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New articles crop up daily touting a new fruit, herb, or chemical that is guaranteed to boost our immune systems! But there is no magic pill or diet that will boost the immune system.

Beware of false promises and miraculous cures – they can actually do more harm than good! Here are the 21 best ways to boost your dog’s ability to fight off disease.

1. Keep him clean

We all know how important proper hygiene is for our health. This applies to dogs, too, not just to humans. Of course, dogs’ bodies have a different way of dealing with unclean things – after all, they sniff and lick pretty much everything. Because of that, their immune system is can handle much more germs than we can. However, this doesn’t mean that a dog should not be clean. On the contrary, keeping proper hygiene is the number one factor in boosting a dog’s immune system.

Your dog’s feet and coat contact all kinds of organisms that the immune system has to deal with just by walking around. Some of the germs he collects will actually help his immune system, but there should be a reasonable balance. Washing him regularly will cut down their numbers, leaving more immune reserves for more important battles. However, bear in mind that “regularly” doesn’t mean “constantly” – if your dog is too clean, his immune system will grow weaker due to a reduced contact with germs.