Your pet’s liver and kidneys do a lot of the “heavy lifting” required for maintaining good health in her body.
Responsible for nutrient absorption, waste removal, mineral balance, pH balance and much more, they play leading roles in keeping your pet healthy and active.
Her liver performs over 500 vital functions, including filtering toxins out of her blood, producing essential proteins and vitamins, converting waste products so they can be excreted and converting nutrients into energy.
Her kidneys are involved in many crucial functions, including regulating the mineral balance in her body, filtering water-soluble waste and toxins, and managing her blood pressure.
With all they have to do, these three organs – one liver and two kidneys – carry the lion’s share of responsibility for detoxification in your pet’s body.
The cells in your pet’s liver and kidneys are constantly at work. And they need support to stay strong and do their jobs well.
You might think of those cells as a small-scale version of your pet’s whole body. After she spends a day working or playing hard, she comes back in worn out – and sometimes dirty. That’s when she needs food, water and a good bath to replenish her energy.
Her liver and kidneys are like that. They work hard, and they need their own version of food, water and cleaning to replenish their energy… or they can get worn out and become less efficient, exposing your pet to a number of potential health risks.
Today, more than ever, your cat or dog needs robust liver and kidney support as she comes into contact with a never-ending list of environmental toxins.
Your Pet Faces a Heavy Toxic Load in Our Modern World
A report from the Environmental Working Group found that American pets' blood and urine are polluted with high levels of many of the same chemicals found in the average human.
Only, the chemical levels in pets are even higher.
For dogs, blood and urine samples were found to be contaminated with a total of 35 chemicals. Cat samples contained a total of 46 chemicals.
These chemicals included carcinogens, neurotoxins and chemicals toxic to the reproductive and endocrine systems.
Whatever the source, whether incidental or unintentional, toxins and chemicals can accumulate in your pet's body. If he is young and healthy, his body can typically clear away those toxins and wastes through his natural detoxification systems – the liver and kidneys.
Your pet’s liver is considered the most important detoxification organ in his body. It operates under a two-phase system:
- Phase I breaks down environmental toxins and wastes in his body.
- Phase II neutralizes and prepares toxins for excretion.
His kidneys function in close conjuction with his liver. They take blood that comes through his renal artery and filter it through nephrons, where the beneficial substances are separated from the waste products.
To support these vital processes, your pet's body requires an ample supply of nutrients, antioxidants and cofactors.
With the heavy toxic load he faces from chemicals in everything from his food and water to air pollution and lawn treatments, and even in the carpeting and fabrics in your home, his detoxification system has to handle a lot more than his ancestors’ ever did.
When Your Pet’s Normal Detox Processes Become Less-Than-Optimal
Age, stress, injury and a host of other contributors can result in less-than-optimal detoxification for your pet. Sometimes, the build-up of toxins simply becomes too great for her liver and kidneys to handle.
If toxins and waste can't be removed through normal detox processes, several problems can arise, including:
- Your pet's body attempts to remove the excess toxins through her skin, resulting in itchy, scaly and dry skin.
- Your pet's body tries to shed toxins and waste through mucous membranes, leading to eye discharge, teary eyes or a runny nose.
- Your pet's body stores the overload of toxins to be handled later.
Toxins and unwanted waste that aren’t removed can remain and build up in your pet's body, potentially leading to less-than-optimal health.
When your pet is under stress, the nutrients that assist her detoxification process can become depleted too, exposing her body to even more potential damage from environmental factors.
The good news is that there are several things you can do to support your pet’s liver and kidneys, to help him maintain good health and stay active:
- Feed him a fresh, species-specific diet.
- Provide plenty of opportunities for exercise.
- Help him maintain a healthy weight.
- Choose natural health support to minimize drug exposure whenever possible.
- Reinforce his diet with antioxidants and nutrients targeted for liver and kidney support.
Even if you aren’t able to provide a 100% fresh diet, he can benefit greatly from these other proactive approaches.
Let’s take a look at how your pet’s diet can support or strain his detox system.
Utilize These Three Lines of Defense For Protecting Your Pet’s Liver and Kidneys
You may already know that I recommend feeding a natural, species-specific raw or lightly-cooked diet for most pets. Fresh food diets resemble nutrient-dense ancestral diets.
These are the foods that our pets have evolved to eat.
Looking at what our cats and dogs eat in the wild gives us important clues as to which types of foods your pet's body is designed to eat, and where the bulk of her nutrition should come from.
Meat should be the main source of your pet’s nutrition, with small amounts of vegetables and fruits included for dogs.
Although carbohydrates form the basis for most commercial pet foods, cats and dogs aren't well-equipped to digest them. High-carb diets deprive your pet of the nutrition she should be getting from meats and vegetables – and it may also raise her risk for liver and kidney issues.
I strongly recommend that you avoid feeding your pet dry kibble or semi-moist pouch food, whenever possible. Even if a fully fresh diet isn’t a possibility for you, your pet can benefit from toppers or treats made of fresh, real food.
It’s also important to pay attention to your pet’s water. To reduce the toxic load her liver and kidneys have to process, provide your pet with fresh, filtered water.
Tap water often harbors a variety of toxins, including chlorine, microbial contaminants, herbicides, pesticides, lead and other heavy metals. By providing clean, filtered water, you reduce the work her liver and kidneys have to do.
Lastly, give your pet the benefit of regular daily exercise.
Daily exercise assists your pet's normal detoxification processes in several ways:
- Stimulates blood to help remove toxins and waste from cells, tissues, and organs.
- Helps move lymph fluid to carry toxins to the liver and kidneys, where they can be safely eliminated from the body.
- Promotes regular bowel movements to move toxins and waste through the digestive tract in a timely manner to help prevent reabsorption.
Regular exercise is essential not only for the normal function of your pet’s liver and kidneys but also for help in maintaining a healthy weight, another key to reducing unnecessary strain on her detox system.
FIRST Complete Liver and Kidney Support Formula
For over ten years, I've been assisting cats and dogs in my veterinary practice with their normal detoxification processes.
I've tried just about every herb and nutrient, and over time, I’ve developed a unique blend targeted for supporting a pet’s detoxification system.
I’m pleased to bring you Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support. This is an original blend that I've personally formulated, based on my extensive research and experience, bringing together a total of 13 active ingredients to support your pet's kidney and liver health.
It’s truly a unique health product…
You can use Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support daily, monthly, quarterly or yearly, depending on your pet's exposure to toxins and overall vitality.
If your pet spends time outdoors and may be exposed to toxins on a regular basis, you might choose to use it daily or weekly.
If he is relatively healthy and not exposed to a great deal of toxins either indoors or outdoors (if you have a "green" home and lawn), you might choose to use it monthly or quarterly.
Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support's ingredients are safe for regular, daily use. And they provide benefits when used occasionally.
Let me tell you about what makes Bark & Whiskers® Detox Supportso unique…
Harness the Power of the “Master Antioxidant”
Glutathione is a tiny molecule that plays a big role in preventing damage to your pet’s cells. It’s so important for fighting free radicals and maintaining cellular health that it’s called the “master antioxidant.”
Free radicals are the culprits in a destructive process called oxidation. Free radicals are unstable molecules that travel throughout your pet’s body, searching for electrons to steal from stable molecules.
When they succeed, they generate new unstable molecules – and create more free radicals.
This process can cause damage to your pet’s mitochondrial DNA. Antioxidants, such as glutathione, clean out free radicals, helping to strengthen the mitochondria – which is where the cell’s energy is generated – and keep her cells healthy.
Glutathione helps support your pet's liver and kidneys by removing free radicals from the cells, strengthening her organs’ ability to remove toxins from her body.
Glutathione is made of three amino acids, including glycine, which I’ve also included in Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support. By boosting glycine levels, your pet’s body has more of the raw materials she needs to generate even more glutathione on her own.
This Roadside Weed Delivers Big Benefits for Your Pet’s Liver and Kidneys
A tall, prickly weed with a brilliant reddish-purple flower, Milk Thistle grows easily along roadsides, in pastures and in ditches. The seeds of this hearty plant are widely valued for their ability to promote liver and kidney health.
The main active constituent of milk thistle seed is silymarin, a flavonoid compound with potent antioxidant properties.
One of the most studied botanicals in the world, I've chosen to include milk thistle in Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support for its ability to:
- Help protect your pet’s liver against toxins.
- Support your pet’s immune function.
- Promote free radical scavenging in the cells of your pet’s liver and kidneys.
- Help preserve glutathione, by binding to substances that reduce glutathione.
Research shows that milk thistle promotes many positive effects throughout your pet’s entire body and not just his liver and kidneys.
Moderate amounts of milk thistle have been found to be safe for animals.*
*Important note: If your pet is on prescription medications or receiving medical therapy, please ask your vet if Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support is appropriate for your pet before using.
This Common Lawn Weed Provides a Healthy ‘Bitter Tonic’ for Your Pet’s Detox System
If your lawn is free from herbicides, chances are you may have brilliant yellow dandelions growing there right now...
The Dandelion plant, Taraxacum officinale, is loaded with beneficial compounds. While the plant has a bitter taste, every part of it is edible….
The leaves contain potassium, a mineral that plays a role in the ability of your pet’s kidneys to filter toxins. They also contain polysaccharides, which support the production of bile in the liver.
Dandelion leaves contain a compound called taraxasterol, which can help promote a normal, healthy inflammatory response.
Dandelion, like many of the bitter herbs, stimulates and supports liver and gallbladder health. It may also help optimize blood flow to your pet’s kidneys.
I've added dandelion leaf extract to Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support so your pet can take advantage of all these benefits.
*Important Note: If your pet is allergic to plants in the Asteraceae family, such as daises, sunflowers and chrysanthemums, talk to your veterinarian before use.
The Polyphenol That Promotes DNA Repair
In the 1990s, the health community began learning about a unique polyphenol with distinctive anti-aging effects. And it has become more interesting the more it’s studied.
It’s called Resveratrol, and it’s another potent antioxidant that supports your pet’s detoxification system.
Resveratrol activates a class of genes called sirtuin proteins. SIRT proteins are crucial for many cellular functions, including DNA repair, detoxification and energy production in your pet’s body.
Resveratrol is found in dozens of plants, including pomegranates, raspberries, and Japanese knotweed. This antioxidant is produced as part of their defense system against environmental stressors.
It may come as no surprise, then, that it can help protect your pet’s liver and kidneys from environmental stressors.
I've included resveratrol in my Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support formula because it helps the liver "clean house" by flushing away unwanted fats, promoting optimal function.
As most pet owners realize, grapes are hazardous for dogs. For that reason, I sourced the resveratrol in this formula from Japanese knotweed instead of grapes.
Especially for Kitties… An Important Amino Acid for Liver and Gallbladder Support
The amino acid Taurine is important for liver and gallbladder support in both cats and dogs. It plays an important role in optimal blood flow, cardiovascular health and the production of bile in both cats and dogs.
But it is essential for cats.
While most mammals are able to make their own taurine from other amino acids, a cat’s ability to do this is limited, so your cat requires large amounts of it in her diet.
Taurine supports your pet’s lipid profiles – levels of cholesterol and triglycerides – which helps protect her liver and support its healthy function.
A pet with less-than-optimal levels of taurine may be at greater risk of adverse effects from toxins, as she may struggle to produce the bile salts necessary to excrete toxins out of her body.
Although a minimal level of taurine is included in most commercial pet foods, it’s not always sufficient to meet feline needs. Furthermore, taurine is easily depleted in stressed pets.
By including taurine, your cat gets extra insurance to help her liver keep functioning the way nature intended.
8 Additional Active Ingredients Complete This Liver and Kidney Support Formula
The final eight ingredients in Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support are highly regarded for their usefulness in supporting liver and kidney health. They are:
- Phosphatidylcholine (PC) helps support a process known as methylation.
Pets' bodies are equipped with powerful stress hormones. Adrenaline and noradrenaline help your pet through a crisis. However, chronic exposure to these hormones can be unhealthy. The faster your pet can get rid of these hormones once they are no longer needed, the better.
The process of getting rid of these hormones is called methylation. PC is required for this process of breaking down and eliminating these hormones from your pet's body, thereby easing the workload on his liver and kidneys.
- Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), another potent free radical fighter, is an enzyme found in all living cells.
As your pet ages, the number of free radicals he encounters can challenge his body's natural levels of free radical-quenching SOD. Supplementing with SOD can help support your pet’s free-radical fighting system.
- Green Tea leaf extract's catechins help protect cellular DNA, according to scientific research. For your pet’s well-being, we use only decaffeinated green tea leaf extract for this formula.
- NAC is a cellular antioxidant that boosts your pet's tissue glutathione levels. NAC protects against oxidative stress and is a potent free radical scavenger
- Schisandra fruit supports liver function by stimulating liver enzymes.
- Curcumin is what gives turmeric its yellow color. This potent antioxidant supports your pet's liver and kidney health.
- Chlorella supports your pet's normal detoxification processes.
Help Your Pet Maintain Optimal Health by Supporting Her Detox System
With the extra toxic load our pets face today compared to years past, it’s important to provide extra support for their natural detoxification system.
Antioxidants help keep the cells of your pet’s liver and kidneys healthy, so your pet’s liver and kidneys can keep her body healthy.
Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support provides a wide variety of complementary antioxidants to help your pet maintain good health so she can do the things she loves to do.
Just as with any new product you give your pet, always check with your veterinarian if your pet is currently on prescription medication or undergoing any medical therapy to see if Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support is right for her.
Help protect your pet’s liver and kidneys and encourage her detoxification abilities. Order Bark & Whiskers® Detox Support today, and help her stay active and enjoy optimal health for years to come.