I Found Out What My Dog Is Allergic To With Pet Medella’s Sensitivity Scan

Yep, I did it and had Missy tested with Pet Medella’s Sensitivity Scan!

That’s a test that scans for food allergies and environmental sensitivities using your pet’s DNA.

So why did I do it? After all, I constantly brag about my little cancer survivor’s excellent health, right? So why question it? 

Well, for one I was naturally curious to find out what the scan results would be, but I was also intrigued by the holistic nature of the test.

I mean, I DID incorporate many lifestyle changes following her cancer scare.

For example, switching her from kibble to raw dog food, vaccinating her a lot less and no longer using dryer sheets – did you know that those are filled with chemicals?!

Yuck.

However, I had yet to seek advice from a holistic practitioner like PetMedella.

So when they asked me if I was interested in taking the test with Missy, I jumped at the opportunity.

I Found Out What My Dog Is Allergic To With Pet Medella’s Sensitivity Scan

Disclaimer: PetMedella provided us with a free Wellness Kit in return for an honest review.

Who Is PetMedella?

PetMedella is headquartered in St. Paul, MN and was founded by Samantha Stupak.

Samantha first developed a system of identifying major stresses in humans using BioEnergetic testing of hair and saliva, and founded Balanced Health.

She did so after battling Lyme Disease for four years when she learned about the importance of a holistic approach to health.

The company has over 60 years of natural health experience between its technicians, coaches, and practitioners.

Recently, they expanded into scanning pets using the same BioEnergetic approach – PetMedella was born!

Pet Medella’s Sensitivity Scan – Here’s What The Process Looked Like:

1. We received the wellness kit in the mail
2. Missy went online to www.petmedella.com/mypet and answered a series of questions regarding her current health
3. We collected a hair and saliva sample from Missy and mailed it back to PetMedella
4. A few days later, we received an email with a link to our results
5. We had a follow-up phone consultation with a PetMedella practitioner to review the results 

1. Our Wellness Kit

The Wellness Kit we received in the mail consisted of a:

• ID card
• Sterile saliva collection swab
• Ziplock baggie to collect a hair sample
• Pre-labeled & stamped return bubble mailer

2. Answering Our Kit Questions Online

Once we had checked out the contents of the wellness kit, we went online to www.petmedella.com.

There, we answered the following questions about Missy’s current health:

• Is your pet aggressive towards other animals or people? Describe 
• Does your pet show any unusual behavior? 
• Where did you get your pet? How old were they at the time? 
• Is your pet on any diets? What is your pet eating and how often? 
• Does your pet get ‘people’ food? Do they get regular treats? Describe
• Known food intolerances? 
• Number of bowel movements per day
• Describe your top concerns and when they started

It also asked us to list any:

• Allergies your pet has
• Vaccinations your pet has received
• Illnesses or surgeries your pet has had
• Current medications or supplements being taken

After we answered those questions, we had to come up with a password and agree to PetMedella’s terms of service.

They essentially state that we understand that PetMedella’s employees aren’t veterinarians.

After that, we got an email confirmation with our unique ID number.

Missy & I wrote it down on the ID card included in the Wellness Kit.

3. Collecting Missy’s Hair & Saliva Samples

Next up was the active, fun part – the hair & saliva collection.

Missy thoroughly enjoyed getting brushed for her hair sample.

She also willingly let me poke around her cheeks and under her tongue to collect the saliva sample.

She’s such a good, patient girl!

4. Our Report Results Were Ready A Few Days Later

We snail mailed the samples back to PetMedella and received an email notification just a few days later.

It stated that the results of Missy’s hair & saliva analysis were ready to be viewed.

Of course we immediately hopped online and logged into our unique dashboard where we found Missy’s detailed report.

I have to admit that at first, those results were a little surprising. 

After all, Missy’s teeth are super clean and her skin is glossy & shiny, both of which I attribute to the raw food diet she’s been on for the past two years.

As a matter of fact, it was her initial cancer diagnosis that prompted me to switch her from kibble to raw dog food.

Just an FYI: She’s never needed a dental cleaning and her 6th birthday is coming up.

5. Phone Consultation With PetMedella Practitioner Rochelle

After I thought about it for a moment and talked it over with Rochelle, a PetMedella practitioner, I realized that Missy’s thyroid cancer treatment must have impacted those areas of her body that came up as being stressed.

She had her last chemotherapy treatment over two years ago in March of 2015.

Yet despite that time span, the toxic cocktail she had injected apparently continued to haunt her, albeit invisible to the human eye.

Now THAT was quite the epiphany for me.

I ended up being on the phone with Rochelle for about 20 minutes.

Besides walking me through Missy’s report, she also suggested a homeopathic remedy called Lympho Code to rebuild Missy’s lymphatic system.

I haven’t bought it just yet, but will think about it

Any Cons?

There’s only one con I can think of, and that would be the $138 price tag of the Wellness Kit, especially in a multi-pet household.

I do, however, believe that investing into health always makes a lot of sense and that the return on this particular investment is a good one.

Missy’s test results are the prime example – I didn’t realize she had any sensitivities or stressors until the results of her scan came back.

Pet Medella’s Sensitivity Scan: Bottom Line

This sensitivity scan was fun and educational.

I was particularly interested in the results as Missy had just aced her annual wellness checkup at our traditional vet’s.

The checkup included a full body exam, test for heartworms and other intestinal parasites, lyme & ehrlichia test, as well as a CBC (complete blood count).

It wasn’t, however, conducted by a holistic veterinarian or nutritionist.

Thanks to PetMedella, I now know that Missy doesn’t do well with/is sensitive to:

• Lamb
• Pheasant
• Margarine
• Cow milk
• Cheese mixes
• Bleach
• Ammonia
• Lawn chemicals
• Mold
• Cigarettes AND that her sinuses, teeth/jaw drainage, and skin are experiencing some sort of stress.

Over the course of the last two years, she’s only had lamb for a duration of about two weeks. That’s when she taste-tested new raw dog food from Darwin’s Natural Pet who we order from regularly.

I didn’t notice any obvious intolerances like diarrhea or throwing up, so maybe she’d only be visibly affected if she ate nothing but lamb. I’m not sure, but I made a mental note.

As far as her environmental sensitivities are concerned, she’s safe here with me.

I don’t smoke (used to but quit cold turkey) and never use bleach and/or any harsh cleaning products containing ammonia. I also don’t treat our lawn with any chemicals.

P.S. Analyzing My Own Human Health

As mentioned above, PetMedella also has a human side of the business and identifies major stresses in humans using the same system of scanning hair & saliva samples as demonstrated in Missy.

I plan to get an analysis of MY very own health (human scans cost $195).

While I don’t suffer from a chronic illness (that I know of!), I have noticed that my body does better on some foods than on others.

I did, for example, notice that I feel much better after removing milk with cereal and (greek) yogurt from my life.

I used to love both, but always felt horribly bloated after I ate them.

Have you considered scanning your dog for nutritional and/or environmental sensitivities? 

As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below this blog post!

Related Reading

• This Controversial Dog Food Allergy Test Gave Me Helpful Results
• Raw Dog Food Recipes & Tips For Dogs With Allergies
• 24 Strong Vets Who Endorse Raw Dog Food