Current News

Dogs and Cats: They are what you feed them!

Seminar in pet nutrition by the Rocky Mountain Holistic Veterinary Medical Association

Sunday, April 29, 2007, Noon - 4:00 PM

Location: Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1441 York St., Denver, CO 80206

Fee: $35 per person in advance or $50 at the door, parking $3 (exact change) in lot adjacent to building or on-street parking for free. Note: the event is nearly filled up so it is unlikely that there will be any space left on the day of the event.

Registration: Call 303-674-6288. The event is nearly filled up so call now to reserve your spot. Online registration has been closed.

Eligible for CE credits for veterinary technicians

Are you wondering what to feed your dog or cat after the massive pet food recall? Don't miss this unprecedented event to learn from experts with decades of holistic nutritional experience. Never before has such extensive knowledge and expertise been assembled. Speakers include Laura Deloatch, DVM, Holly Foster, DVM, Jean Hofve, DVM, and Kate Solisti, internationally known speaker and author. Topics include:

• Optimal diets for dogs and cats
• Understanding pet food labels
• Comparing pet food
• Preparing home-made meals
• Achieving balance and wellness through nutrition

If this seminar is filled up by the time you call, you can still learn from the expertise of Dr. Jean Hofve, DVM as well as Jan Rasmusen with their electronic seminar series on How NOT to kill your dog or cat (or What the heck do you feed them now?). Go to www.askthepetfoodexperts.com for more information and to order.

Hurricane Katrina cat still available

It is now April and no one has stepped forward yet to adopt this sweet kitty that lost its home in July. Won't you consider opening your heart to a Katrina animal? Cajun was rescued from a shelter in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, brought to Denver in September 2005 and quickly found a home. He thought he had his forever home, but the owner's situation changed and he became available again in July 2006 (through no fault of his own). He has no behavioral or health issues. Click here for more details.

Oil of the month

by Russell Louie

EndoFlex^TM

(15 ml), Product #3333 ($22.50/$26.05/29.61)

Amplifies metabolism and vitality, and creates hormonal balance.

Ingredients

• Spearmint (Mentha spicata)—used to increase metabolism to burn fat. With its hormone-like activity, it supports the nervous and glandular systems. Spearmint is antispasmodic, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory.
• Myrtle (Myrtus communis)—helps normalize hormonal imbalances of the thyroid and ovaries. It helps the respiratory system with chronic coughs and tuberculosis. Myrtle is suitable to use for coughs and chest complaints with children, and may support immune function in fighting cold, flu, and infectious disease.
• Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)—supports the adrenal glands for increased energy. It is powerfully stimulating and energizing.
• German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)—is highly anti-inflammatory and liver-protecting.
• Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) assists in balancing hormones. It is antispasmodic, relaxant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and stimulates the liver and pancreas.
• Sage (Salvia officinalis)—strengthens the vital centers. The Lakota Indians used sage for purification, healing and to dispel negative emotions.

Carrier Oil

Sesame seed oil

Application

Diffuse, directly inhale, or add 2-4 drops to bath water. Apply over lower back, thyroid, kidneys, liver, feet, glandular areas, and foot Vita Flex points.

• I have heard some people drink EndoFlex^TM in a glass of water in the morning to help them lose weight. This makes sense since EndoFlex^TM is supposed to help with normal metabolism and balance thyroid function.
• Fully functional adrenal glands are so important to our entire endocrine and immune systems. EndoFlex^TM would be good at supporting any adrenal gland deficiencies.
• EndoFlex^TM supports balanced thyroid function.

©2005 Essential Science Publishing. Some of the information in this article is from the Essential Oils Desk Reference, which can be ordered here:
Essential Science Publishing, 1216 South 1580 West, Orem, Utah 84058, (800) 336-6308, www.essentialscience.net.

Click here to order on our Young Living World Essential Oils website. Click on Product Catalog, then pull down the menus Essential Oils/Blends A-M to find EndoFlex^TM, or call us at (303) 271-1649 or (866) 305-2306 (toll-free).

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Pet food recall prompts perusal of pet food

by Margaret Auld-Louie

With the massive Menu Foods pet food recall making headline news across the country, many pet owners are confused about what is safe to feed their pets. The assumption by most pet owners that commercial dog and cat foods are both safe and healthy has been shattered. For the first time, many owners are learning that the pet food industry is unregulated, unlike the human food industry. While there are standards for how ingredients are listed on labels (such as listing them by weight), there are no standards for the quality of the ingredients in pet food. In fact, the pet food industry exists, in part, to make a profit on the food from the human food chain that is not fit for human consumption. It is no coincidence that most pet foods are made by huge conglomerates that also produce human food products.

Actually, the Menu Foods recall is not the first recall of pet food; it is just the most widespread, affecting the most pets. This time, thousands of pets are dying rather than a few dozen or a few hundred as in the past. There have been smaller recalls previously, such as the Diamond Pet Food recall in 2005 when aflatoxin was discovered in a product manufactured at their facility in Gaston, South Carolina. (Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxic chemical by-product from the growth of the fungus Aspergillus flavus, on corn and other crops. It is also commonly found in peanuts.)

What is happening to our pets' food? Why all the recent recalls? There have always been problems with pet foods. The problems are becoming more widely known now due to these recent recalls as well as the easy dissemination of information with the Internet and the ability to sort through massive animal cases in a national database. Also, people are more concerned now about what their pets are eating, due to the increased status of the family pet. Pets are no longer "just a dog" but a full-fledged member of the family. Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald (Animal Planet) stated that a survey was conducted in 1957 posing the question: Do you consider your pet(s) a part of your family? The same survey was repeated in 2004. Here are the results.

Clearly society's values have changed. It is no longer acceptable to have even just 10-15 pets die from contaminated food any more than it is to have our children's school lunch snacks contaminated. So, what can you do to safeguard your pets' food?

Dr. Jean Hofve recommends avoiding wheat or corn products of any type when selecting pet foods. They can be contaminated with pesticides, molds, and other toxins. Also, corn is commonly genetically modified. Following this rule increases the safety of what you feed--many recalls involve contaminated grains. For instance, the Menu Foods recall involved wheat gluten contaminated with the plastic melamine. The Diamond Foods recall involved contaminated corn. For up-to-date pet food recall information, go to Dr. Jean Hofve's webpage: www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=petfoodrecallinformation.

Dogs and cats are both carnivores, designed to eat whole prey animals, not grains. However, grains are widely used in pet foods because they are cheap fillers and sources of protein. Despite what the commercials say, pet foods were not invented to improve the health of dogs and cats--they were invented for our convenience and to make money. They have only been widely used since the middle of the 20th century. We now think that feeding dry kibble is the "normal" way to feed our pets and anyone who does otherwise is coddling their pet or just plain weird. Even many veterinarians scold their clients for feeding something other than an "approved" commercial pet food. However, commercial pet foods have been fed for less than 100 years out of the thousands of years that humans have had pets. How did our pets survive before then? Dogs were fed raw bones from the butcher and table scraps. Cats typically lived outside and hunted and were fed table scraps as well. If they lived on farms, they also drank raw milk, a very healthy food. In other countries where pet foods are less widely used (such as Italy), people often cook for their dogs, just as they do for their children.

Cats were domesticated by the Egyptians to protect their granaries from rodents. They were the perfect animal for the job since, as pure carnivores, they ignored the grain and feasted on the rodents. And yet today we insist on feeding these descendants of the African wildcat dry kibble that contains more grain than meat because it is cheaper and more convenient. In fact, people think they are "spoiling" their cat if they feed it canned food rather than kibble. For an excellent reference on why cats should not eat dry kibble, read Dr. Jean Hofve's article Why Cats Need Canned Food. While dogs are more omnivorous than cats (obligate carnivores requiring 70-90% meat), dogs' diet should still be 60-80% meat with limited grains. So, why are we feeding dry kibble, which cannot be manufactured with more than 50% meat because it literally gums up the kibble making machines? Dry kibble is nutritionally equivalent to feeding meat-flavored cookies to our pets.

To learn more about the problems with commercial pet foods and the many options for feeding our dogs, we highly recommend the film Eat, Drink, Wag Your Tail, available on DVD from Optimum Choices. This very entertaining and professionally-produced film also features an extensive interview with Dr. Richard Pitcairn, one of the most highly respected holistic veterinarians in the country. You can also learn more by reading our Holistic Choices e-Book on Optimum nutrition for dogs and cats. To learn more, see our Book of the Month review below.

Book of the month

Optimum nutrition for dogs and cats

by Margaret Auld-Louie & Russell Louie

click picture to order from our website

Contact us

Click here to give your pet the fountain of youth today!

E-mail

General Information: Russell@OptimumChoices.com
Webmaster: Webmaster@OptimumChoices.com
Newsletter Editor, Margaret Auld-Louie: Editor@OptimumChoices.com

Telephone

303-271-1649
866-305-2306 (toll-free)
Normal office hours are 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM Mountain Time (U.S.). If you would like a return call outside those hours, please specify what days and times are best.

Location (call first for appointment)

416 Plateau Pky
Golden, CO 80403-1533
U.S.A.

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