Our dogs’ health and wellness are always important to us, but the immune systems can be even more of a concern for those of us who compete, board, or travel with our dogs. Considering the recent warnings issued by the AKC, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and major news outlets regarding the mysterious respiratory illness, our dog’s immunity systems have become even more significant. Nature’s Farmacy has designed several great products to support a dog’s immune system and help during recovery.

Nutri-Stix Immunity was designed as a pre-exposure preventative before any potential exposure to help strengthen the immune system and hopefully prevent any nasty “bugs” from getting a foothold in your dog’s body. It contains powerful botanical ingredients like Ginseng, Ginger, Astragalus, Schizandra, and Isatis, best known for helping the body fight potential viral infections. You can add this powder to food or mix it with water and administer it with an oral syringe to ensure they get the full dose.   An even tastier alternative is to mix Nutri-Stix Immunity with a meat puree!      

Nutri-Stix Immunity comes in single-serve packets or “stix.” One stix is the perfect dosage for a dog around 50 lbs. Below 50 lbs, you can give half of a stix. For those above 50 lbs, give a stix for each 50 lbs. You can increase the dose if necessary, for example, if you find yourself placed beside a sick dog at a competition. Do not worry about giving too much.    

As a preventative, you should give a dose the day before travel. For long extended trips or competitions, give Nutri-Stix Immunity every other day until you get back home. Should your dog become ill, and you have the stix on hand, absolutely dose them at least daily, more if needed.      

Another great Nature’s Farmacy product is Immuno-Guard. This strong probiotic blend with additional herbal nutraceuticals like Anise, Licorice Root, Lemon Peel, and Pumpkin is best known for detoxing the body and boosting the immune system. Our consultants have recommended Immuno-Guard for cases where the infectious agent was unknown, and it has worked well with dogs dealing with larger organisms like protozoa.  

Immuno-Guard is a powder that mixes directly into the food. Small dogs up to 10 lbs would get ¼ teaspoon per day, up to 25 lbs is ½ teaspoon per day, and 50 lbs and over is a teaspoon per every 50 lbs. Immuno-Guard works best given daily and can be given for the dog’s life if necessary.    

Should your dog end up catching an illness, hydration becomes very important. Nature’s Farmacy carries both Electrolyte Powder and Electrolyte Paste. The powder is very concentrated, and you only need a small amount to help replenish electrolytes lost during a sickness. Because the Electrolyte Paste contains electrolytes and probiotics, it works twofold when dealing with diarrhea. It is also very easy to administer to ensure your dog receives the full recommended dose.  

Puppy Support, a product not often considered for adult dogs, is a great hydration product.   Originally formulated to help puppies recover from fading puppy syndrome, it is a one-stop shop for a declining dog (or cat). It has a milk replacer base with added electrolytes, sugars (for energy), probiotics, and colostrum (for boosting the immune system).

Puppy Support is a very fine powder, and you mix ¼ tsp with four teaspoons of non-chlorinated water. Feed an adult dog five ccs of the mixture for each 10 lbs of body weight. You can feed this three times daily or more in emergencies.

All these products can work from puppyhood to senior dogs. While we hope that none of our dogs get sick during this latest outbreak, Nature’s Farmacy has products that could help from prevention to recovery. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at SUPPORT or 1-888-DOGZYME (364-9963) for a consultation.