natural pet Imperfectly


Perfect Pets Natural Therapies Transform Lives


by Sandra Murphy


Pets, like humans, can face physical and mental challenges. Today’s fresh approaches help pets replace disabilities with abilities and lead fuller, happier lives.


Physical Adaptations Zach, a rescued cat, welcomes foster pets to Paw Prints in the Sand Animal Rescue, in Newport Beach, California, teaching kittens cleanliness, and good manners to dogs. “We can’t imagine life without him,” says Monica Sederholm, co-founder of the organization. A congenital condition causing irregular bone growth in his shoulder blades, fused bones and a missing kneecap hasn’t stopped him. Muscle pain keeps him from retracting his claws, but daily massages help him relax. Although Zach remains mobile, walk-


ing is difficult or sometimes impossible when an animal is missing a limb or paralyzed. Designed for specific disabilities and fitted for size, a wheelchair cart provides freedom most cats and dogs embrace. Rescue volunteers and adoptive parents must keep clutter off the floors, supervise and remove the cart to allow for comfortable naps. Gwen Cooper, author of


Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Fe- line Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat and the Curl Up with a Cat Tale series, adopted Homer, a blind kitten from Miami. “Never having sight, he wasn’t afraid to take risks,” she explains. “He climbed, explored and played with our other cats.”


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When a move to Manhattan, New York, presented a scary prospect for Cooper, Homer inspired her, saying, “Homer didn’t let fear of the unknown trip him up. He taught me the relationships you’re sure you don’t want can be the most meaningful.” “Dottie CrazyPants, a rescued Harle-


quin Great Dane with severe skin and ear infections and a dysfunctional immune sys- tem, had no quality of life until I tried ho- listic treatments,” says Lara Katz, executive director of the North Carolina Terapeutic Riding Center, in Mebane. Dottie didn’t gain weight, even though she ate a lot and drank gallons of water a day, resulting in indoor accidents. “A raw food diet resolved many


One receives an unlimited amount of love and gratitude from saving a special needs pet.


~Kelly Reeves, co-founder, Paw Prints in the Sand Animal Rescue


health and housebreaking issues.” Discontinuing regular medications leſt


Dottie miserable and nearly unable to walk. “A massage therapist said her energy centers were blocked,” Katz says. “Aſter an energy medicine treatment, Dottie slept through the night for the first time in months. Her paws looked better short term.” A combination of holistic treatments


including cold laser and red-light therapy, Chinese herbs, an anti-yeast protocol and probiotics works best. Katz also uses only eco-friendly cleaning and laundry products. “Certified through the Alliance of


Terapy Dogs, Dottie’s visits take a bit of management because of the types of cleaning products used in nursing homes. It’s worth it. She’s completely changed my lifestyle regard- ing how many toxins we’re exposed to daily.”


Emotional Relief Tracy Krulik, a certified canine separation anxiety trainer in northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C. area, is a graduate of Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Train- ers. “Using videoconferencing, I can watch my client’s dogs at home, see when panic starts and create daily training plans to keep them safely calm.” Feldenkrais practitioner and author of


Grow Young with Your Dog: Learn How You and Your Canine Companion Can Feel Better at Any Age! Mary Debono, of Encinitas, California, sees a variety of pets. “I invited an Arabian named Easy to be the demo horse during a class I taught,” she recalls. “Sore all over, he couldn’t liſt his feet high enough to step over a pole lying on the ground.” Easy showed dramatic improvement through Feldenkrais, which focuses on improved function, rebooting the body by interrupt- ing the cycle of pain and tension, so that the patient realizes change is possible. Debono also treated a rabbit that didn’t like to be touched. “I used the eraser end


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De Jongh Photography/Shutterstock.com


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