|
Taking Natural Care of Your Pet
Pets
deserve and require better fare than standard pet food brands provide.
Have you ever heard of generic dog/cat food disease, or supermarket
syndrome? Your vet probably has. Do you know what's in standard
flea collars, shampoos, and tick killers? The answers are pretty
disturbing, and this is why natural pet care is becoming more and
more common among vets and owners alike. Sales of natural pet care
products tripled between 2000 and 2002. And, 36% of vets responding
to a recent survey reported using alternative therapies in their
practices, while another 12% expressed interest.
Let's examine some problems with standard pet products,
and some healthy natural alternatives.
Pet Foods and Snacks
Today, many pets suffer from diet-related human diseases such as
allergies, skin problems, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, diabetes,
arthritis, liver and kidney dysfunction. It's no wonder, once you
take a close look at standard pet food. It's sugary, salty, lifeless
stuff made with undesirable, hard-to-digest meat byproducts-including
4-D material from dead, dying, diseased, or disabled animals. Add
toxic artificial ingredients, empty calories from refined sugars
and starches (e.g., devitalized wheat middlings), and you have minimal
nutrients and maximum health risks.
Fortunately, today's pet owners have many good alternatives. Natural
brands provide examples of the natural approach to pet food. Each
canned and dry food is prepared from wholesome, highly digestible
meats, organs, fish, chicken, vegetables, and fresh-milled whole
grains, for the perfect balance of nutrients. As a result, pets
get just as many calories, and far better nutrition, with less food.
Natural brands also offer pet foods for each stage of life, and
vegetarian options. (Only for dogs, as felines require more protein
than can practically be obtained from plant foods.)
Natural pet foods also eschew excess sodium, magnesium, sugar, and
ash. And there are no artificial colors or preservatives (e.g.,
ethoxyquin), which cause cancer in lab animals, and are strongly
suspected of producing allergies and suppressing immunity in pets.
Natural brands also contain nutritional antioxidant preservatives
like vitamins E and C. And dyes are added to appeal to humans, not
pets, so look for brands without them.
Pets deserve treats, too, like nutrient-dense peanut butter and
brewer's yeast-garlic biscuits. (Yeast has B-vitamins and protein,
while garlic is heart-healthy, anti-microbial, and unappetizing
to fleas.)
Health and Body Care
A well-balanced diet promotes a healthy coat and skin. And proper
foods offer the best assurance of optimal health - unless your pet
suffers poor digestion, or is sick or aged. But most pets need extra
help from time to time - whether for bad breath, infected ears,
fleas, or basic hygiene. New natural products offer safe, effective
solutions to most pet care problems, especially when their use is
guided by a holistically minded vet. Look for pet supplements that
provide antioxidant vitamins and minerals in a whole grain base.
Skin and coat supplement should contain essential fatty acids and
vitamin E.
What about fleas? Standard pesticides contain synthetic
pesticides such as DEET and fenvalerate, plus inactive
ingredients, which may include known toxins like benzene or toluene.
Plant-derived pyrethrins are effective and quite safe for pets,
but products like Raid use persistent synthetic pyrethrins, as well
as chemical synergists that heighten health risks to
pets. In contrast, natural brands employ flea-repellent botanicals
(tea tree oil, citronella, garlic, etc.), and/or natural pyrethrins,
which safely degrade within days or hours instead of weeks.
Return to the Pet Care HQ
|
