I was researching for information about holistic pet care and read through many excerpts of many excellent books on the subject. I’ll probably do a review on one or two of them in the future. I happened upon this book that is the title of my blog article today. Although it is about holistic care, it is more of a story of a woman whose dog had cancer and she turned towards holistic care to treat him. Through easy to understand dialog and story telling, she takes us on a journey of the connection we as pet owners have with our animals. But that unless you own one you would never understand what it is we are talking about or feeling for our animals. In fact some people look at the true animal lover as a different species of a human being sometimes. They just don’t get how we can treat our pets as children and therefore, a very important part of our lives. “For God sakes Barbara, she’s just a dog.” We are accused of placing human emotions and love on our canine companions that should only be reserved for other humans. But in this writer’s case, many times I love my dogs more than SOME people. If that makes me crazy, I wear the title proudly!
When we share love with an animal, we experience that love on a whole other dimension. It is not the same as the love we share with other humans. With human love come conditions. If only you would get a better job, or lose weight, or were younger, or prettier, or smarter, maybe I could love you. If you loved me, you would do what I asked you to do. Why can’t you do better, why can’t we have more, why don’t you do this or that? With our dog, we are fine just the way we are. No conditions expected. You are you and isn’t it great to be loved just the way you are? This is the love that a human receives from their dog, unconditionally, and no questions asked, they just adore us. This is why we experience the loss of these non-judgmental companions so deeply. Who else will ever love us like this again? That’s why when they leave us; they surely take a part of us with them. There is something truly missing in our lives when we no longer receive this unconditional love. We long for it. We miss it.
From the book:
Deeply compelling, The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood shows that love knows no bounds and spirit is bigger than form. When the student is ready the teacher will appear, sometimes camouflaged as a four-legged companion."-- Rev. Deborah L. Johnson, author of The Sacred Yes and Your Deepest Intent
"If ever there was a doubt in anyone's mind that animals can heal us, then The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood will dispel that notion. A blessing to read and a gift to share!"-- Christy Crabtree, Animal World USA Magazine
"The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood underscores the fact that the bond many of us develop with our pets is an incredible, inspirational thing that does not necessarily end with loss. This highly readable, intimate book is nothing less than a testament to that attachment." -- Larry Cox, Tucson Citizen Newspaper
Product Description
. DO YOU LOVE YOUR PET as much as some people love their children?
. DO YOU FEEL MISUNDERSTOOD by others when it comes to how deeply you cherish your pet?
. ARE YOU EMBARRASSED to reveal how much you miss an animal that has passed away?
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. HELP IS HERE
Journey with Nadine M. Rosin into the emotional healing and self-awareness she develops over nineteen years through the unconditional love of her dog, Buttons. Join them as they explore the world of holistic pet care to successfully heal canine cancer. Experience how Nadine copes with grief and loss, and ultimately discovers a continued spiritual connection with Buttons after death. This is her story. It is only one version of a story shared by millions of pet parents.
Inside the first few pages of this marvelous book the author quotes a song that I remember from my teenage years (oh so many years ago) and after reading them again, I realized having heard them growing up, I never really appreciated them until now and how it reflects about the human/animal love relationship. It’s called: “I’LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER YOU.” Here are the lyrics:
(Tom Springfield)
There's a new world somewhere
They call The Promised Land
And I'll be there some day
If you will hold my hand
I still need you there beside me
No matter what I do
For I know I'll never find another you
There is always someone
For each of us they say
And you'll be my someone
For ever and a day
I could search the whole world over
Until my life is through
But I know I'll never find another you
It's a long, long journey
So stay by my side
When I walk through the storm
You'll be my guide, be my guide
If they gave me a fortune
My treasure would be small
I could lose it all tomorrow
And never mind at all
But if I should lose your love, dear
I don't know what I'll do
For I know I'll never find another you
If a man in his lifetime has never been loved by a dog, he has been robbed of knowing what it truly is like having never been judged and accepted for the imperfect person that he is.
My rating: “The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood” – (4), holistic pet care – (3 – 4)
Showing posts with label holistic pet care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holistic pet care. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
DOG BREEDING PROBLEMS - (Part 2)
Have you ever bred a bitch that aborted her puppies? This is called a spontaneous abortion. A bitch may also resorb her puppies. There may be a number of reasons a bitch will do this. They may be fetal defects, abnormalities or damage to the uterus, ovarian failure to maintain progesterone levels, infections, trauma, too strenuous exercise or malnourishment. Usually you won’t even know that she has resorbed a litter because no signs are seen and it happens early on in the pregnancy. On the other hand if she aborts a litter, a vaginal discharge, contractions or expulsion of the fetuses may be seen. Sometimes she may eat the fetuses and you won’t even know she had an abortion. Interesting to note, sometimes a bitch will only abort part of a litter and carry the rest to term. If you suspect that she has aborted her puppies, it is wise to have an ultrasound done to determine if there are any heartbeats which would mean she still is carrying some puppies. If she is aborting her puppies, very little can be done in the way of treatment. Restrictive exercise and the administration of antibiotics is normally the way to go if an infection is the cause. Tests can be given to check her progesterone levels. She should be examined for infections in the uterus and for retained fetuses or placentas.
Normally German Shepherd bitches deliver their puppies without any problems. However there are those that do have difficult deliveries. Some of these difficulties may be due to any number of reasons including large fetus size, small pelvic size in the dame, the fetus is not positioned correctly, and uterine inertia. I’ve experienced a bitch that had uterine inertia with every litter she had. Her contractions would stop and you would think that she was finished whelping. She wasn’t and because it was my first time dealing with this, I lost some puppies. Because she would do this with each of her litters, I knew what to expect and she never lost another puppy again. Many a night (and always in a major snow storm) we would find our way on a path to my vets office.
There’s a name for difficult deliveries. It’s called Dystocia. Usually Dystocia is based on what the owner observes with his bitch. For instance: if a bitch goes 30-60 minuets having strong contractions and doesn’t deliver a puppy. If she goes more than 4-6 hours between puppies and you can tell that there are more puppies in the uterus. Something else to look out for is a failure of the bitch to start delivery within 24 hours of her temperature dropping below 99 F. If the bitch is crying and licking the vulvar area excessively during whelping this could be a sign that she’s in trouble. If she carries her puppies longer than 70 days from the first breeding or greater than 60 days from the first day of diestrus (the stage of the estrus cycle which occurs after the animal goes out of heat (also called Diestrous).
If a call to your vet is necessary, he will probably tell you to bring the bitch into his office. A physical exam including abdominal palpation and a vaginal exam are necessary. X-rays are done to determine the number of fetuses, their position, and their size compared to the bitch's pelvic size. If the puppies appear to be able to fit through the birth canal and are not mal-positioned, she may be given time to deliver on her own. Oxytocin may be given if indicated. She may also need fluid therapy with calcium or glucose in it if eclampsia or hypoglycemia is present. If the puppies are large, or a great number are present, the decision to perform a c-section may be made.
Eclampsia is an acute, life-threatening disease caused by a decrease in the amount of calcium in the bloodstream. You will see this mostly in the early stages of pregnancy rather than later. The reason this occurs is the loss of calcium from milk production, poor uptake of calcium by the intestines, or poor nutrition. Symptoms usually include a change in behavior, restlessness, nervousness, panting, pacing, whining, decrease in maternal instincts and tetany (a condition of physiological calcium imbalance marked by tonic spasm of muscles and often associated with deficient parathyroid secretion). The symptoms of tetany may include irritability, drooling, stiffness in gait, loss of coordination and pain in walking). Within minuets to hours, eclampsia may progress to muscle spasms, inability to stand, fever, increase in heart rate and seizure like activity without loss of consciousness. Death may result from respiratory depression or hyperthermia (increase body temperature) resulting in cerebral edema. There is not time to waste if your bitch is showing these stressful conditions. Get her to your vet immediately. Your vet will supply calcium directly into the vein while monitoring for heart rate or rhythm abnormalities and temperature changes. Oral supplements are started after the initial episode is over and the puppies are supplemented with bottle feeding and started on solid food as soon as possible.
(To be continued)….
From the book: VET CONFIDENTIAL: AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO PROTECTING YOUR PET'S HEALTH....“Veterinary medicine has made profound advances in the past decade, and Vet Confidential provides pet owners the tools to benefit from those advances. Dr. Murray’s essential guide to veterinary care is comprehensive yet easy to navigate. Short of going to vet school, I can’t think of a better way to safeguard your pet’s health than by reading this book.”
–Dr. Susan G. Hackner, chair, Department of Critical Care and Emergency Medicine, The Animal Medical Center
My rating: Knowing the signs of a bitch in distress: (4), Educating yourself about breeding: (4)
Normally German Shepherd bitches deliver their puppies without any problems. However there are those that do have difficult deliveries. Some of these difficulties may be due to any number of reasons including large fetus size, small pelvic size in the dame, the fetus is not positioned correctly, and uterine inertia. I’ve experienced a bitch that had uterine inertia with every litter she had. Her contractions would stop and you would think that she was finished whelping. She wasn’t and because it was my first time dealing with this, I lost some puppies. Because she would do this with each of her litters, I knew what to expect and she never lost another puppy again. Many a night (and always in a major snow storm) we would find our way on a path to my vets office.
There’s a name for difficult deliveries. It’s called Dystocia. Usually Dystocia is based on what the owner observes with his bitch. For instance: if a bitch goes 30-60 minuets having strong contractions and doesn’t deliver a puppy. If she goes more than 4-6 hours between puppies and you can tell that there are more puppies in the uterus. Something else to look out for is a failure of the bitch to start delivery within 24 hours of her temperature dropping below 99 F. If the bitch is crying and licking the vulvar area excessively during whelping this could be a sign that she’s in trouble. If she carries her puppies longer than 70 days from the first breeding or greater than 60 days from the first day of diestrus (the stage of the estrus cycle which occurs after the animal goes out of heat (also called Diestrous).
If a call to your vet is necessary, he will probably tell you to bring the bitch into his office. A physical exam including abdominal palpation and a vaginal exam are necessary. X-rays are done to determine the number of fetuses, their position, and their size compared to the bitch's pelvic size. If the puppies appear to be able to fit through the birth canal and are not mal-positioned, she may be given time to deliver on her own. Oxytocin may be given if indicated. She may also need fluid therapy with calcium or glucose in it if eclampsia or hypoglycemia is present. If the puppies are large, or a great number are present, the decision to perform a c-section may be made.
Eclampsia is an acute, life-threatening disease caused by a decrease in the amount of calcium in the bloodstream. You will see this mostly in the early stages of pregnancy rather than later. The reason this occurs is the loss of calcium from milk production, poor uptake of calcium by the intestines, or poor nutrition. Symptoms usually include a change in behavior, restlessness, nervousness, panting, pacing, whining, decrease in maternal instincts and tetany (a condition of physiological calcium imbalance marked by tonic spasm of muscles and often associated with deficient parathyroid secretion). The symptoms of tetany may include irritability, drooling, stiffness in gait, loss of coordination and pain in walking). Within minuets to hours, eclampsia may progress to muscle spasms, inability to stand, fever, increase in heart rate and seizure like activity without loss of consciousness. Death may result from respiratory depression or hyperthermia (increase body temperature) resulting in cerebral edema. There is not time to waste if your bitch is showing these stressful conditions. Get her to your vet immediately. Your vet will supply calcium directly into the vein while monitoring for heart rate or rhythm abnormalities and temperature changes. Oral supplements are started after the initial episode is over and the puppies are supplemented with bottle feeding and started on solid food as soon as possible.
(To be continued)….
From the book: VET CONFIDENTIAL: AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO PROTECTING YOUR PET'S HEALTH....“Veterinary medicine has made profound advances in the past decade, and Vet Confidential provides pet owners the tools to benefit from those advances. Dr. Murray’s essential guide to veterinary care is comprehensive yet easy to navigate. Short of going to vet school, I can’t think of a better way to safeguard your pet’s health than by reading this book.”
–Dr. Susan G. Hackner, chair, Department of Critical Care and Emergency Medicine, The Animal Medical Center
My rating: Knowing the signs of a bitch in distress: (4), Educating yourself about breeding: (4)
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