Natural Health Articles

Looking out for Fido?
By Susanne Morrone, CNC

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Remember this Dr. Seuss’ Book? It came to mind when I saw “Dog Flu Shots Available Here” in a newsletter in my e-mail. What’s the connection to Dr. Seuss?

Dog Flu, Cat Flu, Swine Flu, Bird Flu,
You’re afraid it’s coming atchoo,
Fish Flu, Cow Flu, Horse Flu, Bat Flu,
Better watch out for the gnat flu.

There’s old flu, gnu flu
A flu, B flu
Spanish, Hong Kong
H3N2.

Fear is a great tactic to cause us to hastily do something that perhaps later on will bring severe regrets. Huge amounts of money are always made from fear.

We depend on our pets for the companionship, love and comfort they give us, and they depend on us. It’s time to step back, research and make informed decisions.

The same serious side effect concerns that people have with human vaccines, exist for those given to your pets. Canine flu is not rampant, and very few dogs ever get it. Invest in acquiring good common sense and understand the concept of prevention. How so?

Our dogs and cats need good nutrition and health care. They require better quality nutrition than what is found in most commercial animal foods; these are usually overheated and processed, full of preservatives and other chemicals, and often are loaded with antibiotics and diseased animal meat. (Do you recall the recent melamine content in pet food?) Think of poor nutrition impacting the immune system and moving them closer to chronic health problems and bouts of sickness. Feed your dog quality meat free of chemicals or fish, fresh vegetables and some greens every day. The diet should be low in saturated fats and high in quality proteins and whole grains. Don’t make the primary food table scraps. Spicy foods, grapes, raisins, chocolate or onions are not tolerated. There are fine natural and even organic brands available. And, don’t forget plenty of fresh water.

Common sense should keep our beloved pets away from kennels. If you are having to utilize kennels with any frequency, re-evaluate why you have a pet. Anytime you have animals in crowded conditions and unclean cages, there is major neglect and the expectation of illness. Puppy mills are notoriously deplorable.

Humans and pets alike have marvelous immune systems. Begin to see the day to day care as a positive or negative to immune function. Take responsibility for yourself, your family and your pets by becoming empowered through education.