Is your dog itching, licking paws... does your pup have tear stains, irritated skin, "hot" ears, or other signs of allergies? Are symptoms amplified during certain seasons?

If that sounds like your dog, these three step-by-step guides from canine nutritionists/herbalists and Dogly Nutrition Advocates in the Allergies Channel will tell you what you need to know to get to the root cause of your dog's allergic reactions and address them naturally. You'll learn how with food, herbs, and simple things you can do to reduce allergens on your dog and in your dog's surroundings.

Here's a quick overview of each guide below - you can jump into any of them from here if you want to get started right away:

• Guide 1: How to strengthen your dog's immune system against allergic reactions
• Guide 2: How to naturally overcome seasonal allergies
• Guide 3: How to know if dog allergy tests are worth it

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Seasonal Allergies Guide 1: How to strengthen your dog's immune system against allergic reactions

If your dog is showing signs of allergies, this step-by-step guide gives you what you need to know to get to the root cause of allergic reactions to help your dog not only feel better but actually be better.

All from clinical canine nutritionist and Dogly Nutrition Advocate Alex Eaton who also takes you through the advice and activities in this guide in an accompanying video.

Is allergy season for dogs actually year-round?

For dogs, seasonal allergies show up in response to the allergens that can affect your dog not only outdoors in warmer months (the obvious pollen allergies, for example) but also indoors in colder months that often bring dry heat/air and more indoor toxins.

That's one of the reasons canine nutritionists recommend building up your dog's immune system to protect your dog naturally on an ongoing basis.

Why is it important to address the root cause vs just the symptoms?

An allergic reaction is triggered for a reason - better to actually address that reason for the long term than hide it by suppressing symptoms. Suppression pushes imbalances deeper into the body, causing a cycle of more illness. (If your vet has recommended Apoquel or Cytopoint, you might want to look at the full guide for details on considering those decisions.)

All that is why in this guide, you'll learn:

3 ways to strengthen your dog's immune system against allergies naturally

#1. Rethink your dog's diet.

You'll learn how to look at your dog's diet with a nutritionist's eye for foods to avoid sensitivities (particularly your protein sources) and protect against allergy triggers.

#2. Reduce environmental allergens affecting your dog.

Many seasonal dog allergies are environmental allergies, meaning itchy skin, sensitive skin, runny eyes/nose, troublesome ears, and more can be the result of contact with things in the environment not in your control. But there's a lot you can do to minimize and mitigate your dog's exposure!

Jump to the full guide for Alex's 3 things you can do to reduce allergens in your dog's environment that can end up on your dog and in your home.

#3. Balance your pup's immune system with easy add-ons to your dog's food.

Whether you're feeding kibble, home-cooked food, or something in between, simple additions to your dog's bowl can balance and significantly fortify your pup's immune system.

You can see Alex's 6 favorite immune-boosting additions to your dog's bowl here in the complete guide.

For more natural solutions to seasonal allergies with a focus on food as medicine and herbs as therapy...

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Seasonal Allergies Guide 2: How to overcome seasonal allergies naturally

As seasonal allergies become more common every day, more pet parents are asking how they can handle an allergic reaction naturally - or even better, prevent it.

You'll learn to do exactly that here in this step-by-step guide along with an accompanying video from certified canine nutritionist/herbalist and Dogly Nutrition Advocate Brittney Evans.

First, why addressing seasonal allergies naturally matters...

Good health starts in the gut at the cellular level. We can impact our dogs' gut health (and our own) with everything from medications to diet - all can either promote health within the body, or illness.

Conventional allergy medications (like Apoquel) are suppressants, managing the symptoms temporarily (creating an ongoing cycle of medication) and not addressing the root cause or fortifying your dog's immune system for long-term health.

In the full guide, Brittney shares her experience that once the focus is on the root cause rather than symptoms, you can give your dog (and you) relief from itchy skin and many other allergic reactions naturally instead of with ongoing medications.

In this guide you'll learn:

3 essential ways to heal (not just hide) dog allergies

#1. Food is medicine.

Brittney shares her top 4 favorite "foods as medicine" and why.

You'll also learn the 20% fresh (human food) rule - how to do it and which foods (that you probably already have in your fridge) to use for the biggest boost.

#2. Herbs are therapy - as internal detoxers and immune-boosters.

Herbs work in tandem with your dog's body, stimulating the body to heal itself and defend against pollutants, even flea bites in flea/allergy season. You'll learn how they work - plus Brittney's 3 go-to herbs for fighting allergies and why.

#3. Herbs are therapy - for beating seasonal allergies from the outside-in.

Herbs are extremely powerful as external therapy as well - soothe itchy or sensitive skin or address skin irritation or the excessive licking of your dog's paws.

Jump to the full guide for...

• 3 recommended must-have herbs to treat allergies topically - and how to make a tea-like "soak" for your dog's paws
• 3 simple things to try with your dog to clean allergens like excess pollen, etc. off paws, your dog's body, and to calm "hot" ears

Now for answers on the question of allergy testing and other ways to help figure out causes of your dog's allergies...

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Seasonal Allergies Guide 3: How to know if dog allergy tests are worth it

If you've wrestled with your dog's persistent allergies, you've probably experienced the frustration of many dog parents trying to figure out the exact cause. One of the many allergy-related questions Canine nutritionist and Dogly Nutrition Advocate Alex Eaton is often asked is whether allergy testing for dogs is accurate and worth the risks, discomfort, and costs that come with the tests.

Answers, with all the details you need to know, are broken out here in this guide along with a video where Alex takes you through it all.

You'll learn how to know whether an allergy test, and which one, makes sense for you and your dog.

Starting with which kinds are available...

• blood tests
• hair and saliva tests
• skin tests

... and including the risks and accuracy of each.

For example, skin tests (used for seasonal/environmental allergies but not food allergies) are intradermal tests that require sedation, usually general anesthesia, and are also expensive. Alex's recommendation? "I always recommend avoiding anesthesia unless truly needed, so skin testing is hard to justify."

Other options beyond allergy testing are covered in detail to guide you through figuring out what's truly behind your dog's allergies. Often, knowing your dog, making informed observations, and working with a canine nutritionist/herbalist who focuses on allergies can get you to answers without putting your dog through sometimes difficult, not always reliable tests.

Check out the Allergies Channel on Dogly

Seasonal allergies are just part of the allergy advice and guidance in the Allergies Channel, covering how to manage everything from food allergies to environmental toxins to an acute allergic reaction like flea allergy dermatitis.

Continue on in the Allergies Channel to all the step-by-step guides from our canine nutritionists/herbalists to keep expanding your knowledge on how to understand and treat allergies - and support your dog's best health.

If you have any questions about allergies, you can also ask them in the Allergies Channel in the Community discussion. Or, if you ever need more personalized help, we would be happy to help you find the right Dogly Nutrition or Wellness Advocate to help you and your dog.