To be taken twice daily. Determine your pet’s weight and then use the easy chart below to determine the correct dose. This is the minimum dosage. Milk Thistle for cats with liver disease is glycerin-based and safe for long-term use. This potent herbal formula provides excellent proactive support and can be taken in conjunction with conventional treatment. Milk thistle may also help the allergic cat. Since the liver produces histamine (an allergic reaction) when it is flooded with toxins, milk thistle can help decrease the histamines, thereby subduing the allergic response. Milk Thistle aids in supporting the liver by decreasing aminotransferase activity (important in the synthesis of amino acids which form proteins that are an important indicator of liver damage). In our experience, using NHV Milk Thistle Extract has greatly reduced elevated blood liver enzymes and helped to treat liver disease. What Are Some Other Beneficial Uses of Milk Thistle For Cats and Dogs?

New and emerging liver diseases are being studied and treated with silymarin from milk thistle. Its role as an antioxidant is beneficial in preserving liver function and restoring normalcy. Several new hepatobiliary diseases have come to light where silymarin has become part of the integral supportive therapy ( 5). Liver support therapy including milk thistle has shown improvements in liver oxidative status through increased glutathione concentrations. The product has detoxifying effects and stimulates the regenerative function of the liver. Administration of Milk Thistle in Cats The aim of the present paper is to provide, through a literature review of their effects, a scientific support for clinicians/nutritionists that necessitate of complementary feed to support liver function in dogs and cats. 2. Search Criteria Preliminary studies have shown Milk Thistle to improve markers associated with diabetic kidney disease in blood and urine.Allergies: Milk thistle helps alleviate epidermal and other signs of allergy due to high histamine levels ( 1). Silymarin reaches high levels in the bile and liver (it also reaches significant levels in the lungs, pancreas, prostate, and skin). It can be used in the treatment of feline hepatic lipidosis, chronic hepatitis, cholangitis (inflammation of the bile ducts), and pericholangitis (inflammation of the tissue around the bile ducts). It may be useful in preventing or treating gallstones by thinning the bile. Turmeric – rich in curcumin property to help support the body against inflammation and pain throughout the body

Good Manufacturing Practices: All of our formulas are manufactured in a facility that adheres to Good Manufacturing Practices. The liver is an important organ for pets. It has a number of important jobs to do, which include digestion and producing protein that is important for blood clotting, as well as removing toxins from their system. If a dog’s liver is not working properly, it might mean that they could benefit from extra support.

About Dr. Chris Vanderhoof, DVM, MPH

Milk Thistle is a powerful herb that’s been used by humans for thousands of years. The active ingredient, silymarin, has been shown through scientific studies to possess strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and detoxifying properties. It also promotes cellular regeneration and repair.

Turmeric ( Curcuma longa) is a perennial herb member of the ginger family ( Zingiberaceae). It is well known for its uses as curry powder in Asian cuisine and yellow pigment in the food processing industry. From the powdered rhizome of turmeric, several curcuminoids have been extracted, but the most prominent is called curcumin [ 42]. Although still debated, traditionally, curcumin, that present a polyphenolic structure, has been used for its anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, and renoprotective properties as reported in literature [ 42, 43]. 3.6. Taraxacum officinale, Dandelion Dosage should be given on an empty stomach with at least two doses and preferably 3-4 dose intervals to increase bioavailability. Pancreatitis: While pancreatitis is not common in cats, dogs frequently suffer from it. Milk thistle can be given to your pet to alleviate symptoms of the disease. Despite that, well-designed clinical studies, such as randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, with an appropriate cohort of patients or adequate dosages of aforementioned compounds, tested as single agents or in combination, are scarce in veterinary medicine. Moreover, the vast majority of molecules to which “hepatoprotective” properties are attributed are mainly included and marketed as complementary feed. These are also intended as nutraceuticals, where a nutraceutical has been defined as “a food or part of a food, such as a dietary supplement, that has a medical or health benefit, including the prevention and treatment of disease” (Interview De Felice, 2011) [ 5] or as functional foods [ 6]. Interestingly, an international agreement on their definition has not yet been reached [ 6]. FDA Registered Facility: Our manufacturing facility is FDA registered. Strict quality control procedures are meticulously monitored.To assess the possible efficacy of nutraceuticals on liver diseases, studies on cell cultures have also been carried out on single molecules/complexes or on their combination, with not always concordant results. A recent study reports the effects of a pretreatment with the combination of S-adenosylmethionine and silybin on primary canine hepatocytes exposed to the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1 β, and these molecules are hypothesized as a possible support to the liver function. Indeed, the presence of this combination was associated with reduced levels of PGE 2, IL-8, and macrophage chemotactic protein-1 (proinflammatory molecules induced by IL-1 β administration) as well as to higher glutathione (GSH) levels (reduction of oxidative stress) [ 20]. Similarly, a previous study by the same authors reported the efficacy of silybin and of a silybin-phosphatidylcholine complex in canine primary hepatocyte cultures exposed to IL-1 β, as demonstrated by a significant reduction of proinflammatory markers (PGE 2, IL-8, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1) and by a decreased NF- κB nuclear translocation, for the silybin-phosphatidylcholine complex [ 22]. On the other hand, in a study on cultured canine hepatocytes, the exposition to silibinin and simultaneously to α-amanitin, a known liver toxin from amanitin containing mushrooms (e.g. Amanita phalloides), did not show protective effects on those cells, which are measured by hepatocytes viability and lactate dehydrogenase activity measurement [ 21]. 3.2. S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe) If your dog is showing any of these signs, it’s important to consult your vet, who will be able to offer the best advice with regards to your pet’s health needs. The benefits of Milk Thistle for dogs, cats and horses

Milk Thistle is a natural, herbal supplement that is gentle enough for long-term use. Why choose Pet Wellbeing Milk Thistle for your feline friend? The standard dose of milk thistle extract is based on a silymarin content of about 80 percent with most supplements containing anywhere from 50 – 500 mg. It is possibly more effective to use a milk thistle derivative with synergistic components rather than a silymarin-only or other fractional supplement ( 7). If you’re using the regular enteric-coated tablets, these should not be split or crushed as it will affect the absorption as well as the dosage, so I wouldn’t do that without speaking with your vet first. It is very interesting to notice that although only few research papers regarding the use of complementary feed to support liver function in dogs and cats are present in the literature, many different products are commercially available. Even though these few manuscripts are very interesting, following our search criteria, their reduced number as well as the number of subjects included do not provide strong evidence both in dogs and, especially, in cats. Furthermore, it must be considered that 4 out of 18 articles we found were case reports (Table 1). These kinds of papers do not fully meet the aim of our study because of their nature, and only Wallace et al. reported the use of a single “liver supporting molecule” (SAMe) [ 26] and not combinations as in others. Habib, R. (n.d.) Milk thistle for your dog. Dogs Naturally Magazine. Retrieved 2/7/2020 from https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/milk-thistle-for-your-dog/Varzi, H.N., Esmailzadeh S., Morovvati, H., Avizeh, R., Shahriari, A., and Givi, M.E., (2007). Effect of silymarin and vitamin E on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in dogs. J Vet Pharmacol Ther, 30(5):477. Abstract retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17803742 Improves kidney function as well as aiding the damage that can occur in the body due to the use of drugs, radiation therapy, diabetes, and infections. Raloxifene (Evista). Milk thistle may affect how your liver processes this osteoporosis medication, causing higher levels of the drug in your bloodstream. Talk to your doctor before taking milk thistle if you're taking raloxifene.