April/May2016
RAWPETDIGEST
IN THIS ISSUE: -Ho m eo p at h i c f i r st -ai d -W h i sk er st r ess -Si m p l e sw i t ch es t o h el p y o u r p et -A j o u r n ey t o r aw -A n d m u ch m o r e!
Cleo, a Canaan dog, who celebrates her 18th birthday on April 1. Photo credit: Kristin Clark
Raw Pet Digest Editor-in-chief: Kristin Clark Technical editor: Dr. Jeannie (Jeannette) Thomason
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Our mission at Raw Pet Digest is to share information that supports natural health with a broad audience to help improve the lives of our carnivore pets. We believe that only the body is capable of achieving and maintaining true health, but we also believe that there are many things that we can do to help support the body in its quest to maintain balance (health). Raw Pet Digest aims to help educate and inform you about those things so that you can help your pet live a long life and thrive naturally.
DISCLAIMER: All information contained in Raw Pet Digest is intended for educational purposes only. It is not provided in order to diagnose, prevent, or treat any disease, illness, or injured condition of the body or pets, and the author(s), publisher, and contributors accept no responsibility for such use. Anyone or their pets suffering from any disease, illness, or injury should consult with their physician or veterinarian. The statements herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Additionally, all views expressed herein by those being interviewed or featured are their own views and do not necessarily represent the views of Raw Pet Digest. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the author(s) and Editor-in-Chief. The articles herein are for educational purposes only. The decision to use, or not to use, any information is the sole responsibility of the reader.
Lycan, Merlin, Midge, and Pansy. Photo credit: Bre Altherr
FEATURESAND COLUMNS Letter from the Editor - 4 Simple Switches - 5 Homeopathic First Aid for Animals - 10 Top-Notch Meat Suppliers - 13 Living the Good Life - 16 A Journey to Raw: Jen and Reese - 22 Whisker Stress in Cats - 23 The Benefits of Tripe - 25 Cleo taking a nap. Photo credit: Kristin Clark
How and Why to Use Diatomaceous Earth - 26 Spotlight on Health: Kim Bloomer - 30 A Heartfelt Thank You - 36 Face the Sheep, and Walk Away - 38 The Raw Pet Digest Survey Results - 43
A white cat in a field. Copyright: Riccardo Nikola Ziglio
Letter fromtheEditor Welcome to the first anniversary issue of Raw Pet Digest! It?s hard to believe that it?s been a year since the magazine first launched; what a journey! When I first started this magazine, it was with the intent to share information, in particular information about nutrition, that would help dog and cat owners learn how to support their pet?s health naturally. That?s still the goal, but we have expanded to talk about so much more than just nutrition. A species-appropriate diet is the foundation for a strong, balanced, healthy immune system, and because it plays such a big part in the health of our beloved pets, it will always play a big part in the magazine. But, we also are committed to bringing you information about other things you can do to help support your pet, along with information about specific issues that pets encounter (such as when we brought you the article by Jeannie Thomason about Canine Pancreatitis), or the article about whisker stress in cats in this issue. This issue, in fact, runs the gamut in terms of topics and information. We have a fantastic and very practical article from Sarah Reagan about homeopathic first aid for animals. She talks about the concepts behind homeopathy, gives you information about what should be in your homeopathic first-aid kit, and discusses various ways you can give the remedies. We also talk about diatomaceous earth, which is an incredibly versatile and natural substance; non-toxic to pets and people, it can be used for lots of different things, such as parasite control, detoxification, and even a deodorizer. And, we have an interview with Kim Bloomer, the co-founder of the American Council of Animal Naturopathy, about naturopathy and some of its principles
Kristin with Cleo, Motley, Elle, and Barkley. Photo credit: Adam Gilbert
This issue also has several articles about raw feeding. We share a story about one woman?s journey to feeding a raw diet to her dog, and I also share with you some of my favorite meat suppliers (and why I like them so much). Because naturopathy is a holistic approach, we also have some articles that aim to provide support for the spirit as well. Check out the articles ?A Heartfelt Thank You? and ?Face the Sheep, and Walk Away?; my hope is you'll let their messages settle into your heart and mind. Finally, I am excited to share the results of the Raw Pet Digest survey with you in this article. The survey responses gave us some really valuable and great feedback, and we will be putting that feedback into action moving forward. Be on the lookout for future surveys. Your input is invaluable, and we love hearing from you. We would love to hear what you were able to put into practice from this issue? send an email to kristin@rawpetdigest.com with your thoughts and stories. And, if you?re interested in being featured in a story about moving your pets to a raw diet, let us know! Enjoy the issue, Kristin 4
SIMPLESWITCHES: EASYTHINGSYOUCANDORIGHT NOWTOHELPYOURPET
Merlin, an American Pit Bull Terrier. Photo credit: Bre Altherr
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We all know that there are lots of things you can do to help your dog or cat thrive. In Raw Pet Digest, we discuss lots of different ways to help improve your pet?s health naturally. Some of these might involve big changes? changing from a kibble diet to a species-appropriate diet, for example. But there are also some quick, easy things you can do to help improve your pet?s health that take very little time or effort on your part. This article goes over some of those simple switches, and the best part is, you can start implementing these changes right away. Just like everything else we talk about in this magazine, these simple, easy changes will help your pet thrive naturally.
few minutes of brushing each day also helps you get really in-tune with your pet?s body, which makes it easier to identify any abnormalities quickly. And, it helps ensure that your pet is used to being handled on all parts of their body, which can come in handy in a wide variety of situations. If you?re curious about the best brush to use on your pet, take a look at the ?Natural Grooming? article by Bre Altherr in the February/ March 2016 issue of Raw Pet Digest. So, if you don?t already, start brushing your dog or cat regularly. They will look better and feel healthier, and taking a few minutes each day to really focus on your pet and let the stresses of the day fade into the background might help you feel more balanced and happy too.
Regul ar brushing
Heal t hy, species-appropriat e t reat s
Whether your pet is long-haired or short-haired, they will benefit from regular, daily brushing. This is true whether it is ?shedding season? or not. Brushing your dog or cat regularly helps remove dead hair, distribute the natural oils on the skin and the coat, and gives you a chance to check for any scrapes, lumps, or bumps that your pet might have. It also deepens your bond with your pet, and is an incredibly relaxing activity to engage in when you?ve had a stressful day. A
Lots of people regularly tell me that they give their dogs and cats treats. If you love to give your pet treats, making sure you?re giving healthy treats is an easy way to help support your pet in their journey towards achieving and maintaining optimal health. If you are currently giving your pet store-bought treats (such as dog biscuits or cat treats), vegetables and/ or fruit (and this includes things like canned pumpkin), peanut butter, French fries, or other processed food, you have a great opportunity to start giving healthy, species-appropriate treats that will help support your pet in being the healthiest they can be. Many store-bought treats (for dogs and cats) are processed, can be harmful, and do not support the health of your pet. Our carnivore pets are not designed to eat fruits and veggies, and they can cause major problems. Peanut butter, French fries, and other processed food are also not species-appropriate, and they can cause problems as well. If you like to feed treats to your pet, choose something that is species-appropriate, like whole frozen sardines, chicken feet, liver (freeze-dried is
Paisley, a Yorkie mix. Photo credit: Bre Altherr
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fine), and so on. You can take a look at the articles ?Healthy Treats for Cats? and ?Healthy Treats for Dogs? in the June/ July 2015 issue of Raw Pet Digest for more information. There are lots of healthy options out there that will be a source of health, energy, and balance for your pet, so make the simple switch to giving healthy, species-appropriate treats. Get t hat air f l owing Many of us spend the majority of our time inside, and so do our pets. While it is important for us and our pets to get outside and get exercise, sunshine, and fresh air every day, it is also a really great idea to give fresh air a chance to circulate inside too. In our house, we keep at least one window open a little bit all the time (only closing it when it?s raining heavily). And, anytime the weather is nice, we open up all the windows and let the house air out. Even if the weather isn?t perfect, keeping that window open a bit allows fresh air to come in and stale air to go out. We haven?t had an increase in our energy bills because of this, and we and our pets get the benefit of fresh air in our house almost all the time. Like I mention in the article ?The Importance of Fresh Air? in the February/ March 2016 issue of Raw Pet Digest, studies have shown that breathing fresh air can promote relaxation, increase feelings of happiness, and decrease stress. Making sure that you have fresh air coming into your house all the time is an easy, inexpensive switch you can make right away to help your pets, your family, and yourself be more balanced, happier, and healthier.
most places, the tap water is not clean and pure? as I describe in the article, researchers regularly find that the tap water in most places in America has chlorine, fluoride, chlorides, sulfates, bicarbonates, aluminum, nitrates, insecticides, herbicides, and even prescription medications (including antibiotics and hormones), along with lots of other substances that you don?t want going into your body or your pet?s body. So what can you do? Switch from drinking tap water to drinking filtered water, and make sure that you give your pet filtered water too. When it is clean and pure, water can help to support the natural oxygen levels and pH balance in our pets? bodies, which ultimately supports the immune system and your pet?s ability to thrive. Give indoor cat s a way t o get out side Ok, this tip is species-specific, but it?s still important. Many indoor cats never get to go outside to get all the benefits (for example, sunshine, fresh air, and mental stimulation) that being outside provides. If you have an indoor cat (and our cat, Gryphon, falls into this category), you can still give them the benefits
Cl ean, pure wat er In the August/ September 2015 issue of Raw Pet Digest, we talked about the importance of clean, pure water (drinking pure, clean water also happens to be the third law of health). In
Gryphon outside in his enclosure. Photo credit: Kristin Clark
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of being outside without sacrificing their safety. You can get them a harness and leash and take them out for safe ?walks,? or you can get an enclosure that will give them a safe place to hang out in for an hour or two each day. Gryphon has a pen that we got on Amazon for about $40 that is designed as a rabbit enclosure. It was inexpensive, easy to set up, and it is portable and collapsible if we ever need to move it. It is easy to put Gryphon in there and leave him outside, knowing that he is safe from cars, other cats, dogs, and anything else that might be a danger to him. He gets to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air every day (unless the weather is bad, of course). This simple switch has resulted in a much happier, calmer, and relaxed cat. He loves going outside, and I love knowing that he?s safe while he?s out there. Cut down on t he t oxins in your home The cleaning products and air fresheners that lots of us use contain toxic chemicals that can have profoundly negative impacts on our pets. For an in-depth look at the topic, take a look at the article ?Hidden Toxins, Safer Alternatives? by Carole Milligan in the August/ September 2015 issue of Raw Pet Digest. While it can take some time to clear out all the toxic cleaners from your home, you can start the process by taking a look at ewg.org. This website is an incredibly helpful tool that can help you find better alternatives to toxic cleaners. As the website says: ?EWG?s Guide to Healthy Cleaning is an online safety guide for household cleaning products, launched in 2012 to help people find safer products that fully disclose their ingredients and contain fewer ingredients that are hazardous or that haven?t been thoroughly tested. The database
combines product ingredient lists gleaned from product labels, company websites and worker safety documents with information in more than 16 standard toxicity databases and extensive searches of peer-reviewed scientific literature. The database provides easy-to-navigate safety ratings for more than 2,000 cleaning products.? You can look up products in lots of different categories; it is an excellent guide when you are looking for better, safer products for your home. Another simple change you can make is to stop using air fresheners and scented candles in your house, and switch to diffusing essential oils. Air fresheners can cause changes in blood pressure and mood, and they can also trigger migraine headaches. Our pets are just as susceptible to the harmful effects of air fresheners and scented candles. By switching to essential oils (make sure that the essential oils you use are organic and have not been distilled with chemicals), you can keep your home smelling nice while at the same time providing a natural modality to help support, maintain, and balance your pet?s body (as well as, of course, you and your family?s bodies). Take a look at the articles ?Introduction to Essential Oils? and ?Building Your Essential Oil Kit? (both are in the June/ July 2015 issue of Raw Pet Digest) for more information. Harnesses vs col l ars If you have a dog that pulls when you?re out on a walk, you might want to consider switching from a collar to a harness. There is evidence to suggest that collars can cause damage to the thyroid gland, which can lead to hypothyroidism (which may show up as weight gain, hair loss, skin problems, or other issues); lameness; neck injuries; and injuries to the spine. When your dog pulls on the leash while 8
wearing a collar, it can also restrict the blood, and even the lymph, from flowing optimally to and from the head. This can cause problems with the ears and eyes. Switching your dog to a harness, particularly a front-clip harness, can help reduce the issues that dogs that are pullers experience. Your dog may also benefit from chiropractic treatment to help make sure that their neck and spine is healthy and properly aligned. For more information about chiropractic for your pet, see the article ?Animal Chiropractic Care? by Dr. Erin O?Connor in the August/ September 2015 issue of Raw Pet Digest.
Concl usion These are just a few of the many things you can do to help your pet live an optimal, quality life. These are all simple, easy switches that you can start to implement right away in your house. You don?t have to do them all at once? if it?s easier, you can try making one simple switch each week. You and your pets will both benefit, and each positive change you make will help support your pet in becoming the very healthiest it can. Remember, every change you make has an impact, so no matter where you are in your journey to support your pet naturally, implementing these can have a huge effect on your pet, mind, body, and spirit. -By Kristin Clark
Dog and cat enjoying each other's company in the great outdoors. Copyright: Vvvita
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HOMEOPATHICFIRSTAIDFORANIMALS having a homeopathic first-aid kit on hand. For those of us that adhere to natural, holistic lifestyles for our pets, an acute injury can be great cause for concern, not just for the animal?s wellbeing, but also because it may mean a trip to the vet, with all the complications that may bring. Certainly if life or limb is in jeopardy, then you should take your pet to the veterinary clinic as soon as possible. However, there are things that can be done either in the meantime, or perhaps even in lieu of a vet trip if the case is less serious. No matter what, it is highly recommended to familiarize yourself with potential injurious situations your pet can get into. Preparing yourself ahead of time, both emotionally and intellectually, will speed up resolution of most first-aid situations. Homeopathic pellets. Copyright: Monika Wisniewska
One of the goals of Raw Pet Digest is to introduce you to various holistic health care methods for our animals, so that you have more options and tools to use when your pet needs something beyond that all-important species-appropriate diet. One such modality is homeopathy, and in particular, its use in first aid. I think you will agree that our animals can get into some of the darndest situations! This is especially true for those that are allowed access to the great outdoors, but even those that primarily spend their lives inside (and we do hope they get to go out into the sunshine some each day!) can benefit from their human
Homeopathy is part of a holistic system of medicine and health care developed and refined by Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) over most of his adult lifetime. The word ?homeopathy? derives from the Greek words hรณmoios and pรกthos, which mean ?like? and ?suffering? respectively, or what has come to be known as the law of similars. The underlying principles of homeopathy actually date back to Hippocrates (~460-370 BC); he would prescribe very small, yet still crude, doses of substances to counteract conditions those same substances actually caused in larger doses. This was the birth of Western medicine. Centuries later, Paracelsus (1493-1541) would say ?what makes a man ill also cures him;? he had remnants of this atavistic understanding about the association between disease and cure that Hippocrates first 10
laid out. But as Western medicine grew in use and scope, the law of similars was misused and basically misunderstood; it was found to be dangerous at best and deadly at worst, and so it was largely abandoned in favor of the suppression of symptoms (i.e. opposing the situation) and the eradication of morbid tissue via methods such as cauterization (burning), purging, and bleeding; along with methods we still use today, such as chemotherapy and radiation; detoxing; chelation; emetics (medicines that make you vomit); and phlebotomy (which is, as defined by Merriam Webster, the letting of blood for transfusion, diagnostic testing, or experimental procedures). It was the genius of Samuel Hahnemann that revitalized the law of similars, making it safe, when he developed his principles of dose reduction; this came to be known as potentization of the substance. (Potentization as the term is used in homeopathy means dilution of a given substance beyond Avogadro?s number (any potency greater than 12C) AND succussion of the substance.) This dynamic method of dose reduction rendered substances that would be toxic in crude form completely safe and effective to use in anyone, including human babies and animals.
trauma and the remedy. In this article, we will explore some of the more common recommendations for putting together a homeopathic first-aid kit for your cat or dog and how to use the remedies. This list is certainly not exhaustive, but it is a great starting point.
True homeopathy is a safe and effective method of treatment, and with regard to first-aid treatment, it is simple enough to be given to animals by anyone? even those that have never seen a homeopathic remedy. Those that are somewhat familiar with the time-consuming method of selecting the ?right? remedy under classical homeopathy (known as repertorization) will be pleased to know that this process is not needed in first-aid prescribing. In situations requiring first-aid treatment, we find there is a constant relationship between aspects of the shock or
Ledum: this is the remedy used for puncture wounds, and that includes punctures from insects (Apis is also used in insect ?bites,? particularly from bee stings).
Remedies Aconite: this remedy is known as ?arnica for the eye? in first-aid treatment. Any physical injury to the eye area calls for this one. This remedy is also primary in situations where there is shock with fear. Arnica: this is the one remedy that should be in everyone?s medicine cabinet. It is the first line of defense in any situation that involves either emotional shock or physical contusion (bruising), or both. Belladonna: use this remedy in situations of heat exhaustion/ overheating, sunstroke, etc; note that Glonoine is also typically given in these situations. Calendula: this is the remedy to use for all cuts and scrapes Hypericum: think of nerves when you think of this remedy. Anytime there is damage to nerve-rich areas of the body, this is one of the remedies you will want to give.
Nux-vomica: when there is a situation of over-eating or gorging on something, give this remedy. Note there is a set of remedies that may be combined and used in digestive upset/ colic cases: -
Arsenicum (if poisoning is suspected) Nux-vomica/ Lycopodium (flatulence and bloat, is liver specific) 11