What does Aluminum have to do with my pet?

Unfortunately, aluminum is everywhere. Our water systems, food, soil and in our dog’s vaccines and food bowl.

Aluminum is toxic and dangerous. It doesn’t belong in our dog’s body but it’s a fact that dogs can become sick from aluminum toxicity. Learn about aluminum toxicity and how to detox it from your dog’s body.

“Toxic metals, like aluminum, replace nutrient minerals in enzyme binding sites. When this occurs, the metals inhibit, overstimulate or otherwise alter thousands of enzymes. An affected enzyme may operate at 5% of normal activity. This may contribute to many health conditions. Toxic metals may also replace other substances in other tissue structures. These tissues, such as the arteries, joints, bones and muscles, are weakened by the replacement process. Toxic metals may also simply deposit in many sites, causing local irritation and other toxic effects.” – Wendy Myers, FDN-P

Aluminum is toxic 

Aluminum is toxic and dangerous because it does not occur naturally inside our bodies, and that includes animals as well. So what happens when living things use and/or consume these products made of or with aluminum? Over time, the aluminum accumulates within our body organs, and can cause serious health problems.  Examples are slowing down the growth of infants and children, and either causing or aggravating various diseases and allergies in animals and people.

Aggravating various diseases and allergies in animals and people

Almost everything we use in this planet contains trace amounts of aluminum, because it is one of the most abundant elements on Earth. With this in mind, here are some tips from the Dogington Post on keeping your dog healthy and as aluminum-free as possible:

1. Check your dog’s food. It is important that we know what containers we use to prepare their food, as some utensils and kitchenware are aluminum. Some food such as potatoes, cheese and other dairy products may contain large amounts of aluminum in them, especially if they have such food additives. But don’t panic — this is not a major concern since only a small part of aluminum can be absorbed through digestion.
2. Check the water sources. Acid rain brings about an increase in the aluminum content for various water sources, which you and your dog might drink from. Always remember to drink only from clean, purified, and safe drinking sources.
3. If possible, live in an area with less pollution and urbanization. There is usually more aluminum contamination in urban areas than in quiet, rural areas due to industrialization.
4. Know the vaccines containing aluminum. For dogs, some vaccines containing aluminum are Rabies, Lyme, and Leptospirosis. For humans, there are the vaccines for Anti-Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Anthrax, and Rabies. Doctors and veterinarians alike should know how aluminum-sensitive the patient is, to avoid unwanted symptoms. If we want our dog to avoid too much exposure from aluminum, then we can choose not to have it vaccinated, if it is not too important.

Keep you and your pet safe by avoiding aluminum and go to the dog park instead.