Seasonal changes with strong winds, trigger PON allergies with trillions of airborne pollen, dust, and smoke particles. Wind plays a large role in determining how much PON allergies will act up. Windy conditions cause greater pollen and mold distribution and that leads to an increase in allergy symptoms. Plant pollens carried by the wind are the cause of most allergic reactions.

. Veterinarian prescribed anti-allergy drugs (antihistamines) tend to leave PONS either sleepy or over-stimulated. Fortunately, modern nutritional science offers a highly effective, natural and nontoxic remedy for allergies:

Quercetin, related to the more well-known bioflavonoid rutin, is one of a thousand or so members of the bioflavonoid family. This  group of coloring pigments is found throughout the plant kingdom, where they  provide plants with antioxidant protection against environmental stresses. Natural diets high in vegetables, fruit, sprouts, and whole grains provide a total of 1,000 to 2,000 mg. a day of a broad range of flavonoids. However, most dogs lack sufficient levels. Blue-green algae are also an excellent source of quercetin, but it's also available as a food supplement.

Informed PON owners know that allergies are inflammatory conditions usually triggered by air- or food-borne pollens and chemicals called "allergens." After these allergens are absorbed into the blood (through the lungs, skin, or intestines), they cause the B cells (white blood cells) of allergy-sufferers to produce billions of molecules of the allergic antibody IgE. The IgE molecules then travel through the bloodstream until they combine to with mast cells or basophils. Mast cells (which line many blood vessels) and basophils (a type of white blood cell circulating in the bloodstream) are the main storage sites for histamine and serotonin. The IgE allergic antibody then causes the cell membranes of the mast cells/basophils to become "leaky, " allowing their storage load of histamine and serotonin to pour into the surrounding blood and tissues. The IgE-released histamine and serotonin then produce the familiar allergic symptoms of scratching, loose stools, running eyes, etc. among PONS and other dog breeds.

 Quercetin has a strong affinity for mast cells and basophils. It tends to stabilize their cell membranes, preventing them from spilling their pro-inflammatory, allergy-symptom-causing load of histamine/serotonin into the surrounding blood and tissue in response to the IgE antibody. And without the release of these potent inflammatory mediators, the familiar misery of allergies simply will not occur, even though PONS inhale the pollen, etc.

Quercetin is a safe, nontoxic substance. A report by I. Hirono et al in Cancer Letters (1981), for example, found no evidence of toxicity or carcinogenicity in rats, even when quercetin made up 10 percent of their total dietary intake.Unfortunately, quercetin is barely soluble in water, so poor dietary absorption may limit its efficacy. Because of this, Murray, N.D., has suggested that quercetin be taken in combination with bromelain to improve its absorption. Bromelain is a natural, protein-digesting enzyme derived from pineapples. It has been used "to increase absorption of compounds, including antibiotics. Also, bromelain has powerful anti-inflammatory properties that synergize with quercetin.