Lately there’s been a great deal of discussion regarding animals that consistently get sick. Most of the blame has been put on the weather and allergies, however, that doesn’t explain why only certain animals are affected. Much like humans who tend to constantly be sick, internal factors are more likely the culprits rather than the environment. What we use as fuel for the body has a huge impact on our immune system, and the ability to fight invaders. Erika Cook takes a deeper look inside the immune system in her recent blog, titled Building Immunity for the Fall.
Building Immunity for the Fall
- August 11, 2015
Building Immunity for the Fall
The pet immune system may seem complex, as it is an unseen entity that keeps our pets healthy, strong, and thriving. Once broken down however, it is easy to understand how this one thing can keep our pets happy and healthy.
How the Immune System Works
The pet immune system, like that of humans, is broken into two parts: the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system.
The Innate Immune System
The innate immune system is found in everything from trees to animals and humans. This is the first line of defense that keeps everything out. The innate immune system never adapts or changes to specific invaders or attacks; it remains a steady barrier. Skin, stomach acid, saliva, and mucus are all part of the innate immune system.
The Adaptive Immune System
The adaptive immune system is where the fight happens. This immune response is called on after an antigen (invader) enters the body. Antigens use healthy cells to make copies of themselves to take over. There are four major types of antigens: virus, bacteria, fungus, and parasites.
There are six steps of an adaptive immune response:
- Identification: When the antigen enters the body, it is labeled as an invader and sent to the lymph system to be eaten by cells called macrophages. Once the macrophages have eliminated the antigen, they hold information on how to deactivate the threat. They then put a piece of the antigen out to be recognized.
- Call for help: Helper cells (T cells) grab the information of the antigen from the macrophage. T cells then call the B cells into action. There are two types of B cells: fighters and memory cells.
- Tag the invaders: The fighting B cells attack all the antigens by making antibodies that bind to the antigen to tag them.
- Destroy the invaders: K cells then come in to destroy the tagged antigen.
- Cell memory: The memory B cells capture the information of how to kill that antigen and store it so if that antigen ever enters the body again, they have the tools to fight and destroy it quickly.
- Clean up: The macrophages are called into action again to come and clean up all the dead antigens and rid them from the body.
When our pets have a strong immune system, it is easy for their bodies to recognize invaders and fight them off before they become ill. When they have a weak immune system however, it takes longer for their bodies to fight these invaders and the antigens are able to reproduce more rapidly than they are destroyed, allowing for takeover and illness.
Immune System Strengtheners
There are many ways to keep a strong immune system for our pets including healthy diet, rest, and exercise. There are also some great holistic tools that we can use to build immunity. My favorites are probiotics, herbs, and essential oils.
Probiotics
You might be wondering what probiotics can do for the immune system. The simple answer is that the gut holds close to 80 percent of immune cells, which means that when we have a healthy gut, we have a healthy immune system. Supporting the gut with probiotics is a great way to keep it healthy or to rebuild it, if needed.
When we have animals with gut issues, we see them getting ill more often. This can be in the form of allergies, tearstains, loose stool, or in some cases, serious illness. When the small intestine gets holes in it (from medication, genetically modified foods, poor nutrition, etc.) bacteria and other debris are able to enter the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, the adaptive immune system starts up to destroy the threat. However, because those small holes are always leaking, the immune system becomes burnt out. This is when most pet owners will see illness setting in.
Using probiotics away from meals allows our friendly bacteria (that also break down food and catch invaders in the gut) to go in and repair the gut. Once repaired, the leaking stops and the friendly bacteria are able to fight invaders again.
Herbs and Essential Oils
This month we have some of our favorite herbs and oils for boosting the immune system on sale to get our pets ready for the fall. They’re all 20-percent off through the end of August. If you’re shopping with us online, be sure to use coupon code “AUGSUP20? to get the discount.
Bixbi Immunity
Bixbi Immunity is a blend of mushrooms that, as found by Medical News Today, “maximizes the immune response by providing multiple stimuli to the body’s natural defenses.” Mushrooms are adaptogenic, meaning they help the body back to homeostasis (normal) by correcting imbalances, filling gaps in nutrition, and helping the body cope with both internal and external stress. This formula helps with inhibiting abnormal cell growth, and increasing immune system cell growth.
Holistic Blend Seagreens
Holistic Blend Seagreens is a blend of dried seaweed, bioflavonoids, ground flax meal, beta-carotene, chlorophyll, complex vitamin B, digestive enzymes, and probiotics. This blend will not only help with boosting the immune system, but will also help rebuild thyroid function. Some ailments that Seagreens is known to help with are: scratching, hot spots, ear infections, lack of energy, paw licking, and excessive shedding. B vitamins are essential to the body, and this formula provides an easily digestible source of them for animals. The digestive enzymes and probiotics will also be good for pets that have been on medication or are rebuilding gut function.
Wholistic Pet Organics Ester-C
Wholistic Pet Organics Ester-C is a single ingredient, non-acidic, body-ready form of Vitamin C that’s great for pets needing to boost their immunity. Ester-C is easily absorbed by the body, making it more effective than other form of Vitamin C. When our animals are stressed either externally (think storms) or internally (think bacteria), the Vitamin C in their bodies is rapidly used up. Ester-C is able to restore the body’s Vitamin C and increase the health of the immune system.
Immune Strength
Immune Strength is an essential oil blend of Clove Bud, Cinnamon Bark, Lemon, Orange, Oregano, Red Mandarin, Thyme, Ajowan Seed, Rosemary, Nutmeg, Ginger Root, and Eucalyptus citriodora. Immune Strength works on multiple body systems including the adrenals, nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and lymphatic systems. This blend is helpful for boosting the immune system and fighting off illness.
DOG for DOG DOGSBUTTER Immunity and Digestion
If you are looking for a great treat to help your dog’s immune system, look no further than the DOG for DOG DOGSBUTTER Immunity and Digestion. This peanut butter is delicious and has the added benefits of ground flaxseed, coconut, and ginger. This is a great treat to use year-round in interactive toys or just by the spoonful to keep your dog’s immune system flowing properly.
You may be wondering why you never hear your vet tell you to boost your pet’s immune system. The short answer is they don’t want you to. When we have healthy pets, we don’t need to go to the vet every season with their laundry list of symptoms and leave with an even bigger list of prescriptions that only weaken the immune system further.
With fall and winter right around the corner, it is the perfect time to start building the immune system. Once it’s built up, our pets have an easier time during cold and flu season as well as the spring allergy season. Keeping a strong immune system is the best way we can naturally help our pets defend against any attack they might have thrown at them.