How Colostrum Can Help Your Pet
Colostrum is the 1st milk produced..Here is what wikipedia has to say:
'Colostrum ( known colloquially as first milk) is a form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals (including humans) in late pregnancy. Most species will generate colostrum just prior to giving birth. Colostrum contains antibodies to protect the newborn against disease
While in veterinary practice, I did hear about colostrum, and the 'so called' wonderful benefits of it.
But..I discounted it
We were taught in veterinary school that it is ONLY helpful to animals 2 weeks and younger that can absorb it
AFTER that it gets broken down in the stomach..and is...WORTHLESS
In general that is still the 'prevailing' conventional wisdom
Alas I ( and my instructors) were WRONG
There have been numerous studies highlighting a large number of benefits of colostrum for your dogs, cats, even yourself.
Turns out it doesn't all get broken down, and with over 200 different components, many are still absorbed, and proving to be very beneficial
Many pet owners have had some pretty impressive successes in healing their pets with Colostrum. In fact science has now found that colostrum is beneficial for 5 specific dog and cat health conditions: Protecting against anti-inflammatory medication side effects, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Immune Supportive Benefits, Weight Loss and Allergies.
Here are the 5 most important health benefits with scientific studies to back them up.
1. Protecting against anti-inflammatory medication side effects
——————————————————————————
Colostrum and milk-derived peptide growth factors for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 72, No. 1, 5-14, July 2000
2000 American Society for Clinical Nutrition
Raymond J Playford, Christopher E Macdonald and Wendy S Johnson
Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug–induced gut injury
Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely prescribed and are effective in the treatment of musculoskeletal injury and chronic arthritic conditions. Nevertheless, 2% of subjects taking NSAIDs for 1 y suffer from gastrointestinal adverse effects, including bleeding, perforation, and stricture formation of the stomach and intestine .
Acid suppressants and prostaglandin analogues have been shown to be effective in reducing gastric injury induced by NSAIDs but are less effective in preventing small intestinal injury. Novel therapeutic approaches to deal with these problems, such as the use of recombinant peptides, are therefore still required.
A recent series of in vivo and in vitro studies support this idea; EGF and TGF- and TGF-ß have all been shown to reduce NSAID-induced gastric injury.
The beneficial effects of recombinant growth factors on NSAID-induced small and large intestinal injury is, however, less well documented. It was shown recently that a defatted colostrum preparation, which is rich in the growth factors discussed earlier, reduced NSAID-induced gastric and intestinal injury in rats and mice . This material was also shown to effectively reduce gastric erosions in human volunteers taking NSAIDs (J Hunter, personal communication, 1998).
Further support for this approach comes from our recent finding that this defatted colostrum preparation reduced small intestinal permeability, which was used as a marker of intestinal damage in human volunteers taking clinically relevant doses of the drug indomethacin.
Clinical trials involving patients taking NSAIDs long term are under way.
2. Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Studies examining the effect of administration of EGF, PDGF, TGF-ß or IGF-I in animal models of colitis have had encouraging results, and a cheese whey growth factor extract containing several of these growth factors had positive results in a similar model.
3. Many Immune Supportive Benefits
Veterinary nutraceutical medicine
Craig Taillon, Alan Andreasen
Can Vet J Volume 41, March 2000
Colostrum is used as a nutraceutical treatment for animals
of all ages to increase resistance to infection and
disease caused by a wide range of pathogens, including
bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi.
It is also used for applications such as healing of intestinal lesions and
increasing the absorption of nutrients from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
The components of colostrum that convey its nutraceutical
properties are nearly identical in structure and
function among different species (11-13). This means
that colostrum from one species can be used effectively
to provide benefits to animals of other species.
Bovine colostrum is used in nutraceutical medicine due to the
relative ease with which large amounts can be collected
and processed, and its proven effectiveness when used
to treat a variety of species.
Some of the highlights from their paper:
Increase resistance to infection, heal wounds, bind iron in the intestinal tract, kill pathogens in the intestinal tract
Immunoglobulins are in high concentrations- good for killing pathogens in the GI tract- bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites
Many pathogenic bacteria require iron to grow- a component of colostrums called lactoferrin binds the iron, and moves it into the intestinal tract
It may attach to viruses, bacteria, weakening them and trigger the immune system
Certain components of colostrum, called cytokines, ( ie IL 1, 2and 6) increase and enhance B cell and T cell production,
Also contains growth factors, such as somatomedins, positively affect the intestinal cells, stimulating wound healing, increased absorption of electrolytes and nutrients.
Enhances immune function, prophylactic to prevent and treat disease, reduce the length and severity of established infections
4. Weight Loss
Colostrum supplementation has been shown to help increase lean body mass. Lean mass gains lead to increases in basal metabolic rate (BMR), or the energy your body needs for all its functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, hormone level adjustment and growing and repairing cells. Increased energy expenditure increases weight loss.
Colostrum has a role to play in weight loss.
Dosage
Shing, et al., suggest that 20 to 50 grams a day of colostrum, combined with other high-quality proteins, such as whey and casein, yield the greatest benefits.
5. Allergies
Research has found an ingredient known as praline-rich polypeptide (PRP) in bovine colostrum; it appears to be what is helping decrease the allergy symptoms.
The colostrum dose for dogs with allergies varies based on the company; I advise giving ¼ of the human dose per 20lbs daily.
| 
