Archived Message of "Natural Pet News"
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NATURAL PET NEWS
January 1, 2003 Edition

This newsletter is sponsored by The Herbs Place.com
Natural Health Solutions for Adults, Children and Pets!
Newsletters, Online Classes & *Herbal Medicine Chest*


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Table of Contents:

A NOTE FROM RANDAL
New Website
New Look At The Herbs Place
Must Read Article

HEALTH/HERBAL INFO
Fixed Formulas

TRAINING TIP
The Plant-Eating Cat
Clicker Training For Dogs

BEHAVIORAL/EMOTIONAL TIP
Do Dogs Get Depression?

FEATURED WEB LINKS
Is My Pet Overweight?

DON'T PAY RETAIL FOR SUPPLEMENTS

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** A NOTE FROM RANDAL **

Hello Everyone,

Hope you have had a good holiday season. We did!
We are planning a new website strictly for pets. Right now, we are in the
process of obtaining some new products and lots of new information.
Also, we have been busy with the building of our house and redoing
theherbsplace website. Drop by and visit the new look if you haven't in the
last few days. With the weather, it has been off and on concerning the
house progress. We figured that and we are in no big hurry to get moved.
In fact, we are thinking it would be best to move in the warmer months
anyway.

The article in the Health/Herbal Info section caught me by surprise. I
thought as all of us have pets we care and love, we would want to know why
all pet food bags from the same company may not be the same inside each
time. Please take some time to read and find out if your pet food follows
that awful practice or not.

Thanks for your continued readership and support.

Until next time!
Randal

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** HEALTH/HERBAL INFO **

FIXED FORMULAS
Some pet owners are not aware of some of the accepted industry procedures
regarding pet food formulas. Regardless of what is printed on the bag, a
commercial pet food manufacture can vary their formula based upon the cost
of ingredients. For example, if a product has 15% corn, 15% wheat, 15% rice
and 15% meat - and the price of rice, meat and wheat increases, they can
change their formula to 3 0% corn, 10% wheat, 10% meat and 10% rice for a
period of six months without changing the bag information. This helps them
reduce their costs. Then they have another 6 months to adjust the
information on the bag.

In some rare cases, this can reflect on the pet's intolerance to the food. A
food they have always seemed to enjoy has changed and it may reflect on the
pets skin, coat and lifestyle. Flint River Ranch formulas are, and always
have been fixed. This means regardless of the cost change in ingredients,
our formulas remains the same.

This not only benefits the pet, it is important for animal care
professionals. When trying to solve a possible long term medical challenges,
many holistic and animal health-care professionals find it to their
advantage if they can first establish the animal on a fixed formula diet -
one that does not change over a period of time - so they can fully monitor
and ad just treatment results. Without a fixed formula as a base, the
treatment results monitored can change over time with the manufacturers
making change in ingredients. Flint River Ranch has pledged always to
maintain a fixed formula.

Editor's Note: If you are having some of the concerns in tracking down a
medical problem I suggest you check with your pet food supplier. More
information on Flint River Ranch products can be found at
http://www.theherbsplace.com/frr.html href="http://www.theherbsplace.com/frr.html">

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**TRAINING TIP**
THE PLANT-EATING CAT by Marnie Cooper

THE PROBLEM
A common problem of green-thumb cat owners is discouraging the cat from
chewing on (and ingesting) house plants. In fact, results from a computer
survey of pet owners showed that 36% of the respondents owned pets with this
destructive habit. While this is a problem for aesthetic reasons, as the
plants can become ragged, unsightly, and unhealthy, the habit can pose
health problems for the pet as well. It is well known that when cats eat
grass or other plants, vomiting or diarrhea may result. An additional risk
is the possibility of the cat accidentally eating one of the many common
poisonous house plants. In extreme cases, death may result.

THE CAUSE
While cats are generally considered to be carnivorous animals, all cats seem
to have some predisposition to eat vegetable matter, whether it be grass,
leaves, or house plants. In fact, in approximately one-third of feral cats
(i.e. strays and "wild" cats) studied, the stomach contents included grass
and vegetation. This suggests that the animals are deliberately eating the
vegetation as either a dietary supplement, or as a digestive aid (laxative
or purgative). Further, the regular diet of the feral cat includes many
small animals, such as mice, that eat vegetable matter. Therefore, the
stomachs of prey may be a natural source of partially digested vegetable
matter which may be more easily ingested by the cat. If eaten this way, the
roughage and fibre may be provided without irritation to the sensitive
stomach lining, causing upset.

For the completion of this article go to
http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/catplant
eating.html href="http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/ca
tplanteating.html">

CLICKER TRAINING FOR DOGS
A interesting form of training for dogs can be found at
http://www.clickertrain.com/whatis.html href="http://www.clickertrain.com/whatis.html">

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IS YOUR PET EATING DEAD FOOD?

You really need to know! Choosing a healthy
pet food avoids many vet bills and heartache.
100% GUARANTEED or YOUR MONEY BACK!
http://www.theherbsplace.com/frr.html

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** BEHAVIORAL/EMOTIONAL TIP **

DO DOGS GET DEPRESSION?
Like humans, dogs do occasionally suffer from bouts of depression. They get
mopey, lethargic, stop eating, and drink only minimal amounts of water, stop
wanting to play, and even lose drastic amounts of weight.
What can cause this in pets?

For more information go to
http://www.dogs.about.com/library/weekly/aa060202a.htm href="http://www.dogs.about.com/library/weekly/aa060202a.htm">

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** FEATURED WEB LINKS **

IS MY PET OVERWEIGHT?
http://vetmedicine.about.com/library/weekly/aa010501a.htm href="http://vetmedicine.about.com/library/weekly/aa010501a.htm">

ZONE DIET FOR DOGS
Make it easy on yourself and your dog with Dr. Barry Sears new Zone Diet for Dogs

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DISCLAIMER:
The stories, suggestions, and information in this newsletter are not meant
to diagnose or prescribe. If your pet has a medical 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 "The Herbs
Place.com" This is a personal publication by Randal Watkins. The ideas and
information expressed in it have not been approved or authorized by anyone
either explicitly or impliedly. In no event shall Randal Watkins or "The
Herbs Place.com" be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any
action arising in connection with the use of this information or its
publication, including any action for infringement of copyright or
defamation.
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Blessings of Peace and Health to You Today!
Randal and Donna Watkins
http://www.TheHerbsPlace.com
The PLACE for HERBS is "TheHerbsPlace.com