Build Immunity with Healthful Food

Your pet store probably carries dozens of supplements touted as beneficial to your pet's natural defense mechanisms. Many manufacturers would like you to believe a strong immune system begins with daily use of echinacea or other “immune-boosting” products. In many cases, this simply isn't true.

Herbs that stimulate the immune system, such as echinacea or astragalus, can play important roles in your pet's natural healthcare program, but they don't serve as the basis for building strong resistance to disease. These immunostimulants need an ample supply of infection-fighting resources to work. If they are deficient or have already been depleted, immunostimulant herbs won't fix the problem.

The immune system is made of a complex assortment of cells and molecules, all of which help to maintain balanced health.

Each organ, tissue and cell of the body has an integral role in this effort. For instance, the liver and kidneys filter toxins and waste from the blood, and the skin serves as a first line of defense against pathogenic microbes and other environmental threats. A sophisticated army of front-line defenders works within the various organs and tissues of the body. This special force includes the millions of cells and molecules we know specifically as the immune system.

The immune army must quickly reach each battlefield to be effective. The blood and lymphatic system serve as its transport and incursion system. The blood carries antibodies, lymphocytes and monocytes, interleukins and other cytokines, and oxygen and nutrients. To clean up after battle, the spleen filters the blood and serves as a fatal trap for foreign bodies not killed by the body's warriors.

The lymphatic system cleanses and nourishes cells and tissues, and carries the immune effort across barriers that cannot be effectively reached by the blood. Lymphocytes originate in bone marrow, the thymus gland and various mucosal-associated lymphoid tissues throughout the body. The lymph then carries these warriors through an intricate network of tiny vessels on an endless journey in and out of the bloodstream and the body's various tissues. As lymphocytes seek and destroy foreign invaders, the lymph picks up their dead bodies and other debris. Lymph nodes, strategically positioned throughout the boy, filter out waste and trap any survivors.

Immunostimulants such as echinacea work by increasing the production and activities of this elaborate army. But for the soldiers to fight, they need nourishment.

Actually, the first battles against infection occur not in your pet's bloodstream, but at its skin, mouth, nose, lungs and digestive tract, where harmful pathogens make first contact with your pet's body. Therefore, building natural immunity begins not with immune-stimulating supplements but with a strong, healthy body.

A wholesome diet provides a strong foundation for disease resistance. Healthy blood, muscle and bone structure require quality meat and bone meal. Essential fatty-acid supplements contribute to a healthy skin and coat. Digestive enzymes and probiotic supplements help maintain a balance of disease-fighting bacteria in the digestive tract. A quarter-teaspoon serving of spirulina, a pinch of garlic powder or a scant dose of colostrum powder can provide additional immune-supportive nutrients.

Reserve echinacea, astragalus, Suberian ginseng and other types of immunostimulant herbs for when you suspect invading pathogens have already penetrated your pet's first lines of defense. Sneezing, coughing, fever, discharge or even abnormal behavior, such as excessive sleeping, might mean the time has arrived to use an immunostimulant herb, or perhaps even therapeutic doses of immune-stimulating vitamin or mineral supplements.

Selecting immune boosters might require the assistance of a holistic veterinarian, but the job of putting the elements of strong immunity into place belongs to you.