Tag Archive for: infared

Beau with his Aflac duck

How to Keep Your Dog Healthy

I wish someone would have shared how to keep your dog healthy long before he was diagnosed with cancer. Along with the information on which dog breeds are genetically more susceptible to disease and cancer.

Providing your pets the safest and cleanest products and environment available is an absolute must, especially if they are more susceptible to disease or cancer.  Most products we use for our baby (an 80-pound Boxer) are human grade as the standards are much higher. You can read more about Beau’s story here if you haven’t been following it.

Beau, our 13 year old Boxer, was first diagnosed with a mast cell tumor when he was around 5 years old.  Boxers have a strong predisposition for cancer which I didn’t realize until he was diagnosed.  Our vet was able to remove the tumor and from that point on we put him on a protocol similar to one I  would suggest for my (human) clients.  If you are considering owning a boxer (they actually own YOU), or any dog, this is what I would recommend helping reduce the risks of cancer and disease.

Beau drinking green smoothie (or blue smoothie in this case)

Beau’s Food Blend:
(fed twice daily)

  • 1 part Taste of Wild dog food dry. Taste of the Wild is a Protein based food, not a grain based.
  • 1 part Taste of the Wild dog food canned food  OR
  • 1 part raw and cooked beef, turkey, chicken free of hormones or antibiotics
  • Raw Goat milk (purchased a share from a local farmer).  This is a complete food and full of natural probiotics.  There are many amazing health benefits to raw goat milk as it is even used as a substitute for breast milk when a mother can’t breastfeed or needs to supplement.
  • Coconut Oil  1 Tablespoon (coconut oil absorbs into the body best with protein)

Beau receives the following general supplements in his food blend twice daily:

  • 1 dropper full of Animal Maintenance Formula (Pure Herbs)
  • Juice Plus Fruit and Vegetable blend capsules (Open capsules and sprinkle over food)
  • Fish oil capsule (human grade)- He would chew like a dog treat and/or
  • 1 VSCLR enzymes from Loomis (to break down the food to enable him to better assimilate)

The following are Chinese Herbs from our holistic vet are specific to Beau’s needs.  Thank you to the caring staff at Ark Vet, including Dr. Margie Garrett, Leslie and vet tech, Laura.

  • Hindquarter weakness blend – Tonify Kidney, strengthen back and hind limbs, move Qi, relieve pain
  • Xin Yi San – nasal symptoms caused by nasal tumor
  • Jin Suo Gu Jing – kidney & liver support (crucial for all cancer and disease)
  • Gui Pi Wan – supports the spleen

Water:  Reverse osmosis or purified water (never straight tap water due to chlorine and other chemicals)

Morning Snack

Beau and his morning Green Smoothie

Green Smoothie: (whatever I drink, he drinks excluding grapes which are toxic to dogs).

He drinks 2-4 ounces typically.  Mix in Vitamix: 8 oz water, 1-2 cups of greens typically kale, spinach, chard, or romaine with carrots, celery with berries, and apple. Dogs need the live enzymes, phytonutrients, and probiotics that raw produce offers.

Snacks throughout the afternoon:

  • Raw green beans, zucchini, apples, or banana – basically anything I eat, he eats. Note: grapes, onions, raisins, and pecans are toxic to dogs.
  • Organic fruit, apple with nut butter or pear
  • Occasionally, organic yogurt (plain, unsweetened) or organic cottage cheese.

Misc. Needs:

From hygiene to pet ailments, we’ve managed to find plenty of good natural alternatives and procedures that helped. Here is a breakdown of how we naturally care for our dog, Beau:

    • Shampoo:  Organic (human) baby shampoo. If it is good enough for your baby, it’s good enough for mine.
    • Flea/Tick repellant:  We finally succumbed to a more conventional flea/tick product called Revolution as in 2012 we had fleas for the first time ever.  Revolution is safer than the other two conventional flea/tick products on the market.
    • Beau loves the Aflac duck or any toy that made noise.Toys: We purchased human/baby toys as the standards were higher.  Dog toys, especially plastics, were avoided because of the materials, chemical colors/dyes, etc. Especially for the first three years when Beau ATE every toy we gave him!
    • Fitness/ Exercise: Sick animals often do not get the level of activity they require, the remedy for us was Hydrotherapy Treatments – Beau walked in the underwater treadmill for 15 minutes every 7-10 days.  This helped tremendously to rebuild lost muscle in his hindquarter area.  Laura, his Vet Tech, is fabulous and helped acclimate him to the process.
    • Stress Relief: We own an infrared dome and infrared pad.  He loved the pad but the Dome scared him (not sure why) so it was hard to get him under it.  The pad is good but only emits one-third of the microns versus the dome.  We placed it primarily on his hindquarter area to reduce stress.
    • Vaccines:  We would give him only the required minimal dose for rabies according to our holistic vet’s recommendations.  We so appreciate our vet supporting us in our decision to keep him free of unnecessary toxins.

We also take great care to limit his exposure to cleaning and household toxins   Your dog’s nose is super sensitive so protect them by NOT using toxic chemicals in your home.  Think about their feet touching the floor and what they eat from it.  Avoid Swiffer cleaners, air fresheners, or plugs ins as they are toxic to pets and humans.  My motto is, if I can’t eat it or drink it, I’m not cleaning with it!

Although this process may seem extreme to most, we treat our animals with the same love and respect we would treat anyone that came into our home.  Our pets are worth the time, effort, and few extra dollars spent based on the love and happiness they provide.  If you agree or have questions about our protocol, please comment below.

 

 

A Mom and Her Dog – Part I of Beau’s Journey

They steal our hearts with their unconditional love.  You can leave the house for five minutes and they greet you with such excitement that you’d think you had been away for days, weeks or months. They create habits and lifestyle that we condone or become enslaved to.  I’m not referring to our children; however, they could fall into this same category. I am referring to our four-legged children.

Beau is our four-legged child/twelve-year-old boxer. Beau came into our lives when my son was 10 years old.  He and my husband wanted a dog and I swore we wouldn’t have one of those little creatures in my home! (Never, say never!) However, I really felt it was important for a “boy to have a dog” as much as I despised the thought of a dog in my home.  I remember telling a friend that we had an indoor dog she exclaimed, “You have a dog in your home?!” as it was completely out of character for me.

It all started when a family in Kentucky advertised a litter of pups and we went to “look”.  We were on the floor checking out all the pups when Beau walked over and curled up in my lap and went to sleep. It was done.  I lost the battle.  Beau reached out and grabbed my heart at that moment and 12 years later he still owns it.

We brought him home and since this was my son’s pet, I’d place Beau in bed with him so they could bond.  However, Beau would always find his way back to our bedroom.  I’m not sure why this was (or maybe I do)!  Was it because I carried the dog around with me constantly like he didn’t have legs?  Or, I would take him for a walk and end up carrying him because he’d get tired.  My husband tells everyone the story that the dog’s feet never hit the ground the first nine months of his life.  Sadly, that is partially true.

I remember “walking” him one day carrying him like a baby on his back, which he was perfectly content with.  One of my neighbors thought he was hurt or sick and asked me what was wrong.  I told him that “he was just tired of walking” so I had to carry him.

One thing we noticed about Beau when we brought him home the first day was that he had unusually large feet especially for a boxer.  Well, Beau grew into those feet and peaked at around 80 pounds.  Therefore, sleeping with us in bed wasn’t as cute as it was in the beginning.  So we did the most humane thing possible, we replaced our queen size bed with a king.  However, no matter how big the bed was, Beau insisted on sleeping between us and sleeping on a body part.  He like laying on our legs and many nights we would wake up with partially paralyzed extremities!

Well, those fond memories are gone as Beau is no longer strong enough to jump up in bed.  For a while we would help him up in bed but realized this wasn’t in the best interest for any of  us.  After a few heartbreaking and failed attempts, we purchased him his own dog bed, which we placed next to ours.  We didn’t know how he would adjust after 11 years but I think he realized it was time.

Beau was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor when he was around 5 years old. We revamped his diet, supplements and lifestyle to the same protocol I would use for my cancer clients.  He did exceptionally well up until the last few months.  We recently learned the cancer is back and this time it is a nasal tumor.  Boxers have an extremely high rate of cancer and typically don’t survive much past eight years so we knew we might expect a return one-day.  However, living this much longer than average, we feel extremely blessed.

Obviously with our commitment to holistic approaches, Beau is receiving mass quantities of herbs, essential oils and the best foods. He eats a blend of raw and cooked meats (organic/clean of course) along with raw goats milk. I’m also utilizing infrared technology on him.

The hardest part is seeing the changes in him.  He no longer runs to greet us when we come home.  He may lift his head off “his” chair or bed but the good ole days off his energetic puppiness is gone.  His appetite surprisingly is still good.  I am grateful as Beau and I have been drinking green smoothies together for years and he eats most all other whole, clean, organic foods that are in our home.  Yes, Beau eats better than 90% of most Americans.

We are taking one day at a time and staying focused on enjoying the moments we have left and thank God for bringing the once bouncing (and large) bundle of joy into our lives. Animals teach us so many lessons in life and Beau has taught me more than I could mention.

My son left home years ago and is now in the military.  What started out as a boy and his dog developed into a mom and her dog.  I’m so grateful as he’s taught me so many lessons about life and unconditional love.  He has also brought joy and love to many of my clients.

If you’ve had a special pet in your life, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.