How important is a Detox for your dog?
With the New Year just around the corner there will be many of us thinking about eating healthier and detoxing after the festivities.
But it’s not just ourselves who can benefit from a detox. Toxins can accumulate in your dogs body over time and when the toxic load becomes too heavy for their body to manage, chronic illness can occur.
Dogs are exposed to chemical toxins such as pesticides, household cleaning products, anaesthetic, medication, vaccines, flea & worming treatments and additives in commercial pet foods.
When these toxins build up they can compromise your dogs immune system and can lead to a wide range of illnesses including liver, kidney and skin problems, infections, and digestive disorders.
The liver is responsible for filtering out these toxins and waste and is the organ that needs detoxing. The liver also helps your dog metabolise fat, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.
Some tips on how to help reduce the toxic load
The best way to avoid toxicity build up is to feed your dog a balanced nutritious diet, keeping an eye on the product packaging to avoid cheap fillers such as corn or wheat or artificial flavourings or preservatives. If you are feeling brave, try feeding raw, which is available ready packaged in various sized amounts and is easy to feed. Raw contains a high percentage of protein and no nasty fillers to cause problems.
Choose natural supplements that are rich in nutrition and essential fatty acids Omega-3 & 6 to support your dogs health. A balanced intake of Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids are critical in supporting the health of your dogs immune, digestive and heart health and will help to protect and build liver cells and to maintain healthy skin, coat and build strong joint tissues.
Provide plenty of fresh water, preferably filtered, as tap water can contain heavy metals and chemicals such as chlorine and fluoride.
Source natural treatments to combat fleas and worms rather than over the counter sprays and tablets that can be very toxic. There are lots of herbal alternatives such as Billy No Mates for fleas & ticks and Verm-X for worms.
Lots of exercise will improve your fur baby’s circulation and lymphatic system, moving toxins through the body to be processed and eliminated. It will improve the movement of waste through their digestive system, reducing a build up of toxins in the gut.
Try to avoid using harsh chemically heavy cleaning products in the home and avoid outdoor grassy areas that are known to have been sprayed with pesticides or fertilisers.