By Carola Schleuss

Do you avoid cats or dogs because you have pet allergies? Do you want an animal friend but can't because of pet allergies? I can completely understand. I have four animal friends, and when they began to shed, their fur became toxic to me. We were feeding our animal friends dried and canned pet food. We had no idea that what we were feeding them would have an affect on the dander in their fur and subsequently our health.

When I began my studies in nutrition, I came upon many books written by veterinarians sharing their experiences on feeding animals raw, natural whole foods, and how it provides them with the amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals they need for optimal health. I began to experiment with my animal friends. I slowly introduced whole foods such as ground meat, fish, organs, chicken necks and backs, vegetables, sea weeds, and spirulina. For my dogs, I added a small amount of brown rice, millet and quinoa and marrow bones. It took a few months before I began to notice their fur becoming softer and shinier, and it smells fresh. I was also no longer reactive to them. I was thrilled!

We had friends from California visiting a couple of years ago and when they arrived, the husband Pat informed me he would not be able to stay in our house for long, and that he'd have to sleep in their van, because he is highly allergic to cats. Well, he had no problem being in the house, so he decided to try sleeping in the house, no problem. They stayed 3 comfortable nights. Kimba our 15-year old cat had even spent an afternoon napping on his pillow, and he still had no reactions to her fur.

Animal dander or dandruff, is waste, which consists of proteins. Allergies are caused by foreign proteins invading the immune system. When we are having an allergic reaction the Mast Cells which are in the skin, lungs and upper air ways, react to the foreign protein by releasing histamine and prostaglandins, causing a runny nose, itchy eyes, wheezing and sneezing. When an animal is fed a diet of unhealthy foods mainly consisting of cooked proteins from dry food, it creates a lot of dander due to slowing down the metabolism. When this happens, it affects the animal's health as well as ours.

I recommend looking at the Pottenger Experiment on-line or reading it in Traditions Foods by Ronald F. Schmid, N.D. Dr. Pottenger did a 10-year study on cats, raw whole foods vs dried cooked foods. It changed my animal friends lives and mine.

Recommended reading: Traditional Foods by Ronald F. Schmid, N.D. Kindred Spirits by Alen Shoen D.M.V., M.S, Four Paws Five Directions by Cheryl Schwartz, D. V.M Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard H. Pitcarin D. V.M.

Carola Schleuss; CNC CMP, is the co-owner of Simple Remedies in Victoria. Visit  www.simpleremediesherbalsolutions.com