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From acupuncture to food therapy, TCVM treats skin allergies in dogs and cats by addressing root causes and improving overall well-being.
Allergies are among the most challenging problems in dogs and cats. When an allergen triggers an animal’s immune system, it can cause a skin allergy or allergic dermatitis. This uncomfortable and frustrating condition leads to intense itching and scratching, redness and irritation, hot spots, and more.
This article explores how TCVM for skin allergies in dogs and cats alleviates symptoms and addresses the root of the problem.
What causes skin allergies?
Skin allergies have a variety of triggers:
- Parasites: Fleas, scabies, fungi, intestinal parasites
- Environmental allergens: Dust mites, pollens from trees and grasses, mold spores, bacteria (these allergies are classified as atopic dermatitis)
- Food allergens: Beef, chicken and dairy are common food allergens.
Allergies can manifest year-round or seasonally, like human hay fever. The triggering factor determines the pattern. Among the three main categories, environmental allergies are the hardest to manage. These allergens are often difficult to avoid.
Understanding allergies from a TCVM perspective
Researchers first introduced the term “allergy” in 1911. It derives from the Greek words allos (meaning “altered”) and ergeai (meaning “energy”). In other words, “altered energy.” This is exactly how allergies are described in TCVM: as an imbalance in the body’s energies (Qi).
In TCVM, Wei Qi (defensive Qi) circulates beneath the skin. It forms your dog or cat’s immunity to external elements. Wei Qi is a combination of Kidney Qi (constitutional energy), Lung qi (energy from respiration), and Spleen Qi (food/digestive energy).
If any of these energies becomes weak, Wei Qi fails to provide the exterior defence needed to fight external pathogens and allergens.
According to veterinarian Dr. Susan G. Wynn, weak digestive energy causes food allergies, with the Spleen and Stomach functions governing this energy and Kidney Qi fueling it.
Excess or Deficiency?
In TCVM, we divide symptoms into two categories: Excess and Deficiency. This helps the clinician construct a treatment plan and implement changes accordingly.
Excess conditions can be seasonal, triggered by Wind, Heat, and Dampness, but can also be triggered by an underlying Deficiency:
- Wei Qi Deficiency: Poor immune system
- Spleen Qi Deficiency: Improper diet and digestion, microbiome imbalance
- Liver Yin Deficiency: reduced antioxidant function.
Allergens trigger the immune system to overreact, leading to overheating, which TCVM describes as Excess Heat.
External factors that can worsen allergies
- Wind: Urticaria, skin rash, pruritus, dryness
- Dampness: Papular eruptions, exudative lesions, eczema or erosion
- Heat: Redness and heat, soreness with heat sensation, itching and pain, erosion with pus, papular eruption.
Additional risk factors for dermatological disease include:
- Over-aggressive vaccination: Lung/Spleen Deficiency
- Medication side effects: Liver Qi stagnation
- Emotional stress: Liver Qi stagnation
- Poor breeding: Kidney Jing deficiency
Treating skin allergies with TCVM
Food therapy
If your dog or cat shows any signs of skin allergies (see sidebar on page xx), reevaluate their diet. Consider ruling out food allergies and considering the properties of the food they eat. Here are the three main fundamental principles of TCVM food therapy:
- Thermal properties/Xing
- Taste/Wei
- Pattern differentiation/Bian Zheng
Allergic dogs or cats will feel warm, whether due to Heat Excess or Yin Deficiencies. To help cool them down you can opt to feed Cooling/Neutral foods to restore balance in the body.
Protein options include rabbit and whitefish. Vegetables such as cucumbers, lettuce, and spinach and fruits like apples, melon, and plums are great sources for replenishing your dog or cat’s Yin.
Avoid Hot/Warming foods such as chicken, lamb, shrimp, rice and corn. Carbohydrates in general add more Heat, and that can make your animal more uncomfortable. Freshly prepared food provides more Cooling properties. It’s preferable to dry, processed diets. See the table on page xx for the TCVM properties of various foods.
Probiotics can be used to improve digestion and boost the immune system. Yogurt and kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and other fermented/pickled vegetables and fruits help restore the microbiome. Green and sour foods are recommended for soothing the Liver.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture can improve allergy symptoms and offer immediate relief when it comes to dispelling Wind and Wind Heat. It also moves Qi and Blood throughout the body and calms the Shen.
Some practitioners prefer dry needling, whereas others will use aquapuncture. This involves the insertion of fluid, usually saline but also vitamins or homeopathic remedies, into an acupuncture point for prolonged effects and faster action.
Veterinarians can use acupuncture to treat Deficiency patterns too. They select acupoints based on the pattern and your dog or cat’s tolerance for needling. Multiple sessions are usually required to reach a balance within the body.
Herbal formulas
Herbal medicine is a major branch of TCVM dating back 4,000 years. Herbs can offer relief for allergies by addressing underlying issues like inflammation, immune system imbalances, and histamine responses. Recent studies have shown that certain herbs reduce IgE and mast cells.
While herbs are a gentle and effective way to manage allergies, combining them with food therapy maximizes their benefits. Acute, excess conditions may improve quickly. Chronic conditions may take one to two weeks. Veterinarians may recommend treatment for one to six months, or lifelong maintenance, depending on the condition.
Each herb affects the body and its various organs differently. Once a TCVM-trained veterinarian makes the correct diagnosis, he or she can prescribe the right herbal formula for your dog or cat. For more information about Chinese herbal medicine, see page xx.
Using TCVM for skin allergies in dogs and cats can be a very effective way to ease itching and pain. It also gets to the root of the issue. While it’s important to work with a veterinarian well-versed in TCVM, knowing something about its principles helps you understand how it can improve your dog or cat’s well-being.
Skin allergy signs and symptoms
Skin allergies often manifest as itching and redness, but other symptoms may also occur:
- Chronic ear infections
- Constant licking
- Diarrhea
- Hives
- Itchy ears
- Overall itchiness
- Red, inflamed skin
- Runny eyes
- Sneezing
- Swelling of the eyelids, earflaps, lips, and face
- Vomiting
Common diseases can worsen or be mistaken for skin allergies. These include endocrine issues (e.g. hypothyroidism, hypoadrenocorticism, hyperadrenocorticism, hypogonadism). Nutritional deficiencies (e.g. zinc, vitamins A, D and E) can also play a role.
TCVM properties of various foods
| Food | Cool/Cold | Neutral | Warm/Hot |
| Meats | Turkey, deep ocean fish, cod, rabbit, clam, whitefish | Pork, eggs, goose, duck, catfish, salmon, sardine, tripe, quail | Chicken, shrimp, venison |
| Vegetables | Spinach, broccoli, celery, kelp, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, winter melon | Yam, carrot, potato, sweet potato | Ginger, carrots, squash, pumpkin, |
| Fruits | Watermelon, bitter melon, pear, banana, gingko, persimmon | Green pea, apple | Peach, plum, apricot, tangerine, olive |
| Grains and beans, oils | Millet, brown rice, buckwheat, wheat flour, barley, mung bean, sesame oil, flaxseed oil | Corn, sweet rice, soybean, string beans, peanuts | Oats, white rice, rice vinegar, olive oil |
Example of a recipe for Wind Heat conditions
This recipe can help with skin allergies in a dog or cat. It’s for short tern use only.
200 g rabbit meat, stewed
280 g brown rice, cooked
80 g spinach, boiled
80 g mushrooms, boiled
1 tbsp soybean oil
2 tsp salmon oil
¼ tsp table salt
7 tsp Balance It Canine (balance.it)
500 mg taurine
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