Ask Dr. Jeff! Your Veterinary Homeopath
By Jeff Feinman, VMD, CVH
that vomits weekly “normal” (or is this common but abnormal?)?? I’m excited to be here to answer all of your natural and holistic
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veterinary care questions! Many of the readers of this magazine have probably already adopted a holistic lifestyle for themselves. There’s not much question anymore in the general medical community that doing so helps us live longer and healthier lives. Thirty years ago when I graduated from veterinary school, there were no readily available commercial raw foods. Vaccinations were given annually (or more often). Reliable natural, holistic veterinary care was been hard to fi nd.
Not anymore.
Sue from Westport asks: “My husband’s family is staying at our house over the holidays. His brother is very allergic to animals but we have a cat and dog. What can I do?”
Thanks for asking Sue. This is a common problem that many of
us share. As long as his allergy isn’t life-threatening, there are a few ways to prevent his having problems with your pets (if his allergies are severe however, I’d advise putting them up at a local pet-free hotel). A few days before they arrive, start to deep clean your home. By that I mean to thoroughly vacuum, mop, and dust. Concentrate on the room in which they are sleeping. Start by cleaning any visible pet dander and hair. Also, you should try to reduce dust mite al- lergens which are frequently a big contributor to almost all allergies. Thoroughly clean between the bed and the wall. Put a dust mite cover over your brother in-law’s pillow and on the mattress. If you can get a hold of one, start running a HEPA air fi lter in the room 36-48 hours prior to the visit. Unfortunately, you will need to keep your pets out of the rooms where your visitors will be. Lastly, there is some anecdotal evidence that feeding your pets a raw diet for at least a few weeks prior to the visit will reduce their allergenicity.
hat’s the best food to feed your dog? Does your cat need to be vaccinated? Can anything be done to help your itchy pup other than steroids and anti-histamines? Is a cat
Alice from Bethany asks: “We like to take our dog when we drive to visit friends and family but she doesn’t settle down in the car and sometimes vomits. Is there any way to make the drives easier (for all of us)? She is fi ne once we stop the car. I’ve taken her to my vet for an exam and lots of testing, and he says that she is fi ne.”
There defi nitely are things you can do Alice! I’m so glad that
you had her checked out by your vet to rule out any organic prob- lems. This is a great fi rst step for most pet problems. It sounds like your dog may be suffering from some car-induced nausea. Make sure that you don’t feed her for at least 4 hours before the car ride. You should also get a bottle of Rescue Remedy. It is readily avail- able in most health food stores. Give her 2 drops, right in her mouth, about 15 minutes prior to the trip. Repeat as needed if she has any signs of nausea such as restlessness, excess salivation, gulping, or retching. Cracking the window to allow some fresh air to blow upon her can also help. Same is true for letting cool air blow from the vents right in her face. One other quick tip to try is a bit of ginger 30 minutes prior to the car ride. Ginger capsules, candied ginger, even ginger ale (but not if it is artifi cially sweetened). I also strongly advise not allowing her to move around in the car. Doing so can pose a big safety risk both to you and her. Use a pet seat belt or crate in which she can ride.
Toni from New Haven asks: “Dr. Jeff, my dog had to go to the lo- cal emergency vet on Sunday. We heard that table food is OK for him so we gave him some of our Thanksgiving turkey. Right away he started vomiting and having diarrhea. The ER vet aid said that he had gastroenteritis and that he should never get table food. We don’t know what to do.”
Toni-Wow, I’m sorry to hear about your pup’s problems from the
turkey! While I disagree that human (unprocessed) food should not be fed to dogs, I agree wholeheartedly that feeding from the table is not a good idea for several reasons. First, it’s a bad habit for your dog to learn. Second, and most important is that some of our foods, espe- cially cooked meats, can cause gastrointestinal problems, especially in dogs that are not used to eating fresh foods. In general, avoid any cooked meats, especially red meat. Cooked poultry is usually OK to feed as long as you stick with white meat and no skin. The reason being, in my experience, is that many dogs cannot tolerate cooked animal fats. Raw fats are handled differently and usually tolerated well. Exceptions include certain dogs who are predisposed to high fat levels in the blood or pancreatitis like Miniature Schnauzers. Your best bet is to talk with your nutritionally-oriented holistic vet regard- ing the best way to feed. This link should also help:
http://bit.ly/1hf1W4b
16 Natural Nutmeg - December 2015
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