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 cleaning products for dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holistic cleaning products for dogs. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Thursday, September 17, 2009
THE BEST DISINFECTANTS - IS IT KILLING MORE THAN JUST GERMS?
I think like most of you my least favorite thing when taking care of my dogs is the “yucky” chore of cleaning and disinfecting the dog runs. I love it when it’s done and everything is nice and clean once again, but it doesn’t stay that way too long. So what’s some of the best disinfectants on the market for this unavoidable task?
I started out writing this article about some of the best products on the market to use when cleaning and disinfecting your kennels and equipment. I was writing about some of the products that I’ve used and liked. For years I’ve used and still use bleach for disinfecting my dog’s run. It’s cheap and it works. It claims to be 99.9% effective against bacteria. The only thing is it doesn’t leave a nice smell like some of the other products do. Then I went on to say one of my favorite scented disinfectants is Nolvasan S which is a bactericide and virucide. I loved it because it’s highly concentrated so you don’t need to use a lot of it. Plus I loved the smell of it. Like all of my articles, what I don’t already know, the rest I will do research on before reporting about it. So it is with this article as well. Imagine my surprise then to read an article about the dangers of disinfecting the kennels too much. So that is what I am choosing to write about today – the dangers of using these products rather than recommending any of them.
Most of us routinely clean and disinfect our kennels, and dog equipment. It’s what we do if we want a clean environment for our animals. According to this article that I read written by a holistic veterinarian, it is unnecessary and potentially harmful to our dogs. The author is not advocating that we keep the premises dirty, but that we shouldn’t be disinfecting them too much.
He further states that non-porous surfaces cannot be disinfected like for instance, your animals toys. He says that scientific studies prove that cleaning with soap and water will remove 95% of bacteria, viruses and fungi. When adding a disinfectant, it only removes an additional 2 – 3 %. He continues by saying that it is impossible to sterilize your dog’s environment unless you were to clean it several times a day. Second, (and I quote) “the bacteria in your dog’s environment have mostly been seen by your dog already. They came from your dog's feet and mouth, the food he is eating, and from your hands. Your dog is already resistant to infection from these bacteria and viruses. The few new germs that he is exposed to will, in almost all cases, be a healthy stimulant to his immune system, providing immunity for future germs.” (End quote).
If you read the label of a product that is a disinfectant, you will see that it has a precaution on it saying that these products are poisons if taken internally. If you are cleaning the runs, the bowls, his crates, etc. with these products, the dog is walking on the surface with his feet, licking the bowl, and lying in his crate, he is ingesting small amounts of the disinfectant or breathing it all the time. Over time this can lead to serious health risks and diseases. At the same time, it is not good for us to breathe in the toxins or have contact with our skin.
According to this report, recent studies are showing that if we continue to use these disinfectants that we will be creating a “super bacteria” that will be more deadly just like the overuse of antibiotics which has created bacteria that is resistant to all other antibiotics. Disinfectants are known carcinogens and are toxic to various organs in the body.
Again according to this author, the American Medical Association recently came out with a recommendation against the routine use of disinfectant soaps. I know that I’ve read several articles over the last year saying that antibacterial soaps are not as effective as they once thought.
So what is one to do? Is plain old soap and water good enough? Do we introduce more problems when we try to do the right thing by using disinfectants? What do you think is the right thing to do? What are you using to clean your dog’s kennels and equipment?
Disinfectants can run you $5 right up to $125 depending upon the size of the product.
My rating: (before reading this article): bleach & Nolvasan S got a (4). Now I’m not too sure anymore!
I started out writing this article about some of the best products on the market to use when cleaning and disinfecting your kennels and equipment. I was writing about some of the products that I’ve used and liked. For years I’ve used and still use bleach for disinfecting my dog’s run. It’s cheap and it works. It claims to be 99.9% effective against bacteria. The only thing is it doesn’t leave a nice smell like some of the other products do. Then I went on to say one of my favorite scented disinfectants is Nolvasan S which is a bactericide and virucide. I loved it because it’s highly concentrated so you don’t need to use a lot of it. Plus I loved the smell of it. Like all of my articles, what I don’t already know, the rest I will do research on before reporting about it. So it is with this article as well. Imagine my surprise then to read an article about the dangers of disinfecting the kennels too much. So that is what I am choosing to write about today – the dangers of using these products rather than recommending any of them.
Most of us routinely clean and disinfect our kennels, and dog equipment. It’s what we do if we want a clean environment for our animals. According to this article that I read written by a holistic veterinarian, it is unnecessary and potentially harmful to our dogs. The author is not advocating that we keep the premises dirty, but that we shouldn’t be disinfecting them too much.
He further states that non-porous surfaces cannot be disinfected like for instance, your animals toys. He says that scientific studies prove that cleaning with soap and water will remove 95% of bacteria, viruses and fungi. When adding a disinfectant, it only removes an additional 2 – 3 %. He continues by saying that it is impossible to sterilize your dog’s environment unless you were to clean it several times a day. Second, (and I quote) “the bacteria in your dog’s environment have mostly been seen by your dog already. They came from your dog's feet and mouth, the food he is eating, and from your hands. Your dog is already resistant to infection from these bacteria and viruses. The few new germs that he is exposed to will, in almost all cases, be a healthy stimulant to his immune system, providing immunity for future germs.” (End quote).
If you read the label of a product that is a disinfectant, you will see that it has a precaution on it saying that these products are poisons if taken internally. If you are cleaning the runs, the bowls, his crates, etc. with these products, the dog is walking on the surface with his feet, licking the bowl, and lying in his crate, he is ingesting small amounts of the disinfectant or breathing it all the time. Over time this can lead to serious health risks and diseases. At the same time, it is not good for us to breathe in the toxins or have contact with our skin.
According to this report, recent studies are showing that if we continue to use these disinfectants that we will be creating a “super bacteria” that will be more deadly just like the overuse of antibiotics which has created bacteria that is resistant to all other antibiotics. Disinfectants are known carcinogens and are toxic to various organs in the body.
Again according to this author, the American Medical Association recently came out with a recommendation against the routine use of disinfectant soaps. I know that I’ve read several articles over the last year saying that antibacterial soaps are not as effective as they once thought.
So what is one to do? Is plain old soap and water good enough? Do we introduce more problems when we try to do the right thing by using disinfectants? What do you think is the right thing to do? What are you using to clean your dog’s kennels and equipment?
Disinfectants can run you $5 right up to $125 depending upon the size of the product.
My rating: (before reading this article): bleach & Nolvasan S got a (4). Now I’m not too sure anymore!
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