Everyone is always wondering why their dogs eat grass and we all have different answers.  I thought this video from Dr. Karen Becker, DVM said it well.

I feel this information is excellent and worth sharing for anyone considering getting a puppy.  I have learned so much from Dr. Peter Dubias, DVM through many of his courses and blog.  This is worth your time to listen to before getting your puppy.

by Dr. Peter Dobias DVM

When I started writing this article, I thought about listing the 10 most common mistakes dog lovers make with puppies. My list turned into 30 or 40 points and I realized this article will be the starting point of many more conversations, whether it is in these pages or online.  
Hip dysplasia, vaccinosis, too many prescriptions drugs, poor bone growth, chronic diarrhea, cruciate ligament tears, obesity, epilepsy, organ failure, autoimmune disease, cancer and premature loss are often the outcomes of well-intended deeds and poor advice that people get about puppy care.
I hope the following 10 points serve as a springboard and inspire you to go deeper in your learning. Your actions will make a huge, positive difference in the life of the dog you love. Enjoy!
Check out more

By Dr. Karen Becker
Many people believe the love they have for families and friends is best expressed through food, so serving cake, pie, biscuits and gravy and mounds of meat is considered a love language. Family recipes are sometimes thought to be part of the glue that helps holds loved ones together. Unfortunately, the concept is also extended to pets. In fact, the newest statistics show that over the past several years, pet obesity is getting worse, not better. The sad fact is, obesity continues to be the greatest health threat facing pets today.
According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention's (APOP) 2016 clinical survey, nearly 54 percent of dogs and 59 percent of cats were deemed clinically overweight or obese, using the Pet Body Condition Score (BCS). A BCS of 4 equates to overweight, and BCS 5 is obese. According to the organization's website:
"That equals an estimated 41.9 million dogs and 50.5 million cats are too heavy, based on 2016 pet population projections provided by the American Pet Products Association (APPA)."1
Since 2012, APOP's percentages for overweight and obese dogs have shown a steady climb from 52.5 percent to 53.9 percent in 2016. Over the same time frame, there was a slight dip in the percentages for 2013 for cats, but then they climbed and even exceeded the highest numbers ever with a total of 58.9 percent being obese and overweight.
What Does Excess Fat in Dogs and Cats Mean for Their Health? In 2014, the American Animal Hospital Association submitted guidelines for managing the weight of dogs and cats, and noted several related diseases and conditions that may occur when these animals are overweight or obese, such as:
Skin disorders, Respiratory problems, Kidney dysfunction, Metabolic and endocrine disorders, Orthopedic disease, Certain cancers, Chronic inflammation and Diminished quality of life.  But that's not all. Numerous other diseases are claiming the lives of pets due to obesity, and many are related to the strain placed on their bones and joints, circulatory systems, nerves and organs, such as diabetes, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, congestive heart failure and intervertebral disc disease. Not surprisingly, any of these by themselves can make your pet feel miserable, but the worst thing is a reduced life expectancy. Obesity can kill animals just as it does humans.  Read more...

This amazing website of Rodney Habib, Pet Nutrition Blogger, is now available with exceptional information.  He is a blessing to all of us pet parents who want to keep our furry friends healthy and happy. Do check this article on immune system healing herbs and all of this other information.  I have followed him for years and have learned so much...

John Moore almost died from mercury poisoning in 1974. Since then, he has become a leading mercury and dental health researcher and has traveled a long road looking for answers to mercury poisoning and spreading a warning. He now refers to mercury as the planet’s most ubiquitous contaminant, a base poison that really rose at the start of the industrial age as a pollutant, is used as a preservative in making plastics and is in practically everything we make from concrete to medicines.
What do we do in the face of such ubiquitous “base poisons” – heavy metals like mercury, aluminum and lead? I share Moore’s mantra: Learn to live a life of detoxification! How do we detox? This is the million-dollar question because there are millions of us who need to be doing this every day. When we’re surrounded by heavy metals in our air, our water and our foods, embarking on an overall lifestyle detox is overwhelming to say the least. Remember a journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step. Take it one step at a time and day by day.
An every day detox begins by eating whole foods, organic – and even biodynamic – if possible. And for our fourlegged friends? A species appropriate raw diet. The raw meaty bones should be the joints and not the long bones unless purchased from a company that tests their bones for heavy metals.
Glyphosate: The Hidden Poison In Your Dog’s DietIt isn’t just the heavy metal mercury but the use of glyphosate (sold under the trade name Roundup) that needs to be addressed. Foods are another form of heavy metal poisoning so we need to be focused on choosing GMO-free foods and here’s why: Dr Michael Fox wrote an article titled Herbicide Glyphosate Found In Pet Foods (uexpress.com/animal-doctor/2015/9/27/herbicide-glyphosate-found-in-pet-foods).
Besides naming all the pet foods that contained high levels of the herbicide, he discusses the addition of sodium nitrite to foods as a preservative; in the presence of glyphosate, sodium nitrite is deadly and a carcinogen. Corn, soy, sugar beets, cotton, canola, all genetically modified, use the glyphosate as a dessicant prior to harvesting. Wheat barley and sorghum are sprayed with glyphosate. These foods are not only fed to our dogs, they are fed to the food animals all of us eat!
MIT researcher Dr Stephani Seneff has authored The Destructive Effects of Heavy Metals and Glyphosate. Glyphosate, it turns out, is a major driver of disease. This toxin stays in bones – our bones – but also in the bones of the food-producing animals where our “raw meaty bones” are obtained to feed our dogs. My colleague the late Dr Gloria Dodd evaluated the presence of metals in pet foods and aluminum is one of the metals found in high levels.
Dr Seneff talks about the aluminum accumulation in the brain and the synergistic promotion by glyphosate. Not only do heavy metals sequester in bones, but so does the glyphosate and this is a staggeringly toxic combination. Mercury and aluminum are all the more toxic in the context of glyphosate. Vaccines become much more toxic because glyphosate inhibits detoxification organs from eliminating these chemical toxins. This combination restricts the liver’s ability to activate vitamin D and therefore accounts for the broad-spectrum vitamin D deficiency we’re seeing. Without the right stuff, we have leaky guts, allergies, overgrowth of harmful pathogens, celiac disease, SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth), and harmful pathogens like C. difficile. The bottom line is that heavy metals like mercury, in the presence of the toxin and herbicide glyphosate, means the toxins are 1,000 times more toxic than they are in isolation.

11 Ways To Combat Your Dogs Exposure To Heavy Metals:

1.  Heal Leaky Gut:
First Humans and our pets in bad shape with leaky gut will have allergies, especially to the things they’ve been eating. That’s because the gut was in fact leaking back into the blood stream which causes a sensitivity (allergy) as the body reacts to these invaders. Much more information about healing leaky gut can be found in the May-June 2016 issue of Dogs Naturally. Suffice it to say, you must remove the trauma (vaccines, processed food, etc.), support the liver; rebalance with prebiotics, probiotics and digestive enzymes; replenish with a healthy whole food diet along with aloe, slippery elm and marshmallow root; and restore with homeopathic remedies that support trauma and heal the body.
For those like myself with leaky gut and digestive issues, I use bone broths and inner leaf fillet of aloe for a week to help repair the gut. I advise using Stockton One aloe because it’s hand filleted for the inner leaf and otherwise unprocessed, and shipped frozen.
I’d give a 60 pound dog about 15 to 20 cc of this aloe by mouth twice a day. Adjust up or down depending on the size of your dog.
For the bone broth, use whole chickens, lots of joints like necks and feet, and pig bones for their chondroitin, which is very healing for the gut. Metals don’t generally store in the joints so also use a hock or stifle. Place the bones in a stockpot and cover with water; add three to four tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar, bring to a boil and simmer for at least 24 hours. Strain the broth (throw away the bones), cool and refrigerate. Fat may harden on the top and you can remove it before feeding. Give your dog a few tablespoons daily with food or as a separate snack.
Caution: Do not use high fat bones like marrow bones or pork bones for dogs with pancreatitis or Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI).
This combination is the best detox I know of for the GI tract. After a week of detoxing, I also supplement with fermented vegetables, which you can buy or make yourself.
2.  Vitamin D:
I learned in herbal certification class the importance of vitamin D in “tightening up the weave” of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, especially where it gets down to a single cell of thickness between the mucosa of the digestive tract and the bloodstream that is home to our antibodies. With adequate natural sunlight, your body can produce its own vitamin D but dogs don’t absorb much vitamin D from the sun, so they need to obtain it via whole foods like liver from grass-fed cows, whole raw eggs from free-range chickens and wild-caught fish like sardines, tuna, mackerel and salmon. Remember, your dog should have organ meats at least once a week, or as 10 percent of his diet.
3.  Prevent And Treat Candida:
If candida is present it’s probably due to heavy metals as it will eat its weight in heavy metals. It’s important not to aggravate candida as it can release more than 60 toxic substances including the heavy metals and ethanols. You must remove the cause of the poisoning or all treatments will be moot. When you treat for candida, don’t feed the beast. Get rid of the carbs, sugar and grains that shouldn’t be a part of the carnivore diet in the first place.
4.  Provide Clean, Filtered Water:
You need to provide your dog with clean drinking water, preferably mountain spring water that has been put through a filter. In this age of industrial pollution – coal burning plants, chemtrails and purple rain – you need to be cleaning your water source.  To find out more about the hidden dangers in your dogs water click here.
5.  Boost These Nutrients:
This is a list of critical nutrients that are made deficient in the face of mercury poisoning:

• Antioxidant vitamins A, C, E and vitamin D
• The complex of B vitamins, zinc, magnesium and selenium.

Coincidentally, these are also important to help treat the TH 2 polarization that happens with vaccinations.
Good sources of these nutrients that you can add to your dog’s meals include:

• Vitamin A: liver, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, dark leafy greens, eggs
• Vitamin C: berries, citrus, red bell peppers (or, in supplement form, berry powders, ½ tsp per 25 lbs of weight)
• Vitamin E: grains, seeds and their oils, wheat germ oil
• Vitamin D: liver, eggs, oily fish like sardines, mackerel, salmon B vitamins: liver, venison (or supplement with moringa leaf powder, ½ tsp per 25 lbs)
• Zinc: red meat, poultry
• Magnesium: dark leafy greens, seeds, fish
• Selenium: oily fish, grass fed beef and beef liver, chicken, egg
• Turmeric: is a powerful supplement to help treat and prevent gene damage caused by toxins of heavy metals and glyphosate. Give 1/8 to ¼ tsp per 10 pounds of body weight per day, combined with fat (coconut oil is a good choice) and some fresh ground black pepper for better absorption.

6.  No Fake Food Or Vitamins:
I am now a firm believer that the use of chemical synthetic, isolates and imitation vitamins are NOT a long-term solution for living a life of detoxification. Synthetic vitamins can be as dangerous – if not more so – than the use of drugs. That is why I formulate intelligent supplements from whole food sources. I supplement with real whole foods and add gentle chelators like open cell wall chlorella and use super foods like spirulina.
7.  Greens, Minerals and Herbs:
The use of juvenile grasses is very detoxifying and provides the magnesium necessary to undergo a detox. Sea vegetables are used as sources of calcium, iodine and trace minerals. Herbs like curcumin, ginger and cayenne are potent antioxidants, and ginger and curcumin are amazing in DNA repair. Green leafy vegetables like spinach are a must and along with broccoli, are capable of going inside cells and turning off the switched-on inflammatory pathways. Blend or lightly steam veggies to increase digestibility, then add one tablespoon to the dinner of smaller dogs, or three to four tablespoons for larger dogs.
Broccoli sprouts are a potent anti-inflammatory and you can buy the sprouts at most grocery stores, or purchase a concentrated powder; this latter is actually the most effective delivery method.
8.  Probiotics And More:
Probiotics help restore healthy gut bacteria and are responsible for so many things, from gene repair to the synthesis of nutrients like vitamin B 12. Probiotics are also very helpful in removing mercury from the body if the mercury doesn’t kill them first. Cultivating a gut garden of beneficial bugs is one of my favorite ways to get my patients healthy. Probiotics from whole foods include kefir and fermented vegetables. Add a teaspoon or two to the dinner of small dogs, or as much as a tablespoon or two for larger dogs. You can also give your dog a high quality refrigerated probiotic supplement. If it’s made for animals, follow the package directions; otherwise, for human products, assume the dose is for a 150 pound person and adjust for your dog’s weight.
Amino acids, the primary building blocks of proteins, are also an integral part of the detoxification process. Dogs need a range of amino acids found in different protein sources so feeding your dog a variety of meats as well as fish and eggs will provide these nutrients.
Digestive enzymes are a good way to boost health and to prop up your heavy metal damaged patient while they are recovering. Our carnivore pets will need enzymes as well to utilize the plant foods given as medicine. Your dog’s enzyme supplement should include a wide variety of enzymes.
Cellulase is a plant enzyme and one that I make sure is part of the detoxification plan. It’s not an enzyme the dogs would even make, but it’s an enzyme needed to help digest cellulose from plant material. It also just so happens to help pull mercury out of the body. Since mercury destroys our enzymes in general I like to supplement with a lot of catalysts like this. Look for plant enzyme supplements that contain cellulase.  
9.  Feed Probiotics With Prebiotics:
Prebiotics are the preferred food sources for the probiotics. Prebiotics occur naturally in a number of common foods with high fiber content including cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and spinach. I also use carrots, beets and spirulina for the beneficial bugs I want to cultivate in the gut. When you cultivate the right garden of beneficial bugs and probiotics, the health of the gut is established and restores detoxification ability as well as assimilation of critical nutrients. Add a teaspoon or two for small dogs; a tablespoon or two or three for larger dogs.
10.  Raw Food For Detox:
I can’t tell you how much I really hate fake foods. Get rid of commercially processed foods and don’t use chemical synthetic vitamins. Go for raw and whole foods, add fermented foods and supplement intelligently with whole food based supplements. Just getting the dog on a good raw whole food diet and off commercial, processed food is detoxing. It’s even better if the food is from organic sources and grass fed animals, and even better if it’s biodynamic.  
11.  Glandulars:
Glandulars are a must-have and I source mine from neonatal animals from grassfed mothers and not from slaughterhouses where industrially raised older animals are often the victims of lots of drugs, hormones and vaccinations. I also found that large populations of cows were being fed candy corn during a bad hay year! Seriously! I can’t imagine how screwed up a cow is going to be when industrially raised to the point they are line fed candy corn with all that high fructose corn syrup that includes – guess what? MERCURY!
Is Detox Working? As the body detoxifies, it is not uncommon to experience flu-like symptoms including headache, joint and muscle pain, body aches, sore throat, general malaise, sweating, chills, nausea or other symptoms. This is known as the Herxheimer Reaction and it is short-term, from days to a few weeks. Detoxing in your dog can mean discharging from ears, eyes, skin, rectum – some unsavory stuff. If the animal is really toxic the discharges will be more extreme – like diarrhea. I’m seeing fewer extreme cases as more people feed their dogs raw, species-appropriate diets and minimize vaccinations.
What you see with detoxing can be amazing: old dogs getting off the couch and joining back into activities, more cognitive function and awareness, more life or spark to their being. Lipomas shrink down, coats get better and grow in shinier and the skin gets healthy. As our largest organ, the skin is reflective of the immune system as a whole. Eyes get clearer and there is regression of lenticular cloudiness.
This provides some essential basics to begin a detox. If you can only make subtle changes that helps. An every day gentle detox will be able to keep your pets healthier. Of course, when I individualize a detoxification program for a patient I can go into greater detail with protocols specific to each case. Working with someone knowledgeable ensures there is someone to handle a crisis like diarrhea with homeopathy or some other natural remedies.
Detoxification Is An Every Day Practice:
If there is one thing I would impart as a final word it would be to start adding these steps so you can detox yourself and your pets every day. We’re no longer living in a world where you can take clean or safe for granted. It is better to face the facts and know that reversing chronic disease is a lifetime process.

• Avoid chemicals and toxins in every way: household cleaners, body products and lawn care. Grow your own food or get to know your local farmer.
• Become diligent in your sourcing for clean, unprocessed food. Learn about biodynamic farming and step up from organic to biodynamic.
• Don’t allow the dysregulation of your immune system or that of your four-legged companion with unsafe and unnecessary vaccinations and drugs.
• Spend time in the sunshine. There is a host of nutrition that comes from the sun.
• Exercise is vital. You don’t purge spent mitochondria or make new ones without it. Your lymphatic system won’t work without it. Your brain doesn’t work without it.
• Make friends with beneficial bugs through pre- and probiotics and enzymes. Learn to ferment and sprout and implement both of these nutritious foods today. These are for the whole family, two-legged and four-legged.
• It sounds simplistic but it’s one foot in front of the other, step by step. Every step you take makes the next one easier toward a life of ongoing detoxification.

My holistic vet used this extract with my 8 week old puppy 5 years ago to stabilize the urinary track and it worked great.  Of course the Raw Diet is also a plus in preventing so many other health problems in our pets.  This is just another reason to feed our pets a raw species appropriate diet. I am a firm believer in feeding a raw diet.
​By Dr. Becker
Bacterial urinary tract infections (UTIs) are fairly common in dogs, and similar to humans, females are more often affected. E. coli bacteria is responsible for about half of all canine UTIs.
The development of a urinary tract infection is the result of a change in a dog’s immune defenses that allows pathogenic bacteria to proliferate. This can be the result of a disease process, the dog’s individual anatomy, the use of catheters, and certain drugs.
For example, dogs with diabetes or Cushing's disease (hyperadrenocorticism), dogs who are treated repeatedly with steroids (e.g., prednisone), and hospitalized dogs who are catheterized have more E. coli-related bacterial UTIs than other dogs.
Unfortunately, adding antibiotics to the mix can further increase the risk, as does the increasing age of the dog.
Risks Associated With Chronic Urinary Tract InfectionsUrinary tract infections are treated with antibiotics. For treatment to be successful, it’s important that the appropriate drug is selected (which requires a culture and sensitivity test), and the length of therapy is adequate.
There are many side effects of antibiotic use, including gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms that can lead to the dog’s owner not giving the drug as prescribed, the dog refusing the drug, and/or decreased absorption leading to inadequate levels of antibiotic in the blood or urine.
These issues can interfere with the elimination of the bacteria that is causing the UTI, and can also contribute to antibiotic resistance. When a dog has recurring UTIs, it can be the result of a too-short course of antibiotic therapy, or the inability of the drug to reach the location of the bacteria.
Sometimes, relapses occur very quickly after a course of antibiotics is finished; other times, the infection reappears after some time has passed, in which case it can be mistaken for a new infection.
Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem in both human and veterinary medicine. A 2008 study revealed that bacterial resistance is highest in dogs with recurrent E. coli-related urinary tract infections.1
An earlier study identified E. coli bacteria in two dogs that proved resistant to 12 different antibiotics over the span of two weeks.2
Study Shows Cranberry Extract May Prevent UTIsRecently, a team of researchers from the College of Veterinary Medicine at National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan conducted a study to determine the effects of cranberry extract on the development of urinary tract infections in dogs.3
They also wanted to measure the adherence of E. coli bacteria to canine kidney cells.
The team studied 12 pet dogs in one experiment, and six additional dogs in a second experiment. In the first experiment, the 12 dogs all had a history of recurrent UTIs (at least three infections in the previous year).
Six of the 12 received an antibiotic for two weeks, while the remaining dogs received cranberry extract for six months. Over the course of the six-month study, none of the 12 dogs developed a UTI.
In the second experiment, six dogs received cranberry extract for 60 days. In urine samples taken at 30 and 60 days, E. coli adhesion to kidney cells was significantly reduced compared to samples taken before the dogs began the extract. The researchers concluded that:
“Oral administration of cranberry extract prevented development of a UTI and prevented E. coli adherence to MDCK [canine kidney] cells, which may indicate it has benefit for preventing UTIs in dogs.”4
Translation: Cranberry extract appears to be as or more effective in preventing E. coli-related urinary tract infections in dogs as short-term antimicrobial treatment — without the side effects. In addition, cranberry extract can help fight multi-drug resistant bacteria in dogs with recurrent E. coli UTIs.
I recommend choosing an organic cranberry extract with D-mannose, which is a simple sugar closely related to glucose that occurs naturally in cranberries, peaches, apples, other berries and some plants.
D-mannose is fully absorbed (but does not prompt an insulin release or rock blood glucose levels, so there’s no negative systemic side effects) and quickly travels to the kidneys, then the bladder, and is excreted in urine.
D-mannose goes to work in your dog’s bladder, where it adheres to E. coli lectins. Almost all the D-mannose winds up in urine, which in turn coats the E. coli bacteria so it can’t stick to the walls of the bladder, and is rinsed out of the body when your dog urinates.
Symptoms of a Urinary Tract InfectionSome signs your dog may have a urinary tract infection include:

Suddenly urinating in the house
Constant licking of urinary openings

Visible blood in the urine; dark or cloudy urine
Loss of bladder control; urine dribbling

Inability to pass urine; passing very little urine
Vomiting, lethargy and lack of appetite

Straining to urinate; crying out in pain
Drinking more water than usual

I have used Milk Thistle with my pets for years to detox the kidneys and liver.  There are so many toxins in our environment that both people n pets need to detox from our systems.  I also use many mushrooms and essential oils to assist in detoxing.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT HERBS TO EVER ADD TO YOUR PET’S DIET!



DOSAGES:

Use ¼ of a teaspoon per 20lbs of body weight.

 The Natural Way to Enhance your Pet’s Life: “Despite much of the publicity that has been generated about this ‘wonder herb’, milk thistle should not be used as a daily food supplement. Milk thistle is a medicine that is best reserved for situations in which the liver is already under abnormal stress.” Most holistic doctors feel that milk thistle should be administered for 3-6 weeks with a 1-3 week break.

Detoxification is such an important process, not only for us humans, but also for our pets. We can be feeding our furry loved ones the best foods in the world but pores clogged with toxins will not allow essential nutrients to pass, causing a weakened immune system. A pet’s weakened immune system equals a multitude of problems! Milk thistle is the boss of detoxifiers!

But what else can this rock star of an herb do exactly?

This article is by Rodney Habib and it is what all pet owners that feed commercial pet food should read.  I have tried to explain this to many people who just don't understand how the pet industry is deceiving the consumer.  This article explains it very well.
​
Rodney Habib - Pet Nutrition Blogger

According the to the Petfood Industry Community: “47% of pet owners say they are looking for real meat as the No. 1 ingredient listed on a bag of pet food.”
And guess what? The pet food manufacturer knows this!
What Is Ingredient Splitting?
“Ingredient splitting is the deceptive practice of subdividing a more abundant — yet inferior quality — ingredient into smaller portions.
This dubious tactic can be used to artificially raise a meat item to a higher position on an ingredients list — and lower an inferior one
Being able to divide a dominant ingredient into smaller portions permits any pet food company to trick you into believing there’s more meat in a product than there actually is.” – Dog Food Advisor
This trick can be done with almost any ingredient in a bag of pet food!
For instance, in the photo a random bag of pet food was chosen that was labeled Pork and Peas. The pea ingredient has been broken down into 3 different categories: peas, pea flour and pea protein. By breaking them down into different categories, the weight of the peas can be divided into three, leaving the meat ingredient on top of the list. Pure genius!! (Not really)
The peas outnumber the meat, almost a 3:1 ratio. Rather than the bag being called peas and pork, it can now be labeled pork and peas because of this sneaky trick!
Some other examples to look for when ingredient splitting can occur:
Corn: Corn gluten meal, corn flour, and whole ground corn
Rice: whole rice, white rice, brown rice, rice flour and rice bran
Potatoes: dried potatoes, potato starch, potato protein, and potato flour
Ready for the real kicker?
Pet food labels are listed before the cooking process.
Even though a product lists pork as the first ingredient, the pork meat still includes about 70-75% water. Once extruded, the moisture is removed and left at around 10%, so the pork will have shrunk to 25% of the original amount while dry ingredients, like the different pea categories, will not change that much!
“So, the next time you see a meat item as the first ingredient on the list — don’t be too impressed. Or you could become the next victim of the pet food industry’s ability to re-order its ingredients list to suit its marketing strategy.” – dogfoodadvisor.com
Rodney Habib - Pet Nutrition Blogger
"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"
 

​This recipe is a great way to get mushrooms into your pets diet.
​Health Benefits of Mushrooms for Pets:  These mushrooms are not toxic for you or your pets.
They help support:
Liver and Kidney Functions
Improve skin and coat
Help prevent viral infections
Contain antioxidants
Improve Overall Health
Aid in the fight against cancer
 
Mushrooms to use: 1 cup of a mixture of these mushrooms Reishi, Chaga, Cordyceps, Maitake, Shiitake, Oyster, or Portobello.  Sauté in organic unrefined coconut oil.
1 c. chopped mushrooms
2 c. water
Add turmeric has hundreds of potential benefits and ginger for inflammation and other great benefits.  I use essential oil for ginger
Simmer 20 minutes
Cool
 
Blend in food processor or juicer
Start with 1 Tbsp. per 25 pounds of pet weight
 
You can freeze in ice cube trays for later
1 ice cube = 2 Tbsp.

Dog owners are becoming more interested in using herbs to support their dog’s immune system to treat illness.  This is very important if you would like to keep your pet healthier.

Many are aware of the value of using echinacea for something like a cold, slippery elm for an upset stomach and calendula to soothe scratches or skin irritations.

However, few dog owners use herbs for nutritional value. Herbs can pack a big nutritional punch and can be used to supplement your dog’s diet.  Essential oils can also be helpful and they are a concentrated form of the herb or plant.

Have a dog with allergies or arthritis? Try some vitamin C in the form of chickweed or comfrey..

Or is he iron deficient and now anemic? Grab some kelp.

Is he having circulation problems? Give him some vitamin E from slippery elm.

The great thing about deriving vitamins from herbs is that the body is better able to digest and use vitamins and minerals that come from plant sources as opposed to those that come from synthetic and processed sources. Plus, they are inexpensive and easy to use.

They typically come in tablets, capsules or liquid tinctures. It’s preferable to administer them away from food if you can swing it. But if your dog isn’t game, you can mix it in with his food.

According to The Veterinarians’ Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs by Martin Zucker, a very general rule of thumb is:

Give a 1/4 capsule/tablet (if one is the human dose) to small dogs.
Give half a capsule/tablet to medium and large dogs.
Give 4 to 8 drops of an herbal tincture twice a day (much less than the human dose).

However, if you are unfamiliar with the herb or uncomfortable with dosing yourself, consult a holistic vet.

Here is a list of some herbs you might want to try:

VITAMINS
Vitamin A
Alfalfa, Black Cohosh, Cayenne, Eyebright, Red Clover, Saw Palmetto Berries, Yarrow, Yellow Dock

Vitamin B Complex
Blue Cohosh, Cascara Sagrada, Fenugreek, Hawthorne, Licorice, Papaya

Vitamin C
Bee Pollen, Chickweed, Comfrey, Echinacea, Garlic, Goldenseal, Juniper Berries, Peppermint, Rose Hips

Vitamin D
Alfalfa, Dandelion, Red Raspberry, Rose Hips, Sarsaparilla

Vitamin E
Burdock, Comfrey, Dong Quai, Kelp, Skullcap, Slippery Elm, Yarrow

Vitamin K
Alfalfa, Gota Kola, Yarrow

MINERALS
Calcium
Aloe, Cayenne, Chamomile, Fennel, Marshmallow, Sage, White Oak Bark

Cobalt
Dandelion, Horesetail, Juniper Berries, Lobelia, Parsley, Red Clover, White Oak Bark

Iodine
Bladderwrack, Kelp

Iron
Bladderwrack, Kelp, Burdock, Chickweed, Ginseng, Hops, Mullein, Nettles, Parsley, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sarsaparilla, Skullcap, Yellow Dock

Magnesium
Alfalfa, Catnip, Ginger, Gota Kola, Red Clover, Rosemary, Valerian, Wood Betony

Potassium
Aloe, Blue Cohosh, Cayenne, Cascara Sagrada, Chaparral, Dandelion, Fennel, Goldenseal, Parsley, Rose Hips, Slippery Elm, Valerian, Yarrow

Zinc
Burdock, Chamomile, Dandelion, Eyebright, Hawthorne, Licorice, Marshmallow, Sarsaparilla

TRACE MINERALS
Alfalfa, Black Cohosh, Burdock, Cascara Sagrada, Chaparral, Dandelion, Hawthorne, Horsetail, Kelp, Lobelia, Parsley, Red Clover, Rose Hips, Sage, Sarsaparilla, Valerian, Yellow Dock
​