Pet Health Guide

As a business, I’ve not been in the holistic pet care industry long. As a pet owner and pet care worker, it has been a very long journey. I came to this industry as a result of not only being extremely frustrated in traditional care and methods but because I am attracted to doing things naturally, the way God intended and always have been. What I’ve found in this industry is almost an oxymoron though.

Holistic means caring for the entire person, animal, whatever it is you’re doing -mind, body and soul. It means to not just treat symptoms but to get at the root cause and treat that. In the pet care business, it means caring for the animal BEFORE it gets sick using natural foods not kibble, using natural whole food supplements, using homeopathic and naturopathic methods to build up the immune system so that when those bugs, parasites, viruses, bacteria, etc., come knocking at the door, the animal’s body naturally fights them off without drugs and medicines. It means caring for the mind of your pet by exercise and interacting with them, training them using species specific methods, socializing them and so on. This is what holistic means.

Here is my dilemma: why then is the holistic industry full of the New Age movement (i.e., the One World Order Movement)? Even more so why is it ASSUMED that I am a new ager because I’m in this industry? I’ve had a couple of people in some of the networking groups I belong to be hesitant to do business with me thinking I may be part of “that new age” movement. I’ve also had new agers just assume I am one of them and like me based solely on that. I don’t know why precisely this industry is so inundated with this movement, but I am a voice for Christ in this arena - Who is THE Healer, THE Great Physician.

A few months ago I took a definitive stand to thwart any thoughts about where my alliance is but I didn’t want to push away any “possibles” for Christ. I started publishing a Christian Quote for the Day on my holistic pet care RSS channel, AspenbloomWellPet. I got a lot of hits per day on that. So I decided, with the help of my partner, Cathy Carlton, to put up an all Christian RSS channel that was encouraging and yet distinctly Christian and we called it Sharing Spirit - which is in fact a “subchannel” of AspenbloomWellPet. It keeps the two connected and no doubts as to where my faith lies.

I continue to share bits and pieces of my faith on AspenbloomWellPet -usually in my weekly editorial so that there is never any doubt. I was also fortunate to find another like-minded Christian woman to help me start up some audio classes in preventative pet care. She is a breeder and uses all holistic means to care for herself and her pets. We’re a novelty I can tell you! We both feel God has brought us together to infiltrate and penetrate, as we’re not called to isolate. We’re even calling our venture (her idea by the way) All God’s Creatures. That has never brought any negative feelings to anyone, and in fact, we’ve had great reception from the leaders in the holistic pet care industry including veterinarians, herbalists, aromatherapists, and so on.

I know that God gives us our talents, our desires, and our abilities. Then He gives us the wherewithal to use them for His glory if we’re but willing. So, He enables the called, and then opens the doors to do His bidding. I kept wondering, well how in the world are you going to use my love of animals and natural healing for anything Lord?
Good thing God has a sense of humor and can laugh at our ignorance, huh?

I feel very blessed that God is using me in this capacity -to shine the True Light into the darkness. While this road is not heavily traveled by Christians, or at least those who admit they’re Christian, I am hoping that many will “come out” and BE salt and light. Be His love so that those who believe they have the truth, but are being lied to, will be drawn into His Truth, His Holistic Healing!

Kim Bloomer, of Aspenbloom, is a preventative pet care consultant. She also publishes several RSS channels including Aspenbloom WellPet Visit her website at Aspenbloom Pet Care

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If your dog is an important part of your life, you will want to provide the best of care for her so she can enjoy a long and rewarding life. A trip or two each year to your veterinary clinic does not guarantee that your loyal canine will maintain her healthy appearance and youthful spirit. It is you, the dog’s owner, who can make the difference between your dog living a long, full life or one of physical disease and health problems.

Many dogs are treated like they are immune from common heath problems - they are NOT! They suffer many of the same health issues that afflict humans; teeth and gum disease, ear infections, toe nail problems, and hair issues, just to name a few.

Well, don’t get discouraged, because a few simple and easy grooming practices can help you prevent the premature aging of your pet. Basic personal dog grooming is the key to early recognition of skin and tumor issues, dental problems, and mobility difficulties.

To help you establish a regular dog grooming regimen, the following tips are provided covering five key areas; brushing, bathing, nail trimming, ear cleaning, and dental hygiene.

Brushing Your Dog

Brushing, or grooming, your dog is a great time for bonding with her and providing the physical contact that all dogs desire. This practice promotes a lustrous shine on the dog’s coat, whiling eliminating dirt, debris, and dead fur.

This is also the perfect opportunity to examine your dog’s skin for fleas and ticks, lumps, cuts, or contusions. And while you’re at it, take a moment and examine her ears, eyes, teeth and nails.

Bathing Your Dog

Here is the good news - most dogs only need bathing once a month, unless she likes to play in the rain and mud. If she does get dirty on a regular basis, adjust your bathing schedule accordingly.

A prerequisite to bathing is a good brushing. This loosens up any dead hair or dirt and makes the bathing process much more productive. A good practice is to start bathing your dog as young as possible. Generally start when she is about 14-15 weeks old, or earlier, if they tend to get into messy situations.

Find a good location to bathe your dog, preferably one that is contained and has good drainage. Undoubtedly, water will be spilled or shaken near and far. An enclosed shower or tub is an ideal location, or if your dog is a smaller breed, the kitchen sink can also work.

Wet your dog thoroughly, avoiding her head to keep water out of her eyes and ears. Plug your dog’s ears with cotton balls if there is a risk of flooding the ears. Use a dog shampoo and lather up the dog. Be sure to rinse thoroughly and squeeze off the excess water. The face should be washed with a soft, damp cloth. Towel dry your dog, and blow dry if desired, but it is best to keep her confined until dry.

Trimming Nails

Nail trimming can be a traumatic experience for some dogs. So, it is best to start the nail trimming experience as early as 2-3 months old to let your dog become accustomed to the practice. For puppies, you can often use finger nail clippers to tip the ends of the nails.

If this is just too much for your dog or puppy to handle all in one sitting, you may start with trimming only one paw at a time, giving your dog an extended break between sessions. The key to successful nail trimming is providing your dog lots of praise when she lets you cut a nail. Kind, soothing words of praise will let her know that she is loved and this experience is nothing to fear. Of course, a few dog treats after the session is over can’t hurt either.

Cleaning Ears

Inspect your dog’s ears often, but only clean them when there is evidence of dirt in the opening or canal. Use a cotton ball, never a cotton swab, to clean the dirt out of the ear. Soaking the cotton ball with a good ear cleaning solution provides the best results. Hydrogen peroxide can be substituted for the cleaning solution, if necessary.

If you notice that the dog’s ears are red, swollen, or emit a foul smell, the problem might be more serious and demand veterinary attention. Yeast infections, ear mites, and other ear problems are more easily treated by medications only available from your vet.

Keeping a Bright Smile

As a dog’s life span has been extended over the years, it is even more imperative that your dog maintain healthy teeth and gum tissue. You can assist her by brushing her teeth regularly. Start as early in life as possible, to get your dog accustomed to the feel of your finger or brush in her mouth.

Starting with your finger, or a special dog toothbrush fitted for your fingertip, begin massaging your dog’s gums and gently rubbing her teeth. Once she has become accustomed to the practice, try using a dog toothbrush, or small soft bristled human toothbrush, with dog-specific toothpaste. Never use toothpaste designed for humans on your dog.

Continuing this practice throughout your dog’s life will ensure that she will avoid gum disease, loose teeth, and related eating problems.

These easy-to-follow grooming tips take very little time compared to the years of enjoyment your dog will provide you and your family. Take care of your loving “best friend” and she will certainly return the favor many times over!

Bill Wilcox is a long time dog owner and experienced trainer. He is an avid author of dog care articles and writes for superior-dog-supplies.com and smart-dog-training.com. For more information visit:
http://www.superior-dog-supplies.com

http://www.smart-dog-training.com

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Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics, because the disease is caused by a bacterium that is introduced to your pet through a bite from a tick carrying the disease.

Antibiotics will be taken for a long period of time and some times and may not be very effective if your pet has had the disease for a long period of time. Sometimes, your veterinarian can switch the antibiotics so see if that may cure the disease. But, if your pet does get bitten again, the disease can reoccur.

So, the best treatment for lyme disease is in the prevention. Ticks can be found in many different areas and are just waiting for the next warm body. Keeping your pets out of thick brush and high grass will help them from getting ticks, but there are many products on the market today that can in fact keep ticks off of your pets or kill these pests if your pet already has ticks.

Bathing your pet or grooming your pet can also help in preventing ticks the time to attach to your pet. After, your pet has been outdoors, comb him completely and check his skin. This can be a long process if you dog or cat has long hair. But, it will be well worth the time.

If you do find a tick on your pet and it is moving around then you will be able to remove it very easily. Be sure to kill the tick. If the tick has attached it is very important it remove it properly. You can use tweezers or your fingernails. Grab the tick close to your pet’s skin and pull straight out very firmly. Do not allow any of the contents from the tick on your skin or your pet’s skin. Lyme disease can be transmitted through a cut on the skin. And yes, humans can also contract lyme disease.

About The Author

Niall Kennedy

http://www.pet-medication-supplies.net

Pet Medication Supplies helps you get the best possible protection for your pet. Advantix, Arthramine, Cosequin, Frontline, Heartgard - find the best deals in pet medication for flea and tick control, arthritis and lyme disease. Upto 50% discount everyday on brand names.

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