CONNECTION: THE HEALING POWER OF HORSES THROUGH COSTELLATION THERAPY. LIFESTYLE: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A NATGEO PHOTOGRAPHER BRIAN SKERRY. WELL-BEING: THE UNCOVENIENT TRUTH ABOUT THE DAIRY INDUSTRY AND WHY IT HURTS MORE THAN JUST OUR ANIMALS. HOLISTIC VET: HOW CONVENTIONAL GROOMING PRODUCTS ARE POISONING OUR PETS.
www.miacara.com
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CONTRIBUTORS
Bryan Skerry Award-winning photographer, Brian Skerry, specializes in marine wildlife and underwater environments. Since 1998 he has been a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine, covering a wide range of subjects and stories. Brian is praised worldwide for his aesthetic sense as well as his journalistic drive for relevance. His uniquely-creative images tell stories that not only celebrate the mystery and beauty of the sea, but also help bring attention to the large number of issues that endanger our oceans and its inhabitants. www.brianskerry.com
Dirk Gustafson Born and raised in Northern California, Dirk is a licensed attorney whose litigation trial practice has been located in Beverly Hills for the past 17 years. Despite holding both a Bachelors and a Masters Degree of Science, a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) as well as an LLM (Masters of Law) from George Washington University, specializing in Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Dirk proudly retired from the daily practice of law in March of this 2014 to allow him to dedicate his full efforts towards the proper developmentof Mauro Pet Care. www.mauropetcare.com.
Diane Smith Applying her professional dental hygiene background, motherhood and common sense, Diane found her inate sense applicable to the animal world, remarkably similar, and profoundly fulfilling. From zookeeping at Oglebay Park, reptile keeper at Reptiles Alive, naturalist for the Northern Virginia Park System, a liscensed wildlife rehabilitator and teaching preschool at the National Zoo, she has continued to enhance her needs to teach and heal, the fascinating, beautiful creatures that have been created for our enjoyment and sustainability. 2 NCWMAGAZINE.COM
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spring 2015 8 3. What’s new New products and trends in the pet world. 5. 10 Ways These 10 pet friendly hotels are sure to get your furry friend’s paw of approval. 6. Beauty Trends Natural, organic and sustainable pet grooming. 7. Good To Know The most fashionable birds.
8. Well-Being The dairy industry from the animals perspective. 16. Connection Sara Fancy of the Silver Horse Healing Ranch explains what Horse Constellation Therapy is, and how it might be just what you need to re-connect. 20. Lifestyle We get up close and personal with National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry to find out what a day in his life is really like.
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spring 2015 24 24. The Dairy Bunch A curated photographic look at the animal used in the dairy industry. 30 Second Thoughts Editor’s picks. 34. Behind The LabeL Supplements - Not all pills are created equal. 36. Holistic Vet The more we clean them, the dirtier they get. An in-depth look at the grooming industry.
38. Resources Marketplace for the modern pet.
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GOT MILK? Great milk comes from happy cows! Are they? by Barbara Manconi
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hat happy cow staring back at you from the milk carton must be doing well. After all, the label says she wasn’t treated with rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone), rBST (recombinant bovine somatotropin), or antibiotics.
But how was she treated? Female cows are artificially inseminated shortly after their first birthdays. After giving birth, they lactate for 10 months and are then inseminated again, continuing the cycle. Some spend their entire lives standing on concrete floors; others are confined to massive, crowded lots, where they are forced to live amid their own feces. The stress caused by the conditions on factory farms leads to disease, infections and mastitis (a painful inflammation of the mammary glands) that are cured with antibiotics then found in the milk of the treated cows. Lameness, and reproductive problems render cows worthless to the dairy industry by the time that they are 4 or 5 years old, at which time they are sent to be slaughtered. 1 0 NCWMAGAZINE.COM
“On any given day, there are more than 9 million cows on U.S. dairy farms - about 13 million fewer than there were in 1950. Yet milk production has continued to increase�
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A Danish study of cows subjected to automated milking systems found “acutely elevated cell counts (that during the first year compared with the previous year with conventional milking.” The increase came suddenly and was synchronized with the onset of automatic milking. Instead of improving conditions in factory farms or easing cows’ production burden, the dairy industry is exploring the use of cattle who have been genetically manipulated to be resistant to mastitis.
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LESS COWS, MORE MILK. WHAT??
A CULTURAL HERITAGE
On any given day, there are more than 9 million cows on U.S. dairy farms—about 13 million fe-wer than there were in 1950. Yet milk production has continued to increase, from 116 billion pounds of milk per year in 1950 to 185 billion pounds in 2007. Fifty years ago an average cow produced 2,000 pounds of milk per year. Today the top producers give 50,000 pounds. Normally, these animals would produce only enough milk to meet the needs of their calves (around 16 pounds per day, 5,000 pounds per year), but genetic manipulation—and, in some cases, antibiotics and hormones—is used to cause each cow to produce more than 20,000 pounds of milk each year. In order to produce such massive amount of milk cows (naturally vegetarian) are also fed unnatural, high-protein diets, which include dead chickens, pigs, and other animals, because their natural grass diet would not provide the nutrients that they need to produce for the mass market.
The entire subject of food and especially that of milk is surrounded with emotional and cultural importance. Milk is our very first food. Our path to survival. First is mother’s milk (if we are lucky), then it is cow’s, in some cases and some countries: goat’s, camel’s or water buffalo’s milk. Our mothers used to give us a warm cup at night to help us sleep better, or to soothe our throat during a cold. Very early on we establish an emotional conne-ction with milk. For years nutritionists told us that dairy products make up an “essential food group.” Industry spokesmen made sure that colorful charts proclaiming the necessity of milk and other essential nutrients were made available at no cost for schools. This is how cow’s milk became “normal”. Today school lunches always include milk and nearly every hospital meal will have milk added.
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A CUP A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY…OR WAS THE APPLE? Milk is not just milk. The milk of every species of mammal is unique and specifically tailored to the requirements of that animal. For example, cows’ milk is very much richer in protein than human milk. Three to four times as much. It has five to seven times the mineral content. However, it is markedly deficient in essential fatty acids when compared to human mothers’ milk. Mothers’ milk has six to ten times as much of the essential fatty acids, especially linoleic acid. It simply is not designed for humans. It gets worse. A recent study showed that human breast milk in over 14,000 women had contamination by pesticides. The sources of the pesticides were identified as meat and dairy products. (Of interest, a subgroup of lactating vegetarian mothers had only half the levels of contamination).
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“The entire subject of food and especially that of milk is surrounded with emotional and cultural importance� 15
ALTERNATIVES TO COW MILK There are many alternatives to dairy milk, considered by many healthier and greener (think green gas emissions and antibiotics) including coconut, almond, soy and rice. Coconut milk may be the closest milk alternative with the texture of that of whole milk. Those who subscribe to the low-carb lifestyle often prize coconut milk for it’s minimal starch content. A vegan drink, it is also soyfree, gluten-free, cholesterol-free and nut-free while its fat content is considered to a ‘good fat’, easily metabolized by the body and quickly turned into energy rather than being stored as fat. Coconut milk is also rich in lauric acid, a substance also found in human milk, which researchers have shown have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Unlike other nut or plant milks, the saturated fat content of coconut milk is significant at five grams per serving, so drink it in moderation. Almond milk is good source of magnesium, which helps to break down food and can help with the function of the parathyroid glands, thus helping improve 1 6 NCWMAGAZINE.COM
the health of our bones. It’s also loaded with manganese, selenium and Vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects the cell membranes. Selenium is good for our immune system; it helps in reproduction, and in the metabolism of thyroid. It also prevents cell damage and tissue damage. Almond milk is also a good source of unsaturated fat, protein, flavonoids and potassium, and has less sugar than soya milk. Soy milk is packed with protein and fibre, cancer-fighting isoflavones, minimal saturated fat and the absence of galactose, which means that it can replace breast milk for galactosaemic children. It’s also safe for the lactose intolerant and anyone with a milk allergy. There are some downsides though, chiefly that its sugar content can be high, particularly in the flavored versions. Other issues include the increasing amount of land being used to farm it, which is leading to deforestation in some countries. However, its overall impact is still much less than that of cow’s milk, particularly when you choose an organic version.
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A day iN the life of a national geographic photographer:
BRIAN SKERRY by Garrett Smith photo by Brian Skerry
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by Sara Fancy photo by Randi Berez
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“These horses were considered useless and were close to being exterminated. Since joining Silver Horse, they have been given aplatform to share they individual medicine of healing and awareness. The results are profound.�
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THE
DAIRY BUNCH 2 6 NCWMAGAZINE.COM
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Goats are among the smallest domesticated ruminants and have served mankind longer than cattle or sheep. They thrive in arid, semitropical, or mountainous countries. More than 460 million goats in the world produce over 4.5 million tons of milk and 1.2 million tons of meat annually, besides mohair, cashmere, leather, and dung for fuel and fertilizer. Goats are friendly animals; with proper attention they maintain good health and can be managed ea- sily even by children. 2 8 NCWMAGAZINE.COM
Despite the higher butterfat content, water buffalo milk is healthier in many ways traditional cow’s milk. Water buffalo milk has 11 percent higher protein than cow’s milk, as well as 9 percent more calcium and 37 percent more iron. Water buffalo milk is also lower in cholesterol. Buffalo is the major source of milk production contributing 12.1% in World, 38.0% in Asia, 55.0% in India, 66.6% in Pakistan, 16.4% in China, 50.8% in Egypt and 65.2% in Nepal’s total milk production. 29
The China Nutrition Society, a Ministry of Healthbacked research institute, claims the amino acids, calcium, and vitamin A in yak milk are considerably higher than in cow’s milk. Its appeal depends as much on the mystique of its origins as its nutritional qualities. The animals are central to Tibetan culture: their butter is melted into tea and fuels the lamps that light monasteries 3 0 NCWMAGAZINE.COM
Ass milk’s medicinal virtues were first heralded by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who recommended it to combat a host of bodily woes, including liver problems, fevers, infectious diseases, poisoning, joint pains and nose bleeds. The Romans later added constipation to that list. The use of donkey milk as a moisturizer in cosmetics is even more fabled, thanks to Cleopatra. The Egyptian queen took a daily bath in it, with a steady stream of milk supplied by more than 700 lactating asses.)
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FOR PET
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FOR PET
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HOLISTIC VET
TOXIC BUBBLES!
Why those unhealthy grooming products maybe harming your pet rather than supporting his wellbeing. by Dirk Gustafson We all know that a daily walk, run or romp outdoors is beneficial to your dog’s health, but did you know that a dog’s skin is one of the best indicators of your furry friend’s overall health? Unprotected exposure to the harsh environment can cause damage to their sensitive coat and skin. While regular bathing and grooming of your dog can help combat these environmental factors and promote healthy living, use of harmful grooming products can also leave their skin dry and itchy, cause irritation, loss of hair and even infection. How can a grooming product be harmful? Currently the FDA does not regulate the pet grooming industry, and therefore, manufacturers are not required to disclose their products’ ingredients. Unrestricted use of various dyes, sulfates, propylene glycol, phthalates, parabens and animal bi-products are secretly integrated into grooming products to greatly reduce the price of production, extend shelf life and/or to create an unhealthy lather to avoid using more expensive, non-toxic ingredients. From symptomology, ranging from simple allergic reactions and irritations to perhaps more severe neurological trauma, pulmonary edema, and exposure to known carcinogens, the widespread use of toxic cleaning agents within grooming products has reached epic proportions. Some of the worst chemical offenders known as parabens are being scientifically studied as a possible cause of several types of breast cancer in women, as well as potentially harmful to the reproductive organs in young men. Keeping bath time safe Many manufacturers have started to add the word “natural” or “all natural” to their labels, but that doesn’t mean that they really are natural. So as consumers we need to take our safety and the safety of our pets into our own hands, and take the time to check the labels before using a particular grooming product.
As mentioned, you definitely want to stay away from parabens, but here are some other major offenders you want to be sure to avoid, not only for your pets, but for you and your family as well: • Artificial Colors • Cocomide DEA or MEA • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Formaldehyde • Fragrances • Isopropyl Alcohol • Isopropyl (SD-40) • Methylchloroisothiazolinone • Methylparaben and Parabens • Mineral Oil • Phthalates • Polyethylene Glycol • Polysorbates • Propylene Glycol • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Ammonium Laureth Sulfate If this information is not readily available, perhaps you can use that product to clean something around the house, but we would suggest using gloves. If you don’t buy grooming products, don’t be afraid to ask your professional groomer what products they are using to clean your pet. Essential oils and plant botanical Today more and more companies are taking advantage of, and using various essential oils, extracts and plant botanicals, which are known worldwide and have been proven within the scientific community, in their products. One such company on the cutting edge of using modern compounding techniques in combination with natural essential oils, extracts and plant botanicals is Mauro Pet Care of Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. The creation and use of these products are safe alternatives to the use of harmful grooming chemicals.
Dirk Gustafson is co-creator with Mauro Spina of Mauro Pet Care. To learn more please visit www.mauropetcare.com 39
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