ANIMAL WELLNESS
APRIL/MAY 2010
AnimalWELLNESS For a long, healthy life!
Special GREEN ISSUE!
Living pawsitive!
LANDSCAPING
FOR DOGS AND CATS Four steps to success
ANIMAL WELLNESS MAGAZINE
ECO-FRIENDLY PET PRODUCTS MOSQUITOES BE GONE!
Control without chemicals
“YOU’RE GETTING
sleepy
”
Is hypnotism for dogs a solution or a quack cure?
TOXIN TALK
THE MAGIC OF
What’s safe and what’s not
MUSHROOMS
An eye on CATARACTS
LEAFY VOLUME 12 ISSUE 2
Greens
Give her diet a healthy boost
APRIL/MAY Display until May 18, 2010
$5.95 USA/Canada
VOLUME 12 ISSUE 2
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Contents April/May 2010
44 features
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18 Toxin talk
It’s impossible to eliminate all toxins, but there are plenty of ways you can reduce his exposure and preserve his wellness.
22 “You’re getting sleepy”
Hypnotism for dogs…is it a creative solution for anxiety, or a quack cure?
26 Turning over a new leaf
Many animal lovers are concerned about the impact their four-footed companions are having on the environment. If you’re one of them, check out the ever-widening choice of green pet products on the market.
34 4 steps to animal-friendly landscaping
56 Forget the steroids
Packed with nutrients, leafy green vegetables give his diet a colorful and healthy boost.
Dogs, cats, people, flowers and lawns… all harmoniously flourishing in one back yard? With proper planning, an animalfriendly setting is not only possible, but attractive and enjoyable too.
40 Homeopathic first aid kit
Every animal lover should have a first aid kit for emergencies. For a holistic touch, stock it with these healing remedies.
44 Special paradise
Set in the spacious grasslands of Montana, Rolling Dog Ranch gives sanctuary to disabled animals.
50 Mosquitoes be gone!
These pests aren’t just annoying -- they can also make your dog or cat sick. Get a head start on the season by learning how to control them without harsh chemicals.
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54 Is he ecofriendly?
animal wellness
Does your dog have skin allergies? Before resorting to medications for the itching and irritation, give Chinese herbs a try.
60 Suds up!
They look harmless and smell nice, but many commercial dog shampoos contain chemicals that can damage the skin and coat and cause health problems. Learn to recognize risky ingredients and choose natural, non-toxic alternatives.
64 Acupressure for adoption
Bringing home a new dog can be stressful for him and your existing animals. Learn how acupressure can help keep the peace and make introductions easier.
71 Mushroom magic
From the common button mushroom to more exotic varieties such as Shiitake and Reishi, these healthy morsels can add extra flavor and nutrition to your companion’s diet.
76 PHIL RAY
Spreading the word of animal wellness.
78 An eye on cataracts
This common ocular condition doesn’t have to mean blindness. Help your dog or cat see clearly all his life with these prevention tips.
80 “Green” shelters
Visit some animal shelters that have embraced an eco-friendly philosophy to help them better care for their dogs and cats, as well as the earth.
83 Transforming Tanner Getting their aging Chow moving again inspired these entrepreneurs to offer an affordable electromagnetic therapy pad to other animals with joint and muscle problems.
84 Legg-Calves Perthes disease When this debilitating hard-to-treat condition struck my dog, I thought I’d lose him. But thanks to holistic treatment, Digger is now happy and healthy.
34 Columns 14 Yakkity yak
Homeopathic
30 Dr. Martin Goldstein
first aid kit
52 Warm & fuzzy 86 Passages
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88 Book reviews 98 Tail end
Departments 8 Editorial 12 Mail bag 48 The scoop 63 Product picks 67 Animal Wellness resource guide
90 Ad spots 95 Classifieds
60
97 Events calendar
animal wellness
5
YOU’RE
GETTING
SLEEPY
Hypnotism for dogs…is it a creative solution for anxiety, or a quack cure? by Caitlin Crawshaw
E
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very dog lover knows how hypnotizing puppy eyes can be. One minute your knife and fork are poised to take a bite of dinner; the next, you’re sharing a scrap of chicken under the table.
Sound and hypnotism
According to one man, there’s a way to turn the tables on your beguiling mutt: dog hypnotism. John Morgan is a Florida-based hypnotist who gives workshops across North America, generally to help people with issues like smoking and weight loss. However, a couple of years
John stumbled upon the idea in the 1990s, while editing a guided hypnosis CD for people. He noticed that when he played back the recording, his normally hyperactive Beagle, Snuffy, curled up in a ball at his feet. “I thought, ‘How cool is that!’ but dismissed it as coincidence,” John says. It took a few more similar occurrences for
animal wellness
ago, he broadened his scope of practice to include hypnotism for stress and anxiety in dogs.
him to seriously consider the idea of hypnotizing dogs. After his neighbor’s bouncy springer spaniel had a similar reaction, John began to read about canine sensitivity to sound. The book Through a Dog’s Ear, written by sound researcher and music producer Joshua Leeds, and veterinary neurologist Dr. Susan Wagner, supported John’s anecdotal discovery that dogs are innately sensitive to vibration. John subsequently created a CD designed to hypnotize dogs. It features a blend of music and voice intended to induce a hypnotic state, as well as a musical track. It’s meant both to relax dogs in the moment – such as when you’re leaving for work in the morning – and to condition a relaxed response when you use the phrases repeated in the recording (such as “relax and calm down”) when your dog is stressed (for instance, during thunderstorms or to quell separation anxiety).
“A calm and relaxed state isn’t the same as hypnosis.” – Dr. Suzanne Hetts John suggests clients listen to the CD with their dogs a few times, patting them to the rhythm of either the recorded voice or the music. “Hypnosis is all about rhythms,” he says. “It’s lulling people into a frame of mind.” The same is true for dogs, but unlike people, they aren’t encumbered by a distracting subconscious mind. However, like us, dogs do pick up patterns of behavior that aren’t driven by any animal wellness
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