ANIMAL WELLNESS
For a long, healthy life!
WELLNESS
CAN DOGS BENEFIT FROM A
PALEO DIET? THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR DOG’S
TOP 6
OILS & FATS
MICROBIOME HOW INDOOR
AIR QUALITY
DOGGIE PLAYTIME
AFFECTS HIS HEALTH
WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT!
Rehabilitating
RESCUE DOGS CANINE OBESITY – 5-step plan to a healthier weight
HERO This “Super Collie” wowed the world with his performances on America’s Got Talent, and he’s still turning heads everywhere he goes!
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 Display until November 12, 2018
$6.95 USA/Canada
VOLUME 20 ISSUE 5
AnimalWellnessMagazine.com
BONUS INSIDE!
Contents October/November 2018
18 THE WELL-OILED DOG
Fats and oils aren’t bad for dogs. In fact, some can be exceptionally healthy. Take a look at 6 fats and oils that can enhance your dog’s well-being.
38 Photo courtesy of Rachel Kinberger Goyette
Features
22 DOES YOUR DOG GET TO PLAY WITH OTHER DOGS?
Find out if your four-legged friend might benefit from spending more playtime with other dogs, and how to go about it.
26 PROTECTING YOUR PET FROM INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
Poor indoor air quality can have a negative impact on your dog or cat’s health. Here are some common sources of pollution, and what you can do to eliminate or minimize them.
28 YOUR DOG’S
MICROBIOME
A healthy gut equals a healthy dog. Take a closeup look at his gut microbome, and why it’s so vital to his well-being.
32 3 COMMON OBJECTIONS TO HOLISTIC VETERINARY MEDICINE
Conventional veterinary medicine claims holistic therapies don’t work. Here are some powerful counterarguments against these claims.
36 HOW YOUR PET’S BRAIN AND BODY REGULATE HIS APPETITE
A properly-functioning appetite regulation system helps prevent obesity in dogs and cats by controlling feelings of hunger and satiety.
38 HERO
This “Super Collie” wowed the world with his performances on America’s Got Talent, and he’s still turning heads everywhere he goes!
42 THE PALEO DIET AND
YOUR PET
Learn how the popular and healthy Paleo Diet can be adapted to your dog or cat.
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Animal Wellness
54 COMMON DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS IN DOGS
Chances are, your dog will have a few digestive upsets in his lifetime. Understand what the most common problems are, and what do to when symptoms arise.
58 PHYTONUTRIENTS FOR
YOUR DOG
Phytonutrients offer significant antioxidant effects that can help with many canine health problems, from age-related issues to chronic diseases like cancer.
64 MAINTAINING YOUR
DOG’S GOOD BEHAVIOR
You worked hard to train your dog when he was young, but how do you maintain his good behavior on an ongoing basis?
66 TIPPING THE SCALES:
AVOIDING PET OBESITY
A lean dog or cat is much healthier than one that’s overweight, and will also enjoy a longer life. This simple five-step plan will help keep the pounds off.
72 DRIED RAW FOOD
TREATS FOR DOGS AND CATS
Freeze-dried, air-dried and dehydrated treats made from raw whole food ingredients are healthy and nutritious, as well as convenient and easy to handle.
76 REHABILITATION FOR RESCUE DOGS
A behind-the-scenes look at the physical, mental and emotional rehab efforts that give shelter and rescue dogs a second chance at life.
80 MORINGA – THE NEW
SUPERFOOD ON THE BLOCK
Derived from a tropical tree that’s now being grown in the US, Moringa is packed with nutrients that can support and improve the health of dogs and cats.
91 DOES YOUR CAT HAVE HAIRBALLS?
Most cats will throw up the occasional hairball, but if it happens a lot, it may mean an underlying health issue.
94 FEEDING YOUR CAT AS A HUNTER
Research that explores the intersection between our cats’ hunting and eating habits is changing how we feed our kitties – and has a positive impact on feline health and behavior.
96 8 HOUSEPLANTS THAT ARE SAFE FOR CATS
There are quite a few house plants that are nontoxic to cats, so with a little planning, you can have the best of both worlds.
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Columns
12 Yakkity yak 41 Business profile – CocoTherapy
48 Passages
42
50 Rewind 69 Business profile –
Goodwinol Products
83 To the rescue 87 Tail end 98 Cat chat
32 Departments 8
Editorial
46
Product picks
62
The scoop
70
Animal Wellness resource guide
News, events, and tips! @ AW_magazine
84
Marketplace
Tips, pet photos, and more! AnimalWellnessMagazine
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Classifieds
Crafts, laughs, and more! AnimalWellness
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Events
Social media Tips, contests and more! AnimalWellnessMagazine
Animal Wellness
5
YOUR DOG’S
MICROBIOME By Karen Shaw Becker, DVM
A healthy gut equals a healthy dog. Take a close-up look at his gut microbome, and why it’s so vital to his well-being. By now, you’ve probably heard the term “microbiome”, although you may not know exactly what it means. The microbiome describes the collection of billions of microorganisms (microbiota) that live in and on your dog’s body (and your own). The microbiome is made up of several distinct areas, including the eyes, genitals, mouth and skin, as well as the intestines, which comprises the all-important gut microbiome. Microbiota serve many beneficial functions – they control pathogens, support gut health and the immune system, produce vitamins and short chain fatty acids, and much more. In this article, we’ll focus on the gut microbiome, and how it influences your dog’s overall health.
WHY THE GUT MICROBIOME IS SO IMPORTANT Some microbes promote health while some are harmful. To describe the non-harmful relationships, researchers use the terms “commensalism” and “mutualism”. A commensal relationship means the microbe is beneficial by being in the host body, but it doesn’t affect the host. A mutual relationship means the microbe is good for the host, and the host body conditions are favorable to the microbe.
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Animal Wellness
Both commensal and mutual relationships can be very useful for the host. For example, some microbes in the human gut digest vegetable fibers, and in turn, the microbes are given food and energy. Some harmful microbes are also part of your dog’s microbiome. They can, for example, excrete metabolites that are not beneficial to the host body, or can even be pathogenic, meaning they cause illness. Salmonella is a pathogenic microbe. It can cause diarrhea in humans, but dogs very rarely get sick from it, even though they may have it in their gut quite often. In recent years, it has become abundantly clear that the composition of microbes in the gut plays a crucial role in health and disease prevention. This makes sense because 70% to 80% of your dog’s immune system is located in the gastrointestinal tract. When we disrupt the gut microbiome, we automatically disrupt immune function, which can have far-reaching consequences. In humans, studies have established an association between gut microbes and dozens of health conditions, including obesity,
allergies, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, Parkinson’s, autism, organ disease, depression and more. Studies of dogs (and cats) suggest that many of the conditions often seen in today’s pets, such as oral disease, GI diseases such as IBD, skin and urinary tract problems, and bacterial infections, are all linked to changes in the gut microbiome. It’s also important to realize that genetics account for only about 10% of canine illnesses. The remaining 90% have environmental causes, with the most prevalent being an inappropriate diet.
MAINTAINING YOUR DOG’S MICROBIOME HEALTH • One of the most important steps you can take to keeping your dog’s microbiome healthy is to avoid antibiotic use, except when a bacterial infection has been definitively diagnosed and all other treatment options have been exhausted. Continued on page 30.
ANTIBIOTICS
– ONE OF THE BIGGEST THREATS TO THE MICROBIOME Antibiotics indiscriminately kill gut bacteria, both good and bad. This is why secondary infections and lowered immune function are common side effects of taking antibiotics. Chronic low-dose exposure to antibiotics through food also takes a toll on the gut microbiome, and can result in chronic ill health and increased risk of drug resistance. Scientists who have studied the impact of early-life antibiotic therapy on body composition have proven that altered microbiota, which can be the result of antibiotics, can cause obesity through processes that create inflammation or change metabolic activity in the gut. These processes can also result in diabetes and fatty liver disease. Research additionally suggests that antibiotics disrupt the early development of microbiota. Studies involving livestock animals that receive sub-therapeutic (low dose) levels of antibiotics to promote growth show that the earlier in life the antibiotics are given, the more profound the effect. Exposure to antibiotics in early infancy changes the composition of the animal’s microbiota, leaving it more vulnerable to disruption. These results show a clear link between antibiotics and changes in metabolic pathways. Further research shows that a high-fat diet exacerbates the problem, and that changes in the metabolic pathways remain throughout life. Animal Wellness
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