April 19, 2012
Posted in Common Pet Conditions, Pet Food, Pet Health

Dogs and humans alike are subject to the millions of viruses out there that make the body sick. The immune system is in charge of fighting off illnesses, and it does its best disease-fighting when it is strong and healthy. There are a number of ways to support your dog's immune system, but diet and supplements are the two most important.

Diet

What your dog eats is far and away the most important way to nourish its body and boost its immune system. Food really can be the best medicine, especially when you feed your pooch a wholesome diet of high-quality meats, grains, fruits and vegetables. You can make these concoctions yourself, of course, but even commercial pet food is increasing in quality. Take a brand like Halo Spot's Stew Natural Dog Food. It does not have any rendered meats or meat meals, no preservatives or chemicals and no corn and gluten fillers, so your dog is getting the ingredients' full value when it eats.

There are also commercial dog food diets that have other supplements added in to support the immune system. Wellness Super5Mix Dry Dog Food has vitamins and minerals like beta-carotene, vitamin E, A, B-12 and others to promote the immune system.

Supplements

If you feel that your dog's diet is not giving its immune system everything it needs to stay strong, talk to your veterinarian about supplements. These pet drugs are designed to complement your dog's diet and fill in any gaps in its nutrition, much like a human multivitamin. These are also beneficial to dogs that have a compromised immune system for any reason.

Be Well Dog is one option that is called a "whole food" supplement for the way it is made up of real foods like flaxseed, molasses, rice bran and other items to boost a dog's nutrition. Still others like Fast Balance GI contains plenty of healthy enzymes to help your dog's digestive tract when its sick.

Of course, there are other supplements and medications that are important to give your pet too, even if it is not in need of immune support. Supplements with glucosamine for dogs like Dasuquin can help support joint health, while flea and tick medications like Revolution and Sentinel are crucial to keeping your dog from getting diseases its immune system might not be able to fight off on its own. 

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