Prevention is better than cure

Hi Dogs Today

Is there anything I can give my dog throughout the year to keep her fit and healthy? I am a firm believer that prevention is better than cure, and I myself regularly take supplements which contain antioxidants and zinc, which I’m sure is one of the reasons I rarely suffer from colds etc.

Is there a canine equivalent of this? My dog is a two-year-old Labrador cross (rescue!) named Cara.

Thanks,

Annette Michaels, by email

Ray O'Mahony MVB MRCVS CVH, vet, advises...

Prevention is with doubt better than cure and antioxidants are as important for dogs, and all other animals, as they are for us. 

Antioxidants are the buzz word for health at the moment and every where we are reminded and encouraged to consume as many as we can.

The issue of antioxidant status in dogs is complicated by the fact that most commercial dog foods are completely lacking in these important dietary elements. Cooking at high temperatures destroys them and few of the raw diets available add sufficient quantities to make a difference. As a result chronic degenerative and inflammatory conditions such as liver disease, bronchitis, kidney and heart disease are very prevalent in our older dogs.

With these issues in mind we at Phytoforce  (www.phytoforce.ie) created Active 8. We carefully chose eight of the most antioxidant rich herbs available, including one herb for each body system to provide the most comprehensive whole body health tonic available to protect your dog from the wear and tear of life.

One of the commonly reported benefits of Active 8 is that dogs given the tonic often stop eating grass. This could suggest that dogs are actually eating grass for the antioxidants it contains, as they are aware in some way of this short fall in their diet.