All Pet Naturals Blog

Natural Treatment for Dog Allergies over Thanksgiving

by William Greenbaum, aka love ya woof

FERNDALE, WA – Well its the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and people need to spend time with family so thinking too much is definitely not in the cards nor is a long-winded article that goes into tedious detail about dog allergies. Just Google ‘allergies’ on the net and thousands of references will come up that you can pursue, but in this article lets just go over the basics and cut to the chase. So if your pooch is suffering from allergies this Thanksgiving, what can you do? How can you use natural treatments and cut down on the symptoms? Easy.

Allergy Guide

FOOD

Change it. Many commercial pet foods are loaded with highly processes, inferior quality ingredients that appear because of the manufacturing process, as well as chemicals that may contribute to overall ill health or trigger allergic sensitivities. Switch to higher quality, more natural  food with few allergic offenders.

Eliminate processed treats (e.g. S’  nausage). Get rid of treats that contain gluten (e.g bread or biscuits made from wheat, barley or rye). You can serve food from the table as long as its not grapes or onions. Sauces, gravy made from mixes, processed food (i.e deli meat, processed cheese) should not be given to you dog. Fat or gristle from meat is not appropriate as a dog treat.

OMEGA -3s

Give ‘em. We have the top fish oil in the world, Nordic Naturals, that is loaded with Omega-3’s. Gel or Caps, your choice.  Nordic Naturals Fish oils have been shown to help  reduce the allergic inflammation affecting both the skin and the intestines by promoting the production of natural anti-inflammatory substances in the body.

Omega-3 Fish Oil from Nordic Naturals

HOTSPOTS

To help stop the scratch-itch cycle and soothe skin irritations,  apply a wet, warm black tea bag on the affected spot. The tannic acid in the tea bag has a soothing effect relieving the itch. Hold the bag to the skin for 4 – 5 minutes. Do this twice a day for a least 3 days. Following the tea bag treatment, apply  Aloe Vera either from an opened leaf or from a a purchased gel/ Aloe speeds the healing process. See our article on this uses of this herb.

Another get product that we carry that does double duty as both an anti-inflammatory and a Hotspot healer is our ViraFungal Fighter. Its wildly popular because it does such a great job on both problems. In case you want to check it out, visit this hyperlink. ViraFungal Fighter sells for $25.95 in our store.

EARS

Keep your dog’s allergies in check, clean their ears with water + vinegar (a 50:50 combination) or rubbing alcohol + vinegar (50:50). AllPetNaturals also carries a great product that can make your life much easier and cheaper too. Its called Animals’ Apawthecary Herbal Ear Rinse. Click this link, and the hyperlink will take you right to the page where you can order.  The cost is only $11. Its got great reviews and is used by many Holistic Veterinarians.

IN THE HOME

To keep pesky allergens in check. Do the following:

1. Don’t use scented laundry detergent when washing dogie blankets. Wash in hot water. Also don’t use fabric softener sheets when drying blankets.

2. Use glass or ceramic dog dishes, n ot plastic which gives of toxins that stimulate allergic reactions.

3. Dilute dog shampoos. Dilute Conditioners. Use about a squirt of each but dilute with one cup of water.

DIGESTIVE ENZYMES

Digestive Enzymes improve nutritional absorption, and reduce the allergenic load on the intestines and you dog. These should contain:  Protease (to break down protein), Lipase (to break down fats),  Amylase 9to break down carbohydrates), Cellulase (to break down plant fiber). A great example of this is our Organic Green Alternative product in our store,

Organic Green Alternative 300grams, only $24.95

or also Udo’s-Choice Pet Essentials for Dogs. These are super star products that work brilliantly to provide the body with a a full suite of digestive enzymes.

- 30 -

References: Dr. Lea Stogdale, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Clear Pristine Oceans of Norway

FERNDALE, WA – Nordic Naturals (www.nordicnaturals.com) was founded by Norwegian-born, Joar Opheim, MBA, who recognized the lack of high quality fish oils in the US when he first arrived here 20 years ago. “Having been born and raised in Arctic Norway, where the fishing industry is a crucial part of both commerce and academia, I was aware of the importance of pure Omega-3 in the diet.”

Omega 3 Pet from Nordic Naturals. On sale. Order Today!

Over the last decade, Nordic Naturals has set the standard for quality in Omega-3 supplements. Today, the company is the leading supplier of fish oils to retailers, consumers and medical facilities.

Nordic Naturals products are crafted from the highest quality raw materials and processed with its innovative, patented technology. This allows them to deliver levels of freshness, taste and purity unheard of only a few decades ago. In the competitive Norwegian market, leading medical doctors describe Nordic Naturals as “simply the best in the world.”

Pet Products from Nordic Naturals

Upon the success of their products for humans, Nordic Naturals started a vet/pet division a few years ago making high quality products for dogs and cats. The company uses the same oils and quality standards to manufacture both the human and pet products, offering pets the purest, freshest Omega-3 fish oils from Norway.

Some pet diets may include Omega-3 fatty acids. However, virtually none include satisfactory amounts of the most important Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. In line with pet recommendations in Scandinavia, the company feels it is crucial to give pets quality fish oil every day.

Pet Cod Liver Oil is derived from 100% wild Arctic cod, providing your pet with the benefits of high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids with all natural vitamins A and D. No flavor added.

Omega-3 Pet is derived from 100% wild anchovies and sardines and is an exclusive Omega-3 fatty acid formula that is encapsulated in soft gels. For pet owner convenience, Nordic Naturals offers Omega-3 Pet for ease of use and travel with pets. No flavor added.

Benefits for Pets

Fish oil supports exceptional brain and eye development and promotes heart and joint health while nourishing skin and coat for cats and dogs. For more information, see www.nordicnaturals.com. Scientific studies can be found at www.omega-research.com. Products are available at health food stores, pet stores and from many veterinarians as well as online at -

allpetnaturals.com

- 30 -

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Homemade Pet Food is the best diet for both dogs and cats – the natural ones, coming as close as possible to the diet they would eat in the wild. Cats are naturally carnivorous and have a high protein requirement, while dogs tend to be more scavenging and eat more of a variety of foods, requiring less protein than cats. It is possible, but not easy, to feed a dog a balanced vegetarian diet, though I do not really recommend it. It is, however, almost impossible to feed cats a purely vegetarian diet. If one looks at the teeth of cats and dogs, and counts the number of grinding teeth, and the number of tearing and shearing teeth a ratio can be worked out of the protein, carbohydrate and fat content that the diet should consist of,  for both species.

Pets today are fed highly processed and artificial foods, composed of unnatural ingredients, such as soymeal, artificial colorings and flavorings, as well as harmful preservatives such as BHA and ethoxyquin. They should really be fed homemade pet food.

The meat content is often composed of by-products, which can be anything from cancerous tissues, to diseased organs and can be anything that is considered not fit for human consumption. If we would not eat these things why should we expect our pets to do so? Even relatively good pet foods, which may not contain harmful additives, with the trend to preservatives such as vitamin E, are still nowhere as good as feeding your pet a natural, preferably organic, balanced diet, similar to what they would eat in the wild. Think of it this way – a fast food hamburger meal may be completely nutritionally balanced, but do you think you would be healthy if you ate it every day of your life?

DOG DIET

A good basic homemade pet food dog diet should be composed of 50% grains, which should ideally be boiled or steamed. This more closely matches semi-digested grains in the stomachs of the animals that dogs consume in the wild, which is an important part of their diet. The staple grain is usually brown rice, but other organic whole grains such as oatmeal, barley, millet, corn or amaranth can also be added for variety. Vegetables should make up about 25% of the complete cooked diet and I also recommend boiling or steaming these lightly, then chopping them finely depending on the preference of the individual pet. Some larger dogs love their vegetables whole or raw and this is fine, while some smaller breeds may enjoy them made into more of a puree in a food processor. It is also fine to finely grate raw vegetables such as carrots or zucchini. Virtually all vegetables are acceptable, although favorites include carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, yellow squash, zucchini and Brussels sprouts.

The protein content should be also about 25% although some people prefer to feed higher, especially to young, active, working animals, pregnant females, and growing puppies. If the meat is organic and fresh it can be safely fed raw, which is the ideal.

A healthy dog should have enough acid in the stomach to safely kill pathogenic bacteria. If the source of the meat is suspect it may be lightly steamed or boiled, and you may do this if you are nervous about feeding your dog raw meat, or if your dog is older or sick and tolerates lightly cooked meat better. I would not recommend feeding raw pork, because of parasites, and anyhow prefer beef, chicken turkey or rabbit as a protein source. Organ meats such as heart, liver or kidney can also be fed once or twice a week. Liver is very nutritious and large quantities are not required, or recommended because of the high levels of vitamin A but a small amount once or twice a week is a good addition to the diet. A large raw organic beef leg bone fed once a week is an excellent dietary addition and keeps your dogs teeth free of plaque and gum disease.

An occasional egg is also acceptable, and these can be fed raw or cooked, although some people prefer to remove the egg white when feeding them raw because this contains an enzyme which can denature biotin, an important B vitamin in the body. Personally I feed my dogs an occasional raw egg, just as they might scavenge in the wild, and have seen no problems from this, and they love it. Fish is also acceptable and this is also something that dogs, and other wild carnivores would eat in the wild if they had the opportunity to do so. The best way to measure the diet is to make mix 2 measures (such as a cup) of grains with one measure of vegetables and one measure of meat. It is also essential to add vitamins and minerals to the diet. A useful mixture, which was formulated by Dr. Pitcairn is given below:

2 cups of nutritional yeast with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of bonemeal and 1/2 cup of kelp powder. Mix together and add to the homemade pet food diet daily. See chart below for quantities.

In addition mix separately 1 1/2 cups of olive oil, or safflower oil with 50 to 100 iu of vitamin E. I also like to add 1/4 cup of flaxseed oil, which is good for the coat.

·up to 15 lb dog – 2 tsp of powder and 1 tsp oil mix daily

·15 to 30 lb dog – 4 tsp of powder and 2 tsp oil mix daily

·30 to 50 lb dog – 2 tbs of powder and 1 tbs oil mix daily

·over 80 lb dog – 1/4 cup powder and 2 tbs oil mix daily (tsp = teaspoon, tbs =tablespoon)

HOMEMADE CAT DIET

The basic homemade cat diet should be composed of 60 % protein, which should consist of organic ground beef, raw or cooked organic chicken, eggs once a week if desired as well as some cooked fish or other meats such as turkey, rabbit or organ meats. The same thing applies about feeding organ meats, as it does for dogs, so once or twice a week a small quantity can be fed such as a couple of teaspoons. Again it is fine to lightly steam or boil the meat and some people use the broth from the meat if it is boiled to flavor the rice and vegetables.

Approximately 20% of the cats diet should be composed of vegetables which can be lightly steamed broccoli, carrots, zucchini, caulifower, corn, or any other vegetables that your cat happens to enjoy. Some cats love cucumber for example and others also love fruits such as melon, mango or apple, and if your cat enjoys these healthy treats it is fine to supplement their diet this way.

The grain content of the homemade cat diet should be about 20% once again, and the staple should also be brown rice, steamed or boiled then it is best to puree it down to a finer consistency for the cats shorter digestive tract, though once again this can depend upon the individuals cats’ preference and digestive tract. Other grains that cats enjoy include amaranth, oatmeal, cous-cous, barley, millet and these should be well cooked and mixed in with the brown rice. You may just have to experiment to find out what your cat likes best, some cats can be incredibly picky and be addicted to their unhealthy junk food diet! Other cats, especially when raised this way love nothing more than their raw food diet and are a joy to look at!

Once again a vitamin and mineral supplement is essential and it is important to ensure that cats get enough of the essential amino acid taurine, as a deficiency of this can lead to blindness. The vitamin and mineral mix can once again be prepared in advance and are taken from an excellent book from Anitra Frazier called, The New Natural Cat, The Complete Guide for Finicky Owners.

* Mix 1 to 1 1/2 cups of nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup of kelp powder, 2 cups of wheat bran and 2 cups of bone meal. Feed one teaspoon daily to an average size cat. In addition feed 200 iu of vitamin E once a week and 10,000 iu of vitamin A twice a week. Give up to 250 mg vitamin C daily, which should be gradually introduced to bowel tolerance, since too much added too rapidly to the diet can lead to a mild diarrhea, which soon resolves when the vitamin C is decreased.

- 30 -

reprinted with permission,

by Dr. Dr Anna Maria Gardner MA Vet MB MRCVS

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

by William Greenbaum, aka love ya woof!

In three major media publications this week it was reported that the pet supplement industry is where the natural products industry was 15 years ago, and I agree.

From my perspective sitting a top a new business and website — the business being Brilliant Health International (wholesale distribution) and the new webstore allpetnaturals.com, I’ve looked at the markets and studied everything I could get my hands on and all indications are that the trend is solid and it makes perfect sense.

In the natural health business, all product categories are  packed, jammed tight in which several major players dominate and penetration is tough, there are listing fees and branding is expensive.

At this juncture not so in the supplements business for animals. Herbal bladder control capsules for dogs, all natural anxiety formulations (see our Tranquility Blend), urinary tract support (Tinkle Tonic), joint relief for horses — take a walk through any pet store, natural foods store or vet clinic and you will see a complimentary medicine revolution taking  place. As a result many top guns such as Thorne, Heel, FoodScience Corp, Nordic Naturals and Flora Health USA are seizing the opportunity and moving into the business and using pet supplements as the tip of the spear to maneuver.

In the August 4th issue of Nutrition Business Journal, the title of which is Are Pet Supplements a Good Brand Extension for Human Supplement Firms, they reported the going is tough and this new territory has its own intrinsic set of challenges such as a convoluted regulatory environment and a veterinary field that is ultra cautious. But from 50,000 fet it makes perfect sense.

Whilst I was the CEO of Biomed International (Canada) and Terra Medica Natural Medicine (United States) we were looking for additional revenue streams where we could find them. The reason was simple. We were operating professional lines of German homeopathics and there were just so many accounts we could land and that meant a revenue ceiling and diminishing long run returns as our costs and overheads slowly rose.

So brand extension into new  markets with formulations that could be tweeked to work in the pet busines made perfect sense to us at the time. But the article in the Journal also said something else smart too, and that is that there is no automatic guarantee that extending your reach into the pet world is going to work. You may have a signature brand but can it translate to the animal kingdom?

“It’s definitely a good time to get into the business, ” said Dale Metz, CEO of FoodScience Corp. and a founding member of the National Animal Supplements Council (NASC). “But if you are a human supplement company and you think you can just take your existing product line and put it in a capsule for an animal, that is not the case. Its complicated.”

In my view there are two amazing product lines (both of which we carry) called Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil and Udo’s Pet Essentials from Flora Health USA that will do brilliantly – and in fact already are proving to be top performers in our web store.

We stock their pet supplments and oils and our sales are rising. Udo’s and Nordic — these guys are the best in the supplements biz so re-calibrating their formulations and moving into the pet business is one smart move.

However, I think all companies that are moving in this direction have one thing in common and that is branding. At this early stage its not so clear that Brand can affect sales in the pet market and the reason is I think is that consumer is different, or maybe we don’t really understand their behavior yet because its just too soon. Inotherwords will the Nordic brand in Whole Foods translate to Woofgangs’ Pet Store here on Cambie?

So for me the moment I can’t answer that question I realize BOOM opportunity! I love figuring out my customer and calibrating how to talk and discuss and appeal to them. For me starring in to the abyss is fun and I relish the opportunity to figure this out. Right now for example allpetnaturals is running Facebook ads and from that we are gathering very rich information about about our customers and where they live and the surprises keep coming at me everyday.

But back to the supplments business and pets for a minute more or so. I would say that we really don’t grasp brand power and how that translates to sales in this new frontier, we don’t really understand consumer behavior yet and the marketing is all different. For one thing, human behavious around pets is highly emotive. As pet owners yourselves you are especially cautious and careful and in a funny sort of way more so than when you buy vitamins for your kids. Lets be honest about this right?

So this foggy triangle is what I think is one of the barriers to success in the category slip-over into pet supplements. As more and more firms begin downloading their supplements and other herbal or biological medications into the pet world they will find themselves up against these three things.

Over the next few weeks I think I will be reporting right here on our blog how we are doing unravelling these questions and hopefully sharing these insights with you – which will make us both more savvy and aware. Thanks for reading and good health to you and your wonderful pet companion. Namaste.

wg.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Please take our survey. At the end you will find a code for 10% off any product in our store as a way of thanking you for participating. Namaste, in health.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Cushing’s Disease or Hyperadrenocorticism

by Michael Richards, DVM

Cushing’s disease is probably more accurately referred to as hyperadrenocorticism — the production of too much adrenal hormone, in particular corticosteroids. It can be naturally occurring or due to over administration of corticosteroids such as prednisone (iatrogenic Cushing’s). The latter is easy to cure – just cut out the corticosteroid administration slowly to allow the body to return to normal function. The former is more difficult.

Hyperadrenocorticism occurs for two reasons — a tumor of the adrenal gland that produces adrenal hormones or stimulation of the normal adrenal glands from the hormones that control it. The primary reason for this to occur is a pituitary gland tumor that produces excessive ACTH, which stimulates the adrenal gland to produce corticosteroids. Adrenal gland tumors account for 15% of the cases of spontaneous hyperadrenocorticism. Pituitary tumors account for 85%.

Cushing’s disease causes increased drinking, increased urination, increased appetite, panting, high blood pressure, hair loss – usually evenly distributed on both sides of the body, pendulous abdomen, thinning of the skin, calcified lumps in the skin, susceptibility to skin infections and diabetes, weakening of the heart and skeletal muscles, nervous system disease and other symptoms. Most owners reach a point where the water consumption and urination become bothersome to them.

The diagnosis of Cushing’s can be done with several blood tests. A general hint of Cushing’s can be obtained by a blood panel. To confirm it, a test known as a low dose dexamethasone test is done. A baseline blood sample is drawn in the morning, an injection of dexamethasone given and a follow-up blood test done 8 hours later. In a normal dog, the dexamethasone should suppress cortisol levels in the blood stream. In Cushing’s disease this effect does not occur. Once the disease is diagnosed, it is possible to differentiate between the adrenal tumors and pituitary gland tumors using a second test, a high dose dexamethasone suppression test. Most dogs with pituitary tumors will have cortisol suppression on this test. There are other tests used, including ACTH response tests and urine cortisol/creatinine ratios to diagnose this disease. X-rays and ultrasonography can help determine if an adrenal gland tumor is present.

If it can be determined that there is an adrenal gland tumor, it can be removed. Many veterinarians prefer to have a specialist attempt this since the surgical risks can be high. Pituitary gland tumors are not usually removed in veterinary medicine. This situation is treated using Lysodren (o’p'-DDD, which is a relative of DDT) or ketaconazole. Some research with Deprenyl for treatment of this is being done, too, I think. Lysodren selectively kills the outer layer of the adrenal gland that produces corticosteroids. By administering it in proper amounts it is possible to kill just enough of the gland off to keep the production of corticosteroids to normal levels. Obviously, close regulation of this using blood testing is necessary since overdoing it can cause severe problems with Addison’s disease – hypoadrenocorticism. Adverse reactions to Lysodren occur at times but it is the standard treatment at this time. Over medication with Lysodren can cause inappetance, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and weakness. If any of these signs occur then your veterinarian should be immediately notified.

Treatment of Cushing’s disease caused by pituitary tumors is symptomatic therapy — it does not cure the pituitary tumor. The average lifespan of dogs diagnosed with Cushing’s, with or without treatment is estimated at 2 years by Dr. Mark Peterson, but in a recent conversation with another endocrinologist I came away with the impression that this was an “educated guess” rather than the result of extensive survey of Cushing’s patients. At present, though, I think that treatment should be viewed as a means of providing a better quality lifestyle rather than as a method of extending longevity.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Amos

Almost two years ago, my wife and I rescued a Hound/Beagle mix puppy called Amos.

He is a great guy.  Soft golden brown, friendly disposition and easy to care for.  Having a companion dog is a journey.  The friendship grows and deepens and we’re both still learning about each other.

When it came to nutrition for Amos, I was a little lost at first.  I bought the major brands of dog food for a while, listening to the recommendations of other pet owners.  But Amos can be picky and over the next year, I ended up purchasing a variety of dog foods, most of them tolerated, but none of them loved.

Most dog owners believe they have the answer when to comes to keeping their companions healthy.  And today, the word “natural” has come to mean different things to each of us.  For some, it means “out in left field” hippie-dippie pet foods and remedies.  Quackdom, in other words.

For others, “natural” is more about a holistic approach to nutrition and care for our pets.  After nearly two years of learning about what works for Amos and what doesn’t, I now stand in the second category.  Natural can definitely be better.

Because of current refining techniques, many processed pet foods lose their nutritional value by the time they reach store shelves.  Important vitamins, minerals and fibers that dogs require often have been removed.  Also, many pet foods are made with fillers, chemicals and other ingredients.

Natural foods are not intended to simply treat hunger in your dog.  Food should also address the various circumstances that can arise in his or her health.  Good, natural nutrition is also about encouraging overall well-being in your pet such as minimizing skin ailments, fleas, ticks, joint problems and intestinal problems.  Truly natural dog foods are made of human-grade ingredients.  That means instead of by-products like meal, they contain hormone-free meat.  Natural dog foods also include ingredients such as whole grain rice, balanced Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids, digestive enzymes, and antioxidant vitamins.

There are dog owners out there who might balk at the cost of natural products.  But it’s useful to look at the equation this way:  In the long run, it’s less expensive to pay more for a bag of natural dog food because the dog eats less and suffers fewer ailments, which means fewer costly visits to the vet.

Also, dogs that consume a higher quality food have been shown to age slowly, and acquire fewer allergies and intestinal troubles.  Again, natural nutrition can mean fewer visits to the vet, more money saved, and a healthier, happier life for your dog.

I’m glad to say that I’ve found a brand of natural food that works for my best friend, Amos.  And I note each day that after he has eaten, his bowl is empty.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites