Wednesday, February 10, 2010

ARE WE MAKING OUR DOGS SICK?

Over the last few decades there has been a tremendous increase in chronic ill health of our pets. Our animal’s immune system has been compromised and we’re seeing more and more illnesses that were rare just a few decades ago. The illnesses that we are seeing now are chronic skin and ear allergies, digestive upset, thyroid, adrenal and pancreatic disorders, seizures, gum and teeth problems, degenerative arthritis, kidney and liver failure, and cancer. Something else that we are seeing a lot of is a record number of behavioral and emotional disorders including alarming and unexplained fears and aggression, as well as difficulty focusing and paying attention when being trained.

The two biggest factors in our pet’s health problems has been the severe overuse of vaccines and nutrient poor and toxin filled commercial foods. Instead of finding out the cause of the disease, we have suppressed the symptoms with antibiotics, cortisone and related drugs. This can mean that the disease progresses and goes deeper. Homeopathy offers a viable alternative in truly curing pets and making their bodies healthier.

Our dogs are just like us humans that are affected by the health hazards on our planet. They too are bothered by pollution, poor nutrition, stress and unhealthy lifestyles just like we are. These days, emotional and psychological problems like depression, anxiety, ADHD and behavioral problems are just as prevalent in pets as they are in their owners. Like us they suffer from physical ailments such as diabetes, arthritis, chronic fatigue, digestive disorders, cystitis, kidney and liver disease, skin disorders, obesity and thyroid dysfunction. Perhaps we can help our pets live a healthier and longer life by making lifestyle changes and using natural medicine.

Some holistic veterinarians believe that most dogs will eat anything that they can get their mouth on if they are lacking in the nutrition to supply them with adequate energy. To help ensure a wholesome diet with the appropriate nutrients avoid diets that are made of inferior ingredients or ones that are made using high heat for processing and choose a diet for your dog that is comprised of human quality whole food ingredients.

In my research, according to Dr. Francis M. Pottenger's nutritional studies (and I quote) “A regular diet of cooked or canned foods causes the development of chronic degenerative diseases and premature mortality. Professor Jackson of the Dept. of Anatomy, University of Minnesota, has shown that rats fed for 135 days on an 80 percent cooked food diet resulted in an increase pancreatic weight of 20 to 30 percent. What this means is that the pancreas is forced to work harder with a cooked food diet. "Although the body can manufacture enzymes the more you use your enzyme potential, the faster it is going to run out..." wrote Dr. Edward Howell, who pioneered research in the benefits of food enzymes. (End quote).

In the wild, predators will first seek the stomach contents and organ meat of a killed animal. Partially digested fermented grass is what comes out of the stomach and intestines of the dead animal. It is the food that the dead animal had eaten that day and not yet passed out as manure. It is full of all types of beneficial microbes and enzymes as well as omega 3 from the grass. Animals like the coyotes, foxes, and wolves all feast on it.


Feeding your dogs foods that are fresh or raw will contain the highest level of enzymes. Enzymes are what assist in your dog’s digestion. Internal enzymes are damaged by factors, such as chlorine in drinking water, certain medicines, air pollution and chemical additives.

Scientists believe that mineral deficiency subjects our animals to more diseases, aging, sickness and destruction of their physical well-being than any other factor in personal health. Veterinarians that are concerned about nutrition and the role it plays in our animal’s health are beginning to recommend to their clients that they supplement their animal’s diet with a daily dose of flaxseed oil, fish oil and other nutrients for optimum health and vitality. Your dog’s food should provide all of the nutritional components which are necessary for his healthy organs and systems that produce a healthy, strong body. A properly functioning body does an amazing job at preventing disease and healing itself, and to do this it requires the energies and nutrients of a well-balanced diet. It means we need to pay better attention to what we are offering our dogs in his diet. We need to read and understand the labeling on our dog’s food.

In addition to the beautiful coats and a decrease in some skin disorders flaxseed has proven beneficial in other areas of the dog’s health as well. It serves as a source of valuable energy, keeps less desirable saturated fats mobile in the blood stream, increases oxygen uptake to the cell, decreases recovery time from strenuous exercise, and prevents and heals worn and chaffed paws. Numerous studies conducted on animals and humans show that flax has powerful anti-tumor properties and may reduce tumor size by 50%.

Why do dogs eat grass? It seems that they have a craving to eat earth - particularly clay.
If your dog had access to wheatgrass, he would readily eat this. It seems that wheatgrass juice is the nectar of rejuvenation, the plasma of youth, and the blood of all life. The elements that are missing in your body's cells - especially enzymes, vitamins, hormones, and nucleic acids can be obtained through this daily green sunlight transfusion. When people have utilized Wheatgrass juice in their daily diet, they have benefited in numerous ways: cleansing the lymph system, building the blood, restoring balance in the body, removing toxic metals from the cells, nourishing the liver and kidneys and restoring vitality. What this all points to is a healthier way of life. Maybe this is indeed, the way that Mother Nature meant us to eat instead of feeding ourselves and our animals on preservative and chemical loaded foods.

It seems that Magnesium as well as certain other minerals can be a valuable addition to your dog's diet ensuring they have a healthy body. If you have an ill dog that is stressed or irritable, magnesium supplementation could be a very helpful addition to his daily diet. Magnesium can be very beneficial for your dog's heart. Even when mild, Magnesium deficiency can increase susceptibility to various types of neurological and psychological stressors in dogs. Mild magnesium deficiency appears to be common among dogs with disorders considered functional or neurotic and appears to contribute to a symptom complex that includes sleep disorders, irritability, hyper-arousal, spasm of striated and smooth muscle and hyperventilation.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are responsible for basic cellular health in all body tissues and are fundamentally important for all animals. Many researchers consider EFAs to be as vital to our health and our pets' health as vitamins and minerals. A dog immune system functions the same as ours. EFAs play a major role in the maintenance of healthy coat and skin for cats, dogs, and horses. Without essential fatty acids in our diets, cells can not be formed or function efficiently. Like we do, animals also use EFAs to produce hormone-like substances called eicosanoids, which are involved in many important biological functions in the body. Essential fatty acids are the building blocks for prostaglandins which work to regulate hormones, immune and nervous systems plus cardiovascular function. This is why these fatty acids are called essential fatty acids.

Holistic foods, treatments and supplements for our dogs is becoming increasingly popular especially after so many dogs and cats became sick or died from the pet food recall of a couple of years ago. Concerned animal lovers have looked for a better way of taking care of their beloved companions. More and more breeders have decided not to vaccinate their dogs as much as they used to as more studies and research has indicated that more is not necessarily better for the welfare of our animals. Many breeders have switched the food that they feed their dogs after better educating themselves to the danger of some of the ingredients listed on the side of the bags of commercial foods. The more we know about what it is that we are putting inside our dogs, the more we are contributing to the health and longevity of our best friends.


My rating: holistic health care: (4), holistic dog food: (4), Vibrant Pets: (contains flaxseed which you visibly can see right in the supplement): (4)

1 comment:

  1. So many veterinarians are against the raw diets; one can only speculate why.
    For generations, sled dogs in the Arctic have been fed a diet of raw fish. These dogs are in prime condition, able to run 6 minute miles for hours at a time. There is no room for sickness in such an inhospitable enviornment. These dogs live outdoors their entire lives in some of the harshest climates known to man...all the while being sustained on a raw diet. I read that the puppies are born right on the ice...it is truly a survival of the fittest.
    I have never seen a coyote cooking his newly caught rabbit over a spit...nor a wolf, basting his leg of venison. Yes, our dogs are "domesticated" but they are still from the same genus as these ancestors, with the same digestive system. One vet told me they would be concerned with salmonella...guess no one has told the wolf or the coyote of that concern.
    I know of many GSD people who feed raw exclusively. I also know an English Springer breeder who has bred Champions that feeds raw with amazing results...glassy coats, clean white teeth, little stool, enormous energy.
    I have often alternately fed raw ground meat or prepared raw (Oma's Pride or Natures Instinct) with the Timberwolf kibble. The dogs love it!

    ReplyDelete