animal Living pawsitive!
â„¢
wellness For a long, healthy life!
When to say
NO to
steroids Animal REHAB Abbey's success story inspires others
Make your own
HERBALS
How to get your
FINICKY FELINE eating healthy
OCT./NOV. 2005
Display until Nov. 20, 2005
$4.95 USA/$5.95 Canada
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 5
ADOPTING ONLINE Is your new best friend a click away?
animal wellness 1 www.AnimalWellnessMagazine.com
contents 34
48
features 18 When to say "no"
38 Abbey's casts of
24 Go green and clean
48 Hands-on herbals
to steroids The pros and cons of corticosteroids
A guide to animal-friendly lawn care
34 How to get your finicky
feline eating healthy Switching kitty's diet safely and successfully
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animal wellness
38
many colors Recovery through rehabilitation
A basic guide to homemade remedies for you and your companion
52 The shamanic approach to healing animals A spiritual spin on tackling health problems
55 Canine social skills How to help your new dog or puppy make friends
Photo: Kenny Williams, If Your Horse Could Talk
76
64 Heavy metal toxicity
What it is and what you can do about it
74 Does your dog have "fecal fascination"? Help for canines that like to eat or roll in excrement
76 The natural route
87 Relax, take a deep
80 Adopting online
94 Is CoQ10 a formula
to controlling equine parasites Maintaining your horse's GI health
Your next best friend might be just a mouse click away
breath...and do the downward-facing dog An introduction to canine yoga
for good health? This antioxidant has a host of healing properties
pack a punch 84 Sprouts of healthy nutrition And they're easy to grow at home!
animal wellness
5
When to say by Shawn Messonnier, DVM
“no”
Recently, a young cat almost crippled by immune-mediated polyarthritis was brought to me by her guardian. She had been given steroids to treat her condition, but they made her develop diabetes, while stronger chemotherapy almost killed her. The specialist treating her was out of options and told her guardian to prepare for her death. After several months of intensive natural therapies, including herbs and homeopathics, she is not only doing better but is running and jumping! Her diabetes also reversed when we lowered her medication. She still requires a tiny dose of steroids or she goes into a relapse, but I expect her to live a happy, normal life, a much better prognosis than she was originally given. Corticosteroids (“steroids”) are often used to help relieve pain, inflammation and itching in animals with arthritis or allergies. In fact, corticosteroids such as prednisone and prednisolone are among the most frequently used and abused drugs in veterinary medicine. It’s just too easy to reach for the “steroid shot” to treat symptoms without really treating the disease. As a result, animals are often incorrectly treated for months or years before someone finally says: “Enough. There must be a better way!”
The PROS and CONS of steroids While chronic steroid use has many potential side effects that can harm your animal, these medications can be used safely. For some animals, short-term use of steroids can be life-saving, particularly in patients with severe shock or certain immune diseases. In my own practice, I often use low doses of steroids for a very short period to help relieve itching, inflammation, swelling or pain while other natural therapies are beginning to work. However,
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animal wellness
to steroids please understand that while short term use of steroids might be needed for your animal, more natural therapies are preferred whenever possible for long term maintenance of animals with chronic problems. SHORT-TERM SIDE EFFECTS of corticosteroids are the ones most commonly observed and that seem to cause the most concern. They include an increase in appetite, water intake and urine output. Even animals taking these medications for a short period and at a very low dose can show these effects. The higher the dose, the worse the problem. While these side effects are not harmful, they upset many people. I strive to use the lowest possible dose for the shortest length of time. LONG-TERM SIDE EFFECTS are a totally different story. They include: Heart (cardiovascular system): hypertension, sodium/water retention Skin: acne, infections, excessive bruising, atrophy (degeneration or thinning) of the skin, hair loss Hormonal/reproductive: infertility, growth failure, hyperadrenocorticism, hypoadrenocorticism, birth defects, abortion Gastrointestinal: ulcers, pancreatitis, perforation of the stomach or intestines Immune system: suppression and decreased ability to resist infections Metabolic: increased blood fat, fatty liver disease, obesity Musculoskeletal: osteoporosis, muscle weakness Nervous system: hyperactivity, lethargy Eye: glaucoma, cataracts. Respiratory: thromboembolism Laboratory tests can also show artificial changes in liver enzymes, white blood cell values, and the thyroid. The longer the steroids are used, and the higher the dose prescribed, the greater the chance of developing any of these side effects.
Going the natural way There are many alternatives to steroids. One thing to remember: never abruptly stop giving your animal steroids, as this can send him into severe and possibly fatal shock as his body goes through a withdrawal period. Reducing or eliminating steroid use should only be done while working with a veterinarian as he prescribes any of the following therapies.
BACON OR APPLE FLAVOR!
ACUPUNCTURE Acupuncture is quite effective for relieving pain and inflammation in arthritic dogs and cats, and compares quite favorably with traditional therapies. For animals taking steroids for allergic diseases, acupuncture can be used to reduce itching or stimulate the animal’s immune system to help improve the defense against allergies.
For the VERY FIRST Healthy Pet Systems success story, turn to page 45...
Unlike chronic steroid therapy, the side effects from acupuncture are extremely rare (I’ve never seen any in the animals I have
1-877-838-7015 www.vithealth.com
Healthy Pet Systems animal wellness
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