If your pet has been diagnosed with kidney failure, there are natural treatments that can help. The first thing to be aware of is that monitoring will help you know what is needed. Many veterinarians will do blood work periodically to see how things are progressing. The BUN and Creatinine are the most commonly monitored […]
In my last blog I gave the background for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Now let’s look at possible causes and treatments. Studies show an association between the feline distemper vaccine and CKD. It turns out that the viruses used in the vaccine are grown on feline kidney tissue cultures. While the vaccinated cat’s immune system […]
Chronic renal failure, aka chronic kidney disease (CKD), can affect dogs or cats but is more common in cats. Over their lifetime, 1 in 3 cats and 1 in 10 dogs could develop CKD. It is typically seen in elderly animals and is usually caused by the wear and tear of aging, although I believe […]
Titan is a 3-year-old, lab mix. His caregiver adopted him two months ago. She noticed right away that he had trouble passing stool. He would cry and act as if in pain. Sometimes he held his stool in for a day or two to avoid the pain of pooping. Titan’s caregiver took him to her […]
Did you ever wonder what’s really in your pet’s processed kibble or canned food? Most pet caregivers really do not want to know – but I’m going to spill the beans anyway. Just as you can’t judge a book by its cover, there is no way to know what’s in pet food by reading the […]
Isn’t there a special rabies vaccine for cats that does not cause vaccine sarcoma cancer? Yes, and no. There is a line of vaccines (Purevax from Merial) that was developed with vaccine sarcoma cancer in mind. When vaccine sarcoma cancer was first recognized in the 1980s, it was thought that the adjuvants in the vaccine […]
I have long thought that there is a natural, in-borne compulsion for compassion in both people and animals. I talked about this in my second book, The Holistic Health Guide. It has always seemed to me that we tend to want to help when we see someone in need. Think of the news stories about […]
There are many names that have been given to holistic medicine. These therapies are often known as Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine or CAVM. “Complementary” sounds nice. It’s nice to think we can all get along and work together. But, what about alternative? What’s that about? Well, for some people alternative medicine means that they […]
A recent study found that blueberries worked better than Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) to calm the brains of rats that were put through a process to simulate Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This research is important for dog caregivers because SSRIs are sometimes used for separation anxiety, storm phobia and other behavior problems. When you […]
I have a few more thoughts on vaccines that I gained from the recent I took to pass on. In my last post I mentioned a 2005 vaccine study. It showed that the smaller the dog, the more likely it is to have a vaccine reaction. One more nugget from this study was available from […]