The Well Dog Place

Dr. Ken Tudor Holistic Veterinarian

Milk thistle can help heal and even regenerate liver cells with proper supplementation.

Senior Dog Care 06 | How Milk Thistle Can Help an Aging Liver

Did your dog’s last blood work show that her liver was having problems? Is your dog 8-10 years old? Elevated blood markers for liver function are common in aging dogs. The liver is literally the sewage treatment plant of the body. This work eventually takes its toll and the aging liver shows signs of damage in routine blood work.

Liver cells can heal and even regenerate with proper supplementation.

What Does the Liver Do?

The liver is important for so many bodily needs. But one of its most important jobs is detoxifying everything that enters the body. Food, yes, all foods including wholesome, organic foods, medications, supplements, and everything else your dog eats produces toxins that need to be neutralized and rendered safe for elimination through the kidneys or feces (poop). The wear and tear of the years protecting your dog eventually shows up in routine blood test. But this damage can be reversed.

Supplements That Reverse Liver Damage

Milk thistle has been shown to be a fantastic liver savior. It reduces the damage to liver cells and can, actually improve liver function and allow the regrowth of liver cells. Yes, the liver is the only organ in the body that can regenerate itself. Milk thistle is safe, natural, and affordable, unlike the other veterinary liver medications.

But Milk Thistle products are not all created equal. Quality and dose are important to ensure optimum liver health. We can show you how to add milk thistle supplementation to your older dog’s nutritional program.

Author

Ken Tudor DVM

Dr. Ken Tudor, Holistic Veterinarian

Dr. Ken Tudor is a recognized expert and leader in the field of pet nutrition and fitness. He has developed a pet weight management program and served on the American Animal Hospital Association task force to develop their Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. He is also a frequent guest on the Pet World Insider radio show and a popular guest on the televised Pet Ex Talks-Pet Experts Empowering Pet Parents show.

Senior Dog Care 06 | How Milk Thistle Can Help an Aging Liver

Senior Dog Care

At THE WELL DOG PLACE Whenever you "Refer a Friend" you get $20 off AND they get $20 off their first exam. Call for an appointment:
(909) 929-0778

NEW - If you don't live close enough to visit our office...

If you are too far away to see Dr. Tudor in person, but still wish to make your own balanced dog food at home using Dr. Tudor's exclusive nutrient powder, omega 3 oil and recipes, we now offer two options for you:

Healthier Homemade for Dogs

When you need or want custom recipes that are personalized for your fur family, our sister site Healthier Homemade can help you out. Because this service is remote, we are unable to give medical advice or diagnosis, so we work with your veterinarian to make sure your fur family is well cared for.

At Healthier Homemade, we offer Medical Recipe Programs for 14 different conditions. See them in detail here.

There are an assortment of recipe formulations for dogs with diagnosed Food Allergies. They include, High Protein, Instant, and Economy options.

If you have all Normal Adult Dogs in your fur family and wish to have more control over the formulations of your recipes, we offer Economy, Instant, High Protein, and Ultra-High Protein (including a few all meat options).

With all of our custom recipes you may include up to 4 dogs (with the same health profile) and you may choose cooking frequency from every day to once a week. We do all the math, we even calculate serving size for each dog! We also have detailed tutorials for each step of cooking, mixing, and storing.

Hearthstone Homemade for Dogs

If you are an experienced cook, like flexibility, have a normal adult dog, and just need general guidelines, Hearthstone may be right for you. Before purchasing a Starter Kit, you can see a complete list of ingredient options that can be used.

Our EZ Meal Planner gives you a great starting point. You still get to pick out wholesome ingredients at the grocery store and you still get "The Well Dog Nutrient Powder" to make sure your dogs' meals are balanced.

The Getting Started page gives you a great road map for what you need to equip your kitchen, preparation, transitioning to a new food, and more.