by William Greenbaum,  aka love ya woof!

Pets Add to Our Lives

Ferndale, WA: Pets play a vital  role in our lives. Whether its a dog that makes you feel great around the Christmas tree or a cat curled up beside your elderly aunt, pets provide comfort and help us emotionally smile and live a life that is hopefully stress free. Indeed, dogs,  cats and horses, turtles, hamsters and goldfish, pets teach us about caring for something smaller than ourselves and also teach us about love and kindness. I think they say everything about us as a person and our approach to daily life. In fact research shows that pets provide ‘life lessons’ about love and caring and they improve our physical and emotional well being.

Pet Health Questions & Health Concerns

Since we share so much in common with pets we also by default share their health concerns. We get worried when they suffer from separation anxiety, allergies, cushings disease, ear infections, skin disorders, etc.  I’d say we ‘humanize’ them, feeling their pain and almost feeling their suffering. The close relationship is often so big and so profound that when one of our pets gets very very sick and then passes we grieve as much as if we had lost a true family member.

When our pets get sick or we have a health concern typically the first thing we do is call the vet. After all they are trusted and trained. In more acute health challenges veterinarians (as we see in allopathic traditional human medicine) prescribe drugs and typically what these drugs do is suppress the symptoms and so begins a very interesting dance – in that as the symptoms begin to aggravate and become worse stronger drugs are prescribed more frequently. The drugs attack the health disorder with side effects and they seem to cure cure the disorder only to have the heath disorder return with increased discomfort when the drugs are stopped.

Enter the era of alternative therapy, which according to research firm Packaged Facts has seen double digit growth at up 1.15 billion over last year(1). Alternative ‘holistic’ pet medicine is growing in popularity because it is filling a gap that traditional veterinary vmedicine cannot meet;  and as costs of traditional veterinary drugs and vet visits climbs more pet owners are turning to alternative healing modalities to help their companion animals with not only treatment but with prevention too.

In our company we say you can think about alternative healing modalities and preventative care such as homeopathy and herbal remedies and Bach flower essences — which work very well but not instantly. What seems to bug people about alternative medicine is that it doesn’t work instantly, but we say nothing in nature does. Its us humans that invented the idea of instant cure so this is carried into allopathic traditional medicine everywhere. Natural medicine takes time sometimes as much as 90 days and often the pet or even the patient feels terrible whilst on the medications – as an aside this is nothing to fear it is called medically ’sign of progress’ – meaning you often feel worse whilst your body adapts to heal itself on the road to recovery.

Avoid Low Grade Garden Variety Commercial Pet Food

To  our way of thinking the first thing you have to think about to help your pet is to avoid commercial pet food meaning those with high fat content or excessive grains or chemicals. Even then many pet foods lack essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fatty acids vital for your pet’s health. On the market today there are stunning new natural health diet supplements such as Nordic Naturals or Udo’s  Choice that are chaulk full of the nutrients and vitamins required for a normal diet – essentially they put back in what the processing and manufacturing of pets food leaves out.

In addition, natural pet health care products help with joint pain recovery, motion sickness, nerve calming, muscle relaxants, digestive health, skin and fur health and eye drops for clarity, oral health, weight control and bladder i.e. urinary health. Also available are natural shampoos and insect repellents for our pet’s comfort and health. We even have available to us, natural aromatherapy products to control unwanted order and enhance our pet’s emotional well being.

Happiness is Pets

Bottom line, we are grateful for the lessons that our pets have taught and continue to teach us. We can actively demonstrate our appreciation, respect and responsibility for our animal friends, by attending to their physical and, yes, emotional health by providing our pets with natural pet health care products that keep them safe, healthy, vibrant, and active. Our efforts are beyond obligation. Our caring for our pets is motivated by our gratitude and love.

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1. The natural and healthy pet food market has more than doubled since 2005, currently
sitting at $1.5 billion. According to market research firm Packaged Facts, the market is
expecting to hit $2.6 billion by 2014.

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by William Greenbaum, aka love ya woof!

FERNDALE, WA: Eee gads, what is that horrid smell? Good people, unfortunately its your dog’s ear and it caused by bacteria and is likely an ear infection that’s acting up.

Pet ear infections are one of the most common ailments that veterinarians see patients for. So before we begin with helpful tips, lets come up with a list of symptoms.  First of all, head shaking, scratchy neck or ears, holding one ear flopped over or rubbing neck and ears into the carpet — are all symptoms of a possible ear infection. Some ear infections have a powerful odor to them, anything from a sweaty sock smell all the way up to foul rotten egg style stench, so use your nose (oh my my) to determine where the smell is coming from, whether its coming from your pet’s mouth, its skin or the ears.

Why do dogs get ear infections? The three most common reasons are: Number 1, the natural configuration of your dog’s ear and ear canal. Number 2 underlying allergies, and number 3 inadequate drawing after moisture has been introduced into the ear, and sometimes a combination of all three reasons.

Fight Ear Infections Use All Natural Herbal Ear Rinse

So what can you do to reduce the possibility of your dog getting an ear infection? First of all when bathing your dog avoid getting moisture in the ears. Use an ear cleaner to actually clean the ears (see our Animals Apawthecary Herbal Ear Rinse CLICK HERE); put the ear cleaner in the ears, then massage the ear base then wipe the excess off with cotton balls or ear wipes. If you think your pet might have a food allergy, try a hypo  allergenic diet (ask your vet);  also after swimming, if your dog likes to swim, make sure you use an ear cleaner at the end of the day. Finally if you suspect your dog has an ear infection and whatever you are doing isn’t working, see your vet right away.

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All Pet Naturals Interviews Georgina Bradley from DogStars

by William Greenbaum, aka love ya woof!

Ferndale, WA. BILL: It is my pleasure to be here this morning with Georgina Bradley of  DogStars, which trains animals for roles in films such as 101 Dalmatians or television shows like Smallville. Welcome Georgina.

'Billy' the Cat in I Robot starring Will Smith

GEORGINA: Good morning Bill.  Thank you for inviting me.

BILL: I wanted to begin by asking you what is DogStars and how did you get into the business of training animals for movies?

GEORGINA: I have been in the business now for about 25 years training dogs and animals for film, print work, TV, press and commercials; and we have an obedience school where we offer courses and teach owners how to train their pets. I got into this career in my teens because I started as an assistant in a veterinary clinic and someone came in looking for help on a film set. So I worked on that one job, and then kept in touch with all the contacts I made and shortly found myself working more and more in the film industry training animals for different movies. Six years ago we started DogStars.

Bill: What’s it like working on films and working with marquee Hollywood actors such as Will Smith or Glenn Close?

101 Dalmatians

GEORGINA: There are two things that come to mind. I would say the bigger the star the more normal they are and every actor I’ve worked with has been so easy and we do prep time with them and they love the animals. I guess the other thing is that they are all shorter than they appear on camera except for Will Smith. They are all great. They  have first class work ethics because they have so much pressure on them. They show up on set and are 100% professional.

BILL: What was it like working with Will Smith?

GEORGINA: He’s awesome. We worked with him on the 2004 film I Robot. In the scene that we did, Will Smith is sitting in a room and his cat rubs up against him and then he picks it up and makes a dash through a collapsing building with smoke and explosions going on around him. There was lots of prep time involved – about three months for a 45 second scene, and just to do the shoot took about three weeks. He’s so easy going and he is just, well normal, friendly with everyone — the crew, other actors and all the stunt people.

BILL: Incredible. In films, what’s the difference between working with dogs or cats?

GEORGINA: Dogs are easier. Cats have attitude because they are more sensitive so training takes much longer and you can only get about 12 behaviors. For dogs, you generally get 6 to 20 behaviors depending on the dog. It goes way beyond sit/stay. In films we’re usually training  our animal talent for more complex behaviors taking into account new camera angles or any last minute changes the director may throw at us, so it takes much longer to prepare; in fact often many months of work before we go on set.  Once we’re on location, the animals need plenty of rest before they shoot and so we bring equipment and set up a kennel — an animal camp like a Green Room — where they can relax for about 12 hours and then get their make-up done. When we did I Robot we had stunt doubles meaning we had six cats playing one cat. I remember we trained 2  – 3 solid behaviors with each cat for that scene. The animals also do rehearsals, the whole thing just as if they were human actors.

BILL: Tell us about 101 Dalmatians. How did that come about? And what was working with Glenn Close like?

GEORGINA: I’m actually British so I have a Passport which made working in the UK possible. But going back before this, we worked on a Disney film that was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1994 called Homeward Bound, and when we finished the producers asked us if we wanted to bid on the Dalmatians project and go to London and of course we said yes! It was fantastic working with Glenn Close. She is a consummate professional. We were over in the UK for about a year working. on that film. Since then we have worked on Air Buddies, X-Files, Cats and Dogs Part 2, and Marmaduke and then on television shows like Smallville and The Chris Isaak Show.

BILL: Tell us more about DogStars.

GEORGINA: We not only do animal training for film and television  but we also have obedience classes, workshops and we offer courses on puppy socialization, acting classes for dogs and behavior modification. We also have courses leading up to an elite training instructor level. Finally, we have a talent agency where we rent out animals for print photography and other special events. Its fun and our clients really love the results.

Georgina Bradley of DogStars

For more information about DogStars, visit their website and blog CLICK HERE. For puppy training classes call Georgina at 604-878-STAR or by email info@dogstars.ca.

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The 2010 Olympic Winter Games

Ferndale, WA: My answer is yes they can. The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games will be the most ‘Eco-friendly’ and ‘Green’ in history and thinking about going green for a moment, I think Vancouver can teach us a lot about how we handle our pets, and the new mindset that has to be ‘turned on’ for future generations. So I guess I’m going to be quite trite here I suppose for now switching to Green Pet advice and giving pointers about eco-friendly pet handling.

My first pointer is that with our pets and proper ‘green’ care we can help in a small way to heal our planet. I think as all of us focus on the Games and the excitement of international sport, lets not forget that we can do a lot, and when one person does something multiplied by many more people we have a genuine movement and a positive trend. So here are a few ‘Green’ handling tips for pets this Winter and Spring.

1. Water – Give your pet filtered tap water instead of bottled to drink. If you must use bottled, be sure to recycle.

2. Poop – Scoop dog poop using bio-degradable doggie bags (See EcoBio in our store. CLICK HERE only $6.95 for 120 bags) instead of plain plastic bags from the grocery store. If you’re a suburbanite (or an urbanite with a lawn), do some research on doggie septic systems—they help keep your lawn free of smelly surprises and break waste down into a liquid the ground can absorb. And kitty parents, go for eco-friendly cat litters, avoiding brands with mined minerals.

3. Shampoo – Use earth-friendly pet shampoos and grooming products whenever possible.

4. Your Own Garden - If you have space, consider growing your own garden for your fruit- and veggie- loving reptiles and small mammals. Before using insecticides, research mulching and other gardening practices that can help reduce the amount of insecticides and herbicides you might need.

5. Carpet Spots – Should your furry love leave a little dribble (or more) on the carpeting or floor, don’t reach for the bleach. Use vinegar instead. This environment-friendly liquid can act as an effective odor-remover and can kill mold and bacteria. Please keep in mind, though, that vinegar must be diluted correctly with water.

6. Cutting Back - There are plenty of small ways to cut back on energy and materials.

• Instead of using a blow dryer to dry your freshly bathed pet, towel or air dry her.
• Walk your dog to the doggie park rather than driving there.
• Cut down on paper products—clean up with rags or recycled paper towels.
• Put light and heating bulbs in your reptile and fish habitats on timers.

7. Wipe Paws After A Winter Walk – After a winter walk outside your dog’s paws could potentially pick  up anti-freeze or windshield wiper fluid both of which are toxic, and since your pet will lick his or her paws immediately following a walk remember to wipe them clean with warm water, and do this twice.

Bacon Crunchers - All Natural. Only $7.95 Free Delivery

8. Buy Organic & Natural Treats With Plain Packaging – This one is dear to my heart since we just started baking our own dog treats and packaging them in recycled ‘plain brown’ paper bags – simple, hip and good for the environment.

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by William Greenbaum, aka love ya woof!

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Winter Paw Basics

Ferndale, WA: With the huge snowstorms passing through the eastern seaboard please be mindful of your pets paws and the importance of keeping them clean and healthy during winter. Here’s a quick  tip. It’s pretty much essential to keep your dog’s paws clean after a walk outside. When your dog comes back into the house he will licks his paws and he is likely to ingest anything that he has walked over and that could include antifreeze  or windshield wiper fluid, which are extremely dangerous and toxic. In winter sidewalks and streets are covered with salt, which can irritate canine stomachs when ingested and dry pads out, causing painful cracks. When you and your dog come back in from a walk be sure to clean your dog’s paws.  Use warm fresh water and sponge all the paws and wipe clean and dry, and then wash again or use  paw wipes making sure that you clean out all the particles or grit that gets caught in between.

END

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Part III

For injuries bandages are useful.  You can bandage an injured foot or leg, or even an ear using tape to secure it in place – the idea is to stop the bleeding whilst on the way to the vet. For heavy bleeding, such as surface wounds from fighting or other accidents take come cotton and gauze squares and apply pressure for as long as you can to stop the bleeding. you can even improvise a tourniquet by tying pantyhose above the bleeding area, if it is on a leg,  and keep the pressure on for five minutes then release for one minute, unless it is still bleeding excessively.  At this point you should be on your way to the veterinarian or emergency clinic.

Bandages that are useful are gauze, some soft kind of padded bandage, as well as a conforming bandage, which you  can get at some good pet stores or your vet’s office. Please note that YOU MUST TAKE CAUTION! as any dog or cat, however, gentle, will BITE when they are in pain, so just do what you can without injury to yourself and get to the vet as soon as possible.

You will also need some blunt scissors to cut any bandages and tapes with it. Cotton swabs are useful for cleaning wounds, as is hydrogen peroxide. It is best to dilute the 3% hydrogen peroxide using one part of this to nine parts of water, the use this mixture to cleanse the wound. Bandages and swabs can be found at any pharmacy.

Part IV Next

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Part II

To take the temperature it is best to use some lubricating jelly which is applied to the end of the thermometer before it is inserted in the rectum. It is  also best to have someone firmly hold your cat or dog, for obvious reasons since the tube is usually made of glass.

Another useful things to have on hand is a heating pad. This is helpful  if there is any kind of shock, or low temperature, or for general sickness and debility as well. Get one that is designed for animals and make sure the electric wire  is covered and unavailable for chewing.  In an emergency how water bottles can be improvised using empty plastic bottles which are filled with hot but not boiling water.

Shock can be seen due to serious injury or medical problems such as acute diarrhea, hypoglycemia, blood loss, poisoning and many serious internal problems that might not be evident without x-rays or blood tests. If your pet shows any of these signs seek medical help  as soon as possible. In general the smaller the animal the more rapidly they will go into shock and the more urgent the medical attention is required. This applies especially to young kittens and puppies, who are very susceptible to chills as well as hypoglycemia.

The next useful thing to have is pediolyte, or another dehydration fluid. This is basically water and electrolytes and is essential if your animal is having diarrhea or any signs of shock such as low temperature, cold extremities, pale gums and weakness. You will need a syringe to administer the pediolyte and a five or ten cc syringe usually works well, you  can give one or two syringes of this into  the mouth every hour until they are looking better, depending on the size of the animal. To check for signs of dehydration is is best to take  the skin at the scruff of the neck and raise it up between your finger and thumb then let go. If it goes immediately back to normal they are not dehydrated. If it stays up a few seconds, then are starting to get dehydrated and need to be given oral rehydration fluids immediately as described above. another useful thing to start giving, especially to puppies and young animals of any type is a little honey and  water, or even glucose. The honey needs to dissolved in a little hot water then some cool water added to get it into a solution which  can be given with a syringe. Toy breeds, such as chihuahua’s are particularly prone to hypoglycemia and low blood sugar, especially as puppies, so this is well  worth doing in an emergency, when you are not exactly sure of the cause.

Part III – Coming Next

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January 2010, reproduced with permission.

FERNDALE: Every pet owner knows the importance of having a first aid kit around their house, but not everyone knows what should be in it or how to use it. This article is designed to give you some practical suggestions as to what sort of  things maybe useful and how  to  use them. When your pet is sick, or there is an accident or emergency it is  not always possible to get to the vet right away. There are some things that can be done with a basic first aid kit that can help your cat or dog or if serious increase the chance of survival.

The first thing to have on hand is a thermometer, and if your pet seems to be not eating, depressed, to have diarrhea, or any  respiratory symptoms then it is worth taking their temperature as soon as possible, to see if they have any sign of a fever, indicating an infection. Equally important to be aware of  is when  the temperature is too low.  This indicates that shock may be starting. For example if they are getting dehydrated, or losing blood somewhere, although there are many other causes too. The normal  temperature for  cats and dogs should be on average 101 to 102 degrees Fahrenheight.  Below 99 is too low, and a sign that the animal is too chilled or going into shock. And above 103 degrees is usually fever.

End of PART I

Here is our recommended First Aid Kit for Pets:

• Thermometer
• Lubricating Jelly
• Pediolyte
• Honey
• Syringes
• Heating Pad
• Hot Water Bottles
• Bandages
• Medical Tape
• Cotton Gauze Squares
• Cotton Swabs
• Bandage Scissors
• Tweezers
• Bulb Syringe
• Eyewash
• Eyebright Solution
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Rubbing Alcohol
• GoldenSeal or  Calendula Lotion
• Rescue Remedy
• Arnica
• Kao-Pectate
• Slippery Elm

Also always have on hand …

1. Your local vets telephone number (2)Emergency clinic number (3) Numbers for the animal poison hotline  & poison control for pets (1.800.548.2423)

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Dr.  Gardner can be contacted at www.petsynergy.com.

PO Box 81 Brinnon
WA 98320
Phone Number is 360-SYNERGY(360-796-3749)

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by William Greenbaum, aka Love ya Woof!

Aromatherapy for Pets

Ferndale: WA: We specialize in world-class healing modalities that are created by brilliant formulators at the top of their healing art; and then what we put our name behind has to be safe, effective, reliable, natural and non-intrusive; and that ladies and gentlemen is how we do things at our company which leads us to Essential Oils, Massage Oil,  and Aromatherapy for pets, (dogs in particular).

Aromatherapy is an ancient healing art that has been around for centuries. It is an alternative healing and rejuvenation modality that has been proven to enhance physical, mental and spiritual health, so why not for pets? They also could share in the healing and calming effects of aromatherapy that will also lift their spirits and energy too.

Essential Oils

OUR product line of essential oils for dogs is  Travel Easy Aromatherapy Mist, Lavender Calming Oil, Lavender Calming Mist and  Labor Easy Oil (for female dogs about to give birth). Because dogs have an extremely keen sense of smell, the powerful scent of essential oils must be diluted to the optimal level required to be effective and then creating the perfect combination of herbal and essential oil ingredients is in itself a high art that requires years of training and hands-on practical experience.

Aromatherapy Can Work Wonders

DOGS experience stress just as we do. Dogs maybe grieving, suffering from separation anxiety, summer heat, the upheaval of moving or the introduction of  another animal or human into the household. At times like these, dogs need a quiet and tranquil atmosphere which will go a long way toward calming them. Here are several ways you can use essential oils on your pet:

Dog Massage

RUB 1 to 3 drops of  Lavender Calming Oil between your palms until heated. The beautiful aroma of our oils will fill you with joy and already you will begin to feel calmer.

So starting with the dog’s snout, use long, firm strokes to massage the animal. Work your way up the head, gently massaging the ears, behind and below the eyes, the top of the skull, the cheeks, the neck and chin. Work down and then up the forelegs, down the spine, rump and down and back up the hind legs. Massage the belly very gently. Finish with the tail. Always keep at least one hand on the animal. Don’t use pinching, hitting or pulling techniques.

The essential oil ingredients in Lavender Calming Oil include Lavender which is one of Nature’s natural sedatives and Marjoram Oil for restful sleep, calming and aching muscles. If you do not wish to rub the oil onto your hands you can always use a rubber horse groomer to smooth through the fur.

Lavender Calming Oil with Marjoram, Ecuadorian Palo Santo

Calming Bath for Dogs

Add 1 to 5 drops of  Lavender Calming Oil (Only $19.55) to bathwater. Speak to your pet in soothing tones and use your hands to scoop the warm, scented water over his body. Don’t demand that the dog sit or stand; let him do what he likes. After the bath, wrap the dog in a clean towel and gently rub him. Place one drop of lavender essential oil on your palm and rub your  hands together to create heat. Smooth your hands over the dog, rubbing the oil into his coat. This will calm him immeasurably.

Essential Oils for Cats

NOT RECOMMENDED. Essential oils are not recommended for cats because they are unable to metabolize them the way dogs and humans can. Due to their thin skin, cats absorb the oils rapidly into the bloodstream where they quickly build up to toxic levels because they cannot be excreted.

Why our Aromatherapy Products are Different

All products in our aromatherapy line contain rare and exotic ingredients from the Andes Mountains in Ecuador. Andean herbs posses potent and therapeutic properties and are sourced from indigenous communities. The oils are harvested in an organic and environmentally sustainable manner and are free of pesticides and harmful chemicals. In addition, everything is prepared in small batches, and finally, they are very affordable and smell absolutely wonderful.

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