Pet Allergies: Rethinking Healing
- Everwell Pets
- Jun 30
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 5
How circadian biology plays a role in healing seasonal allergies and nervous system triggers.
Let’s set the scene. Spring has sprung, flowers are blooming, the air smells like sunshine—and your dog is itchy, red-eyed, and chewing their paws like it’s their job. Or maybe summer rolls around and your sweet pup trembles at first hint of thunder, and though we can provide tools and techniques to ease the response to triggers, (see remedies for firework anxiety), the best time to work on healing allergies and noise sensitivities isn’t when your pet is in mid-symptom. It’s not during pollen season. It’s the off-season—the quieter, calmer months of fall and winter—when your pet’s system isn’t being hijacked by histamines or other seasonal stressors.
Why Timing Is Key To Healing
Think of it like training for a marathon. You don’t start running the day before the race. You build resilience ahead of the challenge. The same goes for your pet’s immune and nervous systems. If we intervene when the storm has already hit—when allergens are high or thunderstorms are rolling—it’s often just crisis management. But working in the off-season gives us time to rebuild the foundation, not just patch the roof.
Chronic Inflammation:
From a physiological perspective, chronic inflammation—like that triggered by environmental allergens—creates a sensitized immune response that worsens over time if not addressed at the root level [1]. Addressing that inflammation when the trigger is absent gives the immune system breathing room. We’re not trying to fight fire with fire. We’re giving the body space to recalibrate.
Sound Sensitivities:
Similarly, with sound sensitivity, we’re dealing with an overactive nervous system that’s stuck in fight-or-flight. Waiting until the loud noises start to try and “fix” this is like asking someone with a fear of heights to practice calm breathing at the top of a roller coaster. It’s too late. But in the quiet of fall and winter, we can gently rewire those stress responses, by working on desensitization and overall nervous system resilience [2][3].
Seasonal Immunity and the Allergy Cycle
Research has shown that immune reactivity is cyclical and influenced by environmental cues like daylight, temperature, and circadian rhythms [4]. In animals, just like in humans, seasonal changes impact immune cell activity and hormone levels. For example, histamine levels rise in the spring as allergens re-emerge, making it harder to treat once the symptoms are in full swing [5].
So when your pet starts licking their feet every May? That’s your cue to mark your calendar for October.
The fall and winter months are our window to heal the gut, re-balance the immune system, and gently reintroduce desensitization protocols without being overwhelmed by active triggers.
A Client Experience:
Here’s an example that’s always stuck with me. One of my clients had a beautiful German Shepherd who went into full panic mode every time a storm rolled in—shaking, pacing, panting, and trying to claw through the drywall. The pet parent had tried CBD, but admittedly, it was hit or miss. After working with a canine cannabis counselor—getting the correct molecules and not just giving CBD during a storm but using it daily as part of a nervous system support protocol year-round, he made small improvements. The true change came when he stayed consistent all through the fall and winter.
By the time the next thunderstorm season rolled around, instead of sheer panic, his dog showed only mild unease. He curled up under the table and rode it out. No destruction. No frantic fear. That’s the power of patience—and of working before the problem explodes.
A Personal Experience:
My sweet girl, Little Miss Molly Brown, started itching every late summer into fall from the time she was five. Every year, we’d cross our fingers and pray for an early freeze to knock out whatever invisible foe was setting her off. The first few years, I’d wait until the itching showed up—reactive, hopeful, and always just a little too late. But eventually, I changed tactics and began working on her biome, bringing in homeopathic remedies, supplements, and energetic medicine starting in the off-season.
Each year, the itching was less. We never fully resolved it, but the episodes grew shorter and less intense, and her system became more resilient. As long as I worked when the allergen was dormant, the results came easier. It's a lesson I’ve never forgotten, and one I now pass on to my clients.
In Conclusion
Nervous system regulation doesn’t happen overnight.It takes time and consistency to retrain the amygdala and build confidence through gradual exposure and neuroplasticity exercises [6].
By starting in the off-season, we can pair gentle sound therapy with homeopathy, chiropractic adjustments, nutrition, and lifestyle changes that support the parasympathetic “rest and digest” system—turning down the dial on hyper-vigilance.
Whether your dog is struggling with itchy skin, hot spots, chronic ear infections, or thunderstorm-induced panic, the quieter and calmer months of fall and winter are your secret weapon.
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References
Valenta R, et al. (2002). The Immunological Basis of Allergy. Nature Reviews Immunology.
Porges SW. (2009). The Polyvagal Theory: New insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine.
Levine P. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
Nosal C, et al. (2016). Seasonal variation in immune responses: implications for the incidence of diseases. Journal of Biological Rhythms.
Liccardi G, et al. (2014). Seasonal Patterns of Allergen Sensitization. Clinical & Experimental Allergy.
Overall KL. (2013). Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats. Elsevier.