 What is the ideal diet for a feline? "The time you spend preparing your cat's meals, the personal energy you put into it,
is a gift of great value and a true measure of your love"
Dr. Jeffrey Levy, D.V.M.Every day, our feline companions are diagnosed with urinary tract infections, thyroid imbalances, diabetes, dental disease, skin irritations, and worse - in epidemic proportions. Why? In large part because the food we have been told to feed them is creating a heavy burden on their digestive systems, and thereby on their immunity, longevity and vitality. We are asking our feline companions to consume "food" that is difficult to digest at best and harmful in many cases. Cats are obligate carnivores. In the wild, they derive their energy and most of their required moisture from their prey. The feline digestive system - from the very specific dental structure to the types of enzymes their bodies produce - is designed to consume and digest high quality protein - NOT carbohydrates and crunchy, baked food. Cats must eat meat to survive. Feeding only dry food to your cat, especially "free feeding," can create an imbalance, leading to chronic dehydration. When the system is deprived of moisture, the urine becomes concentrated, and the bladder and urinary tract become the perfect environment in which bacteria thrive and grow. Thus the incredibly high incidence of urinary tract issues in cats today. Think about it! Did you know that cats are not able to produce glucokinase, an enzyme that is responsible for processing carbohydrates into usable energy? So, you may ask, why is most dry cat food at least 40 percent carbohydrates? Sadly, it's because these ingredients are cheap and easy to come by, especially the floor sweepings from various grain mills (brewer's rice) and leftovers from the feed corn industry (corn, corn gluten). Oh, and don't forget the cellulose and chemical preservatives to go along with the by-products, brewer's rice and corn gluten in the case of Science Diet's dry weight management food! Commercial pet food manufacturers do not care about your animal's health, as evidenced by the inferior ingredients they include. Please read the label! Ingredients to avoid: by-products, undefined meat in any form, peanut hulls, brewer's rice, cellulose, corn, corn gluten, wheat, soy, BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin. We have been horribly deceived by the pet food industry. Dry food does not clean teeth! Dry food has been baked at high temperatures, destroying enzymes and fragile, yet essential nutrients! Dry food explodes into tiny pieces when consumed, and is actually the biggest contributor to plaque problems in both dogs and cats. Why do you think so many cats have dental issues? Pieces of enzyme-rich raw, freeze dried, or dehydrated meat that require your cat to chew vigorously are excellent for dental health! Raw meaty bones supply calcium, remove plaque, and are species appropriate. Other factors to consider: • Grains - especially the grains used by most commercial pet food manufacturers - are susceptible to naturally-occurring fungal by-products called mycotoxins. Two common forms of these deadly toxins have been found in both dog and cat food. • Unlike herbivores, cats do not have the dental structure for grinding their food, nor do they produce the salivary enzymes required for digestion of starches. • Cats are not thirst-driven like dogs, and can survive on less water than dogs. Water, most important for all living beings, is missing from dry cat food. Also missing are enzymes - the healing elements in fresh, whole food - as well as other fragile, yet essential nutrients that can only be found in meat and fresh foods! • The digestive system of a feline is very short and acidic. Designed to break down fats and proteins, virtually no digestion of carbohydrates can occur in your cat's digestive tract. • Even if the label says "contains essential fatty acids," these nutrients, along with ingredients such as cranberries and blueberries, are fragile and their nourishing, healing qualities cannot survive the baking temperature and the extended shelf life of dry food. • Read the label! Are Brewer's Rice, corn, wheat, by-products and cellulose the kind of ingredients you would imagine a carnivore would eat? Chemical preservatives BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin have been linked to liver disease and are often still included in the prescription foods your vet may prescribe! Sad but true. Perhaps you’ve been feeding dry food to your cats for 15 years or more. Certainly, many cats have eaten nothing but dry food and still managed to lived a long time. Even so, If you could create energy, joy and greater health for your cat, wouldn't you do it? Have you read about the Pottenger Study? The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care recommends (for a 10 lb cat): 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 Another recommended meal 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." Other foods that are wonderful for cats and easy for humans to prepare and serve: Stella & Chewy's freeze dried patties - 95% muscle meat, organ meat and bone, 5% organic sprouts, fruits and vegetables. Dr. Harvey's Power Patties - freeze dried tripe. Cats love these! See RECIPES page for preparation ideas and to read about Gina's transition from a dry/canned diet to whole foods. Your Companion's Digestive System Dogs and cats have very short, acidic digestive systems designed to quickly absorb food that is bio-available. Food that is enzyme- and nutrient-rich is the most easily converted into energy, health, healing and rejuvenation. Switching to a simple whole food diet can and does resolve digestive issues quickly and permanently - I have seen it happen hundreds of times. Why? Dry and canned foods have been heated to high temperatures, destroying all enzymes and many of the most important vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other phytonutrients in the ingredients. The heating process also binds the proteins and carbohydrates, making them much harder to digest than raw or home-prepared food. Simple, but true. Having spoken, over the years, with hundreds of people about digestive disorders in dogs and cats, the common denominator in 99% of these cases is heat-processed dry or canned food! Sadly, this is something that is almost always overlooked by traditional veterinary medicine or even made worse by the recommendation of yet another dry or canned food. Add on antibiotics and steroids and you have a never ending cycle of misery for the dog or cat that can go on for years, if not for the entire life of the animal. I have many examples. A 5-year old Maltese had experienced chronic diarrhea and digestive disorders for most of her life, and had started vomiting blood. Prescription drugs did not resolve the imbalance, nor did prescription food or other dry foods. This dog was switched to a diet of raw stew meat mixed with Sojos Euroopa Grain Free as the vegetable-and-greens part of the diet. The dog's digestive system recovered over the course of a week, and she has been happily digesting her food since that time. Discoloration around her nose and mouth unexpectedly and completely disappeared (after 5 years). Many other improvements were noted, and her human companions breathed a huge sigh of relief. Lacy, a rescued Weimeriner, had chronic diarrhea, sometimes explosive, for the first 18 months of her rescue. She was very thin and nervous. Other disorders included frantically eating her own poop and stealing food from other animals in the household. After trying a long list of dry and canned food, including prescription food, and almost as a last resort, Lacy was switched overnight to a raw diet. No gradual change, just switched to raw. The next day, Lacy had her first normal bowel movement. The trainer working with Lacy called her owner the following afternoon wondering what happened, as he had never seen Lacy have a normal bowel movement! Lacy's digestion has fully stabilized and has been normal since that time. She now eats a variety of whole foods, including raw, freeze dried, dehydrated, and home-prepared, with no further problems. The rapid transition and recovery demonstrate just how compatible a whole food diet is with the canine digestive system. A feline with chronic diarrhea and weight loss for more than six months was switched, overnight, from dry/canned food to raw and dehydrated meat, and the problem resolved within days. Prior to this, she had been switched from one dry/canned food to another with no relief. After her amazing and rapid recovery, the owners hastily switched back to canned food and the problems resurfaced immediately. This 8 year old cat is now on an exclusive diet of raw and dehydrated food, supplemented with greens, and is doing very well. Again we see how feeding species appropriate food can heal quickly. Once you begin introducing whole, unprocessed foods that are loaded with the proper nutrients, you will notice a difference! Look for clear eyes, white teeth, soft shiny fur! Your dog or cat should look and feel energized and content after a nutritious meal! 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 re-balance 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 diet" 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 40%). Foods that are super easy to prepare and very healing: Sojos Grain-Free Dog Food Mix 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 Dogs can enjoy their advanced years...  Providing vital nutrients in the form of whole, species-appropriate foods throughout the lifetime of your companion promotes and energetic, comfortable, long life. Even switching an older dog or cat to a whole food diet can create a sense of comfort and ease during the golden years. Along with a whole food diet, I recommend some key supplements: ENZYMES make food much more bio-available, and aid the pancreas in the digestive process. All cellular repair that occurs in the body requires the presence of enzymes. In the wild, canines and felines would eat raw, enzyme-rich foods, never having to allocate their own personal enzymes for digestion. Since we cannot exactly replicate the raw food diet they would eat in the wild, it's very beneficial to provide enzymes every day with every meal. As dogs reach middle age (6 - 8 years), their ability to produce enzymes decreases. Their pancreas has, in many cases, been working overtime all those years to digest heat-processed food! You can invest now in your companion's long and comfortable life
by providing the nutrients most important for excellent health and graceful aging. GREENS
are loaded with enzymes,
trace minerals, anti-oxidants, and vitamins. They remineralize the body, make food they are added to more nutritious, capture and remove toxins and have anti-inflammatory properties. Greens are
excellent for all dogs and cats, and
especially those that are healing or out of balance.
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS are essential for joint health, brain development and skin and coat nourishment. EFA's also carry toxins from the body and maintain healthy cellular structure. Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes & Probiotics provides digestive assistance!
Dr. Harvey's Multi-Vitamin (greens!) for vital nutrients and healing, Ultra Oil or other essential fatty acid for joints and skin/coat health. Other nutrients that help you create health for your cats and dogs as they age: Only Natural Pet Easy Strider for joint recovery and support. Vitamin C - Only Natural Pet Rosehip C with rosehips, amla berries and gooseberries to help rebuild damaged joints. Antioxidants - Only Natural Pet Whole Food Antioxidant is another whole food nutrient. And for animals that have been on, or are presently taking prescription medication: Only Natural Pet Liv-Herb - Milk Thistle is excellent for liver support. Only Natural Pet Probiotic Blend is an important supplement during a course of antibiotics - not just afterwards! Give the probiotic in a small, nourishing meal at least one hour away from the antibiotic. Continue probiotic use for at least two weeks after finishing the antibiotics. Purina Beggin' Strips Revealed The news is not good Purina Beggin' Strips - has anyone read the ingredient list? Here they are:Ground wheat, corn gluten meal, wheat flour, ground yellow corn, sugar, water, glycerin, meat, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, soybean meal, bacon fat preserved with BHA, salt, sorbic acid (a preservative), artificial smoke flavor, calcium propionate (a preservative), glyceryl monostearate, phosphoric acid, choline chloride, added color (red 40, yellow 5, blue 1, yellow 6).
These are terrible ingredients! Wheat, corn gluten, wheat, corn. These two ingredients alone have created a lifetime of misery for many dogs and cats. Sugar is very difficult for animals to metabolize, and contributes to pancreatic imbalances, weight and dental issues. Glycerine is simply more sugar. Oh, and what is the artificial smoke flavor about? Do dogs in the wild smoke their prey in hollow trees? Shocking, but true - Undefined meat = rendered dead dogs and cats, I am very sorry to say. BHA is a chemical preservative that has been linked to liver disease. Food coloring is also quite toxic for dogs. These kinds of foods are toxic, and offer absolutely nothing in the way of nutrition. They create a huge burden on your animal's digestion, elimination and immune systems. Please read the labels on anything and everything you feed your dogs, your cats and yourself. And, please, just feed whole foods as treats! Freeze dried, pure meat treats are an excellent source of nutrition and enjoyment for your dog or cat. Other good choices: carrots, apples, a boiled egg, or raw meaty bones. Poop - Why do dogs eat it? A common question that we often hear - why is my dog eating poop? I believe there are several reasons why this happens. • 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! Two foods that I highly recommend: Only Natural Pet EasyRaw Dehydrated Dog Food Turkey, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables, fruits, and greens make this complete meal super-digestible, nutritious and delicious! Just add water, allow 20-30 minutes to rehydrate, and serve. Sojos Europa Grain-Free Dog Food Mix An amazing dehydrated blend of vegetables, fruits and greens. 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. 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 unfriendly 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. These are some of my favorite supplements: Dr. Harvey's Multi-Vitamin Ultra Oil Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes/Probiotics ONP Probiotic 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. These "medications" have to travel through every cell of your friend's body, and make your dog or cat a walking insecticide! I remember a conversation I had with a man who said his dog had seizures "like clockwork" every month. These seizures were a direct result of heartworm medication, which is a neurotoxin. Of course he was unaware of the dangers of heartworm preventatives, and was considering putting his dog on seizure medication prior to our conversation. Once he understood what is actually in these products and how they work, he realized that alternative remedies were a better choice for his dog. While not every dog will have seizures, there are many other side effects, and these products can be harmful to humans, especially children.
Just say NO! to toxic heartworm and squeeze-on insecticides! 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. Remember, the dog or cat that is supported by good nutrition and a comfortable, active lifestyle will have a strong immune system and natural resistance to parasites as well as disease. Herbal remedies are much more effective when working with a strong immune system. 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/ NATURAL, NON-TOXIC FLEA AND TICK CONTROL Let's face it - Frontline, Advantix, Comfortis and other squeeze on, injectible and oral pest control products are slow-release insecticides that are responsible for the ill health and death of many dogs in this country. Non-toxic remedies that actually work are available! 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! Emergency Care -
Lily's Bee Sting 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, over the summer, I found out just how valuable this book really is. We were installing a new garden in our back yard Both of 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. Lily was very cooperative, and once the greens were spread across her face, she 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. The swelling was completely gone! And all because of some powdered greens! I have promised myself that I will always consult the Encyclopedia and my other wonderful 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! |
Articles |