Does Your Dog and Cat Need Antioxidants?

Herbal nutrition to help deliver antioxidant support and potential health, wellness and disease prevention benefits for dogs and cats.

Why does your dog or cat need an antioxidant in its diet? 

Antioxidants are often used as nutritional additions and as preventative gatekeepers against potential diseases and conditions in dogs and cats. Antioxidants are available in both natural and synthetic forms. Natura Petz Organics utilizes natural plant and marine based antioxidants which contain critical bio-available vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other phytochemicals in the form of primary metabolites as well as other natural plant and marine compounds known as secondary metabolies that may help build your pet's defense system, potentially preventing or stopping cellular damage caused by free radicals.

Antioxidants may help support healthy immune function, may protect your pet's body against environmental toxins and may reduce the risk of chronic degenerative conditions such as cancer, arthritis, and heart disease.

Antioxidants may help optimize wellness by encouraging healthy cell growth, help slow down the aging process and potentially enhance longevity by offsetting the negative effects of excessive free radical scavenging in the animal body.

Antioxidants are also important additions to your pet's diet to help offset nutritional, metabolic or physiological imbalances. In puppies and kittens, antioxidants may help boost a developing immune system, which is critical to proper growth and may also be beneficial in fortifying the immune system prior to vaccination.

In aging or senior dogs and cats, antioxidants may help slow down oxidative damage to the heart or brain and may help aid in nutrient assimilation, potentially promoting a healthier, longer life. The best known types of antioxidants include Vitamins A, C and E; curcumin (turmeric), carotenoids, selenium and healthy acids such as ALA.  

What is the connection between antioxidants and free radicals?

Oxidation occurs inside of every cell of every living thing and free radicals are produced as a result of normal body processes, such as when our dogs and cats release adrenaline. 

Antioxidants are a stop gap in helping to fight excessive free radical activity. Free radicals are molecules, atoms or ions with unpaired electrons, which naturally operate in opposite directions to balance each other. Because free radicals are unpaired, they are constantly seeking substances in the body, such as protein or DNA, to restore their stability. Not all free radical scavenging is bad. The problem arises when free radicals attack and damage too many healthy cells and the process becomes unbalanced, causing a disproportionate amount of damage to healthy cells, which can lead to cell death and may also cause a wide range of chronic diseases and conditions in dogs and cats.  

Environmental factors and toxins inside and outside of the house, such as UV rays from the sun, cigarette smoke, room fresheners, candles, dryer sheets, chemical food additives and preservatives, pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides may also contribute to excessive free radical damage, as our pets bodies try to rid of cumulative exposure to toxic loads. When we consider how many chemicals we as pet parents, and our pets encounter daily, we begin to understand how important it is to include antioxidants in our pets' diet.

Antioxidants help stop the process of oxidation and excessive free radical damage by giving one of its electrons to the free radical, effectively neutralizing its negative effects. Once an antioxidant gives up an electron, it loses its function and has to be regenerated and replenished by other antioxidants, another reason antioxidant supplementation in your pet's diet is so vital. 

Most dogs and cats fed a commercial diet do not likely get enough fresh fruits and vegetables to obtain the natural antioxidants they need to maintain healthy bodies and to successfully counteract free radical damage.  

Antioxidants have been studied for their potential benefits in offsetting the following conditions: 

Arthritis

Joint pain

Hip dysplasia

Allergies

Cataracts

Asthma

Autoimmune disorders

Chronic infections 

Heart disease

Cancer

The table below details how antioxidants may help benefit specific parts of the body and the potential function of antioxidants in relationship to specific diseases and conditions.  

Herbal Nutrition - (listed in order of relevance and recommendation by holistic vets - human grade meets/exceeds highest safety criteria for pets)

Herbal nutritional may help deliver bio-available critical nutrients and whole body antioxidant support; may help support overall systemic immune response and general wellness; help provide protection against excessive free radical damage, disease and infections; help support balanced immune and cellular response; help provide critical nutrients, including antioxidants; help provide potential anti-aging nutritional resources; may help nutritionally counteract autoimmune disorders, including symptoms of allergies, liver and kidney problems, cardiovascular dysfunctions and immune system stress; may help cleanse toxins from the body and help nourish the liver and kidney function; may be useful in the potential prevention of cancer in dogs and cats.

Below please find product examples that are strongly antioxidant, adaptogenic and nutritional.

Turmeric the Magnificent – (learn more) 

I Cell-Ebrate Life - (learn more) 

I Want Liquid Immunity -  (learn more)  

All Shins & Grins – (learn more) 

I AM A ROCK STAR (learn more)

Body Bliss (learn more) 

Gland Candy (learn more)

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