For us humans we already know the scientific benefits of a “liver cleanse” or “detox”.
Did you know it’s just as important for our dogs who may also benefic from a periodic cleanse?
In this guide we’ll discuss the importance of the liver, how you can detox your own dog’s liver, and the reasons a healthy liver equals a healthy dog.
What are the benefits of a natural liver detox for dogs?
A healthy liver is the cornerstone of offering your dog a long and healthy life.
The liver is thought to perform several hundred functions. These include assisting carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism, detoxification, and assisting in blood cell production and storage.
These actions are carried out by one cell – hepatocytes.
Liver cleansing is aimed at supporting these cells so they can perform optimally.
From a Naturopathic perspective, and because the liver affects so many functions in the body, it is easy to recognize a connection between various symptoms and the liver as such an important organ.
Why would your dog need a periodic liver detox
There are many factors which affect a dog’s liver, and these factors are often more common than we realise.
I’ll jot down various factors which can daily affect the liver health of our dogs, and will then go into more detail:
- Diet.
- Toxins in diet, including mold.
- Vaccinations
- Medications.
- Parasite treatments (flea and tick).
- Emotional stress from lack of exercise, attention, basic needs, other pets.
- Health issues.
Toxins in dog foods can often be a problem. Us humans consumer toxins often, but because our diet is varied these toxins rarely affect us.
This is not the case for most dogs who are often fed from the same bag of dry dog food morning, noon, and night, for weeks. Imagine if your dog food has some elevated level of toxins from a manufacturing issue?
I hate to fear monger, but this can and does happen. Thankfully excess toxins from dog food are uncommon, but if you monitor dog food recalls you will see many reputable brands have been affected at some stage.
Even mold in dog food can stress the liver, and given many dog foods opt for more natural preservatives such as rosemary, it is possible for mold to occur more often than you would expect.
Toxins from vaccinations, medications, parasite treatments, or even shared dog water bowls can have a negative impact on the health of our dogs. Emotional stress from lack of exercise, attention, or basic needs being met can also be a factor.
Other pets, particularly newly introduced household pets, can cause our dogs to be stressed. Most of the time we won’t even realize how affected they are.
Changes in behavior such as restlessness and irritability, as well as physical issues such as anal gland problems, allergies, seizures, autoimmune diseases, general skin conditions and gastrointestinal problems also show liver imbalance.
How to: A natural liver cleanse for dogs
A general liver cleanse twice yearly can really boost liver function, thus taking stress off other vital organs including kidneys.
Don’t worry, giving your dog a periodic natural liver cleanse is both simple, and affordable.
Even if your dog shows no signs of ill health, a liver cleanse can still benefit their health, wellbeing, and longevity.
The following herbs are often use to naturally cleanse a dog’s liver:
- St Mary’s Thistle.
- Dandelion.
- Yellow Dock.
In addition, the following nutrients will help cleanse your dog’s liver:
- Amino acids.
- Glutathione.
- B vitamins.
- Antioxidants such as E and C are generally recommended.
St Mary’s thistle in particular is very supportive of liver function as it contains a flavonoid compound called silymarin. This compound in itself is a combination of several other active compounds.
Silymarin and other related compounds support and protect the liver. Specifically, they strengthen the liver cell’s resistance to harmful toxins as well as stimulating new cell reproduction.
St Mary’s thistle can be easily added into your dog’s food in liquid or tablet form.
For those using chemical flea/tick and worming treatments, it is recommended to use a 7-10 day regime of St Mary’s thistle as this assists the liver to process these chemicals before they can lead to build up in the system.
By chemical, this includes spot on treatments which are absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
Personally, I would give my dog a natural liver cleanse every 3 months for those using the above herbs and nutrients.
Without advising against chemical flea, tick, and worming treatments, I personally opt for more natural herbal based ones (for more information on these, see my article on natural worming).
I have never used chemical flea and tick treatments unless my dog (or cat) showed signs of fleas or ticks. I consider this far better than repetitively treating my dog with chemicals which can be toxic.
Giving your dog a detox using chlorophyll or fasting
You could giving your dog a more general detoxification routine using liquid Chlorophyll, a herbal tonic. Seek advice from an animal Naturopath or herbalist for this.
Many dog owners these days opt for a 24 hour fast which will give much needed rest to an overworked digestive system. It is common for the wild cousins of our dogs to fast regularly, and research has shown benefits of doing so.
Final thoughts on diet, and the importance of a good diet
If you’ve read my other articles on canine and feline diets you will know how important I consider diet as absolutely fundamental to the health of our pets.
Diet is the foundation of good liver health.
If you feed your dogs a meat-based dog food rather than one made largely of grains or grain-free ingredients then you should be giving them a head start. Even better if you can afford a dried-raw which is freeze or air-dried, as these are more natural for your dog.
Should I mention the benefits of raw feeding?
I understand for many that raw feeding is daunting, particularly ensuring we get the balance of nutrients correct from organs and bones, but even though the cost of raw feeding is often cheaper than we think, the majority of dog owners feed commercial dry dog foods.
If you’re one of the many who feeds their dog a commercial dry dog food, you can still benefit your dog’s health with periodic short detox regimes.
These will assist your dog to eliminate unwanted toxins, including those which may occur from dry dog foods which are classed as highly processed foods.
Ideally, if you are still feeding commercial foods to your dog, it may be time to rethink diet, especially if they are experiencing any chronic illness. We fail to realise diet is often the root cause of illnesses, and it is uncommon for veterinarians to consider the root cause – it is not the responsibility of your vet to instruct you in how to take care of your dog, only to treat them once they show symptoms of illness.
A good diet combined with detoxification and liver support can go a long way in helping your dog resolve many types of chronic problems, and should lead to long term balance and health.
NB: always check with your vet or holistic animal practitioner when deciding on a detoxification program for your dog.