Hair tissue mineral analysis:
balancing body chemistry

Nicole Mackie

MINERALS are essential for countless body functions in all phases of our lives and our dogs’ lives. Hair is ideal to use for testing as it can be cut painlessly and sent through the post with no need for specialized handling.

The hair stores information over many weeks of intracellular activity within the body, providing a blueprint of the biochemistry occurring during the period of hair growth. The test results can give us much information on the health status of the body by indicating the mineral and toxic metal accumulation following long-term exposure.

The body can produce many vitamins, some from food and some synthesized by the body. However it cannot synthesize or produce many of the necessary minerals needed. The body can therefore become deficient or in excess of minerals, affecting many biochemical processes within the body.

Inappropriate diet for your dog may lead to a chemical imbalance. Even if your dog is eating a good healthy diet, it may be inadequate in nutrients. The soil in which the food was grown my have been deficient, or the way the food was handled or prepared my have depleted the food of nutritional value.

Many other life processes can affect the chemical balance within our dogs - emotional and physical stress, medications, toxins, supplements and genetics. Each of these processes can deplete the body of nutrients by preventing absorption and utilization of minerals and vitamins.

Below, Graph 1, is the first test results of a six-year-old Labrador retriever.

Graph 2 below is the same dog three months later after her second test.

Looking at test 1 you can see that the dog has poor absorption of most of her minerals and toxic metals such as arsenic and aluminum levels a little higher than they should be. These levels of toxic metals may be affecting how this dog absorbs and utilizes her dietary minerals, therefore we must work on reducing the toxic metal levels through correct diet, reducing the toxic metals in the environment and correct supplementation.

This dog was placed on a dietary and supplement programme for three months and tested again, with the results of the second test in graph two above.

In graph two it appears that things have become worse. Her toxic metal levels have risen and her minerals are all over the place. However, the rise in her toxic metals can be evidence of the body dumping the toxins into the tissues. This is how the body detoxes itself. Sometimes the body can detox via urine and faeces but in this case her toxins are being dumped out of the body via the tissues (skin and hair).

You can also see improved mineral levels as her dietary absorption and utilization of nutrients has improved. However, there is still a lot of improvement to be made to bring this dog’s biochemical processes back into homeostatic equilibrium. For example:

Her calcium/magnesium (ca/mg) to calcium/phosphorus (ca/p) ratios on graph 2 are not in the correct balance. High phosphorus in relation to calcium can cause demineralization of the bones.

Aldosterone hormone can induce the retention of sodium, which may cause magnesium losses (seen on graph 2). A magnesium deficiency can allow hyperplasia of the adrenal cortex, causing excessive aldosterone production. In chronic cases, it may lead to metabolic disturbances such as renal dysfunction and inflammation. In this case sodium must be limited in the diet and high supplementation in the dog’s diet is needed until the magnesium levels are in balance with sodium and calcium ratios.

This dog requires ongoing supplementation in her diet until she is able to process, absorb and utilize all her minerals and vitamins and until her body’s biochemical processes are in optimum equilibrium with one another, bringing her body into optimum health.