Creating Health! for our
Canine & Feline Companions . . .
and Ourselves!
Longmont, CO
sarah
KIDNEY DISEASE - Treatment and Prevention
Both felines and canines fall victim to kidney disease, an insidious imbalance that often goes undetected until it is quite advanced. There are amazing herbal remedies that are very effective to help rebalance the system and extend the lives of those who have been diagnosed with kidney failure or disease. One of the most important steps to take toward recovery is making sure your companion is eating a whole food diet.
By "whole food" I mean eliminating all canned and dry food, and switching to a diet of real meat and greens, fruits, and vegetables.
From Dr. Russell Swift, DVM:
Heat-treated animal protein, as found in commercial foods, is more difficult to digest. This results in more protein (nitrogen) waste, which the kidneys must remove from the bloodstream. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) is a protein waste that is measured in a blood test. Therefore, a diet that has high levels of cooked protein is more stressful to the kidneys and results in higher toxicity (BUN) in the blood if the kidneys are not functioning well. Raw protein, in comparison, digests more completely with less waste. This results in more protein for healing and rebuilding tissue without the renal stress. Remember, by nature carnivores eat a very high protein diet. They should have the ability to handle it. Another benefit of the raw foods is that they contain much more water than dry foods. This helps the kidneys discharge waste material. I would not be writing this information if I had not seen many animals improve on such a regimen. Other holistic vets are having the same results.
Foods that I recommend for felines are raw meat blends, freeze dried or dehydrated foods or home prepared raw or lightly cooked foods. Following are some of the freeze dried foods that I find most cats really enjoy:
Only Natural Pet Freeze Dried Chicken Patty - most cats really love these
Dr. Harvey's Power Patty - also very popular with felines
Complete Natural Nutrition Real Food Toppers - wild salmon!
For dogs, I also recommend raw foods, but with a higher percentage of raw greens, fruits and vegetables (up to 50%). Foods that are super easy to prepare and very healing:
Only Natural Pet EasyRaw Dehydrated Dog Food
Remedies that are very helpful for dogs and cats with kidney disease:
Renal Essentials for Dogs and Cats or LoveMyPet Kidney Bladder
NATURAL, NON-TOXIC FLEA AND TICK CONTROL
Let's face it - Frontline, Advantix, Comfortis and other squeeze on's are insecticides that have to travel through every cell of our dogs' bodies. Heartworm medications are slow-release insecticides that are responsible for the ill health and death of many dogs in this country. Please see the article below on Heartworm Medication!
Non-toxic remedies that actually work are available, even though they may be a little difficult to find.
For two years of non-toxic protection from fleas, ticks and mosquitoes, I recommend the Anibio Tic Clip. Yes, it really works. If you live in a high-risk area for heartworm, then you can double up on protection with one of the following strategies when your dog is outside:
Natural Research People Herbal Flea Collar
Only Natural Pet Herbal Defense Spray or other natural repellant.
Also recommended for daily use: Only Natural Pet Brewer's Yeast & Garlic Tablets
Keep in mind that the cleaner your dog's diet, the more natural resistance he/she will have to all types of pests and diseases. For example, I spoke with someone last week who has 3 dogs. Two of them eat dry food while the third one refuses dry food, so eats chicken and vegetables. Guess which dog does NOT get fleas? That's right - the dog who eats real food!
LET'S TALK ABOUT HERBS AND SUPPLEMENTS
Herbs and common weeds, such as dandelion, nettle and burdock, hold an amazing array of protein, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, essential fatty acids and other nutrients in their humble leaves, flowers and roots. Since these ingredients are so readily available at health food stores and from other sources (such as my garden or maybe yours!), it would be crazy not to add them to your diet as well as to the food you feed your dogs and cats.
Here is a super-duper supplement that you can make in generous amounts for a very small investment. This recipe is based on a blend of herbs recommended in Herbs for Pets.
Simply mix equal parts of the following organic ingredients:
Dosage for cats is 1/4 to 1/2 tsp per day; for dogs, 1 heaping teaspoon per 20 pounds of body weight
each day. Start with very small amounts for those ompanions who are unaccustomed to eating
fruits and vegetables.
What is the ideal diet for a feline?
1/4 lb raw chicken or game hen with bones (include the liver when available)
1 pinch of powdered seaweed (kelp, dulse, etc)
1 tsp - 1 Tbs finely minced fresh wheat grass, collard greens or other greens
1 tsp - 1 Tbs finely minced, pureed or pressed raw carrots, peas, beans or other vegetables
This is an example of an ideal meal. Another meal he recommends for cats:
1/2 c warm raw milk, yogurt or kefir
1/8 tsp cod liver oil or other oil, or an essential fatty acid supplement (alternate oils daily)
1 Tbs fresh, raw carrot juice
Also suggested:
"offer raw watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, mango, banana, avocado or other raw fruit. Encourage your cat to eat a variety of fresh, raw foods, no matter how unlikely this may seem."
Poop - Why do dogs eat it?
- The poop smells like "food" to your dog. If food is not being thoroughly digested, it can still smell like food (to a dog) when it is excreted as feces. Because dry and canned foods are subjected to high temperatures during the canning or baking process, all of the enzymes are destroyed and the ingredients are bound up tightly, creating a substance that is not readily absorbed/digested by your canine friend. I believe this is the most common reason for dogs to develop this habit.
- Your dog is missing nutrients and seeks them from eating poop. While the label on the bag of dry dog food may say it is completely nutritious, the heating process has damaged many of the most important vitamins, minerals and even amino acids (along with all of the enzymes). Because of the damage caused by heat-processing, many of the vitamins and minerals in dog food have been added back in as synthetic nutrients, which may not be digestible or in the correct ratios for your dog.
- Your dog's digestive tract may be lacking friendly bacteria. When we feed food that has no enzymes, your dog's digestive system becomes stressed and friendly bacteria are lost as the body struggles to extract nutrients from hard-to-digest foods. Your dog may be trying to re-gain bacteria by eating poop.
- Perhaps your dog is hungry. Dogs who only eat once a day, or who are not getting enough food or nutrients may be driven to eat poop to satisfy their hunger. I recommend feeding two meals - one in the morning, one evening.
- Another dog teaches your dog this habit. This is definitely a behavior that can be learned from others. Perhaps your dog needs some new friends!
- Boredom and lack of stimulation and exercise can drive a dog to experiment and look for things to do. Include your dog in everyday activities! Simple brief training sessions, such as having your dog wait quietly for you while you brush your teeth or put on your shoes, can be very calming for him or her. Canines need structure and activity to keep them focused and occupied on desired behaviors.
What else can I do to stop the behavior?
From a nutritional standpoint, there are some steps you can take to resolve this behavior:
- Feed a diet of whole foods. While feeding a real meat and vegetable diet may not be quite as easy as scooping dry food from a bag, there are some excellent freeze dried and dehydrated options available that are simple and convenient. Not only will these foods address the issues of bio-availability and digestibility, your dog will thank you for making the switch!
make this complete meal super-digestible, nutritious and delicious!
Just add water, allow 20-30 minutes to rehydrate, and serve.
Rehydrate the Sojos, add protein and serve. Fantastic!
My dogs enjoy a rotation of proteins throughout the week.
- Provide essential nutrients in the form of whole-food supplements. Whole-foods provide bio-available nutrients in their natural state. Your dog's digestive system is designed to extract nutrients from whole, unprocessed foods. Greens are super-nutritious, providing rich, bio-available sources of trace minerals, vitamins and naturally-occurring enzymes. Essential fatty acids are essential for joint health, brain development, and detoxification. Enzymes are the vital living elements in whole, unprocessed foods that allow for comfortable digestion and cellular healing in the body. Probiotics are the friendly bacteria that protect the body from incoming toxins and un-friendly germs. Providing whole-food supplements for your dog will create a satisfied feeling and a healthy digestive system, and will often eliminate the bad habit of eating poop.
Dr. Harvey's Multi-Vitamin
Ultra Oil
Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes/Probiotics
I hope this article has been helpful in getting your dog to stop eating poop!
Heartworm medication is a slow-release insecticide!
According to Dr. Pitcairn's Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, 65% of all drug reactions reported and 48% of all reported deaths caused by drug reactions were from heartworm preventative medicine.
Dr. Pitcairn's recommendations for natural prevention of heartworm:
Feed a completely natural, preferably organic,
raw food diet fortified with raw garlic and liberal amounts of yeast.
Keep your dog indoors in the evenings and at night.
Use a natural insect repellant when outside.
Keep in mind that well-nourished animals will have their own
natural resistance to fleas, ticks and mosquitoes, as Dr. Pitcairn further explains:
"..wild animals are quite resistant to the parasite. That is, they get very light infestations and then become immune. Another factor is that an estimated 25 to 50% of dogs in high-heartworm areas become immune to the microfilaria after being infested and cannot pass heartworms to other dogs via mosquitoes. Finally, after being infested by a few heartworms, most dogs do not get more of them, even though they are continually bitten by mosquitoes carrying the parasite. In other words, they are able to limit the extent of infestation."
"All this points to the importance of the health and resistance mounted by the dog itself. If we care for our pets so as to maximize their health, their resistance to parasites and disease will be much higher."
"Wild animals like coyotes thrive in the very same conditions, even without preventive drugs. The major difference is lifestyle - fresh, raw foods, plenty of exercise, no drugs, and no toxic flea products."
The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care tells us:
Heartworms thrive in America's canine population because our dogs' depleted health makes them good hosts. However, if your dog sleeps indoors or on a screened porch during mosquito season, does not take prescription drugs or receive annual vaccinations, eats a well-balanced, raw diet supplemented with vermifuge herbs (which repel insects as well as internal parasites) and wears natural insect repellents outdoors, he or she is at low risk even if you live in a area with a high incidence of heartworm disease. In North America, the highest rates of infection are in the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf Coast states.
Natural heartworm prevention consists of two parts: (1) protecting your dog with nutrition and vermifuge herbs on the inside so the heartworms that enter her bloodstream can't thrive, and (2) repelling mosquitoes on the outside so the dog isn't infected in the first place. All of the strategies described for the prevention of internal parasites are appropriate for dogs who live in heartworm areas, especially the use of black walnut hulls and wormwood.
And from The Nature of Animal Healing (Martin Goldstein, D.V.M):
Only a small percentage of dogs who get heartworm die of it, especially if they're routinely tested twice yearly for early detection. Even in untreated dogs, after a period of uncomfortable symptoms, the adult worms die. The microfilaria do NOT grow into adult worms on their own. To reach the next stage in their life cycle, they have to be sucked back out of the body by another mosquito, and go through the other stages of their maturation process within the mosquito. Only when that mosquito alights again on a dog and bites it can the microfilaria reenter the bloodstream with the ability to grow into adults. The chances of a microfilaria-infected mosquito biting your dog the first time are slim. Of it happening to the same dog twice? Very slim. And after two decades of pervasive administration of heartworm pills in the U.S., the chances of your dog contracting heartworm in most parts of this country even a first time are slimmer still. Early in my career, I saw and treated hundreds of cases of heartworm disease, most with routine medication, yet witnessed only three deaths (the last was in 1979). By comparison, we're seeing cancer kill dogs on a daily basis. To my mind, the likelihood that toxicity from heartworm pills is contributing to the tremendous amount of immune suppression now occurring, especially in the cases of liver disease and cancer, is far greater and more immediate than the threat of the disease they're meant to prevent.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Only Natural Pet Heartworm Protect: given throughout mosquito season to prevent heartworm. This formula contains the vermifuge herbs referenced above.
The Anibio Tic Clip is an amazing new development from Europe that offers safe, non-toxic protection from mosquitoes, fleas and ticks for two years! Worn on your dog or cat's collar, the device uses the principles of bio-energetics to create an energy field around your dog or cat that repels insects!
And it works! Used successfully in Europe for years! It strengthens your companion's aura and energetic field!Just say NO! to toxic heartworm and squeeze-on insecticides!
HEARTWORM RISK AND TRANSMISSION
When a veterinarian or TV add indicates that dogs need year-round protection from heartworm, either they are dramatically uninformed, or they are misleading you so that you will continue to give this monthly toxin all year long.
Heartworm transmission is temperature-dependent! Following is information gathered from several studies:
The University of Pennsylvania vet school (in a study funded by Merial - the manufacturer of a leading heartworm monthly pill) found: “Development in the mosquito is temperature dependent, requiring approximately two weeks of temperature at or above 80 degrees. Below a threshold temperature of 57 degrees, development cannot occur, and the cycle will be halted. As a result, transmission is limited to warm months, and duration of the transmission season varies geographically.”
To quote yet another study:
“In regions where average daily temperatures remain at or below about 62˚F (17˚ C) from late fall to early spring, insufficient heat accumulates to allow maturation of infective larvae in the intermediate host [the mosquito], precluding transmission of the parasite.”
The Washington State University vet school reports that laboratory studies show that maturation of the heartworm requires
“the equivalent of a steady 24-hour daily temperature in excess of 64°F for approximately one month.”In other words, it has to be warm day AND night or development is retarded even if the average temperature is sufficiently warm. They add,
"that at 80° F, 10 to 14 days are required for development of microfilariae to the infective stage.”
Jerold Theis, DVM, PhD, says,
“If the mean monthly temperature is only a few degrees above 14 degrees centigrade [57 degrees F] it can take so many days for infective larvae to develop that the likelihood of the female mosquito living that long is remote.”
The above information was found at a very well-researched site: http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/06/16/heartworm-preventative-options/
Emergency Care -
Lily's Bee Sting
By Sarah Wadleigh
One of my favorite books is The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care by CJ Puotinen. I keep one copy on my desk at work, and another at home. This book brings together a wealth of information from many holistic healthcare experts on many subjects. It’s a compendium of natural treatments and emergency first-aid strategies, as well as some wonderful dietary information and explanations of how various energetic treatments work. It’s a great book! Get yourself a copy!
That said, a few weeks ago, I found out just how valuable this book really is. We were installing a new garden in our back yard Both our dogs were outside, and had been chasing the bees that buzz around the flowers in an already-existing garden. As the dogs ran by, I noticed that our puppy’s muzzle looked a little swollen. On closer examination, her lip was quite swollen – she had obviously been stung by a bee.
As it happens, Lily, our 11 month old Corgi, is immune- impaired due to a rare congenital condition called a dermoid cyst. She has had numerous and fairly serious health issues in her young life, and we keep a very close eye on her.
When I saw the swelling, I realized she was having a strong reaction to the sting, and worried that she might go into shock. Her eyes were becoming unfocused, and the swelling was rapidly progressing up the side of her face toward her eye. Her muzzle, in a matter of seconds, became so swollen that I couldn’t get my finger under her lip to look for a stinger!
Realizing that I needed to take immediate action, I referred to my Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care and looked up “Bites and Stings”. The first remedy listed was “herbal therapy.” Instructions were to place mashed or pureed greens on the sting, or in the absence of fresh greens, powdered greens/herbs.
Honestly, I have never used such a remedy, even though I’m all about eating greens. I had a certain degree of doubt as to whether this type of remedy would work, and I had brief visions of a pending emergency room visit. I had to try something immediately, though, so I cast my fate to the wind and mixed about a tablespoon of Dr. Harvey’s MultiVitamin, Mineral and Herbal Supplement with ½ teaspoon of nutritional clay and probably 1 teaspoon of lavender hydrosol.
My husband was assisting and helping me remain calm. We put Lily on a towel on the couch, and I took a plastic knife and used it as a trowel to spread the mixture across her lip and the side of her face. At first, I tried to pack some of it under her lip, but she ended up licking and swallowing it, so I focused on getting the rest on the outside of her muzzle and face. She was very cooperative, and once the greens were spread across her face, fell into a deep sleep as I held a piece of gauze over the poultice.
For 25 minutes, she slept deeply, and I watched as the swelling gradually, but steadily went down and down. I had a hard time believing that it was actually working, and even asked my husband if he could detect a reduction in swelling. He was skeptical, too, and said he thought it still looked pretty swollen.
I was getting concerned about her deep sleep, wondering if she might be falling into unconsciousness. I shook her gently, and she woke up and acted like nothing had ever happened. (Looking back, I think the Lavender hydrosol helped her relax and fall asleep.) The swelling was completely gone within 40 minutes! And all because of some powdered greens!
My faith in herbal medicine is once again renewed, and I have promised myself that I will always consult my Encyclopedia and my other holistic books whenever I have an emergency or question about a health issue.
Being informed about all treatment options is very empowering, so I encourage all of you to develop your own holistic pet care library! And I leave you with this question… If greens can do this from the outside, what are they doing on the inside when you eat them?
Longmont, CO
sarah
