holistic animal care

[SportTees]

Thank you for all the replies and links! The reason I'm interested in holistic is I had a weimaraner that died from cancer at this year (at only 4 yrs old). I always took the best care of him (so I thought) giving him all his shots and medical care the vet recommended and feeding him food I was told were good for him. I have been looking at holistic and found that what I was doing was not good because why else would he die so young with no history of cancer. It also makes me think maybe I should think about switching myself to a more natural way of life. They have already proved in children that giving them so many shots is causing negative effects ( more autism, add). You never heard of these things a decade ago or at least not as much. Please share any info you have

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I guess I must be out of the loop (this is not sarcasm or anything like that, I *mean* this) because I would not have recognized any of those things as falling under any "holistic" label, just being good evidence-based commonsense care

Just a comment on the rabies titer thing - it is only legally accepted as a substitute for vaccination for DOGS afaik, not any other animals at present, and even then it is accepted only in some jurisdictions and not others. Hopefully all of this will change in time (to some degree, like for other species, more research is needed; to a large degree, current laws are just outdated)... but it's the way things are now, so rather than just blithely figuring 'oh, I will skip rabies boosters and have titers done' you really ought to check with the local and state government where you live. Reason being, there can be serious repercussions otherwise, if your dog bites someone or gets bitten by a possibly-rabid animal, and your animal is NOT legally considered sufficiently-vaccinated. Know the laws where you live - save yourself a LOT of grief.

Pat

 

[Beekissed]

I think a lot of the cancer and other illnesses in dogs may have a lot to do with their diets now days. I shudder to think what is in dog food!

Back in the good old days, the dogs were fed table scraps and may have gotten a rabies shot every now and again. Flea collars or powder if they were house dogs. Now, I know that folks didn't often know what their animals died of back then, so this doesn't prove much, but I still think it may be a contributing factor. As it is with the human population, as well.

I don't know when table scraps became toxic for dogs... I don't recall any buying of dog food at all when we were growing up. Those dogs were healthy and happy into ripe old age!

Unless my dogs have a horrible injury (huge laceration, broken bone) I treat everything at home. Same with cat or chickens. I love my animals as much as the next, but I don't take my kids to the doctor when they aren't sick and I don't take animals to the vet for check-ups. We try to practice a preventative life-style and then, for the most part, let nature take its course.

 

[werblessd1s]

We try to eat mostly organic around here. With food prices going up it's getting difficult. My DH's work is scarce lately. He lays flooring and apparently people are trying hold on to their money lately. He's been looking for other work with no luck.
Anyhoo, I found this recipe for homemade dog food.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2285466_muffin-luckys-dog-food-recipe.html
I love the book called, The Whole Pet Diet by Andi Brown. It's very informative. The Foreward is written by Richard Pitcairn, a vet. Who has written books himself I would love to get, one is called, Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. You can read the book reviews on Amazon.com

 

[Betsy]

We've tried to be holistic with our pets for a long time. We've given them very few vaccinations, fed them lots of table scraps, and taken care of the few medical issues ourselves. Our eleven year old shepherd/lab mix is very healthy for his age, and our twelve year old cat routinely acts like a kitten. Right now we're currently vet-less. I'm trying to find a holistic vet who will respect our opinions, but it looks like the closest one is about a 1 1/2 hour drive away

Thankfully, both pets are healthy....and they each have had a serious illness that Mom and I nursed them out of using the remedies we had on hand with no input from a vet, so our current vet-less state doesn't scare us

 

[SportTees]

Betsy-We've given them very few vaccinations, fed them lots of table scraps, and taken care of the few medical issues ourselves.

Beekissed-I don't know when table scraps became toxic for dogs... I don't recall any buying of dog food at all when we were growing up.

I have never feed my animals Table Scrapes-- I was always told its a big No-No. I'm definitely reconsidering Table Scrapes for the animals! I looked at some of the better for your dog- dog foods like wellness- but they don't fit into my budget right now. The only thing I worry about is if you feed them table scrapes won't they start begging, jumping up on counters to get food, .....?​

 

[Betsy]

We always try to keep food off the counters anyway unless we're cooking, and our cat and dog know they're in BIG trouble if they jump on the counter. The cat tries to do it anyway...but we do our best to keep an eye on her.

Begging-we do have some trouble with that, but we could eliminate the problem if certain people in our family did not feed our pets tidbits from the table and if we were more firm about the pets staying in their places while we're cooking. If you're really afraid of begging, just add the scraps to your pet's meals or give them as a treat during the day. Manufactured pet treats are truly treats to our pets-they rarely get them because we find that table scraps make wonderful treats that the pets enjoy just as much and are healthier for them and cheaper for us

 

[warcard]

Don't feed 'table scraps' from the table, and you shouldn't have a problem. Just give your dog some people food mixed in with their regular food. There are books out their to help you do home made diets, either cooked or raw. Please check with the books or your vet to make sure the dog is receiving a balanced diet.

 

[texasreb]

I don't think there is anything wrong with healthy table scraps, as long as pet owners familiarize themselves with the common foods that are toxic to pets. We had that list in a recent thread.

If you use your "heavy hand" with the salt shaker or eat a lot of pre-prepared, processed foods, I would skip feeding the scraps to the animals.

Also, dogs don't really need a lot of grains and transfats, so consider skipping those types of foods too.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Heck, the dog foods I've seen seem to having nothing but grains in them! Lots of filler, if you ask me!

I don't have to worry about the dogs begging, as they live outside. If they lived inside, I would require they not be allowed in the dining area during meals. This would eliminate the whole begging and family members wanting to feed them tidbits!

Right now, the dogs have to lie down and lie still before they can have their food. I got tired of all the prancing and jumping around....about trips a person to go feed the stinkers! So...no more shenanigans at meal time.