In humans, peanut allergy is the most common food-related cause of lethal anaphylaxis. Unlike many other food allergies, it often persists into adulthood. As well, peanuts are often used in dog treats. Well, you may say, peanuts can be allergens for humans, but can animals be allergic to them too? Yes, they can; read on…

When pre-sensitized mice were injected with peanut extract, it was found that this caused dose-dependent shock by induction of complement C3a. The resulting shock was found to be independent of LPS (bacterial) contamination. C3a stimulates macrophages, basophils, and mast cells to produce platelet-activating factor and histamine (1). Another study found that peanut extract caused gene expression changes in the mesenteric lymph nodes of Brown Norway rats (2).

Many pet treats contain peanut butter because animals simply love the taste! However, be aware of this food’s allergenic potential. Mice aren’t the only animals that can be allergic to peanuts. At least one study (3) has shown that dogs can also be allergic to peanuts and other common human allergens. The allergenic response in dogs follows this hierarchy: peanut > tree nuts > wheat > soy > barley.

The probiotic Lactobacillus casei Shirota could not down-regulate the allergic response to peanuts in Brown Norway rats (4).

At Onesta Organics, we promise to resist the temptation to use peanuts, which are tasty, but potentially harmful, simply to increase palatibility of our pet food products.

1. Khodoun et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2009;123(2):352-3
2. deJonge et al. J Immunotoxicol 2008:5(4):385-94
3. Teuber et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2002;110(6):921-7
4. deJonge et al. Toxicology 2008;249(2-3):140-5

Researchers compared the allergenic properties of cows and goat milk in laboratory guinea pigs (1). Anaphylaxis and antibody production tests showed that goat milk is hypoallergenic when compared with cows milk. The data also suggests that both casein and lactoserum proteins are responsible for the observed milk-related allergies.

AlphaS1-casein and several peptides derived from alphaS1-casein have been shown to be the major allergens in cows milk (2).

It remains to be determined if raw milk has similar effects. Notably, raw milk seems to be tolerated by people with lactose intolerance.

1. Cellabos et al. J. Dairy Sci. 2009;92(3):837-46. <small>

2. Schulmeister et al. J. Immunol. 2009:182(11):7019-29

A veterinary pet insurance company reports that pet poisoning in the UK has been continuously rising over the past few years. It is conceivable that this is also true in other countries.

Proper storage of medications and drugs, including ash trays can prevent many incidents of pet poisoning in your home. The toxic level of nicotine for dogs is reported to be 5mg/lb body weight. For dogs, a dose of 10mg of nicotine is potentially lethal.

One cigarette contains 15 to 25 mg of nicotine, a cigar 15-40mg, a cigarette patch between 8-114mg. A cigarette butt contains 4-8 mg of nicotine, depending on its length and content in the original cigarette. Since smoking concentrates nicotine, cigarette butts contain relatively higher amounts of nicotine. Chewing tobacco contains between 6 and 8 mg of nicotine.

Other common nicotine-containing products are nicotine chewing gum (with 2-4mg nicotine per piece), nasal sprays (0.5mg per spray, 80-100mg per bottle), and nicotine inhalers (4mg per puff, 10mg per cartridge).

Signs of nicotine toxicity are dose dependent and include tremors, weakness, depression, stumbling, lethargy, hyperactivity, fast or difficulty breathing, drooling, dilated pupils, diarrhea, seizures, collapse, decreased or increased heart rate, and vomiting. These signs begin usually within one hour after ingestion, when many dogs vomit naturally. Untreated, nicotine toxicity can cause paralysis of the breathing muscles and consequently death.

Some animals do not show symptoms for hours after exposure to toxins. Therefore, it is best to bring your pet to a veterinarian if you saw or suspect that your pet ingested nicotine or was exposed to any other drug, even if you do not yet notice any symptoms. Always collect and bring along to your veterinarian all packaging or containers involved, as well as any material your pet may have chewed on or vomited. This additional information can be essential for the most effective treatment.

Treatments include induction of vomiting, bathing (if exposure was dermal), pumping the stomach, delivery of activated charcoal, IV fluids, breathing support with ventilation, oxygen, and seizure control measures.

Prevention includes proper storage of all drugs in your home, car, and garden, as well as proper supervision in public areas such as in parks, beaches, streets.

For a fee, ASPCA offers a consultation for immediate assistance at 888-426-4435 and also sells an emergency first-aid kit for your pet (http://www.aspcaonlinestore.com/index.php?productID=1930).

William Hageman (bhagman@tribune.com) wrote a useful article about what you can do if your dog got skunked. He shares a homemade rinse that is recommended by Francine Barnes, the owner of Carriage Hill Kennels in Glenview, IL.

Combine 1 quart fresh hydrogen peroxide (the usual 3% solution from a drugstore) with 1/4 cup of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of liquid soap (preferably a non-toxic, biodegradable product). Mix well. The solution will bubble and must be used as long as it is still active.

Apply the solution outdoors using protective gloves and without previously wetting your dog. Be careful not to get any of the solution into the dog”s eyes. Let the solution on for 10 minutes.

Rinse and repeat.

If the smell persists, make another batch of this solution and go another round.

The following is a technique my husband picked up at the Neonatal Care Unit. We have applied it with great success to our rescued rats when they are in respiratory distress or during gasping attacks .

- Take the animal and hold her gently in a comfortable position with one hand.
- Tap with the tips of two (or three) fingers hard (but not too hard) on her ribcage on the
sides of her body, directly above the lungs. You should faintly hear the tapping sounds.
- Alternate tapping on both of her sides.
- Make a short break.
- Repeat for a couple of minutes or until the rat gets restless.
- Reward with kisses, petting and/or a special treat.

Our rats really respond well to this emergency intervention.

We apply this treatment also when acute gasping attacks are not an issue to relieve respiratory distress (i.e., when we hear that fluids have accumulated in the lungs).

You can do this anytime, when you watch a movie, when you sit still, or on your trip to your veterinarian – whenever you have both hands free to help your pet.

This is a temporary solution only; you have to consult your veterinarian to learn how to best resolve the underlying problem.

Aside from being a supportive or an emergency intervention, this simple treatment can help tighten the bond between you and your pet. Our rats usually enjoy it and start licking our hands soon after we start with this procedure. They really don’t seem to get tired of it.

Ozone is a natural gas with short reactive half life time but great therapeutic and sanitary properties.

Ozonated olive oil was recommended to us by Dr. Robert Smatt to treat a facial abscess in one of our rescued rats. After only a few applications of this salve, the abscess was gone for good after less than 12 hours without oozing or uncomfortable heat compressions.

We observed the same effect a few months later, again on a facial abscess and an abscess that developed at a surgical incision site. The abscess on the surgical site diminished after only one application and disappeared after 4 days of once a day application of the salve.

Ozone is a great natural antibiotic and we have used it successfully to treat a variety of fungal, viral, and bacterial infections. Although we never had to try it, we believe that ozonated olive oil would also be a very effective treatment for bublefoot.

One of our friends has great success treating itchy hot spots on her dog’s skin with ozonated olive oil. Her dog apparently really appreciates the relief this simple remedy causes and lies down contently and with great expectations to allow the application.

The beauty of this non-toxic, low-tech treatment is that animals even can lick and ingest it without getting harmed. In fact, some practitioners recommend oral administration of ozonated olive oil for certain ailments.

Dr. Smatt also used ozone gas to treat inoperable cancers as well as arthritic problems in dogs, cats and even one of our rats. We are very grateful for Dr. Smatt’s care for our pets.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a disease in which a weakened heart muscle is unable to effciently pump blood through the body. CHF can be caused by hypertension, cardiomyopathy, diabetes, coronary artery disease, heart attacks, or defective heart valves. CHF is common in some breeds of dogs or older pocket pets such as pet rats and is often treated with conventional medicine. However, CoQ10 and L-carnitine and other supplementation may support conventional treatment regimen or can be used for prevention purposes.
[Note: Ask your veterinarian if he approves giving these supplements to your pet.]

L-carnitine transports free fatty acids into the mitochondria where they are used for energy. Coenzyme Q10 is essential for the production of ATP which cells use as energy. Because of its high energy demand heart cells have an intense metabolic activity and the highest density of mitochondria. Boosting the levels of L-carnitine and CoQ10 can therefore improve the heart’s pumping activity. D-ribose is another supplement that supports ATP production and improves heart function in both rats and dogs. Nutritional interventions with vitamin D3 and omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish or fish oil can prevent the development of congestive heart failure in rats prone to developing this disease.

The Natural Research Council lists the following causes grouped according to importance:

Mycoplasma pulmonis
Sendai virus
CAR bacillus
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Corynebacterium kutscheri

Rat coronavirus
Sialodacryoadenitis virus
Pneumonia virus of mice
Pneumocystis carinii
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Mycoplasma collis

Pasteurella pneumotropica
Bordetella bronchiseptica
Adenovirus

This alone explains why symptoms of respiratory disease in rats are often hard to treat. One of the other reasons is that some respiratory problems may be heart related.

Chamomile tea is famous for its calming effects, and other health benefits such as improving sleep and cold symptoms. Japanese researchers found that daily consumption of chamomile significantly suppresses blood glucose levels and prevents the progression of hyperglycemia and diabetic complications in rats. For this study, rats with diabetes received hot water extract of chamomile with meals for three weeks. Kato et al. (2008) J Agric Food Chem 56(17):8206-11.

Itching is often caused by food allergies, contact allergies, eczema, or parasitic infection. If you have excluded these causes or if you want to provide temporary relief from itching for animals that can’t scratch themselves (e.g., older rats with hind limb weakness), here are some natural home remedies for topical application.

Peppermint wash/bath

Honey and cinnamon paste (1:1)

Oatmeal in Luke warm water

Apple cider vinegar in water (0.5:1)

White vinegar in water soak

Aloe Vera (food grade): Out of the fridge, this often brings immediate relief.

Coconut oil and lime juice

Vitamin E (liquid)

Mixture of Aloe Vera, cod liver oil, lemon juice, vitamin E (liquid)

Neem oil

A good way to avoid food allergies is to avoid foods which contain ingredients that are not species-appropriate. An example for an ingredient that is not species-appropriate is animal fat in rabbit food – you may think I am exaggerating, but this is unfortunately sad reality thanks to one large pet food company. Other potential food allergens are isolated ”food fragments” such as gluten, grains that have not been properly prepared for carnivores, and in general ingredients of low quality which includes genetically engineered (GE) foods and conventional (i.e., non-organic) ingredients which are laced with toxins. Introduction of GE soy has been implicated in the significant occurrance of food allergies in Great Britain.

Note: The skin absorbs most topically applied substances. It is therefore advisable to only use organic topicals to avoid introducing new toxins that may aggravate the problem or cause other health problems for your pet.

Note: Most vitamin E supplements are derived from genetically engineered (GE) soybeans. GE soybeans have been shown to cause allergies in both humans and animals.

Note: Always check with your veterinarian to confim that a remedy is appropriate for your pet.