Hello
I have been giving my allergy prone Bichon 1 alfalfa a day as per advise from someone. It doesn't actually say what it does on the bottle, I know it must help with itchy skin but how does it work etc??

Thanks

Jo

Hi Jo,
ALFALFA(medicago sativa)
Common uses;allergies,arthritis,cognitive disorder,cancer,urinary disorders(acidic urine)

Alfalfa contains many nutrients(protein,vitamins,minerals and chlorophyl which serves as an antioxadant.
Alfalfa is a green food used as an anti-inflammatory,antioxadant,and a diuretic to cleanse the body,alf. is also given for pets who need to gain weight as it acts as an appetite stimulant

I dont use alf. alone as it works with other vits. and mins. to help stop the itching,i give 2 alf. tabs per day in conjuction with 1 echinacea cap. daily(1000mg),1 vit.E(250i.u)daily and 1 ester C(500mg)daily.
The main purpose of alfalfa is it's anti-inflammatory effect,which calms down the skin,dogs with allergies often have a compromised immune system,hence the vit.C and the echinacea,both of these boost the immune system,all 4 work with each other,once the immune system is up where it belongs you should be able to cut down or even stop the meds.All of these vitamins are useless if you are feeding an inferior diet as good nutrition is the foundation of good health.
One important note with the echinacea is you should give it for 1 month and stop for 1 month as continuous use can build up toxic levels in the system.
I've got loads more info. if you need it,but i didnt want to write  book ;) If you have any more questions,dont hesitate to ask and i will try and answer them.I hope the above has been of some help.
I guess no-one knows 100% why these meds work as well as they do,but they have helped my dogs immensly,i have stopped giving the anti-histamines altogether now :D :D
Hopefully the other Christine will be along shortly as she will be able to add to my post,she knows alot about everything.

Christine :)

Hi  :)

Can I just add that Echinacea shouldn't be given continuosly. As it stimulates the immune system it can overtax it too much if given continuously plus it's been shown that it starts to lose it's effectiveness after about 2 weeks so it's best to have a rest from it after a few weeks and then start again if needed.   :)

Kath.