ANIMAL
For a long, healthy life!
WELLNESS 10
THE TRUTH ABOUT
GRAIN-FREE DIETS
SELF-CARE TIPS FOR PET PARENTS
& HEART DISEASE
UPDATE:
TOP HERBS
WHAT VACCINES DO DOGS & CATS REALLY NEED?
FOR DIGESTIVE SUPPORT
MUST-READ GUIDE:
SWITCHING YOUR CAT TO A
RAW DIET TIPS FOR A HEALTHY
MICROBIOME
HAVEN
Read the inspiring story behind this Manhattan-based non-profit organization.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 Display until November 11, 2019
$6.95 USA/Canada
CAT ARTICLES INSIDE! VOLUME 21 ISSUE 5
AnimalWellnessMagazine.com
CONTENTS October/November 2019
Columns
18 HEALING WITH
42 HEALING INSIDE
Top 5 herbs for canine & feline digestive health
Microbiome Restorative Therapy in companion animals
HERBS
Digestive upsets are common in dogs and cats. These five herbs can effectively alleviate diarrhea, vomiting and constipation, and even treat deeper problems.
48
Features 14
F eeding your dog’s nervous system
Many things can affect the health and function of your dog’s nervous system. Good nutrition helps ensure it does its job properly.
22 D ogs in the workplace — top 5 benefits Bringing your dog to work isn’t just good for his socialization skills — it’s also beneficial to you and your co-workers, and can reduce stress, boost morale, and much more.
48
C OVER STORY — Animal Haven
This Manhattan-based non-profit has spent the last half-century developing programs to help animals and people in need.
n update on vaccines and titer testing 50 Afor dogs and cats
Many veterinarians and their clients still opt for annual vaccines. Find out how to break free of this mold and protect your dog or cat from overvaccination.
86
S ay “cheese”! Training your dog to
4
pose for photos
If your dog doesn’t cooperate when you try to take good pictures of him, you’re not alone. These 5 tips will soon have you photographing your canine companion like a pro!
Animal Wellness
26 KITTY LIFESTYLE Pick a litter for your kitty!
There’s a veritable smorgasbord of cat litter products on the market these days. Choosing the right one for you and your feline friend means understanding the pros and cons of each.
& OUT
MBRT is a procedure in which fecal material is transferred from a healthy animal to the GI tract of an ailing one. It helps balance the microbiome and treat digestive issues.
54 SELF CARE
10 self care tips for dog parents
You’re spending a lot of time looking after your new dog — but are you also looking after yourself? Here’s how to carve out time for self care when you’re a dog parent.
30 DIAGNOSTICS
56 EATING WELL
Gastrointestinal problems are common in dogs and cats, and can be challenging to diagnose. These tests narrow down the causes and make effective treatment possible.
From dulse to wakame, sea vegetables are packed with nutrition. Try these tasty and healthy recipes on your animal companion.
Diagnosing your animal’s digestive problems
34 VET Q&A
Can oregano oil be used for dogs?
With powerful healing qualities that range from antibacterial to immunesupportive, oregano oil has a variety of uses that can be applied to your canine companion.
Superfoods from the sea — they’re good for your dog or cat!
61 IN THE NEWS
More dogs and cats are eating better A recent survey has uncovered some interesting facts about how people feed their companion animals based on how they eat themselves.
36 CANINE BEHAVIOR
Do you understand your dog’s calming signals? You're stressed out and your dog seems to be doing the opposite of what you want him to do. He may simply be using canine calming signals to help ease your anxiety.
90
18 64 CAT NUTRITION
78 FELINE BEHAVIOR
90 ALTERNATIVE
Given how finicky felines can be, transitioning your kitty to a raw diet may seem overwhelming, but patience and persistence will pay off.
If your cat doesn’t seem his usual self, it’s possible he may be depressed. Learn the possible signs and symptoms, and work with your vet to uncover the cause and find a solution.
How gemmotherapy helps keep animals healthy in a toxic world
66 HEALTH WATCH
80 NUTRITION FACTS
Switching your cat to a raw diet?
Do grain-free diets really cause canine heart disease?
While the recent headlines may sound alarming, the connection between grainfree dog foods and heart disease isn’t as clear-cut as many believe.
72 MODALITY HIGHLIGHT
Animal Reiki — attracting more attention as a healing modality Once dismissed as bogus, Reiki is being brought into shelters, veterinary clinics and other animal facilities as an effective way to enhance healing and wellbeing in dogs and cats.
Is your cat depressed?
Crickets for canines
Take a look at the numerous benefits of cricket protein for dogs, and why it’s a feasible alternative to traditional meats.
84 IN FOCUS
Vet techs and what they do
How much do you know about the role your veterinary technician plays? Here’s how she can help you, and why she’s an invaluable member of your dog or cat’s healthcare team.
APPROACH
More and more toxins are polluting our environment, leading to bodily stress and disease in our dogs and cats. Gemmotherapy is an excellent way to help combat these effects.
98 IN THE NEWS Humanely reducing feral cat populations
A new study reveals the best way to reduce freeroaming cat populations while minimizing preventable deaths.
42
Departments 8 From the Editor 12 In the news 25 Business profile — Pureluxe
29 From the NASC 40
Fall favorites
Social Media
53 Business profile — NOW Pets
70 Product picks 76
Wellness resource guide
94 Must reads 95 Let's get social 96 Events 97 Classifieds
93 Marketplace
Tips, contests and more! AnimalWellnessMagazine
News, events, and tips! @ AW_magazine
Tips, pet photos, and more! AnimalWellnessMagazine
Crafts, laughs, and more! AnimalWellness
Animal Wellness
5
FEEDING YOUR DOG’S
NERVOUS SYSTEM Many things can affect the health and function of your dog’s nervous system. Good nutrition helps ensure it does its job properly. By Bill Ormston, DVM, CVC, and Amy Hayek, DVM, MA, CVA, CVC
When you think about your dog’s health, you might not factor in his nervous system. But maintaining its proper function is very important to his well-being, physically and emotionally. Feeding your dog’s nervous system is one way to ensure it stays healthy and functions properly.
THE CANINE NERVOUS SYSTEM Your dog’s nervous system evolved to match the environment in which his species developed. His brain also changes depending on where and how he lives; when it is sending out signals of stress to the body, it becomes quicker at noticing small changes in the environment. This can result in behavioral changes that seem inappropriate.
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Animal Wellness
The priorities of your dog’s nervous system include being able to maintain an internal chemical environment that allows him to survive. Building protein chains is an important process of the nervous system; these chains help shape the animal and aid in communication between body systems.
BALANCED OMEGAS While modern dogs should eat meat on a regular basis, many commercially-prepared dog foods are grain-based. Grains and grain products tend to be inflammatory, produce fat rather than muscle, and provide different proteins to what the dog’s ancestors utilized to evolve into the modern animal. Your dog’s ancestors ate diets high in Omega 3 fatty acids, which
helped their prostaglandin* systems reduce inflammation when they were ill or wounded. This balanced their inflammatory responses to illness or infection to help them survive. Feeding your dog appropriate Omegabalanced diets comes down to feeding the kinds of protein and fat their ancestors ate. His nervous system developed as a result of these diets, which included bugs, lizards and meat from birds, small animals and fish. Modern dogs have an ancestral need for these types of protein.
ORGAN MEATS ARE KEY Integral to the canine diet are organ meats, which are made up of proteins that differ from those found in skeletal muscle meats. The wild canine that
catches his own prey will first eat the organs, then the muscle off the bones, before he eats the bones themselves, which are highly digestible when raw.
According to Roger Sperry, 1981 Nobel Laureate, “90% of the energy output of the brain is used in relating the physical body to its gravitational field.”
Carnivorous animals lack enzymes that affect their inflammatory and antiinflammatory systems. Both delta-6 desaturase (D6D) and D5D enzymes must be obtained from their food supply. This is why carnivorous animals prefer organ meats to muscle meats, as they supply dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA), arachadonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fish liver oils and organ meats are a must in order to keep the dog’s prostaglandin pathways functional.
Nerves transmit data from the brain and spinal column to the rest of the body and then back from these remote areas to the central nervous system. The input to your dog’s feet tells him which muscles to contract and which to relax in order to stand efficiently. When a healthy dog is standing, he is using very few muscles and very little energy. This allows energy to be utilized for maintaining organ systems, digesting food and healing damaged cells.
THE CNS AND BODY FUNCTION Body function and movement require a central nervous system (CNS) that is functioning at 100%. Every organ system in the body is controlled by the CNS.
One thing dogs are exceptional at doing is observing. They spend much of their time watching the world go by. This evolutionary skill allows them to more efficiently locate and then capture food without expending a lot of energy that can be used for other things. Continued on page 16.
DOES SIZE MATTER?
Large breed dogs tend to have slower metabolic rates than small breeds, so they need fewer carbohydrates. However, when we discuss nutrition in general, most dogs’ nervous systems require essentially the same vitamins, minerals, proteins and fats, and these are adjusted to the metabolic rate of the dog, not just his size. Smaller dogs generally move more than larger dogs, in part due to the need to assimilate more food. Smaller dogs that don’t get enough exercise will need more nervous system-quieting nutrients than larger dogs to help them process their energy in a positive manner. Certain vitamins and buffering minerals help the nervous system remain calm. They won’t need more calories, but they will need more nutrients found in the types of foods similar to what their ancestors used to eat.
Animal Wellness
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