Putting the Immune System to Work for Your Animal

The following are my thoughts on how to best harness the amazing power of the Transfer Factors for your own animals’ benefit. I offer these as guidelines only; you may well find higher levels of dosing bring you better results. Remember, these products are very safe, as they come from natural and non-toxic sources. The only caution is that it’s generally better to start a bit slowly and build up the dose over a few days to a week, so the immune system doesn’t kill off foreigners too quickly and leave a lot of debris to be cleaned up. This can result in the classic “healing crisis,” where the body gets briefly overwhelmed with the byproducts of immune attack. You may see this in several ways in your animal, including a loose, perhaps foul smelling stool; a body odor that’s new or stronger smelling; discharges from eyes or nose; lethargy, lack of interest in play or grooming; inappetance; or even brief vomiting. If these symptoms show up, the products triggering them can be stopped until they subside, then resumed more gradually. It’s important to point out that the body can heal very well without going through a difficult healing crisis. My goal, in fact, is to work in such a way that my patients avoid these times of difficulty on the way to cure.

Please note that immune support is one of my three main approaches for treating illness. The other two that should be part of any animal’s treatment for optimal and rapid cure, are nutrition and homeopathy. There’s plenty of information to get you going properly on nutrition in this site. Explore what works for you among the choices. For the best results in homeopathy, you’ll need the expertise of a veterinarian trained in this method and practicing it as a major part of his or her practice. Guidelines for choosing a veterinary homeopath are given in homeopathy. Some homeopathic veterinarians may object to the use of Transfer Factor while treating your animal constitutionally. I personally see no problem with this, but thoughtful people may differ on their treatment approaches, so find someone you trust to work with your animals, and follow their guidelines.

A base level of immune alertness can be achieved by keeping the immune system primed with regular doses of the Transfer Factor products. With that basis, you may then go on “high alert” quickly and easily by raising the dose, or adding a second product. I base this recommendation on my own body’s experience, as well as that of colleagues.

For example, since starting the TF products myself, I have been exposed to the flu a couple of times, at the same time friends were exposed. I got that distinct feeling of “getting sick:” a slightly sore throat, feeling a bit draggy, a slight ache in the joints. I knew early on that some “bug” was trying to make its way into my body to set up housekeeping. But I couldn’t afford it -- I don’t want to miss days of work or activity, there’s too much to do. So, having been on a base level of one capsule of Transfer Factor Plus™ twice a day, I raised this to 3-5 capsules 4-5 times a day. I may have felt slightly symptomatic for a few days, but with this regime and a bit more sleep, I got well quickly without missing work. Friends around me, feeling similar symptoms, were trying vitamin C, herbs, etc., but they got sick. One friend recently had to miss several days of activity, got very ill, had his mucus turn green, and resorted finally to antibiotics before he got well. We’d both been exposed by a third friend with the flu at about the same time. I never missed a day of being productive.

Winning the Race
But here’s a key in understanding the “race” between immune system and germ: it pays to be primed with TF first, before exposure takes place. A second friend, who had not been on a base level of TF, was ill for 24-48 hours with the same symptoms that I had had a week earlier. I told her what a great experience I had just had with TF Plus, and suggested she take 3-5 capsules four times a day. She thanked me for the suggestion, promptly started the regimen, and got sick anyway. Why the difference between us? I had been primed beforehand, and she had not. Once invaded by the flu virus, it was short work for me to increase my immune response adequately to fend off the acute illness. For her, it was too late to get her immune response to the same level of fighting ability quickly enough to get over the infection.

Evidence from the Animal World
This same experience has been seen repeatedly by my colleague in 4Life Research, Dr. Joe Ramaekers, the founder of the TF veterinary formulas. He has been studying the application of TF products in the young calf. These animals are often gathered from several dairy farms as youngsters and shipped by truck to another distant farm to be raised. The commingling, trucking for hundreds of miles, and general stress of being in a new environment with a bunch of new animals pushing and shoving them around, inevitably causes many calves to break with “shipping fever.” This is an old term for infectious pneumonia caused by a number of organisms. It results in death loss commonly, though the farmers try to prevent this with massive doses of antibiotics. Treatment in this way saves some, at great expense and toxicity, but many do not respond. Dr. Ramaekers has found that the TF products, given beforehand, prevent this illness in a very high percentage of cases, approaching 100%.

So, timing is critical if we are to beat the race with infectious agents. It pays big dividends to have your animal or yourself at a high level of immune alertness, and add to that base when you see stress coming or feel an illness beginning.

The simple way to do this for dogs is with the product called Canine Complete™, for cats, with Feline Complete™, and, for horses, with Performance and Show™. Each of these formulas harnesses the immune wake up call of the Transfer Factor in a formula of complete nutritional support that complements whatever ration the animal is on. All three products have a recommended dose on the label that should be adequate for maintenance of immune system alertness. These formulas are highly palatable, but in case your animal does not like the taste, you may use the tasteless version in capsules made for people, called Transfer Factor Advanced Formula™. See Dosage Guidelines below for your animal.

• Prevaccination Protection
  I get this question more often than I used to: “If I’m not vaccinating my animal against parvo and distemper (or ______), do I need to avoid contact with other animals?” The norm has been for my patients to come to me already vaccinated, so the easy answer, based on duration of immunity, was no, the immunity should persist for “years if not the life of the animal.” (Vaccinations: efficacy) Now that people have thought more about the dangers of vaccination, it may be that some are choosing not to vaccinate until later in life (pups at 12-16 weeks old, for example), to be sure the minimum number of vaccines will give long-lived immunity. They may be using homeopathic nosodes before that, or may be opting to not vaccinate at all. What to do for these guys? Keep them in a bubble, away from all exposure to possible disease causing germs? No. That’s impractical, and, unless you have a strictly indoor cat, not much fun.
  
  So, the goal is to have an immune system that can defend the animal against exposure to parvo, canine or feline distemper, kennel cough, FeLV, strangles, flu, Rhino, etc. If you opt to have the strongest immune system possible without the risks that vaccines confer, use the preventative program that keeps the immune system strong safely and efficaciously, and without risk to the animal. That, in my opinion, is daily dosing with the Animal Health 4Life™ supplements utilizing Transfer Factor: Canine Complete™, Feline Complete™, Performance and Show™. These, coupled with excellent nutrition, should be adequate protection to get your animal out in the real world, benefitting from natural exposure to viruses and bacteria that can make the immune system stronger. Follow label doses and boost this base level as I explain below if exposure is likely
  
  
• Parvovirus Diarrhea
  This is an acute diarrhea, occurring almost exclusively in pups under a year of age. The bulk of cases occur between 2-6 months of age, as the puppy’s maternal antibody wears off. That came in the mother’s colostrum, but is a passive immunity that is temporary. Later exposure to the disease will produce active immunity that should last a lifetime. Vaccines for this disease are risky, especially in frequent repetition (see Vaccinations: Safety), but using immune enhancement with Canine Complete™ would be excellent protection preventatively, used from an early age.
  
  If parvo has already struck, see your homeopathic veterinarian for help with remedies, but also give Animal Stress Pack™ immediately and at least 4 times a day. This will replace lost electrolytes, supply abundant friendly bacteria to the gut, and give the immune system the edge it needs to beat this virus. With, of all things, transfer factors from colostrum, the very molecules that protected this pup after nursing from his dam! Once that maternal protection runs out, however, we can keep the immunity strong by supplementing transfer factors in the form of Canine Complete™.
  
  
• Boarding/Kennel Cough
  Let’s say you are boarding your dog while you go on vacation, and don’t want to get a potentially harmful vaccine against kennel cough (see Vaccinations: Safety). The easy way to prevent the kennel cough would be to add Animal Stress Pack™ to the Canine Complete™ base of prevention you have going already. Use the additional protective dose for several days prior to entering the kennel, while in the kennel, and for a week after returning home. Your dog will, in all likelihood, never skip a beat.
  
  
• Flu in the Horse Barn/Show Stress
  Similarly, horses being boarded with other horses will sometimes experience colds or flu going through the barn. If you hear neighboring horses coughing or see runny noses, add to the Performance and Show™ base that you have been feeding, Animal Stress Pack™, one pack per day until the flu passes. Similarly with show or travel stress, begin two days before the show with a Stress Pack per day, then continue through two days after returning home.
  
  
• West Nile Virus
  This has a lot of people running scared and vaccinating their horses repeatedly. Yet, the percentage of those exposed to the virus who actually get sick is very small, on the order of 10%. Why? The likely reason is that the majority of the horses, (or dogs or people) exposed to the virus had adequate NK cell function at the time of exposure. To make sure your horse is in the protected group though, feed Performance and Show™ on a daily basis. It has the Transfer Factor Plus Advanced Formula in it, along with a host of immune synergists and excellent quality nutrients for healthy coats and hooves. If your area has any reported cases of West Nile (or colds, flu, Strangles, EPM, etc.), just boost the immune system additionally with Animal Stress Pack™ at the label dose for one to two weeks.
  
  
• Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus(FIV) or Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)
  Much like West Nile virus, these bugs won’t get the cat who’s healthy. They typically only infect the animals whose immune systems are down, as in those poorly nourished, or abandoned, or stressed chronically with overcrowding and the like. The majority of cats will throw these viruses out when exposed. For optimal immune function, feed well (see Nutrition), limit the vaccines, and feed Feline Complete™. If your animal has already been diagnosed with one of these virus infections, double the dose. If your cat is not eating, begin with Animal Stress Pack™ at 2-4 tsp/day given with water or milk in a syringe. For finicky eaters, see special note in Dosage Guidelines below.

Allergies -- Skin and Ears
Though allergies in people are usually in the respiratory system, in animals the commonest organ to be affected is the skin, and secondarily the ears. The commonest allergic dog symptoms include itchy skin (hot spots on the rump, for example), itchy feet, body odor, eruptions on the skin or ears, or a build up of discharge in the ears, which may be accompanied with odor, pain and redness. While you are searching for the correct remedy with your homeopathic vet, you can give your animal quite a bit of relief with Transfer Factor. Start with Animal Stress Pack™, especially if it’s an acute outbreak like a hot spot. Use this for 10-14 days at recommended doses along with a fast of 3 days if your animal is in good physical condition. (See Dr. Pitcairn’s book in Recommended Resources for more information on how to fast). This treatment regime alone may be enough to break the hot spot outbreak and give you time to get on high quality food. If you have persistent itching or ear discomfort after you’ve finished the Stress Pack, move on to the Canine Complete™ at recommended levels, and add Transfer Factor Plus Advanced Formula™ at 3 twice a day for the 40 - 60 pound dog. Adjust the dose upwards if you don’t see itching subside after a week. Just don’t be afraid to dose higher if you are not seeing response.

People have reported positive results in smelly ears by spraying in the TF Immune Spray™ twice a day. Avoid the topical formulas that have steroids and antibiotics, as you want to cure the disease and these drugs can only suppress symptoms while the disease brews on, getting slowly more serious over time.

And remember, if the skin or ears present chronic, long term problems, and you’ve improved nutrition, stopped vaccinating, and balanced the immune system with transfer factors, you will need to consult a homeopathic veterinarian to truly cure your animal.

Lumps, warts, lipomas/Cancer Prevention
As these diseases, from benign tumors and warts to malignancy, are all part of the same continuum, the key is keeping the immune system alert. Just as growths in general should be noticed by the immune system as foreigners, so especially should malignant cancerous cells. Natural Killer cells are the first line of defense against these altered cells, so keep them on high surveillance with regular daily doses of one of the Plus products (Canine Complete™, Feline Complete™, Performance and Show™). If cancer has been diagnosed, use high doses, adding 10-12 capsules of TF Plus Advanced Formula™ for the 50 lb dog. Of course, don’t shirk on nutrition, avoid all vaccines, and consult a homeopathic veterinarian for the best results.

Hyperthyroidism
This now fairly common chronic disease in cats is caused by a benign tumor in the thyroid gland 90% of the time, and a malignancy in the other 10%. So, treat it like you would cancer, and get the immune system to recognize what it’s been ignoring. This, coupled with constitutional homeopathic prescribing, can save these cats a lot of difficulty and help them re-regulate their thermostat. In my experience, cats are most responsive to natural therapies for this disease when they are not also taking the suppressive drugs like Tapazole.

Hypothyroidism
This more common thyroid disease in dogs, horses, and people, is, most of the time, due to immune attack on the thyroid gland, a form of autoimmunity. Why is the immune system attacking “self”? It’s confused about who the enemy is, often a consequence of vaccinations. The common treatment is to simply give thyroid hormone replacement for life, which palliates the animal. The best treatment to cure the disease is homeopathy and immune support, with excellent nutrition. Immune support can begin with Animal Stress Pack™ for 10-14 days, then do maintenance with Canine Complete™ at label doses as you finish the Stress Pack. This will be a long term process to cure, so hang in there and be sure to address the whole animal.

Mange
Demodectic mange mites are common flora in man and animals. Reread that if you think this is a typo, because it’s a fact: we all have demodectic mites as residents on our skin. Why aren’t we all itchy and broken out with eruptions? Only one reason: the immune system keeps these parasites in check. So, when a dog is diagnosed with demodectic mange, and he’s got crusty patches around his face or toes or all over, what that means, first and foremost, is that his immune system needs help! Unfortunately, the common treatment is to dip the affected dogs in very toxic chemicals to kill the mites. So toxic, in fact, that the personnel dipping the dog wear rubber gloves and aprons! This has never made sense to me, as we know poisons have a clearly detrimental effect on the immune system.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to strengthen the immune system and thereby get the normal flora of mites back in control? It can be done, and Transfer Factor Plus Advanced Formula™ would be the best course, along with Canine Complete™. For the average 40 - 60 lb dog, I’d start with Animal Stress Pack™ at recommended doses for two weeks. Then, follow this with Canine Complete™ at label doses and add the Transfer Factor Plus Advanced Formula™ at two capsules twice a day. To discourage mites topically, paint on lavender essential oil, diluted 1:10 with almond oil. This can be applied twice a day. Be sure to avoid the eyes, however.

You’ll need to give this regimen time, from at least a few weeks to a few months. And, again, don’t short change nutrition, avoid vaccines, and work with your homeopathic veterinarian to improve health and cure the underlying illness that allowed the immune system to get so sluggish.

Surgery
Any time your animal is scheduled for surgery, pretreat with Animal Stress Pack™ for 3-4 days before and 4 days after the procedure. Healing time will be greatly reduced, and the use of antibiotics could be averted (especially if the animal has already been on a base level of a Complete Formula or Performance and Show™).

The maintenance of healthy immunity can be easily achieved by following the dosage on the label for Canine Complete™, Feline Complete™, or Performance and Show™.

Keep in mind that Animal Stress Pack™ was designed to add short term extra immune boosting ability in times of stress, exposure to infectious disease, or to begin a protocol for a specific disease where a higher level of enhanced Transfer Factor is desired. It is not meant for long term use, so 7-14 days would be adequate in most circumstances. It is also loaded with probiotics and electrolytes, so is indicated in any diarrhea or after any antibiotic use, to reestablish normal gut flora. Label doses are adequate in most situations, but could be doubled if response time is critical.

Some animals don’t like the taste of the Complete formulas. If this is the case with your animal, just mix the dose with something very tasty and healthy. For dogs, this might be a raw hamburger patty, or for cats, a strong flavored fish like mackerel (please avoid tuna, as this has shown toxic effects in a number of cats). Also, offer the Complete formula in the tasty disguise before you offer the main food of the meal, so your animal is hungry when you medicate with these formulas.

For those people who would rather give capsules, the human TF products are very useful. These can be given directly by pilling, or mixed in a small amount of water and squirted in the mouth, for the animal who is neither eating nor easy to pill. Use your animal’s body weight as a rough guide, remembering that you can double or triple the TF products in times of challenge.

Canine Dosages:
Transfer Factor Plus Advanced Formula™

1 to 25 lb. 1-2 daily
26 to 50 lb. 2-3 daily
51 to 100 lb. 3-4 daily
100+ lb. 4-6 daily

Feline Dosages:
Transfer Factor Advanced Formula™

1-3 daily

This form is virtually tasteless, so is excellent for the finicky eaters. Can be mixed in food or given in liquid by syringe.

Animal Stress Pack™
follow label recommendations (2 tsp/10lbs body weight) for 7-14 days. Each packet contains 16 teaspoons of product.