Natural Ways To Boost Immune System In Dogs

Your dog’s health and ability to fight disease depends on his immune system. But it’s constantly bombarded … with vaccines, antibiotics, medication, flea and tick preventatives, and the food he eats. So you need to boost his immune system to minimize risks to his health.

Health Stressors In Your Dog’s Environment

Dogs get more vaccines than any other animal. They're also bombarded with pharmaceuticals like antibiotics, flea and tick preventives, dewormers and more. Combine this with emotional stress and food additives … and you can bet your dog’s immune system will be stressed as well.

Processed foods are full of starches and fillers as well as other potentially harmful ingredients, like aflatoxins, heterocyclic amines, pesticides and herbicides like glyphosate that can cause gut issues, brain disorders and cancer. Starchy foods lead to chronic problems like digestive issues, itchy skin or allergies.

High heat processing destroys nutrients … so manufacturers add synthetic vitamins and minerals to meet nutritional standards … but they’re not well absorbed by the body and may even be harmful long term.

Tap water adds another collection of toxins like chlorine, fluoride and heavy metals. Household cleaners and garden sprays also contain chemicals that burden your dog’s immune system.

Problems With A Weak Immune System In Dogs

A stressed immune system can lead to many health problems such as:

• Allergies and skin problems
• Organ disease
• Digestive problems
• Immune disease
• Cancer

Some stressors like vaccines and medications can be minimized … and you may feed your dog a fresh, whole food diet. But other problems aren’t easy to remove from his environment. Toxins like air pollution, or chemicals and herbicides on the surfaces where he walks and plays … are especially hard to avoid.

So here are natural immune system boosts that can help your dog fight toxins and live a healthier life.

Natural Immune System Boosts For Dogs

Here are ways to support your dog’s health:

1. Provide a Balanced Diet: A fresh, whole food diet eliminates harmful ingredients and provides vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from real food.
2. Regular Exercise: This supports overall health and wellbeing by promoting circulation and lymphatic flow.
3. Supplements: Add supplements such as probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids. 
4. Stress Reduction: Stress affects the immune system, so use regular exercise, playtime and even massage.
5. Herbal Remedies: Herbs such as echinacea can support the immune system.

Foods That Boost The Immune System

Your dog’s immune system can benefit from a healthy and balanced diet. Here are some foods to give your dog.

1. Lean Protein: Chicken, turkey, fish and lean red meats.
2. Organ Meats: A variety of organ meats adds important nutrients.
3. Colorful Vegetables: Carrots, broccoli, spinach, and sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.
4. Fruits: Apples, blueberries and bananas are rich in antioxidants.
5. Bone Broth: Bone broth is a good source of vitamins, minerals and collagen.
6. Healthy Treats: Blueberries, carrots, and apples, fresh or frozen. They’re rich in antioxidants and vitamins.

But when your dog’s already sick, you want to focus on specific areas to help him.

How To Boost Immune System When Sick

When your dog’s sick, a way to help boost the immune system quickly is to provide a fresh source of filtered water or broth. When you encourage him to drink, it will keep your dog hydrated to flush out toxins, support circulation, proper elimination and overall health.

Here are other ways to help boost your dog's immune system when sick:

1. Help Digestion: Feed easily digestible foods that are finely chopped or lightly cooked. 
2. Rest: Rest is essential for healing and recovery, so provide a quiet and comfortable stress-free space for your dog to recover.
3. Give Bone Broth: The nutrients will help your dog if he isn’t eating much while he recovers. 
4. Practice Good Hygiene: Keep your dog’s sleeping area, bedding, toys and eating and drinking bowls clean … and wash your hands before and after caring for your sick dog.

When you boost the immune system, it’s part of the everyday health and care of your dog. If you feed your dog a healthy diet, give him filtered or spring water and make sure he gets a good balance of exercise and rest, he’ll have a strong immune system to fight and quickly recover from most infections that come his way.