Cattle

Archive for September, 2008

As dogs continue to become a more integral part of families, dog products continue to evolve to address the full range of needs for our four legged family members and the desires of their owners. For example, medical insurance for your pet is becoming more and more accepted for mainstream dog owners while in years past the idea of spending thousands of dollars on medical procedures for pets was not common. Another area where there has been some really interesting development is in the area of dog toys. Once dog toys were more focused on simple entertainment for you and your dog, now they are becoming more advanced addressing not only the physical needs of our pets but also go deeper in addressing the mental needs as well.

While certain dog toys will remain timeless, the ball, the rope toy and various chew toys, new dog toys are constantly being developed for our four legged children. The Treatstik is a perfect example of an innovative and evolutionary toy in this current wave of products for dogs that seeks to address deeper needs.

It is a tough nylon treat dispensing toy that gives your dog hours of mentally stimulating fun as your dog rolls the toy and it randomly dispenses hidden treats. It stimulates your dog’s mind, while relieving boredom and separation anxiety. Plus they get a chance to work for their food instead of it just being handed to them in a bowl. Treatstiks are perfect for those days that you leave your dog at home and can not afford to pay for a dog walker or bring your dog to daycare. They will spend a few hours eating their breakfast instead of gnawing on your furniture or shoes or…

It can be used to feed your dog as well. Instead of having your dog rapidly eat their food in a matter of seconds. My Kona would eat so fast we would often see her food seconds after she had gulped it down. The Treatstik forces your dog to eat slowly throughout a longer period of time. So if you have a dog that eats too fast, Treatstiks might be a good way to control your dog’s eating habits.

Since your dog has to eat slowly the Treatstik may help controlling your dog’s weight. They are made from a heavy nylon material and can stand up to strong chewers. It has a large screw cap opening for easy filling and is dishwasher safe. It is made in America by a small family-owned company in Vermont

It comes in two sizes, small which is 6″ long and is best for dogs 10 – 40 lbs. The small holds about a cup of food and the large which is 9″ long and is best for dogs over 40 lbs. The large holds about a cup and half of dog food.

I have two dogs, Lucy a Great Dane and Kona a Chocolate Lab. They both love their Treatstiks and play with them whenever I give it to them. Kona likes her Treatstik a little more than Lucy, but Kona has a tremendous food drive like most labs. I am pretty sure I could feed her a whole bag of dog food and she would watch me very closely as I ate my dinner. She would weigh more than I do if I did not watch the food that she eats.

As dogs become more family members and less viewed as pets we will continue to see changes in the pet industry to address these issues.

There are many places you can buy a kitten from but you should research before choosing the breed. Read the tips below for some more practical advice before looking for kittens for sale.

1. First things first, research the different breeds and choose one which is suitable for you, your family and for your lifestyle. Once you have one find out as much information as possible so you are aware of how the kitten should behave. Your local vet should be able to offer advice if you have any questions about your chosen breed. Plan ahead, when you go to buy a pet, especially kittens as it is so easy to fall in love just looking at it and before you know it you’ve bought the pet. Key point; do your research, don’t make just emotional decisions. OK you have decided which breed you want. Now you have to search for a breeder or one for sale. Depending on your location and the breed you chose, you may have to travel to get your chosen breed and possible several hundreds of miles.
2. Once you go to visit the kitten, have a look at the surroundings. Does it have a good sized area to sleep in, does it have toys to keep it entertained and active. Also have a look at the mother; this will give you an insight into how the kitten is likely to behave when it becomes an adult. Watch for any strange or overly aggressive behaviour.
3. Have a play with the kitten; see if you warm to it. There isn’t any reason why the seller wouldn’t allow adults to play with the kitten however possibly not children if it is between vaccinations.
4. Finally ask if the kitten has had its vaccinations and been fully wormed. They should be able to provide proof from the vet.

Following this advice should ensure you buy kitten for sale from a reputable home/breeder that will grow up to live a healthy life without any major surprises and becomes a welcome member of your family.

Dogs need supplements just as much as humans do. In fact, if their primary food is commercial pet food, dogs need probiotics even more!

There are basic supplements that dogs require as they get older, like digestive enzymes, and others that they need throughout life, like omega 3/6 oils, minerals, and probiotics. Why probiotics for dogs?

Your Dog may Look and Act Healthy, But

Domesticating a dog is behavioral, but domesticating dogs diet has led to a growing health crisis. In order for a dog to be truly healthy, it needs to be fed a diet that resembles that of his wild ancestors, who hunt and kill fresh game. They supplement their diet by eating grass and dirt! More on this in a minute.

The closest you are likely to get is a raw diet consisting of free-range chicken, and grass-fed meat that are hormone and antibiotic- free. To this basic diet add supplements that replace the grass and dirt. If you do that, your dogs will be healthier, happier and live longer!

Perhaps the most powerful medical quotes of all time is completely ignored by American doctors and veterinarians.

“Fully 90% of all chronic disease is caused by an unhealthy digestive system” The Royal Society of Medicine, Great Britain

Probiotic Supplements and Intestinal Balance

Dannons’ highly successful advertising campaign, back in the seventies, suggested that the Hunzas lived well over 100 because they ate yogurt- a probiotic! Never mind that the air they breathed nor the soil that grew their fruits and vegetables and raised their meat was pollution-free, or that the yogurt the Hunzas ate had little in common with Dannon or any other commercial yogurt. Yet, today there is fierce competition for your dairy-based probiotic dollar. Buyer beware!

Briefly, commercial grade probiotics, like yogurt or acidophilus supplements, comes from cattle that are not grass-fed, do not live in open pastures where they would exercise, breathe fresh air, and get vitamin D from sun light. Instead, they live in close quarters, toxic environments: They are injected with growth hormones and antibiotics. If there ever was any nutrient value to this milk, it was destroyed when it was pasteurized and homogenized. People and pets with dairy allergies are actually suffering from the effects of the care, feeding and processing of commercial dairy cows. People who switched to organic milk find they are no longer allergic!

Resolving GI related problems that have not advanced to chronic, is often as simple as giving them a daily probiotic! Why? Digestion and elimination are time sensitive. Too short, or too long, eventually leads to a health crisis.

The more processed the food, the more difficult it is for the digestive system to break it down. This takes a huge toll on the colonies of good (probiotic) bacteria as they expend themselves in their effort to find and assimilate the small amount of nutrient value.

The good bacteria not only aid in nutrient assimilation, they provide the balance against the bad bacteria. This balance is quickly upset when your dog eats tainted food, or a bacteria laden morsel. Heat and just the slightest bit of moisture (humidity) can quickly contaminate an open bag of dry dog food.

If you pay attention to your dog, you can see the early warning signs, which may include loss of energy, bad gas, bad breath, itchy skin, constipation, bouts of diarrhea or vomiting, and loss of appetite. These are quickly resolved with just a doses of probiotic supplements, and prevented with daily use. Prevention saves you money in the long run.

Chronic health problems develop when the bad bacteria maintain the upper hand in the GI tract over a long period of time.

The Ultimate Probiotic

Some 25 years ago, researchers noticed that feral animals not only ate grass, but pulled at the grass. Delving into why, they discovered that the dirt surrounding the root structure of grasses from organic soils were teaming with microflora and bacteria that had a probiotic effect in the GI tract.

Appropriately, these microorganisms were collectively named Soil Based Organisms (SBOs).

Let Them Eat Dirt

It seems like the simple solution would be to let your dog eat grass. Most domestic dogs live in environments that do not provide these essential digestive aids. Lawns, and dog parks are treated with inorganic pesticides, fertilizers, and chlorine from municipal water. These chemicals kill SBOs.

SBOs vs Antibiotics

Doctors know that antibiotics are toxic chemicals that kill off both the good and bad bacteria, and yet they neglect to use probiotic treatments! If this is not bad enough, the side effects of antibiotic treatment to your dog are the equivalent of being kicked in the groin.

Probiotics are live organisms natural to the digestive system. SBOs are scientifically proven to resolve GI disorders and are essential to maintain intestinal balance. Since GI disorders develop as a result of bad bacteria overwhelming good (probiotic) bacteria, the first course of action should be to restore the balance by administering SBOs.

A few doses of SBOs will quickly dispatch most cases of GI upset before you could be seen by a vet. Plus, when administering SBOs there is no need to withhold food or water!

Where can you get SBOs?

SBOs are not a prescription medication. They are available from Vitality Science on line, in a few select pet stores, and from holistic vets.

Culturing SBOs requires laboratory controlled conditions, using strict scientific protocols. Much like fermenting the finest beer or wine, the SBO culturing process cannot be rushed.

While just about any SBO formula will be beneficial, brands that consist of a variety of active SBO strains are more likely to quickly restore proper GI balance.

CAUTION: Things Can Go From Better to Worse- Temporarily!

As mentioned earlier, commercial pet food is hard to break down and digest. Consequently, it moves slowly through the intestines. Most likely some fecal plaque has adhered to your dogs intestinal walls. Once it gets a toehold, it thickens over time. Even fairly young animals can experience some blockage as a result of this build up.

Regular administration of SBOs will slowly begin to dissolve the fecal matter. During this clearing/cleansing process, pathogens and microbes that were covered up with layers of fecal matter will be exposed and can cause episodes of diarrhea or vomiting. Depending on the buildup, it may take a few months before it is completely removed.

During this time you are likely to see your dog reach new plateaus of happiness and energy. It can overwhelm them until they adjust.

Most cases of diarrhea or vomiting are the result of long-term food choices that are not probiotic friendly, or gulping down a pathogenic laden morsel. If you administer SBOs and your dog does not show noticeable improvement within 12 hours, take them to the vet immediately!

In response to people’s requests for input concerning Spaying and Neutering Animals, I offer this staggering statistic. In the metro nine county area where I live with less than 300,000 human population, the local shelters publish their intake/adoption/euthanized statistics each month in a periodical filled with photos of adoptable animals. Their monthly average of the animals euthanized in over 72 per cent of the animals brought to them for possible adoptions. Over 72%! Personally, I am a soul on my journey through the material world at this point in Kali Yuga who has rescued cat- and dog-bodied souls, and is steward to two rescue cat-souls who live indoors only.

It behooves those of us with human forms to take responsibility for the world we have created by taking proper care of any other being in our care. I’m not going to get into any scriptural discussion here. Just plain common sense, people. Kali Yuga is a challenging time to live for every soul, in every form of body. So, take care of the animal-bodied souls by getting them Spayed and Neutered as soon as you can. Their sex desire is then finished. (that it should be so easy for human-bodied souls!) And the lives of all concerned will be able to focus on facets of life other than “unwanted” animal offspring. Using our common sense is imperative to most of our actions. Humans often forget that they have Common Sense to utilize.

By the way, these two cat-bodied souls who live with me receive temple prasadam salt added to their cat food, and I always greet and talk with them using the Names of Their Lordships. We also listen to kirtan and dance together every day! And they are very appreciative. So, treat these souls as fellow travelers on their Eternal Journey, just as you would wish for them to treat you, if you were the one in an animal body. You may not desire to have any animal-bodied souls to live with you.

Yet, too many so-called devotees treat these souls with disdain, just because of the body they are in. So, who’s on the bodily concept? I have a feeling that this letter will trigger the ire of many so-called brahminical standard-practicing souls. So be it. Just remember that none of us really knows who any other soul is. Nor do we know how Lord Caitanya is using anyone to spread this Harinama Sankirtana movement. Those with a loving heart will understand what I’m trying to say.

Finally, a plush toy made for dogs. I absolutely enjoy Crazy Critters and has to be one of the best dog toys around, especially for my puppy. Before my puppy had his Crazy Critter toy, he would get my stuffed animal toys and within minutes would have it in hundreds of pieces. There’s nothing more frustrating than cleaning stuffed animal pieces scattered throughout the room.

I was absolutely relieved to find that Crazy Critters was offering a durable plush toy made just for dogs. My puppy spends hours trying to rip it apart with no success. His former favorite toy, the orange squeaker ball is a distance memory since being introduced to his life-like Raccoon Crazy Critter.

Crazy Critters come in two different animal types. One is a fox and the other a raccoon. They come stuffing free and completely machine washable. They also come with squeakers on each end of the plush animal for captivating your dog’s attention. They measure around 24 inches in length and can be used both indoors and outdoors. What I like the most, it’s completely machine washable. After a good day with the toy, it can get a little dirty. Being able to wash was important to me.

The Crazy Critters is suitable for most dogs of any size and age. With young dogs, it helps keeps them active and doesn’t develop the deconstructive behavior that other non-dog toys create after being ripped apart. For the older dogs, it offers them an opportunity to get some exercise by playing with their Crazy Critter.

When my friend told me about the Crazy Critters plush toy and was made for dogs, I immediately searched it online and had to get it. With my bad experience with my puppy and his obsession with regular stuffed animal toys, the Crazy Critter Fox & Raccoon life-like plush toy has made my life so much easier. Plus, it keeps my puppy occupied for hours. This is one dog toy I recommend to other dog owners.