Many of you probably watched Oprah’s show on the horrors of puppy mills. Did you know that we pet owners can sometimes inadvertently support the puppy mills by purchasing pets from the wrong sources. Folks, puppy mills are horrible for the poor animals unfortunate enough to be a prisoner in one (and I do mean “prisoner”). Pet lovers need to be united and active in opposing these puppy mills on every possible front.

If you missed the show, you can go to Oprah’s website for the highlights of the show. Please take time to look it over and make yourself and your friends aware of the problem. Thank you so much for your help and concern.

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If any of you are wanting to start your own blog about your dog, here’s a site that will let you have a go at it free of charge:

Dog Blogs - My-Dog-Blog.com is an online dog lovers community where users can create their own FREE dog blog.

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One of the most annoying things about pet dogs is their habit of answering to calls of nature almost anywhere they feel like it. Your bedroom rug, the drawing room sofa, your Persian carpet; everything seems as good a place as any for your little pup to go cool his bladders on.

Therefore, if you have just brought your pup home, buckle up and get ready to save your upholstery and carpets by means of a simple method we call Housebreaking.

Now, here’s what housebreaking is all about. We humans tend to visit the bathroom when we feel like we must relieve ourselves, in one way or the other (thank God for that!). However, our pooches don’t have their mothers potty training them at the age of 1 - telling them to “go poopy” at some fixed time on a shiny blue potty - and hence they tend to treat everything like a big ol’ lavatory. And that would be ok if we were dogs perhaps but most average human beings tend not to like that sort of thing. So what we have to do is potty train our doggies ourselves. And this training, to cut a long story short, is what we call “housebreaking.”

Now, some facts to keep in mind:

1. No pup is able to keep himself from peeing or relieving himself in some other form, till about 12 weeks of age. Your attempts at training your dog therefore must begin before this.

2. Most puppies need to engage in  bathroom related activities approximately 6-7 times a day.

3. Every time your dog seems to be following its tail rather slowly, and doing giddy rounds around a non-descriptive area, put your shoes on to take it out cause it’s getting ready to relieve itself.

4. Take your dog out every time it has a meal because food immediately puts pressure on its colon and bladder.

The first lesson in housebreaking, communicate with your dog. Make sure you let your dog know that you don’t like him peeing all over the living room loud and clear. No there isn’t any need to use violence; just a loud “NO” should do the trick. For best results catch him in the act so that he has no problem in associating the rebuke with the exact action.

Keep a keen eye on your pooch. As soon as he looks like nature is calling, take him out. Once he relieves himself at the right place pat him to show how much you appreciate the fact that he didn’t pee all over your favorite rug. Give him a treat, and an appreciative nod and he’ll know.

See, dogs are like politicians, always eager to please. They will do anything to get cuddled and patted by their owners, thus it’s always easy to make them do things as per your requirements. You want him to pee outside? Show him how happy you are when he does so and he’ll do it always.  You want him to poop every morning? Give him a friendly pat and he’ll bound off to be at it everyday. For your part make sure you know your dog’s habits. Build your routine around his. Try to find out what his usual urinating or defecating times are - is it after dinner? Before going to bed? Or first thing in the morning? Take him out accordingly.

Proper communication will ensure your pooch’s proper health and your peace, and of course a clean floor or rug.

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Sometimes when we are trying to be good to our pets and even when we are providing them with treats which we might believe to be natural and holistic, we can get into trouble. Here’s a list of common foods which the ASPCA ’s animal poison control center says we should avoid feeding our pets:

- Alcoholic beverages
- Avocado
- Chocolate (all forms)
- Coffee (all forms)
- Fatty foods
- Macadamia nuts
- Moldy or spoiled foods
- Onions, onion powder
- Raisins and grapes
- Salt
- Yeast dough
- Garlic
- Products sweetened with xylitol

Who hasn’t been tempted to give a dog a piece of chocolate? After all, it is so good. How could it hurt? And what about the occasional raisin or grape? In reality, these tasty human treats have proven very toxic to certain dogs and other pets. So, love you pet enough to be sure he/she isn’t intentionally or unintentionally exposed to these potentially harmful human foods. These foods may be natural and holistic for humans, but they play no part in holistic pet care!

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Click the link below to go to the Food and Drug Administration’s webpage with a listing of the pet foods that have been recalled.

Click to go to FDA

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The third pet food company since late last week has added its name to the pet food recall list, out of fear that contaminated wheat gluten may have tainted its products. San Francisco-based Del Monte Pet Products is voluntarily recalling Jerky Treats Beef Flavour Dog Snacks, Gravy Train Beef Sticks Dog Snacks and Pounce Meaty Morsels Moist Chicken Flavor Cat Treats.

Del Monte’s announcement immediately follows the weekend recall of one of the best-known brands of dog food, Purina. The company pulled its Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy product from U.S. store shelves.

Both companies have said that the wheat gluten supplied to them from a Chinese plant contained melamine — a chemical used in fertilizers in Asia and to make plastics and laminates.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition said late Friday that its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food included the tainted wheat gluten. The FDA said the source was the same unidentified company. Hill’s, a division of Colgate-Palmolive Co., is so far the only company to recall any dry pet food.

Exactly what food is Safe to Feed?

It appears that none of the quality, natural brands have been affected.  Wheat Gluten appears to be the source of the toxins.  None of the premium natural foods use wheat gluten, as it is a poor protein source for pets, and poorly digestible.  It is really just a filler.

Stick to premium “Natural” brands.  Ensure that animal protein is the first ingredient. Avoid pet food sold in a grocery store.  Make some food yourself. Add in raw food as a portion of your pet’s diet.

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Keep Your Dog or Cat Healthy,
Extend Their Lives
and Save Money At The Vet…
In Less Than 24 Hours, Dr. Andrew Jones Can Show You How to Examine, Diagnose and Treat Your Pet at Home.

This is the definitive manual for treating your pet at home, with over 1,000 safe, natural and effective treatments that really work. Check out Dr. Jones’ website for yourself. You and your pet will be glad you did.

Click Here For More Information!

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If your dog develops a mild case of vomiting, it is often caused by an inflammation in the stomach. Vomited material that is high in mucus indicates that the stomach or high intestine is inflamed. Undigested food can indicate food poisoning, anxiety, or simply over eating.

Often the cause of the vomiting is eventually passed in the stool. Vomiting can be curative in itself in that it purges spoiled food and toxins from the pet’s stomach and intestine.

Some of the common causes of vomiting are:

• Dietary indiscretions. The most common cause of vomiting in dogs (not in cats) is dietary indiscretions – eating garbage, grass, plant leaves, etc. It is sometimes surprising what pets will eat.
• Change in diet. Dogs are sensitive to changes in their diets. If you change their food, particularly to a low grade bargain-priced generic chow high in indigestible protein, vomiting may be the result. Obviously, lo grade food is not recommended for you or your pet. If you are making other changes in the pet’s diet. Make the changes gradual to avoid potential reactions that might occur with a sudden change.
• Eating too rapidly. This can often result when pets are too hungry, or when they feel they are in competition for food with other animals. The solutions should be obvious.
• Intolerance to Specific Food Items. Dogs beg at the dinner table, right? OK, not your well-trained dog - but other people’s dogs. Since you are the “pack leader,” when your pet sees you relishing a food the pet wants it too. Hot dogs, pizza, French fries, barbecue and the like get wolfed down fast – and often come back up just as fast. No harm is done. Dogs and cats have a very easy vomit reflex and the slightest irritation of the stomach brings these items back up. By the way, while you’re cutting back on the greasy table scraps you feed your pet, you might consider doing the same for yourself ;-).
• Motion sickness. Some pets, like some people suffer from motion sickness. In the pet’s case, the motion sickness is often just in the first few rides and will resolve as the pet adapts to the motion of the vehicle.
• More serious conditions. Vomiting can be a warning sign of a more serious condition. Violent vomiting, vomit containing blood, or vomiting that does not resolve within 24 hours should be referred to your vet for diagnosis.

For mild, occasional bouts of vomiting, here are some suggested treatments:

• FASTING. A 24 hour fast is the most important thing you can do to allow your pet’s inflamed stomach to heal. Allow access to controlled amounts of water, but no food. After 24 hours offer bland food such as plain cooked white rice. After 48 hours give a mixture of equal amounts of rice and the dog’s regular food. Don’t return fully to regular food until after 72 hours.
• A CUP OF TEA. Peppermint Tea is an old remedy used for upset stomachs in people. Brew up a strong cup of tea, but allow it to cool before offering it to your pet.
• HOMEOPATHIC. Nux vomica is an effective homeopathic remedy for vomiting.

For a source of quality, natural foods and supplements as discussed in this post, click the following link: Only Natural Pet Store

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Some Thoughts On Food (Pet and Human)

Nutrition is the foundation of good health for both people and their pets. In fact, what we and our pets ingest is likely the most important component of health. The best diet for your dog or cat is not dissimilar to the best diet for you – it consists of a variety of whole foods, and when necessary, is enhanced with vitamins and minerals, enzymes and supplements to promote optimal health, prevent disease or to address specific health issues.

Think about the ancestry of your pets. Your dog evolved from the wolf, and its digestive system is virtually the same despite thousands of years of domestication. Dogs have very short intestinal tracts which are geared to the consumption and digestion of raw foods. You cat is a true carnivore (meat only diet) and is specially designed by nature to hunt small rodents and birds. Her digestive tract, as well, is intended to assimilate raw meat best.

Commercially prepared kibble has become the standard diet for most pets in our culture. It is relatively cheap and quite convenient, but it isn’t the best food choice for these meat eaters. Many progressive veterinarians as well as pet owners now realize that it is better for our pets to take a proactive approach to nutrition by choosing quality of ingredients and carefully controlled preparation over cost and convenience. Even though it is not always feasible, for most dogs and cats a home-prepared raw food diet is best. Whatever food you choose for your pet, giving the matter some conscientious thought can make a big difference to your pet’s life and health.

Though most of us would like to feed our pets only the highest quality, home-prepared foods, we seldom have the time to research and home-prepare food for ourselves and our families, much less our pets. Many authorities believe that commercially prepared frozen raw food is the next best thing to home-prepared.

Why Raw Food?

Because of the design of our dogs’ and cats’ digestive systems, they most easily digest and derive the greatest amount of nutrients from raw meat. The more raw food you can include in your pet’s diet, the better. It doesn’t have to be an “all or nothing” proposition. Some is better than none, and every little bit can help. You might, for example, try feeding your pet a 50% - 50% raw and dry (dehydrated or kibble) diet. This can be done by mixing the two together in a single meal, or alternating meals - one raw - one kibble.

If you decide to integrate raw food into your pet’s diet, do so gradually. There are many good resources available on the net to provide you with all the details you will need to determine what to feed, how to prepare it, and how to make the transition from commercially prepared kibble to home-prepared raw diets.

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What About Vaccines - Does My Pet Need Them?

Does it sometimes seem to you that vaccines do more harm than good? You are not alone in that thought. Some of the “normal” treatments produce severe side effects.

Most veterinarians, like most medical doctors, are trained “by the System,” and guess who has a lot of influence in that arena - the pharmaceutical companies.

The myth is everywhere - in human medicine and in pet medicine.

“Your pet NEEDS this vaccine.”
“This vaccine will do NO HARM.”

According to most physicians and veterinarians, drugs are the SOLUTION.

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

You’ve heard the old adage, “Follow the Money.” Ask yourself the simple question, “Who makes money if I purchase a vaccination?”

Answer: Drug companies and vets.

Vaccines can and have caused problems. There is a growing body of evidence against vaccinating yearly.

It seems that most veterinarians just choose to ignore the research either because they still feel the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risk or, forgive the cynicism, because they don’t want to lose the income from giving booster shots to all those animals each year.

Vaccinations work by stimulating the immune system, which helps to protect against infectious diseases. The downside, however, is that vaccinations can cause or contribute to a number of immune related diseases such as skin cancers, skin allergies, arthritis, leukemia, and neurological conditions.

Our pets are suffering from generations of over-vaccination, which combined with inadequate nutrition, poor breeding practices and environmental stresses are leaving each generation more susceptible to congenital disorders and chronic disease.

Most veterinary schools are advising alternate vaccine protocols and newer research is showing that vaccine immunity lasts much longer than previously thought. In some cases a vaccine given at 1 year of age may provide lifelong immunity. Vaccinations do not need “boosting.” Studies have shown that a single vaccination for parvovirus, distemper and panleukopenia results in long-term protection from disease. Simple blood tests can determine if your pet’s antibody levels for parvovirus and distemper remain high enough to resist infection. Next time your veterinarian suggests a booster shot, request the blood test first. Some vaccinations like Rabies may, however, be required by law every three years. Check the regulations in your state.

Vaccinations do help prevent serious illnesses, but many more progressive vets are now suggesting that they should be used with caution. Before vaccinating your pet, consider the risk. For example, if your cat is indoor only and will never be exposed to unvaccinated animals, the risk of infection is low.

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