Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3

Heading 4

Heading 5

Heading 6

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Block quote

Ordered list

1. Item 1
2. Item 2
3. Item 3

Unordered list

• Item A
• Item B
• Item C

Text link

Bold text

Emphasis

^Superscript

_Subscript

Table of contents:

• initiation
• Itching rarely comes alone (video)
• Interim conclusion — the mistake in “usual” treatment
• A bold statement based on years of experience
• Explanation — Why is the skin affected in the first place?
• Solution for itching — What to do? (video1) (video2)
• Countermeasures — What needs to be done? (video)

initiation

Itching is the cardinal symptom of skin, the body's largest organ, and one of the most common reasons why dog owners present their animals to veterinarians. As with perhaps no other symptom, the timeless medical principle that I picked up from an old “vet sword” many years ago and have never forgotten since then applies to itching:

“When you hear hoof rumbling, look for horses, not zebras. ”

This means the medical task of always considering the most obvious (or statistically most likely) cause of a problem first, even though many others may come into question. According to the textbook, there are theoretically 100 (sometimes very exotic) causes of itching. In practice, however, in my experience, itching is due to a few very specific causes and relationships in around 90% of cases.

This is especially true if you live in Central Europe and have already had conventional treatment with your animal with vets. In the following, I will therefore only address the causes that are most likely relevant to you and deliberately exclude zebras.

Itching rarely comes alone

First of all, it should be noted that itching is not usually the only problem. Rather, it is associated as a side effect with, for example, allergies, intolerances, inflamed anal glands, ear infections, chronic bowel problems, open/sore paws or even skin problems of all kinds.

This proves that we are dealing with a deeper inflammatory problem affecting the entire body, which is evident on the skin but is by no means limited to the skin. The whole thing is roughly comparable to a smoulder/peat fire — it is visible from outside but the actual dynamics take place underground, invisible to the eye.

I explained the big picture about the symptom of itching in this video:

Interim conclusion — the mistake in the “usual” treatment

This results in a fundamental finding for successful treatment: Itching on the skin cannot be controlled by local (i.e. localized) suppression using cortisone/prednisolone, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), antibiotics, Apoquel or cytopoint.

And that's because medication is always just the symptom (!) Suppress itching temporarily. But they do not eliminate the cause. (More on how to do that below.) Expressed with the symbol of the previously mentioned smouldering fire: Drugs can only remove the smoke in some places at a time, but they do not extinguish the underlying fire. As a result, itching usually recurs and accompanies dog/owners over a long period of time.

A bold statement based on years of experience

To better understand: In most cases, the onset of itching in your animal was preceded by certain treatments, which, of course, you did not link the cause of the itch.

These include: vaccinations, intensive medication against giardia, worms or ticks, antibiotics, painkillers, cortisone and the feeding of finished industrial feed. They appear in the preliminary report of just about every itch patient. If your dog suffers from itching, I would even be willing to bet money that your pet has already been treated (several times) by veterinarians with one or more of the above mentioned medications.

And if you've read this text up to this point, then these treatments were most likely never permanently successful and the itch always returned, which is why you're now looking for alternatives on the Internet.

Explanation — Why is the skin affected in the first place?

First of all, this is likely due to the considerable mechanical stress in the course of everyday life.

The skin is the body's most important protective organ. Since a dog does not wear protective clothing, it is likely obvious that the skin is particularly irritated by direct contact with all pollutants from the environment. However, the skin not only shields the body from pollutants from the outside world, but it also represents an important entry barrier for pathogens and parasites.

At the same time, it is also the largest habitat (in addition to the intestines) for the microorganisms that naturally reside here and are essential for skin health. In humans and animals, the microorganisms living here play a crucial role in the normal functionality and selective barrier function of the skin.

This dual function is the reason why the skin plays such an important role in the immune system and why it is always obviously affected by immune diseases such as allergies, atopic dermatitis, lupus or pemphigus. This intensive use requires extensive and adequate regeneration and new formation processes of the cells in the skin, which of course can only take place adequately as part of a healthy metabolism or body environment.

The microbial balance on the skin is particularly severely disturbed or impaired by antibiotics (but also chemical drugs in general) — in particular, of course, by those that are applied to the skin or injected under the skin with a cannula. This is how antibiotics and medications ironically contribute to the symptoms on the skin for which they were originally given.

In addition to the liver, kidneys and intestines, the skin is a very welcome detoxifying organ, whose capacity is fully exploited by the body when needed. When foreign substances/pollutants (such as chemical drugs, vaccinations or spot-ons) have to be eliminated again, the body necessarily always uses the skin to do so. This is because stored pollutants can be released slowly but steadily into the outside world via the skin cell layers (= dandruff).

However, this process is not only limited in its capacity, but it also means that the pollutants stored in the skin cells can irritate or damage the surrounding tissue before they are exfoliated. This is perceived by the animal as what we then call itch and why you are reading this article right now.

This is also the reason for constant gnawing, nibbling, pushing or scratching on just about all areas of skin, which in severe cases can even lead to self-mutilation.

Solution for itching — What to do?

As we have already established, topical treatment of the skin with creams, ointments or medications is usually not sufficient or even counterproductive. It “buys” peace and quiet for a while, but the symptoms usually recur.

In the following video, please take a look at how a now happy owner put it very aptly:

Owners who want to cure their dog's itch in the long term and permanently cannot help but look at the health of their animal as a whole. And that brings us back to the intestines, the most underrated organ in “modern” medicine, when it comes to skin/itching.

The direct Interconnection between skin and intestines is clearly explained in the following video:

It is therefore important to note up to this point:
If you want to permanently cure your dog's itch, you have to heal the skin first, and if you want to heal the skin, you have to start with the intestines!

Countermeasures — What needs to be done?

Based on the relationships described, the necessary measures to address itching and skin problems in general are both comprehensive and logical.

They are at the forefront of avoiding all foreign chemical substances — medicines, spot-ons, vaccinations, worm tablets or tick collars come into question here.

Furthermore, the intestine must be built up, strengthened and detoxified — this means diet change, bowel cleansing & environmental optimization. Since the skin has a detoxifying function, as already described, any detoxification of the body in particular will always benefit the skin and thus alleviate itching. However, this process requires patience and time.

However, since the causes of itching also include parasites and bacterial pathogens, the simultaneous development of the immune system is also essential. If the spread of pathogens and parasites is naturally contained by a healthy, intact skin barrier, the itch finally disappears by itself.

Finally, certain everyday practices and habits of the owner with regard to cleaning and hygiene must certainly also be questioned (carpets, laundry detergents, household chemicals or environmental toxins, etc.)

The prognosis of itching can still be described as good due to the extraordinary regenerative capacity of the skin, even in very advanced cases of the disease. In my experience, the claim that allergies (and the associated itching) are incurable is clearly factually wrong from my experience!

If the owner consistently implements all of the above points holistically, healing processes such as this are the logical consequence.

Anyone who would also like to embark on a holistic and chemical-free journey as a dog owner is welcome to book an appointment with me and my team here.

‍