Your dogs liver is a very busy organ and plays a major role in the detoxification of chemicals and other toxins that come into your dogs body. When we talk about doing a liver detox, its not really because the liver is holding a lot of toxins within the organ itself, but more about encouraging a healthy efficient functioning on this organ so that it can do its job properly. And for most dogs having a happy liver can be achieved through foods. For those dogs with more significant liver issues then diet alone is usually not enough and that’s where we can look at herb and supplements to boost the process. So today we’re focusing on foods that your dogs liver loves and needs. So stay tuned for more.
As a major organ in the body the liver has so many important functions. It of course helps to detoxify toxins from the body so they can be eliminated via various channels in the body like the bowel, it produces bile to help break down fats, it helps produce hormones that can help with metabolism and the proper use fat and sugar stores. It also produces large amounts of the stress hormone cortisol which is the most anti-inflammatory hormone in your dogs body along with other sex hormones including oestrogen. All these hormones are created from cholesterol so while cholesterol gets a bad rap, the body needs a certain amount to produce these hormones. The liver stores many nutrients including vitamin D3, it helps metabolise fats, carbohydrates and proteins and plays a role in the activation of many enzymes within the body. In reality the liver has hundreds of functions but these are some of the main ones. How do you know if your dogs liver is in the need of support? Common symptoms that might show include itching of the skin (including allergies), poor stamina and lethargy, joint inflammation and stiffness, poor appetite, nausea alone of associated with vomiting, pale stools and weight issues.
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