be ready and primed for the fight.

the cat has the genetic

If

The vaccine the immune

timebomb, the vaccine

so the thinking goes.

won't work. The

script

Cortisol defect disallows normal response and buildup of antibodies. The cats

who

are naturally robust with strong resistance, probably won't get the

disease in the tack at

So,

if

first

place. Their

you think about

tion to the strong ones.

it,

can

the vaccine

forces will respond and meet the at-

may or may

For animals who

bably won't be effective If

immune

sighting of the virus.

first

not give any added protec-

need the help, the vaccine pro-

because of the adrenal weakness.

at all

may be among those intermediary cats who who cannot shed the virus. By liberating these

the vaccine does any good, resist serious infection but

really

it

animals, the vaccine might reduce the spread of leukemia.

EXAMPLE NO. Up

to

2

-

FELINE INFECTIOUS PERITONITIS

25 percent of the cat population

(FIP)

affected by this highly contagious

is

virus. In the early stage of the disease, there

discharges from the nose or eyes. Most cats

is

often mild sneezing with

who

recover from this phase

nevertheless remain persistently infected and serve as carriers. If the FIP ad-

vances, severe

it

is

usually fatal. There

damage

As with

is

a buildup of fluid in the

abdomen and

to vital organs.

feline leukemia, all the

FIP cats

test

I

have the adrenal defect. They

tend to be hyperimmune, their bodies wildly churning out antibodies

exposed

to the virus.

when

Then, both the virus and the immune system team up

to

destroy the animal.

Back

in

1981,

I

successfully treated

kk

Mitzy," a five-year-old spayed

female Domestic Shorthair. She had been declared a hopeless case by two

When I first saw her she was extremely emaciated, exabdomen, and was basically dying. She had the wet form of FIP. Her abdomen was full of the typical straw-colored fluid and even her chest cavity was affected. other veterinarians. cept for the bloated

I

treated her for the Cortisol deficiency

which was causing a gross over-

production of IgA. Within three weeks, she began to

show

signs of improve-

82

•

merit.

Pet Allergies

Her

I

counts normalized. She gained weight. In two months she

vital

was negative

for FIP.

have kept heron a hormone replacement program ever since.

she was brought

in

1985

In July

by her owner for standard vaccination. She's a big. robust

animal with no signs of the disease. She has been on cortisone

and

lively

this

time; without any side effects whatsoever. This program has kept her

all

timebomb totally under control. It has kept her alive. a none-tooYou may be surprised by my emphasis on cortisone therapy fashionable treatment concept. Please keep in mind that my animals are first

—

tested. If they are

Without

this

is

prescribed.

will either die or live a

of constant misery.

life

EXAMPLE FUS means it

found to be deficient of Cortisol, the cortisone

hormone replacement, such animals

can lead

NO. 3

-

FELINE LROLOG1C SYNDROME (FUS)

painful stones and blockages of the urinary tract. If not treated,

to death.

Males are more susceptible

to

blockage than females because of their nar-

rower urethras, the narrow tube

of the body from the

that carries urine out

bladder.

Regard

it

as a

warning sign

if

quently voiding tiny amounts urine.

o\'

you see

if

you see traces

A

in the

into the

body,

and eventually death.

combination of things cause mineral crystals, stones or plugs

the diet,

fre-

blood

o\'

Without medical attention, poisonous wastes back up

resulting in weakness, loss of appetite, vomiting

Most commonly

and

a cat squatting, straining,

urine, or

cited are obesity, inactivity, a high

to

form.

amount of magnesium

in

and low water intake.

Trouble occurs when small sand-like particles rub and tract lining.

The

particles are

and debris from the

composed The

irritated lining.

o\ minerals

irritate the

urinary

and cellular slough-off

particles also

team up with mucoid

substances to form stones that plug up the urethra.

Overlooked crime.

I

in all this

is

believe. In cases

the cortisol-IgA imbalance.

where

test

I

An

animals with FUS,

accessory to the I

often find the

adrenal defect.

The lymphocytes producing IgA

are present in the

mucous membrane

lin-

ings of the body, including the urinary tract. If an animal's imbalance swings

toward too much antibody production, an overkill effect takes place. The excess antibodies attack healthy tissue in addition to foreign stimuli. This

response accelerates irritation and I

recall a large

black cat

who had

damage

to the

mucous

lining.

chronic bouts of cystitis.

When

he had the

The classic signs. He also had a food allergy problem which seemed to make all this worse. A blood test showed a very high IgA antibody level. I prescribed a hormone replacement program which kept him basically under control. urge he would strain and pass

little

urine.

When The Timebomb The

cat

this food.

was highly

On

allergic to beef

occasion, however, the

and

I

Explodes [Cats]

•

83

urged avoidance of any form of

owner would

forget or not read labels

was open sesame to pain and discomfort. Immewould return: the cat would strain, spray, act jumpy, and diately the signs poke his tail up in the air with the hair on edge. and the cat would get beef.

Too

little

It

IgA production can

also be a problem. This results in decreased

resistance to bacterial, viral and perhaps chemical substances

which can ag-

gravate the lining and feed the buildup of particulate matter.

"Kiddo,"

no IgA.

as an example, had virtually

He was

a two-year-old

breeding Abyssinian with a history of chronic urinary tract problems.

I

operated on him for removal of an acute plug and subsequently prescribed a carefully regulated diet along with

he has been doing nicely.

have tested quite a few

I

ties in their

It

hormone replacements. On

keeps his genetic timebomb

FUS

fathers

endocrine-immune imbalances.

Aside from

flea-bite allergy,

commonly plagued by

•

1.

4

which

program

this

check.

and sons and found striking I

try to

similari-

keep them out of repeat

hormone replacement programs.

trouble by closely following their food and

EXAMPLE NO.

in

- SKIN DISEASE I'll

cover

in the

next chapter, cats are

three skin conditions:

Milliary dermatitis

— This

is

a generalized, moth-eaten effect,

with small scabs visible here and there on the body. Cats are miserable and

may

lose their appetite.

scratch.

They

They

will typically take a step or

will often tear, lick or

quently suffer from hair balls

chew

two, then stop and

out parcels of hair.

They

will fre-

— swallowed fur that has become impacted in

the stomach.

This condition it,

is

often

blamed on

but don't usually cause

•

2. Feline

acne

fleas.

I

don't agree. Fleas can aggravate

it.

— Affected cats display blackhead-like growths on

the chin. If the blackheads rupture internally they can cause a vicious reaction.

Often the chin will swell up and mimic a cat -bite abscess or a tooth root

infection.

•

3.

Eosinophilic granuloma

— This condition

is

marked by

elevated,

red lesions on the skin that cats will lick, bite and scratch.

e

In testing, cats

who have any of these

of a Cortisol imbalance.

We

ailments usually present the markers

veterinarians usually treat such conditions with

cortisones but without the realization that there, at the heart of things, tisol deficiency.

More

itching effect, the cortisone I

is

a Cor-

than just the expected anti -inflammatory and antiis

also redressing the deficiency

deep down.

believe these skin diseases follow a similar chain of events. First, the endo-

crine-immune imbalance causes improper processing of food or environmental toxins.

The body becomes awash with contaminants and immune

cells

gone

84

•

Pet Allergies

amok. The chaos stimulates histamine

release in certain impact areas just

the skin. This creates rashes, irritation

and

itchiness

Sometimes these are omens of FeLV and FIP corrective measures are not taken.

EXAMPLE NO.

—

5

below

on the surface.

— serious things to come

if

UPPER RESPIRATORY DISEASES

These, the most widespread of feline infectious illnesses, are largely caused

Many of the

by viruses. this defect

infected cats

ty as adults.

When

test

show

a cortisol-IgA imbalance.

in kittens

o\^

suffering continual discomfort

runny noses, then perhaps here cats suffer

is

from chronic

the reason

I

have often traced

either too

little

this

sinusitis.

Sometimes along the

problem

from runny eyes and

The

frontal sinus will

fill

up with a

that surgical relief

to irregular

is

re-

production of antibodies,

or too much.

EXAMPLE NO.

line

feel

why.

heavy mucoid discharge, sometimes so severely quired.

I

and the basis for chronici-

people talk about their cats being immune-deficient and fre-

quent prey to viruses.

Many

I

can create primary susceptibility

early,

gum

6

sometimes

line.

- GUM INFLAMMATIONS later in life, a cat

may develop

a bright red

That's a sign of inflammation which should get quick

veterinary attention. Left untreated,

it

can lead to ulcers

in the

gums, reces-

gum and underlying bone tissue, and finally tooth loss. Many of the cats I have checked who have this condition also

sion of

Cortisol -Ig

A

imbalance. Because of the defect back

there can be too

little

or too

much IgA up

front in the

in

have the

the adrenal glands,

mucous membrane

lin-

ing the mouth. Either way, food particles, bacteria, virus and other con-

taminants present in the oral cavity can gang up on a crippled

and foment

irritation, infection

and disease.

immune system

12 And Inhalant Allergies

Fleasj Insects,

Each body

—

your's, mine, your pet's

tolerance, for stress. Just

how much

blueprint sets the limits. Yours

capacity

is

different than

Tolerance

can hold, Stress

your neighbor's

The

genetic

and your pet's

pet.

pour more

like a storage tank. If you

many

has a certain capacity, or

different than the next guy's

cracks, crumbles or blows up.

it

is

is

is

—

a matter of inheritance.

is

stress into the tank than

it

The body breaks down.

things: excessive physical activity,

overwork, extreme cold

or heat, infections, drugs, environmental and food chemicals, insecticides

and pesticides, prolonged emotional disturbances, accidents, surgery, poor diet, digestive

lactation,

ailments that hinder absorption of nutrients, pregnancy and

and hormonal imbalances.

All these elements apply to both potential for overload

As

far as pets are

is

concerned,

I

the

regard four things as major problems that

can shrink or exhaust capacity for

• • • •

humans and animals. Obviously,

high.

stress:

The endocrine-immune adrenal Impure commercial pet food,

defect.

stress

by the mouthful.

Mineral deficiencies.

A

trypsin deficiency.

These four factors prime an animal. They are

sensitizers that create a

more

vulnerable and reactive cat or dog.

An animal

handicapped by defective adrenal glands

mune. You can expect an overreaction

An

is

going to be hyperim-

to environmental input.

animal fighting the stressful ingredients of a poor diet

is

going to have

less tolerance to fight other stresses in life.

And

animals with mineral and trypsin deficiencies usually lack the nutri-

tional building blocks their bodies

Onto

this

shaky stage steps the

need to maintain a high threshold to flea,

one of the important

X

stress.

factors that

overload the system and shatter the threshold of an animal barely coping with life.

There's just no reserve with which to fight on another front.

Fleas, parasitic insects and inhalant allergens represent a seasonal assault

of stress that causes breakdown and signs of allergy and disease. The

KS

86

•

Pet Allergies

warm weather

casualties of this clinics

warfare then appear

in

droves

at

animal

everywhere.

But environmental effects can occur any time of the year. Personally, regard

all

environmental allergies

I

— the fleas, the ticks, the mites, the pollens

— as secondary factors. The food, the adrenals, the minerals and the trypsin — these are the primaries. Treat them and often you may not have to first

worry about the secondaries.

FLEA-ALLERGY DERMATITIS And

Flea bites animal. Animal bites skin.

licks

and chews and scratches ad

infinitum. It's

script

an old story, repeated every summer. Most any pet owner knows the

by heart: loss of

hair,

inflamed bumps, raw, red itchy skin usually on

the backside near the base of the itself to get at the itch,

The

a very uncomfortable animal contorting

tail,

and ultimately a

entire adult life of a flea

visit to the

veterinarian for relief.

— four to six weeks on an average —

on the host animal. There, Dracula-like,

it

sucks blood to

live.

female can deposit some twenty to twenty-eight eggs a day.

is

spent

The

adult

Favorite

depositories are animal bedding or nearby carpets, drapes and furniture. In

such locations fleas rocket to maturity

in

about two weeks.

Short of restricting a cat or dog to an indoor existence, freedom from fleas is

well nigh impossible.

Periodic spraying of an animal's intimate environment inside or outside the

house may be helpful flea nest.

— especially

However, keep

in

mind

if

you are lucky and score a

that flea

flea) are rather resistant to insecticides.

stage, that

bomb

it

is

the

helps to have a degree in

From

ample earnings collars

may

eggs and pupae (the "adolescent" It's

the larvae, the

"childhood"

maximum effectiveness with the flea entomology. Of course, if you have an out-

bomb

nor degree will help much.

the practical standpoint a joke. But serious business and

for the manufacturers. Millions are sold yearly.

really stop fleas.

on a

most vulnerable. For

door roamer then neither Flea collars?

direct hit

Or

if

they do,

maybe only around

act as a local deterrent.

There's

still

They don't where the

the neck area

a lot of cat and

dog

left

for

the fleas to attack.

Collars contain insecticides which can and do cause chronic eye tearing and sneezing.

When

wet, these chemicals flush onto the skin and

become absorb-

ed into the body, posing a danger to a pet's nervous system.

chemicals used

in collars are spinoffs

Moreover, collars have been known a 1975 study

died

at

Washington

who had become

animals

lost control

ill

Some of

the

from nerve gas research. to kill

— not just fleas, but animals. In

State University, five out of fifty cats eventually

from the

The surviving and became anemic and

toxicity of flea collars.

of their bladders and rear legs,

Fleas, Insects

temperamental. Cats

in particular

And

Inhalant Allergies

have a lower tolerance than dogs

•

87

to toxins

of any kind. Since those days the potency of collars has been modified. are hardly powerful

enough

to kill fleas.

collar often causes a contact dermatitis

The

gimmick

latest

is

But

in

Nowadays

they

an allergy-prone animal the

— redness,

itchiness, hair loss.

an ultra sound flea-killing device.

Its

safety

and

ef-

fectiveness have not yet been proven, however.

Many

people feed their animals brewer's yeast in a misguided attempt to

render animals flea-resistant.

The

haven't found

I

it

to

work.

yeast connection stems from the discovery that vitamin B-l or

brewer's yeast make humans "unpalatable" to insects. Yeast

B

of the glands

vitamins. Supposedly,

when

exudes a certain odor

it

may work

the B-l

component

is

a rich source

gets into your sweat

that turns off insects.

humans in the tropics or wherever insects abound but it doesn't help our pets. Dogs and cats have functional sweat glands between the toes. And that's it. If you want to keep fleas away from these This trick

for

peripheral parts then go ahead and feed yeast to your animal. But keep in

mind

that

approximately 99 percent of the rest of the animal's body

season for the

is

open

flea.

Keep in mind also that yeast is not a wholly benign substance. In both humans and animals it is highly allergenic. I have treated many cats and dogs for allergic skin reactions after their owners fed them brewer's yeast. When the yeast was yanked, the skin usually improved. If

flea

you regard the flea as a secondary problem, and treat the primaries, the becomes less of a menace. To be sure, trying to control and eliminate

fleas in

an animal's territory

attractive to insects

Many

is

a

is

important, but trying to

good idea

make an animal

less

as well.

times owners complain about flea infestations that defy

all

their best

They bathe and spray their animals. They spray the carpets fleas seem to thrive. If an animal is unwell, no matter what the cause, insects seem to detect the weakness and go for that animal. I have found that if you correct diet and nutritional deficiencies, along with any immune system imbalances, you can

efforts to control.

and the yard. Yet the

create a virtual "flea proof" animal. I

have found mineral supplementation particularly effective. Fleas tend

shop elsewhere for blood when animals are on minerals.

many

from penitent owners who said

a call

their animals

I

to

have received

became

flea-ridden

again after the minerals ran out and were not continued.

Food

allergies

and

fleas often

go together.

of two Labs and one Golden Retriever. The

problems.

red,

raw

speak

itchy skin. of.

recall the case

of a household

dog was always having

skin

the animals were brought to my clinic. The become worse. He was full of fleas and pockets of The Labs seemed to have far fewer fleas and no reaction

One summer

Retriever's condition had

to

I

latter

88

• I

Pet Allergies started the

Retriever on a hypoallergenic diet and the change was

dramatic. Within a

week

the

owner reported

the scratching had lessened and

the skin was beginning to heal. After two weeks, his flea population

was way

re-examined the dog and

I

down. His skin was indeed on the mend.

Here was a case of an animal apparently unable

to tolerate a stressful diet.

He was

a sick animal, a ripe target

The

reactions to food surfaced

for fleas,

who have the

on the

skin.

nose to find the

The primary problem here was food that

least resistant

animal

The

allergies.

fleas

in the

household.

were secondaries

merely aggravated the existing turmoil.

"Rusty,' a five-year-old Irish '

had been raised on high-protein kib-

setter,

The dog had chronically inflamed ears and feet, a rash on the stomach, and in the summer would develop a typical flea-allergy dermatitis over the ble.

base of the

tail.

The dog was switched

to a low-protein hypoallergenic diet. His skin quick-

ly cleared up, despite the fact

we made

the

change

in the

height of the flea

was still the occasional flea found on the dog but no more reacThe priming food allergen was gone. The body could now tolerate a certain amount of the flea saliva allergen. In many cases of flea-bite allergy there is a Cortisol imbalance present. season. There

tion.

Such an animal has poor control

o\' its

curs, an overreaction takes place and

immune

shows up as

correct the imbalance the overreaction stops, even

You have corrected have used

this

the primary problem.

equation very successfully

The standard treatment

When

cells.

the flea bite oc-

irritated skin.

if

the fleas are

When you

still

present.

The secondary has less impact. in treating many dogs and cats.

I

for flea-allergy dermatitis includes a steroid drug to

reduce itching and inflammation. External lotions, sprays and powders are

When the medication

also used.

is

gone, signs of the flea-allergy often return.

However, most veterinarians won't keep an animal for fear of side-effects. But if the animal

produce few,

if

is

any, side -effects. Conversely,

it

on steroids drug will

should help keep the animal

healthy and flea-resistant. In Chapter Seventeen details to

indefinitely

Cortisol deficient than the

I

will

provide the testing

determine a Cortisol deficiency along with suggestions on which

types of steroids to use therapeutically.

EAR MITES Ear mites are found throughout the animal kingdom. Rodents, dogs, wild and domesticated cats are all common carriers. The favorite food of these parasites

is

ear wax.

Mites are miniscule creatures and their presence microscopic identification.

is

confirmed usually by

The signs of an infestation are head shaking, ear scratching, and the appearance of a black, flecky-like bloody discharge in the ear canal. Often an owner

will

comment

that

an animal's ears are infected and bleeding.

Fleas, Insects

A

And

•

Inhalant Allergies

89

mite infestation can lead to localized infections with pockets of greenish-

yellowish pus. This can spread to the inner ear and cause

total

deafness

if

not

treated. I

have seen many households of multiple pets, particularly dogs, where one

animal

is

affected and not the others. Just like the flea, mites have a knack for

zeroing in on sick animals.

become prime will

find that pets with food

I

and skin-related allergies

targets since their conditions often impact in the ears.

have red, inflamed ears and often a hypersecretion of wax. This

is

They five-

star dining for the mite.

Hunting dogs and outside natural

cats,

of course, can pick up a dose of mites as a

consequence of roaming.

If you

suspect ear mites, bring your animal to a veterinarian. This parasitic

condition should be diagnosed professionally.

buy an insecticide can be In

the mites. diet,

like to treat the

I

to the animal. Insecticides

inflammation and food allergy along with

get better results this way.

I

people will rush out and

inflamed ear.

irritating to a

my practice,

Some

and do more damage than good

will put an animal

I

on a hypoallergenic

check for trypsin deficiency, often supplement with trace minerals, and

treat the ears topically.

MANGE Called the red mange or generalized demodectic mange, this is another form of parasitic suffering generated by mites. Here the culprit is Demodex folliculorum, a mite

manent boarders, propagate.

Under

who

living

frequents hair follicles.

deep among the

He and

follicles,

mates are perthrive and

the microscope, they resemble cigars with wheels.

Infestations usually starts

on the head

— typically around the eyes — or the

extremities, and then spreads, sometimes affecting the loss, slight swelling It is

his

where they

and redness can develop

whole trunk. Patchy hair

into a bloody, miserable

mess.

interesting to note that mites are present in probably 100 percent of the

dog population. Normally, they

live in

peace with their surroundings, unseen

and unheard from. Eruption

is

believed to occur as a byproduct of an

immune imbalance. One

group of veterinary researchers found malfunctioning lymphocytes among animals with

this

problem. In their investigation the researchers took blood

samples from affected animals. They separated the immune fluids

cells

and put them through a cleansing process. Following

from bodily

this laboratory

"laundry," the lymphocytes appeared to regain their old fighting form again. This experiment suggests to the

immune

cell

connection. In

suppression.

my

research

I

me there must be something in the blood causing I

wonder

if that

something might be an estrogen

have usually found a Cortisol imbalance with high

levels of adrenal estrogen in these animals.

As

I

noted

in

Chapter Nine, too

90

•

Pet Allergies

much estrogen can suppress the action of lymphocytes, produce antibodies

to

the white blood cells that

combat disease.

The endocrine-immune imbalance may be an open invitation for mites. With a crippled immune system, any excess stress can quickly overload an animal's capacity to keep the parasites under control. important to see a veterinarian as soon as possible. Infestations can

is

It

spread rapidly. Delay can put an animal beyond the realm of help. Treatment involves the use of a powerful insecticide that can cause seizures. the extent of the infestation the

more of the chemical

is

The

greater

needed. So don't wait

for the condition to spread. In treating

nutritional

mange

problems

usually try to correct any

I

that

may be

hormonal imbalances and

involved.

INHALANT ALLERGIES The

typical signs of inhalant allergy are sneezing,

runny eyes and nose, and

sometimes scratching and rubbing of the head.

To

test for specific allergens,

veterinarians will often take an animal with

an apparent inhalant problem and conduct an elaborate series of interdermal injections. This

You

tors.

similar to the "scratch tests"

is

performed by allergy doc-

put a bit of the substance under the skin and look for localized

swelling. If a reaction occurs you have an indication of sensitivity to that

substance.

You send

the findings to a laboratory

which then develops an ap-

propriate vaccine for the animal. Treatment usually includes injected or oral steroids along with topical preparations.

At one point

I

human

gens, including grasses.

I

used

satisfied with

My

had developed a

it.

this

hair and dander,

could monitor 175 different aller-

and seven Western and nine Southern

method extensively

had mixed

I

test that

for years but

was never

really

results.

discovery of the endocrine-immune connection gave

me

a better tool

with which to treat inhalant allergies. I

see quite a few referrals after skin testing and desensitization treatment

have

failed.

Often the pet owner

will tell

me

that "the

dog seems

better until

we give him the shot and then he itches like hell for ten days afterward." Many times, people will stop the vaccine altogether because it seems to make the condition worse.

Why

should

it

immune system

be? You have identified particular substances to which the is

sensitive.

Then you

inject

them

directly into the

body

expecting to switch on the production of appropriate antibodies.

The problem

is this:

many animals have the Cortisol immune response

associated antibody imbalance. Their can't give

you a textbook reaction

deficiency with an is

abnormal. They

The vaccination

is

But then again there are times the vaccination treatment will work. Or

at

like

pouring gasoline on a

to the injected allergen.

fire.

Fleas, Insects

least

it

seems

be working. In

to

not the vaccinations.

And

reality,

for as long as

ment, the treatment seems to work.

it

is

And

Inhalant Allergies

the cortisone that

is

•

91

working and

you provide the cortisone accompani-

When you

stop the cortisone you

may

simultaneously terminate the animal's ability to cope with the vaccination.

Cortisone

fills

a Cortisol

vacuum

in

an adrenal -defective animal.

It

permits

a normal processing and buildup of antibodies to the vaccine. In these cases, the vaccine

is

secondary to the treatment just as the inhalant allergy

is

secon-

dary to the existing imbalance. In

my

clinic,

I

test first for the

adrenal defect and correct that. This usually

restores the animal's inherent ability to counteract the allergen without any

vaccination at

When you manageable.

all.

treat the

primary problem, the secondaries are

much more

PART TWO The Remedies

13 — And What Not — To Do

What

On the

following pages you will find a practical plan for enhancing health,

accelerating the healing process, and preventing disease in your animals.

your

own and

do about what

with the good help of your veterinarian, there ails

your animals. But before you get started

let

is

a lot

On

you can

me make a few

important suggestions. If

an animal

is

experiencing major difficulty or suffering in an obvious way,

be sure to get professional help If your cat or

ment then by

first

before you try anything on your own.

dog is presently under the care of a veterinarian for a specific ail-

all

means continue

that treatment.

Do not stop.

Consult with your

veterinarian and discuss the ideas here *s possible additions to ongoing therapy

or alternatives to treatments that are If

your animal has an

health, then

The

first

allergic

mayoc

you can go ahead with Steps

step

possible food.

I

is

changing

diet,

1

is in

generally acceptable

and 2 on your own.

providing your animal with the "cleanest"

you how

will instruct

not yielding expected results.

problem or two or

to

make simple

hypoallergenic meals

yourself or where to purchase ready -to-eat products that meet high standards.

The second

step

is

extremely easy.

You

give your animal a readily ob-

tainable mineral supplement that compensates for likely dietary deficiencies.

Step 3 requires a laboratory test for trypsin.

done

just to

make

It is

advisable to have the test

sure that what you feed your pet

is

being absorbed. Im-

is fairly common. recommend doing steps 1 2 and 3 simultaneously. It's a shotgun approach but gets results faster. Once an animal is improved you may want to go back and

proper absorption I

,

play detective, that the just

most

effective.

measures individually to see precisely which one is

is,

try the

It

may be

that

your animal's health problem has more than

one cause. That's another reason for trying

Step 4

is

performed by a veterinarian and

chronically sick animals

measures

I

all

three steps at once. is

intended primarily for

who do not respond to standard therapy or any of the

have just mentioned.

This step involves testing for Cortisol, the

vital

adrenal

hormone that is The deficiency

often deficient and usually overlooked in treatment programs.

renders animals highly vulnerable to allergies and serious diseases as well as

95

96

•

Pet Allergies

interfering with the healing process. In

detailed testing

Chapter Seventeen

I

have compiled

and evaluative information for veterinarians plus recommen-

dations for safe and effective replacement therapy.

A large percentage of sick animals in my practice, otherwise unresponsive to treatment, If

have made excellent recoveries with hormonal replacements.

your animal

is

basically healthy, you'll surely

want

to

keep things

that

way. In the disease prevention chapter you will find practical suggestions for preserving optimal health. In that chapter

I

also

about cosmetic and fad breeding practices and

want

how

to share

some concerns

they adversely affect the

health of purebreeds. I

feel disease

prevention should begin with breeding programs.

The Plan

— At a glance

— Step — The Hypoallergenic diet — Mineral supplementation Chapter Sixteen— Step 3 — Enzyme supplementation Chapter Seventeen — Step 4 — Hormonal Replacement Chapter Eighteen — Disease prevention Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen— Step 2

1

14 The Hypoallergenic Diet

A

hypoallergenic diet

a balanced food

is

adverse reactions in an animal. Allergic

HIT

List in

It

program

that

does not create

generally excludes foods appearing on the

Chapter Three. The major offenders include beef, tuna,

milk, eggs, brewers yeast, wheat, corn and chemical additives

many commercial

in

Over

the last fifteen years

I

have developed a number of "clean"

my

diets

have worked for

diets that

same time providing good nutrition. many hundreds of cats and dogs I have treated in

provide unoffensive food while

These

— items found

pet food formulations.

at the

clinic.

In

one week you should be able

to tell if the hypoallergenic diet

is

improv-

ing your animal's health. If chronic signs of allergy begin subsiding, that's a

good indication you're on the

right track.

It

tells

you your animal was

previously eating something that was causing problems.

One of the

effective plans

I

use

is

the "Heidi Diet," a

non-meat regimen.

This diet was motivated by pure necessity rather than by any vegetarian phil-

osophy. There are a number of animals

who

cannot remain for any length of

time on meat of any sort — chicken, horsemeat, or even the least allergenic of

my

meats, lamb. In

They may seem all

to

practice alone

do well on

problems return.

the

non-meat This

My

I

have seen several hundred such

less allergenic first

choice

thej? for all allergic

may seem

also ate

many

They are no longer

in

the

plant foods in the wilds.

many

genetic changes in

the stout-hearted creatures they once

can't put today's Labrador out in the field and expect

natural hunter. Yesterday's

Keep

is

strange to you. Didn't dogs evolve primarily on a flesh

They

Breeding practices of the recent past have caused today's animals.

You

animals

diet.

diet? Partly true.

were.

pets.

meats for a while but eventually

mind

contained in

my

also that

him

to

be a

meat -eater may be today's quiche-eater.

some animals may be

intolerant to

even the foods

hypoallergenic programs. These dogs and cats are so genet-

ically crippled they

can hardly tolerate any food without experiencing an

97

•

98

Pet Allergies

Chapter Seventeen should

allergic reaction. In such cases, the information in

be of great help.

Following are several

Take your

diet plans.

pick.

DIETS FOR DOGS Homemade

1.

and

taste

•

will

Many

recipes.

small dogs in particular have very selective

not eat commercial foods.

Cottage cheese and rice

.

Many

sensitive

dogs seem

tage cheese even though they are intolerant of dairy. Rice digestible

and

white

rice.

Prepare the rice as

last the entire

is

whole grain brown

of garlic powder for flavor. time to

of grains and

least allergenic

drate (energy food). But

if

If

is

to

do

OK on cot-

perhaps the most

an excellent source of carbohy-

No denuded

rice, please.

you were eating

it

yourself.

you have a small dog, cook enough

seven day period. Store

up each day's portion. Add the cottage cheese.

it

I

instant

You can add

in the refrigerator

a bit

one

rice at

and

warm

recommend a half cup of cotThe portion would depend

tage cheese to each cup or cup-and-a-half of rice.

on the

make

pet

patties

garlic

•

The

'

use

rice. it

Among

meats,

any form.

in

I

powder

I

have found lamb

is

the least aller-

recommend ground lamb. You cook your brown rice. Then mix the

often

and braise them. Separately

Add

for flavor.

Heidi Diet

.

'

I

'

Doberman of Marcy and

meat. I

Lamb and You can

genic.

two.

Feed twice a day.

size of the animal.

•

developed

this dish

years ago for "Heidi

k

Bill

Shatner.

'Heidi'

'

had a

difficult

/ '

the

time with

caused debilitating gas that once temporarily paralyzed her rear legs.

It

have since recommended

this recipe for

many dogs who

are intolerant to

meat of any kind.

The

recipe calls for

carrots, with

two cups each of soy beans, brown

one tablespoon of soy

with pre-cooked soy flakes for First

you soak

oil.

rice, celery,

and

Regular soy beans can be substituted

more convenience.

the soy beans overnight. In the

morning you pour out the

water and add fresh water, enough to more than cover the beans. Then boil until tender.

Meanwhile, cook the to a boil.

Cover the

rice

rice,

using two cups of water for each cup of rice. Bring

and lower the flame. Cook on a low

light until finished.

Mix the cooked rice and beans (or soy flakes) with the fresh vegetables. Add about a teaspoon of garlic powder for flavor. Bake it as a loaf for one hour at 350. Feed your animal twice a day according to the amount you would normally provide. 2.

Prepared

diets.

•

years ago,

Some

I

collaborated with a food manufacturer in order to

have a good quality hypoallergenic diet readily available to pet owners. The result of this effort was a full line of both non-meat and meat preparations in

The Hypo allergenic Diet • 99 can and dry form.

I

now use these products exclusively

my practice and ob-

in

them.

tain excellent dietary control with

You can ask your veterinarian or favorite pet or health food store to recommend a quality formulation for your hypoallergenic program. Try to purchase a product that does not contain any of the

on

my HIT If you

have a particularly finicky eater

food, you might prepare a tion.

A

common

allergens appearing

READ LABELS!

List.

bit

who balks at commercially

of lamb and add

it

prepared

to the store-bought formula-

commercial baby food of lamb can also be used.

DIETS FOR CATS When

it

comes

to food, cats are persnickety creatures.

design a restricted diet.

You can

world and your cat may not eat 1.

The

is

it's

harder to

it.

Homemade recipes. • Lamb and rice. Chicken rice

So

create the best hypoallergenic diet in the

and

Prepared the same as for dogs. raw and/or cooked ground lamb or

rice.

optional. Often a cat will eat a

chicken preparation. If a cat is strictly fish-oriented

some

and won't touch meat, you can

recommend

mixing

in

marine

lipid oil readily available in health

fish liver oil.

cod

liver oil.

I

trick

him by

a cold-pressed cod liver oil or a

food stores. In

— from shark oil — since

the marine lipid sitive to

I

I

my practice I prefer

have found some cats are sen-

use one particular formula with good effect.

You can

find something similar at a health food store.

You can also

use some garlic powder to create a seasoning that

may

appeal

to the feline palate. 2.

Prepared

•

I

diets.

have been using the same brand of hypoallergenic foods

I

for-

mulated years ago. You can find a good product for your animal by asking

your veterinarian or neighborhood pet shop or health food enhance

palatability with fish liver oil, garlic

store.

You can

powder, or by adding some

lamb or chicken.

•

Use

a baby food, either lamb or chicken based.

SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT Seven days

is

problems getting

• • •

enough time on a hypoallergenic better.

Look

for

improvement

itchy, scratchy skin.

biting

and chewing of skin.

inflamed ears.

diet to see

many

in these areas:

chronic

•

100

Pet Allergies

• •

diarrhea and loose stool.

vomiting.

Be alert. Watch for less itching and scratching, for more solid stools. Look for improvement of any of the chronic difficulties affecting your animal.

An

animal with skin problems

may develop dandruff after starting this

pro-

gram. That's a good sign. The flakiness often accompanies a healing skin.

improvement

progress, there

is in

is

If

also less scratching.

WHAT TO DO NEXT If you see

At I

your animal getting

that point

often recommend, use

can be added to It

works

better,

you can continue

I

it.

this diet as a

you can assume

diet or, as

other foods that

add-back plan/'

one not on the Hit

that the particular

suggest starting with a

week. Prepared

food

test

common

Look out

it

the

for chemical additives.

chicken.

ing but did poorly

I

to

test.

You can

it

alone to the

first,

perhaps chicken the

same way See

first

no reactions find a commercial the following week.

allergenic items. if

Read

the animal does as well as

who

Make

the ingredient

flourished on

on the

home cook-

stuff.

add back any food

has passed the seven day

and add

tolerated.

have known many pets

on the commercial

You can continue

is

If there are

sure the contents include no

List,

there are no signs of returning allergy

homemade food

home.

at

it

If

chicken product for pets and

label.

tk

test

like this:

Select a food, preferably

homemade

on the hypoallergenic

base and carefully

phase the

call this

hypoallergenic base diet for a week.

I

continue the diet for another seven days.

indefinitely

to

your animal's

diet

then rotate, mix and ad

once the food lib

within the

boundaries of tolerated foods.

But remember If

—

add back only one food per week. you want more ideas on creating healthy homemade concoctions

for

your

animals, get a copy of a delightful book by food expert-author Frances

Sheridan Goulart: replete with tasty

kfc

Bone Appetite! Natural Foods

and imaginative recipes,

health food stores or through the publisher rison

Street,

Seattle,

allergenic foods.

WA

Watch

98109.

is

(at

The book, at many

$2.95)

— Pacific Search Books, 715 Har-

Some of

for the no-no's

for Pets."

available

and

the recipes,

treat

however, have

them with caution.

ADDED ADVICE • •

If

your animal

Eliminate any

is

on any program of medication, don't stop

chew

sticks, vitamins, biscuits,

or snacks.

it.

Any one of

these items can be the cause of allergic reactions. In the hypoallergenic diet pro-

gram,

•

all

foods and nutritional supplements are guilty

Don't cheat! Be honest. You

may

until

proven innocent.

not think so, but even a small

The Hypo allergenic Diet • amount of a treat can be devastating. • Try to keep your animal away from other food during aware of well-meaning friends and

relatives

the test.

101

Be

who might toss a piece of meat or

chocolate in your animal's direction.

•

Table scraps are

tolerated by your animal.

• mend

Be

OK

as long as they are foods

Mix them

you know are

into the regular food.

careful of overloading your animal's digestive tract.

I

recom-

feeding two or three times daily rather than heaping one large meal into

the dinner bowl. This will serve a couple of important purposes.

For one,

it

will

keep the animal

satisfied

throughout the day so he won't be

strongly motivated to seek food elsewhere.

Secondly, the single-meal overload has a sludging effect and can over-

whelm an even

if

animal's biochemical and mechanical ability to process food

the meal

is

—

hypoallergenic. Overloading by itself can create signs of

allergy such as loose stool, vomiting and skin problems.

15 Mineral Supplementation

Mineral deficiencies

— severe or just even subtle — are often involved in why

health problems. That's

good

natural supplement.

I

recommend my

I

supplementation whether an animal If

you are

is

I

use a formula

made from Nevada.

familiar

names such

I

suggest

sick or not.

your pet on the hypoallergenic

starting

begin the mineral supplement as well.

cient sea beds in

clients give their animals a

believe minerals are so important that

It

diet,

go

right

can bring improvement

ahead and faster.

from an-

a natural occuring precipitate obtained

contains 72 different minerals. Included are

It

magnesium, manganese, potassium,

as calcium,

and zinc, and some not-so-familiar names

like

iron

wolfram, niobium, scandium,

lanthanum, and gadolinium.

The mineral crustacean

life

this ancient

levels

of

graveyard and created a uniformity of micron-sized crystals,

bonded with electrically-charged minerals.

loosely

Due

from countless

precipitate developed over eons

forms deposited one atop the other. Over time, rains leached

to the physical structure

of this compound, mineral particles are easily

dissolved and readily pass through the intestinal barrier into the bloodstream.

Thus, the minerals

in the

compound

are chelated by nature

— that

is,

bound

organic substances for pickup and use by the body as needed.

to

The

chelation factor

makes

this

compound most

attractive for

replacement

therapy and general dietary supplementation. There need be no concern for

dogs on low sodium

diets

and cats on low ash

take and utilize only what the body needs.

pass out In

diets.

Their intestines will up-

The remainder of the minerals

will

in the feces.

Chapter Six

plemented with

I

described the

this

many

benefits

I

see in animals

who

are sup-

type of formula.

HOW TO ADMINISTER There are many naturally chelated multi-mineral compounds available through health food stores or veterinarians.

Mineral formulas

102

come

in either

powder or

tablet

form. Read the label for

Mineral Supplementation proper dosages. This

is

•

103

determined usually by weight of the animal.

Powder can be mixed right into the food and that's probably the easiest and most efficient way to administer the minerals. If an animal is ultra fussy, just start with a lower dose and work up slowly to the recommended level. Some cats don't like the gritty texture that powder adds to food. In that case you can try pilling. Your veterinarian can tell you how to do it. If, however, you or your animal are not comfortable with If pilling isn't practical,

where they

pilling, don't

do

it.

then simply drop tablets in the animal's water

will dissolve.

Supplements should be taken on a daily

basis.

16 Topping Up The Enzymes

Even a good hypoallergenic

may

diet

along with trace mineral supplementation

not solve nutritional and digestive causes of disease

problem

is

Trypsin, as

explained

I

by the pancreas drates, fats

ciencies

if

an absorption

present. in

Chapter Seven,

is

an unheralded enzyme produced

that plays a large role in the digestive

and also protein.

which

tie

up

Many

traffic

breakdown of carbohy-

animals have major or minor trypsin defi-

the gut and prevent proper absorption of

in

nutrients.

The

classic signs of a

complete deficiency are significant weight loss despite a

larger than normal appetite and passing

More often

much more

stool than normal.

than not, fractional shortages are involved. Something less than

an ideal amount

is

supplied by the pancreas. Just a small deficiency

is

enough

to create allergic problems.

I

Combined with the hypoallergenic diet and trace mineral supplementation, recommend that you have your animal tested for trypsin. It's a simple

highly

matter. I

is

think

subtle,

it's

good idea even

a

you have a healthy animal.

you need

for the test

animal's stool. The fecal

test.

is

The

it

is

more expensive

also

is

to

It

part of

two or three

your animal's yearly

minor.

your veterinarian with a sample of the

used widely

a blood test has been developed.

time

cost

to provide

test is

If the deficiency

to see the clinical signs for

So why not head off the headaches. As

years.

checkup, include a trypsin All

if

you are possibly not going

gives a

in

veterinary practices. Recently,

more accurate reading

but

at this

perform.

After testing the stool, the veterinarian will indicate the degree,

if

any, of

Depending on the findings, an ennzyme supplement may be recommended.

deficiency.

The supplement is available either in Many of the enzyme supplements that pork pancreas. such sources

ment

104

If

your animal

is

tablet or

powder form.

are sold are derived

allergic to

from dessicated

pork you should stay away from

— otherwise you may be inviting problems or using a supple-

that will

have no effect whatsoever.

Topping Up The Enzymes • I

use a product in

my practice containing protease, amylase,

and

105

lipase, the

other major pancreatic enzymes, which replace and compensate for the insufficient trypsin.

Signs of improvement often

come

fast.

Usually the

first

reduced amount of stool or perhaps harder-appearing stool this within a If there

eral tion.

The

last

indicator

You may

is

a

notice

week.

has been a weight loss problem, you can weigh the animal over a sev-

week period and determine any weight gain This

.

is

a sign of improved digestion and

sign of

improvement

to

as a result of the supplementa-

utilization

of foodstuffs.

appear would be healthier skin and hair coat.

17 Hormone Replacement Therapy

This chapter

is

essentially for the veterinarian.

It

contains technical infor-

mation on testing for and treating the endocrine-immune imbalance that

is

destroying the health of large segment of our pet population.

The

guidelines for treatment are relatively uniform once a blood test has

revealed the irregularities.

The procedure described here was and evolved I

strongly

to

its

first

present form over

developed almost

some 8,000

fifteen years

ago

cases.

recommend applying this modality to all chronically allergic and ill

animals and especially to stubborn cases unresponsive to standard treatment.

For

cats,

I

find

hormonal replacement particularly useful for FeLV, FIP,

FUS, generalized and food matitis,

allergies, dermatitis (including milliary der-

flea allergy dermatitis,

neuromas, and eosinophilic

feline acne,

granulomatous disease), and gingival disease leading to early loss of

teeth.

For dogs: generalized allergy, dermatitises, generalized demodectic

mange, chronic diseases of the

liver,

kidney, and pancreas, epilepsy, diseases

of reproduction (false pregnancies-cystic ovaries, tions), chronic

weight

loss,

sterility, silent heats,

abor-

chronic gastroenteritis and food allergies, and

gingival diseases.

Concurrently with

this

replacement therapy,

I

recommend maintaining an

animal on a hypoallergenic diet (Chapter Fourteen), along with trace mineral supplementation (Chapter Fifteen) and, tion (Chapter Sixteen) to ensure

Turmoil

in the gut,

if

necessary,

enzyme supplementa-

good absorption of food and medication.

caused by food allergens or deficiencies of minerals or

enzymes, can create a malabsorption

situation.

To

obtain proper hormonal

blood levels under such conditions you might be administering too medication.

The consequences could

improperly regulated animal.

I

get

much

well be undesirable side effects and an

maximum

results

when

I first

clear

up

these details before attempting to replace hormones. It is

important to

test for

and correct the endocrine-immune imbalance as

early as possible to prevent serious

damage

to

organs by aggressive disease

processes, such as feline leukemia and infectious peritonitis. Delay can

reduce the effectiveness of

106

this therapeutic

approach.

Hormone Replacement Therapy •

107

HOW TO TEST The

testing

method involves a simple blood

test.

Two blood samples are taken — the first between 8 and

1 1

a.m. the second ,

two hours later. After the second draw, the animal can be picked up and returned home.

The ties

first

and

sample represents a baseline biochemical profile before the

stresses of the

day can affect and

activi-

key measurements. There

alter

is

no

need for fasting. Animals should be treated normally before they are brought for testing. If normal routine includes an a.m. feeding then this should be pro-

vided

at

home

as usual.

Immediately after the of pituitary

ACTH. Do

After two hours,

effect

blood draw the animal

is

given an

IM

injection

not feed the animal between blood draws.

ACTH stimulates the middle layer of the adrenal cortex to secrete Cor-

The tisol.

first

is

when the second blood draw

completed and the released Cortisol

is

taken, this stimulation

present in the peripheral blood

is

supply.

The blood draw schedule

• • •

First

draw, 8 to

11

at

a glance:

a.m.

Follow immediately with

Second draw, two hours

ACTH

injection.

later.

Instruct the laboratory to provide the following

• • may

from the

first

draw:

Complete blood count. Resting plasma Cortisol. (Not a serum Cortisol reading because you

obtain non-specific protein binding which can falsify the Cortisol level).

• • • • • •

Estrogen

T-3

T-4

IgA

IgM IgG

and the following from the second blood draw:

• The ACTH-stimulated plasma Cortisol. Do not perform this test on a female in estrus so as to avoid the possibility of ovarian-source estrogen distorting the reading.

HOW TO READ TEST RESULTS The most constant

finding

genetic adrenal defect.

It

is

is

the imbalance in Cortisol, the result of a

basically

from

this starting point that related

biochemistry turns sour.

The values I regard as normal are probably going to differ from textbook stanmay be more familiar with. The reason is that standard norms are taken as isolated averages. I base my norms on comparisons to estrogen and dards you

•

108

Pet Allergies

Endocrine-Immune Values

— normal ranges

Cats

— normal ranges

Dogs

1. 0-2. 5 ug/dl

Rest Cortisol

15-24 ug/dl

ACTH Cortisol

1.

0-2. 5 ug/dl

15-24 ug/dl

• Total estrogen

20-25 pg/ml

-males-

20-25 pg/ml

30-35 pg/ml

-females-

30-35 pg/ml

(ovario-hysterectomized or anestrus)

• 37-50% 1.5-5.4 ug

T-3

37-54% ug

%

%

T-4

1.

70-160 mg/dl

IgA

70-160 mg/dl

100-200 mg/dl

IgM

100-200 mg/dl

1000-2000 mg/dl

IgG

1000-2000 mg/dl

antibody levels and

how they are

influenced by both active and inactive (bound)

Cortisol. Relationships, rather than

the interpretation of this test

• It is

may

7-4.0

and

simple individual values, are important to

to the subsequent success

of the therapy.

Cortisol Interpretation

very important to suspect that normal -appearing or high ievels of Cortisol

actually be inactive or

Very high 25 and 30)

bound

Cortisol

and

totally

unusable to the body.

levels of resting Cortisol (over 10) with an ensuing surge (to in

ACTH -stimulated

the

level

over

would probably be considered a

case of Cushing's Syndrome.

However, Cushing's may not be involved at all. The presence of lymphocytes and eosinophils in the CBC is a biochemical clue that Cortisol may be inactive. Further proof would be high levels of adrenal estrogen and antibodies.

From all appearances you think you are seeing Cushing's, an insidious, inactive hormone that serves

little

but the real story

is

use but does considerable harm.

of Lysodren (OPDDD), the standard treatwould severely hurt an animal. Lysodren destroys tissue. This is how you bring Cortisol levels down to a more

In this situation, administration

ment

for Cushing's,

adrenal cortical

normal range. You can imagine then the adverse effect resulting

Over

— death, perhaps —

from further suppression of already defective adrenal

the years

I

tissue.

have found very high levels of bound Cortisol

dozen dogs and then successfully treated them with cortisone.

in

about a

If the Cortisol

was not bound, cortisone would obviously be contra-indicated. The CBC is necessary to supply a comprehensive picture. It indicates whether

Hormone Replacement Therapy • you have a bound, likely to I

inactive Cortisol or not. If you test for Cortisol alone

You

miss important clues.

which

you are

see just a fragment of the truth.

between

like to see a resting Cortisol level

factors

109

1

can alter these values: an animal

.0

and 2.5. However, there are

who

is

stressed or

is

currently

on cortisone medication.

•

Estrogen Interpretation

Estrogen can exert a dramatic blocking effect on Cortisol and thyroid hor-

mones.

Too much tive

estrogen production transforms fully potent Cortisol into an inac-

form called

Similarly, too

transcortin.

much

or too

estrogen deactivates thyroid secretions.

little

The blood levels of T-3 and T-4 may show as perfectly normal yet the hormones can be rendered useless because of estrogen irregularities. This phenomenon has been misleading for years to veterinarians. Estrogen just a point or two out of the normal range is enough to cause varying degrees of these complications.

•

T-3 and T-4 Interpretation

Deviations of these compounds suggest a hypo or hyper condition relating to the genetic

makeup of

the individual

dog or

cat.

Levels can appear totally normal yet be largely unusable to the body estrogen

is

You

too high or low.

thyroid for the animal, enough to

Be

alert to the possibility

if

must then prescribe an outside source of

overcome

the estrogenic block.

of a secondary anemia. This might occur from

estrogen levels that are too high.

• IgA

Antibody Interpretation is

the

mucous membrane antibody. An abnormally high or low

level

is

often involved in food allergies and malabsorption. This imbalance can also

of orally-administered medication and

interfere with intestinal absorption

replacement hormones.

will talk

I

more about

this

problem

later

on

in

my

treatment discussion.

IgM

the first line of antibody defense, acting as a roadblock against in-

is

coming micro-organisms and other foreign invaders

until

more

specialized

antibodies can be produced.

IgM

is

regulated in part by Cortisol. With a Cortisol deficiency, this an-

tibody level

is

suppressed.

When

often too high.

When

estrogen

is

too high,

IgM may become IgM level

such hormonal situations are normalized, the

returns to normal.

Too much or IgG in the

is

too

little

IgM

saps resistance to disease.

the specific antibody produced by lymphocytes against specific agents

body. IgG reacts abnormally to irregularities of Cortisol and estrogen and

therefore provides another

measurement of lymphocyte behavior. Levels too

high or too low, just as with IgA and IgM, invite disease.

,

.

•

110

Pet Allergies

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MEDICATION have found

I

medication-by-weight ratios are often invalid because of

that

One animal may respond may require ten.

individual differences.

to

one

unit of a given

preparation and the next

The key

believe in titrating conservatively.

I

enough

Keep

You

to create homeostasis.

mind you are

in

to success

is

to prescribe just

also lessen the possibility of side effects.

hormones

likely providing

for a lifetime, not just

treating short-term for elimination of clinical signs. Temporarily, you can use

powerful levels of medication but for the long run, for perhaps 10 or

you want dosages

• by

Replacement Preparations

Cortisol. Prednisolone

1

itself

it

solves

is

my

to 5

mg. Dosage

If the cat

is

choice for Cortisol replacement. Often

first

many problems.

It is

usually administered once a day.

promote normalization,

lowest possible levels are used to

mg

15 years,

and safe as possible.

as optimal

starting as

or dog has any side effects, such as excess

recommend using Medrol

.

start

I

thirst, urination

apathy or lethargy, or panting with

1

program. Medrol

the

However,

1

or ap-

at night,

I

then

mg and titrate up to an effective level

which can be verified by retesting the estrogen and antibody nisolone.

low as

increased according to need and safety.

petite, incontinence, a general

two months on

The

is

levels after

some

not as potent or effective as Pred-

usually does not produce side effects.

it

estimate about 30 percent of dogs and 10 percent of cats will require

I

Medrol. The majority do well with Prednisolone. 2.

Thyroid.

If

thyroid

is

deficient or estrogen levels abnormally high or

low, then thyroid replacement

necessary

is

in

conjection with Prednisolone

(or Medrol).

Synthroid (Flint)

—

is

is

the only preparation

use.

I

— 1-thyroxine

The generic

not as effective.

My

general recommendation

is

to

begin with approximately

.1

mg

per 20

pounds of body weight, half the suggested dosage. For dogs

prescribe this

I

amount twice a day, morning and evening.

For cats with high or low estrogen

However, I

found

if

thyroid levels are low

chance of side

less

is

Dosage can be slowly increased

Of

all

my

cases,

dosage

throid. If

is

I

found that

levels,

once a day

is

adequate.

prescribe Synthroid twice daily.

many animals respond

that

tionally there

I

nicely to conservative dosage. Addi-

effects. until desired results are obtained.

less than

too high, or the animal

1

percent could not tolerate Syn-

is

simply intolerant, the signs are

these: hyperexcitability, irritability, elevated heart rate

and fever, vomiting

and diarrhea. There are other types of thyroid preparation available Synthroid 3.

is

Estrogen.

cortex

is

in

case

not appropriate.

A

subnormal

genetically

level

damaged.

means

that the inner layer

of the adrenal

Hormone Replacement Therapy #111 Once you There

is

replacement, the estrogen level will decrease even

start Cortisol

ACTH

more. That's because

activity

restored to normal by the cortisone.

is

then less stimulation of the inner layer cortex by the

ACTH

and

therefore less estrogen being squeezed out.

This situation generally requires estrogen replacement only

spayed

in a

female where Cortisol replacement has led to incontinence. Estrogen should be raised to a normal level or to the level of continence. This can be done by using

1

mg tablets of estrogen.

3 periods.

I

I

use

1

tablet daily in the

and incontinence stops, then

the dribbling

continue in that

mode

I

go

to

so as to use as

1

little

In a majority of cases the animals get along nicely

—

Remember

if

estrogen therapy

morning

tablet

on

for 5 days. If

every other day for

estrogen as necessary. 1

tablet twice a

week.

excessive, you will recreate the

is

original Cortisol imbalance.

REPLACEMENT THERAPY - CATS Cats will usually require more medication per body weight than dogs to

mechanism.

regulate their

•

FeLV

While attempting

mechanism, the

to treat this condition

cat should

indicated.

is

I

begin with a

minimum of

response within 2 days I

and change the underlying adrenal

be receiving fluids and whatever support therapy

then add

.1

mg

I

I

Dose

still

has a

no response

after

is

no

2 more days

not bring a positive response after two

resort to injectable Prednisolone

If the cat

Prednisolone daily. If there

If there is

of Synthroid once a day.

Should these measures days,

mg

10

go to 20 mg.

and continue the Synthroid as before.

known absorption problem, I bypass oral

levels are the

more

cortisone altogether.

same.

A high or low IgA reading on the blood test indicates an absorption problem. If this If the

is

blood

the case, begin with an injectable. test reveals

with the Synthroid

When

—

.1

a low thyroid

mg

hormone

level, then start

immediately

morning and evening.

signs of recovery are seen

crucial to continue the replacement

it is

The defect you are addressing

is a permanent one and the disease an endproduct of that condition. Do not back off once the cat starts to improve. If you cut back on the cortisone while the the virus is still present in the body you are essentially disarming the cat. The imbalance will recur and permit the disease to resume its destructive path. You probably have to replace the missing Cortisol for the rest of the animaVs life.

therapy. is

Many health. I

cats will shed the virus totally or to a large degree as they regain full

They

will test negative for the virus, contrary to

have seen cats shed the virus and

has taken two years.

And still

test

popular belief.

negative after six weeks. With

with others, there

is

some

it

always a pesky residual virus

112

•

Pet Allergies

— but no signs.

present

hundred symptomatic

Once levels.

the cat

is

I

have been able to control about 80 percent of several

FeLV

flourishing

At about four

too

much

cortisone

is

you

will

want

check the antibody and estrogen

to

weeks, do another blood

to six

high then the cat requires

cases by correcting the hormonal mechanisms.

more

test. If

replacement process. This

fine focus the

side effects of long-term steroid therapy. situation with follow-up

blood

is

you can individualize

your insurance against the

You can monitor

tests at six

should mention here the possibility

I

still

means

being supplied and you will want to cut back. By bring-

ing these biochemical markers into the normal range

and

the levels are

Cortisol replacement. If too low, that

month or yearly

—

I

have seen

it

the biochemical intervals.

only rarely

— of

adrenal cortex resurrection and the resumption of normal Cortisol production again.

A

drop

in the

give you the clue.

estrogen and antibody levels in follow-up testing would

You would

then back off on the cortisone.

normalization of the estrogen and antibody levels adrenal cortical layer

• I

is

you

A

continuing

that indeed the

functioning again.

FIP

have found FIP more

FeLV. Nevertheless,

resistant to therapy than

replacement program has achieved good control thus

tells

in

the

about 70 percent of cases

far.

Treatment

is

basically the

same

as in feline leukemia with a couple of im-

portant differences. I

find

many FIP

cats

have trypsin deficiencies and an absorption problem.

Because of this, oral medication often works poorly or not

at all.

Thus

it

is

ad-

visable to use injectable Prednisolone in the early stages.

This

may

why FIP is more resistant and especially why supenzymes and trace minerals is essential. I will routinely

help explain

plying proper food,

add enzymes

to the cat's

food whether

makes a big difference. Once a cat shows signs of

I

identify a deficiency or not.

I

believe

this

recovery, oral medication can be cautiously

substituted.

Any abnormal

fluid concentration in the lungs or

clinical difficulty

abdomen

that

is

causing

should be drained off. Clinical signs would dictate any

other intervention.

•

FUS

IgA, the antibody active

in

mucous membranes throughout

cluding the bladder and urethra lining,

mally high or low values

when FUS

is

may

the body, in-

turn up in the blood test as abnor-

involved.

IgM and IgG may

also be ab-

normal.

The IgA situation underscores the importance of a hypoallergenic diet. Food allergens can stimulate an irregular IgA reaction, and, in the case of the urinary tract, contribute to chronic irritation and stone formation.

Follow the replacement routine as described for FeLV. Provide any medication which

may be

necessary.

Hormone Replacement Therapy •

•

Skin problems and allergies (generalized dermatitis, flea-allergy der-

neuromas, eosinophilic granulomas, milliary dermatitis).

matitis, feline acne,

FeLV

regimen. These conditions respond nicely to ther-

recreate

endocrine-immune homeostatis, disease signs

Again, follow the

Once you

apy.

113

generally subside. But you must continue the replacement therapy and that

can be for the entire

The majority of

of the

life

cat.

the skin problems are directly associated with a Cortisol

deficiency and a hyperimmunity

— lost control of the immune cells. The an-

tibodies, as seen in the tests, all tend to be elevated.

Sometimes there are

combinations where two out of the three will be high but for the most part they are

abnormally high.

all

Replacement usually involves Prednisolone by

may be an

•

itself.

Occasionally, there

estrogen involvement.

Other chronic diseases unresponsive to standard therapy (including

gingival disease).

Follow the

FeLV

example.

REPLACEMENT THERAPY - DOGS •

Chronic

allergic dermatitises (including flea-allergy dermatitis).

These conditions are variably characterized by endless scratching, gnawing, biting,

and chewing of skin, by redness, thickness, flakiness, itchiness,

coarseness, and by hair loss. Cortisol deficiency

is

Dogs

usually involved.

Sometimes these

tibodies exceptionally high.

are

hyperimmune. Their an-

factors are

combined with

elevated or depressed estrogen, or thyroid deficiency. In dogs less than 10 pounds, start with a dose of

nisolone orally once a day. Increase If side effects

with Medrol.

1

mg

starting

may want

reach desired effect. Medrol

dose

is

mg a day

is

it

mg

mg

to 2.5

daily. Since

Pred-

Medrol may not

every day or two by

administered

mg

in the

.5

or

1

mg to

morning.

Prednisolone. Usually between

adequate unless antibody levels are exceptionally high

— as they frequently are. In this case, If

1

to increase is

In dogs over 10 pounds, begin with 2.5

tivity

mg

occur within a day or two, Prednisolone should be substituted

The Medrol

be as effective, you

2.5 and 10

1

each following day.

it

takes longer to reduce the hyperreac-

of the lymphocytes.

you reach 10

mg

crease the dose to 15 15, etc.

I

have found

a day and the

mg

dog

is still

having problems, you can

in-

One day you give 10, the next day and effective way of gaining control

every other day.

this to

be a a safe

over a stubborn situation. You can even safely kick up the alternate days to 20

mg or more.

Then, as you are begin

creased alternate day dose. to, say,

to see

improvement, you back off the

You can shave

17.5, then 15, then 12.5,

the high doses by stepping

and then remaining constantly

at

in-

down 10 or

•

114

Pet Allergies

whatever level

effective in the particular case. If clinical signs have subsid-

is

ed and remain under control, you have properly regulated the lymphocytes. 2 or 3

If

weeks go by without noticeable

with another blood

test. If

an absorption problem. Medication

To

control, recheck the antibodies

antibody levels have not gone is

down

there

may be

not getting through.

get around an intestinal roadblock use injections or an absorption-

enhancing procedure

As with

level will effect thyroid

the latter levels appear normal.

if

Prednisolone with Synthroid nisolone by

Most

low estrogen

cats, a too high or too

function, even

immediately following the dog section.

will describe

I

itself

highly effective. In such a situation, Pred-

is

without a thyroid replacement

know

veterinarians

hormone

For dogs, the combination of

that after

you

start

much

is

less effective.

an animal on Prednisolone the

medication will work fine for a given period of time. Then, more and more

is

same results. Eventually, it doesn't work at all. The thinking has been that the body becomes resistant to the medication. needed

to obtain the

I'm not so sure about

that.

I

believe Prednisolone acts sluggishly because of

— substitu— elevates metabolism and permits

by estrogen. Introduction of Synthroid

the thyroid block caused

hormone

ting for the inactivated thyroid

Prednisolone to act more effectively to regulate lymphocyte activity. The fluence of the estrogen I

recommend

with

.

1

mg

is

in-

overcome.

half of the normally-suggested dosage of Synthroid.

I

begin

per 20 pounds of body weight, given orally twice a day, a.m. and

p.m. After two weeks,

amount

raise the

to .15

mg

twice a day... and so on to

reach desired effect. In a

spayed female,

as Prednisolone

I

sometimes need

and Synthroid.

A

to use estrogen

low estrogen

once replacement therapy has begun. This back.

Without adequate

Cortisol,

estrogen. After replacement, the

is

excess

ACTH

replacement as well

level will

due

to the

ACTH

drop even further

ACTH-cortisol feed-

overstimulates adrenal

output normalizes, resulting in less

estrogen secretion. This can lead to incontinence in a spayed female. If this occurs, the animal should receive estrogen.

mg in the morning for 5 days. If the incontinence is corrected, mg every other day for 3 periods. Then decrease to mg every third

Begin with

drop

to

1

1

1

day, etc.,

in a

continuing attempt to find the

Most dogs

estrogen.

will take

1

minimum

effective level of

or 2 tablets weekly to correct this problem.

dogs 2 mg or more are sometimes necessary. Increase as needed. Be conservative, however, because if you overdose with estrogen you can In large

recreate the original biochemical imbalance.

and

clinical signs

animal

• I

in

If,

after estrogen

of the original disease return,

it

is

is

introduced

advisable to retest the

order to help determine a more effective estrogen level.

Generalized demodectic mange

find a definite Cortisol connection in this disease complexity.

In

many

quarters, the use of steroids for

mange

is

regarded as sinful. Here

Hormone Replacement Therapy • is

115

an immune deficiency condition and by administering steroids, so the

thinking goes, you suppress the

My

immune system even more.

investigations reveal that the majority of afflicted dogs are Cortisol

There

deficient.

is

damaging. There

often a high level of estrogen as well, which can be very

is

in fact

an elevated antibody level, not a decreased level.

Associated with the disease

is

a transitory suppression of the thymic lym-

phocytes (T-cells). In laboratory studies, T-cells have been removed from canine serum and put through a "washing" process. In vitro, the "clean" T-cells have been found to have restored function.

blood

crippling these

is

estrogen

My 1.

may be

immune

cells.

Something therefore

in the

suggest an excessively high level of

I

the villain.

suggested treatment program:

Correct the hormonal imbalances. Use only enough Prednisolone to

mechanism to normal. Often Synthroid is example for canine skin conditions. Provide a good shampoo such as Mitoban

return the

also indicated. Follow

the therapy

—

2.

—

to reduce the

mange

population. 3. Start a

hypoallergenic diet.

enzyme problem.

4.

Check

5.

Supplement with trace minerals.

6.

for an

Spay the female.

•

Reproductive disorders (females)

—

false pregnancies-cystic

ovaries, sterility, silent heats, abortions.

This can be a very defiant array of hormonally-linked problems often imoften

allergies,

itating

unresponsive to standard treatments, and often

manifesting in subtle, misleading signs.

One of the most confusing sequences begins with a mild swelling and enlargement of the mammary glands occurring about a month cycle. Frequently

scratching,

and a

which the animal if

she

is

accompanying

of appetite. There

loss 4

will

this is

is

sometimes a behavioral change

'adopt' a toy or person

about to whelp.

'

Mammary

end of the heat

after the

a hair loss, non-specific itching and

tumors and pyometra may develop.

This condition presents various faces: an animal can pass through heats

in

and begin digging and nesting as

where there are no external signs of

become pregnant and after two or three weeks maniac" and begin mounting other dogs.

silent

become sterile, or become a "nympho-

estrus, or

abort, or

In the best interest of the animal's health and to interrupt the aberrant hor-

monal cycle,

it

is

advisable

first to

do a complete ovario-hysterectomy. This

measure also prevents a genetic predisposition being passed on Spaying

will clear

weeks, there to

is

up a number of these associated problems.

a continuation of signs then the adrenal

If,

to offspring. after several

hormone complex needs

be tested and corrected. This would indicate that the ovaries were not primary

agents in the problem, but secondary to the adrenal imbalance.

•

116

Pet Allergies

If the

ovaries are not taken out

first,

the

hormones they produce often tend

to

hormonal mechanism. Try

to

neutralize the replacement therapy.

breed the dog,

If it is essential to

determine where the problem

first test

for the

Then

correct

is.

with proper replacement

it

therapy.

important to find a male

It is

who does

not have a tendency to throw female

puppies with histories of sterility or cystic ovaries. Once the male

perform the adrenal mechanism adrenal imbalance,

I

test

on

that

animal as well.

strongly advise against mating the

If the

selected,

is

male has the

two animals.

A union

of two such adrenally-crippled dogs will perpetuate the problem and guarantee early disease

in the offspring.

problem and breeding

for identifying the

Using it

this

out.

I

approach offers a method

frankly feel that any animal

with the adrenal defect should not be bred so as to stop proliferation of the

problem.

Most of these females cortical defect as well

many

leads to

are Cortisol deficient. There

is usually an inner layer meaning an associated estrogen imbalance. This

—

and reproductive problems. Antibody levels are

sterility

typically high.

The widespread tisone to the

the animal

ty,

blood if

test

may

•

is

that

an animal will abort

if

you administer cor-

and pregnancy. In

estrus, breeding

actually require regulatory cortisone. That

shows a low

the animal has

Cortisol level. Sterility

normal

Cortisol

is

reali-

the case

if

the

and miscarriage are promoted

and you then administer cortisone.

Idiopathic epilepsy.

have found

I

belief

problem female during

that

many

cases of epilepsy

seem

to

be triggered by foods

—

high protein diets, allergenic foods, changes in diet.

The blood low

in

test typically

shows an animal

deficient in Cortisol and high or

estrogen. Additionally, there are imbalances in the antibody levels and

specifically in the food-related antibody, IgA,

low. This

mechanism

gest, the biochemistry

An

animal with

this

on a hypoallergenic I

is

which can be either high or

what creates the hypersensitivity

to

food and,

I

sug-

conducive for seizures.

problem needs

to be

hormonally corrected and placed

diet.

can often control seizures through hormonal replacement and diet without

the use of anti-epileptic medication. If medication

siderably

more

effective if the

is

hormonal imbalances are

required, rectified

it

is

con-

and a non-

provocative diet initiated.

•

Chronic diseases unresponsive

to standard therapy.

Test for the imbalances and treat according to the formula suggested above for skin problems.

Hormone Replacement Therapy •

117

WHAT TO DO IF IT DOESN'T WORK Over

the years

the exception of

animals

I

have had

my

share of hard nuts that wouldn't crack. With

FeLV and FIP

cases,

found

I

that

about 5 percent of the

were not responding as expected.

treated with replacement therapy

I

FeLV and FIP, the percentage is higher. One day about ten years ago I sat down with

For

unresponsive cats and dogs.

I

had duly followed the clues offered by

and made the indicated hormonal replacements.

the blood test

ed good

found

I

a stack of records —cases of

minerals,

trace

diet,

necessary. But the results were poor. Retesting

change

had prescrib-

I

enzymes, and whatever medication was

showed

insignificant or

no

biochemical markers.

in

Going over

this file

of frustration

I

discovered a

common

IgA imbalances. That suggested poor absorption and

denominator:

interference with up-

take of food, supplements and medication.

"Teal," the family Doberman, was lems and was

down

solution to save her I

to thirty-five

in this

pounds.

I

category. She had skin prob-

was desperately

from wasting away or having

trying to find a

to put her to sleep.

decided to try a combination of Azulfidine and pancreatic enzymes. The

former

a drug for people with ulcerative colitis

is

malize the mucous

membrane

lining of the gut.

I

which

I

felt

might nor-

hoped the enzymes would

enhance enzymatic processing of food and replacement hormones. Happily for 'Teal" and the family, levels quickly started to normalize.

able to save our

on other I

I

The IgA I was approach with good success

got lucky on the

first try.

With continued care and treatment

Dobie and have since used

this

recalcitrant cases.

use one -halt tablet of Azulfidine for twenty pounds of body weight, twice

mixed

daily,

into the animal's

food or directly pilled when other medication

is

administered.

As

for the

enzymes, simply follow the dosage directions on the

label

of the

product you use.

Hormones

are replaced as appropriate.

Usually you will see improvement of clinical signs within seven days. In

some cases you can avoid dealing with

injections. 1. I

2.

this is not a practical

the gut altogether and

go directly

to

long-term solution for two reasons:

have not found a form of Synthroid

The

utilize

However,

that

is

injectable.

gut has to be normalized in any case otherwise the animal cannot

food well.

an important lesson for us to "absorb" here. Unsuccessful may not be a case of wrong or ineffective medication. Rather it may reflect an intestinal blockade an inability for medicine to bridge the barrier between gut and bloodstream. An animal can V stay well There

is

treatment of animals

—

if

it

can V absorb

its

medication.

•

118

Pet Allergies

In those hard nut cases,

I

malabsorption problem or a

will usually suspect a

non-compliant owner.

When

program doesn't work,

a therapy

have made a mistake.

will retrace

I

no mistake,

If there is

being carefully followed.

sure the routine

is

may have given

the less effective

Often an owner forgets or

Sometimes the dog or cat

is

1

my

steps to see

will question the

I

I

check

if

I

owner to make

to see if the

pharmacist

-Thyroxine instead of Synthroid.

less diligent or

is

cheating on the program.

getting into another animal's food, eating

is

something of an allergenic nature. Or somebody

in the

house

is

feeding for-

bidden food. Such lapses are enough to upset the therapy. This program has to be done 100 percent.

ment.

If

I

can't get

Sometimes

will

I

it,

I

don't start

I

usually ask for a total

commit-

it.

encounter pathetic animals so genetically damaged or so

systemically diseased that nothing works for them.

WHAT ABOUT LONG-TERM STEROIDS? '

v '

Patches

'

was a two-year-old Siamese She had been diagnosed .

another veterinarian and given a few months to

live.

nodes, hair loss, dermatitis, was not eating and had

The

weight. I

had a history of

flea allergies

FeLV by

lost

a large

amount of

and generalized skin problems.

took blood, checked for imbalances, and found a Cortisol irregularity. This

situation I

cat

for

She had enlarged lymph

had

left

started her

"Patches" vulnerable

on 20

to the

leukemia virus.

mg of Prednisolone. The response was dramatic.

It

was as

new cat was created. Her weight increased. Hair began to return. The lymph nodes regressed in size. The cat started talking amd becoming more social. now prescribed a lower dosage of Prednisolone to maintain homeostasis. I told the owner to keep "Patches" on this program indefinitely. if a

I

In

time the cat regained

full

health.

Here was a happily-ever-after story

until

one day a friend of the owner

told

owner stopped the program. was left vulnerable once again

her that prolonged steroids was dangerous. So the

With with

its

the support system

removed, the

cat

defective adrenal mechanism. Before long, the old problems return-

ed, including the virus.

The owner brought cat so I

I

the sick cat back.

'

'They told

me steroids would kill the

stopped the medication," she said.

explained to her

why

keep her on steroids,"

this isn't so.

I

"For sure your

cat will die if you don't

said.

The owner resumed the therapy, first with 20 mg, and then maintenance on 10. The cat is now twelve-years-old, still on Pred, and has been healthy throughout the years.

Another time

I

was

visited

by the owner of a champion Bulldog. The

animal had a history of false pregnancies and miscarriages. she produce a puppy and

it

was a genetic monstrosity.

One time only did

Hormone Replacement Therapy • I

checked the bitch and found a

Cortisol deficiency.

I

started her

119

on Prednis-

olone and Synthroid with appropriate diet and other supportive therapy.

The dog was maintained on

who had

this

program. The owner eventually bred the

The result was a litter of some of them now champions. Word spread. Another Bulldog owner called me. He had a bitch with similar problems. I tested the dog and found the same imbalances. Replacement therapy was initiated. The bitch was bred and became duly pregnant. X-ray examination was made at six-and-a-half weeks and revealed she was carrying five puppies. Two weeks later, I checked again to see if a Caesarean Section would be necessary. To my shock, there were no puppies. They had aborted. female to a male

eight puppies,

I

all

a clean hormonal profile.

healthy, and

questioned the owner.

He had followed the advice of a breeder friend who would cause abortions and hurt the animal. He

said long-term Prednisolone

stopped the therapy.

The owner now agreed

to follow the

program

faithfully

and

try again.

resumed the therapy. At the next cycle, the dog was bred and produced

We six

beautiful puppies.

The moral of these stories is this: Side effects and long-term steroid therapy synonymous if you know what you are doing and are in-

are not necessarily

deed treating a Cortisol deficiency. I

don't suggest anyone use cortisone «"'*hout

ty to

produce

Cortisol. If the

balance. This fects or I

method

problems.

It

hormone

is

first testing

precise. If used carefully,

is

the patient's abili-

inadequate, replacement can restore it

does not cause side ef-

resolves problems.

I am suggesting can lay to rest the pervasive fear of inMany of my patients are living safely — and with good health

believe the procedure

definite steroids.

— on a lifelong prescription. The program gives many animals a good chance who might

doomed to suffer to be put to sleep. From the safety standpoint you can monitor the cortisone periodically. Repeat

for recovery

the blood test.

Recheck

otherwise be

at

yearly intervals or any time there might be a clinical

development.

Check

the estrogen and antibody levels. If the cortisone

ministered, these markers should return to a normal range. yardsticks to

is

properly ad-

Use

these internal

go along with surface appearances.

No one, I think, likes the idea of a cat or dog having to live on cortisone. you have a

Cortisol -deficient animal,

able to live well, or perhaps live at

you must use

all,

without

it.

it.

The animal may

But

if

not be

18 Prevention

Maintaining the optimal health of an animal and preventing disease means

upgrading the attention and care you give

•

Your animal needs labels.

Be

alert

Here are some guidelines to follow:

— as with humans — will create junk health.

possible health. Junk food

Read

it.

the best possible food in order to enjoy the best

the

to

slick

language of pet food labels that

camouflage garbage. Stay tions

away from by-products, chemical

and munchies loaded with sugar,

additives, high protein formula-

salt

and preservatives.

Ask your veterinarian for advise on the best possible food you can Check out the health-oriented products in your favorite pet shop or

serve.

health

food store. In

how to prepare or purchase hypoallergenic how you can creafe a diet that will minimize or elimcommon allergy problems suffered by many pets. Refer to that

Chapter Fourteen

I

explain

food for your animals and inate the

chapter.

•

Supplement with minerals. Fortifying the

keep your animal

•

in the full

To ensure maximum

• portant

Exercise is

it

is

for us

dogs evolved on

•

in If

Fifteen. it's

a

good

enzyme test performed by your veterin-

Seven and Sixteen.

We know how

im-

surely, in their natural environs, cats

and

another important element

humans. And

activity that

was necessary

you contact your veterinarian animals

manner can help

absorption of food and medication

idea to have a simple and inexpensive arian. See Chapters

diet in this

bloom of health. See Chapters Six and

in health.

for their survival.

for suggestions about

how

I

recommend

best to keep your

shape.

you think your animal has a problem, don't wait for

it

to get

worse. Seek professional help.

• Keeping your animal clean and well-groomed is good prevention. Whether you routinely bathe and comb an animal yourself or have the job done by a grooming service, the close-up inspection involved offers opportunity to spot trouble before

it

gets serious.

primary weapon against disease.

120

Such early detection can be a

.

Prevention #121 have always

I

groomers

felt that

in particular are in

an ideal situation

—

working closely with animals, and often on a regular basis changes

may warrant

that

—

to notice

veterinary attention.

believe that keeping a look-out for irregularities should be part of the

I

grooming

and recommending pro-

routine, along with reporting observations

fessional treatment

when

necessary.

THE TEN-POINT HEALTH CHECK I

recently wrote an article for "Pet

check"

point "health

Age Magazine"

The

for groomers.

in

which

I

created a ten-

points can also be applied

if you

bathe

and clean your animal yourself. General impression. Take a general head-to-toe look.

1

Is

the animal limp-

ing, sluggish, hyperactive?

What's the general

of the pet? This

attitude

how the animal 2. On the grooming table. After all, it may reflect

is

important because

it

can

feeling.

is

stand. Pet

not

and caress the animal, making

know why

is

it

there and

While petting the animal you can run your hand

may

easily

be a

it

comfor-

bit uptight.

over the animal's

body. Caress the head, the shoulders, the underside and backside. Basically

you are looking

for any

bumps, lumps, tumors, warts,

cysts.

Anything out of

the ordinary.

Enlarged

mammary

glands

in

a female can be a tip-off to pregnancy or a

pregnancy.

false

Secondly, you are making sure that

you

are not going to

Does lems.

comb

3.

grooming

When you

Check out

run your hand over the animal body, does is

a

fine? Is

it

the animal,

or cut into anything that might cause pain.

common it

it

mean prob-

feel thinner than

sign of disease.

the coat. Stand back and

coat for an animal of this breed? Is it

start

the animal look too thin or too fat? Either extreme can

time? Weight loss

last

when you

view the

entire hair coat.

nice and lustrous?

How's

How

is

the

the texture? Is

coarse?

Are there any areas of

hair loss? This can often be a surface signal of a

disorder inside.

What's the color? Are there any rust-colored stains? These could be signs of some disturbance, perhaps an allergy, where the animal aggressively licks or chews 4.

the

at his skin.

Perform a physical examination. Begin with the mouth.

mouth, look for any dermatitis, hair

Move

inside

and check the

teeth.

See

First, outside

loss or abrasions near the lips. if

any are broken or coated with ex-

cess tartar.

Check

the

gums. Look

at the

gum

line. If

it

appears red, this could indicate

an infection, inflammation or buildup of tartar that should get some veterinary attention.

•

122

Pet Allergies

gums may

Pale

suggest anemia and,

in the

case of cats, announce the

gums can also be

presence of the dreaded leukemia virus. In an older cat, pale

the sign of chronic kidney disease. Don't delay in seeing a veterinarian.

Look

for any

tumors or masses. Check the insides of the

and under the

lips

tongue. 5.

Check

Look

the ears. Lift the flaps.

there a fetid smell inside the ears?

inside.

Do you

see any discharge?

Is

A bad smell can signal an infection, excess

production of ear wax, an allergy, or the presence of ear mites. Is

the ear flap thickened? Reddish, thickened tissue

wax can be

reddish-blackish

there

is

an

and perhaps an infection.

allergic reaction occurring,

A

may mean

the sign of an ear mite problem. See your

veterinarian soon. 6.

The

eyes.

Check

for overall clarity.

Examine

the

the round, pig-

iris,

mented membrane surrounding the pupil of the eye. Are there any

film-like

opacities covering this area?

Look

whites.

at the

Is

there any redness? That's a sign of possible inflam-

mation and infection.

Look Is

eyelids.

at the

may be

Check

for small growths, inflammations or styes that

bothering the animal.

there excess spillage of tears from the eyes, leaving a rust-colored stain

below. This can suggest an allergic problem. 7.

The

nose.

Is

there any discharge from the nostrils? This could indicate a

possible allergy or infection.

Look

for a loss of

pigment on the nose.

A

black nose that turns pale could

be perhaps a genetic defect or sign of a mineral deficiency. the result

o\'

the animal rubbing

feeding bowls every time If

it

its

It

might also be

nose excessively on one of those plastic

eats.

the animal snee/es constantly

and you find blood

in the

discharge, this

can mean the presence of a a foreign body, such as a foxtail or piece of grass,

maybe even a tumor. The rear end. When emptying the anal glands, check the color of the secretion. Brown is normal. A yellow or green color indicates infection. Check the rectum area and tail for any growths. A bulge on either side of

or

8.

the

rectum can be a perineal hernia.

Check rectum ly to

for signs of

hairs.

make up

potbelly

is

Moving

tapeworms

An animal for

— small rice-like grains or balls around the

with a thriving case of tapeworms will eat excessive-

what the worms are eating. The hair coat

will

be coarse.

A

often present. to the genitalia,

the testicles to

both are there.

make sure Some dogs

check for

irregularities, inflammations.

Observe

there are no tumors developing... and to see that are born with only one normally hanging testicle.

The other is retained in the body. Studies have shown 40 percent of undescended testicles.

that

tumors develop

in

Prevention 9.

The

feet.

Check the base of the

nails for

• 123

fungus or inflammations. Check

between the toes for any foreign bodies, such as

foxtails, or cysts that

may be

causing pain.

Look at the bottom of the pads

for

any cuts or punctures. Redness and inflam-

mation on the bottom between the toes can be a sign of an infection, fungus, or a contact or food allergy.

Any raw

skin

on the

feet or

up the sides of the

legs can

suggest excessive licking or chewing due to an allergic reaction. If there are signs

— a rust-colored stain but — this can indicate the possibility of poor circula-

of licking on top of the paws

normal, non-inflamed skin

Decreased blood flow can lead

tion.

repeatedly lick.

mine

if

A

visit to

the animal suffers

to tingling

a veterinarian

is

paws which an animal

will

definitely in order here to deter-

from a cardiovascular condition.

The skin. The animal is wet. You've just washed it. At this point, you can get a good look at the condition of the skin. You look for red, raw or rais10.

ed areas, signs of a current inflammation due perhaps to allergy or infection. Patches of thickened or black skin can be signs of past problems.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BREEDERS Breeders have a great responsibility for the future survival and health of

— emphasizing — a fashionable look and ignoring the health of breeding stock cats and dogs pets.

may

I

am

convinced

that if current

breeding trends continue

be bred out of popularity and perhaps out of existence.

Something has

And

that

to

change.

something

is

to elevate the health

of an animal as the sine qua non

of breeding practices.

An

animal should be bred only after

it

can meet solid standards for health

and vigor.

As long

as breeders continue to worship at the shrine of

glamour and

relegate or ignore the health factor, a multiple injustice takes place

future

litter,

— to the

the future buyers and the future of the breed.

This kind of practice perpetuates unwellness, suffering and shoddy goods. It

carries the seeds of genetic disaster for animals

and financial ruin for the

breeders themselves. In the previous chapter

I

described

how just one blood

mine the basic health of an animal. The

test

test

can help deter-

can be utilized both for curative

and preventive measures. I

believe

it

offers an excellent opportunity to

end the present allergy

epidemic and health blight affecting millions of animals. I

believe

it

also offers an opportunity for the future

— for producing viable

animals, animals that are good and healthy as well as good looking.

The

in-

dicators in this test can supply critical genetic data, providing the opportunity to

withhold questionable animals from perpetuating disease and deformity.

124* Pet Allergies I

don't enjoy the sight of sobbing children carrying their grossly sick pup-

pies and kittens into

animals, too

my

clinic. I see too

many animals

animals bred not for a long This situation

is

totally

much of

that:

too

many

incurable

devastated by genetic timebombs, too life

many

but for an early death.

unacceptable and inexcusable.

I have tried in this book to express one veterinarian's view of a major problem and suggest how to deal with it. If the information presented here is not through heeded I believe that Mother Nature will simply do the job herself

—

continued crippling,

and dogs.

sterility,

early deaths, and eventual destruction of cats

19 A Human

There

Is

The purpose of

this

book

problems and suggestions

I

is

Connection?

But might not some of the

to help animals.

have raised also apply to humans?

Looking back at the many animals I have treated over the years with dietary and hormonal therapies, benefit

have always wondered

if

we humans could perhaps

from such an approach.

When suffer

I

I

how

see

epileptic

dogs respond

from this fearsome condition. They

Might they not be helped by looking

I

think about the

live lifetimes

on

many people who

anti -epileptic drugs.

into their diet for offensive foods

and

nutritional deficiencies?

Indeed, the field of nutritional medicine tions to health I

find that

dietary

and

and the food we

many

And

correla-

among

pets respond dramatically to

here, too, physicians are linking

human allergic reactions to diet. And what about the adrenal glands? that this tiny organ,

making more and more

eat.

allergy conditions

nutritional therapy.

is

and specifically a

In

my

clinical research,

I

many

have found

tiny secretion of a tiny part of

it,

to

be

involved intimately with overall health.

Does

this also

Do we

apply to humans?

have genetically -flawed cortices from generations of eating adul-

terated food or glands

damaged by

a continual

bombardment of modern-day

environmental stress?

We have our eyes and hearts checked. But who ever gets his or her adrenals tested?

I

suggest that the crucial influence the adrenal hormones exert on the

immune system makes a strong case for closer adrenal scrutiny. I have come to regard allergies and many disease processes as "secondaries," that is, consequent to the adrenal problem. Perhaps some of the diseases of

mankind are also "secondaries"

to

an adrenal weakness.

Might not some of the cancer, leukemia, the pancreas and liver diseases, the malabsorption problems, auto-immune diseases, and perhaps even AIDS, fall I

within the range of endocrine-immune imbalances? personally look forward to great revelations about health and disease as

human medicine

explores nutrition and endocrine -immune relationships.

These two areas have yielded so much benefit

to

me

and the animals

I

treat.

125

SELECTED REFERENCES

•

Rowe and Rowe, "Food

Allergy," Charles C.

Thomas

Publishers

(Springfield), 1972.

•

Mark Shannon, "Canine Immune Complex November 1976, p. 917. • Plechner and Shannon, 'Food -Induced Hypersensitivity, Modern Veterinary Practice, March 1977, p. 225. • Plechner, "Food Mediated Disorders," California Veterinarian, Alfred Plechner and

Diseases,"

Modern

Veterinary Practice,

'

'

'

June 1978.

• Plechner, Shannon, Arnold Epstein, Eli Goldstein, Edwin B. Howard, "Endocrine-Immune Surveillance," Pulse, June -July 1978. • Plechner, Theory of Endocrine Immune Surveillance California , '

'

'

Veterinarian, January 1979, p. 12.

•

"Preliminary Observations

Plechner,

Immunodeficiencies In

Dogs— A Clinician

On

To Endocrinopathy," Modern

munodeficiencies

Endocrine-Associated

Explores The Relationship of ImVeterinary Practice, Oc-

tober 1979, p. 811.

•

Marshall Mandell and Lynne Waller Scanlon, "Dr. Mandell's 5-Day

Allergy Relief System,"

• Dog,"

•

Thomas Y. Crowell

Publishers

Wendell Belfield and Martin Zucker,

(New

York), 1979.

"How To Have A

Healthier

(New York), 1982. P.G.C. Bedford, "The Collie Eye Anomaly Problem," The

Signet Books

Veter-

inary Annual, Scientechnica, Bristol (England), 1981, p. 232.

•

Plechner,

November

• (New

"Feline

Nutrition

—

Read

the

Label," Pet Age,

1982, p. 12.

Belfield

and Zucker, 'The Very Healthy Cat Book,

'

'

'

McGraw-Hill

York), 1983.

• •

Plechner, "Canine Nutrition," Pet Age, February 1983, p. 20.

Dana H. Murphy, "Too Much Of A Good Thing: Protein And A Dog's Diet," International Journal For The Study Of Animal Problems, Vol. 4,

No.

•

2, 1983, p. 101.

R. A. Mugford, "Aggressive Behavior In

The English Cocker

Spaniel," The Veterinary Annual, Scientechnica, Bristol, 1984, p. 310.

•

Plechner, "Skin Problems

Answer," Pet Age, November 1985,

-

Mineral Supplements p. 24.

May Be The

INDEX

Adrenal defects, 7-9, 35, 59-84, 95-96, 106-119 Allergic

HIT

List,

20

81-82, 112, 117 Feline

Allergy, 5-6, 8-9, 25, 28-29, 67, 85-91

Leukemia [FeLV],

79-81,

111-112, 117-118 vaccine, 81

beef, 18-20, 29-30, 35-36, 39,

Syndrome

Feline Urologic

[FUS],

30, 38-39, 82-83, 112-113

77

75,

Feline Infectious Peritonitis [FIP],

Food byproducts, 13

corn, 21-22, 29 eggs, 23 flea-bite, 85-88,

113

food, 8-9, 18-39, 44, 50-51, 71-72, 75-78, 87-88

Gastro-intestinal

Gum

inhalant, 90-91

upset

25-26,

50-51, 71-72, 75-76 disease, 78

milk, 21, 29, 46, 50

pork, 22-23

Hypoallergenic

tuna, 22, 36, 38

diet, 6, 19,

turkey, 22-23

28, 33-38, 49, 71-72,

wheat, 21-22, 29

88, 97-101

Immune

Behavior, 33-34, 71, 74

Breeding practices and defects

caused by, 123-124

5, 7-9,

52-68,

system, 25-26, 31, 39,

43, 60-67, 76, 89 Interdigital cysts, 27-28

Bronchitis, 35-36

Kidney disease,

14, 38-39

Calcium, 46

Chemical additives, 14-17, 23, 29-31, 120 Commercial pet food, 4, 11-17,

Mange [demodex],

28-32, 41-43, 45 Cortisol,

7,

60-85, 106-119

Cortisone [steroids],

Liver disease, 36-37

7, 61, 65,

80-82, 106-119

Medication impairment, 51, 117-118 Minerals,

cies, 6,

9,

40-47, 87, 102-103,

120 Mites, 88-89

Ear infections, 71-72

Enzymes and enzyme

89-90,

114-115

deficien-

Mold, 23-24, 29

36-38, 48-51,

104-105, 115, 117, 120 Epilepsy, 34-35, 75, 116

Pancreatic disease, 37-38

Estrogen, 63-65, 66 [chart], 75, 89-90, 106-119

127

128

• Index

Reproductive disorders [females], 115-116, 118-119

Salt, 15,

31

Skin disease [dermatitis], 26-28, 31, 44-46, 50, 69-70, 72,

83-84, 106

85-88 113 mange, 89-90, 114-115

flea-bite,

f

mites, 88-89

inhalant allergies, 90-91

Sugar, 15, 31

Thyroid, 64, 66 [chart], 109-111, 114

Upper respiratory

disease, 84

Vitamins, 42

B complex,

42, andfleas,

vitamin C, 42

Yeast, 21, 29,

and

fleas,

87

Zinc, 40, 43-45

87

"

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

•

Dr. Alfred

J.

Plechner, a 1966 graduate of the University of Calif-

ornia-Davis School of Veterinary

Medicine, practices in West Los

Angeles. Over the years he has been keenly interested in nutrition,

al-

lergy and the relationship of the endocrine system to small animal dis-

and clinical observations on food-related disorders and endocrine-immune imbalances have been published in veterinary journals. He is a member of the American Animal Hospital Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, California Veterinary Medical Association and the Academy of Veterinary Allergy. Plechner maintains a wildlife refuge in the Santa Monica Mountains and provides free treatment for injured wild animals brought in by government agencies ease. His research

or concerned citizens.

•

Martin Zucker,

a free-lance writer, writes extensively

nutrition and fitness.

He

and small animal health.

Magazine" and

is

about health,

co-author of two previous books on nutrition

He

is

a contributing editor to "Sports Fitness

a regular contributor to "Let's Live

Magazine.

$6.95

Remedies for an Epidemic By Alfred

An

J.

Plechner,

DVM,

and Martin Zucker

unrecognized epidemic of allergy and disease

ing cats

is

ravag-

and dogs.

This bold book, based on years of clinical investigation, presents the startling facts along with the practical infor-

mation with which

to effectively deal

Both veterinarians and pet owners

The book examines Is

these

will

and other

with unwellness.,

want

to read

it.

critical issues:

commercial pet food harming the health of our

animals?

What to

are the

most allergy-producing foods and

how

avoid them.

Are improper breeding practices creating geneticallyand rampant disease. How to use diet and nutrition to prevent and heal

crippled animals

disease.

How

mones

New

and effectively use prevent and heal disease.

to safely

to

steroids

and hor-

ideas for relief of feline leukemia, feline infec-

tious peritonitis, flea allergies, food allergies, nagging

skin problems

and other major conditions.

ISBN 0-9615452-0-8