Thursday, July 24, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Before and After Raw Feeding
Wow, this is incredible! Only 11
weeks difference from the first picture and the second on a Prey Model Raw Diet. Amazing, isn’t it? Thank you Jessica, for
allowing me to share such wonderful success with your raw fed dog. Beautiful teeth to match a beautiful dog.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Over Vaccinations: Why You Don’t Need Boosters
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| Picture taken from http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine#mediaviewer/File:Smallpox_vaccine.jpg |
Today is not a
topic between core or non-core vaccines. I will write about
the difference and importance of those in another post.
In my personal
opinion, I truly believe there is a place for vaccines. They are important for
the safety of our pets as they help in the attempt to minimize and eradicate the
threat of lethal viruses. Without them, the cases of sick or dying pets’ would
be much greater, just as the cases of sick or dying humans would be greater around the world. Vaccines are effective; it is why we use them. They are the
reason smallpox has been eradicated worldwide.
However, over vaccination (administering booster
vaccines) is an issue that is occurring in vet offices needlessly. When your
pet is young, they undergo a series of vaccine shots, this series is important
to complete. Young animals have not had the time to develop their immune system
and this leaves them vulnerable to lethal viruses which is why introducing microbes
of the dead viruses in a way they cannot actually contract it, is a smart and effective
way to protect your pet.
As said above,
it is important to complete these series of shots; giving one shot of each
vaccine is not enough to guarantee immunity against the virus you wish to
protect against. Because the body’s immune system is young and not developed,
it must learn and match the appropriate T cell with the virus to build immunity
within the body. This is why completing the series of shots is needed,; after
one shot, the body does not always ‘take’ fully to the vaccine leaving your pet
still vulnerable to potentially contract the virus.
After the puppy
or kitten series are complete, your pet is immunized. Many of these have an average
immunity duration of 5 to 7 years or more. Within those years, if your pet’s body is
challenged with the any of the virus’s you immunized against, then the
antibodies in the blood will increase again which allows your pet to have more
years of immunization against the viruses. In many cases, your pets will be
immunized for life without ever having to give “booster” vaccines. If the
average duration of vaccinations are 5-7+ years, than it makes absolutely no
sense to vaccinate (boost) the animal every year.
Some people like
to titer their pets every year or every other year after the completing their series
of puppy or kitten vaccinations. Titers tests the level of antibodies in the
blood at that given time. It does not test for T memory cells that help the B
cells create antibodies.
*I would like to note that just because a pet’s titer
count is low, it does not mean the pet has low immunity. That just means the
animal’s body has not been challenged recently causing the antibody count in
the blood to reduce over time.
If the pet were to be challenged recently before
you did the titer, that same low titer would no longer be low anymore because
the memory T cells have recognized the virus and alerted the B cells to start
producing more antibodies in the blood to kill the virus before you even knew
you dog or cat was ever sick with the virus again. That increase in antibodies
in the blood will give you a higher titer count. This same process goes for
humans.
This
is why I truly feel boosters are not needed and can be more harmful than beneficial
for you pets. I've listed resources below that help explain immunology,
titers, vaccine protocols, and even the risk of over vaccinations.
Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwMYpTYsNZM
(series of videos that explain immunology)
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
The Benefits of Milk Thistle For Heartworm Medication
Milk thistle is
a flower that has been used as medication for thousands of years as a way to
help detoxify the liver (Naturally, 2014).
This is beneficial today because it reduced the stress load on the liver when
harmful chemicals, and the like, enter the body. Since the liver is what is
taking the brunt of filtering out all the negative toxins in the body, it is a
good idea to make the liver’s job a little easier. Milk thistle not only helps
detoxify, but it also helps repair the liver by protecting the liver cells from
damage caused by toxins (Taylor and Becker,
2011).
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| I use the brand Now. | |
Milk Thistle for Heartworm Medication
As stated in my previous post, Heartworm: What You
Need To Know, heartworm medication is a poison meant to kill microfilaria and
parasites which is toxic to our pets bodies. Because of this, it can be damaging and taxing on the
liver to filter out the toxins from the medication. If you have decided to administer
heartworm medication after reading and learning about the lifecycle of
heartworm, then it is a very good idea to give milk thistle for one full week
after administering heartworm medication. Dosing milk thistle varies by body
weight.
Dr. Karen Backer’s
dose recommendations are very vague:
-
½
capsule a day for small dogs and cats (Taylor
and Becker, 2011)
-
1
capsule a day for medium dogs (Taylor and
Becker, 2011)
-
1
capsule twice a day for large/giant dogs (Taylor
and Becker, 2011)
Other's have
a more accurate dosage recommendation:
-
<5lbs: 10% of adult daily dosage (Hofve,
2002; Mastiff, 2005-2009; Petz, 2011)
-
5-10lbs: 15% of adult daily dosage (Hofve, 2002; Mastiff, 2005-2009; Petz, 2011)
-
11-2lbs: 20% of adult daily dosage (Hofve, 2002; Mastiff, 2005-2009; Petz, 2011)
-
21-4lbs: 30% of adult daily dosage (Hofve, 2002; Mastiff, 2005-2009; Petz, 2011)
-
41-7lbs: 50% of adult daily dosage (Hofve, 2002; Mastiff, 2005-2009; Petz, 2011)
-
71-100lbs75% of adult daily dosage (Hofve, 2002; Mastiff, 2005-2009; Petz, 2011)
-
>100lbs 100% of adult daily
dosage (Hofve, 2002; Mastiff, 2005-2009; Petz, 2011)
Resources for further
information on milk thistle for heartworm medication and more:
Bibliography
Hofve, J. (2002, July). Milk
Thistle. Retrieved June 25, 2014, from Canine Epilepsy Guardian Angels:
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/milk_thistle.htm
Mastiff, T. (2005-2009). Timing
Heartworm Preventative. Retrieved June 25, 201$, from Tubetan Mastiff:
http://www.tibetanmastiff.net/Heartworm.html
Naturally, D. (2014). Milk Thistle
For Your Dog! Retrieved June 25, 2014, from Dogs Naturally:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/milk-thistle-for-your-dog/
Petz, J. (2011, December 13). Milk
Thistle (Silymarin). Retrieved June 25, 2014, from Canine Epilepsy
Resources: http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/MilkThistle.html
Taylor, B., & Becker, K. S.
(2011). Dr. Becker's Real Food For Healthy Dogs and Cats: Simple Homemade Food.
Natural Pet Productions.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Handsome Boy
Baxter, a 7 month Rottweiler x German Shepherd mix. He loves to cuddle and chase sticks. What a sweet boy!
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Recreational Bones
Part of feeding
our pets a healthy diet is also feeding our pets safely. I hear the phrase, recreation
bones, thrown around a lot when talking about raw. For those of you who do not
know what those are, recreational bones are, non-edible, raw bones from weight
bearing animals that have been stripped of most, if not all, meat. Non-edible
means they cannot be crushed into smaller pieces to swallow safely for
nutritional purposes.
Examples of Recreational Bones:
Even though recreational bones are raw, they are not okay to feed for several reasons:
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| Photo courtesy of US Wellness Meats |
 |
| Photo courtesy of US Wellness Meats |
 |
| Photo courtesy of US Wellness Meats |
Even though recreational bones are raw, they are not okay to feed for several reasons:
- They are dense
bones from weight bearing animals such as cow or elk and can chip, crack or fracture
teeth which is painful for the dog and expensive to fix.
- They are a
choking hazard.
- They do not
clean teeth; they wear down the teeth by destroying the enamel. The gnawing on
hard bone files down teeth over time. Cleaning teeth is more than just crushing
up bones but also the flossing and rubbing action when eating meat.
- They do not
provide any more mental stimulation that feeding whole pieces of raw meat cannot
provide.
- Wolves have
been documented leaving these types of bones at the kill site; stripped of meat
and then left untouched.
When I first
started feeding raw, I paid no attention to the warnings of those more
experienced than me about the dangers of recreational bones, such as beef
shanks, femurs, marrow bones, and knuckles. I ignored them because I felt I was
doing everything right and Balto was not an aggressive gnawer. Well, a month
into feeding them, after one particular session, I noticed Balto had chipped two
of his back molars. Thankfully they were only superficial chips and no real
damage was done for the vet to fix. I was lucky in that sense, but I put Balto at
risk simply because I felt I knew better. It was then I swore off of
recreational bones. I believe that the costs outweigh any benefits people may
feel recreational bones might provide.
However, weight
bearing bones with lots of meat still attached is fine to feed. Feeding big pieces
of bone-in beef, elk, venison, buffalo, moose, etc. with plenty of meat attached
is okay because by the time they get down to the bone, their excitement for the
food has dwindled and they are much calmer to gently tear at any remainders of meat
without damaging their teeth or chocking. When the bone is bare of meat, it should
be discarded.
*I would
consider antlers to be an unsafe recreational bone to feed as well.
Safe Recreational
Treats to Feed:
I feed Balto bully
sticks which are dried out bull pizzle (penis). It is a healthy and safe alternative
to recreational bones. He loves them, they help clean teeth, massage the gums,
and they exercise the jaw. In addition, they are not too hard that they will
crack, chip, or fracture any teeth. You can’t ask for a better treat!
Pictures of Balto eating a bullystick.
If you are
interested in a particular topic, leave it in the comments below.
Friday, June 13, 2014
An Easy Way To Check For Ticks
Dogs with hair are typically easier to check for ticks as many pet owner in the hot, summer months shave their pets down. But what about the dogs that do not get shaved down in summer?
Balto has a double coat which means he has A LOT of fur to get through and a lot of fur ticks can hide in.
Hair dryer. Putting the dryer on the highest speed possible parts the fur allowing you to easily check the skin for any unwanted visitors. It also cuts the time in it takes to check your dog in half. My hair dryer has a cool setting on it which I use to check him since he gets hot pretty quickly on the normal setting. Balto loves it; he falls asleep with the cool air while I’m racking my fingers through his fur.
You can use this method on cats and ferrets too. However, keeping your cat still during the whole process may prove to be a bit tricky. Good luck.
Tick Identification Chart:
http://www.doverlyme.com/information/ecology/tick-identification-chart/
How do you check your pets for ticks?
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