If your PON has experienced itchiness, dirty ears, etc., you will need to explore a range of approaches to the ever increasing incidences of canine allergies, while working together with your family veterinarian.  A sympathetic vet will spend sufficient time with you and explain that your PON's allergy symptoms may be caused by diet, environment, vaccinations, shampoo and other triggers.  He should also suggest doing blood work to rule out other health conditions, which may be responsible for your PON's symptoms. Coping with allergies may seem mind boggling to many owners who have had little experience with this type of health issue, but it needs to be dealt with in a scientific manner because canine allergies may lead to life threatening complications if not properly controlled. There is usually no quick fix and owners need to explore individual ways to cope with their PON's symptoms.

We share your concerns and will exchange advice and information with you on this timely topic so that you can make informed choices. There are certain basic's which all PON owners need to be aware of and these are:

 *  Every PON is an individual and what works for one PON, may not work well for another PON.  For example, there is no one correct approach to diet, rearing practices and life styles.  If families travel often, they may not be able to alter vaccination protocols,( although their vets may suggest doing so) because most boarding facilities demand "up to date" shots. However, there are alternative solutions, which include finding private boarding for your PON among trusted family members and friends. The same applies to diet. If owners cannot pin down offending allergy triggers when offering kibble, they may need to switch to other alternative diets.

 *  Owners need to do most of their own research for informed choices. This means consulting books (amazon.com has an excellent database), reading online veterinary articles (to be discussed later on), joining various Yahoo groups(for a valid exchange of advice, experiences,etc.), newsgroups,etc. The list of research options is endless and keeps changing on a constant basis. 

 * The needs of your PON do not remain the same through his/her life span and what worked when your PON was younger, may no longer apply to his/her needs at a later age. This means (for example), that owners may need to change diets on an annual basis in some cases. Why is this so ? Immune systems change and food, pollen, shampoo,etc. which your PON tolerated earlier, may not agree with his/her system later on. In some cases, commercial dog food companies may have changed their products, and in other cases, there may be higher levels of pollen (due to increased global warming) in your area. Conditions are constantly changing and individual needs change as well.We live in an age of increasing pollution and many canine allergy issues are not genetic in nature, and are caused by changes in environment, methods of processing foods,etc.and we have to be informed of our environment and continuously seek new ways of coping with raising a happy, healthy PON.

I am including some FAQ, which dog owners on my canine allergies list have asked through the years:

*  Which diet allows owners to pin down offending allergy triggers ? Unfortunately, kibble contains so many ingredients that pinning down possible allergy triggers is difficult and owners may need to switch to alternative options with fewer ingredients

*  Is there a cross sensitization between diet and pollen allergies ?

" cross-sensitization to birch allergens and food allergens. Foods most frequently associated to birch pollen allery are apples, hazelnuts, peaches,cherries, almonds, pears, carrots, and celery. However, most probably a birch sensitive individual is sensitized to only some of these food items. You should see an allergist for evaluation of your suspected food allergy."
Matthias Besler, PhD
(matthias besler ONLINE PUBLISHER, Hamburg, Germany)

If your dog has inhalant allergies avoid: apples, carrots, celery, etc


There are many fruits and vegetables frequently involved in Oral Allergy Syndrome: apple, peach, hazelnut, peanut, apricot, almond, pear, tomato,cherry, fennel, melon, orange, banana, carrot, potato, watermelon, chestnut,pea, plum, celery and grape (according to an Italian Study). Foods frequently associated to apple allergy include peach, pear, and cherry. Moreover,cross-reactivity has been observed to kiwi fruit and celery. Birch and mugwort pollens are associated in most cases.
Golden Delicious and Granny Smith contained higher amounts of allergens than
McIntosh and Red Delicious (Study USA). According to another study in Europe the allergen content of different apple varieties decreased in the following order: Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jona Gold, Idared, Gala, Jamba, and Gloster.