Your pet certainly means a lot to you. They are important parts of our families that give us company and emotional support in times of distress. Thanks to their many benefits, more than 65 percent of American households own pets, mainly dogs and cats.

 

One way of giving back love to your pet is to ensure it stays healthy. To do this, improving their immune system is a must. Once their immunity weakens, they become vulnerable to bacterial infections, skin infections, and other serious diseases.

 

There are several ways you can improve their immunity, and here are some of them.

1. Maintain a Balanced Diet

 

The best way to improve immunity is by a balanced diet, because foods that strengthen the immune system will ensure the body gets all the nutrients required for a strong line defense. On the contrary, feeding your pets with packaged food gives the least nutrition, and may introduce contaminants in additives or preservatives, thus weakening the immune system.

 

Rather than waiting until your pet is sick to change the diet, take preventive action by sticking to a healthy diet. Feeding it with the right diet helps reduce inflammation in the pet, thereby improving and strengthening its immunity. Start by adding whole foods to the diet, because they improve the body’s amount of antioxidants. They can come from foods such as fruits, vegetables, and organic meat.

 

A balanced pet diet is a perfect way to avoid diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. This condition causes inflammation, which stresses the digestive tract, making it difficult to process foods. A healthy digestive system is a crucial means of achieving overall healing and strong immunity. Add foods with natural digestive enzymes, probiotics, and rich in essential fatty acids.

 

 

2. Healthy Exercise

 

Like people, pets can suffer from stress, anxiety, and depression. These mental illnesses harm your pet and can make pre-existing health conditions worse. Several factors can cause stress in pets, including light and noise exposure, social stress, and territorial conflicts.

 

Stress may manifest differently in pets. In cats, you may begin to notice increased hissing, abnormal urination, diarrhea, unusual aggression, reduced energy levels, changes in weight, changes in appetite, excessive scratching, and more. On the other hand, dogs may begin to look nervous, anxious or shaking, displaying unusual aggression, eating less, sometimes yawning, panting excessively, or constantly moving around.

 

When you notice any of these symptoms of stress, you may want to start exercising your pet more. Exercise helps relieve stress and develop a strong immune system. Studies show exercise can enhance immunity in animals and humans. Given that weight management is a significant contributor to various illnesses, exercise may also help.

 

There are many ways of exercising, including swimming, dog park outings, playing, and walking. How much you need to exercise your pet may depend on its breed type, health status, and age.

 

3. Nutritional Supplements

 

As mentioned, a balanced diet will give your pet the right nutrients and vitamins to improve immunity. However, getting all the healthy foods your pet needs can be challenging. Adding supplements like antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals is the perfect way to boost their diet.

 

Some of the best supplements for pets contain probiotics, antioxidants, glucosamine, multivitamins, digestive enzymes, etc. The supplements help promote digestion, prevent degenerative diseases, and may help reduce infection risks, cancer, and cell oxidative damage. It can also improve immune functions.

 

4. Use Natural Remedies

Herbs are a great way to bolster your pet’s immune system. They are brimming with healing properties that can benefit their immunity.

 

Here are some of the herbs to mix with food:

Echinacea; A popular herb that enhances the body’s fight against viral and bacterial infections.
Medical mushrooms; Can improve the pet’s immune response.
Ginger; A great anti-nausea agent and treats digestion issues.
Garlic; Boosts the activities of killer cells for fighting cancer.
Curcumin; Powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that addresses chronic illnesses.

 

Another new natural remedy is CBD.

 

When administered in the recommended dosage, it can work wonders for your pet’s health. Like humans, animals also have an innate Endocannabinoid System, ECS. According to experts, CBD interacts with the ECS and prevents the endocannabinoids from breaking down, thus bringing about a list of health benefits.  

 

Hence, after consulting a licensed vet, you can use a regular dose of CBD to calm your pets and deliver many health benefits. It can relieve pain, treat digestive problems, increases appetite, accelerates recovery, and decreases stress, thereby strengthening your pet’s immunity.

 

5. Proper Hydration

 

Proper hydration is essential in keeping pets healthy. Drinking enough water helps keep them hydrated and allows the body to fight disease-causing bacteria and toxins. The body of your cat or dog is made up of 80 percent water. Which explains why water is a crucial element for the proper functioning of their body. Water also helps with:

Breathing process
Digestion of food and nutrients
Eliminating harmful elements from the body
Encouraging proper blood flow to the heart, brain, and muscles
Regulating body temperature

 

Always provide your pet with clean water. The amount of water it requires depends on different factors, such as weight and environmental factors.

 

To Sum It All Up….

 

Your pet’s overall health primarily depends on maintaining a healthy immune system. Administering CBD, regular exercise, hydration, a healthy diet, and taking dietary supplements will enable your pet to improve immunity.

 

With a healthy immune system developed using these approaches, your pet is less susceptible to inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. Also, talk to your veterinarian to examine your pet’s health and inquire about the best way to improve its immunity.

 

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About the author

Crystal Willson is a full-time content marketing specialist. She has been closely monitoring the health industry trends for quite some time. She has worked in various domains before the health industry. On her off days, she likes to spend her time with her family, lift weights, and reading novels.
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