01/07/2025
Letâs set the scene. Spring has sprung, flowers are blooming, the air smells like sunshineâand your dog is itchy, red-eyed, and chewing their paws like itâs their job. Or maybe summer rolls around and your sweet pup trembles at the first hint of thunder or that neighborâs âearly birdâ fireworks display. Cue the panic: What can I do right now?But hereâs the truth: the best time to treat allergies and noise sensitivities isnât when your pet is mid-symptom. Itâs not during pollen season or the week before July 4th. Itâs the off-seasonâthe quieter, calmer months of fall and winterâwhen your petâs system isnât being hijacked by histamines or fireworks.
Why Timing Matters
Think of it like training for a marathon. You donât start running the day before the race. You build resilience ahead of the challenge. The same goes for your petâs immune and nervous systems. If we intervene when the storm has already hitâwhen allergens are high or fireworks are poppingâitâs often just crisis management. But working in the off-season gives us time to rebuild the foundation, not just patch the roof.
From a physiological perspective, chronic inflammationâlike that triggered by environmental allergensâcreates 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. Weâre not trying to fight fire with fire. Weâre giving the body space to recalibrate.
Similarly, with sound sensitivity, weâre dealing with an overactive
nervous system thatâs stuck in fight-or-flight. Waiting until the loud
noises start to try and âfixâ this is like asking someone with a fear of
heights to practice calm breathing at the top of a roller coaster. Itâs
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].
Hereâs an example thatâs always stuck with me. One of my clients had a beautiful German Shepherd who went into full panic mode every time a storm rolled inâshaking, 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 counselorâgetting 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. The first few months? Small improvements. But 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. Thatâs the power of patienceâand of working before the problem explodes.This probably makes sense to most pet parents logically, but I know how hard it is to âtreatâ for something you donât see. When the house is quiet, when the allergies are dormant, it can feel silly or unnecessary to keep up with your plan. But thatâs exactly when the healing happens.
And trust meâIâve been there myself. My sweet girl, Little Miss Molly Brown, started itching every late summer into fall from the time she was five. Every year, weâd cross our fingers and pray for an early freeze to knock out whatever invisible foe was setting her off. The first few years, Iâd wait until the itching showed upâreactive, hopeful, and always just a little too late. But eventually, I got smart. I began working on her biome, bringing in homeopathic remedies, supplements, and energetic medicine starting in the off-seasonâwhen everything was quiet. And guess what? 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 Iâve never forgotten, and one I now pass on to my clients.
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? Thatâs your cue to mark your calendar for October. The fall and winter months are our window to heal the gut, rebalance the immune system, and gently reintroduce desensitization protocols without being overwhelmed by active triggers.
Nervous System Prep: Calm is a Skill
Nervous system regulation doesnât happen overnight. If your dog panics during thunderstorms or fireworks, the worst time to start desensitization training is right before the holiday. 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 ârest and digestâ system âturning down the dial on hyper-vigilance [2].
Off-Season = Opportunity
Letâs stop waiting for crisis mode to scramble for solutions. Whether your dog is struggling with itchy skin, hot spots, chronic ear infections, or fireworks-induced panic, the fall and winter months are your secret weapon. It's quieter. Itâs calmer. It's the best
time to dig deep, address the root, and build a better baseline. Healing is a season-by-season strategy, and the off-season? Thatâs when the real magic happens.đ
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.
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