Weak Immune System Remedies for Pets

| Modified on Mar 27, 2023

Does your pet suffer from a weak immune system? Is it always coming down with infections? Or has your dog, cat, or other pet recently suffered an illness or been on a drug that reduces the potency of its body's immune response? Certain natural remedies can help boost your pet's immune system and protect its overall health.

Infections, parasites, and certain genetic conditions can weaken your pet's immune system, leaving it more vulnerable to infestations and illnesses of all kinds. Antibiotics can help fight off infections that are already present, but better yet is to strengthen the immune system slowly and naturally before an infection occurs.

Home Remedies: Pet owners report that a number of natural foods and supplements can help support and even boost your pet's immune system (though every breed and species is different). Garlic (use cautiously with dogs), a raw foods diet, and astragalus are among the most commonly recommended immune supporters for pets.




Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic

3 User Reviews
5 star (2) 
  67%
4 star (1) 
  33%

Posted by Vegamom (Lubbock, Texas) on 11/09/2009
★★★★☆

Swelling in my dane

I have a great dane that is 12 months old. She has had staph as a puppy in her paws. When we got her she had been to the vet to get shots and came down with parvo from the vets office. She has been healthy but recently her back paw swelled from the elbow on down. It stayed swelled for a few weeks. Started her on acv in her water and 1tsp. garlic in her food. The swelling went away but now it is back but in her ears, the flaps and the top of her head. Has anyone else dealt with this? She has been a "special" dog since day one. I think her immune system is messed up. Thanks.

Replied by Twilab
(Alexandria, Va)
12/29/2009

Flaxseed Oil to boost pets immune system. 1.5 Tblsp per 100 lb dog/animal/day.

Replied by Suze
(Tweed Coast, Australia)
12/29/2009

My Weimaraner puppy had lowered immunity from vaccines, and he only ever had 2 core shots (at 6wks, and 12wks) - never again. I also treated him with ACV and vinegar.

I also used dried nettle herb (fresh chopped if you have it), parsley, coriander, green barley powder and MSM to cleanse the blood and boost the immune system. Also virgin organic coconut oil is a fabulous remedy for any skin conditions with dogs - it helped my puppy with hives which would stay for weeks otherwise. Just put on your hands and rub over the coat - my pup loves it so much he liks my hands too!

He is now 10 months, and doing well.

I wouldn't recomend more vaccinations, and it goes without saying that raw food diet is essential.

Good luck and keep up the healthy foods and herbs - your dog has the power to heal inside, and you simply need to strengthen her body to help nature do it;s thing :)

Replied by Ozarkansaw
(Little Rock, Ar)
03/31/2010

I believe the best way to boost immunity is with a raw meat and bones diet. It has worked wonders for my pets! They are completely new animals! Kibble and vaccines defiently destroy immunity and cause dogs to have a shorter lifespan.

Replied by Lisa
(Pottstown, Pa)
11/04/2010
★★★★★

ASTRAGALUS is extremely helpful in boosting the immune system of any pet, as well as curing many ailments. I used it to cure my 60 lb lab mix's kennel cough. I purchased the liquid for and gave her about 14 drops daily. I usually just mixed it with a little peanut butter or egg and she gobbled it right up. Within 2 days her kennel cough was gone! It was recommended to me for any ailment that could be helped by an immune boost. I was able to purchase it at my local Vitamin Shoppe.

Replied by Judye
(Central Nc, North Carolina)
11/08/2011

An excellent immune builder is Essiac Tea. You can do a search to find it. Make it as directed. I'm using this for myself and my Dogs. It is known to cure cancer so I am giving it do my Doberman with cartlidge cancer. We just recently got started on it, so we we see.

Replied by Harveyp
(Ancaster, Ontario)
10/25/2012

All mammals get their immune systems by ingesting colostrum from mothers milk shortly after birth. The body has what is called a master antioxidant name Glutathione (GSH). While some foods may slightly boost your immune system, there is only one thing that can actually restore your immune system. Doctors use artificial glutathione injected into the liver to counteract someone who overdoses on drugs. However, when attempting to use this form as a supplement, it does nothing! That's because Glutathione is actually made in the body and this only can happen if you consume the right precursors to enable the internal generation at the cell level. The precursors are lactoferrin, beta lactalbumin, and scrum albumin which absorb readily into the bloodstream, serving as a cysteine and cystine delivery systems. Dr. Gustavo Bounous spent 22 years at McGill University to discover and provide these temperature sensitive precursors in supplement form. Pasteurization kills these precursors in milk. Using a cold pasteurization process, the precursors are sold as [supplements] derived from undenatured whey protein. This supplement should be taken with Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Folic acid. If you have had things like Chronic Fatique Syndrome, like myself, you must do the following: I weigh 215 lb. And therefore require 3 pouches a day for 6 weeks straight. This is very important (some people won't do this step because of the price). I investigated and have met dozens of people who were diagnosed with incurable forms of cancer are living because of this product. If you have health problems it is very important to refuel the Glutathione levels to full capacity. Instead of an Antioxidant having the ability to neutralize 1 free radiacal, the Glutathione keeps scrubbing your system by replacing the hydrogen atom which takes a free radical OH and turns it to H2O so you can eliminate toxicity from the body. It can then send out the same Antioxidant to gather another and another. I was able to cure my chronic fatigue in about 2 months using this method. If you have a hole in your immune system, you need to continue with a maintenance dose. I severely injured my left knee and tore out multiple ligaments which cannot be fixed. Since this injury, I could feel my health literally being sucked out of my body. I went 17 years in suicidal pain with no sleep until I had a total breakdown before learning about [this supplement].

Replied by Jai Krishna
(Florida)
07/29/2015
★★★★★

Thank you so much for this detailed explanation on building the immune system!! I appreciate this website so much and have learned some very helpful and valuable information. I learned how to oil pull from this site and have cured an abscess and boosted my own immune system exponentially

I wish my cat could oil pull!! But seriously, the apple cider vinegar applied topically helped my cat's upper respitorary infection immediately. I also put a couple of drops of food grade hydrogen peroxide in my cats water fountain and they are doing terrific!! Be very careful with food grade hydrogen pyroxide it is extremely dangerous if great care is not used!!

I am so very grateful for this site and all the caring people who take their time to research alternative health remedies and report their personal experiences!! Priceless resource!!

Whenever I read about any remedy, I take the time to google the remedy and what other sites are reporting. For example, it was stated on this site that borage oil is useful for cats with respitory problems, BUT when I searched the terms "borage oil and cats"... I found a number of pet sites that said borage oil is toxic to cats......??

That's too risky for me!!

However, when I searched ACV and cats, I found only positive statements from both the online medical sites and the grassroots pet owner sites. For me, weighing the possible risks against the promised results makes the most sense!!

An ounce of caution is worth a pound of cure!!

Blessings Everyone!!

Jai Krishna, and Namaste, OM!!

Replied by Berge
(Mn)
02/13/2016

Have you found GSH glutathione to be helpful for chronic fatigue syndrome long term?

Replied by Michael
(New Zealand)
09/19/2016

ARE BONES BAD FOR DOGS??

Hot news in our national newspaper to-day is vets reporting large numbers of dogs with messed up insides from eating bones. When I was growing up it was considered normal practice to "Give a dog a Bone" as a treat (& good for them too), but now it is considered "Too risky for "Frisky""! Maybe dem bones aint what they used to be either?

Cheers, Michael


Essiac Tea

Posted by Texas Marg (TEXAS) on 03/27/2023

Hello, does anyone have experience curing their dog's Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Essiac Tea?


Kombucha

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Anoosh (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) on 01/24/2012
★★★★★

I am responding to all the ACV posts for cat ailments. I have a 4 year old sphynx that has has a chronic sinusitis or cold or something for the past 2 years. He has been through every medical regime possible for cats-including a round of antibiotics for fish. He has been on the traditional rounds of antibiotics, super power antibiotics, drops, double doses, double rounds, multiple antibiotics simultaneously and etc. Nothing made a bit of improvement and I was told it was simply going to be chronic.

I recently began making Kombucha for my own use and decided to give the cat 1 tbls. A day orally with a dropper. We are on about week 6 and this cat is cured. We went from him sneezing and literally blowing-sorry.... -great big gobs of snot everywhere-the walls, the windows, the furniture, our bedding (very very gross) to not one sneeze in over 3 weeks. It took about 3 weeks to see a difference, but I am more than hopeful that he will be cured. His breathing is clear and no longer has that gurggly sound to it. I suppose store bought Kombucha would work also and much cheaper than any vet bill.

Replied by Tretiak
(Katy, Tx/ USA)
07/13/2013

I read a post about Kombucha for your cat. Mine has the exact same chronic snotty issues. Can someone please tell me if you know if kombucha extract diluted would do the trick? I am not brave enough to make my own tea. Also should I use Apple Cider Vinegar too?

Replied by Om
(Hope BC, Canada)
07/18/2013

Tretiak from Katy. Tx With cats and upper resp. I have a post on EC but here you go: take a baby teasp. with turmeric powder, open the hatch and put the powder on the tongue. Immediately close the mouth. Keep a paper towel in one hand and watch out when kitty begins to retch. All the phlegm will come out. Repeat as needed. My cat was free of trouble in just three days. I was so amazed! Turmeric is a natural antibiotic and good for liver and 500 other things.

Anyway, as soon kitty can smell again, he will eat his dinner. All the best Om


Lysine

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Busybee100 (UK) on 11/10/2021
★★★★★

If your cat has lower immunity then please try lysine. You can buy special lysine gel or paste for cats which can be mixed with his food. We were told it needs to be taken long term. You can also buy the human-grade lysine powder (no additives) and sprinkle some on his food.


Viral Infection

Posted by Rosie (Cambridge, Ma, USA) on 12/09/2012

My dog has had an infection on her lip for over three months. The vet cultured it, sent it to a good lab and it came back as strep. I treated it with heavy-duty herbal antibiotics (usnea, cat's claw, goldenseal and echinacea----two of these at a time for 2 - 3 weeks) with no results. So the vet gave her erithromycin tablets and topical gel, a 2-week supply, and we're almost at the end of that with no results. ) Does anyone have suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Replied by Wendy
(Columbs, Oh/usa)
12/10/2012

Try a very diluted solution of organic apple cider vinegar (ACV). Mix 1/4 ACV with 3/4 filtered or spring or distilled water.

NOTE: if the infection on your dog's lip is open and "weeping", this solution is probably going to sting. You could try the diluted solution first, but keep some fresh-water handy to wash it off if it stings!

Also, start mixing a tablespoon of pure ACV into her food once a day.

There is tons of info here on EC about the benefits of ACV for both humans and pets. Just do a search for it.