Health for dogs, cats and co. Read everything about how you can promote a strong immune system in pets in this article.

In our previous articles you could read general information about the immune system of your pet as well as recognize the causes and symptoms that your animals could suffer from. We now want to take a closer look at what you can do to ensure that your four-legged friend remains protected from diseases and infections in order to ensure the joy of life and the well-being of your animal friend.

Sustainably strong defense system in pets

Your pet’s defenses should be strengthened regularly to ensure that they do not fall ill or suffer from chronic infections. For this, preventive care is crucial, consisting of a mix of enough exercise, balanced animal nutrition and a low stress level. This includes early detection of possible Symptoms or intolerance that can make life difficult for your animal lover. Your pet may have chronic ailments or physical symptoms, such as excessive nibbling or licking, and irritation of fur and skin. It is also important to recognize a weakened immune system in animals at an early stage in order to be able to counteract this quickly.

If your pet does not suffer from a deficient immune system, you can already strengthen the animal’s strength by analyzing the diet in detail and making sure that your four-legged friend gets the right workout to stay fit and in shape. Because often there does not have to be a very serious cause behind symptoms such as depressive moods or aggressiveness. It is quite possible that a small adjustment is enough to improve the quality of life of our animal companions and to naturally strengthen the animal immune system. In addition, you will observe how your pet’s mood and joy of playing could increase as soon as it is enjoying a better everyday life.

Little stress, enough sleep and exercise for a stronger immune system

All those aspects that our animal friends love the most are decisive for a sunny everyday pet as well as for a strong animal defense system. We humans ask ourselves: “Why is my dog not eating?” Or “Is my cat getting enough sleep?”.

All of these and more questions can basically be answered with the everyday life of the animal without a drastic reason or a weak immune system. Particular attention should be paid to the sleeping times and any stress the animal may have. In addition, there is the aspect of physical exercise, which should not be neglected with our animals, if only to provide enough fun.

Get outside, get some fresh air! Depending on the breed, species and age, the individual physical condition of your animal should be taken into account to ensure that your pet is sufficiently challenged but never overloaded. Sport also needs to be enjoyed in moderation in order to give your pet enough power to regenerate and fight any illnesses. So it is up to you to decide whether a proper walk in the park is sufficient or whether your animal has to be challenged by additional activities or games. The combination of physical and cognitive challenges can also create a very special stimulus for our four-legged companions and contribute to promoting a strong immune system in the animal.

Is my dog getting enough sleep?

Animals‘ immune responses are impaired by sleep loss, and responses to immunological challenges include altered sleep. Hence, it is believed that sleep is a component of the acute phase of the infection response and has a role in host defense. We should value sleep in animals more as a defense and regeneration reaction, which is essential in coping with infections and in order to avoid them in a healthy state. We want to look at the topic of sleep in pets using the dog, which should not be neglected in terms of a strong immune system.

You could also ask yourself about sleep „ Is it unhealthy for my dog to sleep in my bed? ”. As a human being, you should pay attention to your own condition and pay particular attention to any allergies or respiratory disorders that could be triggered and aggravated by the dog’s hair. Since a dog also likes to sleep very restlessly because it processes the many exciting events from the previous day in its sleep or chases imaginary rabbits in the dream forest, the movements can disrupt our sleep rhythm, which in turn affects ours personal stress level can affect. At the same time, one could argue that a cuddling session before going to sleep releases us into the night with the cuddle hormone oxytocin and possibly even strengthens our sleep. There is no clear, uniform or general answer here. You should therefore weigh up how much you want to share the bed with your four-legged friend.

If your dog snores loudly and frequently, there is a good chance they have sleep apnea. In this case the dog continues to dream without breathing in for a long time. This makes him harder to wake up and more likely to be sleepy during the day. Although this does not pose an acute threat to the animal’s immune system, the fight against infections due to a lack of sleep can take longer and thus the regeneration time.

Is my cat sick from stress?

Dealing with animal stress levels is particularly critical to the general well-being of our pets. If we do not recognize a source of stress early enough or if we ignore the effects of a restless lifestyle in the pet, this can damage the animal’s mood and immune system. The correct way of dealing with animal stress can be illustrated using the example of the cat. A distinction should be made between two types of animal stress. The acute stress and the chronic stress. Both types of stress can have a negative effect on the animal’s immune system in the long run.

Acute stress in pets: This type of stress includes everything that the animal is directly confronted with. Here you can imagine the tiresome trip to the vet or the situation in which the cat has to get along with its new home. The hated vacuum cleaner alone can trigger acute stress. However, this stress is only momentary and should be resolved quickly without the animal suffering from it in the long term.

Chronic stress in pets: Chronic stress is not necessarily easy to identify because the cause may be more abstract or not immediately obvious. Cats in particular can react very sensitively to external influences, which in the long term can even damage a strong immune system.

What causes stress in cats and weakens a strong immune system?

Chronic stress in cats, as well as other animals, can result from the following circumstances.

Temperature: Even if your cat lives indoors, it is very sensitive to the weather, the sun and the great outdoors. The change in seasons and temperature differences can affect your cat’s overall stress level. For example, if we adjust to summer time, the cat’s internal clock gets out of balance.

If you live in a northern climate, you should play more often in winter – as the birds have moved south, there are fewer things for your cat to watch from the window! Also, make sure the cat has blankets to snuggle up in. Also, make sure the cat has enough fresh water and cool hiding spots to rest on hot days.

Overstimulation: Boredom can be a big problem, especially in cats, as well as being overstimulated. Because cats have such sensitive hearing and skin, excessive noise and touch can cause great stress. Constantly loud TV and loud music, dogs barking and people screaming can be stressful for your cats. The same goes for too much touch.

Domestic changes: Have you recently moved into a new apartment? Or do you often move furniture? House repairs or redesigns are the order of the day for you? Cats are sensitive to their surroundings. Constant changes in the home can make your cat feel out of control. Try to tidy up and keep things tidy as much as possible. Make sure that your cat has unimpeded access to food, water and the litter box at all times.

Speaking of litter boxes – proper nutrition naturally plays an essential role in strengthening the pet’s immune system. You can read more about this in the following section.

Proper nutrition and a strong immune system for dogs, cats and co

A nutritious diet is essential for maintaining your pet’s immune system. Above all, antioxidants play an important role in maintaining the health of your four-legged friends. Antioxidants are vitamins and minerals in food that counteract free radicals and prevent their damage to cells. Antioxidants are readily available in many common foods such as berries, fruits, and vegetables. Some pet foods contain antioxidants, but often in insufficient amounts to improve your pet’s health.

In this case, you can add antioxidants in the form of a custom food supplement for animals. Dried beans such as kidney, pinto, and red beans also contain more antioxidants per ½ cup than fresh berries. Please note that a small amount is sufficient every now and then!

Here is a list of the best antioxidant-rich foods for pets:

• Red kidney, pinto and black beans
• Small red beans, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
• Apples
• Barley grass
• Cooked potatoes
• broccoli

In addition, you should ask yourself whether a individual nutritional supplements Giving your pet exactly what it is lacking. In this way you can ensure that all essential substances are present that will give your four-legged friend a strong defense system.