Is There Such a Thing as Dog Detox?

Have you ever done a detox? Used to lower the number of toxins in the body, there are also dog detox methods that can help cleanse your pooch.


And when you read reports such as the Centers for Disease Control reports stating that the environment is now 100 times more toxic than in our grandparents’ time, it’s not a surprise.


Even still, there’s a big controversy about them in medical circles. Doctors and veterinarians say that no one needs to waste any effort on detox methods; the body has its own – and takes care of it.


Related: Top 10 Daily Toxins That Can Harm Your Dog


However, they also believe that having only one bowel movement in a human a week is ‘normal’, so you can already see the lack of logic in their thinking. If you can’t poop, the food you ate stays in the body. That means the chemicals in the poop from foods and water have the potential to change to more carcinogenic chemicals.


If you’ve done a colon cleanse, or used herbs such as milk thistle or artichoke leaf, you’ve done some detoxification for your body. No doubt, you felt better.


But what about your dog? As your dog gets older, doesn’t he need some dog detox? Although you’re the one who’s going to be the best judge of this, many natural healing experts and dog food companies are now adding some detoxifying herbs to dog food. Their rationale is that the dog will live longer and be healthier.


Related: 4 DIY Homemade Cleaners That Are Safe For Dogs


I think the best way I can explain the results of dog detox is to tell you the story of my German Shepherd mix, Ginger. At around 12 years old, she started getting the old dog smell. The problem was that this smell permeated the room wherever she sat.


And it got so strong that visitors stopped coming by.


When Dogs Smell, They Need Dog Detox


Smells coming out of the body – whether it’s human or animal – mean that the body needs help detoxifying. The toxins are accumulating and that’s why there’s a smell.


I happened to find out that top dog breeders years ago used to wrap their dogs in bandages soaked in detoxifying herbs or minerals. It kept them happy, healthy and smelling great all the time.


So I found a place in California that offered to do the wrap. The salon owner had wrapped show dogs previously.


During the wrap, she was pretty vocal about not liking being wrapped, even though she wasn’t wrapped tightly as humans are wrapped. But once those bandages came off, her eyes looked so much brighter, she was happier and acted like a puppy again. It was truly a wonderful transformation.


Ginger went in stinking to high heaven and came out smelling like a rose. The wrap had successfully removed the toxins causing her to smell badly.


She didn’t smell after that. The one doggy wrap was enough for her to detox.


So if you ask me, does dog detox work? I’d say, yes, absolutely. But it might be a lot easier to simply look for dog food that contains the detoxifying herbs. This way your dog is detoxifying its body regularly and continually over time.


Here is a short list of herbs to look for that will help your dog detox:


  • Dandelion
  • Burdock
  • Nettle
  • Milk thistle


As with any change with your dog’s diet or when adding any kind of supplement, always speak to your vet beforehand.

Donna Schwontkowski
Donna Schwontkowski

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