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SKIN & COAT Conditions

Updated: Oct 16, 2023

Blended excerpts from various sections of Potential Within YOUR DOG’S HEALTH

Authored by Franco Cavaleri ISBN 0-978-0-9731701-1-5

Original post: September 16, 2010



This article is composed of multiple excerpts to result in tone and content shifts and reference numbering that may be out of order.


POOR SKIN COAT, HOT SPOTS, ITCHING, AND RASHES

SKIN & COAT Conditions

Skin conditions in pets have become more and more common, likely aresult of increasingly toxic surroundings. Our companion animals can experience high levels of skin diseases, including rashes, hot spots, and itching due to similar biochemical or biological systems that cause humans to experience symptoms of asthma. Just as skin disease in our pets has been on the rise, asthma in the human population is skyrocketing out of control.


SKIN & COAT Conditions

However, nutrition plays a huge role in the reactivity of allergens attacking from the surroundings. The trigger for an asthmatic or allergic response might be polluted air, mold, pollen, chemicals, dust mites, food protein, or dander, but

the inability of the body to cope with the irritation can be caused by a biochemical predisposition that’s set in the cells by fatty acid and other nutrient imbalances. Poor diet “hyper-sensitizes” cells to irritants and allergens.


Historical exposure to irritants and the immune system activity triggered by that exposure play a role as well. The hyper-sensitization of the body is ultimately a function of two things: an overload of the Omega-6 fatty acid known as arachidonic acid and an increased oxidation within the body. Just as diet can contribute to this two-pronged problem, diet can be changed to improve the fatty acid status and improve the antioxidant levels in the cells, reducing the dog’s vulnerability to allergens. If you can tweak the diet to remedy the deficiencies, you should be able to “turn down” your

dog’s immune response to at least some of the substances in the environment, if not furnish its body with the ability to protect itself from these allergens altogether.


Regular doses of a properly formulated Omega-3/Omega-6 supplement(the right ratio between Omega-3 and Omega-6) can help re-establish the balance of fatty-acid metabolism and reduce the severity of chronic inflammatory activity. Allergies are characterized by inflammatory activity that the right polyunsaturated fat blend can reduce on its own and even eliminate completely if the case is mild.


Research shows that inflammation increases histamine sensitivity and symptom development. Polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation helps combat this excessive activity and as a consequence it works synergistically to further support natural or drug antihistamine preparations.


Antioxidants help alleviate inflammation and allergies as well. By mitigating elevated oxidation. Oxidation is known to accelerate production of the enzymes (known as COX enzymes) that convert the Omega-6 fatty acid (arachidonic acid) into inflammatory hormones.


By increasing antioxidant status in the body with BioVITES, the rate at which inflammatory hormones are produced is reduced. Conventionally we resort to using COX-inhibitors such as NSAIDS (Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs) to combat inflammation.


In the case of allergic reactions, diet-based corrective strategies don’t normally provide immediate relief the way drugs can, so drug therapy like corticosteroid applications becomes the therapy of choice. We want fast results. However, drugs are not the only way to get fast results. Fast and powerful results are available without side effects of drugs. The combination of Bioflavonoid antihistamines and Omega fatty acids provides potent, reliable relief by combining antihistamine-like activity and anti-inflammatory activity.


Pruritis, for example, is common in our furry friends. This skin condition involves interaction of leukotriens, histamines, and prostaglandins that mediate the inflammation. It’s a difficult condition to manage and sometimes the cause is never known. Drug therapy can work, but drugs can be required long-term for severe cases.


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