All Pet Naturals Blog

FERNDALE,  WA: Holistic is derived from the word whole, and refers to the treatment of the whole organism, rather than the treatment of individual body parts, or the removal of symptoms. Conventional or Western medicine tends to concentrate more on the removal of symptoms. Holistic veterinary medicine encompasses many modalities, including conventional medicine where it is required or appropriate.

Modalities such as acupuncture, homeopathy, herbalism or nutrition are better referred to as complementary rather than alternative, as they can complement more traditional methods not just be last resort alternatives. It is required that the practitioner treating animals with whatever holistic method be first and foremost a licensed veterinarian. This is because veterinarians are rigorously trained in the diagnosis of disease and the practice of veterinary medicine and can determine the best approach for an individual patient.

For example a broken leg often requires surgical intervention, although homeopathic remedies can subsequently be used to increase healing, and decrease pain and inflammation. This is an example of true complementary medicine, where the best of all worlds is available. Holistic veterinary medicine includes many modalities.

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reprinted with permission: Dr. Anna Marie Gardner MA Vet. MB, visit petsynergy.com | 509.892.7423

by Bill Greenbaum

BILL: It’s my pleasure to be here this morning with Dr. Anna Marie Gardner of Pet Synergy, a wonderful holistic veterinary practice in Washington State. Let’s start with your background and how you became a holistic veterinarian.

ANNA: Thanks. I was born in England and knew from the age of 5 that I wanted to become a vet and have loved and kept animals of all kinds. I achieved my dream when I graduated from Cambridge University in 1988.

After I graduated I went to Hong Kong and I had a dog that got quite ill and conventional veterinary medicine wasn’t helping much and my dog was dying. I talked about this with friends and sought advice and one thing led to another and I started looking into holistic and natural medicine. It made so much more sense to work with the body, rather than against it by merely removing symptoms. I treated his condition with homeopathics and within a few weeks my dog was back up on his feet, much healthier and gaining weight.

I came to the United States in 1993 and re-wrote all my licenses and worked in Florida and Texas specializing in holistic medicine. Then I moved to the Seattle area and the Olympic Peninsula.

My practice has always been busy. There are a lot of people looking for alternative treatments especially with the high costs of conventional medicine, and at one point I had a waiting list on a waiting list. But I have a growing family now so I have had to cut back on my hours and certain areas of my practice to make the whole thing more manageable.

BILL: Many people are confused about the difference between traditional veterinary medicine and holistic veterinary medicine. Can you clarify for us?

ANNA: Holistic means “whole” and we look at the balance of the body and at different aspects of health such a diet, environment, temperament, emotions, anxiety, and not focus solely on suppressing a particular ailment. Treatment can include not only homeopathics, acupuncture, massage or herbs but also traditional veterinary medicine.

BILL: Do you see a trend? Is holistic veterinary medicine growing in popularity?

ANNA: I would say yes it is. There is a downside however. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon these days about natural and organic and holistic, and people have to be careful. There is a lot of pet food and medicine out there for example that make a claims that they are holistic or 100 percent natural, and people should read the labels and be careful as to what they buy.

BILL: We noticed that you practice acupuncture. Can you tell us how acupuncture works in animals?

ANNA: Acupuncture is very popular. It works for animals the same way as it does for us. There is not much difference apart from the anatomy. The Chinese have been treating humans and animals this way for thousands of years. Animals are surprisingly open to this form of treatment and they respond well. They have the same energy blocks and issues surrounding balancing the body.

I have found that animals look forward to their visits. They jump up onto the table and are happy to be getting treatment and relief from their pain. I do a lot of home visits. My fee is $75 and includes acupuncture.  The first visit might be a little more since I don’t know the case history so it takes slightly longer.

BILL: Tell us about a successful case where you used acupuncture or perhaps another treatment modality and  found wonderful healing success.

ANNA: Yes I had one Dachshund  that was a very successful case. He had a disc rupture and surgery was required which may not have been successful. I treated him with acupuncture and was able to reverse the process or stabilize the process, and he was able to walk again.

Another case involved homeopathics, in fact it was my dog that I had in Hong Kong who was suffering from a blood problem, in that the marrow in his bones was not producing sufficient red blood cells. I treated him with homeopathics and he responded really well, and this was what inspired me to study and become a holistic veterinarian. Homeopathics can be used to treat liver issues, kidneys, arthritis, cancer and skin problems.

BILL: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

ANNA: People need to remember that holistic medicine is not a quick fix. Its a gradual healing process, and from a vets point of view we look at diet, food, the environment and many other factors as we approach and decide upon treatment. Also, a holistic approach is inclusive not exclusive. By this I mean that we very much include conventional medicine into the treatment mix so as to look at it from different angles. The last thing I would like to say is that prevention is better than the cure. Treating our animals right from the very beginning means they usually never get sick and come to see me.

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Dr. Anna Marie Gardner, M.A. Vet. MB MRCVS

Holistic Veterinary Medicine

Certified in Veterinary Homeopathy / Certified in Veterinary Acupuncture

Olympic Peninsula, Washington State

Visit: www.petsynergy.com | Email: drgardner@petsynergy.com | Tel: 1. 360.796.3744

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, September 15, 2009

Healthy New Age: It’s my pleasure to be here today with Bill Greenbaum founder and president of allpetnaturals.com. Let’s start with your background and how you became interested holistic health for pets.

William Greenbaum: Thanks Kirk, let see. I have been in the health industry since 2005, and a pet owner all my life but they didn’t actually cross until March of this year; and how they did so was a bit of luck – opportunity crossing with preparation so to speak.

Long story short or short story long, I essentially, came up through the ranks starting in marketing and sales promotions where I had my own hip boutique agency; and after about ten years, I sold the firm and looked for another opportunity and boom, the universe answered and led me into health.

I was fortunate to be hired as Executive Director of the largest touring exhibition in the world. It’s very famous. Its called Dr. Gunter von Hagens’ BodyWorlds 2 – The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies.

I traveled to Chicago, Denver, Boston, Toronto, Cleveland — all over the U.S. with this fantastic exhibit and learned so much about our complex and fragile bodies, about disease, about anatomy, about our circulatory and nervous systems and the abuse we put our organs through. Not much holds us together only liquid, water and pipes. That’s it. Its weird and awesome at the same time. My experience with health was profound. I realized how gifted we are as human beings.

So when my contract was over, I became the President and CEO of a natural medicine company in Canada and the U.S. We were very successful. We manufactured and distributed 325 professional grade German homeopathic medicines to Naturopathic Doctors, and we got calls from vets and others in the pet world but we had nothing to offer them at the time.

One night I came home from the office, got knocked over by Leonardo my Italian Greyhound, nothing dramatic like hitting my head, but something occurred to me and I thought maybe I should venture out on my own to do this great pet medicine business.

So after a few more months I saw the potential and left to start my own company. We’re not manufacturing at the moment but likely next year we’ll start. However, we do carry the finest grade of natural products in North America for pets.

Healthy New Age: It seems that many people are only now becoming aware of the benefits of whole, healthy, organic food and supplements. Have you run into those who think it’s “over the top” to invest in natural health care for animals? For example, folks who think “it’s just an animal, so whatever food is cheapest is good enough.”

William Greenbaum: Yes I have but fewer and fewer people think like this. Times have changed. We ourselves think differently about the foods we eat and the wave is natural and organic so this translates to our pets.

It used to be that everyone bought low-end pet foods in grocery stores because convenience runs our lives. Now the big pet food manufacturers are up-grading their formulas which means they are responding to huge customer demand – and it is a good thing.

I was at the West End Dog Show in Vancouver recently and Purina was there with six different new high-end pet products – a big step for them. Everyone came to their booth.

Healthy New Age: Are you starting to see mainstream Veterinarians beginning to recommend alternative health products and treatment methods?

William Greenbaum: Yes this is huge. We are seeing this. The demand is coming from the public. More and more pet owners are looking at holistic healing modalities and alternative treatments. The America Holistic Veterinarians Association recently reported that out of 86,000 U.S. veterinarians, about 2,000 practice acupuncture and the number is rising. They also said about 300 vets take postdoctoral courses in acupuncture and its been like that since 2002.

What’s happening is what I call ‘trend  transfer.’ As we in our own lives get older and more concerned about our health we look elsewhere for more natural treatments and then we transfer this belief system to our pets, so its not surprising that popularity for acupuncture, massage, Chinese medicine, herbs and classical homeopathy are all rising.

Healthy New Age: I noticed on your web site a new dog harness that doesn’t restrain the neck area. Why is this important?

William Greenbaum: Its important for two reasons. Most people don’t realize that a dog’s optic nerve runs up the outside of the spine so any hard tug on the collar or a jerk sideways pinches the nerve leading eventually to eye damage.

Also, a conventional collar actually creates anxiety in an animal. When your dog pulls away its doing so to escape pain. Its counter intuitive I know and it seems weird but it is true. With our new harness, called Walkeez, the lead ring attaches down the back which changes the center of gravity so that the animal becomes more balanced and the dog’s body language is more natural.

Every so often, a simple innovation comes along and I like things like this — simple clever ideas that work. A friend from Vancouver, B.C., Simon Edwards, decided the dog collar needed a fresh look so he reinvented it in a very smart way, and he called his new design Walkeez.

The Walkeez harness is choke-free. It does not restrain the neck at all because it attaches behind the head further back. The harness then incorporates Tellington Touch. This is interesting and beneficial.

Briefly, Tellington Touch (TTouch) was developed by international animal expert Linda Tellington-Jones, PhD (Hons) to calm high performance racehorses in the U.K. The idea was to wrap the horse in a sort of X-pattern around the body, akin to a baby blanket, covering key touch points and this comforting wrap she noticed removed anxiety, and so the methodology was extensively researched and extended to other animals.

Walkeez uses this wrap style holding the animal securely calming the dog. The pet then is more natural allowing him/her to be more sociable around people and other dogs. The animal can then learn more appropriate behaviors.

Prices start at $49.95 USD for the smallest size that fits a Dachshund to $74.95 for the larger breeds such as German Sheppard’s and Mastiffs. Available in Red, black, Purple and Royal Blue. Shipping fees are a Flat Rate. We only charge $10.00 anywhere in North America, and that’s because we send everything by Postal Envelope. The Walkeez Harness fits great inside the envelope. If people are interested in buying one they should checkout our website so they can figure out the correct harness size. Its a very easy measurement to do.

Healthy New Age: How do Omega-3 oil products benefits pets?

William Greenbaum: By making up in vitamins and nutrients what ordinary pet foods fail to deliver. In most cases when manufacturers pump out pet food many key vitamins and nutrients are destroyed in the refining process. It is the same as our human food. Processed foods that we eat are convenient and fast but there is a price to pay. Many key vitamins are missing.  People are simply useless at replacing mother nature.

Omega-3 oils (usually derived from fish) are loaded with EFA’s or essential fatty acids. About 8,000 studies show that Omega-3 oils strengthen the heart, support the body’s natural anti-inflammatory response and nourish the bones and joints.

We should remember that for centuries, dogs and cats were wild and their diets consisted of natural foods that were actually quite rich in Omega-3 fatty acids typically derived from fish, algae, and plants. The two key acids that pets need are EPA and DHA and they are excellent at supporting healthy skin, coat, joints, brain, heart, and eyes, as well as energy levels.

Some pet diets may include Omega-3 fatty acids. However, very few include satisfactory amounts of the most important Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA.

We carry an exceptional line of Omega-3 oils from Nordic Naturals. The Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet line comes in two sizes 90 or 180 caps, and it is freshest and purest Omega-3 Oil on the market bar none.

Its new for the company to go into pets, people don’t really know about it yet, however, in the natural products industry for humans, Nordic is the market leader – a kind of Rolls Royce of Omega-3 oils. Harvard, Columbia and Georgetown Universities have all chosen Nordic Naturals for clinical studies.

Nordic’s Omega-3 oil contain very high bio-available levels of vitamins A and D. Vitamin A supports: vision, growth, immune function, fetal development. Vitamin D supports skeletal structure, maintenance of mineral status, muscle contraction, nerve conduction, cell signaling, and phosphorous balance.

Healthy New Age: Are there any immune system boosting supplements yet available for pets?

William Greenbaum: Yes. AllPetNaturals carries three top brands, lots of choice:

• Udo’s Choice Pet Essentials for dogs and cats
• Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil
• Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Oils
• Animal Essentials’ Plant Enzymes and Probiotics
• Animal Essentials Omega-3 Plus Oil for Pets.
• Animal Essentials Fish Oil Plus

These products are the premier ones on the market because of their quality and effectiveness when used to supplement a pet diet and are excellent immune boosters. They are manufactured under the highest quality standards and that’s something I want to talk a little about.

These days coming onto the market are products quickly formulated with a label thrown on the bottle then touted as effective and something pets love. I’d like to ask your readers to be a tad wary because of quality surrounding the method of manufacture.

At our online store allpetnaturals.com we only work with products that are created using GMP which stands for Good Manufacturing Practice. It’s a little misleading because it seems shallow in that everyone will say they have a good manufacturing policy. So what’s the big deal?

GMP is a very strict manufacturing process whereby every step in the creation of a product from formulation to bottling or encapsulation is checked by an independent 3^rd party, such as the FDA in the U.S. or by Health Canada in Canada. It’s very stringent and expensive. So only top players in the business can afford to do this and adhere to this comprehensive regime. I know because I was President of one such manufacturing company and we gladly went through many hoops to ensure quality.

The bottom line is that exceptional immune supporting supplements are on the market today, We’ve got six lines of the best and they are all proven performers in supplying essential vitamins and minerals at the molecular level to support the immune systems of your pets.

Healthy New Age: I personally eat and receive a lot of benefit from green superfoods that include various forms of algae, grasses, herbs, vegetables, etc. Are there similar products for pets?

Yes. There are many on the market. AllPetNaturals has one in particular that stands out. Its called Organic Green Alternative for Pets. One of America’s leading animal herbalists, Gregory Tilford, has formulated it for us.

This supplement offers a synergistic blend of nutritive herbs and spirulina in an easy-to-feed formula designed to compliment the natural diets of dogs and cats. $24.95 for 300 grams.

When added to your pet’s homemade or premium natural pet food, this formula provides added measures of systematic support in a food-like form that the body can freely digest and utilize.

Unlike high-potency vitamin supplements that may provide more nutrients than can be used, Organic Green Alternative will not place an undo burden upon the liver, kidneys and digestive system. Vets have found that senior animals do very well on this product.

RECOMMENDED FEEDING

For dogs – 1 teaspoon per 20 lbs. For cats – feed 1/2 teaspoon.

INGREDIENTS

Organic Flax Seed Meal, Organic Burdock Root, Organic Nettle Leaf, Organic Spirulina, Organic Pumpkin Seed, Organic Garlic.

Healthy New Age: Before we conclude today’s interview, is there anything else you would like to share?

William Greenbaum: Yes. The Chinese have a great expression. “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life!”  This is very true for me.

The natural medicine business for pets is poised for huge growth. It’s about fifteen years behind the natural products industry, and so it is an exciting time and place to be in business.

I think our company can do a lot of good. We can educate and bring to the public new ways of looking at therapy, and we can safely and effectively support and help the holistic health and happiness of companion animals.

I also want to say there is definitely a place for traditional veterinary medicine. I must emphasize this. There are many things veterinary medicine does much better like handle serious infections with antibiotics, cancer and emergency problems. I believe natural and alternative medicine should complement each other. They should go hand in hand and I am relieved to see the profession is opening up to new ideas such as acupuncture, Tellington Touch massage therapy, homeopathics even aquatic movement therapy. Namaste, in health,

William Greenbaum

BIO

William Greenbaum (aka love ya woof!) hails from Ferndale, WA and Vancouver, BC. He is an avid outdoor sports guy, entrepreneur, writer, musician, theater producer, poet and competitive tiathlete. He is also a life-long lover of the arts and serves on the board of Ballet British Columbia.

William is the Founder and President of All Pet Naturals — a natural health company dedicated to providing pet owners with the finest holistic lines of all natural homeopathic and herbal medicines on the market today.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information visit allpetnaturals.com or email him directly at bill@allpetnaturals.com or by cell phone at 778.238.7410.

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