One of the main causative factors for any autoimmune disease are the toxins that our dogs are being exposed to on a daily basis. There are a number that are specifically linked to autoimmune disease but in todays’ short video I wanted to look one of the main toxins that are very problematic when it comes to the development of any autoimmune disease so stay tuned to learn what these toxins are and how to get them out of your dogs body so stay tuned to learn more.
While almost any toxin can wreak havoc on your dogs immune system one groups of toxins are more dangerous than others and these are pesticides. Just like us as humans, our pets can easily be exposed to these toxins but for pets the exposure is often more common.
So what are pesticides and how is your dog being exposed to these?? As the name suggests pesticides are those groups of chemicals that are used to help control a wide variety of pests in our environment including insects, rodents, fungi, and weeds just to name a few.
Pesticides work in a number of different ways to kill off the specific pest including poisoning, repelling actions and dessication (or causing dehydration as is the case with fleas, and mites). How are our pets being exposed to these chemicals?? Typically through weed and other plant products that you might use in your garden and on the lawn, general exposure to park and other public areas that may have been sprayed by local councils, indoor pest control products such as insect sprays and baits and one of the biggest ways , the use of regular chemical flea tick and worming products.
As smaller mammals with smaller bodies this makes our dogs much more susceptible to the influence of toxins and chemicals such as pesticides. Your dog can be exposed through their paws, their nose (by breathing something in), their skin and by actually ingesting it such as a chemical chew.
So most of us know that these chemicals are certainly not ideal for us or for our pets regardless of how effective they may seem. But in particular, how do pesticides influence your dogs immune system and the development of autoimmunity. Can pesticides cause autoimmune disease? Well that’s a definite yes. Here are 4 ways this can happen
1. Pesticides, can disrupt your dogs normal immune function by interfering with the production and activity of immune cells such as lymphocytes, macrophages, and natural killer cells. This disruption weakens the body's ability to mount an effective immune response against pathogens and increases susceptibility to infections. Over time the weakening can also lead to general immune imbalance.
2. Pesticides can trigger inflammatory responses with our pets body's, leading to chronic inflammation. I have spoken a lot about the link between Chronic inflammation and various autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and others. Pesticides can exacerbate existing inflammatory conditions or contribute to the development of new ones. Many pesticides can cause oxidative stress within the body cells which leads to damaged cells and tissues including those involved in immune function. When our pets are exposed to pesticides over long periods (eg when giving regular flea tick and worming products) the immune system can have trouble recognising which are normal cells and which are not therefore sometimes attacking the wrong cells
3. Pesticides are known to disrupt the endocrine or hormone system, which plays a crucial role in regulating immune function. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can interfere with hormone signaling pathways involved in immune regulation, potentially leading to dysregulated immune responses and autoimmune diseases.
And 4. Pesticides can potentially disrupt the balance of gut microbiome, leading to dysbiosis or leaky gut. The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in immune system development and regulation. Disruption of gut microbiota composition and function can trigger immune imbalances therefore contributing to autoimmune patterns.
So you can see that pesticides have the ability to wreak havoc on the body and immune system, creating the perfect storm that can lead to the development of autoimmune disease
How can we reduce and reverse this exposure? Firstly where possible, and especially if your dog has already been diagnosed with autoimmunity, we need to avoid as many forms of pesticides as possible. So this means avoiding those household and yard chemical products- weed killers such as the highly toxic glyphosate (the active ingredient in round up and others)and others can stay in the soil for many months so even long after you have used it residue is there and your dog can be exposed in this way. Be aware that public parks and grass areas are often sprayed at certain times of the year so try avoid these areas if you know it has been sprayed- and yes I understand that sometimes you can’t know this.
And the big one is to avoid those chemical flea tick and worming products. Yes we all know that our pets need protection against parasite but at what cost. Please look at more natural products where possible or use these chemicals minimally. If your dog has autoimmunity you must try and avoid these . And you can find out more about my natural range of flea tick and worming products on my online store. Simply go to www.caninevitality.net.au and click on these online store tab and create your free account to access information on these practitioner products.
When it comes to helping clear out pesticidal residue these 3 things will help
Antioxidants help combat that oxidative stress and inflammation caused by exposure to pesticides. vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione, and selenium along with plant sterols like maritime pine bark. Adding in antioxidant rich foods like leafy green veggies, orange veggies, berries, and olive oil along with oily fish are all excellent foods for autoimmune disease and reducing the impact of pesticides
Herbs that support the detox pathways including the liver can be highly beneficial here too- think of Milk thistle, dandelion root, burdock root, coriander, red clover and turmeric are recommended . Always check however whenever starting any new herb regime that these herbs are suitable for your dogs situation- you can always reach out to me if you need help here.
Chlorella -this is a freshwater algae rich in chlorophyll, which has been shown to bind to heavy metals and other toxins like pesticides to help clear them out of the body, aiding in their elimination from the body. Chlorella can powerfully remove the pesticide residue even with chemicals such as glyphosate that we mentioned earlier as the active ingredient in round up weed killer. Always start slowly when adding chlorella in the diet due to its detox action.
So as you can see pesticides are definitely a problem for the immune system. By avoiding these and using natural supplements to help reduce the residue in the body our pets can avoid and also reverse existing autoimmune patterns.
Comments