Dogs Naturally - Nov 2011

NUTRITION

•

ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE

•

TRAINING AND BEHAVIOR

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AND MORE

Volume 2 • Issue 6 • November/December 2011

Dogs-Naturally

for dogs without boundaries

Osteosarcoma Winter Fitness the benefits of

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MISSION STATEMENT The goal of each issue of Dogs Naturally is to document the various concepts of and approaches to holistic dog care. Dogs Naturally seeks to support pet owners, breeders, trainers, groomers, vets and health care providers through education and open communication. The goal of our editorials is to present varying viewpoints on natural care.

editor’s message

Well, we’ve just put the wraps on our final issue of 2011, marking the second full year of Dogs Naturally magazine. Looking back, the magazine has come a long way since its inception in November of 2009. A lot of things have changed but we have remained steadfast in our standards.

Over the last couple of years, we have been accused of being pretty harsh on vets in our articles - and I have to agree that we are. We hold vets to a very high standard because we feel that we as dog owners need to challenge vets and keep pushing them to explore new levels of care. We want dog owners to be more informed and we need them to take this information to their vets and keep pushing them to stretch their limits and look beyond illness and disease. Through our vibrant and healthy dogs, we can break the barriers and let vets see with their own eyes what true health really entails.

I admit I’m a vet’s worst nightmare. In the rare event that I am forced to go to an allopathic clinic, I charge in with guns-a-blazing, just waiting for the vet to ask whether my dogs are up to date on their shots or to recommend his bag of expensive veterinary food. I’m not proud of the fact, but after years of throwing good money after bad - and watching my dogs become sicker, not healthier - I had become anti-vet!

These days, I find myself editing this magazine and thinking ‘wow, are the vets ever going to hate us!’ Because we challenge conventional thinking, we do worry about what vets have to say about our magazine. We don’t solicit vets to carry our magazine in their offices and figure we can just fly under the radar. If we are never read by a vet, I believe that would be OK because our goal is to help dog owners - but nonetheless, I was anxiously waiting for the inevitable backlash from the vets. But a funny thing happened: the vets aren’t pushing back. And here’s the best punch line ever: they are embracing us!

I’m not going to flatter myself and say that every vet who picks up Dogs Naturally will be accepting of what is in our pages. But for an anti-vet like me, any acceptance is absolutely inspiring. Every day, more vets are subscribing to the magazine, following us on Twitter or phoning us to order bundles of magazines to pass out in their clinics. The best news is that their support is not just passive: they are actively helping us by writing some pretty amazing articles.

I used to feel that vets were working against me but now I communicate regularly with vets who are passionate and who desperately want to do the right thing by our dogs. I am both humbled and honored that some of these esteemed pioneers are now writing for Dogs Naturally and, through our publication, they are reaching out to you and your dog. They are telling you that there is another way and their words are not empty because they are all wonderful animal advocates who see the big picture and aren’t afraid to speak out against what is broken in their profession. Slowly and surely, I am starting to trust vets again.

Over the next few issues, you will see some new names and faces as more and more holistic vets, (not to mention homeopaths and natural health care experts) join our ranks. Not the fake kind of holistic vets - the fickle practitioners who sing the praises of integrative medicine only when it is convenient - but the honest to goodness, kind-hearted people who aren’t afraid to take a stand.

Thank you, thank you, for being a part of this movement.

Dana

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

contributors

DR. PETER DOBIAS has been in veterinary practice since 1988. In 2008, he decided to sell his thriving holistic veterinary practice in Vancouver, BC to dedicate his future years to disease prevention and transforming the face of veterinary care to less invasive and more natural treatment methods. He believes that we can create a healthy and long life, naturally.

Dr. Debbie Gross Saunders has been rehabilitating and conditioning dogs for over sixteen years. She is one of the pioneers in the world on canine physical rehabilitation. Debbie lives in Connecticut with her family, eight dogs and an array of other animals.

dr. charles loops has been in veterinary practice for thirty-two years, the first twelve in conventional practice and for the past twenty years exclusively using homeopathic medicine. Dr. Loops enjoys a rural life in North Carolina where he and his wife of thirty years have raised five children and five dogs homeopathically.

Purchase any subscription, renewal or gift subscription... ...we’ll give your dog the gift of CHICKEN JERKY from our good friends at Tumbleweed & Eddie’s * offer expires December 31, 2011

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

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Contents --Dogs-Naturally--------for dogs without boundaries

FEATURES 10

12

COLUMNS

COVER

SANDER’S STORY A tale of how one dog and his loving owner beat the odds and beat cancer: and at the same time began a journey into natural health care. Part II. by: Connie J. Burnet

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EDITOR’S MESSAGE

20

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CONTRIBUTORS

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THE APOTHECARY Euphrasia

OSTEOSARCOMA Homeopathic treatment approaches for this common and devastating form of canine cancer. by: Charles E. Loops DVM

ESSENTIAL OMEGA FATTY ACIDS The mystery and myths that surround essential and non-essential fatty acid requirements in dogs. Part I. by: Franco Cavaleri BSc NB

8 ASK THE VET

with Dr. Gerald Wessner

30 NUTRITION WITH LUCY

Elimination Diets

37 SECRET GARDEN

Milk Thistle

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THERAPEUTIC FASTING There are many benefits to this timehonored treatment option when your dog is feeling under the weather. by: Nora Lenz

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HEALTHIER VACCINE CHOICES Vaccination is fraught with dangers that not every vet discloses. Dr. Peter Dobias takes a look at the steps you can take to limit vaccine damage in your dog. by: Peter Dobias DVM

32

WINTER CONDITIONING A look at some innovative and fun ways to keep your dog in shape this winter. by: Debbie Gross Saunders DPT, MSPT, OCS, CCRP

15 PARVOVIRUS Part III of this article discusses natural treatment options for Parvovirus. by: Dana Scott 24

28

Volume 2 Issue 6

THE DOG WHO WENT OFF TO DIE A story of how one dog chose to die on his own terms. by: Ellen Kohn WORKING WITH AN INTEGRATIVE VETERINARIAN How to find and work with your integrative veterinarian. by: Christina Chambreau DVM

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ACROSS THE POND Follow Up To The Purdue Study Analysis Catherine O’Driscoll

42

44

I NEED THAT Product Reviews

45

DIRECTORY Holistic Products and Services

46

TEN MINUTE TRAINER Sit Pretty!

DOG PEOPLE Reunion Rescue

Page 20

Page 32

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COVER DOG Tifa, Australian Cattle Dog Loved by Norman and Mary, Ontario Photography courtesy of Sandro Avila Leash Out Pet Photography

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

the

Apothecary

Euphrasia officinalis In 14th century Scotland, Euphrasia, or Eyebright, was used as a cure for all afflictions of the eye. In the centuries to follow, Eyebright tea was used, and there was even a popular ale called ‘Eyebright Ale.’ Euphrasia was thought to strengthen the head, eyes and memory and clear the sight.

Euphrasia officinalis has a special affinity for the eyes. Common symptoms include any irritation to the eye with subsequent discharge.

Characteristics of Euphrasia include a sensitivity to light with frequent blinking.

This is often associated with inflamed and watery eyes, with or without mucus.

Typically, the irritation will spread to the eyelids and even to the nose, producing a bland nasal discharge and sneezing, making Euphrasia an excellent remedy for many allergy symptoms. If these symptoms progress, a hard cough may develop, which is worse in the daytime and better with lying down. The nasal discharge is generally worse during the night while lying down.

Euphrasia is useful for any injury to the eye resulting in inflammation and watery discharge. It can also be effective against associated opacity or injury to the cornea (the surface of the eye).

Because Euphrasia is associated with red and swollen eyes, it is a good choice for dogs suffering from conjunctivitis or even Pannus.

Euphrasia can be given internally and also applied topically, either as an herbal Eyebright tea, or as a homeopathic solu-

tion. These homeopathic eye drops can be purchased as a commercial product or you can prepare your own by placing a few pellets in about 20 ml of water. If you can purchase mother tincture, dilute it 1/10 with water. This solution will have a tonic effect on all of the structures around the eye.

dog’s symptoms. A good Materia Medica or homeopath might be helpful in this event.

Euphrasia is generally given in smaller potencies. The 6C or 12C potency is generally easy to find and should do well.

DNM

Euphrasia is generally an acute, fast acting but short lived remedy.

The generalities include aggravation in the evenings and the dog may suddenly and frequently waken from his sleep.

There may be drowsiness during the day. Symptoms are generally worse in the wind and light and may improve with open air. Dogs are generally worse when warm and from being indoors.

A similar remedy to consider for eye afflictions is Pulsatilla. Pulsatilla is associated with thick, profuse, yellow, bland eye discharges along with itching and burning.

The eyelids may also be inflamed with redness. Nasal discharge may also be present with yellow mucus. Pulsatilla often fits cases of subacute conjunctivitis.

Pulsatilla is worse in a warm room, especially in the evening. It is better in open air. If Euphrasia does not seem to work, you might consider Pulsatilla if it fits your

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

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ASK the VET Please note that not all questions can be answered.

Ask the Vet is not a replacement for veterinary care.

Email your questions to Dr. Wessner: askthevet@dogsnaturallymagazine.com

Dear Dr Wessner, My Standard Schnauzer, Romeo, tore apart a new toy that my mother gave him (which he normally does with stuffed toys). He usually just pulls out the stuffing and ignores it while he continues to tear apart the toy. Last night however, he ate some of the stuffing. Not a lot, but a good sized chunk.

Should I be worried? Veronica from MO I usually have clients feed whole grain bread to their pets in this situation. The bread will surround the stuffing and help it pass. If your dog eats something soft (not sharp), you can use Hydrogen Peroxide to induce vomiting. However, if your dog ingests a sharp object, and you notice it right away, it is best to take your dog to the emergency vet hospital for an X-ray.

Webster, our chocolate Lab/some-kindof-hound mix, has recurring ear infections. Our vet determined that he has yeast infections. Webster showed up in our yard in September of 2008 and was about 18 months old at that time.

I suspect that whoever had him before he was dumped fed him nothing but bread. They do that here in the south.

He has been raw fed since December 2009. No vaccinations, no flea/tick chemicals, no heartworm pills. I can’t figure out how to get rid of the yeast in his body. What else can I do? Lynne from SC Yeast problems can take six to eight months to fully cure. Homeopathy can be used very effectively to treat yeast and skin problems. I have just come across a relatively new product – Miracle Mineral Solution - that helps curb

8

the yeast, skin problems and itching fairly quickly. The MMS work was pioneered by Jim Humble. There is a good amount of information about using the product on the MMS website and I can vouch for its effectiveness.

In general, I would start him on 3 drops of the MMS and 15 drops of 10% Citric Acid. Wait three minutes, then give another dose mixed with some apple juice (with no vitamin C added to the apple juice). Repeat this hourly for about eight hours.

You should plan this for a weekend when you will be around. Most likely, in two days you should see pretty good improvement.

I have a 13 year Border Collie that is leaning and walking to his left like he is dizzy. He has not had the vestibular problem with the flicking of the eyes back and forth. He sees a Chiropractor and has acupuncture done. He has also had B12 injections. He has also lost his hearing. Is there anything else I can do for him? Would a motion sickness pill help? He is still eating fine. Sue from MN My first choice for a remedy in this case is to use Belladonna 30C (once daily for maybe 3 days). I have had some patients get relief with just one dose, but not usually. This is probably a form of vestibular disease and if the correct homeopathic remedy is selected, the other symptoms should also be relieved.

I would like to ask a question about the health of an aging bitch: do they just stop their heat cycles as they age like humans do? If so at what average age

does this happen? I have a six year old female who we do not plan to breed again (a Bulldog, she’s had two litters, all normal no issues). She has heat cycles regularly (about every six months) and they are very, very light with little to no show at this point. She’s always been a very light bleeder but, as she ages, it has gotten lighter. Thank You. Melissa Dogs do not go through menopause like women do. Their cycles normally get lighter and more sporadic with age but may or may not stop altogether. The age at which they start irregular cycles and lose fertility will vary with the health and genetics of the bitch.

My three year old Border Collie was vaccinated for his first year of life and developed a horrible skin condition that our vet gave him steroids for (large bumps that scabbed over, welts, horrible rash that itched day and night... he lost 2/3 of his fur). This went on for seven months and we finally said no more.

We are still in the process of healing: he is better, but not good as new. He has had no vaccinations or medications for just over a year. He is on a totally raw diet: no grains at all. He does like vegetables, so I give him carrots as snacks. He is taking evening primrose and black currant oil, sesame oil and fish oil, a grain-free multi vitamin, MSM and an extra 500mg of vitamin C. I have been searching for a holistic vet in our area and am having an awful time of it. We need some direction!!

Can you give us a bit of advice on what we are perhaps doing right or wrong?

We and our sweetie Tripp thank you.

Mardi from TX

November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

The problem with vaccinosis (the harmful effects of vaccination in animals) is that it takes more than just stopping the shots and doing all the natural things you have implemented to fix it. The raw diet, fish oils, supplements and Vitamin C are all great but if you take the supplements away, the vaccinosis might come back with a vengeance. You need to treat the root cause: the vaccinosis itself. There are many remedies for vaccinosis and choosing one can be fairly involved. For this reason, working with a holistic vet or homeopath is your next step to find out what else he needs to heal. (Editor’s note: please refer to the article on page 28 for ways to find a holistic vet or homeopath).

How much coconut oil should I give my dog each day? She is about 40 pounds.

Thanks, Val from CA I think 1 tsp would be adequate. The nice thing about coconut oil is that it is a medium chain fatty acid (this is good) and this oil is also supposed to help regulate

weight. It is also good for the skin, coat and immune system.

We recently adopted a new member to our family and apparently the previous owners didn’t ever take her for rides in their vehicles. When we take her anywhere with us she really gets stressed out, jumps all around, shakes, and goes almost wild all the time the vehicle is moving. When it stops she is okay and lays down. We travel a lot and my question is, is there anything we can do for her to make her traveling experience better for her and for us? She makes my husband nervous while he is driving and it’s hard on me as I am trying to do what I can for both of them. Thank you. Cheri from WA The number one homeopathic remedy for motion sickness is Cocculus. This should be given a couple of hours before the trip, and again right before the trip.

This case, however, sounds like more than just motion sickness. It seems like your dog is extremely stressed, and there

is more information needed to get to the bottom of this problem. Tellington Touch, NAET, Bach Flowers and Rescue Remedy can be useful. Other flower essences such as Schleranthus can be used.

You can find a practitioner who will work with your dog to make a custom blend, or visit your local vitamin store to select your own bottles based on the charts.

DNM Dr. Gerald Wessner graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and spent two years in the U.S. Army as the Assistant Post Veterinarian. After the army, he worked in private practice at several race tracks and opened a small animal practice in Pennsylvania. In the late 70’s, Dr. Wessner started learning and practicing acupuncture and started an exclusively acupuncture practice.

In 1995 started an exclusively homeopathic practice. Shortly afterward, he moved the practice to Summerfield, FL and continues to practice there. The practice consists of both clinic hours and phone consultations.

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SANDER’S STORY Misplaced trust I was new to dog ownership and had always trustingly followed my veterinarian’s recommendations, vaccinating annually and using chemical heartworm, flea and tick medicines. My dog Briar had just died of dermatomyositis when my beloved Sheltie, Sander, was diagnosed with an oral cancer, at only seven years old.

No conventional treatment was available due to the location of the tumor: on the roof of Sander’s mouth.

Sander was expected to die within a matter of months.

After Sander’s cancer diagnosis, I became disillusioned with allopathic medicine and researched alternative modalities. I placed Sander on a raw food diet, along with a regime of supplements; we eliminated all vaccines; Sander had regular chiropractic adjustments, and also hydrotherapy sessions to help his dysplastic hips and degenerative joint disease caused

by Lyme vaccinations.

Love for life Sander’s daily vitamin and herb supplements, his regular chiropractic adjustments, natural raw diet, and our avoidance of pesticides and vaccinations, constituted, in the view of conventional veterinary medicine, “no treatment” of his cancer. And yet, Sander lived – and thrived. He loved life and welcomed the extra treats and attention that came his way. His place at the center of our family was unquestioned.

Years had passed since his diagnosis, and the tumor was still visible. It did not seem to be active, but it also did not seem to be inactive. Because the original lab reading had been confirmed by the university pathology lab reading of the biopsy slides, I dismissed the idea that it had been a misdiagnosis. There wasn’t any evidence that the cancer was in remission, and with good fortune, we had found the cancer before it metastasized. As years went by, we concluded that

10

By: Connie J Burnet Sander’s immune system and the cancer were locked in a stalemate. I knew it was important that his liver continue to function well, and a number of his daily supplements were geared to support the work of his liver and kidneys.

I stopped giving any of my dogs heartworm preventives. I used herbs and essential oils, I kept them indoors when mosquitoes were heavy, and every year they tested negative for heartworm. By now, Sander was a senior dog – he turned 10 in June 2001. His body was creaky and his gait was tottering, but his determination and purpose were still strong. He still accompanied me everywhere and supervised the other Shelties.

Although I had changed the way I fed and cared for my dogs, I still needed to find a veterinarian who would accept my choices and provide annual physical exams, heartworm and blood tests. I had long since left the vet who originally treated Briar and Sander; I wasn’t able to gain acceptance of my dogs’ diet, my non-vaccination program or Sander’s cancer treatment protocol.

Over the next few years, I went to several other clinics, but at each one, I was the oddball who had to explain over and over again that no, I don’t want vaccinations today; yes, I do want the results of the blood tests given directly to me; no, I don’t need heartworm preventive drugs today, thank you. Frankly, it was annoying.

The clinic staff and the vets showed no inclination to understand what I was doing, and even the fact that I had a hale and hearty dog who was closing in on five years post cancer diagnosis didn’t pique their curiosity.

At last, I took the advice of Catherine O’Driscoll, and started interviewing vet clinics. When I found one vet who actually returned my call and said that he was interested in my program and my dogs, I went to meet him. Ten years later, I am still a client of that clinic,

November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

where I’ve found not only excellent veterinary care but also respect for my knowledge and my stewardship of my dogs.

Sander’s old age was a wonderful thing to behold. Even as his mobility decreased, his personality seemed to grow stronger and shine more brightly. He drew people to him, even if they were not ‘dog people.’ He had always been a happy and sociable dog; now he had a strength and calm about him even when he was tired or feeling poorly. I had gotten into the habit of talking with him, and if anyone had told me that he wasn’t replying to me, I would have said they were wrong!

proud of him and happy for the release he achieved after his long and truly wonderful life.

fascinated her because it had progressed, she said, at a rate that was “about a hundred times slower” than this cancer typically progresses. I asked if she felt that Sander’s raw diet, no-toxins regimen, and supplements could account for this, and she said she didn’t see how it could be attributed to anything else. At last, traditional veterinary medicine acknowledged the reality and success of what we had done! Ironically, by the time that came, it mattered very little to me.

To this day I smile when I think of Sander, of how he lived and how he died. I have no regrets about anything we did or didn’t do. In the first months I was without him, I wrote an account of our journey and how I had learned - through him and because of him - so much about health and happiness. Sander’s Book: The Education of a Dog Owner was a labor of love, and each time someone tells me that they have enjoyed it or found it helpful, I remember the promise I made to Sander on the day he died, that I would use what we had been through together to help other dogs and their people.

Job well done

My fear that Sander would die a terrible, agonizing death no longer occupied my mind and I accepted that the cancer was a part of our lives and was a part of him. After the first year, I stopped wishing I could eradicate it. I regretted that he had it, but I looked only at the present day, and kept giving him all his supplements and taking him to his chiropractor.

What mattered most to me was my old dog - and Sander was old indeed. In November 2005 his vet discovered, on an ultrasound following a routine exam, that his liver was greatly enlarged. Whether this was due to a tumor on the liver or to liver disease of another sort, we did not know.

But I knew that Sander was close to leaving, after staying with me for so long and through so much.

When Sander turned 14, in June 2005, I took him to see a veterinary oncologist for only the second time since his 1998 diagnosis. She examined Sander, and rendered her opinion: she had no doubt that the tumor in Sander’s mouth was cancer. Even if it weren’t malignant, she told me a tumor in that location would have been fatal if it had grown more than an infinitesimal amount, since it would have prevented his eating and his breathing.

But as a malignant fibrous histiocytoma, it

Now it was his departure that mattered, so when the day came that he became ill and lost all strength, I was as ready as I could be for what followed. I made him comfortable, and said the farewell and the thanks that I needed to say to him. His veterinarian came to the house for the euthanasia visit that really was almost superfluous, since Sander had already begun to depart. His passing was marked by the dignity and grace that had always set him apart as my heart dog. I was enormously

Sander did so much, and did it so well.

Although I miss him, even five years later, I think that Dr. Seuss had it right when he said, “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened!” When we give our hearts entirely to our dogs, we never lose that love and we can always see, somewhere in the world around us, the echo of that smile. DNM Connie Burnet lives in Chicago with her three Shelties, a rescue Finnish Lapphund, and a rescue Border Collie. In the non-dog area of her life, she is the executive officer of a small brokerage firm on the Chicago Board of Trade. She keeps in touch with Sander and tries to apply what he taught her to her life in general and her dogs in particular!

Gerald Wessner VMD Holistic Veterinarian • 15 years experience • homeopathics • herbs • nutrition • glandulars • acute and chronic disease Phone consultations welcome -many conditions are helped or cured

352-245-2025 www.holisticvetclinic.net Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011 33

March/April 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine 11

Essential Omega-Fatty Acids Mystery and Myths

By Franco Cavaleri BSc NB Our dogs can survive on human table scraps but thriving and surviving are not the same. Our dogs need a very different nutrient profile than we do, despite the stories of old farm dogs thriving better than today’s fast food canines. These old time farm dogs are said to have lived longer and with better life quality than many of our furry family members today. And the only thing they were said to eat were table scraps at breakfast and dinner.

There was a lot more going on, in those fields of old, than most of us consider today. First off, these working dogs were vigorously active. They often had access to freshly fallen fruit like apples; and even the odd fresh vegetable such as a cob of nonGMO corn to gnaw on as a chew toy. And believe it or not, that cow dung they most likely feasted on was full of pre-digested nutrition and probiotics that escaped the ruminants’ digestive process. Table scraps were merely part of a broader diet for these farm dogs.

Essential fatty acid requirements are different for dogs than they are for humans, due to the dog’s ability to manufacture certain essential fats in their own cells. Essential fats are a critical component in the production of hormones that affect many important biological processes, including inflammation and immunity. These fats are vulnerable to damage by oxygen and heat so they typically don’t survive the processing involved in the manufacture of bagged foods. Imbalanced Omega fats lead to imbalanced hormones.

At the other end of the spectrum, the majority of our pets today don’t get nearly as much exercise and are served a processed diet from a bag or can. In addition, most manufacturers of these foods recommend that we don’t feed variety in order to prevent shocking the pet’s metabolism and gastrointestinal tract! Well, that’s simply a bunch more of the plain old manufactured science designed to keep your dog on their cardboard food without deviation.

We’ve been brainwashed to accept that this dry dog food in a bag is the best source of nutrition, engineered by scientists who know better than Mother Nature. The fact is, few commercial foods preserve nature’s wholeness and nutrient integrity through the manufacturing process of your dog’s meals and supplements. And this nourishment has to be designed specifically for your dog’s metabolism and gastrointestinal tract. Even our human-grade foods fall short of delivering what your dog needs and so do our human supplements.

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

When it comes to these essential fatty acids, there are multiple factors in canine diets that can compound poor fatty acid levels in the cells of your pet. These influences also change how these cells convert the special fats to hormones, and can undermine natural inflammatory controls, rate of aging and quality of life, especially in your dog’s senior years.

Metabolic changes from processed foods that cause inflammation: 1. Glycemic Load 2. Oxidation 3. Omega Fatty Acid Damage

inhibitors like Aspirin, Metacam and other NSAIDS. Research shows that insulin spikes from glycemically loaded food actually increase COX enzyme activity. This enzyme is involved in the conversion of Omega-6 fatty acid (arachidonic acid) to hormones (PGE2 – inflammatory prostaglandin) that can cause inflammation.

In other words, long term consumption of a higher GI diet promotes inflammation in the body. Frequently, pharmaceutical drugs are prescribed to alleviate symptoms associated with this inflammation. However, changing the diet by lowering the glycemic impact in food, often reduces inflammation, including allergic reactions, asthma, injuries and other disorders - even plain old aging. The need for and prolific use of COX inhibitors is exacerbated by the foods we feed.

Approximate GI Content White Sugar 65 White potatoes 90 Legumes/Beans 50 Sweet Potatoes 50 White Rice 87 Brown Rice 72

Glycemic Index and Load ‘Glycemic Index’ (GI) is a term relating to carbohydrate sources.

GI rates a food’s ability to raise blood sugar. A high GI food causes blood sugar to spike high and quickly while a low GI raises blood sugar at a slower, more manageable pace. A food’s GI significantly influences hormone synthesis from polyunsaturated Omega fats.

The glycemic load of a food is largely dictated by the carbohydrate content. However, the sugar-loading activity of a high GI food can be somewhat mitigated by the amount and type of protein and fat in the food. Proper proportioning of a meal is important from this standpoint.

A dog’s body is less capable of handling carbohydrate sources than a human’s, and we know the problems that high carbohydrate or high GI diets have created in the human population.

Highly processed human diets have led to an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic inflammation.

More and more, our pets are suffering from the same ailments.

Processed pet foods are loaded with high GI grains like rice, corn and white potato which can all cause insulin highs. Insulin’s influence goes way beyond sugar and amino acid clearance. Circulating insulin signals many activities in the body, one of which is the storage of nutrients and calories. The result of insulin overload is higher fat storage from consumed calories and eventually, pancreatic strain and insulin resistance, leading to obesity and diabetes.

Insulin is like a primary gear in the body and is associated with COX enzymes. Cyclo-oxygenase (COX) is an inflammatory enzyme that, in allopathic medicine, is often blocked with COX

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

Oats 50 Barley 36 Corn 80 Carrots 90 Peas 50 Yams 55

There’s no doubt that raw food diets are the healthiest way to feed our dogs, but these diets don’t always cover all the nutritional bases, even if properly formulated. Raw diets also need to be proportioned properly and they need to exclude the higher GI vegetation sources using, preferably, only those that rate lower than 60 on the GI scale. To give you some perspective on Glycemic Index, anything rating 65 and over is considered high for humans; and the negative influence on your dog is even more pronounced.

COUNTERMEASURE Choose foods that exclude grains and high glycemic index ingredients. Choose foods that have been exposed to the least amount of processing.

Oxidation

Processed food is exposed to heat, oxygen and moisture, which cause chemical reactions in the food, known as oxidation. Oxidation has a clear influence on nutrition and can change how amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), are absorbed and how or even whether they can be used.

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Research shows that oxidation also accelerates COX enzyme activity. This COX acceleration is added to the insulin-induced activity discussed above to further accelerate the production of inflammatory hormones. This inflammatory activity can go unnoticed for years, causing general stiffness and slower recovery from work or exercise. With time, it chips away at the body, weakening cartilage, brain and connective tissue to age your dog beyond his years.

COUNTERMEASURE Choose foods that exclude grains and high glycemic index ingredients. Choose foods that have been exposed to the least amount of processing. Add vitamin, mineral and phyto-sourced antioxidant supplementation to each meal.

Omega Fatty Acid Damage

Oxidation damages precious polyunsaturated fatty acids, throwing off the balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats in the foods. It also destroys important fats like DHA and EPA. This severely influences the pathway to hormone production to further aggravate inflammatory response and exacerbate underlying diseases.

COUNTERMEASURE Choose foods that exclude grains and high glycemic index nourishment sources. Choose foods that have been exposed to the least amount of processing. Add properly proportioned Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acid supplements that include the

essential fatty acid linoleic acid and the conditionally essential Omega-3 fatty acids alpha linolenic acid, docosahexeanoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid.

Feeding properly formulated glycemic-friendly raw foods is the healthiest choice for your dog. Even with raw diets, the way the meat producing livestock has been fed dictates the nutritional profile of the meat. Animal protein analysis unveils a very different vitamin, mineral and antioxidant load when comparing wild versus livestock meats. The difference in fatty acid profile is also profound.

Supplementing all diets at all life stages with the right polyunsaturated fat blends and antioxidants serves as health insurance for your canine companion. In Part II of this article series we’ll delve into the chemistry of essential fats to unravel and demystify the science behind them. Which one is essential?

And which fats, such as cold water fish derived Omega-3 fats, are conditionally essential? DNM Franco Cavaleri, BSc NB Nutraceutical Biochemist, is a graduate of University of British Columbia, where he majored in Nutritional Science and Biochemistry. His post graduate efforts in scientific research and development have led to the accumulation of several awards in the Canadian Health Industry including nine formulation awards and bestseller status for his recent book-derived from his thesis, POTENTIAL WITHIN A Guide to Nutritional Empowerment. Franco is also the author of YOUR DOG’S HEALTH which provides more detail, including scientific references, on the science and dietary choices discussed in this article. www.biologicnr.com

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

PARVOVIRUS

Everything you wanted to know ...and some things you wish you didn’t

By: Dana Scott

No other word has the same ability to strike terror into the hearts of puppy owners like Parvovirus. I know this first hand because I was once in the position that every puppy owner dreads: watching my puppy literally dying in front of my eyes. In addition to the burden of a sick puppy, I shouldered the guilt of choosing to not vaccinating him. I’ll remember that moment for the rest of my days, the moment when the vet accusingly stated, “well, that’s what you get for not vaccinating.” It was like a slap in the face and I wondered to myself, was I being irresponsible for not vaccinating my puppy? Was I irresponsible for treating Aaron at home instead of leaving him to despair and possibly to die alone in a cage at the back of the vet clinic?

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

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It would have been so easy to cave to convention and swear that I would diligently vaccinate my dogs from now on and never have to suffer through this horrible situation again.

But it wasn’t until Aaron and I were forced to stare Parvo right in the face that I discovered it wasn’t as horrible as I feared. Because something wonderful happened - Aaron got better.

I admit that at the time, refusing traditional medical care for my puppy was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done and I promise that if Parvo ever strikes your puppy, it will be no less difficult for you. Thankfully, there were wonderful people who supported me and armed me with the tools I needed to help Aaron heal.

What follows is not a ‘How To Fight Parvo Guide’, nor is it a replacement for veterinary advice. At the time of Aaron’s illness, I did not have access to a good classical homeopath and I can tell you that, now that I do, I would pick up the phone within seconds if I saw bloody diarrhea in one of my puppies.

What I wish to give you is the insight of somebody who chose not to vaccinate for Parvo, fought the disease with my puppy at home and came out on top. The road was rocky, but looking back, my experience with Parvo didn’t cause me to rush back to the vaccines – it only proved to me that the decisions I had made were the right ones. I hope that after reading this article, you will think so too.

What Is Parvovirus?

Good Money After Bad One reason vets advocate vaccination for Parvo is that the cost of treating this illness with allopathic methods can be very steep. Vet bills totalling in the thousands are not unusual as round-the-clock intravenous drips, overnight stays, blood tests, Tamiflu, antibiotics and other treatments add up fast. Most puppy owners are understandably willing to pay these large bills to save their puppies. At first glance, it makes sense: vaccinate your puppy and you can avoid costly vet bills or loss of life in the future. But here’s what most vets don’t tell you (and it’s a pretty important omission): 1.

2.

28% of vaccinated puppies still get Parvo Parvo kills more vaccinated puppies than unvaccinated

Most vets withhold some seriously important information when they tell you to vaccinate your puppy for Parvo. Risk of disease can be minimized but never eliminated – even with vaccination. Given this, it appears you have two choices for your puppy: 1.

2.

Vaccinate him. If you do, he may possibly be less likely to get Parvo. If he does get it however, he is more likely to die from it and is more likely to suffer detrimental long-term health effects.

Don’t vaccinate him. If you don’t, he may be more likely to get Parvo, but he is also more likely to survive it – without expensive vet bills and with less risk of long-term consequences.

How much more likely are vaccinated puppies to die from Parvo? Amber Technologies is the manufacturer of an herbal product called Parvaid which has been on the market since 1997.

As can be imagined, they have received a lot of phone calls from distraught puppy owners asking for treatment help. It soon became obvious to them that most of the calls they were getting were about Parvo puppies that were recently vaccinated and wormed. In 2008, Ambertech surveyed their customers to determine the impact vaccination had on Parvo survival.

Here are the results: • •

66% of recently vaccinated puppies treated with Parvaid survived Parvo 91% of unvaccinated puppies treated with Parvaid survived Parvo

Both groups of puppies were treated with the same protocol and the unvaccinated puppies clearly had a lower mortality rate.

If you want to prevent your puppy from getting Parvo, then maybe you should vaccinate (although if you’ve read the first two installments of this article, I truly hope you don’t). If, however, you want to prevent your puppy from actually DYING from Parvo, then perhaps you might want to hold off on that vaccine.

An Ounce of Prevention The first and most important step in treating any disease is prevention. If you choose not to vaccinate your puppy, you have taken an important step toward preventing him from

Parvovirus is a viral infection that quickly attacks the rapidly dividing cells in the body such as those present in the lining of the digestive tract or in developing white blood cells. Parvo then manifests itself as bloody diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and decreased immune function.

Puppies are more severely affected than adults.

The hallmark of Parvo is blood stained feces with perhaps a yellowish tinge and a very distinct and unpleasant smell. Parvo itself rarely kills dogs – it is the associated dehydration and secondary infection that can be deadly.

Certain breeds of dogs seem to show greater susceptibility to Parvo and most of these are black and tan breeds such as Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers. Fortunately, Parvo is easy for vets to diagnose. A stool sample can be analyzed for Parvo antigen in minutes using a SNAP test. Most vets have this simple and fast test available right in their clinic.

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

becoming ill. If that seems counter-intuitive, consider that the first order of business is to build a strong immune system. We are brainwashed into thinking that vaccines create immunity but that simply isn’t true. Vaccines do not immunize, they sensitize.

The immune system is a wonderful thing and it has been functioning quite well on its own for centuries without vaccines. As a case in point, there is no vaccine available today that covers the original CPV-1a strain of Parvo. It’s easy to think that strain has disappeared but it’s still in the environment.

Diseases are only a threat if the immune system can’t meet the challenge. In the case of the CPV-1a strain of Parvo, the virus is just as common and just as deadly as the newer strains. The only difference is that dogs have naturally acquired the immunity necessary to deactivate it - even though they haven’t been vaccinated for it.

To avoid Parvo – and more importantly, death from Parvo – it is crucial to build your puppy’s immune system. Here are some tips to help you prepare your puppy’s immune system against the threat of Parvo.

Refrain from vaccinations Vaccination introduces small amounts of genetically modified, adjuvanated and chemically preserved antigen to artificially stimulate an immune response. The problem with this approach is that it turns the immune system ‘inside out’. The immune system relies heavily on ‘memory cells’ deep within the tissues (this is called cellular immunity). When vaccines are injected into the body, they bypass the cellular immune system and instead stimulate the humoral immune system. This is completely the opposite of what nature intended and the humoral system suppresses Interlukin 12, on which the cellular system is largely dependent.

Vaccination makes the humoral immune system dominant over the cellular immune system, effectively turning the immune system inside out.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock has determined that widespread vaccination programs also lead to progressive atrophy of the cellular immune system (the memory cells) from lack of use. For example, coronavirus in puppies is a self limiting, benign disease, just like chickenpox and mumps in children. By vaccinating for these diseases, the immune system is not given the opportunity to strengthen through environmental challenges and immunity suffers as a result.

Avoid chemical wormers

Consider Nosodes

Here is another dilemma. Puppies that are wormed within two weeks of becoming ill with Parvo have a higher mortality rate (according to the Amber Technology study). On the other hand, puppies suffering from both Parvo and a worm infestation are at higher risk.

A nosode is a homeopathic remedy made from infective excretions, and secretions from an infected patient: feces, urine, pus, blood, hair, saliva, spinal fluid, necropsy tissue section of an organ or growth showing pathology.

Just as healthy puppies can develop immunity on their own, healthy puppies are able to fight off worm infestations. As a breeder, I haven’t used wormers of any kind in fifteen years and have never bred a puppy with a positive fecal. That’s because I also feed a fresh whole diet and avoid vaccines, drugs and chemicals whenever possible. Healthy puppies are generally not good hosts for parasites.

If your puppy does present with worms, however, it is important to deal with them immediately because it does elevate his risk of Parvo.

There are effective chemical-free choices such as diatomaceous earth, pumpkin seed and other herbs which can be very effective without the threat that chemical wormers present to the immune system

Feed your puppy the best diet you can Note this doesn’t mean the most expensive kibble money can buy. In fact, it means avoid kibble altogether. Let food be thy medicine and instead of filling your puppy with corn, wheat, baked and extruded slaughterhouse waste, fortified with synthetic vitamins and minerals, provide him with fresh, whole meat on the bone containing naturally occurring nutrients with maximum bioavailability. At the very least, give him a home cooked diet or a dehydrated dog food product. Kibble should be an absolute last resort.

Socialize wisely If you forgo vaccination (and even if you don’t), be smart about where you take your young puppy. Every time your puppy leaves the house, he is being exposed to small amounts of viruses and is building immunity naturally. The key is to not expose him to an environment with large amounts of Parvo antigen, such as dog parks, because it might be too much for his young immune system to handle (most puppies’ immune systems mature fully at around six months). Ironically, the most dangerous place you could take any puppy is the veterinary office. With perhaps the exception of an animal shelter, I can’t imagine an environment where your puppy might be more at risk for exposure to Parvovirus.

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

The late Dr. George MacLeod DVM, in his book “Dogs: Homeopathic Remedies” states that nosodes provide “…a more solid immunity inasmuch as it incorporates the entire defence system, which is mobilized as soon as the nosode is taken into the mouth and builds up protection with each further dose. This buildup leads from tonsillar tissue through the lymphatics incorporating the entire reticuloendothelias system. This procedure is equivalent to what is known as ‘street infection’ viz., ingestion of virus, etc., during daily contact with other animals, when immunity would be built up in the same way.”

Many homeopathic vets advocate the use of nosodes as a prevention for disease and have clinical results that suggest its efficacy. Other homeopaths adamantly stress that nosodes should only be given when disease symptoms are present. I must admit that, based on my experience, I am in the latter camp. Aaron was given a Parvo nosode as a puppy but still got Parvo. Once he was sick and received the nosode however, he was markedly better within hours.

Even if you follow all of the above advice, the unhappy day may arrive when your puppy gets Parvo. Life is fickle; there are no guarantees. If you have followed the above advice, however, you have already given your puppy’s immune system a very good head start in beating this disease.

Natural Parvo Treatment Parvo can be treated at home, but it is a serious disease so I strongly urge you to work with a holistic vet or homeopath. It’s a good idea to find a true holistic practitioner before you get your puppy: you don’t want to be caught with a sick puppy and nobody to take care of him the right way should he become ill. Stick to your convictions and find a vet who will treat your puppy without damaging his immune system.

There are many vets who call themselves holistic but are quick to dispense the antibiotics and Tamiflu. If your vet chooses this option and you feel it isn’t right, there are plenty of good homeopathic vets who will do phone consults.

I speak from hard earned experience when I say “if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t”. Be an active partner in your puppy’s health care.

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Looking back, I’m glad I treated Aaron at home. Many vet clinics keep the puppies overnight but don’t have staff on hand to actually monitor them. I was able to give Aaron round the clock care and he was in his own bed, surrounded by his family, so didn’t suffer the additional stress of being caged in the vet clinic.

If I ever have to face Parvo again, I will still opt to treat my puppy at home.

The following is what experience has taught me. It is not intended to represent medical advice and, even though I was not able to do so, this is one situation where I do recommend you care for your puppy under the direction of a holistic vet or homeopath.

Dehydration Parvo itself is not the worst threat: the associated dehydration is much more dangerous.

The first order of business is to make sure your puppy is hydrated. If your puppy can’t keep his liquids down orally, then you need to find another way to get them into him. A quick test for hydration is to pinch the skin at the back of your puppy’s neck. It should bounce back immediately. If the fold you created takes two seconds or longer to return to normal, your puppy is probably dehydrated and needs fluids fast. There are a few ways to do this.

Intravenous fluids – An IV is normally something that would need to be done in the veterinary clinic. A catheter is inserted right into the vein and fluids are delivered directly into the blood stream. If you wish to treat your puppy at home, there is still the option to take him to the vet for an IV. When my puppy was falling behind, I brought him to the vet for an IV and they administered his Parvaid and his Parvo nosode for me while he was there (after they rolled their eyes when I asked). He was there for about four hours, then I brought him back home again and continued with his treatment.

Subcutaneous fluids – Your vet can send you home with a Sub-Q kit and show you how to use it - or you can purchase one online. This involves placing a catheter just below the skin and the fluids create a pocket under the skin which the body absorbs. Some people find that Sub-Q methods are too slow and if the puppy is still vomiting or has diarrhea, he can still dehydrate. If giving Sub-Q fluids, make sure they are warmed to body temperature.

Enema fluids – This is perhaps the best way to administer fluids at home and it has a good track record. The amount of fluid you give depends on the puppy. Puppies less than ten pounds would need about 10ml of fluid where-

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as puppies forty pounds or more would need 60ml. Enemas can be given with an infant enema bag, a bulb syringe or even a standard, clear syringe (not the kind made for needles).

Administer the enema very slowly – over several minutes. If you go too quickly, the fluid will just start to squirt out. If the puppy does not need the enema, the fluid will simply come back out again, regardless of how slowly you go. All fluids should be warmed to body temperature first.

Homeopathy

Oral fluids – The three above methods are only needed until the puppy is able to hold down fluids himself. If he is holding fluids down, discontinue the above. Then, instead of giving straight water, give your puppy Pedialyte. This will not only hydrate him, it will replace the minerals and electrolytes he will have lost through his vomiting and diarrhea.

Pedialyte should also be added to his enemas and he will absorb the electrolytes that way.

Pedialyte should be administered at least every hour. Give small amounts (just drops) often and monitor your puppy; if you give too much, he will simply vomit it back up again.

Parvo Nosode – Although nosodes are more commonly taken as a preventive, they are a powerful synergist to the homeopathic remedies below. Nosodes can normally be purchased through a holistic veterinarian.

You can help your puppy keep his fluids down by adding some ginger tea to his Pedialyte. To make ginger tea, simply add about four teaspoons of the dried herb (or a few thin slices of fresh ginger) to a quart of boiling water.

Simmer for ten or twenty minutes, strain the liquid and allow it to cool. Administer the ginger tea along with the Pedialyte. Ginger has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Ginger is also very helpful in increasing the immunity of the body. You could also add Turmeric to the tea for the same reasons.

Diarrhea Diarrhea can also cause fluid loss and dehydration. It is important to address the diarrhea as quickly as possible. It may be tempting to use an over the counter product to stop the diarrhea but herbal and homeopathic treatments will work best without being suppressive.

There are commercial herbal products available to help your puppy with the diarrhea. The good part about using these products is that you also get the customer service and experience that go with them. I chose to use Parvaid with Aaron and they picked up the phone immediately and talked me through the entire process. This was immensely useful because I had no veterinary guidance. There are a few products available but do your homework and determine what their success rate is before purchasing – preferably by talking to people who have used them.

Homeopathy can be incredibly fast-acting in acute situations. You will hopefully have the guidance of a good homeopath, but the following remedies work very well in many cases. Because homeopathy is based on symptoms and not on diseases, it is not necessary to wait for a diagnosis of Parvo to begin using the remedies (with the exception of the Parvo nosode).

Dr. Gloria Dodd DVM enjoys very good results with the Parvo nosode in her practice.

“In the very first days of Parvovirus infection in dogs,” Dodd states, “I was faced with an overwhelming epidemic of Parvo-stricken dogs in my clinical practice. I made a 30C nosode from the infected animals’ blood in the form of sterile saline solution, and then injected the nosode intravenously into the sick animals.”

“I never lost one animal of the hundreds that came to me in the early epidemiology. These were dogs with other pathologies: Congestive Heart problems, Chronic Interstitial Nephritis, and very old and very young dogs with compromised immune systems.”

Homeopathic Remedies - There are three main remedies for Parvo symptoms (although other remedies may also be indicated).

Aconitum napellus 30C – If you suspect your puppy may have Parvo, don’t wait – give him Aconite immediately, even if it is on the way to the vet’s office. Aconite is for intense physical symptoms that occur suddenly with associated fever and stress.

Phosphorus 30C - This remedy is very effective for vomiting, especially if the vomit contains blood.

Arsenicum album 30C – This is the main remedy for controlling the acute diarrhea.

Watch your puppy for changes. If you see improvement, then wait. If you see improvement, then a regression, you will want to redose (this may be in an hour, this may be in five minutes, it depends on your puppy). As a general guide, check your puppy every hour to see if you need to repeat the remedy. If you see no change at all, you might want to try a higher potency or move on to another remedy.

November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

Other remedies to consider include: Mercurius corrosivus 30C – Useful if there is blood in the feces, often with much straining and discomfort.

Crotalus horridus 30C – You should add this remedy if there are copious amounts of blood in the stools. Dose it frequently along with the main Parvo remedies.

China officinalis 30C – This remedy can be used alongside the above remedies to prevent dehydration and restore strength after loss of fluids. China can be given in either the acute stage or to hasten recovery after the initial vomiting and diarrhea are controlled.

Antibiotics Parvovirus is associated with a marked loss of white blood cells, leaving puppies open to secondary infection. It is important to give your puppy an antibiotic to prevent this. Your vet may prescribe an antibiotic or you can choose from safe and effective natural choices. If you choose either form of antibiotic, you must follow it up with probiotics and prebiotics to restore the balance of intestinal flora in your puppy’s gut. The bulk of the immune system resides in the gut and if the intestinal bacteria are out of balance, your puppy is susceptible to future illness from viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi.

Natural choices for antibiotics can include: Colloidal Silver – This liquid is arguably the most powerful of the natural antibiotic choices. In a 1992 study published in the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal, it was found that

several different preparations of colloidal silver showed very good efficacy against the smallpox virus. Another 1972 study conducted by the Department of Microbiology, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan demonstrated that the Herpes Simplex Virus types I and II were totally inactivated by low concentrations of silver nitrate, which is a more caustic, chemical form of silver. It is important to give the colloidal silver right from the onset of illness and not to skip a dose. You can get a good bottle of colloidal silver at a health food store for a reasonable price. Ask the store manager what the best brands are as some products are better than others.

Other Choices – There are a lot of antiviral herbs that you can choose from including garlic, astragalus, oregano, echinacea, mullein, licorice and more. There are also essential oils that have antiviral activities including eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil. If you choose to take either of these routes, you might want to do so under the guidance of a good herbalist or holistic vet. Alternately, commercial products can also be effective and Ambertech produces a good herbal antibiotic that is designed to work with Parvaid, called Vibactra Plus.

Summary If you wish to treat your puppy for Parvo at home, you must be one hundred percent committed to giving his remedies and treatments hourly and round the clock for as long as it takes. You will find that taking notes will help you to keep track of what remedies you have given your puppy and to track his progress.

Once your puppy has sufficiently recovered and is looking for food, it is wise to put him on

a bland diet. His intestines will still be raw and damaged and he will be susceptible to bacteria, so a cooked meat and white rice diet for the first couple of days should fit the bill. Instead of giving him a large meal, feed him frequent, small meals and watch his stools for any sign of relapse.

Treating your puppy for Parvo at home can be challenging but very rewarding. I know that Aaron and I began sharing a very deep bond after his Parvo treatment. This is partly because I almost lost him and discovered just how precious he was to me. The other part is that Aaron had a lesson to teach me. Before Aaron’s illness, I dabbled in homeopathy and was very quick to fall back on allopathic medicine. Aaron made me commit completely to natural health care and this lesson has stayed with me and influenced all of my subsequent decision making. Facing Parvo and sticking to my convictions revealed to me how powerful the body is and that all we need to do is to help it heal itself.

Today, Aaron shows his gratitude daily for the love and care I gave him when he was so very ill. I wish I could express to him how grateful I am for what he has given me in return.

Aaron and I won not only the battle against Parvo, but we won the war. Thanks to Aaron, and the incredible mystery known as the immune system, that fateful decision made years ago has grown into a passion and a way of life that has impacted every dog I have cared for since. There is no going back for me or for my dogs – and no regrets whatsoever. DNM Dana Scott has been loving and breeding raw fed, naturally reared Labradors under the Fallriver prefix since 1997.

Aaron

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

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you hear the words, “your dog has cancer”, there are Wmanyhenquestions and decisions that have to be made concern-

ing his treatment. Certain factors will apply to most situations: the dog’s age and overall health, estimating how much quality time remains for him, the receptiveness of the dog to treatment, including what you think your companion’s wishes would be, and the personal investment in both time and money that you can devote to his care. The type of cancer, location, and aggressiveness of the tumor are important in answering some of these questions. Since each situation is unique, I will review one of the more common cancers that I see in my practice, Osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) is a dreaded tumor for lovers of large and giant breeds. This tumor is rarely seen in cats but is frequently found in dogs. On average, I will treat twenty dogs and one cat with Osteosarcoma each year. Osteosarcoma is most common in large and giant breeds, with 90% of the cases involving dogs weighing over 50 pounds. It occurs most often in the front limbs, secondarily in the rear legs, and occasionally in the skull, spine and pelvic area.

Osteosarcoma is an aggressive, fast-growing, and painful condition that generally spreads to the lungs or to other parts of the body. The median age for dogs acquiring this tumor is seven years, but my cases have ranged from three years to 14 years at onset. As with other types of cancer, it seems the age at which dogs are affected is getting younger.

Cancer is always unexpected and we are often shocked when it occurs. Osteosarcoma frequently begins with a simple lameness.

It presents like an injury and most veterinarians treat the lameness symptomatically before delving deeper. It may respond to palliative treatment such as the homeopathic remedies, Arnica montana or Rhus toxicodendron. Anti-inflammatories or NSAIDS will also yield temporary relief but the lameness returns. Radiographs are generally diagnostic for these tumors as

Osteosarcoma has a very characteristic appearance, exhibiting both bone destruction (lysis) and abnormal bone growth. I do not recommend biopsies with this tumor as they can facilitate metastasis and increase the pain.

Metastasis occurs early in over 95% of cases, even before diagnosis, so amputation is rarely a curative treatment. These tumors can be very painful for dogs even in the early stages, and eventually, pain control becomes extremely difficult with both homeopathic remedies or drugs. At this point, the dog’s quality of life becomes severely compromised from the pain.

I strongly recommend amputation whenever the patient has three other reasonably good legs and has a body type that can be supported on three legs. (A great reference website for amputees is www.tripaws.com) One has to remember that going from four legs to three legs is much different than going from two legs to one!

Dogs with Osteosarcoma respond well to homeopathic treatment. Generally, without amputation and homeopathic treatment alone, dogs will only survive a few months because of the pain issues – although I have had patients survive over two years post-diagnosis. With amputation as the only treatment, survival will average three to nine months before metastasis occurs.

With amputation plus aggressive homeopathic cancer treatment, I commonly see good results of one to two years. Some are living more than three years and occasionally, dogs are cured. Once the symptoms of metastasis appear, survival for more than two months is rare.

Comparing outcomes with dogs treated conventionally (with amputation and chemotherapy), there are similarities and differences. Survival outcomes following diagnosis can be similar to dogs treated with homeopathy, with potential life span about the same. Everything else is different.

OSTEOSARCOMA

By: Charles E. Loops DVM

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

There are the potential negative side effects from the chemotherapy. At the very least, there will several days of impact following each treatment. There will be stress and possible pain associated with IV injections of Cisplatin or Carboplatin. Other chemical agents can have much greater side-effects. The chemotherapeutic agents used for Osteosarcoma treatment have remained the same for 30 years. The cost, assuming there are no additional complications from the therapy, will be in the $3,000 to $5,000 range or even higher in some parts of the country. By comparison, in my experience, a one year course of treatment with consultations and follow-ups, including the cost of homeopathic remedies would be less than $1,000.

Classical homeopathic prescribing, the selection of the one, most similar homeopathic remedy, repeated only when the effects of the previous dose have subsided, and with the correct potency matched to the energy of the patient and their disease, is the highest and most effective use of this great system of medicine.

In the case of aggressive cancer, when the balance of the vital energy of the body has been overwhelmed, I find that it takes more to slow or stop the progression of the disease and the demise of the patient than single remedy prescribing. To help more of my patients deal with cancer, I have struggled over the past twenty years to find methods of treatment that provide more consistent and reproducible positive results.

The treatment methodology I have developed stimulates homeopathically the patient’s ability to rebalance their immune system and attack the tumor by taking both a constitutional remedy (Classical) and secondarily, another remedy that specifically relates to the tumor type or location. The genetic and environmental influences that have predisposed this patient to cancer can be addressed with a third homeopathic remedy.

Currently, I have two Osteosarcoma patients under homeopathic treatment that have passed the three year mark and three that have passed the two year mark. Only one of these patients didn’t have amputation. My longest surviving patient is currently a German Shepherd that had an amputation with biopsy three years and eleven months ago. This dog is twelve years old now.

I have another German Shepherd/Collie mix that lived almost four years and died at the age of sixteen. There have also been several dogs over the years where the tumor never reoccurred.

I don’t feel that the dog’s age at onset of the tumor affects the potential outcome and response to homeopathic therapy. It may affect the criteria for choosing amputation, however, if the dog is severely arthritic.

If you love the large and giant breeds as companions, you will see osteosarcoma at some point. It is a tragic disease but it isn’t without hope or treatment. There are also other types of cancers that these breeds are highly susceptible to and I will address these in future articles. DNM Dr. Charles Loops has a special interest in treating cancer and the extended reach of the telephone consultation has allowed his thousands of canine and feline patients to benefit from homeopathic prescribing. To learn more information on homeopathic cancer treatment visit www.charlesloopsdvm.com.

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An example would be prescribing the remedy, Hecla lava, because the tumor relates to bone, and Carcinosin because there is a familial tendency in this dog’s line for developing cancer. Selecting these two remedies with the addition of this dog’s constitutional remedy would be the treatment trio this patient would take in an alternating dosing schedule.

These several remedies are given at different times and on different days. Because of frequent dosing (twice daily), I prefer using LM (higher) potencies which have a rapid but shorter action, allowing each remedy dose the necessary time to resonate with the patient. This gentle “jabbing” by the energy of the alternating remedies provides results without overwhelming or aggravating the patient. Therefore, the side effects of homeopathic treatment are positive. These dogs feel better, have more youthful energy, an increased appetite and interact normally with their family and environment.

In addition to homeopathic treatment, I recommend certain supplements to boost and support the patient’s ability to respond to remedies. High levels of Omega-3 oils, antioxidants, vitamins and immune system boosters are helpful. Feeding a high quality, low carbohydrate diet is also essential.

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

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21

Therapeutic By: Nora Lenz Thanks in part to the ease with which information is exchanged these days, there is a growing percentage of pet owners who reject the idea that commercial pet foods are the only appropriate choice for dogs. Every day, more and more people are choosing to feed their dogs raw, homemade foods. With all the information available about the proper feeding of dogs, however, there’s still one important topic that’s not getting much attention. That is, when NOT to feed your dog.

In at least some sectors of the human alternative medical community, it is known that when we are symptomatic, fasting is the quickest, most effective way to restore health. For some reason, this discovery seems to have eluded dog health practitioners.

Weekly one-day fasts are frequently recommended by expert raw feeders as part of a dog’s normal maintenance, and this most likely will extend the life of a dog since it simulates the prey scarcity dogs have encountered throughout their biological history.

But therapeutic fasting is different, and has benefits that go far beyond increased longevity. Specifically, it can provide dog owners with the simplest, cheapest, most effective and autonomous method of dealing with their symptomatic dogs.

Since sick or injured dogs can’t hunt, they have never had the opportunity – and therefore never adapted the ability – to digest food and heal simultaneously. Eating at a time when the body needs to direct its resources to healing and cleansing is an impediment to those processes. During their long development

FASTING as a species, dogs have responded to sickness or injury by simply finding a quiet, solitary spot to rest until the ability to chase down food has returned. Owners of domestic dogs have long ignored this self-evident fact, to the great detriment of our dogs.

The knowledge we have about the human body’s response to fasting provides convincing evidence of its usefulness. The body must normally direct a great deal of its energy to the digestion of food. During a fast, this energy becomes available for other uses.

In the fasting state, the body will scour for dead cells, damaged tissues, fatty deposits, tumors and abscesses, all of which are burned for fuel or expelled as waste. The bloodstream purifies during a fast and restores normal cellular function tissue health.

The elimination of obstructions restores chemical balance and returns the body’s functionality to an optimum state. Fasting allows a deep, physiological rest of the digestive organs and the energy saved goes into self-healing and self-repairing.

In dogs, and in humans, fasting is more efficacious in some ailments than others. Some forms of cancer (especially those in late or wasting stages) are known to respond poorly to fasting, for example, and fasting can be risky in the very obese or very young. These contraindications are rare and virtually all other common afflictions that affect domestic dogs respond very well to fasting.

Problems like skin, eye and ear inflammation are signs that the body is employing extraordinary means to eliminate accumulating waste via the eyes, ear canals and skin. During a fast, the eliminative organs are able to catch up on the backlog so secondary avenues of elimination are not needed.

Digestive problems of all kinds also call for a rest of the digestive organs. Diarrhea, for example, is a result of the body bringing water into the intestines to effect immediate removal of their contents when digestion cannot be accomplished for any reason (undue stress, spoiled food, obstruction, etc.). Food that cannot be digested becomes waste that will putrefy and become toxic if not eliminated. Considering this, obviously, continuing to feed a dog or cat that has diarrhea is a waste not only of food, but also of an animal’s precious vital energy.

Fasting allows quicker healing following surgical procedures as well. The hormones that are released in the body during and following stress or injury greatly impede digestion. Food that cannot be digested becomes waste, which overwhelms the body’s ability to eliminate it. Waste matter then circulates in the blood-

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

stream and causes normally sticky platelets and other components of the blood to not function the way they should. This is the true cause of infections and other complications that arise after surgery. Bacteria are blamed, but they are there by implicit invitation, since it is their job to break down waste wherever it accumulates in the body. It is almost always recommended that dogs undergoing surgery be fasted the day before the procedure but they should also be fasted for at least two days following surgery. Resumption of feeding should be done with very clean, easily digestible foods so that the digestive and eliminative organs will not be overburdened.

In spite of all the good, sensible arguments for fasting as a way to speed recovery, many owners still balk at the idea of not feeding their symptomatic dogs for days at a time. Their reluctance is mainly due to misplaced feelings of guilt or worry. If an owner has never fasted personally, or never experienced the power fasting has to relieve symptoms, he or she may experience these negative emotions the first time. For this reason, it is advisable to read about general fasting principles in books like “Fasting Can Save Your Life” by Herbert Shelton or Dr. Shelton’s “The Hygienic Care of Children” (available free on line at www.soilandhealth. org). The latter work is especially helpful to dog owners, because it documents the dramatic results that are seen in sick children after fasting and explores the emotional issues that sometimes make parents reticent to employ this valuable method of healing.

If you’re ready to give fasting a try, there are a few guidelines to be aware of.

•

Supervise your dog during the fast to make sure that he has no access to inedibles like toys, garbage, rawhide chews, cat feces, etc.

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Make fresh water available at all times.

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Respect a dog’s need to rest more during a fast, although most owners find that their dogs actually have more energy.

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Watch symptoms to determine the length of the fast. It’s best to be prepared to let the fast go three to five days or even longer. Recently it took five days of fasting for a Chocolate Lab in my care to overcome a severe case of eye inflammation (I chronicled this experience on my blog at www.NoMoreVetBills.com). Sometimes particularly long-standing problems (like skin issues or allergies) take more than one extended fast.

•

When symptoms have subsided or are gone, break the fast with a small meal (half the normal amount of the dog’s usual food). Increase the quantity gradually but be prepared thereafter to feed less. Fasting increases digestive efficiency so much that dogs will require less food afterward and can easily put on excess weight. Raw fed dogs require less food as well.

ever, we’re going to have to proceed without the guidance of the veterinary profession. This very powerful healing tool is not taught in vet school, and even holistic vets are sometimes not acquainted with the benefits or proper execution of a therapeutic fast. Dog owners who have read about fasting and want to try it on their dogs are often given unqualified warnings against fasting by their vets, just as many vets still recommend against raw feeding - even while raw feeding owners and their dogs reap the benefits. The rare situations where fasting may not be the best option (mentioned previously) in no way justify these warning: fasting is not cruel, nor is it risky or dangerous. On the contrary, continuing to feed a sick dog is cruel, because doing so extends and exacerbates the suffering.

Nature has provided a way for dogs to heal very quickly in almost all situations where healing and regeneration are possible.

Replicating the conditions under which healing is accelerated is the kindest, most sensible, rational and natural approach to sickness. DNM Nora Lenz has been researching and investigating the causes of health as prescribed by the scientific philosophy of Natural Hygiene (internal cleanliness) for ten years, and has been coaching aspiring raw foodists and raw pet feeders for seven years. Through classes, private consultations and her e-booklet, she offers proper feeding and fasting guidance to dog owners wanting their dogs to resolve sickness and experience their full health potential. See www.NoMoreVetBills.com for more info.

Therapeutic fasting of dogs is where raw feeding was 30 years ago, and holds even more potential for leading our dogs to very high levels of health. As was the case with raw feeding, how-

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

23

The Dog Who Went Off to Die

By Ellen Kohn

The park was empty, except for one dog, wandering about alone.

I met adorable, sweet Max that day. When I called the phone number on his tag, it was the beginning of a long relationship with his owners, Sheila and Don, and their rescued clan of American Eskimo dogs.

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Max had some severe health conditions, including Cushing’s disease. His coat was thin and rough, but his spirit was bright. His skin was covered in scabs; yet he was full of joy and enthusiasm.

He did not really seem concerned that he was lost. On the contrary, he was eager to meet and greet my three dogs, happy to be in our company.

November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

Over the next few years, Max’s health improved, and his personality grew more confident and bold among his canine family.

As he grew older, however, he became increasingly protective of his personal space, growling at his mates when they ventured too close. Sometimes this provoked fighting, and Sheila had to separate the dogs to prevent any type of altercation and keep harmony in the group.

Sheila phoned me last fall to check in with Max, and see what he was thinking about his time left in a very aged body. She wondered about his physical ailments, which included arthritis and blindness. He did not seem to enjoy his outings to the park any more, and was often disoriented and grumpy throughout the day.

When I communicated with Max, he told me he was older than his owners thought. He said he was at least 12 years old and that his body was getting tired. He hinted that he might have a few good months left, but after that it might not be too much fun anymore. He wanted Sheila to know how grateful he was for his long life with them, and was quite open about his remaining time.

Several weeks later, Sheila called me. Max had let himself out of his pen. She had been frantically searching the neighborhood for him, disbelieving that her old boy might have actually left the area on foot.

At that very moment, Max sent me a picture of Moon Gulch, an area located a couple of miles outside of their neighborhood. It was hilly and natural, with lots of creeks and valleys. Sheila was incredulous that he would walk so far and did not think it was possible for him to journey that distance.

A search team was gathered, and off they went to Moon Gulch.

When Sheila called me the next day, I immediately heard the word “culvert.” I told her, and she replied, “I see a culvert right in front of me.”

The next part of this story was truly extraordinary. Sheila approached the culvert, and saw Max lying in the water. He had already died.

Sheila was completely shocked by this discovery. Understandably, her reaction was one of guilt and regret that they did not find him sooner. She felt that if he had stayed close to home, or if the pen had been more secure, Max would still be alive.

As tragic as this was for his owners, the escape was Max’s choice.

He chose to leave the neighborhood, have a grand walkabout in nature, and pick his spot to die. This type of natural transition is how dogs would choose to die out in the wild: in their element, close to the earth.

Max was a very independent dog, one who was not afraid to live life to its fullest. He was such a funny character, with a very definite personality and disposition. But at the end of his life, he made it clear that he wanted to die in his time, his way. Max embraced his final journey with grace and dignity.

From a spirit-to-spirit perspective, this story demonstrates the power of intuitive messages, regardless of how many words or pictures are shared between us. One picture and one word lead Sheila right to Max, who helped me guide Sheila to give her closure. As hard as it was for them, had they not found Max, it would have been much, much worse. Now they could start to heal and move forward, knowing Max was not in pain or suffering.

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Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

Our animals are not afraid to die. Death to them is like taking off their coats. I believe death is not the end either. It is one of many incarnations in physical form that each and every soul experiences lifetime after lifetime. Max will be back, feistier than ever.

And because his soul left his body in a natural way, it will return much stronger the next time. DNM Ellen Kohn is an Interspecies Communicator, Healing Touch for Animals Certified Practitioner (HTACP), Reiki Master-Teacher, Meridian Practitioner and Spiritual Counselor. She frequently uses Bach Flower and Alaskan Gem essences for her clients.

She is also a certified aromatherapist and uses crystal energy for her healing work. She is the founder of The Kohn Foundation, a Colorado non-profit which helps children and animals on Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas. Visit Ellen on the web: www.EnlightenedAnimals.com.

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HEALTHIER

VACCINATION CHOICES Vaccines are among the most controversial topics for pet owners. For years, we have been bombarded by propaganda telling us that vaccines make our pets safer - but do they?

By: Peter Dobias DVM

When I was a veterinary student, I didn’t even question the possibility that vaccines could cause harm. I was taught that they are the cornerstone of health and must be given faithfully. However, as I went on to practice, I soon realized that vaccines are really not that safe at all.

In the first few years of practice, I not only saw severe acute vaccine reactions, but also the clear onset of a variety of health problems soon after vaccination. I also saw several cats with feline fibrosarcoma, a type of tumor that has been confirmed to appear in the vaccination site of one out of every 1000 cats.

In contrast, vaccines introduce multiple pathogens by an injection that bypasses the natural gateways. This situation can be compared to someone entering your bedroom window in the middle of the night instead of ringing the bell. How would you feel?

Over the years, I have heard the arguments from both camps. The drug and vaccine companies tell me that ‘vaccines are safe’ and the anti-vaccine proponents say that ‘they are damaging to health’.

I naturally started to ask the question “if you and I would be unwilling to get vaccinated if there was a 1:1000 chance of getting cancer, then why are vets not obligated to tell their clients about this risk?”

At first, I was unsure who I should trust.

But after more than 20 years in practice, I can see that the pets with fewer or no vaccines do much better than those who get vaccinated.

From my perspective, injection of any artificial substance, especially mercury and formaldehyde, cannot possibly create a greater state of health.

Here is some important information I have learned and you should know:

Under natural conditions, pathogens mainly affect the individual whose immune system is weakened. Furthermore, with the exception of rabies, most bacteria or viruses enter through the mouth or respiratory tract. When this happens, the immune system has time to prepare for the unwelcome visitors and in most cases, responds by eradicating the pathogen before it has a chance to grow and spread. It is also rare to have more then one serious

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pathogen attacking the body at the same time.

•

Vaccines contain dangerous carcinogens and disease-causing chemicals such as mercury and formaldehyde.

•

Vaccines are sometimes made by infecting healthy laboratory animals, including dogs, cats and horses, which causes endless unnecessary suffering. To me it doesn’t make sense to kill one animal to save another.

When I was a student, I saw these poor souls locked in isolation for a lifetime, most often losing their lives under torturous conditions.

November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

•

•

I have observed time and again that early vaccination can neutralize natural maternal antibodies and leave your puppy unprotected. In reality, puppies and kittens vaccinated at 8 to 12 weeks end up more vulnerable to the diseases. I have confirmed this by running antibody tests on these puppies.

Vaccines have the ability to cause symptoms similar to the disease they are supposed to prevent.

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Combination vaccines often overwhelm the body and cause immune system problems.

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Repeated exposure to vaccines can create toxic build up and serious chronic disease or even cancer.

What can you do to keep your dog disease free?

•

•

•

•

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per since starting to use this protocol in the late 90’s.

What to do if your dog has no measurable antibodies: •

Vaccination before 12 weeks of age often neutralizes or blocks the maternal immunity. Vaccines simply destroy maternal antibodies by binding to them.

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If a titer test confirms no antibodies, you may consider vaccination with one antigen of parvovirus (not a combination ) at 12 weeks and distemper four weeks later.

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Avoid boosters and unnecessary vaccine exposure by getting a titer test done one month after the last vaccine and then three months later.

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Do not use vaccines for Kennel Cough, Lyme disease and Giardia – they have a high risk of adverse reactions. I have seen many dogs vaccinated for Lyme disease showing symptoms of arthritis at the age of two to three years. This vaccine has not been approved for people because of safety issues. Kennel cough is a self-limiting disease similar to a cold and the vaccine causes very frequent side effects including kennel cough itself.

Maternal antibodies protect puppies fully until around the age of 10 to 16 weeks. When your puppy is 12 weeks old get an “antibody titer test” done.

This test is available in most veterinary clinics.

The most common and damaging diseases are distemper, parvovirus and leptospirosis. Most clinics run just the first two tests.

If any antibody level is present, retest at the age of five months and socialize your puppy on a moderate basis with other dogs. From my perspective, any antibody presence is sufficient despite some labs claiming that low antibody levels mean no protection.

I have not seen any dogs with even small amounts of antibody presence getting sick.

Your puppy will learn to communicate and interact with other dogs by being in their presence. Contact with other dogs will also stimulate the production of natural antibodies while your puppy is still protected by maternal antibodies. This is nature’s way of ‘vaccinating’.

While no method can provide you with a 100% guarantee, I have not seen any dogs with parvo or distem-

•

•

If you live in an area with rabies or if you travel with your dog, the vaccine may need to be given. If you must, give it at least one or two months away from any other vaccination.

Never give more than one antigen at a time.

How to reduce the chance of vaccine related issues: •

Never vaccinate your dog before 12 weeks of age if you have the choice.

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If your puppy has been vaccinated earlier, any medical condition may or may not be a vaccine side effect.

Some of these side effects may persist for a year or a life time.

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Consult with an open minded holistic practitioner who knows how to recognize vaccine related issues.

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

•

If you see problems appearing within one or two months after vaccination, it is safe to administer two doses of homeopathic remedy Thuja 200C, two weeks apart. The disappearance of these symptoms after treatment is an indirect confirmation that vaccine side effects played a role in the disease.

Conclusion Based on my experience, healthy puppies may not need any vaccination and maintain their protective antibodies for a life time. This is the safest way.

It is evident that no vaccines or a minimal vaccine protocol is safer than regular yearly vaccination. Vaccine companies have a biased interest in making you believe that your dog is safer with regular vaccination - which is not true.

Vaccines can cause serious side effects that are often not noticed or recognized by conventional medicine.

No one can give you a 100% guarantee that your puppy will not get infected either with or without vaccines.

Healthy food, fresh water, the right amount of exercise and low stress levels are the best disease prevention.

One final note: if you currently work with a practitioner, day care or boarding facility that demands vaccines, remember that it is you who makes the final decision.

Be polite, state your concerns clearly and be proud of yourself for standing your ground. If they do not respect your wishes, choose another provider. DNM Dr. Peter Dobias has been in veterinary practice since 1988. In 2008, he decided to sell his thriving holistic veterinary practice in Vancouver, BC, Canada to dedicate his future years to disease prevention and transforming the face of veterinary care to less invasive and more natural treatment methods. He believes that we can create a healthy and long life, naturally. For more information, questions and articles visit www.peterdobias.com

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WORKING WITH AN

INTEGRATIVE

VETERINARIAN By: Christina Chambreau DVM lutely needed. Working with one can increase the chance that your cherished companion can live a long and healthy life after recovering from this current problem.

Finding a holistic veterinarian You can go to web sites for each type of holistic practice and use their referral list to find one near to you: 1. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine: IVAS.org and TCVM. com.

Holistic medicine takes the perspective of treating the whole animal. Even if there is a current problem such as diarrhea or itching, a good holistic veterinarian will ask questions about what problems there have been in the past, what changes in the household or the environment may have triggered the current complaint and if there is anything that makes the current complaint better or worse. He will also evaluate the overall energy level of the animal.

The holistic vet’s goal is to make the animal healthier for life, not just to get rid of the current symptom. He will educate you and explain what he sees when physically examining your animal.

Some of the modalities integrative veterinarians may use include acupuncture, herbs, flower essences, homeopathy, chiropractic, network chiropractic, glandulars, Reiki, Tellington touch, healing touch and long distance healing modalities. Some of these have certification programs with a year or more of courses, exams and evaluation of clinical ability. Others are either selftaught or not regulated.

Some vets are wonderful with your animal; others may be great at explaining what is happening with your animals; a select few are good in both areas. Few veterinarians are perfect, and we all have bad days. At the very least, your animal should be comfortable with your choice and you should be able to get your questions and concerns addressed.

An integrative veterinarian is trained in many different approaches, including using conventional drugs only when abso-

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2. Homeopathic veterinarians (these can often help you by phone if no other holistic vets are nearby): theAVH.com.

Also many are listed at Dr.Pitcairn.com as he trains most homeopathic veterinarians. To find homeopathic practitioners for yourself, and homeopathic products, go to nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org/products-and-services; homeopathicpharmacy.org/members/ or nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org/resources/practitioners.

3. Chiropractors - animalchiropractic.org.

4. Wide range of other treatments: American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association at AHVMA.org.

Once you have done the internet work suggested above, how do you select a vet to start with? How do you know if you are getting good service and what can you do to help the vet help your pets?

Questions to ask the veterinarian Just because a vet is a member of the AHVMA or AVH does not guarantee he is capable of using holistic modalities. The following questions might help you decide whether you feel comfortable letting him practice on your pets: •

What modalities does he use?

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What is his training? Is this a basic, weekend course or has he completed more advanced courses?

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Is his goal overall health and not to merely treat the current complaint? This may be the most important question.

November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

•

What organizations does he belong to and how recently has he attended conferences? Does he present at conferences?

Signs of a good holistic vet As she treats your animal, a good holistic veterinarian will usually: • •

Ask about your dog’s history, overall energy, what might have caused the current problem, the environment and what events make the symptoms better or worse.

Conduct a gentle, complete physical exam and show you (you may need to ask) what she means by gingivitis, enlarged lymph nodes, heart murmur, or other observations.

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Be willing to answer your questions and explain why she is recommending a particular treatment.

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Give you a good explanation of why, in certain cases, she might recommend conventional treatments such as antibiotics instead of holistic alternatives, and allow you to opt for more holistic treatment if you prefer.

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Refrain from any treatment without asking you first.

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Recommend fewer or no vaccinations, and a raw meat or at least a more holistic diet.

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Schedule follow up appointments until your animal is really healthy.

Dehydration results in a concentrated, nutrientdense food.

How our foods are made First, we start off with fresh, raw whole foods.

They are washed, and then finely diced for easy digestion.

How to help your veterinarian •

Keep a dated journal of any problems, even little ones.

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Write down any treatments given.

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Call if symptoms worsen, or if your dog appears less energetic, less happy, or if you have any concerns.

You and your holistic vet will start off on the right foot and enjoy a long and healthy relationship if you do your homework ahead of time. Take the time to ask about your vet’s training and background, make sure she has received enough training to make you feel comfortable, then make an informed decision on whether you can entrust her with your dog’s care or if you need to move on down the list.

Our gentle dehydration method removes only the moisture.

Leaving a finished product that’s bursting with nutrients, flavor and aroma.

Just add water for a wholesome, human-grade meal!

Never assume a vet is holistic without checking her credentials first. This is not something you want to discover during a medical emergency so a little legwork now can save you and your dog heartache down the road. DNM Christina Chambreau is a founder of the Academy Of Veterinary Homeopathy and has been practicing homeopathy and other holistic approaches since 1987. She teaches courses around the world to animal guardians, veterinarians, technicians, students and anyone who wants to improve the health of all animals, people and the planet. Writing the Healthy Animals Journal was needed so people could easily track the symptoms and essence of their animals to be able to evaluate the direction of response to treatments. Visit Christina Chambreau at http://www.ChristinaChambreau.com/

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

For more information please visit thehonestkitchen.com or call 866.437.9729 to request a free sample.

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Nutrition with Lucy By: Lucy Postins

Food Allergies and the Elimination Diet

A true food allergy is defined as an actual immune system or inflammatory response triggered by eating certain foods.

While the term ‘food allergy’ is used widely by vets and pet owners, the incidence of this type of reaction to a food (like the reaction a person might have to eating a peanut, for example), is actually quite rare. Most pets who are described as having food allergies only have a food sensitivity – a less severe, low-grade problem, but troublesome all the same.

Food sensitivity may present as generalized itchiness, hair loss, digestive upset or ear infections. Hot-spots (pyoderma) and chewing at the feet are also classic responses to food intolerances. If hot spots or other skin irritations occur suddenly, it can be helpful to think back to whether there was a recent change to a new food or treat.

Certain ingredients have a much higher incidence of causing allergic reactions than others but the key is to uncover what your own pet can and cannot tolerate. For many pets, the most common culprits are wheat, corn, soy, rice and sugar beet pulp, as well as various by-products, preservatives and cheap fillers that can deplete the immune system over time. All of these are often used in low quality pet foods.

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Many pets have problems with lamb, which is a ‘warming’ (yang) food in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM); lamb can cause a pet to feel hot, red and itchy and thus exacerbate hot spots and related skin and coat problems – especially when it’s consumed long-term. Better alternatives to lamb are ‘cooling’ or ‘neutral’ meats like duck, turkey or beef.

Pets are Individuals Both food allergies and food sensitivities are entirely specific to the individual animal, and for this reason it’s very important to be aware of commercial pet foods labeled ‘allergen-free’, ‘hypoallergenic’ or ‘non-allergic’.

There is no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ diet for dogs: A food that’s ‘non allergenic’ for one pet may cause severe reactions for another. A ‘hypoallergenic’ pet food made with, say, lamb and rice or duck and potatoes will not even come close to improving the situation for a dog who has a sensitivity to lamb or potatoes.

There are lots of different theories about how and why pet food allergies and sensitivities occur. Most holistic practitioners agree that true allergic reactions are usually the result of an underlying health problem or system imbalance. All dogs are exposed to a variety of allergens in daily life and the majority never suffer a reaction. Pets don’t actually develop allergies as a result of exposure to allergens, but because they develop some physical susceptibility.

Poor quality food may deplete the immune system over time. These foods are generally laden with toxins and other substances that place an unnecessary burden on the body’s organs and immune system.

They also lack vital phytonutrients, antioxidants or enzymes that are killed by the high heating process; yet these things are abundant in fresh and gently prepared foods. Many of these nutrients and enzymes may not be included in AAFCO nutrient profiles but are still essential for long term optimal health and a robust immune system that can better resist the development of allergies over time.

Vaccines, chemicals, antibiotics, steroids, stress and poor genetics can all predispose a pet to food allergies as well.

Steps to Take For many lucky dogs, eliminating the high-risk ingredients of wheat, corn, soy, rice and beet pulp and identifying the proteins that they are able to tolerate are the only steps needed to manage food allergies. Most dogs go on to be free of problems for the rest of their lives. In other cases, cutting out all glutenous grains from the food and treats can deliver dramatic improvements. A ‘hypoallergenic pet food’ per se, should never actually be required.

In other cases, feeding a food that’s very minimally processed with a single protein source can make a vast difference. Many pets seem sensitive to beef in the form of a beef flavored kibble but can actually toler-

November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

ate lightly cooked hamburger, beef marrow bones, or a piece of raw steak very well. That’s because the high heat and high pressure processing used to make kibble can alter the amino acid structure of proteins, making them unrecognizable to the body and trigger a food allergy that vanishes when fresh or raw food is fed.

The Elimination Diet Sometimes, an elimination diet or feeding trial is needed to uncover the cause of food sensitivities. This involves feeding an extremely simplified diet for several weeks (for example, fish and sweet potatoes, or bison and millet), until allergies subside – and then gradually adding additional ingredients back to observe for any sign of intolerance such as itching or diarrhea.

Here’s an example of a simple Elimination Diet protocol to follow. It’s important to document what you feed each week, and what reactions occur or subside so you can start to identify patterns.

Week One Feed a diet of 50% cooked ground turkey (hormone and antibiotic free, no nitrites) and 50% cooked mashed sweet potatoes.

Some reduction in itching and/or diarrhea should be observed in this time.

Week Two If itching and/or diarrhea persists, replace the cooked ground turkey with cooked ground beef or bison.

If conditions are improving, replace some of the sweet potatoes with kale, parsley or other greens.

Week Three If itching and/or diarrhea persists, replace the cooked ground beef with cooked white fish, for example cod or haddock, and replace the sweet potato with a green vegetable such as pulped celery, broccoli or kale.

If conditions are improving, replace some of the sweet potatoes and greens with a small amount of chopped banana, pureed melon or other soft fruit (no grapes), to a maximum of about 5% of the total diet.

Week Four and Beyond If itching and/or diarrhea persists, consider laboratory based allergy testing to help accurately pinpoint what foods your dog can and cannot tolerate. If you wish to feed grain to your dog, a seed like quinoa, millet or another gluten-free grain like organic oats would be the best choice.

If conditions are improving, you may continue adding one new ingredient every couple of days, and continue to watch for any reactions.

If a flare-up or recurrence of previously improved symptoms occurs at any point, this probably indicates that an ingredient has been introduced that your dog can’t tolerate. Remove any new ingredients from that week and try something different. Some dogs are intolerant of ingredients like eggs, alfalfa and flaxseed so these may be best left until later in the Elimination Diet period.

Keep in mind that sometimes itchy skin and other problems can be related to the environment and are not directly related to diet at all. If an unexpected flare-up occurs or systematic changes in diet do not yield any improvement, think about what laundry detergent, household cleaners or yard products you may be using, just in case they are the culprit. If your dog is vaccinated or receiving any drugs, wormers or topical applications, you should also take a look at these products and consider eliminating or minimizing their use.

cookies he receives there (or the adrenaline from all the excitement of seeing his friends).

Laboratory based allergy testing is another option but it can be costly – and occasionally the results are inconclusive or inaccurate. Many pet owners do eventually uncover the cause of their animal’s problem with this approach and it’s worth considering if the Elimination Diet doesn’t provide answers.

In addition to determining what foods the pet cannot tolerate – and committing to avoid them long-term, detoxification and support of the immune system with herbs can be immensely helpful. Supplementation with digestive enzymes and probiotics can also help get the body back on track and ensure proper absorption of the foods being fed. DNM Lucy Postins is a companion animal nutritionist and founder of The Honest Kitchen, a natural pet food company in San Diego, CA. Lucy is guardian to Willow and Taro, two Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Indian, a mischievous rescued Coonhound. In addition to the dogs, she also cares for two young daughters, a former racehorse, an elderly pony and a husband.

In many chronic cases, real commitment is necessary to uncover what is causing food sensitivities. Scrutinizing the label of every food that passes your dog’s lips, including snacks and treats, is essential.

Patterns often emerge where, for example, diarrhea occurs every week after a dog returns from daycare and the cause is the

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

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As winter approaches, the days are shorter and nights are longer, and it is easy to forget about exercise for ourselves and for our dogs. Regular conditioning programs are paramount for all dogs for overall health. In addition, regular exercise helps to maintain a healthy weight for dogs.

Many dogs (and people!) put on weight during the winter months. Although it’s easy to do, many health problems can arise from that weight gain. Overweight dogs run the risk of developing orthopedic problems, diabetic problems, respiratory and cardiac problems and metabolic problems. The seemingly harmless few pounds gained during the winter months are not harmless at all.

The best defense for weight gain is prevention through regular exercise. Conditioning programs are important for all dogs – whether they are athletes or couch potatoes. Dogs with orthopedic issues especially need regular conditioning.

Conditioning and Weight Loss By: Debbie Gross Saunders DPT, MSPT, OCS, CCRP

Conditioning programs will assist with strength, endurance and weight maintenance and loss. The program should consist of aerobic, anaerobic and strengthening exercises. Aerobic activity consists of endurance exercises greater than twenty minutes in length. Walking, swimming, and hiking are examples of aerobic activity. Anaerobic activity consists of short bursts of intense activity.

Examples include controlled ball playing, retrieves in water, and wind sprints. Strengthening exercises vary from balance and proprioceptive exercises to core strengthening and body specific exercises. Core and balance work on the ball and hill walking for hindlimb strength are examples of strengthening exercises.

One of the best exercises for dogs is daily walks. This is not only beneficial for the dog, but to the owners as well.

Outdoor walks or hikes should be performed once a day and twice if possible. Older dogs will benefit from more frequent but shorter walks. Ten to 15 minute walks, three times a day will help the arthritic dog get fit and help prevent their joints from stiffening up. Shorter, more frequent walks are also beneficial for growing puppies. Growth plates need to be respected in puppies and short bouts of exercise are less likely to cause fatigue and stress.

Mature dogs in good condition should walk at least 30 minutes at a time to assist with aerobic conditioning. Longer walks are advocated for dogs in good shape. Any lameness should be addressed immediately. Lameness equates to

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pain and inflammation, which will contribute to weakness - which will lead to more pain and inflammation. Some older dogs may start their walks a bit more slowly as they work out their stiffness: this is fairly normal, as it is in many people. Lameness due to an injury needs to be addressed and treated appropriately before any conditioning program is started.

The winter months make it difficult to engage in outdoor walks due to the inclement weather and shorter daytime hours. Treadmills are a very safe and convenient way to replace outdoor walks. Most dogs can be taught how to walk on the treadmill. A proper dog treadmill may be used, or a good human treadmill will also work. It’s important to make sure the belt is long enough so your dog is able to obtain a proper stride length. For example, a Labrador Retriever’s stride length is approximately five to five and a half feet in length so the treadmill should be six feet long.

Many of the canine treadmills come in varying lengths. If you have different sized dogs in the household, it is best to purchase a treadmill with a long belt.

Training a dog to walk on a treadmill usually requires two people – one to stand in front of the treadmill to encourage the dog to walk and the other on the side to hold on to the dog. A harness is the best and safest method to get the dog comfortable on the treadmill. Some canine treadmills have a hook for the harness to keep the dog in the middle of the treadmill.

November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

Most treadmills start at approximately 1.0 mph: this is a fairly slow gait speed but some dogs may need to start at this speed. Once they are accustomed to the treadmill, many dogs find a good rhythm between 2.0 and 3.0 mph although this is a guideline. Treadmill walking is a bit more intense than regular leash walking so you may find your dog tires out more easily. If your dog normally walks thirty minutes outside, you may find he can only walk half of that time on the treadmill. When walking on a treadmill, dogs do not have the opportunity to stop and sniff, and must keep up a consistent pace. If it is the first time you are getting your dog on the treadmill, you will want to begin at a slow pace to warm up, then progress to a good pace, and end with a slower paced cool down. The warm up and cool down should each be several minutes in length.

Many treadmills have an incline feature and some may have a decline feature. Slow steady walks up an incline are very helpful for building up the rear musculature, so are useful for dogs with hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate injuries and repairs, and other conditions affecting the hindlimbs.

Decline walking encourages more use of the front legs or forelimbs and is useful for conditions such as elbow dysplasia, injuries to the shoulder and fore limb weakness.

Dogs typically place 60 to 70 percent of their weight on their front legs so when they are walking in a declined position, they place significantly more weight on their front

legs. If the treadmill has a decline feature, the time the dog walks in this position should be kept to a minimum until he has reached sufficient strength.

An ideal treadmill program for conditioning should be between 20 and 40 minutes for dogs already in good shape and should be performed five to seven days a week. Sprint training and endurance work can be interspersed within the workouts.

Sprint training may be performed by increasing the speeds at which the dog works for 30 to 60 seconds at a time. The program consists of a few minutes’ warm up at approximately 2.5 mph. Then the speed is increased to approximately 4.0 mph for 30 to 60 seconds. The speed may need to be higher for fitter dogs. After 30 to 60 seconds, the speed is reduced to between 2.5 and 3.0 mph and maintained for 60 to 90 seconds. Then the speed is increased again. The goal of interval training is to alternate high intensity work with recovery periods. This typically burns more calories and builds greater endurance. The whole workout should be approximately 30 minutes in length.

This is a good method to reduce weight and add diversity to workout programs.

These workouts may also be performed on an underwater treadmill. Underwater treadmills are becoming more popular in veterinarian centers and canine physical rehabilitation centers. Many of them offer conditioning programs and this is a nice way to provide cross training, or different types of exercise for your dogs. Underwater workouts are more difficult for many dogs, but the water also offers the benefit of reducing the amount of stress on the joints.

Reduced weight bearing is very beneficial for dogs suffering from osteoarthritis and other joint diseases. It is also a wonderful program for weight loss.

Balance and core work are activities that can be performed any time of year - but are especially wonderful to do during the winter months because they can be performed inside. Balance and core exercises are essential for every dog. They are the foundation for the rest of the body and the dog cannot adequately perform what is asked of her if she does not have good core strength. Whether it is jumping off the couch to get a toy, herding sheep, jumping over a triple jump in agility or hiking with a favorite human, every dog needs good core strength to avoid injury

Weight loss in the underwater treadmill

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

Core exercises may look easy to do but don’t let appearances fool you – they are very difficult to perform. Core strength focuses on the static musculature or the Type I 33

muscle fibers. These help with endurance, postural strength and balance. By feeding the dog low calorie treats in different positions, his balance and strength may be challenged with varying head movements.

Core Exercises A balance disc (Photo 1) may be used in a lot of different ways. In the photo, the dog’s back legs are on the disc. This exercise strengthens the lower abdomen, lower back, and the back legs.

Using two balance discs (Photo 2) encourages the dog to use the forelimbs and hindlimbs, as well as the back and abdominal muscles. She is encouraged to stand for a few seconds without moving her limbs. As she begins to strengthen, more duration is encouraged and head movements may be added to further challenge her.

1

An exercise that also works on hindlimb musculature, hindlimb awareness, and spinal strength is seen in Photo 3. This will also work on the stability of the front legs and is a great exercise for dogs with forelimb problems including elbow dysplasia and soft tissue shoulders injuries.

The dog is asked to place his front feet on the donut while his back feet remain on the ground. Weight shifting may be performed by guiding him to move his head with low calorie treats. He will shift his weight to the hindlimbs and specifically work the large muscles in the back of the legs. The abdominal and back region will also receive a workout. In addition, this position provides a nice stretch to the hip flexors and the lower back.

2

A slightly more advanced move is asking the dog to place his front feet on one donut and his back feet on another (Photo 4). The donuts are held in place by donut rings. This exercise will focus on the entire body and is one of the advanced exercises. Many dogs will only be able to hold the position for a few seconds initially, but will gradually build endurance.

While standing on the donuts, it will become obvious how difficult the activity is by the shaking of the dog’s body as it works to stabilize itself. As the dog becomes more comfortable, it will also become more obvious how his body is working and strengthening. It takes

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3 November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

about ten to fourteen days to make a strength improvement.

One of the more difficult exercises to perform is on the peanut ball. This is good for dogs involved in any type of performance event, as well as active dogs. It involves getting on top of the peanut and initially working on balance and standing, and then progressing to a variety of activities.

4

5

Photo 5 demonstrates a dog standing on top of a red peanut. The dog is asked initially to place his front paws on the peanut to become familiar with the activity. Some dogs adjust immediately to it and cannot wait to get on top of it while others take a little longer. The peanut should always be sized so the dog can comfortably stand squarely on it. Too small a peanut can actually be more detrimental to the dog. I advocate the use of peanuts or eggs rather than balls, due to their longer shape and ease of management.

Once the dog feels comfortable with the peanut, he should be encouraged to stand up on it. Some dogs prefer to lie down or sit initially, which is absolutely fine. No matter what position they are in while up on the peanut, they will be working their core and body.

When starting work on the peanut, small movements of the head will cause the rest of their body to shift.

The work the dog is performing will be evident by his muscle activity. On some breeds, it will be easy to see their muscles quiver.

Photo 6 offers another method of working on the core through balance and standing. The dog is asked to stand on the four independent pods. This is useful for all types of dogs, and in particular, dogs involved in conformation to assist with their stacking posture.

The goal with all of the balance and core exercises is to begin slowly and increase gradually. As mentioned, it takes about ten to fourteen days to begin improving strength. The time spent on the exercises should be gradually increased to the dog’s tolerance. The goal is to gradually increase the activity without causing soreness or harm.

6 Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

These exercises are useful because all dogs should work on stability. Dogs with hip and elbow dysplasia, cranial cruciate disease, and back problems demonstrate a marked improvement due to the increased stability of the joints. Older dogs are able to improve their balance

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and continue walking with marked improvement. Performance dogs need excellent core strength and balance for their sports: without it, injuries are an unfortunate consequence.

Weight loss is always difficult in dogs. Two pounds of extra fat on a twenty pound dog equates to fifteen pounds of fat on a 150 pound human. Related health risks from excessive weight include heart disease, high blood pressure, breathing difficulties, diabetes, skin disease, arthritis and skeletal issues. Prevention, through regular exercise, is the best medicine.

In people, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least forty five minutes of regular exercise per day to assist with weight loss. This may not always be possible with overweight dogs, especially if concurrent orthopedic and metabolic diseases are present. Activity should be introduced slowly and progressed appropriately.

A reduction as well as a close examination of the dog’s food is also very important. A nutritional consult should be performed as well as a metabolic examination to rule out any underlying issues such as hypothyroidism. Unfortunately, most obesity problems are not due to underlying thyroid issues but plain overfeeding and insufficient activity level.

Nonetheless, it is important to rule out health issues. A good diet, regular exercise, and reducing the treats are keys to successful weight loss.

It is important to set reasonable weight loss goals for dogs.

Typically, depending on the weight of the dog, a goal of one to three pounds per month is reasonable for medium to large dogs. It is important not to lose too much weight quickly because protein or muscle mass will be lost.

Conditioning programs correlate directly to a healthy weight in dogs. A regular fitness program should be part of every dog’s daily routine. It will help reduce or maintain weight, reduce the risk of injury and help you and your dog spend more quality time together. DNM * Photos courtesy of Vic Neumann Dr. Debbie Gross Saunders has been rehabilitating and conditioning dogs for over sixteen years. She is one of the pioneers in the world of canine physical rehabilitation. She has recently introduced an entire line of supplements, K9 Select, designed through her intricate work with dogs of all activity levels. Read more about her and her facility, Wizard of Paws Physical Rehabilitation for Animals, LLC, on her website wizardofpaws.net.

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

Secret Garden Milk Thistle For centuries, milk thistle has been cultivated throughout the world as a powerful liver tonic. In today’s highly toxic world, milk thistle is an important consideration for dogs who have been exposed to vaccines, poisons, pesticides or drugs.

The ingredient that makes milk thistle so useful is called silymarin. This compound actually has the ability to stimulate the growth of new liver cells to replace damaged ones, giving milk thistle the ability to both prevent and repair liver damage.

Milk thistle acts as a powerful antioxidant and this property allows it to protect the liver against damage from toxic compounds. Clinical research shows that silymarin has been proven to be effective for Amanita, or Death Cap, mushroom poisoning. Severe liver damage in Amanita poisoning can be prevented when administration of silybin, a component of silymarin, is initiated within 48 hours of mushroom intake. The Silymarin effectively prevents the poisonous compounds from penetrating the liver cell walls and causing damage.

study published in the journal Cancer showed that milk thistle reduced the liver damaging effects of chemotherapy in children. Clinical studies also show milk thistle to be effective in the treatment of cirrhosis. Because liver disease will often manifest on the skin, many skin ailments may also respond well to milk thistle.

Milk thistle is not likely to be useful as a daily supplement, but should be given to dogs on an as-needed basis. Milk thistle should not be given to pregnant dams. You can either grind the seeds and feed them in your dog’s meals or you can use it in a tincture. The dosage is about 1/4 teaspoon per 20 pounds. DNM

Milk thistle can be used to prevent damage from a wide range of other toxins, making it an important consideration for dogs exposed to toxic chemicals or drugs. Considerations for its use might include leptospirosis, heartworm medications, chemical wormers (even herbal wormers can stress the liver), vaccines, anesthesia, heavy metal exposure and drugs.

Dogs suffering from liver cancer (as well as some other forms of cancer, including prostate and mammary cancer), can benefit from milk thistle. Milk thistle can also be used to counter the effects of chemotherapy. A 2009

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

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across the pond with: Catherine O'Driscoll

follow up to the purdue study analysis Some years ago, I researched the implications of what might happen to vaccinated dogs who developed autoantibodies to their own biochemicals during a Purdue University study. Specifically, the Purdue team found autoantibodies to fibronectin, laminin, DNA, albumin, cytochrome C, cardiolipin and collagen. Autoantibodies are essentially biochemicals that attack the body’s own tissue.

Unfortunately, the study dogs were disposed of and no follow-up was conducted by the Purdue team. So I searched the internet for scientific references to autoantibodies in relation to each of these biochemicals. I found many references to illustrate that autoantibodies lead to autoimmune diseases and cancer, and complete derangement of the immune system.

When I originally published my findings, I sent them via email to Larry Glickman, who led the Purdue team that found these autoantibodies, and asked him to comment. His response was disappointing. Although he didn’t address the science of my findings, he did appear to be disapproving of dog owners who choose not to vaccinate their dogs.

More recently, Dr Glickman responded to a request for his comments from someone who had read my previous article. He said : “I think this is how some individuals deal with death or illness of a pet or child. They try to rationalize what happened by placing the blame on physicians or veterinarians rather than on the genetics or environmental factors. Many of Catherine O’Driscoll’s conclusions make no sense to me, whether they relate to autoantibody production following vaccination of dogs or the need for Leptospirosis vaccination which she often challenges”.

It would be good to speak directly to Dr Glickman about the actual science relating to autoantibody production. In the absence of this, I would draw readers’ attention to the following excerpts from a scholarly scientific book called ‘Autoantibodies’

by Y Schoenfeld, ME Gershwin, and PL Meroni.

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“Autoimmune diseases are characterized by the presence of auto-reactive lymphocytes in affected tissues and circulating autoantibodies, immunoglobulins reacting against self-antigens.”

Translated, this means that autoantibodies are associated with autoimmune disease.

“The mere detection of autoantibodies in an asymptomatic person or in an apparently healthy subject should not be neglected.

It is now appreciated that autoantibodies may predict the eventual development of a full-blown autoimmunity, such as specific HLA, IgA and complement components deficiencies.” Translated, this means that we should take note of the presence of autoantibodies, since they indicate that full-blown autoimmune disease may follow.

“Involvement of autoantibodies in disease progression and complications, especially in the form of immunocomplexes, is widely accepted.” Translated, this probably means that Catherine O’Driscoll wasn’t making it up!

“Although thyroid autoantibodies are uncommon in children, we noticed that the siblings of our juvenile thyroid disease patients had high prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies. Following six initially euthyroid [normal thyroid function] brothers and sisters for a decade we found that a high proportion who were antibody positive later developed biochemical evidence of impaired thyroid function … the presence of autoantibodies even in clinically normal individuals may sometimes represent an early warning signal of impending disease.” Translated, this means that research on children with thyroid autoantibodies continued for at least another ten years. The research found that the presence of autoantibodies could lead to thyroid disease even years later.

A separate piece of research which cites Dr Glickman (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2002;221:515–521), states:

November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

“In the research Beagles, there was a significant increase in antibovine thyroglobulin antibodies in all vaccinated dogs, compared with control dogs. There was a significant increase in anticanine thyroglobulin antibodies in the two groups of dogs that received the rabies vaccine but not in the group that received the multivalent vaccine alone. In the pet dogs, there was a significant increase in anti-canine thyroglobulin antibodies after vaccination but no significant change in anti-bovine thyroglobulin antibodies.

“Conclusions and Clinical Relevance - Recent vaccination may result in increased anti-canine thyroglobulin antibodies. Whether these antibodies have a deleterious effect on canine thyroid function is unknown.”

Here’s my take on this which, as a non-scientist, I appreciate may stray from the established norm: if you’re going to do the research, and you find changes which suggests that animals are developing autoantibodies after they are vaccinated, don’t you think you’d better take the research to its conclusion and find out what this means?

To be fair, it only took me one rainy afternoon to find that scientists have asked the questions and found some answers relating to the presence of autoantibodies. Why did the Purdue team not take the research to its important conclusion, or at least look up the many existing references to the presence of autoantibodies?

Why were they still unaware of the fact that anti-thyroid antibodies can lead to thyroid disease?

Dr Glickman finished his critique of my work with: “My take is that there are impurities in animal vaccines that result in autoantibody production and allergic reactions following vaccination. Dog and cat vaccines are admittedly less pure than most human vaccines but the trade-off is a significantly lower cost. I suppose if pet owners were willing to pay $50 or more per dose of vaccine the situation might be improved, but on the other hand many less dogs and cats would ever be immunized. ...I think animal vaccine companies are doing a good job as are veterinarians in providing preventive health care. Are dog and cat vaccines safe? Yes, but we could do better.”

This is a preposterous proposition. The veterinary vaccine industry needs to understand that pet owners pay to vaccinate their dogs because they really, really love them. We want to protect them, and to honour their lives with our care. We don’t want to put them at risk of disease at the same time, even if that does save us some money. Were we to understand that vets are using sub-standard, impure products that can cause autoantibodies and allergies, we probably wouldn’t permit it.

I would also point out that the veterinary vaccine industry is a multi-billion, international, highly profitable, blossoming, business. Is it too much to ask that the products they sell us might be

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

free from contaminants? They can afford it. Would we buy food knowing that it’s full of salmonella, excusing the manufacturer because at least the food was cheap?

In fact, vaccine contamination is a real problem if you want to be able to take your dog to the vet for a jab in the sure knowledge that he isn’t going to die as a result of it. Last year (2010), for example, researchers in Scotland and Japan isolated a feline retrovirus in both dog and cat vaccines. (Isolation of an Infectious Endogenous Retrovirus in a Proportion of Live Attenuated Vaccines for Pets, Journal of Virology, April 2010, p. 3690-3694, Vol. 84, No. 7.) http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/full/84/7/3690 The authors stated: “the current methods used for screening human vaccines for retroviral contaminants include extremely sensitive PCR-based RT assays (not required for veterinary vaccines) that are much more sensitive than conventional RT assays”.

The authors added: “In this study, we isolated a feline infectious ERV (RD-114) in a proportion of live attenuated vaccines for pets. Overall, it is possible that our data under-represent the number of vaccines from which RD-114 can be isolated….

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“Collectively, our data show unequivocally that RD-114 is present in live attenuated vaccines commonly used in dogs and cats from different continents and produced by three different manufacturers… the large-scale exposure to RD-114, particularly of the dog population, may have effects that are impossible to predict even if successful RD-114 transmission was an extremely rare event.

“On many occasions during vertebrate evolution, retroviruses have infected cells of the host’s germ-line, destined to become the eggs and sperm. In this way the integrated DNA provirus can be passed on to the next generation without undergoing further viral replication. Such genetically transmitted retroviral genomes are called endogenous retroviruses (ERV) to distinguish them from exogenous, infectiously transmitted retroviruses.”

“Millions of puppies are vaccinated annually worldwide, and they may be more susceptible to RD-114 infection than cats as the dog genome does not harbor RD-114. … it is impossible to rule out chronic effects, especially as we were able to grow RD114 very efficiently in dog cell lines, confirming older published studies….

When we vaccinate our dogs, can we be sure we’re not injecting inheritable cancer? And what are the authorities doing about it?

I can tell you this: they’re allowing the vaccine manufacturers to take their time – years – before screening it out. Why? Not because it’s impossible to screen retroviruses out relatively quickly – but because it would take years to re-license the clean products.

The study concluded that:

As to the Purdue study, and my article concerning the implications of autoantibodies generated by veterinary vaccines, I received an email from Andrew Maniotis, Ph.D., Visiting Associate Professor of Bioengineering: Program of tumor mechanics and tissue regeneration, University of Illinois at Chicago:

•

Future studies will be necessary to determine whether RD114 has any negative impact in cats or dogs….

•

A recently identified novel human retrovirus (xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related retrovirus [XMRV]) has been found in some forms of prostate cancers and chronic fatigue syndrome in humans.

•

Sensitive PCR-based RT assays (as used in this study) are not required for veterinary vaccines.

Writing in US Dog World, March, 1995, Dr Jean W Dodds offers some clarification on the implication of retrovirus contamination in dog vaccines:

“I don’t think it is coincidental that two of the molecules that the vets find (especially the tissue-controlling two molecules laminin and fibronectin) that are deregulated in vaccine-induced, cancer-harboring animals, are the same ones we have found reverse, kill, or promote tumors [in humans].

“It is logical that these two tissue-constructing molecules, in the correct or incorrect amounts, induce tumor dormancy or killing

“Immune–suppressant viruses of the retrovirus and parvovirus classes have recently been implicated as causes of bone marrow failure, immune-mediated blood diseases, haematologic malignancies (lymphoma and leukaemia), dysregulation of humoral and cell-mediated immunity, organ failure (liver, kidney) and autoimmune endocrine disorders – especially of the thyroid gland (thyroiditis), adrenal gland (Addison’s disease) and pancreas (diabetes). Viral disease and recent vaccination with single or combination modified live virus vaccines, especially those containing distemper, adenovirus 1 or 2 and parvovirus, are increasingly recognised contributors to immune-mediated blood diseases, bone marrow failure and organ dysfunction.”

So a feline retrovirus in their vaccines could cause serious problems for our dogs. According to UK Kennel Club research, one in four dogs in the UK can be expected to die of cancer. Retroviruses are implicated in this scenario.

Retroviruses were first associated with malignant disease in animals more than ninety years ago. In 1908 the Danish veterinarians Ellerman and Bang observed that erythroleukaemia was infectiously transmissible in chickens. Then in 1911, Rous in USA and in 1914, Fujinami in Japan showed that some avian sarcomas could be transmitted by inoculation of cell-free filtrates.

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as we have found, and at different amounts (as when a vaccine disturbs a tissue and fibronectin is produced in abundance while laminin is suppressed) they can, when not in proper amounts, induce tumor growth and metastasis.

“I estimate that, if thousands of cats per year develop tumors at the site(s) of their vaccinations as these vet societies now claim, and nobody knows how many dogs do, although other studies show they also develop a variety of cancers, accompanied by the production of anti-fibronectin, anti-laminin, anti-collagen, anticardiolipin, and anti-DNA antibodies associated with immediate onset arthritis, autoimmune diseases of all kinds, demyelination syndromes, hematological pathologies, etc., that perhaps The Church of Modern Human Medicine someday will become concerned regarding the 1:160 autism rate, rates of diabetes, asthma, and also, just maybe, the escalating cancer rates in our children and other humans following the mass vaccine crusades of the past 40 years.”

My own thoughts are that if scientists are going to conduct studies which find anomalies in our dogs’ biochemicals, they should feel honor bound to ascertain what these anomalies actually mean to the lives – or deaths - of our dogs. For, rather than being an embittered grieving dog lover, I am simply asking that we honor the lives of the animals in our care and become knowledgeable about what we do to them in the name of love.

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

The unwanted effects of vaccines are seen in the field, after humans and animals have been vaccinated; after they are forced to live with vaccine-induced illness, and after vaccines have killed the people and animals they were purported to help. Is that good enough?

And so, I make no apology for researching and publishing the known science in relation to the implication of autoantibodies generated by the vaccine process. Someone needs to!

There is far more to vaccination than a trip to the vets and the insertion of a needle would imply. There is far too much we do not know about vaccine effects – but we vaccinate anyway. Animal guardians have the right to informed consent. At the very least, if we are going to vaccinate, we have a right to truthful duration of immunity information from our veterinarians and the pharmaceutical industry so that we vaccinate no more often than is necessary. DNM Catherine O’Driscoll runs the Canine Health Concern. She recently spearheaded a campaign to force the British government to put an end to the normal practice of annually vaccinating dogs in the UK. Catherine asks her fellow dog lovers to write to the British government to lend their voices to the campaign. Contacts and template letters for you to send are also carried on the CHC site.

Visit: www.canine-health-concern.org.uk

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LubriSyn If your dog suffers from osteoarthritis, LubriSyn may be the answer to a more pain-free, active life.

This supplement contains Hyaluronic Acid (HA) which plays a critical role in cushioning and repairing damaged cartilage. While synovial cells in the joint lining release HA naturally, sometimes the rate of deterioration is such that oral supplementation is needed to support the body’s own defenses. HA is now considered to be one of the most effective nutritional supplements to prevent and reduce the pain, inflammation and loss of mobility caused by degenerative joint disease.

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

Dog IDs These supple leather-like collars are available in eight beautiful colors.

They are made from extremely durable, maintenance free, soft grip poly-coated nylon webbing, and they feature a built-in customized nameplate (patent pending). This personalized nameplate means that your dog’s ID will no longer dangle under its neck, but instead will lay visibly flat on the scruff of his neck for everyone to see. It’s safer for your pet, and more reliable - less likely to get lost - than a hanging tag.

Visit www.dogids.com

PetAlive Immunity & Liver Support and Detox Plus A healthy liver is often considered the most critical element in the body’s natural ability to fight disease and function optimally. PetAlive’s herbal Immunity & Liver Support capsules contain specially selected herbs to cleanse and purify the system, support immune functioning and maintain liver health. In conjunction with this supplement, Detox Plus supports the body in its natural detox and purification processes. By helping the body eliminate the toxins accumulated through everyday life, this herbal combination benefits liver health and improves metabolism and thyroid function.

Purchase online at www.petalive.com.

The Scent Project™ Comfort Room Mist - By Paws & People We love products that we can share with our dogs. The Scent Project’s room mists can benefit everyone in your home - canine or human. The “Comfort” formula is our favorite, with its deliciously scented combination of Lavender, Chamomile and Sweet Orange essential oils. Lavender and Chamomile both have a calming, soothing, relaxing effect; the bright citrusy fragrance of Sweet Orange is uplifting, warming and cheering, bringing balance to the nervous system and emotions. Also available: Calm, Oomph, Refresh and Sunup - there’s one for every mood!

Visit www.thescentproject.com.

The Good Dog Company - Hemp Corduroy Collection The Good Dog Company was the first to use hemp corduroy to manufacture leashes, collars and harnesses. Corduroy, or “Corde de Roi” - known as the cord of the king – is commonly used in the construction of trousers because of its durability. Its ridged velvet is super soft and quadruple folded into a beautiful, durable strap. Hemp is naturally hypo-allergenic (won’t itch) and naturally bacteria resistant (which means less stinkiness). These earth friendly goods are US made of 55% Hemp/ 45% Certified Organic Cotton and available in nine vibrant colors and three widths.

Visit www.thegooddogcompany.com and enter Promo Code: DOGSNATURALLY to receive a 10% discount on your next order!

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

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Dog People Reunion Rescue A conversation with Cindy Marabito, founder of Reunion Rescue, a Pit Bull Rescue group, and author of Pit Bull Nation. Reunion Rescue dogs all receive raw diets and natural health care - a fine example for other rescue groups. Visit Cindy at www.reunionrescue.com.

How did you get into Pit Bull Rescue?

It was a dog that started me on this journey - isn’t it always? I was like a lot of people - I didn’t like Pit Bulls. Then one day I found a stray female near my house. She was limping and bleeding, and was friendly when I approached her, so I brought her in and called for help. That was when I found out how hard it is to find shelters to take stray Pit Bulls. Eventually, Animal Care & Control agreed to take her. They euthanize a third of their animals, so I called every day to check on her progress. Her injuries were not serious; she passed the temperament test with flying colors and was adopted after six weeks; I kept in touch with her new owners, who named her Angel Divine.

After that I started volunteering at ACC, where I learned that Pit Bulls are no different from other dogs - they just need love and training.

They are one of the most child and human-friendly breeds, but the media exploits the few tragic incidents, usually involving unaltered and untrained dogs. I also witnessed the politics and prejudices that cause so many adoptable Pit Bulls to be needlessly euthanized. So I founded a rescue group to help the Pit Bulls at ACC. We now operate in California as well as Texas, working with a training and boarding facility in each state.

Please tell us about the holistic care you provide your dogs

ing their dogs and it saves many dogs from being dumped. We can help hundreds of dogs by educating their owners - far more than we can take in ourselves.

Do you insist that adopters raw feed and use natural health care?

We strongly encourage this but obviously we can’t enforce it. As part of our application, adopters do agree to try the raw diet and treat homeopathically. We also ask them to notify us before taking the animal to a veterinarian for medical issues. Our “Foster to Adopt” arrangement is helpful because it gives us a transition period to support adopters with advice on raw feeding and homeopathic care - which we will also do at any time during the life of the dog. If adopters choose to vaccinate their dogs, we ask them to follow our detox advice.

What are your plans for the future?

My dream is to start a no-kill refuge in Northern California and we have information about that on our Facebook Page. Each month we have to raise around $2,000 for boarding, which is a huge mountain to climb during the economic crisis. Adoptions are slow, but I’m striving to find good homes. The number of pets being relinquished is epidemic, but, as part of my outreach effort, I’m trying to write at least two American Pit Bull Examiner articles a day to spotlight animals in need and help steer people to donate toward saving lives.

I am continuing to promote my book, Pit Bull Nation, from which all proceeds go toward rescuing animals. I am at work on two more books, as well as my blog, Pit Bulls and Other Animals.

All my dogs and cats are raw fed, including the rescues. I owe this to Alibaba, a 14 year old cat with cancer. Thanks to a raw diet and homeopathic treatment, he lived another three years. So the first thing we do is put rescues on a raw diet. Then we detox them from the vaccines they’ve undoubtedly received in the shelters. We use homeopathic remedies for vaccinosis, as well as Waiora Cellular Defense (a zeolite product that helps remove heavy metals and other toxins) on every dog. We also use other homeopathic remedies as needed for a dog’s individual situation, and Australian Bush Flower Essences or Bach Flower Remedies to help dogs through their transition.

We don’t vaccinate, or use any chemical insecticides or heartworm drugs. We treat heartworm positive dogs with a herbal remedy containing Artemisia, Black Walnut, Co-Q10, HSII and Yucca. (see the link on the Nutrition page of our website).

What else do you do to prepare dogs for adoption?

We crate train and put all dogs on our Kong Training Program which resolves most behavioral issues. We also counsel people wanting to relinquish dogs to use this protocol; about 50% of them end up keep-

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

directory of products and services

holistic vets

schools

Integrative Veterinarian Dr. Julie Mayer certification in veterinary acupuncture, veterinary chiropractic, canine rehabilitation, Reiki Practitioner.

Holistically treats companion animals dr.julie@integrativeveterinarian.com

Animal Spirit Healing & EducationÂŽ Network Animal Healing Arts training and Professional Mastery Programs. Teleclasses, Webinars, OnSite courses. (815)531-2850 www.AnimalSpiritNetwork.com

Seaside Natural Health Patricia Jordan DVM Swansboro, NC Skype dr-jordan 1 seasidenaturalhealth@gmail.com www.dr-jordan.com/

books and DVDs

holistic health care Mother Nature MD 4 Pets Jan Litza Natural health for your dog with Young Living Essential Oils. Enhance their lives naturally! j.litza@comcast.net (219) 670-1163 www.mothernaturemd4pets.org Karen Duewel Young Living Essential Oils - embrace health and wellness NATURALLY! wehavecomefullcircle@gmail.com (847) 772-0212 www.synergyiskey.com Animal Reiki Source Kathleen Prasad 369B Third St., #156 San Rafael, CA 94901 (415) 420-9783 info@animalreikisource.com http://www.animalreikisource.com/ Enlightened Animals LLC Ellen Kohn 566 Meadow Vista Drive Evergreen, CO 80439 (303) 670-1023 horsegal52@aol.com http://www.EnlightenedAnimals.com

groomers Salon Fido & Mud Puppy, LLC 1807 Main Street Cross Plains, WI 53528 (608)798-4464 www.salonfido.net

Dogwise 1000s of DOG BOOKS, DVD’s, and training tools in stock, ready to ship. Dogwise has what you want! (800) 776-2665 www.dogwise.com

animal communicators Carol Schultz Animal Communication Interactive and compassionate Consultations & Healing for all animal species. www.CarolSchultz.com Founder/Director www.AnimalSpiritNetwork.com online learning institute.

pet supplies Metro Pet Market 1637 Victoria Avenue Regina, SK S4P 0P8 (306) 352-9663 www.metropetmarket.ca PAWS-itive Health Maureen Tate 51 Sarah Crescent Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2W4Z2 (902)435-2528 divineaire@gmail. com

online stores Holistic Pet Info www.HolisticPetInfo.com (877)573-8227

Classified ads can be listed for $25 per issue or $50 for 3 issues.

Market Place ads start at just $50 per issue.

To list your business or kennel in Dogs Naturally contact us at 1 877 665-1290 or email at advertise@dogsnaturallymagazine.com

Dogs Naturally Magazine | November/December 2011

45

10 Minute

Trainer

SIT PRETTY! Training a dog to sit pretty is not only a fun trick but it will also help strengthen and tighten the back, abdominal and pelvic hip muscles. These muscles make up what many refer to as the core muscles. Here are a couple of methods to teach your dog to Sit Pretty.

dog target your hand or a toy in the same position as the target stick. Remember to feed your dog in the sit pretty position.

Supported Sit Pretty

Training Tip: Avoid lifting the target too high as this will cause the dog to possibly stand on his hind legs, which is a totally different trick and can be taught later. Click for increased effort but also for control and balance.

Step 1

Step 2

Start with the dog in a sit and lure the dog to rest his front paws on your arm, then click and treat.

A helpful hint: You can start practicing this behavior in a corner where the dog will not be able to fall over. You can also have a helper behind the dog to stabilize him when he is learning to balance.

It is important to spend a lot of time on this step because it will help your dog build and strengthen his core muscles and will allow for muscle memory to develop.

Step 2 Start giving less support and click and treat when the dog is trying to balance on his own.

Use the target to maintain the position and to develop strength and balance. Click and treat for the dog finding his balance and eventually maintaining the position.

When the behavior is fully established and strong, change from the target or luring hand motion to a verbal cue. Give the new verbal cue, then wait for a second and follow the verbal cue with the visual cue. When the dog does the behavior, click and treat.

Repeat until the dog can sit pretty with the verbal cue. DNM Pamela Johnson B.S., M.A., CPDT-KA has a background in education and she is a natural teacher of all things. Pamela’s family consists of a Husky Mix (Isabelle), Two Border Collies (Bandit & Twix), Cat (Sabrina) and husband (Marxsen). Pamela is also the owner of Pam’s Dog Academy www.pamsdogacademy.com

Step 3 Once your dog can balance on his own for a few seconds, start adding a release cue instead of a click. Now you can start building longer duration with the sit pretty.

Step 4 Once you have some duration with the sit pretty, you can start to proof the behavior. Can the dog hold the sit pretty as you move to the right, left, walk around the dog, from a distance or anything you can think of? Click and treat the dog for holding the position.

Using a Target to Teach Sit Pretty Step 1 Start with your dog in a sit. Use a target stick to get the dog to rise up to touch it, and just as his front paws leave the ground click and treat. The target stick end needs to be above the dog’s skull and slightly back behind the dog. You could also have your

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November/December 2011 | Dogs Naturally Magazine

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