Optimum Choices will offer mini canine massages at
MaxFund's Lucky Mutt Strut
in Washington Park, Denver,
on Sunday, June 13th from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm.
Don't miss the exciting BioPreparation product launch—Saturday,
June 26th at Panera Bread in Denver. Free refreshments will be provided.
For those who feed dry kibbles to their pets (especially cats) this is a MUST
seminar. BioPreparation has been
proven effective against dry skin & coat, allergies, irritable bowel syndrome
and degenerative diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, kidney disease, thyroid
imbalance, autoimmune disorders, tumors and cancer.
Optimum Choices will offer mini canine massages at the
Old South
Pearl Street pet fair in Denver on Sunday, June 27th from 9 am to 1 pm.
ClaraDerm helps relieve skin irritation and itching. Its gentle spray is a
blend of nature's most soothing and calming essential oils. Especially
comforting for stressed skin before and after childbirth.*
How to use: Spray topically.
Ingredients: The essential oils of myrrh (Commiphora myrrha), Melaleuca
alternifolia, lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), frankincense (Boswellia carteri),
Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile), and helichrysum (Helichrysum italicum) in
a base of fractionated coconut oil.
* This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Testimonial: Last month I discussed my liver and gall bladder cleanse that I undertook at the
same time. The detoxing resulted in a bad case of psoriasis and eczema. The
itching was so bad I woke up 4-5 times a night scratching. I started using Aroma
Siez and the new Australian Blue oil blends. I subsequently added another new
Young Living product called ClaraDerm. ClaraDerm is a clear liquid containing
six therapeutic-grade essential oils. I simply applied Aroma Siez and Australian
Blue first then sprayed ClaraDerm on top and massaged the oils into my skin for
relief. -RJL
To buy this product online,
click here,
go to Product Catalog, Personal Care, Skin Care. Code: 3750 Preferred Customer Price: $33.00
Did you know that over 85% of dogs and cats have periodontal or gum disease?
This is a problem not just for their dental health but their whole body since
pets "suffering from periodontal disease frequently develop signs of heart, lung
and joint disease", according to Australian veterinarian Tom Lonsdale, author of
Raw Meaty Bones Promote
Health. In addition, he argues that periodontal disease creates kidney
disease and depresses the immune system, leading to an "AIDS-like" condition,
caused by diet. If you notice "doggy breath" in your dog, this is a sign he is
suffering from periodontal disease—it is not normal for healthy dogs to have bad
breath.
Why do our pets have this epidemic of periodontal disease when we feed kibble
that pet food companies tell us will clean their teeth? We even have "dental"
and "tartar" formulas available now.
According to the Dr. Lonsdale, cats and dogs are designed by nature to get clean teeth from gnawing
on raw bones, not crunching kibble. He feels a diet of processed pet food
(kibble and canned) is the cause of this epidemic of periodontal disease. Animal nutrition expert
Kate
Solisti-Mattelon, author of the Holistic Animal Handbook, explains that kibble is particularly bad for the gums of
cats. They have pointy teeth designed to tear meat, not molars to grind kibble.
When they try to crunch kibble with their pointy teeth, it slides between the
teeth and presses against the gum, abrading it and allowing the carbohydrates
from the kibble to enter the bloodstream.
Based on this information, we suggest that it doesn't make sense to feed kibble to our pets to
clean their teeth. It's kind of like feeding hard cookies or pretzels to our children and expecting that to clean their teeth. Most holistic vets are
now recommending a diet of raw meat, bones and organs for dogs and cats to
promote optimal health and clean teeth. It does take some care and education to
do this safely—we have heard of cases of animals getting bones stuck in their
digestive system, even raw bones, when they were switched too quickly to a raw
diet. We would suggest that you educate yourself on how to feed a balanced and
safe raw diet and work with a holistic vet during this process.
Many people feel safer feeding ground raw meat/bones to their pets, ourselves
included. Our dog tends to swallow her food whole rather than chew up bones.
According to Dr. Lonsdale, dogs will over time start producing enough stomach
acid to digest whole bones but we still feel nervous about giving them to our
dog, as do many pet owners.
If our pets can't clean their teeth the way nature intended by gnawing on raw
bones, then it's up to us to keep them clean so they have optimal health. An
important part of this care includes professional cleaning every 6 to 12 months
by a vet or dental hygienist, just like we do for ourselves. Unfortunately, in
most cases this means the pet is put under general anesthesia for the cleaning.
We don't feel it is good for our pets' health to experience anesthesia this
frequently. Anesthesia, like other drugs, is a toxin that the body has to work
hard at eliminating so while the periodontal disease is being reduced, the toxin
load on the body is being increased.
Our solution is to take our pets to someone who is trained in anesthesia-free
teeth cleaning for pets. They are trained to clean using the same techniques as
a vet—cleaning under the gum line and polishing the teeth afterwards. We know of
a couple of people in the Denver/Boulder area who offer this service. If you are
in another part of the country, you may be able to find someone trained by
Canine Care, a school run by a human dental hygienist in California. If the
person is skilled at handling animals, they can perform this service on most
pets, including cats.
In addition to these periodic cleanings, most vets recommend regular tooth
brushing, if your pet will let you do it. Make sure to use a toothpaste designed
for cats and dogs as they will swallow it and a human toothpaste could be toxic
to them. You can also try various chew toys and treats to clean teeth, but be
careful to read the ingredients labels on treats. One of the most popular teeth
cleaning treats, which is green and shaped like a toothbrush, contains wheat
gluten as the main ingredient. Since dogs are carnivores, we feel it makes more
sense to feed a meat-based treat such as the hard pizzle sticks or beef tendons.
If you don't have a specialty pet store in your area that offers "pizzle" or
"macho sticks", you can order them online from
which carries a
large variety to accommodate all sizes of dogs. Rawhide treats are widely used
to clean teeth too but we don't feel comfortable giving this to our dog since
rawhide is often highly processed and pieces of it could possibly be swallowed
and get stuck in the digestive tract.
If you want to learn more about how nutrition affects our pets' health, see the
nutrition section of
our books page for some recommended books.
This
month's "Book of the Month" is a set of videotapes. Clients often ask us how to massage
their own dog. We don't offer classes in how to massage your dog since the
technique we use (neuromuscular therapy) is best performed by a professional
massage provider with the necessary background training in anatomy and
physiology. The technique most suited for use by owners at home is Swedish
massage, which involves light strokes working on the superficial muscles. Since
we don't do Swedish massage, we don't teach it. However, we can highly recommend
this Volume 1 videotape if you want to learn how to do a simple, relaxing Swedish massage
on your dog.
These
videotapes were created by Joanne Lang, director of the Lang Institute for Canine
Massage, LLC, where we completed our course of study in professional canine
massage. Volume 1 covers the basics of how to do the strokes and
the sequence to do them in, for a light, overall relaxing massage. If you want
to get more in-depth, Volume 2 builds on the knowledge in Volume
1, explaining how to do a more detailed, focused massage. It contains extensive
instructions on where the bones of the dog are located, which helps you know
where you are on your dog and avoid harming your dog during the massage.
You can order these videotapes online from the Lang Institute by clicking on
the pictures or the titles above.
If you are interested in professional training as a canine massage provider,
which includes learning the neuromuscular therapy technique that we use, the
Lang Institute offers a 682-hour program that includes a home study portion and
an on-site practicum. For more details on the program,
click here.
Nothing on this website has been evaluated by the FDA. This information
is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please
see a qualified healthcare practitioner for any disease or illness.
ClaraDerm spray (2 oz.)
