They’re cute and cuddly and beautiful, and we love them so! But, oh!, how do we take good care of them?! Take a breath, we’re going to dive into key natural health tips for new pet parents, to get your furry family member on the right track for life…a longer, healthier life. Whether you’re a first time pet parent or are ready to add another dog or cat to your family, this info is critical for vibrant, good health.
Let’s unpack what that means now.
The core of good health for people and their pets is nutrition. So, before you continue with the dry food the breeder used or they ate at the shelter or was recommended by your vet, think again.
Kibble = Poor Health
Designer dry food. More expensive dry food. It doesn’t matter, because dry food is dry food. And, the process it goes through to become kibble, robs it of all of the nutrients inside. Essentially, it’s dead food, bolstered by artificial supplements added later to attempt to replace the living food it was to begin with. And, because your baby’s commercial food is considered “feed” instead of real food, the FDA is not obligated to inform you of what exactly is in it. Crazy, right?
What’s even crazier still is what could actually be in there! News from informants inside the production and manufacturing plants of pet food brands have confirmed horrific details of bodies of dead animals and euthanized cats and dogs making their way into commercial pet food. There is a large case in play right now concerning people’s pets who died after consuming food tainted with enough of the euthanasia drug pentobarbital to kill them. Unregulated. It’s scary.
So, it’s important to do your homework when deciding on what to feed your new dog or cat. You, of course, want safety; good quality. But, I’d also look into what is going to provide your baby with the most vital and comprehensive panel of nutrients possible. Don’t shoot the messenger but, for that, you have to look to raw.
Raw food, because it isn’t heated in any way, contains live enzymes killed in the process of making dry, canned or dehydrated raw food. Those live enzymes hold the key to vibrant, good health for your dog or cat, because they enable our bodies to digest the food we eat. They break down the various foods we consume – proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins—into smaller compounds that the body can absorb.
There are lots of ways to get those good nutrients into the body –
- fresh or frozen raw, which includes raw meaty bones, and organ and muscle meats
- home-cooked meals of vegetables and ingredients that cover the spectrum of vitamins and minerals needed by a dog’s body, with raw or lightly seared meat included. For cats, who are complete carnivores, home cooked simply means you can lightly sear the meat or just serve raw
- Freeze-dried raw food, which comes packaged, is convenient and you just add water and stir. Brands like Primal, Dr. Marty’s or Sunday’s Food for Dogs are good. For kitties, The Simple Food Project creates a freeze-dried with human-grade ingredients. Looks good and we are testing.
Pet parents are often asking me what they can do if they just can’t afford to feed raw or freeze-dried raw, and here’s what I tell them. Do your best. This is a process, a journey. Try mixing some of the dry food you’re feeding with a little fresh raw, lightly seared raw or freeze dried. See if you can get a dry food that says on the package that they use human grade ingredients, because those are held to a higher standard. Inject as much as you can afford to of healthy food. It will make a difference.
One of my students, Shari, told me her 8 year old dog, Annie, started acting like a puppy again and her chronic eye issue resolved, just from changing her diet to raw. Another student, Valerie, said her dachshund’s chronic ear infections cleared just from changing his diet to home cooked with lightly seared meat or fish.
Nutrition is a powerful healer. For more info on nutrition, see my post on itchy skin and food.
Get Educated About Vaccines
The pressure is high! Maybe your vet insists that without the annual or 3-year rabies vaccine or the annual multi-vaccines vets give so much now, that your pet will not be protected; that you are not being a responsible pet parent.
That is just not true. The real truth is this: the DHLPP (distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvo, and parainfluenza) vaccine included in puppy shots usually gives a lifetime of protection. And, rabies vaccines often protect your dog for 7 years or more.
The Leptospirosis part of this vaccine I would be very very wary of. It is not part of the core vaccine profile, many dogs won’t ever be exposed to it and there have been many side effects, including kidney failure and death, associated with this vaccine. You can read an in depth post I wrote on my other site, Bark & Swagger, about a dog named Gracie Lou. His dad reached out to me when his girl died after her second dose of the Lepto vaccine.
In general, DHPP, DHLPP are not required by law, no matter what your vet may tell you. Only a rabies vaccine is required by law.
Avoid the multi-vaccines, as they place undue pressure on your dog’s system to process a lot of toxins at once. And, while conventional vets don’t associated longer term health problems with vaccinations, holistic vets know this is true. The harmful adjuvants(the carrier molecules and immune system stimulants, including the salts from metals like aluminum and mercury) and preservatives (including mercury) in vaccines disrupt your dog’s overall body balance; his immune system. Vaccination and over vaccination can cause a whole host of chronic health issues like:
- Allergies
- Skin problems
- Digestive issues
- Autoimmune disease
- Thyroid problems
- Joint disease
- Cancer
When it comes to puppies, its mother’s milk provides immunity for a number of weeks. Conventional vets aren’t sure how long that lasts, so they will recommend vaccinating 4 or 5 times starting at 6 weeks, over the course of several weeks, when your puppy may only need one shot to protect them for life! This is craziness.
Dr. Ronald Schultz, PHD, spent his career researching vaccines and the fallout from over vaccinating. His advice is this: wait until your puppy is 16 weeks of age BEFORE you vaccinate, not 6 weeks, when the puppy is still protected by the antibodies in its mother’s milk. Then, give your puppy ONE Parvo, Distemper and Adenovirus shot; that’s it. His research goes on to show this one shot will protect your dog for life.
For cats, same argument. Their core vaccine is FVRCP (includes herpes, calici, and panleukopenia viruses). Dr. Lisa Pierson, DVM, reported that her two cats, who she lost at 18 and 20 years old, respectively, tested for sufficient antibodies for all of these just before their deaths. They hadn’t been given a FVRCP vaccine since they were kittens. So, you see just how long vaccines can last in protecting our pets.
Please do your own research and choose wisely for your dog or cat.
Learn Natural Healing for your Pets
If ever there was a time when a pet parent feels helpless, it’s when their pet is sick. I know. I’ve been there. And, there’s nothing more empowering than a pet parent who knows what to do when that happens, and has the knowledge and tools to naturally heal them.
There are a lot of natural modalities that contribute to healing. From my experience, there are far fewer that truly cure. Homeopathy is one of those modalities. It requires education to learn how to determine the correct remedy but, boy, when you know, miracles happen. But, it’s actually medicine. There is another healing substance I’m researching now, which just involves taking a supplement, if you will. Stay tuned for a post all about that, as well as a podcast with the scientist & creator of it. Super exciting!
I encourage every pet parent, whether a first time, of a puppy, a senior or in between to explore natural healing. Why? The not so obvious reasons many pet parents aren’t aware of is that pharmaceuticals are either suppressive or palliative. Neither are good but suppressives are worse. What do these mean?
A palliative drug only works while you are taking it, so when you stop, the original symptoms reappear.
A suppressive drug works, the symptoms disappear and may not return, but the internal imbalance that caused the symptom(s) in the first place, remain, and the body must find another way to release the pressure, so to speak, of that imbalance. So it goes deeper to a more critical part of the body. If each expression of symptoms is suppressed with drugs and the body continues to go deeper and deeper to express that imbalance, eventually, it affects the critical organs of the body. And, that is when you get cancer, liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease, brain disease.
Think twice before giving your dog or cat drugs. Learn, in advance, another way so you’re ready when you need those skills. Your pet will thank you as you’ll be contributing to a longer, more vibrant life for them.
Key Supplements to a Healthy Body
I’ve met so many pet parents who have their babies on a laundry list of supplements. Not necessary! A balanced body on a truly nutritious diet doesn’t need a gazillion supplements. Here’s what I would recommend:
- a great fatty acids supplement with a strong omega 3’s profile. I love the product Safe Sea by Four Leaf Rover. I use it with my dogs.
- a great probiotic. I’ve been using a soil-based probiotic as research has shown it’s more easily available to a dog’s body. I like Adored Beast’s Fido’s Flora and Four Leaf Rover’s Digest.
- a great CoQ10, the enzyme that helps support and protect the heart, the brain and more. I really like the liquid CoQ10 supplement from cardiologist, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, through his Ageless Paws brand. You can learn more about why CoQ10 is so important and how not all CoQ10 is created equal from my interview with Dr. Sinatra on my podcast.
- supplements that can’t hurt: I use a medicinal mushroom blend from Four Leaf Rover called Immunity, and a vitamin E supplement I purchase on Amazon.
The Happiness Protocol for a Stronger Immune System
Hmm…the Happiness Protocol? What the heck is that? LOL! It is REAL! It costs nothing and you can’t buy it in a store. Simply put, it is creating an environment that makes your dog or cat happy. For dogs, giving them time to sniff outside, such an important thing for a dog to do. Sniffing tells them all they need to know about their environment, makes them more comfortable, warns them of impending danger, real or imagined and gives them joy. Also, foraging for food or treats in a snuffle mat is a great way to stimulate their brains while having fun. For cats, a stimulating environment to climb and play or play sessions with you with a favorite toy. For all, time with their best friend…a furry one and/or you! Loving on your pup or kitty is a great way to boost their immune system through the Happiness Protocol.
This will give you a great head start in caring for your new furry family member, focusing on things that are pillars of good health and can contribute to your baby living its longest, best life ever.
Stay tuned for more info on natural healing, and check out my podcast, The Hound Healer Reports (link above), for interviews with other experts in the natural healing for pets space.
To their health!
Jody 
