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Why Do Pets Get Sick
By Dr. Andrew | February 25, 2009
Why do your pets get sick?
Your pet’s body has a very complex immune system that is designed to fight disease.
Most pets are healthy, interspersed with bouts of occasional problems - on the whole they are much healthier than their owners… 
When pets do get sick, there is a good chance that something is interfering with their natural defenses.
The key to self healing is a strong immune system.
Antibiotics may fight disease, but they don’t improve the immune system that failed to prevent the disease in the first place.
The three things that play the biggest role in keeping your pet healthy are:
1. Diet
2. Stress
3. Exercise
Diet
What your pet eats is more important to preventing disease and maintaining a strong immune system than anything else.
Dogs and cats have spent thousands of years eating wild, natural foods - it is only recently that they have been exposed to eating commercially processed, chemical laden dry kibble.
Artificial ingredients can trigger an immune response that can make your pet sick.
An example is a food allergy. Your pet may react to one of the unnatural preservatives or food coloring, causing the immune system to release a cell called histamine. This in turn can produce vomiting, diarrhea and itching.
Antibodies are proteins that your pet produces to fight disease. Your pet cannot produce an adequate antibody response to disease when she is eating poor quality, unnatural food.
Of all the things that you can do to prevent disease in your pet, diet is the most important.
Stress
Emotions in pets are intertwined with your pets health.
Emotions don’t usually cause disease, but they can weaken the body and allow illness to happen.
Stress suppresses the immune system and delays wound healing.
The bond that you feel between your pet also will affect them. If you are feeling down and negative, this can run over to your pet.
I have seen many cases where stress leads to disease.
An example is a client of mine with a Lhassa who had a severe thunderstorm phobia. She had 10 different diseases in the span of 3 years. It was not until we treated to thunderstorm phobia with a combination of natural anti-anxiety medications and behavioral training , did she finally stop getting sick.
Exercise
Your pets ancestors were far more active - they had to chase livestock, catch mice and birds, or burn calories by keeping up with their owners.
Our ancestors were far more active than we are today- they didn’t have computers and often had to grow their own food.
Pets that aren’t active will gain weight.
Common health problems of inactivity are arthritis, diabetes and heart disease.
Your pet’s immune system is not near as effective when they are overweight.
The liver is more effective in removing waste products in pets with a healthy weight.
Pets that don’t exercise are more likely to be bored, anxious and depressed - just think about how you feel when you regularly exercise compared to do nothing.
I advise a minimum of 30 minutes twice daily - this will keep the weight off and the Doctor away.
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As You can see, the way to keep your pet healthy are pretty simple.
Its also simple to Heal your Pet at Home when you know these Veterinary Secrets:
www.veterinarysecretsrevealed.com
Heal Your Pets At Home!
Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM
Topics: Pets |
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