Puppies Behind Bars

Puppies Behind Bars is a non-profit in New York state that has inmates training dogs to become guide dogs and assistant dogs to police units. The inmates have the responsibility of the first  stages of the dog training process.  This organization has been around and has been successful since 1997!  To learn more or to donate please visit  http://www.firstgiving.com/gftunovember2009.

How to Have Your Animal Friends Live Longer

Dr. Jones is one of my favorite on-line vets and he shares such wonderfully helpful information with us from time to time.  In addition to the tips that Dr. Jones gives us for caring for our pets, I would also add that his information would be better utilized if you first had a conversation with your animal friend(s) to get their input on what is going on with them in terms of their health and happiness.

So many animals are being misdiagnosed, and therefore, their treatments are not correct for what is REALLY going on.  I wish I could say that misdiagnosis doesn’t happen often, but it happens regularly.  Please talk to your animal friends before beginning any treatments.  They at least need to know what you will be doing and why.

Dr. Andrew Jones – How to have your pets live longer

Here’s what I would have said to a client 10 years ago who asked- “What can I do to have my dog or cat live longer?”

1.      Stay current on your Vaccines and Checkups

2.      Keep feeding that  Dry  ”Veterinary Approved Kibble”

3.      Don’t  worry about supplementing

4.      IF your pet is uncomfortable with diseases such as Arthritis, ensure that you give them a prescription Veterinary Medication

5.      Regular exercise

6.      And just hope that NOTHING happens

But times have changed- and my experience with holistic Veterinary Care has taught me that much of WHAT I said 10 years ago is WRONG.

Here is WHAT I am doing for my own dog and cat to EXTEND their lives….

1.     I feed a VARIETY of foods- NEVER just Dry ONLY Kibble.  I am feeding Lewis some canned food, some Home Made recipes, and some Raw food- Dry Kibble is only a small portion of his diet. I am feeding my Cat Cleo now a 50/50 mixture of Dry and Canned- He refuses to eat Raw, but I would have him eat that as well.

2.      LESS Vaccines, but more regular checkups. My Cat Cleo has NOT had a vaccine in 5 years- and I won’t be giving him ANY more vaccines. Lewis was recently vaccinated for Rabies- But I WON’T be giving him any additional vaccines unless I need to travel with him across the Border and his Rabies vaccine is not current.

I do WEEKLY at home pet health exams on Lewis and Cleo- and I advise that you being doing this now.  See your Veterinarian for regular exams at least once a year.

3.      Supplements- for BOTH your dog and cat.  Lewis is now getting a COMPLETE Dog Supplement, which includes antioxidants and immune stimulants to PREVENT disease. Cleo is on a Cat Supplement loaded with Probiotics and Immune stimulants that I have designed and he’s doing GREAT on it. It will be released soon.

4.      I  AVOID Conventional Medication for my Pets Lewis and Cleo. - When my Cat Cleo had a recent bout of vomiting I used a homeopathic called Arsenicum Album. When Lewis strained a ligament and was limping I utilized Acupressure, as opposed to potentially side effect causing Anti-inflammatories.

5.      Exercise- this is what I said 10 years ago, and still say today.  Your pet NEEDS this regularly to remain healthy and LIVE LONGER. A minimum for your dog is 30 minutes twice a day. For your cat that is indoors, at least get them to fetch- but they need to be moving.

6.      There is MUCH more that you can do than just hope. BECOME an Involved Pet Owner, and use The POWER of the BOND. As I get older I am more appreciative of my pets- and I see how much Happier they are when they get my devoted attention. It’s good for you, and yourpet. by Bonding with your pet both YOU and YOUR pet can livelonger-  MOST of the longer living Happy and Healthy pets that I see have very DEDICATED and INVOLVED Pet Owners.

To get Dr. Jones Vet Secrets Home Study Guide visit www.veterinarysecretsrevealed.com

Whose Fault is it When Your Animal Friend Gets Seriously Ill?

My favorite on-line veterinarian, Dr. Andrew Jones, shares with his readers his revealing insights after losing his much loved dog Hoochie.  His story is one that you may associate with because you may have had a dog or other animal friend that came down with a life threatening illness after you followed all of the recommendations from your vet and other “experts.”

Dr. Jones’ dog Hoochie developed cancer after he had followed all of the care guidelines put forth by the animal health experts.  This prompted Dr. Jones to question his health care assumptions.  He now freely shares his experience and findings.

Vaccines

Veterinarians and drug companies want you to vaccinate often and with many components. The MORE vaccines the drug companies sell, the more profit they make.  I am sure that the Vaccine Companies are LOVING the Swine Flu hysteria!

Vaccines also get clients in the door- and for Veterinarians, clients are what makes their business, so they are RELUCTANT to have you vaccinate less.  However, these Vaccines can cause a whole host of medical problems, including Cancer.  Dr. Jones always gave Hoochie his yearly combination vaccines.

Prescription Pills

Pill pushers…We are conditioned to take a ‘pill’ whenever we are ill.  And the Pharmaceutical Industry LOVES that.  So you go to your Vet- your dog or cat will most likely leave with either an injection of some type… or a pill.  Yet these pills often have some pretty serious side effects such as liver failure from conventional anti-inflammatories.  There are a huge number of alternatives-from acupressure to homeopathy, but you aren’t told about them.  Hoochie was on a Conventional anti-inflammatory for arthritis.

Dry, Carbohydrate LOADED Kibble

Diet – You are BOMBARDED with advertising to encourage your pet to eat some carbohydrate loaded, toxin laden, dry dog or cat kibble.  Many of the Pet Food Companies are LARGE multinational corporations- their GOAL is to MASS produce pet food, and make a lot of PROFIT.  You are TOLD to feed this from the media and the veterinarians who resell these products – in spite of the fact that many of these foods have serious heath side effects.

The classic ones are diabetes and urinary tract disease in cats eating dry, carbohydrate loaded kibble.

Cats NEED Animal Protein to survive and thrive. But most of the commercial cat foods contain carbs, such as corn, as the FIRST ingredient.  Dr. Jones fed Hoochie a carbohydrate loaded dry kibble - and he thought it was ‘good’ because it was Veterinary Approved.  Hardly!

It is easy to see the fallacy in this when you make a comparison to your own diet.  NOT all nutrition can come in a bag.  NUTRIENTS don’t survive for months on the shelf.  IF you want to live longer, and avoid disease, you need to eat nutrient RICH foods- FRESH fruits and vegetables NOT only packaged, processed material.

The same logic applies to your dog or cat.  You MUST feed a variety of healthy foods, and supplement their diet, IF they are to thrive and ultimately fight off diseases, like cancer, renal failure and pancreatitis.

Questioning the conventional wisdom of the established medical community and the conglomerate animal food companies is obviously something that we should ALL be doing.

An additional action that you should be taking is asking your animals directly how they feel and whether they actually like what you are doing for them. They can tell you whether they suffer from the injections and pills in ways that may not be obvious on the outside.  They can also tell you if they are craving more of something or want different types of food.  Their innate wisdom is something that should always be considered, and they very much like to be consulted and their wishes respected.  Schedule an Animal Communication Consultation today!

Be your animal’s best friend and get smart now.  They depend on you to help keep them healthy and well.

A great place to start learning how to heal your pet at home is Dr Andrew Jones Vet Secrets Revealed home study course.  Go here to learn more:   http://www.valheart.com/products/vet_secrets.html

Val Heart, Expert Animal Communicator, Behaviorist, Author, Master Healer — Providing Communication, Clarity, Balance and Healing for You and Your Animal.

Are you ready? Take a pro-active approach to improving your relationships with yourself & your animals through improved communication, energy medicine, health & balance for body, mind & spirit. Working with chronic pain, illness, trauma, training, behavior, performance, euthanasia… specializing with dogs and sport horses

Speaker, Columnist, seen on TV and heard on radio.  Animal TeleClasses, Free Expert Animal Communication eTips & Free eNewsletter.  Get Val’s Free Report: 10 Things You Must Know Before Hiring an Animal Communicator  Call (210) 863-7928, visit  http://www.valheart.com

© Copyright, Val Heart & Friends LLC.

Advantage Flea product Melts Plastic?!

Animal Lovers Beware – I came across this frightening article and wanted to share it with anyone who is using Advantage Flea treatment!

A poodle who had Advantage, a spot-on flea treatment, applied just before he was put in his crate for the night, was found literally glued to the crate in the morning. Veterinarians report similar incidents, including damage to the top of an x-ray table (quickly paid for by Bayer). Story verified on the Veterinary Information Network. Click here to read the poodle’s whole story.

Cat Food Recall

I thought all of you cat lovers would want to know about this cat food recall.

Dr. Jean Hofve & Jackson Galaxy, from www.littlebigcat.com Special Report: Premium Edge cat foods recalled. Diamond Pet Foods has recalled the following date codes of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball Cat with codes of RAF0501A22X (18-lb. bag), RAF0501A2X (6-lb. bag), RAH0501A22X (18-lb. bag) and RAH0501A2X (6-lb. bag).

The pet food in question is low in thiamine, which can cause neurological symptoms and brain damage. More than a dozen cases have been confirmed.

It is recommended that pet owners whose cats have eaten the food specified below contact their veterinarian. Diamond is also asking consumers to return the potentially tainted food. The calls from pet owners or veterinarians regarding this issue! have been centered in the Rochester, NY area. Diamond says t! hat all retail outlets shipped the above lots were contacted, asking them to pull the product from the store shelves; and to contact their customers to have them to check the date code of the food. If you or anyone you know has these date codes of Premium Edge cat food, Diamond is asking you to return them to the retailer (presumably for a refund).

Nutro is still in the consumer hot seat. One cat guardian lost her cat after feeding Nutro Complete Care Adult Ocean Fish Flavor back in early September. She sent a sample to the Pet Food Product Safety Alliance for testing, which reported 2100 ppm (parts per million) of zinc. Only 250 ppm of zinc was listed on the bag, and she reported that two Nutro representatives have told me is the maximum found in any of the recalled food.  Read more:http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html#ixzz0U7lxukNv

Nutro Products recently recalled! some of its puppy foods because a worker’s plastic hard hat was “sucked” into some machinery, and the bags of puppy food may have plastic in them. For specifics, please click here.

Little Big Cat’s advice: if you decide to return the food, hold back at least a cup or two and store in a clearly labeled, sealed container. If evidence is needed to support claims for veterinary bills or other damages, giving the product back to Diamond erases it. Keeping a sample will help protect your legal rights.

Hambone Awards – Examples of Why Pet Insurance Is a Good Idea!

Jean Pierre — November 2008

Val Heart recomends pet insurance!

Initially, veterinarians thought the lump on French bulldog Jean Pierre’s side was a bee sting or, worse, a cancerous growth.

But as the lump got bigger over several months, owner Denise Uphus agreed to surgery that showed the lump was the result of a corndog stick.

The stick had gone through Jean Pierre’s stomach lining and was putting pressure on his body cavity.

Uphus was baffled until she recalled that her daughter had fed Jean Pierre part of her corndog one day and that Jean Pierre may have chewed up some of the stick.

“You really can’t turn your back on them,” Uphus told VPI. “Kids or pets.”

Lulu — December 2008

After noticing several of her daughters pacifiers had gone missing, Jennifer Zwart found that her English bulldog Lulu had a private stash — in her stomach.

Zwart told VPI she noticed Lulu liked eating pacifiers after catching her eat one when it fell to the floor. Concerned, she took Lulu to the veterinarian where 15 pacifiers, a bottle cap and a piece of a basketball were removed from Lulu’s stomach.

Save thousands on pet care, get pet insurance today.

“We were all shocked, especially since Lulu never had any symptoms and I had no idea all of those pacifiers had gone missing,” Zwart said to VPI.

Lulu may have binged on her rubbery treats, but her behavior is common for dogs.

“This is really a typical thing dogs do,” Gross said. “With something you like, you eat as many of those as you can find around the house.”

Just for reasons such as these I have pet insurance through   www.quickcarepetinsurance.com..  My mom has health insurance, why wouldn’t I?

For a list of all of the Hambone nominees please visit http://www.vpihamboneaward.com/

No More Homeless Pet’s National Conference in Las Vegas Oct 23-25

Registration is ending soon for this very worthwhile event!

One conference. Five million reasons to come.

Every year, 5 million animals are killed in America’s shelters. Is achieving a country with No More Homeless Pets possible? You bet it is! Every day, more progress is being made, more lives are being saved. But there is still work to be done, and each of us has a part to play.

Topics and presenters include:

• Nathan Winograd, director of the No Kill Advocacy Center, talks about what you can do when your local community says no-kill is impossible.

• Dr. Mike Dix, Best Friends’ chief veterinarian and star of the National Geographic TV show “DogTown,” presents “Ah-choo! Disease Prevention for Rescues and Fosters.” You’ll learn how to spot the most common illnesses in animals, and how to protect your rescued foster animals.

Best Friends 25th anniversary surprises including questions and answers with some of the founders of Best Friends.

And because this year marks Best Friends’ 25th Anniversary, there will be special presentations by the folks who founded Best Friends—and a few anniversary surprises, too!

Click for more information and to register!

When: Friday, October 23, 8 am to Sunday, October 25, 12:30 pm
Where: Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
RSVP: Friday, October 16, 2009

Who’s Teaching Who? Critical Socialization Using Animal Communication & Proper Planning

Val Heart's (Animal Communicator) Friend Einstein

Well, I have to say my mom is the genius here!  You definitely want to socialize your own special puppies.  If you don’t teach us what we need to know when we need to know it, we’ll struggle with those challenges for the rest of our lives.  That’s no fun and is why so many of my fellow canines wind up at shelters, on the streets or euthanized… through no fault of their own.  They just didn’t get the proper training and care in their early impressionable months.  That makes me very sad…

Val:  Thanks, Einstein!  I was determined to teach you everything I could think of starting immediately after you came home with me, because I knew that my job was to give you the best possible start in life. And because I realized that what I taught you could some day save your life, I planned your social outings and training program very carefully.

Remember the day at the dog park when you were off leash and you got scared and in your panic ran lickety split for home and safety?  But you were headed across a busy street?  I yelled, Einstein!  Come!!  And I watched to see what would happen with my heart in my throat.  I knew that you might be hit by a car, and I might lose you that day.

I was so proud of you, as with tears in my eyes and a tremendous feeling of gratitude, I watched as you immediately whirled around and raced back to my side, just like I’d taught you when you were only 9 weeks old.

I have been so appreciative of my ability to communicate with you during the entire socialization and training process.  You needed to know what to expect, how to keep yourself safe and how to interact properly with other people of all shapes, ages, color and sizes, with other dogs, with cats, horses…  You need to understand the games we play – and also communicate back with me for feedback and discussion.

That way I would know what was working and what didn’t work for you.  Every one of us learns differently, and some techniques just don’t work for some as well as they do for others.  You certainly sent me back to the training books and into meditation when we hit the occasional challenge together!  But we’ve always figured it out – I’m so glad you can help me resolve these things together.  You’re a wonderful Teacher.

You delighted the neighborhood when we went to the 4^th of July parade and at only 10 weeks old, you were calm, laid back, gentle, loving and attentive to everyone of all ages, from the very old to the very young.  The postman looks forward to seeing you, and our neighbors are happy to see us when we’re out walking.  You enjoy riding in the car and love going to visit – anywhere at any time, is your motto!

Now, everyone who meets you just falls in love with you.  That’s partly because of the remarkably wisdom you possess, but I like to think it’s also because you love people and are here to touch their hearts and lives, and inspire them.

When you came to live with me at 8 weeks old, I started immediately teaching you to Stay, Sit, Wait – with both hand signals and voice commands, from near and from far away.  You also learned to Come!  Shake Hands, High Five (with both paws) and have even learned to distinguish between your right and your left front paws!

By 2 1/2 months old, you knew the Find It game, and by 3 ½ months old, you knew the names of all your many toys and could distinguish between them when I asked you to Find a certain one.

Boy, I could go on and on singing your praises, but we’d better stop here.  We can tell our Readers more in our next newsletter and Blog, ok?  For today, I hope we’ve inspired someone to do more with their animal friends starting today.

Aggressive dog Behavior – An Underlying Cause!

Val Heart gets to the root cause of aggressive dog behavior.

Animals that pass through many different homes, who go through shelters, who are abandoned or lost always bear the scars and wounds of those experiences.

One of the most common emotional issues animals often experience is the emotional frustration of being misunderstood. Regardless of where they have come from and what they’ve suffered or experienced, what they need from you is your respect, your willingness to communicate with them to find out from them what is going on, your understanding and lack of judgment, followed by providing a foundation of stability in their home.

From there, they can heal and go on to live happy lives.

Well intentioned, loving animal owners often do exactly the wrong things in their attempt to help these animals. They do not need affection or a stronger more forceful approach as much as they need direction and a way to feel safe in a secure family group. They also need jobs to do, a way to focus their energy and spirit so they can fulfill their purpose here.

A fearful animal does not need you to protect them. They need you to help them find their confidence again. It is cruel to let an animal live in fear. If you love them, then teach them what they need to know to not be afraid anymore.

An aggressive animal is usually in reaction to something their human has inadvertently taught them – they can sense when you are frightened or feel out of control, so they will take over trying to protect you! Every family group needs a leader, someone in control who can be trusted.

An example of aggressive behavior that backfired was when a dog was attacking a friend’s husband, and the dog would not even let him into their bedroom. It was a tense situation and they desperately needed help before they had to put their dog down.

After communicating directly with the dog it turned out the marriage was in trouble and the dog was acting out the wife’s anger toward her husband.

If they had not taken the time to listen to their dog, he would have lost his life. The dog thought he was doing the right thing. Now that they knew what the real trouble was, they could give him different signals, and he didn’t have to suffer or die.

Many animal lovers simply do not realize when their animals are reacting to something that is going on in the home. If you are ill, stressed, addicted to drama and/or not a good leader then the animals in the house will react accordingly.

Their world view is vastly different than our own. They need to have a leader, feel safe, have adequate food, share affection, be in a pack of some type and be allowed to fulfill their purpose in this lifetime. When these basic things are not met, then they will do whatever makes the most sense to them at the time, which may include acting out.

Sometimes the only way to determine the root cause of a behavior issue to ask the animal directly why they are misbehaving. Many times it is not an obvious answer, but one that you would never have thought of.

Are you ready? Take a pro-active approach to improving your relationships with yourself & your animals through improved communication, energy medicine, health & balance for body, mind & spirit. Working with chronic pain, illness, trauma, training, behavior, performance, euthanasia… specializing with dogs and sport horses.  Visit www.valheart.com to learn more about animal communication classes or to schedule an appointment today.

The Most Obvious Sign a Dog is Sick and What to Do About It

Do you have a sick dog? Let Val Heart, animal communicator, get to the root cause!

Most vets will tell you that the most common thing that brings a dog into the clinic is vomiting. It is the most obvious symptom of illness, unlike a low grade fever or lethargy. Dog owners may not readily recognize that their dog is less active or isn’t eating quite right, but will never miss vomiting. You also can miss the sound a dog makes when vomiting.

Most dog owners get panicky when they hear this sound, one because they don’t immediately know what the cause is, and two, they don’t know if they will be able to clean it up completely. Vomiting is one of the most common reasons for going to a clinic or emergency room.

The big question is, when do you worry that vomiting is a sign of something very serious, and what do you do about it.

What you need to know:

• Most dogs will vomit occasionally. If a dog vomits once or twice but is still acting normal, has normal stools and quickly (over a few hours) resumes eating and drinking -then I’m not too worried.  In this case – I’d recommend watching your dog to ensure that the symptoms disappear. Watch for any additional signs such as lethargy, diarrhea or weakness.
• If the vomiting continues more than a few times, your dog acts “sick”, is lethargic, you see any blood in the vomit or you also see diarrhea – then you will want to call your vet.
• There are lots of causes for vomiting that can range from a mild viral or bacterial problem to severe life-threatening metabolic problems such as diabetes, pancreatitis, renal failure or even a gastrointestinal obstruction.

What can you do at home?

Dr. Jon Rappaport, one of my favorite vets, says that if your dog vomited a couple times and is otherwise acting okay – this is what he would recommend:

• The general approach will be to not give any food or water for a few hours. When you begin giving water, start with only small amounts.
• Providing that there is no vomiting for two hours after starting the water, then you may begin feeding small amounts of a bland diet.  Feed only a small meatball sized portion at a time.  If there is no vomiting, offer slightly more food a couple hours later.  The key is to feed small amounts frequently.
• Gradually increase the amount per feeding.  If no vomiting occurs, feed this diet for one day then begin mixing in small amounts of the regular food.  Gradually switch your dog to his regular food over the next two days.
  
• To make a bland diet, mix equal parts of a protein source and carbohydrate. The protein source can be boiled hamburger, lean beef, chicken or turkey, meat flavored baby food or cottage cheese. The carbohydrate source can be boiled white rice, boiled potato or pasta. You can also purchase canned bland diet from your veterinarian.
• Please call or see your veterinarian as soon as possible if vomiting continues, you notice diarrhea, your pet won’t eat, or acts painful or lethargic.

If you are a dog lover, then you want what is best for them. Taking your dog to the vet when needed can be very costly and sometimes financially more than you can handle. To offset the rising cost of health care it would be a good idea to get pet insurance. Pet insurance generally gives pet owners the comfort of knowing they can do the best for the dog when a problem occurs.

For more information – go to www.quickcarepetinsurance.com

What else can you do about a Vomiting Dog?

Dr. Jon also says to take your dog out on a leash only. Monitor all his urine and bowel movements. You don’t want your dog going out and having problems that you don’t realize.

I hope these tips help the next time your dog vomits.  And if you have a friend with a dog – feel free to forward this to them. I’d like to help as many dogs as I can.

Many blessings,

Val Heart

P.S. As you may know, dogs can suffer from a variety of illness, many of which are covered by pet insurance. If you worry about being able to do the best for your dog – consider pet insurance.  Pet insurance allows you to do the best for your dog if there is a problem. To see if it is right for you, go to www.quickcarepetinsurance.com.

P.P.S. By the way – the average cost of a vet visit for vomiting is about $430.00. It can be less if things are simple and no diagnostic tests are required and a lot more if an underlying problem is found. Go to www.quickcarepetinsurance.com to get a free quote and to find out if pet insurance is right for you.