Pet Corner: Give Your Pet an Immunity Boost

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Keep your animal buddy healthy with our holistic vet’s advice. Photo by Stefan Glebowski

I hate being sick, but I hate even more for one of my pets to be sick. When I’m ill, I can at least ask for what I need. Animals aren’t so lucky—they can’t tell us where it hurts or what they need to make them feel better. You can bridge this communication gap, however, by caring for your pet’s immune system and using the appropriate herbs to fend off disease and give them an immunity boost.

The immune system identifies and attacks bacteria, viruses and fungi that invade the body and cause illnesses, such as allergies, colds and gastrointestinal disturbances. It is an integrated, complex system.

A healthy immune system can handle minor invasions, but when any one of its organs is compromised, the immune system likely will suffer. So I like to protect my pets with a few herbal immune-system boosters on a regular basis, and I always follow these steps and give them these herbs when they have a minor illness to try and keep it from becoming more serious.

A Good Start: A Healthy Pet Environment 

The first step toward keeping your pet’s immune system in proper working order is to provide a healthy pet environment, which includes good nutrition, regular exercise, minimal stress and lots of love. Scientific studies have shown that pets living in stressful surroundings have weakened immune responses.

Immune System Support 

An easy way to help your pets stay one step ahead of a cold or infection is to incorporate immune system herbs into their diet. It’s easy to do—on top of their food, just sprinkle a pinch of dried culinary favorites, including thyme, garlic, oregano, turmeric (all antibacterial) and cayenne (it enhances the activity of immune system cells).

The most notable herb for giving your pets an immunity boost is Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia and E. purpurea). Echinacea reinforces nearly all actions of immunity, including white blood cell production and activity and blood protein production. It also helps heal wounds, fight inflammation and, to some extent, counteract tumors and certain bacteria and viruses.

If you catch an infection early, you often can stop it with low doses (1 or 2 drops) of a nonalcoholic tincture of the whole herb, given three to four times a day for a week. For prevention and basic immune care, I generally recommend a low dose to be taken once a day for five days each week.

Animal Doses 

When it comes to pets, herbs and dosages, we just don’t have all the answers. That’s why I prefer to mix food with a weak herbal tea or small amounts of chopped whole fresh or dried herbs. But when I do use tinctures, I adhere to the following guidelines: