Toxicity

Cleansing, nutritional supplements to help reduce toxicity and toxic loads in dogs and cats. 

The immune system is a complex army of cells that are found throughout your pet’s body that provides a fortified defense against unwanted invaders. It is an intricate system that keeps your pet healthy and protects them against allergens, viruses, bacteria, microbes, parasites, toxins, foreign cells and cellular mutations (healthy cells which have mutated into irregular cells). The immune system is tasked with protecting EVERY cell in the animal body. With so many pet parents wondering why and how to best support immunity in their dogs and cats, this article will highlight its role and provide practical suggestions.

A healthy immune system is resilient and powerful and up to the task of supporting normal, balanced function. The immune system is not intended to be suppressed or stimulated.  But even an animal with a highly developed immune system can experience dysfunction or failure. In cases of dysfunction, an animal body requires whole body systemic support. If your pet’s immune system is weakened, every bodily system is at risk for disease.

More and more pets are suffering from various health problems as a result of an accumulation of environmental toxins. Our pets are frequently exposed to chemically-enhanced foods, chlorinated water, pollution, household products such as dryer sheets and room fresheners, cigarette smoke, vaccinations, flea collars, pesticides and insecticides.

Toxicity prevents a true and balanced state of health. Your pet’s immune system is also likely compromised, making your animal more susceptible to disease.

When toxins build up, they cause a number of pet health symptoms and diseases that your pet struggles to eliminate. Health problems such as a weakened immune system, digestive problems, lethargy, constipation, kidney and liver disease, urinary tract infections, intestinal parasites, skin disorders, or weight gain or weight loss are all examples of animals presenting symptoms of toxicity. 

It’s also important to realize that our pets metabolize anything that is ingested at approximately twice that rate as humans do, so that extends beyond their food and water. Let’s consider some common sources of toxins that our pets are persistently exposed to that may have missed our consideration:

1. FOOD: Food is definitely the place to start. Even if you are feeding a holistic, high quality food, but you are feeding the same protein source, every day, year after year, your pet can deliver an allergic sensitivity to it, especially if it contains any allergenic ingredients. Variety is the spice of life for you and your pet=so please rotate protein sources to avoid allergies.

And then we move on to processed pet foods: If you are feeding a grocery store or big box chain food, chances are the food may contain highly processed grains (corn, wheat, soy), inferior-quality proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, chemical preservatives, allergens, colorants, and other questionable ingredients, all which create a tremendous toxic load on your dog or cat. 

2. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS: Includes chemicals found in most tap water, carpet fresheners, dryer sheets, room deodorizers, perfume, cigarette smoke, weed killers-all of these items are FULL of synthetic chemicals that create a daily toxic load on your fur babies.

3. SYNTHETIC MEDICATIONS: Includes steroids, antibiotics, NSAID’s and Benadryl are full of inorganic compounds, which contain derivatives that collect in the cell walls of your dogs and cats that cannot be eliminated in the absence of specialized natural products.

4. PREVENTATIVES: If your dog and cat are exposed to annual vaccinations and flea, tick and heart worm medications, chances are that your pet's system is heavily burdened with toxic chemicals and byproducts. Humans stop being vaccinated at a young age, however, our pets are vaccinated annually, and consider this: they live much shorter lives than we do, so what is all of this doing to their bodies and health?

If you add all of these items up, it becomes apparent why our beloved dogs and cats are suffering chronic health issues that we struggle to address. And while we see the exterior manifestation of toxicity, now we’re going to consider what happening within the body; something referred to as toxic load.

A toxic load is the sum total of chemicals, synthetic derivatives and inorganic substances that accumulate in our animal's bodies over weeks, months and years. It can be assumed that the sicker the animal that there is a corresponding high level of toxicity interrupting their health.  

Toxicity or toxic load is recognized by two categories: generalized and targeted. 

1. Generalized or scattered toxicity: Most forms of toxic material deposited in the animal body are subtle and are scattered throughout the brain, heart, kidneys, spleen, and other organs. And these subtle deposits tend to produce generalized symptoms of illness such as weakened immune systems, allergies, digestive upset, urinary tract infections, stones, lethargy, constipation and skin disorders.

These types of conditions are maddening for pet parents and for vets because the diagnosis is usually atypical; or unknown. And because these types of problems evade diagnosis, they become chronic, or ongoing.

Meanwhile, these generalized toxins continue to build up; slowly but steadily, and eventually your pet's cells contain so much waste that they can’t function and they die. This process of a single cell dying now attached to an adjacent healthy cell, and it becomes a cascade of cell death. The unfortunate progression is that eventually a significant amount of individual cell death leads to organ failure, and ultimately, with time can lead to the death of your beloved pet.

2. Targeted or localized toxicity: Other forms of toxicity are more targeted or localized.  In these cases, toxic materials gravitate to particular organs, such as the liver. The liver is a workhouse, charged with filtering toxins out of the body, and it can function under GREAT duress for a long period of time.

Once the liver becomes overwhelmed by toxic load, liver dysfunction occurs, often followed by liver failure and then kidney failure. Liver and kidney failure can seem to happen overnight; but when toxins overwhelm the liver, animals, just like humans, have body systems that are linked, so one organ failure easily leads to another because when one system malfunctions, it can stress and compromise all other systems.

In order to eliminate wastes and toxins from your pet’s body, your pet will need to detoxify through an improved diet and most likely, a purifying plant botanical that helps to extract inorganic compounds and derivatives that accumulate and line the cell walls of our animal's bodies. These foreign invaders compromise immunity and contribute to inflammation and disease.

By allowing your pet to do an annual cleanse (more often if your pet uses steroids, antibiotics or commercial kibble) and by regularly feeding a high quality, nourishing diet, your pet may benefit from restored health to the organs, cells and bodily systems, enabling your pet’s body to function at an optimal level. The ultimate goals are to bypass or offset disease and promote longevity in your bed, which detoxifying may help to support.  

Organic Remedies - (listed in order of relevance and recommendation by holistic vets for this disease or condition - human grade meets highest safety criteria for pets)

Pet owners are choosing herbal remedies to help address toxicity because they are a safe, effective and gentle alternative to conventional, synthetic medications, typically without side effects. Herbal cleansers help eliminate the accumulation of toxins from cell walls and the blood, help cleanse the body’s system, help promote balanced immunity, digestion and proper metabolism, help remove parasites and other antigens and pathogens and help improve overall the health and well being of your pet.

Shake Ur Groove Thing – (learn more) promotes healthy bowel function, purification, gentle parasitic detoxification and body clarification; waste and toxin removal, including pesticides, environmental toxins found inside and outside the home, chemicals related to flea and tick products and drugs regimens such as NSAID’s and synthetic glucosteriods and corticosteroids; helps remove inorganic synthetic and derivative compounds from an animal’s cell walls to help reduce toxic load in the body; also used for cramping, pain, constipation, gas and bloating; helps support a correct balance of native intestinal flora and helps calms the digestive system; promotes immune balance and helps to limit inflammation, which is important in disease prevention; used holistically for anal fissures, fistulas, hemorrhoids, food allergies and hypersensitivities and as a general skin support. 

I Feel Good –  (learn more) promotes healthy immune response, reduces all types of inflammation, provides dermal support and growth of healthy cells and tissues in the body’s natural defense mechanism, reduces the histamine trigger for contact allergies, seasonal and chronic allergens, pathogens, skin rashes, infections, hot spots, inflammation, swelling, hair loss, itching and geriatria (dull coat, lethargy), for all types of arthritis, including Degenerative Joint Disease, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and symptoms associated with rheumatism, including pain, strains, injuries, muscle pain, swelling and lack of mobility; plus contains prebiotics and probiotics useful in balancing digestive health and function and much more. Recognized as one of the most important medicinal plants of the whole world, particularly related to supporting balanced immunity and limiting inflammation and inflammatory conditions.

Love Your Liver - (learn more) promotes the performance, health and repair of the liver, kidneys and bladder, facilitates rental and digestive excretions, provides protection and detoxification from insecticides, toxins, vaccinations, an inappropriate diet and an excess of food, relieves symptoms such as pressure, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and flatulence, regulates kidney acid/alkaline levels, for hepatic lipidosis, Fatty Liver Disease (FLD),  Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD), Feline Urological Syndrome (FUS) and Feline cholangiohepatitis.

Yummy Tummy – (learn more) promotes Probiotic digestive, urinary, bladder and gall bladder support, for all types of digestive disorders, promotes proper digestion and assimilation of nutrients, for bladder (cystitis) and kidney (pyelonephritis) infections, for urine leakage and urinary incontinence, as a natural, plant-based steroid alternative, provides important support for cramping, pain, discomfort, Gastroenteritis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disorder (IBD), prostate inflammation, BHP, prostatitis, Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD), Feline Urologic Syndrome (FUS) and for Candida albicans.

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