Category Archives: Article

Commercial Dog Food – What Are you Really Feeding your Dog?

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You’ve heard this before – “You are what you eat.” The same goes for your dog.

So, how’d you like to be a, “meat by-product?” Well, of course you wouldn’t, it just sounds nasty, doesn’t it?

But what is this whole “by-product” business all about?

Unfortunately, that’s just it — business. By-products are generally defined as animal parts that are not fit for human consumption, such as bones, organs, blood, fatty tissue and intestines. So, in essence, someone got the great idea to process all the leftover garbage in the meatpacking plant and call it, “Dog Food.”

And, if that alone wasn’t bad enough, the offal is processed in varying degrees of nauseating. For example, while “chicken by-product” may encompass heads, necks, feet and intestines, at the very least, all the parts must come from chicken. The same is true for lamb by-products, beef by-products, etc.

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Cancer in Pets – Don’t Just Take it Laying Down!

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Cancer, the Big “C” is one of the worst words a pet owner can hear. It almost sounds like a death sentence, but it doesn’t have to be. Caught early enough and aggressively treated, survival rates are improving everyday.

Cancer in Our Pets

Cancer is not uncommon in dogs and cats and the incidence increases with age. It accounts for almost half of the deaths of pets over 10 years of age. Dogs get cancer at roughly the same rate as humans, while cats get fewer cancers.

Here are some common warning signs of cancer;

  • Abnormal swellings that persist or continue to grow
  • Sores that do not heal
  • Weight loss
  • Loss of appetite
  • Bleeding or discharge from any body opening
  • Offensive odor
  • Difficulty eating or swallowing
  • Hesitation to exercise or loss of stamina
  • Persistent lameness or stiffness
  • Difficulty breathing, urinating, or defecating

This is definitely one area where modern medicine has made huge strides but you don’t need to rely only on modern medicine. There are many things you, as a pet owner, can do to improve your pet’s chances and keep them strong and help them fight.

What Can We Do?

One of the first and most important things, from my point of view, is to make sure your pet’s diet is as good as it can be. Specific diets have been formulated to help combat cancer but you can make your own at home very easily if you just keep some things in mind.

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Some ‘Myths’ Vets Tell You – DeBunked!

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Veterinarians, like any doctors, depend on their client base to make money and generally, the more clients, the more money. Now I’m not saying that all vets only think about the bottom line, but to be honest I am seeing this more and more.

A friend of mine has a little Cocker Spaniel with a myriad of medical problems. These problems, such as Cushings, chronic staph infections and allergies, just to name a few, have been tested and diagnosed but it seems that every time my friend takes her dog to the vet they want to rerun a bunch of tests and do a complete blood work-up, running into hundreds and hundreds of dollars. And this went on every couple of months! She recently found a new vet for her pooch and when he looked at the chart he couldn’t believe the overwhelming number of tests that had been run and rerun, again and again, unnecessarily!

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Natural Health for Your Pet – Healthy Bacteria – Probiotics

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Does your pet suffer from loss of energy, bad gas, bad breath, itchy skin, constipation, bouts of diarrhea or vomiting, urinary tract problems, or loss of appetite? All of these problems may actually be symptoms of a compromised gastrointestinal tract – too much “bad” bacteria and not enough “good” bacteria.

“Good” bacteria? Never heard of good bacteria you say? Ever heard of “probiotics?” The word “Probiotic” simply means “for life.”

A probiotic is an organism which contributes to the health and balance of the intestinal tract. A probiotic is also referred to as the “friendly”, “beneficial”, or “good” bacteria which when ingested acts to maintain a healthy intestinal tract and help fight illness and disease.

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Cancer – A Pet Owner’s Nightmare!

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Cancer is one of the most common causes of death in pets.

More than 50% of dogs and cats over the age of 10 will develop cancer.

It often doesn’t respond well to the more traditional medical treatments, yet there are a number of at home pet care remedies.

SIGNS
Signs for you to watch for include, a firm lump that grows and does not go away. Some pets have an increased appetite but continue to lose weight. Others have respiratory problems and may show overall weakness if they are becoming anemic.

The most common malignant types of cancer ( cancer that spreads) in dogs are lymphoma and mast cell tumors. The most common malignant type diagnosed in cats is lymphoma, often secondary to Feline Leukemia Virus infection.

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