for dogs that contained valerian, skull- cap, oat flower and passionflower be- fore his owners would leave the house. Max became calmer and stopped tear- ing apart the furniture after just a few weeks of using the herbs.


Other animals become anxious in the vicinity of loud noises, whether or not the caregiver is at home. Many caregivers have found a melatonin supplement helpful in these instances. Whatever the reason, it’s hard to


leave a companion behind when you know they suffer in your absence. With a bit of knowledge and care, you can help make the periods of separation much easier.


Mary Wulff is a veterinary herbalist consultant and co-author with Gregory Tilford of Herbs for Pets. She specializes in home-prepared diets, herbs and ho- meopathy for companion animals from her office in Hamilton, MT. Connect at Cedar Orion@yahoo.com.


If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.


—Will Rogers


TIGERTAIL TIPS FOR SEPARATION ANXIETY by L. Lee Walker


lover ever since she was old enough to reach out and touch one. Licensed to sell holistic pet foods and treats for 12 years, Thomas recalls that the catalyst for making her own pet foods was the loss of a childhood companion, her Golden Retriever. “About 20 years ago, my longtime friend and I were talking about how we both had lost our ‘heart’ companions to cancer during child- hood,” says Thomas. As an adult, Thomas joined an online Golden Retriever chat club and dialogued with others about Golden Retrievers with cancer. Thomas was perplexed when another member asked her what she had been feeding her dog. “When I told him a top-of- the-line brand name, his response was shocking: ‘You didn’t do your dog any favors,’” advises Thomas, adding that the chatter was a food chemist who had left the employment of a large dog food manufacturer.


A


Armed with knowledge she and her friend gleaned from reading the 100 books, articles and websites suggested by the online chatter, Thomas vowed to never feed her pets commercial foods again. Her raw entrees and her friend’s treats are made from fresh beef, poultry


nn Thomas, the owner of Tiger- tail Foods, has been an animal


and vegetables from trusted resources, purchased locally when possible. Natural Awakenings tapped Thom-


as’ expertise for tips to enhance this month’s Natural Pet. Thomas agrees with author Mary Wulff that the holistic foun- dation for treating any animal problem begins with a good diet. She also adds a few extra pointers to benefit pet owners.


Proper Nutrition Is Vital Thomas prefers a natural, real food diet, full of Omega-3s, natural vitamins, such as B complex and B12


, and trace


minerals like potassium. She adds emu oil, made from the fat of the emu bird, into her dogs’ diets because its essential fatty acids appear to offer natural, non- steroidal anti-inflammatory properties.


Aromatherapy and Flower Essences Lavender and Roman chamomile are good for their calming influence. “If separation anxiety leads to depression,” notes Thomas, “I might use a blend of equal parts of rosewood, geranium and bergamot. I would also use the well- known Bach Flower Rescue Remedy, which can be applied to the tongue or gums, or even put into the pet’s drink- ing water.”


Tigertail Foods, 438 Cerro Street, Encini- tas 92024. Call 760-634-1183 or visit TigertailFoods.com.


FREE SEMINAR on Bioidentical Hormones


To register for a FREE SEMINAR with Stephen Center, MD and Melinda Silva, MD


Call 866-972-5306 or visit Natural.BodyLogicMD.com 4320 Genessee Avenue, San Diego, CA 92117


natural awakenings August 2010 23


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