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Power Up Fido: Five Ways to Strengthen Your Dog’s Immune System

Jul 30, 2021 09:30AM ● By Shawn Messonnier
Person giving golden lab dog a high five

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A long, healthy life for our animal companions depends on them having resilient immune systems that can resist disease. While supporting a dog’s immunity during illness is vital, it’s also important to help it maintain natural defenses when well to help stave off disease. Adopting all five of these suggestions will help promote optimal wellness.

1. Minimize vaccines

Vaccinations can help prevent disease when the immune system responds appropriately to such treatments. However, when dogs are over-vaccinated, improper immune responses can cause immediate allergic reactions or chronic problems such as autoimmune disorders and even cancer. A simple and inexpensive blood antibody test called a titer can determine if and when a dog may require a vaccine after completing the first adult booster vaccination visit. Dogs with serious and chronic immune disorders should never be vaccinated.

2. Minimize chemicals and medications

Overuse and misuse of chemicals and conventional medications can harm a dog’s body in numerous ways, including causing adverse effects on the immune system. Whenever a chemical product such as a flea preventive or conventional medication like a steroid or antibiotic is needed, we should ask two important questions. First, whether there is a safer, natural alternative to use—there usually is. Secondly, what the lowest dose is to heal the patient. Usually, lower doses of many chemicals and medications can be used safely and effectively. Some doctors over-prescribe chemicals and medications because of incorrect diagnoses, a lack of knowledge of safer natural therapies and to increase their income. 

3. Feed a great diet

No matter what else is done to keep a dog healthy, it is critical to feed a good, natural diet, either homemade or purchased from a reputable company that specializes in healthy, natural foods. Many pet foods are full of unhealthy ingredients that may not be helpful for a dog’s immune system. Animal and plant byproducts, which typically are scrap from the food processing industry, provide little if any positive health benefits and may actually be harmful to a dog. Added chemicals, flavorings and colorings have no specific wellness attributes and may harm the dog’s DNA through oxidative damage, resulting in various immune problems such as cancers.

4. Enable exercise

As with people, a sensible exercise program for a dog is important. It keeps the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems in great shape by mimicking the natural activities that a dog’s wild relatives experience every day. It also strengthens the immune system and builds and enhances the human-dog bond.

5. Use supplements

Dogs that receive supplements every day tend to live longer, feel better and act happier. Even when they may have serious problems like cancer from which they may not recover, they are healthier, stronger and happier while battling the disease. Good formulas contain enzymes, probiotics, glucosamine, vitamins, fatty acids and minerals to help support a normal dog’s overall constitution.

Choline reduces symptoms in senior animals with cognitive disorder and reduces the chances in normal older animals of developing it. Its use is advisable for animals with liver disease or diabetes and for those with seizures. Chamomile and tryptophan reduce any type of anxiety or phobia. They can also reduce itching in allergic patients with an obsessive component to their scratching.

Olive leaf extract is not only good for immune support, but can also help animals with infections of the ears and skin, making it a good alternative to antibiotics and anti-yeast medications. A cancer and immune support supplement containing scute, cordyceps, poria, American ginseng and coix is good for any animal with an immune disease, chronic infections and especially cancer.

These five easy and inexpensive steps to keeping a dog’s immune system healthy will reduce trips to the doctor and extend his life with minimal effort.


Shawn Messonnier, DVM, owner of Paws & Claws Animal Hospital and Holistic Pet Center, in Plano, Texas, is the author of several books on veterinary medicine.

Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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