Natural Health
; Nowadays, almost 50 percent of dogs are being diagnosed with cancer, often at very young ages. Autoimmune diseases, chronic degenerative ailments, allergies, digestive problems, and a host of other issues are plaguing our pets in record numbers. Many dog owners are looking for alternatives to conventional veterinary medicine, as they realize that most commercially prepared dog foods, excessive vaccinations, toxic pest control products, and early spaying and neutering are wreaking havoc on their pets' health.
If you would like to know more about safe, alternative ways to support your dog's health, I'd like to encourage you to read a brief paragraph on some of the issues below. I've also listed excellent websites that can be used as a springboard for further study. Above all, please know that there are ways to utilize natural solutions to bring a pet's system back into order and to prevent and reverse disease.
As an all around great resource I would recommend the following:
- Dogs Naturally Magazine - (online, too) which covers a wide variety of topics, including various diets, ailments, and natural remedies such as herbal, homeopathic, and much more: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/
- Dr. Karen Becker - https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/dr-karen-becker.aspx
Nutrition:
It is important to give our pets species-appropriate food and to limit their exposure to toxins if they are to live long and healthy lives.
One of the main contributors to our pets' ill health is commercial pet food which contains inferior and, in many cases, even harmful ingredients (from euthanized pets, including flea collars, to spoiled meat along with the styrofoam tray it's packaged in, to diseased, culled animals from factory farms.) Most people don't realize that commercially available pet foods are a relatively recent invention, first introduced in 1860. However, prior to this time, dogs generally ate whatever food was available to them. Dogs living in the country had farm fresh products: meat, milk and eggs, all raw, of course, along with perhaps some scavenged items like berries. In more urban areas, dogs received scraps and cheap cuts from the butcher. These diets often resembled what a dog would eat if he were living on his own out in the wild.
The best diet for our canines would be one consisting of raw meat and bones, some eggs from pasture raised hens, and perhaps moderate amounts of veggies, fruit, and even small portions of nutrient dense plants like dandelions. Fruits make a great snack or reward for training. Due to mineral depletion of the soil, supplementation with high quality products - for humans and pets - is important. (see section below)
Dr. Karen Becker elaborates upon the following diet choices, including homemade, freeze dried, dehydrated, canned, and store brand kibble. https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/11/08/best-to-worst-pet-food-types.aspx
* Feeding raw bones and meat:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/bone-food-values-for-raw-feeding-dogs/?inf_contact_key=f61299654b244b8b876d8a043614ceab310c71c8276afc2d136cca237d0d37f2
Nutritional Supplements, Herbs, and Essential Oils:
In an ideal world, we'd be able to obtain all of our nutrition from the food we eat. However, our soils have shown significant mineral depletion for many decades now, so we supplement with high quality, nutritional supplements to ensure that our labs (and our family) are getting the nutrition they require. We use a highly absorbable, plant derived, vitamin/mineral mix including joint support, as well as fish oils that contain essential fatty acids. We've also used very pure and extremely powerful essential oils and herbal remedies.
A few of our Labrador experiences: In 2014, one of our labs hurt her paw and had been limping for several days. A vet recommended an x-ray and also wanted to place a splint on her paw/ankle to be worn for the next week or more. This would cost $300-400 and be very restrictive for our dog. Instead, we went home and mixed certain herbs into her food and applied a bone building, tissue healing salve to the area, and within 2 days she was walking normally and hasn't had any problems since!
Earlier in 2016, Elsa had what appeared to be conjunctivitis (Pink Eye). I used some colloidal silver drops in her eye and within 2 hours, the pink was gone and the eye was looking normal. I reapplied several times a day for 2 days and she has remained well. No vet visit or expensive (and chemical laden) medication.
If interested in learning more, please contact me for details about natural products.
Vaccines:
Other than the vaccines required by law (Rabies), it is best to vaccinate only minimally. The best disease prevention is not more immunizations, but building a healthy immune system. If you do vaccinate, it is important to administer only one vaccine at a time, as it can be very detrimental to your puppy's health to give multiple immunizations concurrently. Most vaccines have been shown to provide immunity for years, and often even life-long immunity, something most pet owners have never been told! Rather than automatically vaccinating every year, it would be better to have the vet do a titer to test whether the dog is still immune, thereby likely eliminating the need for an additional dose.
* Important information about vaccinating:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/what-every-vet-should-know-about-vaccines/?inf_contact_key=7e476c60381ab2626cdf7bf0c8d88313925591e7bf7b362e4a413ec23c04efd9
* Dogs Naturally Vaccine Guide:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/dogsnaturally/FreeVaccineGuide.pdf?inf_contact_key=bb39df2dea49922904dab5e7199cb6fa04935e7bd66ef1222e6d2d0be80b213e
Medications:
Routine medications (toxins) given monthly for things like heartworm and flea and tick prevention, are not necessary. Heartworm medications can be administered on a quarterly basis instead of monthly. A dog that is healthy will better be able to ward these parasites off. Also, there are natural topical products containing diluted essential oils that can be misted on pets to deter these pests. These can even be mixed up at home for greater cost savings.
The same applies to worming - the healthier the animal, the less attractive a host it will be for these parasites. If there is a need to worm, or as routine prevention, it can often be accomplished using a natural approach mixing a spoonful of Diatomaceous Earth (also known as DE) into the dog's food for several days to weeks. Note: it must be FOOD GRADE DE!! Or, use a less toxic product (Pyrantel Pamoate), which is approved for humans.
* Information on Heartworm:
http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/heartworminfo.htm
Spaying and Neutering:
The growing trend for dogs to be sterilized while still puppies is of great concern. Puppies need these sex hormones for proper bone and joint development. Studies have shown that early sterilization can lead to numerous health issues, including bone and joint problems and greatly increased risk of various types of cancer. Sterilization should be postponed at least until the puppy is 12 months of age, preferably till 2 years old or later, when the puppy's skeletal system has matured. Or perhaps do as is frequently done in Europe, where it is often customary to forego spaying/neutering altogether.
* Health Effects of Spaying and Neutering, especially at a young age:
Early Spay Neuter: 3 Reasons To Reconsider | Dogs Naturally (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)
Microsoft Word - LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs May 14 2007.doc (naiaonline.org)
Spay Neuter Considerations 2013 (caninesports.com)
If you would like to know more about safe, alternative ways to support your dog's health, I'd like to encourage you to read a brief paragraph on some of the issues below. I've also listed excellent websites that can be used as a springboard for further study. Above all, please know that there are ways to utilize natural solutions to bring a pet's system back into order and to prevent and reverse disease.
As an all around great resource I would recommend the following:
- Dogs Naturally Magazine - (online, too) which covers a wide variety of topics, including various diets, ailments, and natural remedies such as herbal, homeopathic, and much more: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/
- Dr. Karen Becker - https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/dr-karen-becker.aspx
Nutrition:
It is important to give our pets species-appropriate food and to limit their exposure to toxins if they are to live long and healthy lives.
One of the main contributors to our pets' ill health is commercial pet food which contains inferior and, in many cases, even harmful ingredients (from euthanized pets, including flea collars, to spoiled meat along with the styrofoam tray it's packaged in, to diseased, culled animals from factory farms.) Most people don't realize that commercially available pet foods are a relatively recent invention, first introduced in 1860. However, prior to this time, dogs generally ate whatever food was available to them. Dogs living in the country had farm fresh products: meat, milk and eggs, all raw, of course, along with perhaps some scavenged items like berries. In more urban areas, dogs received scraps and cheap cuts from the butcher. These diets often resembled what a dog would eat if he were living on his own out in the wild.
The best diet for our canines would be one consisting of raw meat and bones, some eggs from pasture raised hens, and perhaps moderate amounts of veggies, fruit, and even small portions of nutrient dense plants like dandelions. Fruits make a great snack or reward for training. Due to mineral depletion of the soil, supplementation with high quality products - for humans and pets - is important. (see section below)
Dr. Karen Becker elaborates upon the following diet choices, including homemade, freeze dried, dehydrated, canned, and store brand kibble. https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/11/08/best-to-worst-pet-food-types.aspx
* Feeding raw bones and meat:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/bone-food-values-for-raw-feeding-dogs/?inf_contact_key=f61299654b244b8b876d8a043614ceab310c71c8276afc2d136cca237d0d37f2
Nutritional Supplements, Herbs, and Essential Oils:
In an ideal world, we'd be able to obtain all of our nutrition from the food we eat. However, our soils have shown significant mineral depletion for many decades now, so we supplement with high quality, nutritional supplements to ensure that our labs (and our family) are getting the nutrition they require. We use a highly absorbable, plant derived, vitamin/mineral mix including joint support, as well as fish oils that contain essential fatty acids. We've also used very pure and extremely powerful essential oils and herbal remedies.
A few of our Labrador experiences: In 2014, one of our labs hurt her paw and had been limping for several days. A vet recommended an x-ray and also wanted to place a splint on her paw/ankle to be worn for the next week or more. This would cost $300-400 and be very restrictive for our dog. Instead, we went home and mixed certain herbs into her food and applied a bone building, tissue healing salve to the area, and within 2 days she was walking normally and hasn't had any problems since!
Earlier in 2016, Elsa had what appeared to be conjunctivitis (Pink Eye). I used some colloidal silver drops in her eye and within 2 hours, the pink was gone and the eye was looking normal. I reapplied several times a day for 2 days and she has remained well. No vet visit or expensive (and chemical laden) medication.
If interested in learning more, please contact me for details about natural products.
Vaccines:
Other than the vaccines required by law (Rabies), it is best to vaccinate only minimally. The best disease prevention is not more immunizations, but building a healthy immune system. If you do vaccinate, it is important to administer only one vaccine at a time, as it can be very detrimental to your puppy's health to give multiple immunizations concurrently. Most vaccines have been shown to provide immunity for years, and often even life-long immunity, something most pet owners have never been told! Rather than automatically vaccinating every year, it would be better to have the vet do a titer to test whether the dog is still immune, thereby likely eliminating the need for an additional dose.
* Important information about vaccinating:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/what-every-vet-should-know-about-vaccines/?inf_contact_key=7e476c60381ab2626cdf7bf0c8d88313925591e7bf7b362e4a413ec23c04efd9
* Dogs Naturally Vaccine Guide:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/dogsnaturally/FreeVaccineGuide.pdf?inf_contact_key=bb39df2dea49922904dab5e7199cb6fa04935e7bd66ef1222e6d2d0be80b213e
Medications:
Routine medications (toxins) given monthly for things like heartworm and flea and tick prevention, are not necessary. Heartworm medications can be administered on a quarterly basis instead of monthly. A dog that is healthy will better be able to ward these parasites off. Also, there are natural topical products containing diluted essential oils that can be misted on pets to deter these pests. These can even be mixed up at home for greater cost savings.
The same applies to worming - the healthier the animal, the less attractive a host it will be for these parasites. If there is a need to worm, or as routine prevention, it can often be accomplished using a natural approach mixing a spoonful of Diatomaceous Earth (also known as DE) into the dog's food for several days to weeks. Note: it must be FOOD GRADE DE!! Or, use a less toxic product (Pyrantel Pamoate), which is approved for humans.
* Information on Heartworm:
http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/heartworminfo.htm
Spaying and Neutering:
The growing trend for dogs to be sterilized while still puppies is of great concern. Puppies need these sex hormones for proper bone and joint development. Studies have shown that early sterilization can lead to numerous health issues, including bone and joint problems and greatly increased risk of various types of cancer. Sterilization should be postponed at least until the puppy is 12 months of age, preferably till 2 years old or later, when the puppy's skeletal system has matured. Or perhaps do as is frequently done in Europe, where it is often customary to forego spaying/neutering altogether.
* Health Effects of Spaying and Neutering, especially at a young age:
Early Spay Neuter: 3 Reasons To Reconsider | Dogs Naturally (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)
Microsoft Word - LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs May 14 2007.doc (naiaonline.org)
Spay Neuter Considerations 2013 (caninesports.com)