Winterizing your pets! What you can do!

Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S.

Get Ready for Winter
Put the snow tires on, change the oil and antifreeze and be ready for winter! Just like automobiles, it is important to prepare our pets for winter conditions! Though we are talking about are beloved pets, the above ideas are not that off the wall. Let's take a look at some things that we can do to prepare our pets and prevent problems. One of the most important things to remember and cannot be emphasized enough is to make sure that when you change your antifreeze in your radiator or if you have a leak in your radiator and antifreeze leaks out in your driveway, that you clean it up immediately, scrub it up, soak it up and dispose of everything that might contain it. For your dog or cat, a little dab will do them in! This stuff is deadly!!! Avoid it at all costs! If you observe your pet licking some call your veterinarian immediately! There are some new antidotes for antifreeze poisoning for dogs , but you need to administer them right away. Even with cats if you get them the appropriate therapy at your veterinarian immediately , the prognosis is good if treated within three hours of ingestion. It has the highest fatality rate of all poisons for pets and is especially worse for cats! By the time, signs begin to show, it is often too late! It effects the nervous system, gastrointestinal system, the liver and the kidneys. Early signs include mild depression, nausea, vomiting, lack of coordination, trembling, drinking and urinating excessively. It will cause kidney failure within 12 to 36 hours with signs such as drooling, oral ulcers, seizures and coma.

The challenge here is that antifreeze actually has a somewhat pleasant taste to pets and only a small amount is lethal. If a veterinarian is not available for any reason, contact your local poison control center. You can administer a small amount of hydrogen peroxide orally to get them to vomit immediately and after that, you can give them some activated charcoal capsules to absorb some of the poison while getting to the veterinarian. Another prevention tip is to buy animal safe antifreeze all the time and tell all your friends and neighbors to. Prestone has an animal safe antifreeze as well as other companies. The more people are aware of and buy animal safe antifreeze, the more companies will provide it and the less available the toxic stuff will be!

Snowtires for Pets
Snowtires for pets? Sounds bizarre, but there are a number of things to be aware of that can be dangerous for your pets feet. Again, if there is antifreeze on the ground, they can walk on that and then lick their paws and be poisoned. Also, I have seen dogs that are walked on heavily salted sidewalks develop neurologic problems such as incoordination as well as drinking and urinating excessively from licking the salt off of their paws. If you walk your dog in areas that are heavily salted, make sure to wash their paws off as soon as they come in to prevent salt poisoning. Also, if it is very icy outside, sharp ice can actually cut your dogs paws up. Some dogs will also get balls of snow and ice stuck between their toes, sometimes causing them to limp, and they should be gently removed.

Some people have put doggie booties, little rubber wrappings with velcro tape, like snow tires, over the paws during icy weather or if they walk their dogs on salted sidewalks. Another precaution is not to let your pet play frisbee or catch on icy surfaces. Just like people, they can slip and slide and hurt themselves, especially their knees. It is not uncommon to see a dog severely injure their knee slipping on the ice. For old, weak, arthritic dogs, booties may give the support and traction they need to walk confidently on slippery surfaces and enable them to get up and down and go to the bathroom easier.

Keeping the Rest Warm
What about keeping the rest of the body warm in the winter? Most pets develop a thicker coat in the winter to protect themselves unless they live indoors most of the time. For normal, cold winter days, that should be enough. However, if you have a chinese hairless dog or a rex cat or some other extremely short haired breed, a warm jacket might be appropriate outdoors on extremely cold days and nights, when the temperature drops well below freezing. They have all sorts from cotton and wool to thinsulate jackets for pets in the latest styles and colors, even color coordinated with their owners! That should do it, if your friend stays indoors most of the time. If your pet stays outdoors in a doghouse, in the barn or elsewhere, you should make sure there is at least one place with extra insulation for them to cuddle up in. Many barn cats will nestle in horse blankets, extra hay in the corners and do fine on their own. However, if your dog lives in a dog house, make sure it is well insulated and protected from drafts. If you happen to have stray or homeless cats living outside nearby, try to create a little insulated cozy area for them outside as well. When it is really frigid, bring them indoors, unless they are a husky or other cold weather breed that dream of frigid days and thrive in them. I used to race sled dogs and they loved the coldest days. Make sure they have plenty of fresh water and it doesn't freeze over. Consider an electric heater for dog bowls if they are outside all the time.

Just like us, our pets have different nutritional requirements when it is colder out. They may eat more if they are outside alot. Be aware of this, but don't overfeed an already hefty dog. Obesity is as much a significant health hazard for our pets as it is for us, but that's a whole story for another column. Exercise is still critical for us and our pets in the winter. If you are decreasing the length and frequency of your walks when it is real cold, make sure your pet dog still gets adequate exercise. Perhaps try taking them out more frequently or just bundling up more. If traveling with your buddies in the winter, make sure they don't stay in the car too long if it is frigid out.

In conclusion, pets have similar needs as we do in the winter, warmth, good nutrition and fresh water, fresh air and sufficient exercise. Keep them away from antifreeze, buy animal friendly nontoxic antifreeze, keep the salt and ice off their feet and Enjoy!

No article can replace the services of a trained veterinarian. This article is not intended to encourage treatment of illness, disease, or other medical problems by the layman. Any application of the recommendations set forth in this article is solely at the reader’s discretion and risk. You should consult a veterinarian concerning any veterinary medical or surgical problem. If a veterinarian is caring for your pet, for any condition, he or she can advise you about information described in this article.

Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S. - Earthanimal.com

Animal Massage: The Touch That Heals

Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S.

Animal Massage
Animal massage can benefit both you and your pet in many ways. It is a wonderful way to connect with them at many different levels and to share quality time together. It can be done while listening to music, sitting in your favorite chair or couch, laying down in front of the fireplace on a cold autumn day, or while watching T.V.. There are a number of massage techniques depending upon what your goal is. You can use massage just to help your pet relax or to bond with them, to enjoy the magic of touch or it can be beneficial therapeutically in certain conditions. If you notice, pets stretch on their own to relax and keep in shape. Certain yoga postures are actually named after animal stretches such as the dog stretch and the cat stretch! However, as animals get older and stiff, they can't stretch and move around as easily. There are many natural approaches to help this including nutritional supplements, acupuncture as well as massage.

Basic Massage
Let's review some basic massage as prevention and then we will go over some specific acupressure that you can do on your pet for specific conditions such as hip dysplasia or arthritis. Find a nice relaxing quiet place when your furry friend is not all wound up and ready to play and run wild. Sit or lay down with them and gently start brushing your hands over them from above their eyes, over their head, over their back and down to their tail. You do want to be cautious and not place your hand over an animals head that may be having behavioral problems and be dominant over you or other family members. If you have a problem like that, you should talk to an experienced animal trainer that uses humane positive reinforcement techniques to resolve such behavior problems or speak to your veterinarian if they have experience in behavior problems and training.

Otherwise, if one doesn't have a pet with a dominance order problem, dogs and cats usually love to have their heads gently touched and brushed. When you follow the direction going forward to rear over the head, neck and back, you are actually following the acupuncture meridians. The most important thing to remember when massaging or just petting your friend is to watch their reactions and listen to them. They let you know in many ways if they are enjoying you touching them or not. If they don't like you touching a certain area regularly, check it out and make sure there isn't a problem there. This is actually an excellent way to conduct a superficial physical exam. For instance, if your cat was in a cat fight and has an abscess on its back under the fur and you go over it and they go to scratch you or hiss or bite, stop immediately! You may have just picked something up that you may not have observed otherwise until they got much sicker.

Preventive Measure
So regular massage and petting can actually be a preventive measure where you may observe things much earlier. Another example is if while you are petting your dog and you feel excess heat over an area of their back, it may be an early sign of a "slipped disc" or arthritis in an area. So even, the most basic petting and gentle massage over the back can bring your attention to something important. If you find that your buddy actually rubs into you instead of away from you and kind of moans and groans in ecstasy, that is an area you may want to massage deeper or for a longer period of time.

Acupressure Points
Acupressure points on the body are usually small depressions between muscles or between muscles and bones. You may apply steady rotating pressure with a fingertip to a particular acupressure point. If you want to relax the point, gently massage counterclockwise over the point. If you want to stimulate it and give more energy, rub clockwise. If your pet is generally lethargic and weak, clockwise movement will often perk them up. If they tend to be nervous or hyperactive or sore in an area, counterclockwise movement will usually calm them down and relax the sore muscles. This has not been proven by double blind studies by any means, but in chinese acupressure, this is what is recommended.

While massaging your pet, breathe deeply, slowly and regularly and it will relax both of you and create your own rhythm. For if you are hyper and irritable and try to massage your pet, they seem to pick up on that and it can make them irritable and not want to be around you. So it truly is a wonderful way to slow down and relax for yourself. For prevention and enjoyment, you can massage your pet daily or as often as possible.

Again, it relaxes both of you and offers innumerable benefits that way. Therapeutically, acupressure massage can help if your pet has arthritis in a particular joint, if they have a stiff neck or back and even if they have certain internal medical problems. The positive effect of touching and massage can stimulate different neurotransmitters such as endorphins, making them feel better and thereby stimulate the bodies own healing mechanisms.

An example of massage helping a pet is in a case of an old dog with arthritis in their hip. There are three acupressure points around the hip joint. One point is just in front of the hip joint, one above it and one behind it. If you gently massage those points with one or two fingers in a counterclockwise rotation, they often times just relax and groan in ecstasy! There are also points on each side of their spine in small depressions one to two finger widths on each side of the backbone. These can also be massaged. When a dog has arthritis, it is not uncommon for them to hunch their back to compensate and they their back hurts. If they have arthritis in an elbow on the front leg, you can gently massage around the joint as well as the muscle masses around the shoulder and the neck. Again, feel for small depressions and gently rub those and see their response.

Listen to Your Pet
Listen to your pet! If they don't like it, resist, growl, hiss or worse, stop immediately. Most pets usually love it though. There are times when you do not want to massage your pet. Avoid massage after your pet has just eaten. You should wait at least two hours after eating. If your pet is sick with an infection, a fever or a serious disease, they may not want to be touched; again, listen to them.

Avoid massaging the back and belly of a pregnant animal. You could possibly, unintentionally induce premature labor. You also do not want to massage your pet after they have just been exercising intensely. First let the heart rate come down to normal and stop panting before massaging. Later that day, I am sure they would love some massage, just like you or I would. After performing a general full body massage and focusing on any specific areas that need more attention, you can finish off the massage or begin one with slow, gentle rubbing of the inside and outside of each ear. This will provoke wonderful sighs of contentment in your dog and exquisite purrs in your kitty.

For further descriptions of pet massage with pictures, you can check out Dr. Michael Fox's book "The Healing Touch" as well as a chapter in my book "Love, Miracles and Animal Healing". You and your pet can both mutually benefit from massaging them and sharing quality time and loving each other. Give and ye shall receive! Enjoy the magic of touch till next time!

Consult a Trained Veterinarian
No article can replace the services of a trained veterinarian. This article is not intended to encourage treatment of illness, disease, or other medical problems by the layman. Any application of the recommendations set forth in this article is solely at the reader’s discretion and risk. You should consult a veterinarian concerning any veterinary medical or surgical problem. If a veterinarian is caring for your pet, for any condition, he or she can advise you about information described in this article.

Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S. - Earthanimal.com

What is Integrative Holistic Animal Health Care?

Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S.

Holistic Health Care There is a tremendous increase in interest in natural holistic approaches to both human and animal health care these days. As one of the pioneers in acupuncture and holistic veterinary medicine, I am elated to see this new enthusiasm. However, while practicing, teaching and writing on the future of this field, I have come to appreciate that there is a balance between exploring the benefits of natural health care and acknowledging the benefits of conventional western medicine as well.

The philosophy of this column reflects the insights that I have gathered over the past sixteen years of practicing this integrative approach. Dr. Andy Weil is one of the major proponents of this approach in human medicine. What actually is Integrativeanimal health care ? The vision of this approach is to take the best of both holistic, natural approaches to animal health and combine them with the best of conventional veterinary medicine. No one form of medicine has all the answers, cures to all problems. It just seems prudent to take the best from all fields and integrate them into a new comprehensive form ofanimal health care.

What this means in practice and to you as an animals companion is that we do everything as naturally and health conscious as possible to prevent disease in our furry friends. If this isn't enough and they become ill, then we look at all the best approaches to both diagnosis and treatment of the problem. This may include conventional medical examinations, blood tests, x-rays etc.. In addition, aholistic ally oriented veterinarian may look at other possible causes of disease such as environmental conditions, nutritional deficiencies, potential vaccine reactions, as well as others Treatment might consist of conventional medications as well asholistic approaches to help the animal heal more quickly

"No one form of medicine has all the answers, cures to all problems."

For instance, if your pet develops a bacterial infection, the conventional approach would be to administer an antibiotic. This certainly seems prudent. However, from an integrative approach, one might also support the bodies defense systems with various herbs and nutritional supplements to help the body fight it off. An integrative approach may also include an evaluation of your pets health to see if there was some predisposing weakness that might have allowed your pet to come down with the infection.

This approach differs from other holistically oriented approaches such as classical homeopathy in which the practitioner would probably not use an antibiotic at all, but would rather choose a specific homeopathic remedy , an extremely high dilution of various herbs, minerals and plant products, that would stimulate the bodies defenses to fight off the infection.

Where do we start with integrative animal health care then? First let me suggest some good reference sources for some of these different approaches to animal health care. There are numerous books out on natural health care for pets, some are better documented than others. The classic standard in this field is "Dr. Pitcairns Guide to Natural Animal Health" by Rodale Press. This is an excellent resource for novices in this approach. Other books for animal caretakers representing different approaches to this field include: Anitra Fraziers "The Natural Cat", Cheryl Schwartz's "Four Paws, Five Directions, Chinese Medicine for Dogs and Cats" and " Love, Miracles and Animal Healing" by myself and Pam Proctor.

"The Good Doctor simply awakens the physician within.",Albert Schweitzer

There are terms that are commonly used in the natural field that may be somewhat foreign to some of you. It is amazing how many people including many veterinarians and human doctors do not realize the difference between the termsholistic and homeopathy. Holistic Veterinary Medicine is a term that the American Veterinary Medical Association defines as "a comprehensive approach to health care employing natural and conventional diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. In practice, it incorporates but is not limited to the principles of acupuncture and acutherapy, botanical medicine, chiropractic, homeopathy massage therapy, nutraceuticals and physical therapy as well as conventional medicine, surgery and dentistry".

As you can see, it is quite comprehensive and does not exclude conventional approaches. On the other hand, homeopathy is a complete separate form of medicine that utilizes remedies composed of extremely high dilutions of various herbal, mineral andanimal substances These substances are administered to stimulate the bodies own healing processes. Many holistic practitioners also used the term animal companions or animal caretakers rather than animal owners, which may denote heirarchal concepts that are objectionable to some.

Other terms that are used include natural and complementary. Alternative means that the approach used is an natural to conventional medicine and in this may be the case in some conditions. Complementary means that the approach can be used along with conventional medical therapies and support the bodies abilities to heal itself. In the past, some called these approaches "New Age" medicine. Actually, this could not be farther from the truth. Many of these therapies are hundreds, if not thousands of years old. The roots ofholistic medicine can actually be traced to ancient chinese medicine where there are many levels to medicine including nutrition, meditation, exercise, both mind body techniques and aerobic, massage as well as acupuncture and physical adjustments similar to what is now called chiropractic.

My goal in this column is to offer the reader a balanced approach to animal health care, offering the best of both conventional and natural and complementary medicine and to suggest practical options that you can do to help your pets!

The first things in this balanced, integrative approach to animal health care that I would like to leave you with are basic common sense preventive health ideas. These include exercise and good nutrition. Exercising with your pet can be extremely beneficial for both of you.

It is important that you both do not overdue it at first, but a regular exercise program can bring you both closer and improve the loving relationship you have with each other, whether you have a cat or a dog. With dogs, if you are not already, make your dog walk a meaningful and fun experience. Make sure to walk your dog at least two to three times a day if not more. Make sure if it is extremely hot or cold out or if your dog has a debilitating condition that you do not overdue it and that you both have plenty to drink so as not to dehydrate in hot weather.

If you have a cat, exercise is also critical. If your cat tends to be a couch potato, develop some games to play that gives them exercise. We will go over these in more detail in future columns.

If you would like a consultation with one of my Veterinary associates in the greater New York or Connecticut region, you can go to the practice part of my website, call the appropriate office and make an appointment with one of them to see how we can help your kindred spirit.

No article can replace the services of a trained veterinarian. This article is not intended to encourage treatment of illness, disease, or other medical problems by the layman. Any application of the recommendations set forth in this article is solely at the reader’s discretion and risk. You should consult a veterinarian concerning any veterinary medical or surgical problem. If a veterinarian is caring for your pet, for any condition, he or she can advise you about information described in this article.

Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S. - Earthanimal.com

In the next few weeks will be featuring a series of articles by Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S. His approach to Holistic Pet Care hits right in line our views of kinder gentler animal and pet care. Enjoy the the articles.

Dr Allen offers an innovative approach that unites the best of holistic, natural techniques with the best of conventional veterinary medicine to offer a new comprehensive form of compassionate animal health care services.

When Allen Schoen began practicing veterinary medicine twenty-three years ago, his peers scoffed at his assertion that animals have feelings and emotions. Today he is one of America's most celebrated veterinarians, traveling worldwide to treat the domestic animals of scores of clients and working daily to improve the ways we understand and interact with our animal friends. Kindred Spirits shares the transformative power of Schoen's remarkable methods and his vision for a society in which we cease to be owner and pet, human and animal, but are simply respected companions connected by an inimitable bond--Kindred Spirits.

You can visit his website at Drschoen.com

- EarthAnimal.com