Holistic and Eclectic Pet Pointers

Natural wormers: They usually don't work very well. Tobacco causes violent abdominal cramping in hopes of causing the worms to shake loose from inside the small intestine. Don't do it. It is mean!

And cats won't put up with you putting anything down their throats that tastes bad once let alone dosing them daily for 3-4 months which is how long most natural worming takes.

Go to your vet and get Pyrantel (also called Nemex or Strongid) for roundworms and Cestex or Droncit for tapeworms. You can overdose with these wormers by over 40X before they cause side effects.

The wormers from the grocery store are diluted and ineffective. Piperzine does not work any longer because it has been so misused. I've noticed Drontal (another combo wormer you get at the vet) is also not accepted well by the animals. They vomit it up. When an animal or human is having side effects from medications or supplements, their body is telling them it is not the right drug for them, or they don't need it.

Roundworms are passed from the dirt, dust, and from mother to baby through the milk and bloodstream. Tapeworms are passed by eating fleas or mice and sometimes birds. Humans cannot get roundworms or tapeworms from their pet (they get their own species of roundworm or tapeworm, but the same wormers work on humans. Use the dog dosage.)

Heart murmurs: We have a natural glandular product produced by Standard Process Labs™ called Cardio-Plus® that is awesome for murmurs (smaller dogs often have) and heart attacks (which dogs almost never get but humans do). Dog's love the flavor. I have seen Cardio-plus® literally heal a murmur in 4-6 months if taken on a consistent basis. For most dogs, murmurs heard on the left side (mitral valve murmurs) are caused from dirty teeth. Plaque gets into the bloodstream and has a special affinity for the heart valves. Over time the bacteria in the plaque causes the valves to grow little nodules on the valve flaps, so when the heart valve snaps shut it doesn't shut all the way and blood leaks through at the wrong time. The same goes for humans. That is why when you go to get your teeth cleaned the dental technician wears a mask.

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Gingivitis and gingival hyperplasia: Cats with chronic gingivitis many times have a combination of chlamydia, rickettsia, viral and/or bacterial infections in their mouth. They accept homeopathic drops quite well if they are not alcohol-based. The cat needs to be muscle tested to find the best product to give. I usually mix whatever they need in the correct proportions in a single bottle. Drops are given on the gum line usually once or twice a day for several weeks. If this is not possible put the drops on the bottoms of the foot in between the pads. This is the only place that cats sweat and the drops will be absorbed easily into the system from this area. Gingival hyperplasia (swollen gums) is associated with well water containing lots of minerals. Switch to bottled or distilled water. It will take several months for the swelling to go down.

Renal Failure: A great percentage (over 60%) of all cats over the age of 10 have some degree of kidney failure. You will notice the cat drinks more and urinates larger amounts than the other cats using the litter box. Sometimes a diagnosis comes when you take your cat to the vet for lack of appetite or vomiting. Cats don't normally vomit unless there is something wrong. The vet hospitalizes the cat and gives it intravenous fluids to "flush the system".

What we are trying to do is get the Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) to the normal range so the appetite will come back and the vomiting will stop. Usually they are then put on a low protein diet such as Science Diet k/d for the rest of their lives. We have a glandular called Renafood that extends the cat's life years longer than regular medicine. It is a great product and can often be used in conjunction with a high quality diet such as Iams, Nutro, Kirkland , Eukanuba or Friskies Beef and Liver flavor.

Cat's should not be fed cheap foods containing soybean meal and Ocean fish flavors. These diets are high in ash and can cause crystals in the urine, which leads to renal failure over a period of several years.

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Natural Vaccinations: There are oral vaccines called nosodes out there. The problem is that most people don't even give their pets boosters as it is, let alone give an oral dose of nosode 20-30 times over a period of several weeks. I have a nosode that you can give once/week if you are up for it, but vaccines are cheap, effective and can save your animal's life! Why not do it? Especially when we can use homeopathics to take the bad stuff out of the system (like the mercury they use to preserve the vaccines) and Advanced Transfer Factor Plus to perk up their immune systems caused temporarily by the vaccines.

I do believe that we are over vaccinating our pets. I don't believe in giving the FIP vaccine, and I'm actually fairly conservative about jumping on the bandwagon when a new vaccine comes out. If you have been giving your pets vaccines all along, every year when they are due and they are now over 3 years of age, you can probably cut back on the vaccines to every other year or every third year.

DO give the rabies vaccine when it is due. We have slacked on this long enough now to see a rise in rabies in several states. And who can afford $3500 to treat a family of four having been exposed to rabies?

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Neutering Your Pet: It rarely changes the personality of a pet. They do need less food since the hormones have been taken away to some extent. Pets live an average of 3-5 years longer when neutered because they don't fight as much, their territory is less so they stay in the yard more and don't cross the road as often. They are also not roaming around catching all kinds of diseases. A bitch does NOT have to go through a heat cycle before spaying her. If you are not going to breed her, spay her.

For every heat a bitch goes through it increases the estrogen influence on the mammary tissue which greatly increases the incidence of mammary cancer. The best time to neuter is about 6-8 months of age, before the first heat cycle and before male cats start to spray. But, you CAN neuter an older animal at any age. Unneutered males have an increased incidence of prostate disease and tumors on their anal area called anal adenomas. And isn't it nice to walk your dog without him hiking his leg every 20 feet?

Overall animals belonging to Responsible Pet Owners (RPO's) that are fed great diets (Eukanuba, Pedigree, Kirkland, Nutro), neutered, vaccinated and wormed as needed live longer and cost the owner less money.

The cost of raising one (free) cat from birth to old age runs between $6000-8,000! Dogs run a few thousand dollars more than that. Think about THAT when you can't pay your bills. Being a pet owner is a big, long-term commitment! Be an RPO and take the job of loving your pet seriously!

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Articles in this section:

Adopt a Pet

Animal Communication

Animal Rescue Organizations

Best Dog Bones to Feed

Big Dogs in My Life

Blood Type Diet for Dogs

Cat Colors

Cat Facts

Certified Organic Food Survey

Flea Control

Holistic Pet Tips

Homemade Dog Diets

Iguana Care

Keeping Cats Off Counters

Old Tired Dog

Parvo/Bland Diet for Dogs

Pet Friendly Hotels

Pet Loss (James Van Praagh Story)

Pet Sitting

Poisonous Plants

Spay-Neuter Benefits

Stray Cat Rules

Blue Green Algae Alert in Fall

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