What is pet wellness?
It is similar to human wellness and involves monitoring and reducing chronic diseases such as metabolic disease and cancer. Many chronic diseases are linked to inflammation and oxidative stress.
What is oxidative stress?
Oxidative stress is an important factor for all animals and is an imbalance between reactive oxygen and the body’s natural protective antioxidants. Reactive oxygen is a byproduct of normal metabolism and animals possess numerous ways of countering this risk.
How can I test for oxidative stress?
We don’t currently have at home testing methods for oxidative stress. However, there are assays available for diagnostic and academic laboratories. The most commonly tested markers for oxidative stress are isoprostanes, MDA, and TBARS.
How important are antioxidants?
Very. Animals have developed several systems to counter reactive oxygen produced by normal metabolism. The most important is glutathione but dietary antioxidants, vitamins and enzymes are also critical.
What is chronic inflammation?
Chronic, low grade inflammation is well known to be involved in multiple diseases including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. While acute inflammation is the well known response to injury, chronic inflammation has a long term damaging effect and can be related to diet, sedentary lifestyle and the immune system.