Top 10 Benefits of Natural and Holistic Pet Care

There are a number of reasons for choosing natural pet foods, treats and supplies. First, use of natural products is consistent with a holistic view. A holistic approach considers all factors regarding your pet’s health, not just individual symptoms. The top 10 benefits of choosing natural and holistic pet care are listed below.

1) Better nutrition- a natural diet reduces contact with unnecessary chemicals and preservatives while increasing the intake of quality nutrients and vitamins.

2) Less probability of developing disease- Quality natural foods can reduce the onset of a variety of health problems, including allergies, digestive disorders and more.

3) Treats source of disease not just symptoms- Holistic care also looks at an animal’s surroundings for ways to improve health. Lowering potential causes of stress, such as loneliness or territorial conflicts, can be helpful in improving overall health. Sufficient exercise and grooming are also elements of good holistic care.

4) Longer lifespan- natural pet care will help pets live a long life and give you many years of faithful companionship.

5) Enhanced quality of life- there’s no use on living longer if the quality of life is not good, holistic pet care, will provide a better quality of life for your pet.

6) Faster healing- Holistic treatment of existing conditions by use of natural products will promote faster healing as natural ingredients are generally absorbed better by your pet and thus speeds the healing process.

7) Human safety- another reason for using natural pet products is the reduction in human exposure to toxins. Most pets are in frequent contact with people, especially children. Contact with a pet can mean risk of exposure to whatever is on your pet, whereas natural treatments avoid these risks.

Protects the environment- also, natural products breakdown and are absorbed into the environment better than chemical agents and, consequently, are more earth friendly.

9) Saves time- you won’t be wasting your time dragging your pets to the vet’s office to treat different illnesses as the holistic approach targets the individual as a whole entity, treating existing conditions from their source, not just their symptoms, and preventing new ones from developing.

10) Saves money- you won’t be wasting your money on cheaper products that ultimately can be a contributor to declining health in your pets and thereby creating more vet visit and bills.

About the Author

Mariangie Gonzalez is an Agronomist with a major in Animal Science & Pre-Veterinary and runs the day-to-day operations of her home-based business and website which carries pet aromatherapy, pet natural remedies, pet herbal supplements and much more. She can also help you start your own home-based 100% natural pet supplies business, you can visit online at: http://www.MindBodyAndPaw.com

Cat dental care: Dental care tips for cats – Part 1

Cat dental care is a subject that many cat owners can often neglect. It’s not that they do not love their cats, but when it comes to cat dental health, it is often overlooked. Unfortunately, this can lead to a number of health problems, so it is extremely important that you provide regular cat dental care so that your cats teeth and gums remain healthy.

Proper cat dental health is essential to your pets well being. If preventative dental care for your cat is not regularly practiced, dental disease can set in. Many people don’t realize that this can affect the cats entire body, and lead to serious illness that can be fatal to your cat. Fortunately, it is very easy to see a cat dental problem should one occur, so if you are observant of your cats health, you should have no problem nipping the situation in the bud, and getting your cat the proper medical care that it needs.

Signs and Symptoms of Cat Dental Problems

There are a number of signs and symptoms that you can look for to see if your cat is suffering from a cat dental problem. As long as you are providing proper cat dental care, you shouldn’t have to worry about these issues occurring, but it is always helpful to know what to look for. Common signs that your cat has a dental problem are:

~Difficulties with eating

~Bleeding or inflamed gums

~Excessive drooling that is not normally exhibited (Some cats naturally drool, but excessive drooling often denotes a problem.)

~Halitosis or extremely bad breath

~A hesitance to groom themselves due to pain from the dental disease

Any of these signs and symptoms can be present if your cat is having a dental problem. These symptoms are usually the result of dental diseases such as gingivitis, periodontal disease, endodontic disease, stomatitis, tooth abscesses or other dental issues.

Treating Cat Dental Health Problems

If you believe that your pet is suffering from a cat dental problem, you should seek veterinary care immediately, to ensure that the proper treatment is administered. If you have pet medical insurance, there is a good chance that your cat dental insurance will pay for the treatment. Additionally, your cat dental insurance should pay for preventative dental care as well, which if used routinely, should help keep your cats teeth healthy from the start.

Depending on the dental problems that your cat is suffering from, medication may be prescribed to treat any infection that has set in. If you caught the problem in time and an infection has not set in, your veterinarian may simply clean the cats teeth thoroughly, and show you how to properly maintain them. Fortunately, there are a number of different products on the market including pet toothpastes, sprays, creams and treats that can all be used to keep your cats teeth clean and healthy, so that you never have to worry about your furry friend suffering from dental issues.

Pet health care: Treating and preventing pet illness – Part 2

Illness and death are inescapable. We know that some day our pets will become ill or injured. Without question, it will happen. Illness is an inevitable part of life and should come as no great surprise. Because we know it will happen eventually, we shouldn’t pretend it away, we should plan ahead. There are many preventative pet health measures we can take to keep out pets as healthy as possible for as long as possible. Beyond that, we can be watchful, prepared and ready to act when injury or illness strike.

Preventing pet health problems

1. Regular veterinary exams.

Most veterinarians recommend yearly exams for most pets. If you have an elderly pet, or one with an ongoing medical condition, your veterinarian may recommend exams twice a year or more. Annual exams give you a chance to have all your pet health questions answered, as well as allowing your veterinarian to catch early signs of illness that may be easy to miss at home.

2. Vaccinations.

Depending on the region of the country you live in your veterinarian will recommend a variety of vaccinations for your cat or dog. These vaccinations prevent contagious diseases that can be very debilitating or even fatal. Vaccines need to be boostered regularly to remain effective. Some diseases that these vaccines protect against, like rabies, is a hazardous to human health as well as dog and cat health.

3. Heartworm preventative.

Heartworm disease is usually considered a dog health issue, but newer research shows that cats can develop some health problems associated with heartworms as well. Cats don’t develop adult heartworms the way dogs do because they are not the primary host for these parasites, but the larva can still cause damage to a cat. In a dog, heartworms can be fatal. While heartworms are a risk anywhere there are mosquitoes (this is how heartworm larva are transmitted) some regions of the country have a much higher risk than others. All dogs should take a monthly heartworm preventative, and in high-risk areas, your veterinarian may advise a preventative for cats as well.

4. Spay or Neuter.

Unless you are planning to breed you pet they should be spayed or neutered early for the most health benefits. It’s an old wives tale that it is beneficial to a female dog or cat to have one litter, or to go through one heat cycle before being spayed. The opposite is true. Your pet receives maximum health benefits from being spayed before the first heat, usually around 4 to

A guide to cat food ingredients

They say “You are what you eat.”. The same applies to our pets. A pet who is fed a top quality food will have fewer health problems over its lifetime. A pet who is fed a lesser food, will likely exhibit problems, which may be as simply as weight concerns, or as big as cancer. The sad thing is that many times owners are not even aware if their pet is healthy or not. A sadder fact is that most cat owners do not even know how to tell if a food is good or not.

Cats are true carnivores. They require meat in their food. Unfortunately most commercially available cat foods use a lot of filler, usually carbohydrates. As a result the cat must eat more food to get the nutrition. The lower quality foods also use FAT to give the pets a glossy coat. Many owners feel a glossy coat = a healthy pet = good food. In combination with the lower quality of the food, the cat must eat a lot more food, thereby eating a lot more fat and carbs. Thus contributing to obesity and feline diabetes. As food brands vary from country to country and each brand may change its’ formula from time to time I will not get into brand names. I will refer to the more common ingredients and discuss why they are good or bad.

DRY CAT FOOD

The FIRST FIVE ingredients are the ones you want to pay most attention to. If the top ingredient is a good meat source, but the remaining four are filler, your food may not the best.

If the food indicates that it is Human Grade it means the food is fit for human consumption. If it does not say human grade then it can even be meat from animals who were euthanized.

Chicken Meal, Lamb Meal, Turkey Meal, etc – GOOD Any meat marked with “MEAL” following it is a good source of actual meat. One of these MUST be the first ingredient listed on your bag. Chicken, Turkey and Lamb, being the gentlest on a cats tummy and the least likely to cause allergies. Fish Meal, such as salmon or tuna, should never be the first ingredient, as fish is high in calcium it may contribute to urinary tract problems.

Meat Meal, Animal Fat,. Etc BAD Any unspecified meat is mystery meat. It can come from ANY animal that died and was rendered that day. In the past there have been pet foods found with dog or cat in it. When you feed mystery meat, you contribute to pet allergies as the food will not be consistent from bag to bag.

Corn and Corn Gluten Meal BAD if in any of the top 3 positions. A filler really, corn is of no nutritional value and is a common allergen. Corn is a carbohydrate, and

How pets help people with depression

When you are in the teeth of depression, it feels as if nothing can save you. You feel as if your case is completely hopeless, so why bother. Winston Churchill, who suffered from depression, called it “the black dog”. But a black dog (or any other color or species, for that matter) may be precisely what a depressive needs.

Makes You Move

One of the most all-encompassing symptoms of depression is not wanting to move or even get out of bed, since everything seems so pointless. As a result, you wind up feeling more tired than ever. By not exercising regularly, you open yourself up to a host of other health problems. And if you can’t get out of bed, you can’t go to work or to school.

But when you have a pet, you have to get out of bed and move around in order to take care of that pet. You need to feed, clean and play with your pet. It’s not an option. If you don’t take care of your pet, then that animal suffers. If you have a dog, then the dog will urinate and defecate inside of the house. If you have a cat, then the cat may annoy you with screaming or begging until it’s easier for you to just get out of bed and take care of it.

If you are worried that your depression will get so bad that you will not be able to take care of an animal, then please talk to your doctor or therapist. Being worried about this is a good sign. It shows you are thinking of something else other than wallowing in misery. You also can talk to a friend or family member to check up on your pet to be sure that the pet is being taken care of properly.

Sense Of Accomplishment

By taking care of a pet whether it’s giving then a treat, cleaning out the littler box or playing with them you can see immediate results of your actions. This is reinforcing. When you have depression, you feel as if nothing you do makes any difference. By taking care of a pet, you see every day that your actions do make a difference.

Learning all you can about how to take care of your pet can also reap many benefits. It makes you learn something new, which is always good for raising self-esteem. It also distracts you from the voices in your head that may be telling you over and over again about how hopeless everything is.

Although a pet isn’t a substitute for being under a doctor’s care for depression, it sure can help make the medications or therapy much more effective. And you get a chance to get out of your head and emphasize with someone else’s problems.