We all know that there are essential ingredients our pets need in their dog food like protein and carbs along with vitamin supplements. But what are all the other extra things you see in your dog or cat's food and what is their purpose. We also see a lot of herbal and holistic type supplements on the market to assist us in giving our pets a more natural way of keeping them healthy.

Over the next few weeks, I will be going over supplements that you can add or that's currently in your pet's food and what they are commonly used for.

ALFALFA (Medicago sativa)
Common Use: Allergies, arthritis, cognitive disorder, cancer, urinary disorder (acidic urine).
Alfalfa contains many nutrients like protein, vitamins and minerals and chlorophyll. Alfalfa is purported to be one of the best herbal therapies for arthritis. It possesses cancer -preventing properties by inactivating chemicals that can cause cancer. Alfalfa is often fed to animals that need to gain weight. Alfalfa can make urine alkaline and is useful in those bladder conditions where more alkaline urine is needed (likewise, it should not be used in pets whose medical conditions require acid urine).
Due to the large content of nutrients, many doctors recommend it for pets that require increased mental nutrition (older pets, especially those with cognitive disorder).*

Safety Issues:
Alfalfa is generally regarded as safe. The seeds can cause blood disorders due to L-canavanine and should be avoided. Animals sensitive to pollen may be sensitive to fresh alfalfa.*

Foods we carry in our store that contains Alfalfa: Canidae & Felidae Kibble, Great Life, Innova Dog, Cat and Health Bars, Evo, Blue Buffalo, Dogswell, Instinct.

Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
The cranberry plant is a relative of the common blueberry plant and has been used as food and as a treatment for bladder and kidney disease. *

Cranberry juice makes the urine more acidic. Since common urinary tract infections in pets (especially dogs) are caused by bacteria such as E.coli, (which functions best in alkaline urine, many holistic doctors promote cranberry juice extracts for treating bladder infections. It is also believed that cranberry has the ability to block bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall. Preventing bacterial adhesion to the bladder wall prevents infection and allows the bacteria to be washed out with the urine.*

Safety issues:
Carnberry is know to be safe.

Foods we carry in our store that contain Cranberry: Great Life, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul, Chicken Soup for the Cat lovers Soul, Blue Buffalo Dog and Cat Food, Canidae and Felidae, Premium Edge, Wellness Cat.

Supplements we carry in the store: NaturVet Cranberry Relief

*Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats.



Kristina
 

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