“HOW’S YOUR DOG? Did you ever have a guy who asks you that? “HOW’S YOUR DOG?” …Fine, he’s all right. They’re not your dogs; they’re our dogs! Every now and then one of us has one for awhile. But they’re our dogs.

Okay, you’re home at night, got the TV on, but you got the lights on too ’cause you’re reading, doggie’s there, doing a crossword puzzle, answer the phone. You got a Pepsi, bag of Doritos, hey…Does this happen in your house? If a dog is shown on television, do you try to get your dog to look at the dog? “Look at the dog! Look at the dog! Look at the doggie! LOOK AT THE DOG, YOU *******!” They never look where you want, do they? They look at your hand. “Look over there” “What’s his hand doing up there, man? His hand is on my head! What did I do wrong?” “Well, for one thing, you missed the dog!”

10 holistic pet care tips you can trust

By Christie Keith, Special to SF Gate
Wednesday, June 10, 2008

For more than 22 years, I’ve been raising and caring for my pets using alternative and complementary methods. In that time, I’ve seen dozens of supplements, herbs and nutritional theories hailed as the one true way to pet health, and then fall by the wayside.

After interviewing dozens of holistic vets, following a lot of tips that sounded promising and undergoing a great deal of trial and error with my own animals in the past two decades, I’ve come up with a list of 10 tried-and-true holistic tips that have worked for my pets as well as many others.

One caution, and it’s a big one: Talk to your veterinarian before trying to treat your pet at home. It’s one thing to give a gingersnap to see if it helps a healthy puppy’s mild carsickness; it’s another to think you can treat a pet’s violent or chronic diarrhea at home. There is nothing “holistic” about treating conditions without a diagnosis.

1. Peppermint and catnip
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) and catnip (Nepeta cataria) are wonderful remedies for nausea and car sickness. Peppermint also regulates peristalsis, so it can help with irritable bowel syndrome, and even with symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease.

Catnip has similar effects on digestive upsets while being more palatable for felines. Even if your cat doesn’t experience a euphoric reaction to the herb — and 20 percent of cats don’t — it still has digestive benefits and can also serve as a mild appetite stimulant to both dogs and cats. It may help with some forms of vomiting in cats, but it’s important first to have your veterinarian determine the cause of the vomiting.

If your cat is attracted to catnip, you can just put some of the dried, crushed herb on the ground for the cat to roll around in. If not, you can add the dried herb to their food at the rate of around half a teaspoon per pound of food. You can also give cats or dogs a glycerin-based tincture (available at some health food stores), half a milliliter for every 20 pounds of body weight.

Glycerin-based peppermint tinctures are widely sold in health food stores for use by children. Dogs can be given these products dosed by body weight according to the guidelines on the label; those that also contain ginger are especially helpful for car sickness. (And yes, a gingersnap will also often do the trick.)

Because dogs tend to like the taste, they will usually drink a weak peppermint tea given in a bowl instead of water. It should be offered lukewarm or at room temperature rather than very hot or chilled.

Peppermint is contraindicated for pets with reflux, as it relaxes the esophageal sphincter.

2. Medical grade honey
When one of my dogs developed a drug-resistant staph infection, I spent weeks and hundreds of dollars on antibiotics, only to have the infection come back again and again. I finally banished it, hopefully forever, with the aid of an FDA-approved bandage containing medical grade honey.

This honey contains an enzyme that is believed to prevent bacterial growth. It comes from bees that feed on the flowers of the Manuka plant in New Zealand. It’s being used in both human and veterinary medicine to treat and prevent resistant bacterial infections. The product I used is called Medihoney.
To read the rest of this article click on www.sfgate.com

For more info visit The Official Blog Blast for Peace site.

Give your dog the world! This Orbee-Tuff ball by Planet Dog has been voted the “world’s best dog ball”. Not only is this ball adorable but it is made of all non-toxic ingredients and is 100% recyclable.

Other eco-friendly products by Planet Dog include natural hemp collars and harnesses, dog beds and more.

Ask for Planet Dog toys and products at your local pet supply shop or visit their website.
www.planetdog.com

Halloween can be a spooky time for pets. Strange noises, unfamiliar trick or treaters and dangerous candy. Here are a few ideas to keep your pets safe during Halloween.

Halloween candy, especially chocolate, can be harmful or even deadly for your pets. To help keep your pets out of the candy bowl, try to have a few extra pet treats around the house for your furry friends. After all, it’s a Trick or Treat night for them, too, and it’s only polite to have treats for your pet.

Candy wrappers, tin foil and small toys can get stuck in your pets digestive tract and may require an quick and expensive trip to the vet. Some dogs will eat anything that’s laying around the house, so be sure to keep an eye on what falls to the floor.

Thinking of Trick or Treat with your pet? In many places, Halloween night is not a safe night for any of your animals to be out. Here in Salem, Massachusetts, Halloween night means thousands of noisy and costumed visitors filling the streets: quite a confusing spectacle, and far too loud for a dog’s or cat’s sensitive ears. Try keeping your pets indoors for the evening and reward them with a special treat.

If your pets are sensitive to noise, loud rapping on the door and noisy children may rattle them. Add some Rescue Remedy to their water for the evening, and play soothing music for them. You may want to set them up in a room that is away from the commotion for the evening.

Finally, remember to keep your pets (and their tails) away from burning candles and jack-o-lanterns. There is nothing spookier for your or your animal than a tail on fire.

With these safeguards, your night of ghosts, goblins and costumed children can be safe and fun for everyone.
Happy Halloween!

Please note that the Dogswell & Catswell jerky treats are made in China. (Happy Hips, Mellow Mutt, etc)

I have not heard yet if they are a part of this, however I recommend NOT using them as a precaution until more information is known.

Sept. 14, 2007, 10:37PM
Warning issued on dog treats
FDA looks into reports of tainted jerky from China

By DIANE C. LADE
Mcclatchy-tribune

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Federal regulators said Friday they are investigating potential contaminants in dog treats made in China, as the nation’s leading veterinarian association posted a warning to pet owners that the products might be making animals sick.

The American Veterinary Medical Association, which represents 75,000 vets, issued the statement prompted by members’ reports of numerous unusual cases of dogs suffering from a rare kidney ailment after consuming the treats. Most were chicken flavored.

To read the rest of this article click on www.chron.com

Jeanie Marie Kraft, Lic.Ac. is keeping tails wagging on the North Shore of MA with K9 acupuncture house-calls. Center in FourPawsAcupuncture.com for more information.

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress
can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
Mahatma Gandi

Jeanie Marie Kraft, L.Ac. is keeping tails wagging on the North Shore of MA with K9 acupuncture house-calls. Visit FourPawsAcupuncture.com for more information.

This is Nikki, a 7 year-old schnauzer and one of my favorite patients. Her owner was kind enough to share this fun picture of Nikki wearing her niece’s crocs while on vacation.

Nikki is very fortunate to have an owner who feeds her home-cooked meals. Feeding your dog a healthy diet can add years to his/her life and save money in the long run. How? A healthier dog spends less time at the vet!

Nikki’s Favorite Dinner Recipe
Boil two cups water, add one cup rolled oats,remove from heat, cover and passively cook for 45 minutes. Boil ground turkey or ground chicken about two cups drain and cool. Steam either green beans or baby carrots with a couple cloves of fresh garlic so they are soft, let cool.

To read more about Nikki and how a home cooked diet, acupuncture and lots of love helped her to heal visit www.fourpawsacupuncture.com /happydogs

Jeanie Marie Kraft, Lic.Ac. is keeping tails wagging on the North Shore of MA with K9 acupuncture house-calls. Center in FourPawsAcupuncture.com for more information.

St Roche also known as St Roch, St Rocco, St Roque was born in France around 1295. Legend has it that he was born into a wealthy family and had great empathy for the sick and the poor . He denounced his nobility and made a pilgrimage to Rome to care for the victims of the plague.

He contracted the disease and hid in the forest so he would not burden anyone with his suffering. He was befriended by a dog who brought him food and licked his wounds until he recovered.

It is said that by the time he returned home, his family had all passed away and no one had recognized him. He was put in prison for spying and false impersonation. His dog remained with him in jail for five years until he died.

He is the patron saint of dogs and all those who love them, as well as surgeons, bachelors and those who are falsely accused.

In parts of South America and Italy his feast day August 16th, is called the “birthday of all dogs”, in which the dogs around town can be seen with colorful ribbons tied to them.

Jeanie Marie Kraft, L.Ac. is keeping tails wagging on the North Shore of MA with K9 acupuncture house-calls. Center in FourPawsAcupuncture.com for more information.