Dogs are our loyal companions, and we want to make sure they stay healthy and happy. That's why colostrum is becoming an increasingly popular supplement for canine health.
Colostrum is packed with vital nutrients that can help support your pup’s immune system, digestive tract, and overall wellness.
In this blog post, we will discuss why we love colostrum for dogs and include it in the recipes for many of our top-shelf supplements. Read on to learn more about the benefits of colostrum for dogs and why we love it so much for our furry friends!
What Is Colostrum?
Colostrum is the earliest form of milk that is produced by mammals during late pregnancy. Also known as "first milk," is a rich source of antibodies and nutrients that are essential for the newborn mammal’s health. When your dog was just a little puppy, he or she consumed lots of healthy compounds and essential nutrients from the mother's milk, especially in the first few days after birth.
Colostrum contains a large number of proteins, vitamins, and bioactive compounds, which are responsible for its many health benefits. These compounds include antibodies that protect newborn animals at their earliest, most vulnerable stage of life.
These antibodies do so by boosting an animal's immune system, facilitating proper gut health, and increasing the chances of growth and overall health.
Why Bovine Colostrum Is the Best Source for Dogs
Colostrum is a powerful source of nutrition for dogs and can help to support their immune system, digestive tract, and overall wellness. When looking for colostrum sources for your pup, the best option is bovine colostrum (i.e. early-stage cow milk).
This form of colostrum, which is milk that has been collected from a cow within a few days of giving birth, colostrum contains powerful growth hormones, antioxidants, and more. The level of bioactive substances found in bovine colostrum is more concentrated than that of colostrum from other mammals.
This makes colostrum from cows the most efficient source for canine colostrum supplementation. Because of this, it has demonstrated a high level of usefulness for consumption by humans, farm animals, and pets.
What About Colostrum from Other Sources?
Dogs can certainly also obtain nutrition from colostrum produced by other mammals, such as goats and sheep. However, the level of health-producing bioactive compounds will be lower in these alternative forms of colostrum.
In other words, if you want the biggest bang for your buck, go with bovine colostrum for your doggo!
Benefits of Colostrum for Dogs
Colostrum is well-known for its many health benefits, and dogs that are past their puppy age are no exception. This superfood can help support your pet's immune system, digestive system, and overall health, whether he's a few months old or in his golden years.
Here are some of the ways colostrum can help your pet:
Colostrum for Dogs Can Help Boost Their Immune System
One of the reasons that colostrum is such a powerful supplement for dogs is that it contains multiple hormones that are necessary for young puppies to develop into healthy adult dogs. This includes the Proline-Rich-Polypeptide (PRP) hormone, which can help jump-start an adult dog's immune system if it's not working at its best.
This has been shown to boost immune system function and promote a healthy inflammatory response, both of which can help with allergies, occasional joint discomfort, and more. Specifically, PRPs help regulate the immune system by stimulating white blood cells and boosting natural killer cell activity.
The same natural factors that allow colostrum to boost a newborn animal's ability to fight off infection and stay disease-free help full-grown animals. This makes colostrum an ideal choice for keeping your furry companion healthy and strong, no matter the age!
Colostrum Promotes Digestive Wellness For Your Pet
Your dog's immune system and digestive function are closely linked. That's because the majority of his immune system lives in his digestive tract, and his gut flora depends on a healthy immune system to fight harmful bacteria and keep everything in balance.
As a result, taking a supplement like colostrum, which boosts the immune system, can improve your pet's digestive wellness. Specifically, colostrum contains antibodies that help balance the good and bad bacteria in the gut, which can help reduce inflammation and support healthy digestion.
Additionally, colostrum helps to stimulate both immune and growth factors in the digestive system, allowing beneficial bacteria to flourish while reducing harmful organisms. This leads to better nutrient absorption, improved gut function, and ultimately, better health for your pup!
Colostrum Has Been Shown To Support Dogs With Allergy Symptoms
Among its many benefits, colostrum can make life easier for dogs who have allergies and autoimmune diseases. This is because it helps reduce the type of inflammation (the result of an overly strong immune response) that is caused by too many bad germs in the body. Specifically, the PRP hormones in colostrum can help regulate the level of antibodies caused by an overactive immune system, which is what triggers allergy symptoms.
By reducing inflammation and regulating antibody levels, colostrum can help reduce your pup's allergy symptoms (such as itching, rashes, and general discomfort) and improve their overall health.
So, if it's that time of year and your pet seems to be getting itchy and agitated thanks to allergies, try adding colostrum to his diet.
Colostrum Provides Joint Support To Your Dog
On a related note, colostrum can also help make a dog's joints healthier. Colostrum's many bioactive compounds include some seriously impressive hormones and nutrients that help to repair and grow new joint tissue.
For example, colostrum provides your dog with methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), a natural compound that is commonly used to support joint health and provide joint pain relief. This helps your dog move around more easily without feeling pain in their joints.
Additionally, because colostrum helps reduce inflammation throughout a dog's body, including in the joints, it can further improve joint health and allow a dog to be more active. Not only does it contain natural properties that help your pet have a healthy inflammatory response, but colostrum has also been shown to support healthy connective tissues. It can even support your pet when he's experiencing occasional joint discomfort!
Colostrum Is Beneficial To Your Pet's Skin
On top of everything else it does, colostrum is good for dogs because it provides nutrients that can help improve their skin health. The supplement's high concentration of bioactive compounds (including growth hormones like PRP) can help repair and grow new skin tissue.
This helps your dog's skin heal faster and become healthier. Colostrum has been shown to help pets who are suffering from skin issues (such as dermatitis and skin infections), irritation, dry skin, and a host of other uncomfortable skin symptoms.
The inflammation-fighting power of colostrum also serves as a prophylactic measure for your pet's skin health. After all, less pain and itchiness due to inflammation translates to less scratching and other causes of poor dog skin health later on down the line. Altogether, these perks make colostrum a great way to keep your pup's skin healthy!
How To Choose a Colostrum Product For Your Dog
Are you ready to add Colostrum to your dog's bowl? Picking the right colostrum supplement for your furry pal can be confusing, but it doesn't have to be. With the right knowledge and a few tips, you can make sure that your pup is getting all of the health benefits colostrum has to offer.
There are some things you should keep in mind before you select a Colostrum supplement:
- Check with your vet. Before you add any new nutrient to your dog's diet, make sure you get the go-ahead from a professional. That's especially true when talking about an ingredient like bovine colostrum, that your pet has never tried before!
- Choose a supplement from a company you can trust. Before you feed colostrum to your dog, make sure you're comfortable with the manufacturing processes, safety checks, and quality standards the manufacturer has in place.
- Watch out for hormones. Because colostrum is derived from bovines (aka cows), it's important to look for pasture-raised, antibiotic-free, added hormone-free sources if that's important to you and your pet.
- Read the entire ingredient list. It's a good practice to read the ingredient list from start to finish when considering a product your pet will consume. There could be artificial ingredients or unnecessary fillers towards the end of the list that you'd otherwise miss and don't feel comfortable feeding to your pup, such as added sugar or corn syrup.
- Look for products that support your wellness goals for your pet. If your biggest concern for your dog is joint health, for example, purchase a colostrum product that contains other all-natural, pro-joint health ingredients such as fish oil and quercetin.
- By following these steps, you can rest assured knowing that you're providing your pup with only the best!
Tips for Incorporating Colostrum into Your Dog’s Diet
The only way you can actually give your pet the health benefits it deserves is if you can get your dog to consume colostrum. Incorporating this amazing supplement into your pup's diet can be easy if you know how to do it correctly.
Here are some tips on incorporating colostrum into your dog's diet in order to get the most out of its beneficial properties.
One of the best ways to start your dog on colostrum is through treats or chews. These types of colostrum products make it easier to get your pup to eat them. Begin by giving your pup one colostrum chew a day, then gradually increase the dosage as needed.
You can also add colostrum powder directly into your pup's meals. This way, you can make sure that they’re getting the right amount of colostrum each day.
Finally, colostrum can be added directly to your pup's water bowl. This will ensure that they’re drinking enough colostrum while simultaneously encouraging your dog to get the right amount of hydration each day.
Conclusion
Colostrum is the way to go if you want to enhance your dog's health and well-being. From reducing inflammation and regulating antibody levels to providing joint support and improving skin health, this supplement offers more wellness benefits than you can shake a stick at!
PetHonesty has a variety of products available that are formulated with colostrum. It's used in our formulas to offer allergy support to the pet who's experiencing occasional or seasonal allergies and wants a little boost for his immune system.
Try PetHonesty Allergy Support+ Chews, which are made with colostrum, plus fish oil to support skin health, antioxidant-rich Quercetin, and more!