All Pet Naturals Blog

FERNDALE, WA: Just like us, animals need raw, unprocessed foods that are rich in a diversity of  live enzymes and nutrients.

Learn to feed your animals a natural diet, supplemented if necessary with a good quality pet food. Good nutrition is the first step in achieving a state of healthy balance.  Without it, the body is already diseased.

The body required fuel and building materials in order to function as Nature designed it, and proper, natural function is exactly what the herbalist wishes to maintain. Herbs help bridge the gap between what the body needs to function properly from diet and exercise, and what it needs to receive from time to time, in extra support of natural body functions. In nature, wild animals have an instinctive ability to use herbs in a manner that allows them to receive the nutrition and specialized support their bodies need. Even domesticated animals retain part of this ability — dogs eat grass; cats nibble aloe on occasion. But in domestication, animals have neither the botanical diversity, or enough intact instinct to selectively choose the herbs they need. Instead they must rely on us.

Herbs work to support body functions in circumstances where proper nutrition alone cannot regain or maintain a state of balance. With this in mind, it is very important to realize that herbs cannot replace the body’s requirement of good diet; that the medicinal activities of herbs in the body work in concert with the quality of food that  goes into it. Without quality nutrition, herbs are holistically useless in therapeutic applications.

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Reprinted from: Herbal Remedies for Dogs and Cats – A Pocket Guide to Selection and Use

by Mary Wulff-Tilford and Gregory L.  Tilford. (C) Copyright: All Rights Reserved.

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Canine Addisons Disease is Serious. Essentially what happens is your dog’s body under produces an adrenal secretion known as corticosteroids. It’s the opposite of Cushings Disease in which the adrenal glands over produce corticosteroids. Addisons Disease requires immediate medical attention. Please get your dog to the vet emergency clinic right away!

Lethargy is a symptom of Addisons Disease

Addisons symptoms are tricky to pick up so many dogs may actually be suffering from the disease before its finally diagnosed. Symptoms look too common, such as diarrhea and lethargy plus appetite loss. We’ve all had pets that show these conditions. In list form, here are the typical Addisons  Disease symptoms:

1. Lethargy and Loss of Appetite

2. Diarrhea and/or Constipation and/or dehydration

3. Muscle Weakness

4. Vomiting

Also there is something called “Addisons Crisis” and you need to be mindful of this. In three out of ten situations  (30%), your dog will go into crisis — a sure sign of Addisons — and he or she will collapse in shock because his body is devoid of blood sugar and cannot adapt to the imbalance of electrolytes and metabolism whilst stressed. In addition the heart rate slows and the beat becomes irregular (a condition known as arrhythmia). All troubling and serious signs.  Again, the smart thing to do is rush your pet to the vet.

Conventional veterinary medicine treats Addisons Disease in dogs using drugs, and the most commonly prescribed is Florinef — pharmaceutically known as fludrocortisone. And this drug acts by replacing missing hormones in the body.  Another option is an injectable medication called Percorten-V that is given under the skin once a month.

Natural herbal remedies on the other hand can be fed to your dog to support the immune system and provide added nutrients to the body, and thereby slow down the progress of Addisons Disease. Two herbs that work safely and effectively to support your pet suffering from Addisons (or in recovery) are Dandelion and Nettle. They are both nutritious, being rich in minerals and vitamins. Other immune boosting herbs are Echinacea and Astragalus.

Available in 90 or 180 Caps

Contains EFA-rich Flaxseed!

Supplements can also benefit dogs that are suffering from Addisons Disease. Nordic Naturals has a wonderful product that we carry called Omega-3 Pet which is rich in Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) or Animal Essentials’ Multi-Vitamin Herbal Supplements – this one also is top notch and a big seller in our store.

Both of these great products taste great, have extraordinary purity and are rich in vitamins and minerals beneficial for strengthening your dog’s adrenal functions, immune system, and overall general health.

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by William Greenbaum, aka love ya woof!

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Remember the classic Clint Eastwood film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly? I was thinking about it the other day as a way to explain Priobiotics.

Essentially, Probiotics refers to various types of live bacteria that swirl around inside our bodies and act positively inside our digestive track (The GI Track for Gastrointestinal) and other places. And we need Probiotics to help stimulate the digestive flora that line the wall of the intestines – which in turn allows  our bodies to suck out all the remaining essential nutrients from food and make vitamins.

So the film analogy works because inside our bodies there are Good Bacteria, Bad Bacteria and they all exist in some of the Ugliest places.

So what’s all the fuss about Probiotics and what does it mean for your pet? Well things like stress, anxiety, diet and medication can upset the balance of bacteria that are operating and create minor problems such as diarrhea or gas.

The two main beneficial bacteria for dogs are Lactobacillus acidophilus and Enteroccocus faecium (previously known as Streptoccocus faecium). These Good bacteria can out-compete some of the Bad bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E-coli) and prevent them for colonizing inside the GI track (Ugly). In addition,  L. Acidophilus and E. Faecium produce lactic acid. Lactic acid in turn stimulates the development of L. Acidophilus and E. Faecium and increases the acidity in the large intestine, which is unfavorable for some pathogenic bacteria and good for increased enzyme activity.

Probiotics are believed to be useful in improving digestion and are reputed to help improve immune function. Adding probiotics to your dog’s diet may be most useful if your dog (1) has had antibiotic treatment (2) has changed to a new food (3) has a food allergy (4) has inflammatory bowel disease (5) is a senior animal or puppy.

Probiotics live in the large intestine for the most part. For a probiotic to be effective it needs to get to the GI track and that means surviving the ultra acidic environment of the stomach, then passing through the small intestine and into the large intestine. And all this means that you need millions and millions of bacteria, a kinda of survival of the fittest and numbers rule!

Okay. So this means when you go to buy pet probiotics you have to check the label. Dogs need to consume billions of bacteria to ensure that most will live and act inside the GI tract. Thus on the label, manufacturers express the number of live bacteria as a measure of colony-forming units or CFU per gram of probiotic.

When looking to purchase a probiotic, look for a product that has billions of CFU per gram. You may see this reported in scientific notation. For example, one million probiotic bacteria may be reported as  1 x 106 CFU and 1 billion may be reported as 1 x 109 CFU.

When choosing a product that claims probiotic presence, consider the following criteria (1) the list of ingredients should identify the positive bacteria species that is being used such as L. Acidophilus and E. Faecium (2) The label should guarantee the number of CFU in millions or billions per gram. (3) It should be a product that is specifically designed for dogs. (4) finally watch out for shelf life and other store conditions such as excessive heat or cold. You’re dealing with bacteria so over time they die and certain types of bacteria strains loose their effectiveness.

In summary the scientific literature hasn’t exactly come down definitively on probiotics good or bad but one thing we know for certain is that they are unlikely to cause any harm to your pet. Always check with your vet though just to be sure especially if your pet has just come off an immune challenge or from surgery.

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by William Greenbaum, aka love ya woof!

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The answer my friends is purity! Inside NASAs space shuttle, engineers spend exhaustive hours cleaning equipment and consoles to astonishing, almost unimaginable levels of germ free purity because the consequences of a flight crew or passengers getting sick from contaminants or viruses is so severe and dangerous. Similarly fish oil products used in diet supplementation for dogs or cats must also be pure to be safe and effective.

Bonnie Johnson from Nordic Naturals was telling me yesterday about her Cod Liver Oil product and the extraordinary lengths that company goes to to exceed standards to ensure purity and quality.

Essentially, purity is everything. What your ‘person’ or your ‘pet’ adds to their food should be not 100% percent free of contaminants, but like the space shuttle,  over 300% or more free of imperfections or traces of debris or other things.

This explains why Nordic Naturals (which by the way we carry) is the most EXPENSIVE Omega-3 Cod Liver Fish Oil on the market. Now can that be a good or bad thing. It depends on your pocketbook and your approach I suppose. For me I’ve never compromised on quality across a wide-range of consumables that I have bought, and so paying extra for Nordic Naturals makes sense to me because the product really does go through the ‘hoops’ to emerge at the other end of the manufacturing process as the cleanest, purest, most effective, medicinal dietary supplement for pets.

I will to come back to purity in a moment but another thing is taste. If you’re feeding Cod Liver Oil to your pet as part of its normal diet then it should taste good. I have to admit that I haven’t eaten any recently (I probably should one of these days), but my dog and my sister’s dogs really laps it up. Nordic Naturals Omega-3 for pets simply tastes great.

So back to purity. Here’s the thing. Its gotta be there if a product is to work properly and add value and health to your pets diet. To achieve a pure oil (derived from ocean fish) that is free of microscopic trace elements of heavy metals, dioxins, PCB’s or up to 210 other sinister environmental contaminants you have to have a purification and extraction process that is unbelievable, and Nordic Naturals does. Why? Because the Norwegians invented the product and make it in Norway (and ship to us) and their standards are so technically beyond what we do here in the States that they hit the purity mark and exceed it. I am told for example that Nordic Naturals oils show no detectable PCBs when tested down to to 0.5 ppt and the Norwegian Medicinal Standard limit for PCBs is 3 ppt. So with the extraordinary hyper focus on purity, this explains two things, why the product is so good for your pet,and why its more expensive.

And like the space shuttle and our space program, its a cost that I’m happy to bear so that we can reach beyond what we thought possible and hit new levels of health and vitality. Namaste,

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by Wlliam Greenbaum aka love ya woof!

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8 Great Reasons Why Dogs and Cats Need Omega-3 Fish Oils!

1. Omega-3 fatty acids are a healthy part of the canine and feline diet.

2. An imbalance in the ratio of omega-3s to omega-6 can result in inflamation.

3. Observed health benefits in canines and felines include heart health, joint mobility and movement, eye health, weight management, brain health, and healthy skin and coat.

4. Typically, a diet of commercial pet food and/or table scraps does not supply adequate quantities of omega-3 fatty acids. In addition, these foods often provide and excess of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids.

5. Omega-3 fatty acids help decrease inflamation and improve immune response in dogs.

6. Low omega-3 status may contribute to aggressiveness in dogs.

7. For many decades, show dogs in Norway have been given cod liver oil every day to maintain healthy skin and coat. Scientific research has shown that omega-3s help maintain healthy skin and coat in both cats and dogs.

8. Cod liver oil is a valuable source for pet and adds important nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA plus Vitamins A and D.

prepared by William Greenbaum / Copy supplied by Nordic Naturals, Copyright 2009.

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