Uncovering Dog and Cat Allergies
In the summer of one the most turbulent economic periods in a lifetime, Americans are rediscovering simplicity and frugality. These days, it's not uncommon to see a small group playing an impromptu game of Frisbee, or a couple enjoying a nature hike through a local park, or an extended family spending an afternoon in the backyard barbecuing.
The summer months provide ample opportunities for outdoor fun, whether your idea of open-air enjoyment is a power-walk with your dog or watching an afternoon storm roll in from the safety of a back porch with your cat. These activities help us brush away the winter cobwebs, shedding new light on our daily life. But sometimes, we make discoveries that are not altogether pleasant. Too often, the thinner, summer coats of our pets can reveal what winter coats have hidden from plain view – reddened skin irritations, possibly the sign of a seasonal or chronic allergy.
That's right .... just like humans, pets suffer from allergies. Allergens can come from any number of sources, including grasses, trees, molds, dust mites and flea bites. Even their food may contain allergens. With all of these possible culprits, how can a pet parent learn what’s causing their pet's allergy?
The first step for many of us is to hop online. We know that information is plentiful on the internet, even if not all of it is trustworthy. That inclination, to try and uncover the reasons ourselves, especially when that impulse is coupled with hard economic times, can lead to a scenario where many pet parents will try to diagnose Fido's or Fluffy's allergies on their own, without veterinary assistance. But the cause of allergies is notoriously difficult to pin down because it so hard to isolate one possible cause from another.
If you want to determine whether or not your four-footer is truly suffering from an environmental or food-related allergy, you should have your vet do an evaluation. They will use either a blood test or a skin test, or perhaps both, to assess what allergens are producing the symptoms.
When animals experience allergic reactions, their bodies alter normal hormone production. Some of the resultant chemical reactions can lead to cellular inflammation, the process bodies use to remove the allergens. To understand this process, consider the following example: the common flea bite. Commonly, after a flea bite, there may be swelling and possible irritation (usually itchiness). But if your dog or cat has a flea allergy, the reaction is a much larger rash with severe itching. This is the body attempting to eliminate the allergen; in this case, flea saliva.
So, what's the best way to nip allergies in the bud? Leading holistic practitioners and natural-care veterinarians have long endorsed foods and supplements rich in omega-3 fatty acids, especially those coming from fish oil, which help inhibit the body’s inflammatory response. And the amazing properties of omega-3's don't end there. When coupled with omega-6's derived from a source like flaxseed, a balanced blend of these fatty acids are known to provide much-needed support by helping to strengthen the body's natural response to allergens. They do this by enhancing the functions of the immune system and by fortifying the walls of individual cells in the body. At the same time, omega-3's also help to protect neurological and blood systems. If you encounter information disparaging the inclusion of fatty acids in the diets of companion animals – either from online sources, friends or even veterinarians – it may be based upon outdated beliefs about these nutrients.
If you are not already feeding your companion a diet rich in omega-3's like Life's Abundance, you might consider incorporating into your pet's diet a supplemental source of omega-3's, either in chewable tablet form (like Skin and Coat Formula) or in capsule form (many of our customers provide Sealogix for their pets). Dr. Jane advises against feeding omega-3 supplements in the half-hour immediately before and after a meal, as the precise balance of fats can be thrown off, resulting in diminished absorption of those beneficial nutrients. Under no circumstances should you add liquid fish oil to dry food.
If you believe that your favored feline or precious pup suffers from allergies, please schedule time with your trusted veterinarian to determine the appropriate treatment, and consider incorporating essential fatty acids in your pet's diet. By taking a proactive stance now, your pet might be able to avoid allergic reactions in the future.
Pet Food Recall - They Plead Guilty
For those who watched their companion animals suffer more than two years ago, after the worst pet food recall in American history, the pain is still fresh. A resolution of sorts, however, is near at hand.
Two of the individuals central to the contamination that afflicted thousands of dogs and cats submitted guilty pleas to numerous misdemeanor charges and a single felony charge. The married co-owners, Stephen and Sally Miller of ChemNutra, were originally scheduled for sentencing on June 16th, but that was postponed and, as of the date of this newsletter’s submission for publication, has yet to be rescheduled.
The Miller's were indicted for their actions of knowingly distributing more than 800 tons of melamine-laced wheat gluten imported from China in more than a dozen shipments. The couple passed off these tainted goods as high-grade protein ingredients, selling it to several of the largest producers of canned pet food and ultimately resulting in the recall of over 150 different brands of pet food.
While the maximum sentence would be two years in prison without parole and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, those who have wished for a punishment equal to the crime may be disappointed by the upcoming decision. Prosecutors handling the case have signaled their openness to leniency, recommending that the court impose a $25,000 fine against ChemNutra, $5,000 each against the Millers, and sentence the Miller's to three years of probation each.
It is worth noting that ChemNutra is just one of the 20-plus companies required to contribute to a $24 million compensation fund, the outcome of a class-action lawsuit brought by families affected by the recall. How much ChemNutra paid into this fund is not a matter of public record, and may never be made known.
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FDA Approves First Cancer Drug for Dogs
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announces new drugs fairly regularly, rarely do these approvals have a direct impact on companion animals. But at the beginning of June, they broadcasted their stamp-of-approval for a new drug created by Pfizer Animal Health, Inc. The green-light is significant because it is the first drug developed specifically for the treatment of a canine cancer.
The drug, Palladia (which, incidentally, means "anything believed to provide protection", or "a safeguard"), was created to treat a specific kind of mast cell cancer of the skin. These aberrant skin cells are responsible for about 20% of skin cancers in dogs. A significant number of these cancers develop into life-threatening growths capable of spreading to lymph nodes. The drug targets the individual tumor cells themselves while simultaneously working to cut off the blood supply to the whole tumor.
This represents a promising turn of events in veterinary science, as vets have only had cancer treatments designed specifically for humans at their disposal, without any clear evidence of the effectiveness of those treatments.
Dr. Jane's Message - Antioxidants
Every minute of every day, there's a battle going on inside your pet's body. Thankfully, there are some excellent ingredients in many foods that are widely recognized as effective weapons for this fight to preserve health.
The troublemakers in this ongoing conflict are free radicals, which can negatively affect DNA, lipids and proteins. Their combined impact can lead to cell mutation, disruption of normal cellular processes and even the death of cells*. In fact, cells can be "attacked" by free radicals many thousands of times … every single day.
Free radicals can be caused by any number of environmental sources, including pollution, secondhand smoke, chemicals from cleaners ... even oxygen! Additionally, the normal chemical processes of the body can trigger the creation of additional free radicals.
According to many health authorities, if we can somehow prevent the excessive development of free radicals, it's likely that we could also prevent any number of medical problems**. Research journals and popular magazines alike have praised the health benefits of antioxidants for years. We now have evidence that supports the view that antioxidants are a necessary line of attack in fighting free radicals. It seems pretty clear that antioxidants are our best hope of destroying free radicals before they negatively impact your pet’s health.
As a holistic veterinarian, I have seen firsthand how antioxidants are just as beneficial to companion animals as they are to humans. That's why so many of our recipes feature an antioxidant component. In fact, HealthyPetNet was one of the first companies to incorporate antioxidants in their pet food and treat formulas.
Antioxidants are widespread in nature and can be found in numerous vegetables, fruits, spices, nuts. Ingredients like vitamins C and E, as well as beta-carotene, are actually classified as antioxidants. The greater the variety of antioxidant sources, the better a body is equipped to fight off free radicals. That’s because different antioxidants have special affinity for different areas in the body. For example, the antioxidants from carrots cluster largely in the eyes, while those from tomatoes directly affect the heart.
In a time when many are trying to cut costs and trim budgets, I'm particularly concerned about how the economy will affect our nation's four-footers. I'm worried that pet parents, while still recognizing the need to feed a premium diet, will go back to feeding cheap pet snacks. It bears repeating how harmful some of these inferior-quality products can potentially be. Often, what's lurking in those brightly colored bags (featuring words like "Happy", "Tail-wagging" or "Doggone-Good") are more health threats than healthy treats. I can assure you that HealthyPetNet’s treats are not empty-calorie junk; each morsel is a powerhouse of nutrition.
As a caring pet parent, you should be aware of and approve of the approach behind the formulas. At HealthyPetNet, we believe that everything your pet eats should play a role in achieving the ultimate goal .... helping them to live happier, longer and stronger.
We've all heard the common saying that a recipe simply tastes better when love is one of the "ingredients". I'd like to think that this expression accurately reflects my commitment to providing the very best for your dogs and cats.
I put my heart and soul in every recipe, and I've been told that that's especially obvious in the two tasty treats featured in this newsletter: Antioxidant Health Bars - Oatmeal & Apple Recipe and Life's Abundance Gourmet Cat Treats for Healthy Skin and Coat. To give your sweet companion a healthy helping of natural goodness, I strongly recommend these delicious morsels, not only as sources of great nutrition, but also for their daily happiness, too.
As always, I thank you for all that you do to make the world a better place for companion animals.
Very best regards,
Dr. Jane
* For more information, see Langseth's Oxidants, Antioxidants and Disease Prevention published in 1995.
** For supporting evidence see Toll and Jewell's article, "Oxidative Stress and the Antioxidant Defense System: An Overview for Practicing Veterinarians".
Anti-oxidant Health Treats are Healthy!
 If you haven't yet tried the new and improved Antioxidant Health Bars - Oatmeal & Apple Recipe, your precious pup is missing out on a seriously nutritious and noshable reward.
Packed with ingredients handpicked by Dr. Jane, HealthyPetNet's Antioxidant Health Bars have always been a fantastic way to nutritiously reward our lovable four-footers. But now, there’s even more reason to celebrate this formula for better health. In the new Oatmeal & Apple Recipe formula, our good doctor added hefty helpings of vitamin E, C and beta-carotene for a serious jolt of antioxidants to help support and maintain their immune systems.
Dogs find this new recipe utterly irresistible. These delicious snacks have the tempting taste of apples, peanut butter and honey – flavors that come from those actual ingredients, not from artificial chemicals.
Just like the previous formulation, the new Antioxidant Health Bars feature a whole host of wholesome ingredients, including oatmeal, brown rice, ground flaxseed, rolled oats, dried whole eggs, cranberries and carrots, all of which help to round out this satisfying and healthy treat for a sublime taste sensation. You might even find yourself tempted to take a bite yourself!
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