Natural Pet News - March 2007

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A NOTE FROM DONNA

Spring arrives officially tomorrow! Isn't it a grand time of year? The daffodils surging out of the ground after a year-long nap look gorgeous and bright. Time in the garden always make me feel better. There's so much to discover in nature. Maybe you'd like to subscribe to my newslettter, A Touch of Nature, and join me as I discover the natural world around us all. View the last issue of A Touch of Nature.

Squeek has enjoyed the warmer weather. Having been a feral cat (or is it once a feral, always a feral?), she enjoys her time outside on our screened porch, but does not like cold weather any more than I do. On one of our warmer days, I uncovered the outside furniture and placed what we call her throne, in the corner of the screened porch. She likes to keep an eye on the neighbor's two dogs and one kitty, not to mention all the squirrels and birds. She certainly gets plenty of entertainment to keep her mind active and alert. Keeping pets entertained when they are alone is very important as this newspaper article mentions:
www.columbiatribune.com/2006/Aug/20060806Life013.asp

PET NEWS

Pet Food Recall - URGENT

Menu Foods, Inc. has identified potentially contaminated products. Consumers who have any of these products should immediately stop feeding them to their pets.

Dogs or cats who have consumed the suspect food and show signs of kidney failure (loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting) should consult with their veterinarian. All Stop & Shop Supermarkets and Giant Food stores have removed the products from their shelves. Customers can return for full refund. Any additional questions call 1-866-895-2708. The link to their site has been too busy to even load, but here it is: www.menufoods.com/recall

These recalls are happening much too frequently and act as an alert to pet owners to know more about the brands they choose for their pets. Pet food manufactured by large food industries that make use of the feathers, bones, blood and scraps that can't be approved for human consumption is not what you want to be feeding your pet. These ingredients do not support life.

Flint River Ranch is a brand we use that has never had a product recall. You need to know more about pet foods for the safety and quality life of your pet. Healthy pet foods pay for themselves in saved dollars at the vet and in overall health for the animal. View a video about what's in pet foods.

Dog Fur On Clothing

This is awful news, but the word needs to be spread, so domestic animals do not end up on clothings racks in retail stores. Read the news:
apnews.myway.com/article/20070223/D8NFFQL81.html

Then use this link to send a letter in less than a minute. Every email makes a difference:
community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=7365891

PET WARNINGS

Xylitol in Dogs

As early as the 1960's, experiments indicated a link between the ingestion of xylitol and hypoglycemia in dogs. However, it has only been recently that the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has begun to receive reports of xylitol toxicosis in dogs. Clinical signs of xylitol toxicity can develop in as few as 30 minutes after ingestion. Dogs have died from this, so please pass on this information to pet owners you know. Read the entire article here:
www.knowlesanimalclinics.com/miami/articles/main/xylitol_toxicity/

Essential Oils and Cats

Essential oils are very potent substances and cats do not do as well with them as dogs do, so please be careful about this. Get more details on our site.

BEHAVIORAL ISSUES

Adding Another Pet
by Cheryl Falkenburry, Animal Behavior Expert

Question: We are thinking about getting another cat, but we aren’t sure if our current cat will like the idea. We also have a dog that loves cats—sometimes too much! What’s the best way to introduce a new cat?

Answer: Introducing animals to new things, people, or other animals can be tricky whether you are dealing with a cat or a dog. The key is to make the new addition the coolest thing in the world. Be sure to only feed and pay attention to existing animals in the presence of the new addition. This will make the new addition an important part of the family whose presence is required to get the resources needed to exist. Treats should “rain from heaven” every time the new addition comes around. Imagine how much you would want someone to be in the room if every time they entered $100 bills came out of the sky!

The following are some steps to help introductions go more smoothly.

1. Set up a separate room for the new cat complete with a litter box, food, and water. If possible, a screen door on the room helps animals sniff each other safely, but it’s not necessary.

2. Allow the new cat to explore the separate area alone with the door closed.

3. Take the new cat out of the room and allow the current cat and dog to explore the room and get to know the new cat’s scent. During this time the new cat can explore the rest of the house.

4. Feed the animals together (the dog may need to be in a crate). Start at a distance, then decrease the distance over time as everyone becomes more comfortable with each other. Use plates instead of dishes so the cats can see while they are eating.

5. Have some short supervised time together—some hissing from the cats is to be expected at first but this will eventually pass. Redirect any inappropriate or rough play—especially from the dog.

6. Dogs should know the basic commands of sit, stay, and leave it. The dog may need to be kept on a leash in the beginning in order to prevent chasing. Once a dog finds out how much fun the chase is, it’s hard to stop this behavior. Prevention is the key.

7. Never leave the animals alone together in the beginning.

8. Have one more cat boxes than number of cats around the house so everyone has their privacy. Keep the dog out of the cat box areas.

9. Put water dishes in areas that a cat can drink and see all around. Otherwise a cat may stop drinking out of fear that another cat or dog will sneak up from behind.

Eventually the animals will be able to spend more time together without supervision. Some become best friends, while others learn to tolerate each other. Either way, time spent planning and training will help bring harmony to the household in no time when adding a new furry companion.

Ask Cheryl About Your Pet's Behavior Problem

Cheryl Falkenburry has traveled the world helping people make sense of mind-boggling animal behavior. Working with animal behaviorists in Tucson, Arizona and England, majoring in psychology, and becoming a certified parenting educator prepared Cheryl to teach both humans and animals. Cheryl recognized that the concepts of positive parenting and loving leadership worked whether her clients were parents of human children or furry ones and applies her positive parenting skills to her animal training sessions. She has helped thousands of people develop new and exciting relationships with the animals who share their lives. Get details on phone and email consultations.

FEATURED PET PRODUCTS

Life’s Abundance Weight-Loss Formula for Adult Dogs

If your dog’s weight is a growing concern, consider the nutritious, low-fat Life's Abundance Weight-Loss Formula. Formulated for effective use as part of a weight loss or weight control program, Weight-Loss Formula is a nutritionally balanced food that delivers the support dogs need to lose fat and maintain healthy weights. And like all HealthyPetNet products, this food contains no artificial flavors, colors, sugars or chemical preservatives. More Info.

PET SAFE CLEANING PRODUCTS

There are three ways toxic chemicals enter the body: by swallowing, by breathing, or by contact with the skin or eyes. An EPA report concluded that toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than oudoor air pollution. In one study conducted over a 15-year period, women who worked at home had a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who had jobs away from the home. The study concluded that the increased death rate was due to daily exposure to hazardous chemicals found in ordinary household products.

What is not being reported are the slow poisonings that occur in every home from continual exposure to household cleaning chemcials. Cancer, birth defects, heart disease, genetic changes - almost any symptom imaginable, both physical and psychological, has been associated with certain chemicals in common household products. At greatest risk are fetuses, children, the elderly, pets, and those who are already ill.

Microbest Safe Cleaning Products
Sunshine Concentrate Household Multi-Use Cleaner

HERBS FOR PETS

Herbs for Pets Online Catalog by Health Topic

Pet Success Stories Using Natural Remedies

Herbs and Supplements for Pet Owners

One reason to keep yourself healthy is because your pet needs you! Find a natural solution for yourself. Many pet owners do everything to keep their pet healthy, but neglect their own health. We use Nature's Sunshine Products.

NATURAL HEARTWORM SUCCESS

Cassie Tests Negative

"Cassie was diagnosed with a moderate case of heartworms during the Summer of 2006. She was 3-years old at the time and although she acted like a playful puppy she would appear to get short of breath after her walks. The vet wanted to get her on the conventional treatment right away, but agreed she wasn't the perfect candidate for this treatment as it would obviously be hard to keep her calm and confined so she suggested possibly keeping her on Benadryl during the program. This horrified me and I came home and started searching for an alternative solution. Thankfully I came across Bandit's website and immediately ordered Bandit's program, which she started July 23, 2006.

Cassie was 17-lbs at the time and I kept her to the program that Bandit had been on and changed her to a healthy diet. I also took her off the monthly Heartguard, however, when my husband heard of this he wanted to get her back on the Heartgard and insisted we take her to the vet to see if the heartworms had increased during the time she had been off the Heartguard. We went to the vet in November for the heartworm bloodtest and while waiting for the results I told the vet about the herbal formula I was using, she appeared to have heard about it, but quickly said it doesn't work. However, a moment later when she walked back in with the results, she announced that the test showed only a very slight positive! She told me to continue what I was doing, but to also put her back on the monthly Heartgard, which my husband insisted on doing.

We took Cassie back to the vet yesterday (January, 2007) for her yearly physical. The vet checked her out and then went on to another patient. Her assistant finally came in and said the vet was done and that I could leave, but I said I was still waiting on the result of the heartworm test, to which she said "Oh, it's negative, we would have come in and told you right away if it had been positive." I reiterated that Cassie had been diagnosed with heartworms and was she sure about the results. She confirmed she was. I couldn't believe that they were so nonchalant about the whole thing .. I wanted to throw a party and call everyone! I'm thinking about taking in another rescue dog that needs heartworm treatment and putting him/her on the program right away. Thanks, Robin, for your wonderful website!" Lorraine

Robin Sockness, who is a dear friend of ours, has been working with people for many years and has helped over a thousand pets with a natural alternative to heartworm programs and prevention.

Read more about natural heartworm programs or read more success stories that Robin has shared with us.

QUALITY-CONTROLLED PET FOODS

Flint River Ranch Oven-Baked Pet Foods
The baking process results in a greater degree of nutrient absorption. All natural ingredients include chicken, lamb, fish, whole grains of wheat, rice and millet, vitamins and chelated minerals along with flax seed and herbs for super nutrition.

No by-products, chemical preservatives or anything artificial. Read customer comments about Flint River Ranch.

What's In Your Pet's Food?

Diet is so important for health. Many health issues directly link to diet and can affect long-term health and life of your pet. Watch an online video clip about what might be in your in your pet's food.

Free Samples of Pet Food, Treats, & Supplements Formulated by Dr. Jane Bicks

Your pet depends on you to make the right choices when it comes to his or her health. HealthyPetNet wants the best for your pets. That’s why they promise to provide products that are inspired by nature and made using good nutritional science.

Free sample pack of food, treats and supplements.

HEALTHY PET CORNER

This site provides links and resources for dogs, cats, birds, horses, rabbits and reptiles. You'll find links to basic care, health, safety, etc. Visit Healthy Pet Corner.

ANOTHER PET NEWSLETTER

This complimentary monthly email Healthy Pet Newsletter contains:
* Helpful Pet Information
* Interesting Stories
* Nutritional Advice
* Insight From Veterinarian, Dr. Jane Bicks

Register now to get the next issue or view a sample issue.

EMERGENCY INFORMATION
Poison Control Number: 800-548-2423
ASPCA Poison Control Number 888-426-4435
There may be a charge for these calls.

ADOPT A PET
Find the perfect pet for your family at PetFinder.com. You can search by breed, locality, age, size, gender, etc. It's so rewarding to take an animal who really needs a home.

WHY AREN'T ALL THE LINKS BLUE TO CLICK ON?

We are no longer linking to the sites referenced in the newsletters unless they are maintained by us or are a long-standing domain name link. Over the years we have archived newsletters on our sites with thousands of links in them. Sites disappear, they change programming which changes their links, and news sites do not hold old news very long, so for these reasons and others we end up with a bunch of dead links that have to be removed because it affects our search engine rankings. This has become very laborsome monthly, and although we will still have years of work with what we already have on there, we are not adding more.

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COPYRIGHT & REPRINT INFORMATION
© 2007 Healthy Pet Corner

The stories, suggestions, and information in this newsletter are not meant to diagnose or prescribe. If your pet has amedical problem, you may want the advice and recommendations of a veterinarian. All stories and information content that is passed along in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not necessarily endorsed by its editor, Donna L. Watkins, its sponsor, HealthyPetCorner.com, or its owner, Sunshine Life Center, Inc.

Forwarding and Use of This Newsletter
You may forward this to a friend and/or use this copyrighted newsletter on a website if you include the following credit:

Editor, Donna L. Watkins, of HealthyPetCorner.com, provides this free newsletter to subscribers. Healthy Pet Corner provides quality natural pet foods. Visit now to subscribe or shop: http://www.healthypetcorner.com