Add Years To Your Dog’s Life

The cost of a vet visit for a routine checkup and vaccinations can run as much as taking your child to a doctor! When a serious illness occurs you can find yourself with a bill that is more than your budget can afford! But if you can keep your pet healthy and happy you can reduce those expenses, or at least the risk of incurring such expenses.

People spend over $100 billion dollars a year on pets. This includes everything from dog food to supplements to toys. The number of options out there are countless! These day’s people are willing to throw anything together, back it up with clever marketing tactics and label their products as healthy and usually can find a following for it. Unfortunately there is a lot of truth in “you get what you pay for”. You will NOT find quality products at the Dollar Store. If you don’t buy your own supplements at the Dollar Store, don’t buy your pet’s there either. How then do you decide which products are the right products for your dog? All natural organic products are going to be the best buy. But what are the best types of products to put your dog on? This is really something you will have to research based on what you wish to accomplish with your dog’s health concerns. But there are a few options that are good regardless of what your dog needs.

Dog’s age seven times faster than people. This is because dog’s also have free radicals from oxidative stress in their bodies just as humans have, only they have considerably more. I am sure most all readers are familiar with the push to consume anything and everything that contains antioxidants. Well how can you possibly feed antioxidants to your dog? A high quality, all natural, NRF2 activator will reactivate the body’s own function of producing antioxidants, as well as activating other survival genes in our bodies. By producing our own antioxidants you can rid the body of free radicals which are responsible for the majority of disease, illness and aging, all of which can lead to death.

The original founder of the first natural NRF2 activator, Dr. Joe McCord, created a canine version! This product is just like the one for humans, with added chicken & bacon flavors to make it more palatable to the dog. The science behind NRF2 can be understood by researching it on the US National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health’s website. This supplement alone can have a huge positive impact on the health of any dog.

When looking for a NRF2 activator there truly is just one, the original patented formula. But if you wish to research other options, a person should look for a product that contain the originally formulated ingredients of Milk Thistle, Ashwagandha, Green Tea, Bacopa and Turmeric. Deviations from this blend will not be as effective and if man made, synthesized or chemical components are found, the quality and benefits of NRF2 will be non-existent.

Another option is the use of essential oils. However, when it comes to oils, you have to be very careful. Unlike the NRF2 activator, which is still very new to the market with only one manufacturer of the patented product and a few copy cats, essential oils are a hot commodity resulting in a plethora of companies producing oils. The problem has quickly brought about extreme quality variations. This not only degrades the entire reputation of the essential oil industry but poor quality oils can be worthless and at times even harmful.

When it comes to oils a person needs to understand how to use oils; whether it be by diffusion (aromatically), topical (neat or diluted) or ingested (in food, water or capsules). In all three of these methods, poor quality oils can be harmful. Using oils means that you use everything that is in that plant. If it contains toxins, then those same toxins will be in the oils. The last thing a person wants to do is make a purchase without researching the origin and safe use of the oils.

Oils, just like our foods, need to be from a natural organic source. This also includes the quality of the soil in which the plants are grown. Oil manufacturer’s who use virgin soil to grow their crops and never use chemicals for pesticides, insecticides and fertilizer are more apt to have a higher quality oil, free of toxins. A good option to look for is a manufacturer who can tell you from seed to seal exactly what the process is for extracting the oils. In the world of oils the statement you get what you pay for, could not be any truer.

High quality oils are not cheap, but they last a long time since the usage may be as minimal as a few drops a day! Science has proven that the health benefits from this method of consuming micronutrients can be highly effective to maintaining not only good physical health but emotional, cognitive & physiologic as well. Oils work on a cellular level just as a NRF2 activator does. In both cases the impact on neurochemistry and biochemistry is extremely positive. The use of oils actually dates back to biblical times, but that’s a story for a different article.

When shopping for oils keep these few pointers in mind which include information from the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy:

• The truth is there is no real quality classification system for oils. So even though most claim to be therapeutic grade, you will be hard pressed to find a supplier who states their oils are NON-therapeutic grade. So don’t get hung up on this term.
• What you really should look for is authentic, plant derived and unadulterated products. If the products ingredients list contains anything other than the specific plant species the oil is derived from, it is NOT unadulterated. The plants scientific name should also be given.
• Oils should always be in colored glass bottles to prevent degrading the quality from UV light. Citrus oils will in fact pull toxins from plastic. Never buy oils in plastic containers!
• Check to see if the manufacturer can offer education in some form about the process taken to obtain the oil. Can they identify where the plants come from (country of origin), which part of the plant was processed, how the oil is extracted (distillation or expression) and how it was grown (organic, traditional, wild-crafted).
• The manufacturer should be reputable and one who has been in the field for many years. (Pun intended!)
• Stay away from oils found in discount, grocery or drug stores. Most of these are adulterated, cheap and of poor quality.

I’ve recently started using Clary Sage on one of my Chihuahua’s who suffers from a little separation anxiety when my husband leaves for work each day. Larry, the Chihuahua, often times lays on the couch trembling and waiting for his return 9 hours later. Unfortunately the fact that this little guy appears to be so upset stresses me out as well! A few drops of calming Clary Sage or Lavender diluted with a carrier oil and applied to his cloth collar provides just enough aromatherapy for him to reduce and most times completely eliminate the trembling or anxiety. I also use this trick when we travel to help calm his nerves since our traveling is most commonly done by air. I take a cotton ball or diffusing necklace with oil on it and place it in an area of the carrier that allows him to smell it but not touch it.

Taking some Citronella, Tea Tree and Palo Santo diluted with Avocado or Jojoba Oil (carrier oil) in a 1:8 ratio then rubbed into the dog's coat creates a safe non-toxic repellant for fleas, flies and mosquitoes. Both Jojoba and Avocado oil is extremely healthy for the coat. Avocado absorbs quickly into the hair shaft so the dogs coat is not oily. The scent of the oils are very strong and since a dog's sense of smell is greater than ours, essential oils should always be diluted with a carrier oil by about 80% when used topically. When taking orally, oils should be diluted due to their strength and it is best to use vegetable capsules to administer so the dog doesn’t have to taste the oils.

The use of NRF2 or essential oils is a complete supplement that will benefit your dog in multiple ways. The health benefits from both of these sources are, in my opinion, second to none! Whatever supplement you choose to try, research the product and the manufacturer. Be certain the quality of the product is a quality you would not hesitate to give to your own child or yourself. And finally please keep in mind, this is my opinion. I am not a veterinarian and if you have any concerns you should discuss your supplement choice with a qualified vet before beginning a treatment.