Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
Maintaining Cat Urinary Tract Health
By Tess Thompson
Feline urinary infection occurs much more frequently than cat owners would like to believe. Most of the times, the condition is idiopathic in nature, meaning that the infection has no known cause. And therefore symptoms like urinating out of the litter pan are usually assigned to behavioral causes like stress.
In fact, urinary tract infection in cats is more likely to be physiological in nature. It is part of a number of urinary problems including obstruction in the urinary passage and bladder inflammation commonly known as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. It can be extremely painful to the cat as it strains to urinate but is unable to. Cat owners can be of great help if they know the reasons behind the condition and make sure that they follow some basic rules of caring for the pet.
To understand your pet better, you must understand that there is a natural reason why cats do not consume a lot of water. The evolution factor plays an important role in how animals meet their needs for maintaining life. Cats originated in desert areas and derived most of their requirement of water from food. The prey they hunted gave them enough water to sustain life. And this is the manner in which cats developed a natural aversion to drinking water separately on their own. Lack of water intake is, therefore, one of the major reasons behind the increased incidence of feline urinary tract infection.
While specific treatment depends upon the lab reports of urinalysis and other imaging investigations, you can try to prevent the condition by keeping the health of your cat’s urinary tract in proper condition.
Water is of utmost importance.
- Mix extra water if you are feeding your cat with dry cat food. You may want to add other fluids like chicken froth.
- Keep more water bowls around the house. Use bigger water bowls so that the cat’s whiskers do not touch the sides.
- If you can, try a free flowing water drinking fountain. Cats find this attractive and curiosity may encourage them to drink water.
- Wash water bowls with clean water daily. If you are using detergents make sure there is no residue as the chemical in it can be harmful.
- Avoid feeding foods that have high magnesium content like pork, beef, heart and oily fish.
- Prefer natural foods over prescription diets. Consult your veterinarian as to what you should feed so that the urine that is produced has the correct pH level.
- Add a tablespoon of vinegar to water daily. Vinegar will keep the urine pH slightly acidic and prevent formation of bladder stones, which often lead to urinary infections.
Friday, May 30, 2008
The Dangers of Mulch!
Cocoa mulch is amazing for your plants and smells fantastic -- but be sure to keep your pets away! 
"CLEVELAND -- Pet experts say a cocoa mulch can pose a serious health risk to pets. This type of mulch is made of the husks of the cocoa bean.
Local landscapers said it has become popular in northeast Ohio recently because of its aroma. But that aroma can also reportedly attract dogs and cats.
If a pet consumes a large amount of mulch it can cause them serious digestive problems, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA."
Read the article >>
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Wildlife Basics to Cat Health
By Bruce Maul
Sphere: Related Content
The endless cat and mouse chase has been immortalized in literature countless times. And what makes this prey and predator relationship tick als
o finds relevance in the diet and nutrition of felines. Ever heard about cats chasing grains, or fruits and vegetables? Felines are carnivorous creatures that find nourishment over a few pounds of meat protein daily and a steady supply of water to supplement a dry diet. Moreover, nature bestowed felines with shorter digestive tracts that would not be able to handle carbohydrate enriched foods as well as plant fibers efficiently. Thus, an omnivore diet would only render your pet obese or perhaps devoid them of the nutrients vital to cat health and this sets the stage for serious pet health problems. Likewise, feeding your pet with meat by-products often laden with preservatives and other inorganic substances does not help to this end either.
Replicating feline diet in the wild becomes the likely key to optimal cat health. Consequently, cats require natural forms of medication, as much as they need animal protein. Know that most pet illnesses are typically food based, borne of nutritional deficiencies that manifest in the form of allergies or instances of hormonal imbalance. Most likely, the overuse of antibiotics and multiple vaccines in the name of disease treatment induces more harm than healing and can breakdown your pets immune defenses. In matters of cat healthcare and disease prevention, your pet would truly achieve sustained healing from a treatment of herbal extracts, or perhaps a pet herbal supplement formula.
While veterinary medicine is known for its cunning ability to swiftly heal symptoms, the chemical substances put forth in its manufacture can also compromise cat health through the undue impairment of pet immune defenses that makes them susceptible to the antigens of chronic infections. The administration of a pet herbal supplement formula will not damage the functions of vital antibodies nor produce side effects detrimental to cat health.
Pet health products, and specifically, herbal supplement products, are manufactured from a safe and therapeutic blend of herbal and homeopathic ingredients intended to mildly clear the symptoms of an infection while probing deeper into the disease in order to correct an imbalance or systemic disorder that may actually be causing the onset of an infection. Furthermore, pet herbal remedies are concocted with tonic herbs to restore wellness and vitality in your pet.
Do not risk your cats health and wellness with the daily feeding of processed pet food as well as in the administration of inorganic substances for disease treatment. Time to get back to the wildlife basics of nutrition and healing for your pet, meat protein for his feed and an herbal supplement formula to treat the symptoms of diseases. This will not only extend the life of your pet cat, but also sustain its vigor during the geriatric stage.
Bruce Maul is a partner in Goldf Flax Seed, Inc. which provides only top quality Flax Seed, Herbal Remedies and other health related products. Learn more about Herbal Remedies by visiting http://www.myherbalremedystore.com
Monday, May 19, 2008
Big Pharma takes over veterinary medicine; dogs and cats drugged with chemicals for profit
Big Pharma has successfully completed its takeover of veterinary medicine in the United States and o
ther first-world nations. Knowing that massive profits could be generated through the bodies of pets, drug companies have spent two decades pursuing an aggressive campaign of rewriting vet school curricula, influencing veterinarians and brainwashing pet owners into thinking their dogs, cats and horses need drugs in order to be healthy. It was an easy sell: Most consumers already demonstrate a cult-like belief in pharmaceutical medicine thanks to a barrage of direct-to-consumer advertising funded by deep-pocketed drug companies, and it was only a minor shift to get them to believe animals need synthetic chemicals in their bodies, too.
So today, the majority of veterinarians in the United States now practice chemical-based medicine on pets. At the first sign of any health symptom, they slap the animal with a prescription for expensive, patented pharmaceuticals. Arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and even depression are now being treated with dangerous prescription medications. Earlier this year, the FDA gave approval for Prozac, a powerful mind-altering drug, to be prescribed to dogs, and many of the most common drugs for people are now routinely used in pets (including chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment).
What's next, Ritalin for puppies? Continued Here: Big Pharma takes over veterinary medicine; dogs and cats drugged with chemicals for profit
Sphere: Related Content
ther first-world nations. Knowing that massive profits could be generated through the bodies of pets, drug companies have spent two decades pursuing an aggressive campaign of rewriting vet school curricula, influencing veterinarians and brainwashing pet owners into thinking their dogs, cats and horses need drugs in order to be healthy. It was an easy sell: Most consumers already demonstrate a cult-like belief in pharmaceutical medicine thanks to a barrage of direct-to-consumer advertising funded by deep-pocketed drug companies, and it was only a minor shift to get them to believe animals need synthetic chemicals in their bodies, too.So today, the majority of veterinarians in the United States now practice chemical-based medicine on pets. At the first sign of any health symptom, they slap the animal with a prescription for expensive, patented pharmaceuticals. Arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and even depression are now being treated with dangerous prescription medications. Earlier this year, the FDA gave approval for Prozac, a powerful mind-altering drug, to be prescribed to dogs, and many of the most common drugs for people are now routinely used in pets (including chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment).
What's next, Ritalin for puppies? Continued Here: Big Pharma takes over veterinary medicine; dogs and cats drugged with chemicals for profit
Friday, May 16, 2008
Recognizing and Reporting Animal Cruelty
“Without phone calls from the concerned citizens who report cruelty in their neighborhoods, we wouldn't know about most instances of animal abuse,” says ASPCA Supervisory Special Investigator Annemarie Lucas, whom you may have seen in action on Animal Planet’s Animal Precinct.
Do you know where and how to report cruelty in your town? The ASPCA provides information on recognizing and reporting animal cruelty, as well as cruelty laws and how to talk to children about this important issue.
Continued here: http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cruelty_faq
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Making the Big Decision - Euthanasia
Copyright © 2006-2008 Gary Kurz
As an author of books in the pet loss genre, I often receive e-mail where I am asked "Do you think that I did the right thing by putting my best friend down?" The question is always qualified by a very heart-wrenching and moving story about the rapidly declining health of the family pet, which resulted in making the "big decision".
Almost without exception, the inquirer expresses a deep sense of guilt from having made that choice, which, in all probability, is the real reason for their writing to me...to help them with that guilt. Essentially, I am being asked to approve of a decision made during a period of great duress without much background information. It is a task that I do not relish, but one that I cannot and will not avoid.
Making such a decision is one of the most difficult things a person who loves animals will ever have to do. Our pets are perpetual children to us: children, because they depend upon us for all of their needs (food, shelter, medical attention, etc.); and, perpetual, because they never grow up and leave the nest.
They do not marry. They do not go to college. They remain utterly dependent upon us throughout their lives. When our children leave home, we still love them and provide help when they ask for it, but generally they have their own lives to live and we no longer make decisions for them. But for our furry children, the decision-making responsibilities permanently fall to us.
Is it any wonder then, that when we have had to prematurely hasten their passing, we blame ourselves or feel guilt? After all, they depended upon us and somehow we let them down. Somehow we should have had control and been able to prevent their illness or injury.
The truth is, however, we have no control over such things. We cannot know when illness will strike. We cannot know when an animal will dig a hole under the fence and run into the street. We can take all the necessary safety precautions, feed them the best food, get them regular check-ups, but we cannot foresee the future. Accordingly, from a reality standpoint, there is no basis for feeling guilty when unexpected circumstances force us to decide to help our best friend pass on.
From a perceptional standpoint, when someone is so broken that they feel compelled to seek my help, pouring out their most intimate emotions to a complete stranger, this suggests to me that they could never have failed their best friend by making a poor decision. It just is not in them to have not been vigilant and caring. It is my perception that they could have done nothing to deserve the guilt they torture themselves with.
It has been my experience rather, that such people possess great love and devotion for their pets. Invariably, they will have done anything within their power to extend the life of their best friend if it were at all possible to do so.
Indeed, I can attest that some who have contacted me have spent literally tens of thousands of dollars on surgery and other healthcare efforts, traveled great distances to meet with specialists, or sat up night after night all night long trying to provide comfort and care. There can be little doubt but that people who love their pets, people like you and me, will exhaust every possibility to help their animals.
Sadly, despite all of our selfless effort and expense, success sometimes is not realized and our best friend continues to deteriorate, often in great pain. We are forced to make that dreaded big decision, whether or not to let our best friend go.
It is after that decision has been made and our best friend is gone, that guilt comes, accompanied by its infamous associate, doubt. Together they rob us of our confidence and turn our precious memories into a source of pain. We beat ourselves up in our hearts and minds and are plagued by the haunting questions:
"Did I do the right thing"?
"Should I have waited longer"?
"Why am I feeling all this guilt"?
"What if I had done this or that"?
Again, these questions are hard to answer. If you were to ask for my help in validating your decision, I could not presumptuously determine that putting your best friend down was the right thing to do. Neither could I suggest that it was the wrong thing to do. I just cannot know.
Similarly, I do not know if the decision was made too soon, too late or whether it should have been made at all. At best, my thoughts in those areas would be nothing more than a subjective guess, based upon very limited information and my own values and level of sensitivity. It would be unfair to hold everyone to my own personal standard and to respond to them based upon that alone.
Instead, I would encourage you to remember how things were at that moment in time when you bore the responsibility of making that big decision for your family pet. Only you can know if it was the right and timely thing to do. My advice to you is to simply "trust the moment". By that I mean, that you should not second-guess now, the decision that you made then. Second-guessing will only lead to a feeling of insecurity, which will eventually manifest itself as guilt.
It is imperative to trust that at that moment, when you were forced to make that undesirable, big decision, you did so from a position of love. You didn't want to do it. It horrified you to have to decide. Nevertheless, you stepped up and assumed your responsibility. You selflessly decided, at that moment, that your best friend was suffering, that there was nothing you or anyone else could do about it, except make that decision.
Now, long after the fact, divorced from the emotion and pressure of that moment, you are allowing yourself to dissect every thought and circumstance. Now, with the luxury of time, you are starting to re-think the facts and question yourself, playing the "what if" game.
Today, it isn't as clear as it was then. You really don't know if you did the right thing. Take heart, it is human nature to doubt. We are imperfect and fickle creatures. But that does not make it right to pull a load of guilt upon ourselves, and that does not change the reality of the moment when you had to make that big decision.
Don't let your feelings of grief give birth to guilt. Remember the moment. Remember that at that moment you wanted nothing more than to help the one you so dearly loved. You would have done anything, paid any amount, performed any feat to prolong their life, but it was just not to be.
The doctor's prognosis was grim. There would be much suffering and pain. The recommendation was to bring them relief, to help them pass on. Under extreme duress and emotional strain, through tears of love, you weighed all the facts, reached down deep inside yourself, put aside your own selfish desire to have your pet hang on, and did what you thought best for them at that moment.
At that moment, your love made the selfless decision that rationale and logic now question. There was no selfishness then, but rather a somber consideration of the facts, and a decision to do something that you really did not want to do. But you did it, because someone needed for you to be strong for them.
You put self aside and found strength you did not know that you had. Don't let go of that moment. Hold on to it. Trust it. Trust that you were right and that you did what was needed. Trust that your love ruled over your selfishness and know that where your love prevailed, there is no room for guilt or doubt. Grief and sadness are important validations of your love, but do not cheat that process with doubt and guilt. It has no place.
About The Author:
Article Source: thePhantomWriters Article Submission Service
Sphere: Related Content
As an author of books in the pet loss genre, I often receive e-mail where I am asked "Do you think that I did the right thing by putting my best friend down?" The question is always qualified by a very heart-wrenching and moving story about the rapidly declining health of the family pet, which resulted in making the "big decision".
Almost without exception, the inquirer expresses a deep sense of guilt from having made that choice, which, in all probability, is the real reason for their writing to me...to help them with that guilt. Essentially, I am being asked to approve of a decision made during a period of great duress without much background information. It is a task that I do not relish, but one that I cannot and will not avoid.
Making such a decision is one of the most difficult things a person who loves animals will ever have to do. Our pets are perpetual children to us: children, because they depend upon us for all of their needs (food, shelter, medical attention, etc.); and, perpetual, because they never grow up and leave the nest.
They do not marry. They do not go to college. They remain utterly dependent upon us throughout their lives. When our children leave home, we still love them and provide help when they ask for it, but generally they have their own lives to live and we no longer make decisions for them. But for our furry children, the decision-making responsibilities permanently fall to us.
Is it any wonder then, that when we have had to prematurely hasten their passing, we blame ourselves or feel guilt? After all, they depended upon us and somehow we let them down. Somehow we should have had control and been able to prevent their illness or injury.
The truth is, however, we have no control over such things. We cannot know when illness will strike. We cannot know when an animal will dig a hole under the fence and run into the street. We can take all the necessary safety precautions, feed them the best food, get them regular check-ups, but we cannot foresee the future. Accordingly, from a reality standpoint, there is no basis for feeling guilty when unexpected circumstances force us to decide to help our best friend pass on.
From a perceptional standpoint, when someone is so broken that they feel compelled to seek my help, pouring out their most intimate emotions to a complete stranger, this suggests to me that they could never have failed their best friend by making a poor decision. It just is not in them to have not been vigilant and caring. It is my perception that they could have done nothing to deserve the guilt they torture themselves with.
It has been my experience rather, that such people possess great love and devotion for their pets. Invariably, they will have done anything within their power to extend the life of their best friend if it were at all possible to do so.
Indeed, I can attest that some who have contacted me have spent literally tens of thousands of dollars on surgery and other healthcare efforts, traveled great distances to meet with specialists, or sat up night after night all night long trying to provide comfort and care. There can be little doubt but that people who love their pets, people like you and me, will exhaust every possibility to help their animals.
Sadly, despite all of our selfless effort and expense, success sometimes is not realized and our best friend continues to deteriorate, often in great pain. We are forced to make that dreaded big decision, whether or not to let our best friend go.
It is after that decision has been made and our best friend is gone, that guilt comes, accompanied by its infamous associate, doubt. Together they rob us of our confidence and turn our precious memories into a source of pain. We beat ourselves up in our hearts and minds and are plagued by the haunting questions:
Again, these questions are hard to answer. If you were to ask for my help in validating your decision, I could not presumptuously determine that putting your best friend down was the right thing to do. Neither could I suggest that it was the wrong thing to do. I just cannot know.
Similarly, I do not know if the decision was made too soon, too late or whether it should have been made at all. At best, my thoughts in those areas would be nothing more than a subjective guess, based upon very limited information and my own values and level of sensitivity. It would be unfair to hold everyone to my own personal standard and to respond to them based upon that alone.
Instead, I would encourage you to remember how things were at that moment in time when you bore the responsibility of making that big decision for your family pet. Only you can know if it was the right and timely thing to do. My advice to you is to simply "trust the moment". By that I mean, that you should not second-guess now, the decision that you made then. Second-guessing will only lead to a feeling of insecurity, which will eventually manifest itself as guilt.
It is imperative to trust that at that moment, when you were forced to make that undesirable, big decision, you did so from a position of love. You didn't want to do it. It horrified you to have to decide. Nevertheless, you stepped up and assumed your responsibility. You selflessly decided, at that moment, that your best friend was suffering, that there was nothing you or anyone else could do about it, except make that decision.
Now, long after the fact, divorced from the emotion and pressure of that moment, you are allowing yourself to dissect every thought and circumstance. Now, with the luxury of time, you are starting to re-think the facts and question yourself, playing the "what if" game.
Today, it isn't as clear as it was then. You really don't know if you did the right thing. Take heart, it is human nature to doubt. We are imperfect and fickle creatures. But that does not make it right to pull a load of guilt upon ourselves, and that does not change the reality of the moment when you had to make that big decision.
Don't let your feelings of grief give birth to guilt. Remember the moment. Remember that at that moment you wanted nothing more than to help the one you so dearly loved. You would have done anything, paid any amount, performed any feat to prolong their life, but it was just not to be.
The doctor's prognosis was grim. There would be much suffering and pain. The recommendation was to bring them relief, to help them pass on. Under extreme duress and emotional strain, through tears of love, you weighed all the facts, reached down deep inside yourself, put aside your own selfish desire to have your pet hang on, and did what you thought best for them at that moment.
At that moment, your love made the selfless decision that rationale and logic now question. There was no selfishness then, but rather a somber consideration of the facts, and a decision to do something that you really did not want to do. But you did it, because someone needed for you to be strong for them.
You put self aside and found strength you did not know that you had. Don't let go of that moment. Hold on to it. Trust it. Trust that you were right and that you did what was needed. Trust that your love ruled over your selfishness and know that where your love prevailed, there is no room for guilt or doubt. Grief and sadness are important validations of your love, but do not cheat that process with doubt and guilt. It has no place.
About The Author:
Gary Kurz, helps those grieving the loss of a pet to understand the Biblical evidence that proves they live on. His most popular book, "Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates" delivers hope and comfort to the reader in a very gentle, yet convincing way. Visit at http://www.coldnosesbook.com for more information, tips and gifts or write to Gary at petgate@aol.com |
Article Source: thePhantomWriters Article Submission Service
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