pet chat
Have You Done Your Research? I've shared my life with thirteen cats and six dogs so far and each precious friend comes with their own set of health issues; sometimes as early onset and sometimes just as part of the aging process. Years ago, we had no choice but to accept the diagnosis, endure the side-effects often accompanying the drugs our pets were prescribed and too often, watch them wither away before our eyes. But, today we live in a world where holistic replacements and supplements are now readily available for our pets; and they can even save their life. Consider Alternative Treatments In the early 90’s my two-year-old German Shepherd/Australian Shepherd dog began to show signs of arthritis. Sadly this was only the beginning of her health issues, but for me it was my first step into the world of holistic alternatives for my pets. Though there were drugs at the time that did a wonderful job of making an arthritic pet feel better, those drugs had long-term damaging effects to the animal’s organs. For a dog of ten or twelve, most likely the long-term effects would not catch up to the age of the pet; however for my girl she had her whole life ahead of her. So my journey began with natural alternatives to alleviate the pain and increase her mobility, however back in 1992, there were no holistic choices for pets with arthritis. That didn’t stop me. I found a company that was putting two ingredients in one tablet, Glucosamine and Chondroitin. My local health-food stores still sold these two supplements individually, I could not find them anywhere as one pill except this tiny little heath food store in Florida. They had on their website many testimonials from people of all ages and sizes, praising how well this product worked. So I contacted them, spoke with the owner and after a long and enjoyable conversation, she sent a sample bottle. Ginger responded within a week. The limping was gone; she ran and played with no favoring of the right hip which is where the arthritis began. I reported back to Sunshine Health Foods and they were so excited that their new product had improved the life of a canine, that for the rest of Ginger’s life (another 13-years) they gave us the price of $8.30 for a monthly supply. If anyone reading this has ever priced Glucosamine/Chondroitin in the store you know this is more than ½ the going rate. Ginger lived a long and happy life with many other developing health issues which were all kept under control through working with a veterinarian that trusted my research and worked on his end to try less intrusive methods. Sometimes Holistic Treatment is the Only Hope Several years later I got to put my holistic hat on once again after receiving a cancer diagnosis in one of our eight-year-old cats. We took him in to have a tiny external growth checked and were stunned when the results came back that he had 3-months to live. His form of cancer was extremely aggressive. Once the shock and tears subsided, I began my search for something that would save his precious and young life. I found something at the time called E-Tea (Essiac Tea). This tea was originally from a medicine man who passed the recipe on in 1922 to a nurse and was consumed to help support the immune system, detoxify the body and purify the blood. At the time, the site I found this product on had many testimonials of people whose softball-size tumors had been significantly shrunk or disappeared all together. Those same testimonials also mentioned amazing results on canine cancer patients. My vet and I discussed it came to the agreement that it certainly couldn’t hurt Bud to put him on the tea. We made our own guess at what a thirteen-pound cat dosage might be and I would syringe feed 2-ounces of tea twice a day. Budd was always rewarded with a little treat after sitting still long enough to drink the tea, so he quickly began responding to the ‘tea time’ call and came running for his dosage. Bud was checked with x-rays and blood work after three months of being on the tea and we were all amazed that not only was there no indication that the cancer (which should have killed him already) had spread, but the existing tumor was shrinking. We bought 2-1/2 years of happy quality of life for Bud and for us to spend with him. During that time his appetite and weight was good, he was loving and playful. He suddenly went downhill very quickly one day…but oh how grateful I am to have had that time with him. Essiac Tea (E-Tea) Here is a link to the E-Tea should you wish to investigate this alternative further. It's important to note that Budd's cancer was caught very early and this may be why the Essiac Tea worked so well on him. There is never a guarantee, but for me trying is always better than giving in. Don't Give Up! Today, many years later, I sit here with another of my sweet boys; Oli whose been diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism. In most cats this is a fairly easy fix, the medications usually do wonders and the cat lives a fairly normal life on medication. However, one out of every 600 cats don’t respond to the medication, or in our case have a horrible reaction to it making them worse and even sicker than before the medication started. After nearly a month of trying to reduce the dosage to something his body could handle, it was once again time for me to find out what else I could do for him. Though we are still in the early stages of treating his Hyperthyroidism with an all natural holistic replacement to the medication, so far his body is responding a tiny bit more each day. At some point I will be able to report back whether this method not only makes him feel normal again, but whether the test results on this thyroid come back with better levels. But I am so grateful for having this knowledge base to draw from. There are few options left for Oli aside from holistic, all are not only intrusive but possibly deadly. In the meantime… Be aware that there are alternatives the next time your pet needs medical help. After visiting your vet and having the recommended tests done, do your part and research holistic remedies. See what supplements might be available to support the treatment your veterinarian suggests; many can be used in addition to prescribed meds. And the next time you find yourself in a situation as we are with Oliver, with a dog or cat that is not responding or rejecting treatment, find a holistic replacement. You’d be surprised how much information is available out there to help you and your pet. Feline Thyroid Supplement This supplement can be used along with prescribed thyroid medication or with the Holistic Thyroid Replacement below. BE SURE to WORK with YOUR VET to ensure that you are getting the hormone levels in the thyroid checked periodically no matter what route you choose for your cat. Feline Thyroid Replacement Therapy This is the replacement therapy we have Oli on now, along with the Supplement above. Only 2-days in to this treatment so its too soon to tell, but I wanted anyone out there having the same struggle we are, there is an alternative solution which may help.
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Doreen Erhardt
As a pet lover, a pet mother and the owner of PAWSitively PETrageous it seems only logical that I offer a place where we can chat about our furred and feathered kids without being taken away in a white jacket! Archives
June 2019
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