I am currently sharing information about Lyme disease. Topics include nutritional support, botanical medicine, veterinary recommendations and more. Today I discuss immune support.
A strong immune system is vital to health. It helps ward off infections, viruses, bacteria and long term or chronic illnesses. Your dog’s immune system helps keep him or her strong and healthy.
As I shared in my previous article about Lyme, a vet I spoke with recently shared that often, dogs may be able to fight off Lyme and not get sick from it – IF they are healthy enough to do so.
So what can you do to protect your dog’s immunity and make sure he or she is strong enough to fight off illness?
Reduce Your Dog’s Stress
Stress plays a major role in immune function. A stressful environment can cause or aggravate illness.
Walk Your Dog
Not only will this reduce his or her stress, but will help maintain a healthy weight and stay healthy in general.
Improve Your Dog’s Diet
Nutrient deficiency or inadequate amounts of nutritious ingredients can work against a healthy immune system.
To help keep your dog’s body strong, focus on fresh, whole foods including meats, healthy oils and different colored vegetables and fruits, which provide antioxidants to fight inflammation and illness.
Include Supplements in Your Dog’s Diet
Including a basic multivitamin and mineral supplement can help avoid some deficiencies. Beyond that, there are supplements you can offer to optimize the immune system. Each situation is different, so it’s important to tailor your supplement choices based on your own dog’s needs. I now offer supplement consults to help you with this goal.
Help Your Dog Recover During and After Antibiotics
If your dog needs to be treated with antibiotics (and this is needed sometimes), you can help support recovery using nourishing foods and a high quality probiotic. Your dog’s belly may be upset during and after antibiotics. So we may need to adjust the diet, tempt appetite and more. Contact me for assistance with diet and probiotics.
Improve Diet, Improve Health
Improving your dog’s diet to include fresh, whole foods can make a remarkable difference in health, vitality and immune system performance. This will not only make him or her feel good in the short term, but can protect your furbaby from sickness in the long term.
In turn, this can help you avoid costly vet bills and the heartbreak of a sick pet.
Visit my Services page to choose the best option for you. Thank you for caring about your companion animals! ~ Sarah
PS – Do you have a golden retriever? Visit my golden-specific website at GoldenRetrieverDiet.com