Winter Showers Bring May Allergies

Zeus overcomes his sniffles

Many of us, however, are not so lucky.  This winter’s rain is making flowers bloom everywhere you look.  The beauty has a price, though.  That price is allergies. 

People aren’t the only victims of allergy season.  Your pooch could be suffering too.  Signs of canine allergies include scratching, sneezing, coughing, and/or watery eyes.  Although May is Allergy and Ashthma Awareness Month, the heavy rains have kicked off the season early.

Some ways to reduce your dog’s allergy symptoms, according to Glyn Sheridan from ehow.com, include:

• Vacuuming or sweeping daily
• Brewing a generic cup of black tea, diluting it with two cups of water, and pouring the concoction into a spray bottle.  Spritzing it around the house will kill dust mites. (DON’T spray it on light colored fabric!)
• Putting flaxseed oil in your pup’s food, which will boost your dog’s immunity to contact irritants
• Giving your pooch an antihistamine.  Over the counter people-medications work.  Benadryl or its generic brand which contain diphenhydramine are recommended.  One 25mg tablet for every 50 pounds your dog weighs is the suggested dosage.  Check with your vet before administering any drugs.

Pollen counts are lower in the morning and around 3pm.  That means that the pollen counts are higher around dusk.  So, the best way to avoid working out in the hot sun AND avoiding pollen allergens for you and your dog is to come to the Zoom Room for all your exercise needs.  Agility class, anyone?