The Immune System
Let’s assume we have a water lily and plant it in very sandy soil on the beach. When we are at the beach, we dig up some couch grass and take it back to the pond where the water lily would normally take root. Now lets think about the consequences of this action.
Keeping both plants alive would be very difficult. The water lily would require constant watering and the couch grass would be drowning. Lets assume we now return the plants to their original locations. A few days after re-planting we return to see that both the water lily and couch grass are looking better and obviously appreciating the correct conditions. They are healing because the correct conditions allow them to thrive. In other words, if we give the plants the correct conditions, they flourish.
It is no accident that they were in their respective positions in the first place – they took root naturally in an environment which was best suited to their individual needs and lifestyles.
The exact same situation exists for our pets and, for that matter, ourselves. We need the correct conditions to thrive and be healthy.
An equally important aspect is the ability to heal. The plants, once back in their natural environment returned to their normal stature of good health. Let’s take an example each and every one of us have experienced at some point in our lives. If we cut our finger, firstly the blood flows and we respond by cleaning it and then use something to stem the flow. Within a short period of time the blood coagulates and healing starts to take place. A week later, depending on the cut, there is usually no sign of any disturbance to the skin - we have healed ourselves.
Essentially, all organisms, plant or animal, up to the point of death, attempt to return to the ideal state. With animals, this can be explained as steady temperature, blood pH, blood glucose, blood pressure etc. This is known as ‘Homeostasis’ which means, from the Collins English Dictionary "the maintenance of metabolic equilibrium within an animal by a tendency to compensate for disrupting changes"
This is where it gets really interesting because when we see a dog or cat chewing its feet or with itchy skin, waxy ears, excessive shedding, runny eyes etc, what we are really seeing is the immune system attempting to return the animal to the ‘Ideal’ state or ‘Homeostasis’
In very simple terms, these are really symptoms or signs that the immune system is attempting to heal.
Click here to read the textbook version.
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