Chronic ear infections and yeast problems are frequently a sign of allergies. Allergies are becoming more and more common and troublesome in both cats and dogs. Diet, digestive enzymes and probiotics, and essential fatty acids are the basics for treating allergies and chronic ear problems from the inside out.

Many animals with food sensitivities and allergies have seen dramatic improvement on a raw food diet.

Most animals with food allergies have unhealthy gastrointestinal systems that are not able to digest food properly. Leaky gut develops and then molecules that are too large for the body to process are allowed through the gut wall, setting off allergic reactions. The symptoms may appear in the ears, but you have to heal the gut to really get rid of the allergies. Digestive enzymes break down the food so that there is less of a chance of the larger molecules passing through the intestinal walls, probiotics help restore a healthy balance of flora in the gut and aid digestion, and fatty acids help reduce inflammation and heal the gut as well as nourish the skin.

Supplement every meal with digestive enzymes to aid digestion and assimilation of the nutrients in processed foods. Digestive enzymes must be added at every meal of cooked or processed food. The enzymes do not remain in the animal’s system beyond digestion of the food immediately present in the digestive tract. A raw diet does not necessarily need digestive enzyme supplementation after an animal has been transitioned to raw food. The enzymes present within the raw meats and vegetables are usually sufficient for proper digestion.

Probiotics are especially important for an animal that has been on steroids or antibiotics as they kill the healthy gut flora and set up conditions for the allergies to worsen. Probiotics are helpful for any animal that has had chronic gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting or diarrhea as well.

Essential fatty acids, preferably fish oil, are vital to nourish the skin and coat and help reduce inflammation in the animal’s system. Allergies involve inflammation of the gut and often can affect the joints as well. You can increase the dosage above what is recommended on the bottle, but if you see loose stools then reduce the dosage a bit.