DETOX, DAWG!
Why detox?
To provide your dog with a healthy, happy and long senior life, detoxification and eliminatory organ support essential. The earlier you introduce a natural detox regime the better!
Our modern world is filled with unavoidable pollutants. From the moment a puppy is born, just breathing the air, indoors or out, romping through grass and garden, and lapping up tap water or puddles outside, your pet comes into contact with toxins and chemicals.
Even the things we intentionally load our dogs up with to protect them from parasites (worm tablets, flea & tick treatments), viral infection (vaccines), pain and inflammation (pain killers like Tramadol, anti-inflammatories like Rimadyl), and surgical anaesthetics also contain less-than-ideal chemicals that can build up in your dog’s system and effect organ function, overall health and longevity. Stress can also disrupt the function of a dog’s natural detoxification pathways, so for dogs that travel a lot, are by left themselves during the day or night, or suffer from anxiety or OCD behaviour, regular detox support can also be really helpful.
There are a number of detox supporting natural herbs, superfoods, antioxidants and amino acids that are easy to supplement and relatively inexpensive. With a little research and just a little extra time out of your to to add some natural detox components to your dog’s daily meal it’s easy to make a significant difference to their quality of life. The changes you make now will have a lasting effect on their senior years – it’s never too late to start!
Bull terriers (and other breeds) with skin and allergies problems will significantly benefit from regular detox and eliminatory organ support. If you are in the process of changing your dog’s diet to accomodate sensitivities, including some detox support can shorten the time it takes for your dog’s body to see results from a new hypo-allergenic diet. Without detox support during this process it can sometimes take a few months for the the build up of toxins and systemic inflammation related to the previous diet to subside and health to fully improve.
For the detox component of Lulu’s supplementation regime I was initially inspired by Dr Mercola Healthy Pet’s Liver & Kidney Support formula and Bladder Support formula. Australia has unfortunate laws that prohibit the importation of pet supplements from overseas. So, hindered as I was getting hold of Dr Mercola Healthy Pets formulas, I devised to study the ingredients and dose rates as a starting point for creating my own supplement regime from scratch for Lulu. You can read all about Lulu’s detox supplements, dose rates, applications and where to get them HERE.
Some key points on detox for dogs from Dr Mercola’s proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian, Dr. Karen Becker:
Age, stress, injury, and a host of other contributors can result in less-than-optimal detoxification for your pet. Sometimes the build up of toxins simply becomes too great for your pet’s body to handle.
If toxins and waste can’t be removed through normal detox processes, several problems can arise, including:
• Your pet’s body attempts to remove the excess toxins through his skin, resulting in itchy, scaly, and dry skin.
• Your pet’s body tries to shed toxins and waste through mucous membranes, leading to eye discharge, teary eyes, or a runny nose.
• Your pet’s body stores the overload of toxins to be handled later.
Toxins and unwanted waste that isn’t removed can remain and build up in your pet’s body and can potentially lead to less-than-optimal health.
The nutrients that assist the detoxification process can become depleted when your pet is under stress, too, exposing her body to even more potential damage from environmental factors.
As threatening as all this sounds, there are natural ways to support your pet’s normal detoxification processes and promote optimal health.
