Jennifer Lee's Blog

Hello fellow dog enthusiasts!

If you're here, you likely share my passion for caring for your furry friends the natural way. In this exclusive exploration, we'll dive into the world of human design readings for pets, a unique and transformative tool that can deepen your connection with your beloved canine companion.

Understanding the Human Design System for Animals

Unlocking the Canine Code: Imagine having a personalized guide to your pet's inner world. Ra Uru Hu's human design system goes beyond the ordinary by extending its insightful reach to our four-legged friends. This exclusive offering is a game-changer for pet owners seeking a deeper understanding of their furry family members and I'm thrilled to be bringing this to you!

Nurturing Insights into Your Pet's Needs

Eyes Wide Open: Human design readings for pets are more than just a glimpse into their energetic makeup; they are a key to unlocking hidden needs. These insights empower you to cater to your pet's unique requirements, fostering a relationship built on understanding and care.

If you desire to increase harmony with your dog, to have better communication and fewer unwanted behaviors plus  better insights into why your dog is the way they are, keep reading!
Harmonizing Your Home with Canine Harmony

Creating Harmony at Home: A harmonious household is the dream of every pet owner. Discover how understanding your pet's human design gives you the tools to create a peaceful environment, leading to positive behavioral changes and a more joyful coexistence.

Communicating with Your Furry Friend

Speak Their Language: Deepen your connection with your pet through human design readings. Human design provides a unique avenue for understanding and connecting with your furry friend. Unlike traditional approaches that might require specialized techniques or psychic communication skills, human design offers a straightforward yet profound language for pet owners to engage meaningfully with their canine companions. Discover the transformative power of human design in fostering genuine communication and strengthening the bond between you and your beloved pet.

Decoding Unwanted Behaviors

Cracking the Code: Unwanted behaviors can be frustrating and puzzling, but human design readings decode the root causes. Connect the dots between the insights gained and the principles of natural care, offering personalized solutions for a happy and well-behaved pet.
Authenticity in Every Insight

Beyond Ordinary: In a landscape where uniqueness is celebrated, this service stands alone, making it a truly one-of-a-kind offering for discerning pet parents like yourself.

This offering is dedicated to decoding the intricate tapestry of you pet's individuality. Here, authenticity isn't just a promise; it's the very essence of our commitment. Each insight provided through the human design reading is unique to your animal friend; resonating with the distinct personality and needs of your cherished companion.

Take the Next Step—Get a Reading for Your Pet

Deepening Bonds: Your pet's well-being is worth the investment. Sign up for a human design reading for your furry companion and deepen the bonds that make your relationship truly extraordinary.

Conclusion: Elevate Your Pet's Well-being Today

Final Thoughts: In this journey of understanding and connection, the possibilities are endless. Elevate your pet's well-being today through the transformative power of human design. Your furry friend will thank you for it!
Learn more

Eggs are nature’s perfect food! They contain everything needed to create a new life and are considered to be a complete food source.  Eggs are a wonderful addition to a carnivore’s diet.  

In order to build and repair body tissue, protein is needed.  Protein is made up of twenty different amino acids.  There are certain essential amino acids that that cannot be produced internally and these must be supplied through food.  Within a single egg all twenty amino acids are present.

The bio-availability of the protein found in eggs is rated at 100%.  No other food source can compete with this level of bio-availability.  Fish meal is rated at 92%, beef at 78% and corn at 54%.
In addition to being a great source of protein, eggs also provide many other nutrients. They are a good source of vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, magnesium, niacin, manganese, zinc, sulpher and fatty acids. The yolk is a source of choline, which is needed for normal brain development and memory. The yolk gets its color from the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.  These two carotenoids have been shown to reduce the risks of cataracts and age related macular degeneration.  Egg yolks are also one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D. 

Eggshells provide calcium and can be a useful food for animals that have difficulty eating bones. The shell can be ground up and added to the pet’s food. If you are feeding the shell it is best to use organic eggs to avoid any chemicals or wax typically found on commercial eggshells. Pasture raised free range hens tend to produce eggs that contain higher amounts of omega 3 fatty acids.

On the inside the shell there are two membranes that surround the egg. These membranes are the richest known source of natural glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate and collagen. These nutrients are needed to build and repair cartilage and connective tissue. If you are not feeding the shell, you can simply scrape out these membranes so your pets can reap the nutritional benefits of consuming them.

Contained within the egg white is a substance called avadin, which binds to biotin, making it unavailable to be absorbed. Biotin is a B vitamin which is important for cellular growth and for maintenance of healthy skin and coat. The egg yolk is rich in biotin. To avoid a biotin deficiency feed the whole egg - white and yolk together. Feeding only egg whites over a period of months does have the potential to cause a biotin deficiency. Biotin is also found in raw chicken and liver. 

The most advantageous way to feed eggs is raw. Cooking the egg will change the chemical composition and is often a source of allergy symptoms. Raw eggs are exceptionally easy to digest and are nutritionally balanced. 

A study done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2002 indicated that one in every 30,000 commercially produced eggs was contaminated with salmonella. The rate of contamination is very low. In addition to that, our carnivore pets are very well equipped to deal with any such bacteria. They have enzymes in their saliva and gastrointestinal system that are efficient at destroying pathogens in the food they consume. Fresh eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. If the eggs smell off when the shell is opened, discard.

Eggs are easy to obtain, packed full of excellent nutrition, simple to store and inexpensive. Get those eggs cracking for your carnivore pets!

Eggs are good for people as well. Here is an Egg Nog recipe for the humans to try out during the holiday season: Egg Nog (makes 3 servings)

 
2 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons sugar

2 1/3 cups of whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 dash ground nutmeg

Blend ingredients together and serve chilled.

EGG FACT: It takes a hen about 24-26 hours to produce an egg.  After the egg is laid, the hen starts all over again about 30 minutes later.

There is not a single kibble on the market today that is"healthy" to feed your dog or cat. 

No, I haven't evaluated every single kibble out there. But such a task is completely unnecessary in order to state that none of them offer optimal nutrition.  It's the way in which kibble is made that is the big problem. Even if you  start with the most nutritious ingredients - the kibble that you end up with is not providing the nourishment needed for your pet to thrive.

The first problem is that kibble cannot be made without including a high amount of starch. It won't form into pellets without starch. Of course "grain free" pet foods have become very popular because pet owners realize that their dogs and cats A do not require carbs and B they are being used as cheap fillers so the pet food companies can make more profits. Dogs and cats gain no benefits by eating carbs, quite the contrary actually.​Pet food manufacturers do not have to include the amount of carbohydrates on their labels and they don't. Ask yourself why they would list the percentage of protein, fat, fibre and moisture but not the carbs? Do they have something to hide? If they are making a nutritious pet food shouldn't they be proud of their product and be including that information on the label?

To check how many carbs are in any kibble add up the percentages of protein, fat, fibre, moisture and ash (approx 8% ash if it's not included on the label) and subtract that total from 100. The number you get is the percentage of carbs in the food. Grain free foods still contain high levels of starch, they just come from non-grain sources like peas, tapioca, sweet potato, chickpeas, squash, and lentils. Dogs and cats are simply not biologically equipped to be digesting large volumes of carbs...grains or otherwise.

Neither dogs nor cats readily produce the enzyme amalyse which is needed to break down and digest carbs. They are only able to produce it from the pancreas, not the stomach, intestines and mouth like herbivores and omnivores do. This puts a lot of unnecessary stress on their pancreas.

Carbs essentially break down into sugars which cause inflammation in the body. An animal eating kibble regularly will have some level of chronic inflammation which in turn leads to many different disease processes including cancer.

The next big problem with kibble is that it's heated. Dogs and cats naturally don't eat cooked food. In fact humans are the only species that cook their food. Does your dog look at you like you're crazy if you hand him a raw bone? No way! Most dogs will take it without a second of hesitation. Even weeks old baby puppies know exactly what to do with a raw bone if given the opportunity. This is their nature.

The heating during processing of kibble kills off naturally occurring enzymes which aid digestion. Two essential amino acids (tryptophan and lysine) are destroyed by heating to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Even heating to just slightly higher temperatures for only minutes creates a whole host of other issues: carcinogens are created, more amino acids are damaged and up to 50% of the vitamins and minerals are destroyed.

Dogs and cats are also not adapted to eating a food that contains so little moisture. Cats especially have a big problem with this. Naturally they would get the majority of their moisture needs from their food of caught prey not from lapping water. 

As if this was not enough to worry about you also have to consider that there may be some harmful ingredients in any kibble food. Such as GMO ingredients, toxic additives, dyes, preservatives, heavy metals, mycotoxins and glyphosate. 

It's no surprise to me that there is so much disease in companion animals when this is what most of them are eating.  The development of cancer, pancreatitis, skin issues, joint problems, digestive problems, obesity, urinary tract infections, cystitis and  kidney disease  and so many others can all be directly associated with kibble diets.

PLEASE do your pets a huge kindness and feed them a fresh species appropriate diet!

Need help? book a consultation!

Eeeek! I saw my first mosquito of the season last week. It's that time of year again!

These little critters have the potential to impact our lives in a big way. Fleas, ticks, mosquito's and other parasites can be mildly annoying when they cause itchy or painful bites. There is also the possibility of  heart worm, tapeworm, tick diseases and more.
Are you prepared to defend against these critters?

I think it's great that there seems to be more interest in using repellents that are non-toxic. Yet I have seen many natural repellents that do not work which understandably causes frustration and leads to people going back to the chemical products.

If you are determined to be rid of toxic products for good keep reading!

When you are able to avoid using toxic repellents you will avoid all the negative health consequences that are associated with these products. Another issue is that the parasites are developing a resistance to many of the poisonous products that have been used against them.  When the toxic products don't work effectively and successive treatments are given, it's the pet that ends up suffering for it. The long term solution to parasite prevention lies in achieving true health. While you are working your way towards that goal you can rely upon the power of plants  to assist you.

But before we even think about a repellent to apply to our pets and ourselves I want to first go over what OTHER steps we can take to minimize these annoying critters!

General Health
The first and best prevention is to achieve a state of vibrant health including a robust immune system. Why? Because parasites are attracted to hosts that have high amounts of toxins built up in their bodies.

Parasites thrive when they team up with a toxic host.

Do you have any thoughts on why that is?

What would you say if I told you that parasites offer their toxic hosts a very valuable benefit?

Internal (and possibly external) parasites are able to take on some of the hosts toxic load unto themselves. They do in fact help their host to detox. Nature is truly amazing!

But when parasites die they release neurotoxins, heavy metals, viruses, and other toxins. Supporting detoxification pathways while working on eliminating parasites is advised.

Providing a wholesome fresh diet, minimizing exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins, minimizing stress and getting a moderate amount of exercise are the fundamentals of building great health. When our pets are able to maintain a healthy lifestyle parasites will be less interested in them. Because our environment is sadly quite toxic, regular detoxification is very much needed for most pets (and their humans) to maintain great health.

While we are addressing these fundamentals, and perhaps making changes to improve our pet's lifestyle so that they will be naturally unattractive to parasites we can employ some other strategies to keep the critters at bay.

Help for the home and yard
There are several ways to discourage fleas and ticks from taking up residence in both our indoor and outdoor spaces. Ticks prefer woodlands and area's with tall grass. Make sure to keep your grass trimmed short and prune back shrubs around walkways. Do not leave piles of leaves, sticks or pulled up weeds laying around. Keeping the grass nice and short will also reduce the numbers of mosquito's. Of course we all know to get rid of any standing water when possible as well.

Fleas prefer warm, shady and humid spots. Only a small percentage of the total flea population will be on the animal at any given time, so to successfully eradicate them from your space you will need to address the whole population. Vacuuming, washing bedding often and dusting diatomaceous earth in corners, along baseboards, on carpets and on cloth surfaces will go a long way to stopping the flea life cycle. There are also non-toxic flea "traps" that involve a pan with soapy water to catch and drown the fleas with some type of light source to attract them (lamp, night light, candle, etc).

Another option when you have fleas in outdoor area's is to apply nematodes to the soil. Nematodes are microscopic worms that love to dine on fleas. Bonus - they also like to chow down on cut worms, Japanese beetle larvae, weevils and more, plus they are not harmful to mammals or plants! You can find them at garden stores or order online.
For larger properties, you might look into getting some guinea fowl, chickens or ducks (they all like to eat ticks!).

Make your outdoor spaces uninviting to pests by growing plants that they dislike such as:
Sweet grass, Marigold, Citronella, Lavender, Catmint, Catnip, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Geranium, Peppermint, Garlic and Lemonbalm.

Lastly, you can treat your outdoor spaces with a non-toxic repellent. Two that I personally like are Cedarcide and Mosquito Barrier.
Physical removal
Ticks take between 12 and 24 hours to start feeding, so checking your pet regularly is very effective to prevent the transmission of tick born disease. Use a fine-tooth tick comb to groom your pet, with extra attention given to the undersides of the body and tail, the head and behind the ears. You can use the same process to brush fleas out of the coat.

Repellents
There are both oral and topical substances that can provide some sensory camouflage, masking you or your pet's scent that these pesky critters find attractive.

Ingesting garlic orally (daily moderate amounts of raw garlic are safe for dogs) and apple cider vinegar can be of benefit.

Homeopathic remedies can also be used orally for prevention. I do recommend Mozi-Q, I have found it helps to minimize the number of mosquito bites.

Though I have not personally used them, I have heard a lot of very good feedback about Ambertick collars. I would gladly try them if they came in a large enough neck size for my crew!

You can also make your own natural spray repellent. One of the benefits of making your own is that you can customize the ingredients to repel specific bugs.

Mosquitoes: Citronella, peppermint, lemon, basil, clove, thyme, lemongrass, rosemary, geranium, and lavender.Fleas: Cedarwood, citronella, eucalyptus, lemongrass, lavender, orange, and pine.Ticks: Geranium, juniper, thyme, grapefruit, and oregano.
You can use Cedarcide as a base and add in essential oils or you can make it completely from scratch. Since water and oil do not mix, it is advisable to add a natural emulsifier to your repellent. An emulsifying agent is a substance that can bind together two un-mixable liquids such as oil and water. Aloe vera gel and witch hazel are both natural emulsifiers along with helping to support healthy skin.

To make up a 100 ml spray bottle:
Select a variety of essential oils for the particular bugs you want to repel. I like to have about 40 drops of essential oil for every 100 ml's. Then add in 2 tbsp of Aloe vera gel, 2 tbsp of Neem oil, 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar and fill the bottle to about 2 thirds with witch hazel. Top off with distilled water. Shake well before using.

(Use caution with Neem oil in pregnant or nursing animals, or on male animals that are actively breeding as it has the potential to affect fertility in larger doses).  Keep in mind that virtually all substances have the potential to cause some toxic reactions,  it's all dependent on the dose and how they are used.

Using a multi pronged approach for keeping parasites at bay will set you up for success and allow you to enjoy all that nature has to offer.

Now go and enjoy the outdoors!

You may not have heard of this particular holistic modality before, but you are going to want to! 

Pet owners can learn this technique and perform it on their pet right from the comfort of their home. I'm a big advocate for empowering pet owners to take an active role in the health of their animals.

Have you ever had that helpless feeling in the pit of your stomach that can arise when a health concern develops with your pet and you feel that there's nothing you can do to assist them? You are anxious to get your animal into the vet's office for help. Now what if you had some tools in your tool box that you could safely use to assist your pet right away - at home? That would be pretty great huh?

Essential Point Therapy is such a tool! It combines the use of therapeutic essential oils and acupuncture to create a powerhouse therapy that anyone can learn.

Essential (essential oils) + Point (acupuncture point) = Therapeutic results!With EPT you don't use needles at all. You might think that acupuncture is quite complicated....and it is. The points are in very specific locations on the body and it takes a lot of practice to be able to correctly pinpoint them.  But when using EPT it's not critical that you pinpoint each acupuncture point - you just need to get in the general area.

I have been using essential oils in a number of ways with my animals for many years. I have also used acupressure. It occurred to me at some point that I could use both of these modalities together for an enhanced result and I have. But because learning all the acupuncture points is pretty darn daunting, the ones I have used have been minimal.
Then I found out about a new course developed by Dr. Dennis Thomas, DVM on this very type of therapy! Super cool!

I can tell you that the course is chock full of valuable information that will help pet owners take charge of their animals' care. Dr. Thomas goes over the location of a bunch of different acupuncture points on video with a trusty demo dog (who's behavior is impeccable I might add!). I was able to gain the knowledge I needed to be able to use this therapy more frequently and in different situations. If I need to refresh my memory on where a certain point is, I just log in to the course and skip to the spot in the applicable video. Easy!

The course covers the most common type of ailments - the acupuncture points that will be beneficial, suggestions on what oils to use, along with other supplements. Plus there are a number of bonus video's on other holistic pet care topics that are included.

All in all I give this course 2 paws up! and Dennis is a down to earth, kind man with the knowledge and drive to help people support their pets holistically. As a pet owner its a nice feeling to have a supportive holistic vet cheering you on!

If you are looking for a modality you can use to help animals on your terms! I would encourage you to check out Essential Point Therapy!  

         "Bring healing, give balance, and restore long lasting health to your pet-with nothing but your hands."

P.S. - there's also some good reading on his blog :-)

I believe that nutrition is the foundation of health. It's a phrase that is used frequently, but what does it really mean? To me it means that without a solid foundation of appropriate nutrition, health will not be achieved. There are millions of chemical reactions that support the health of the body which are not able to occur unless the animal is ingesting the required nutrients for these reactions to take place.

The food our pets eat is broken down in the digestive system. This breaking down process is accomplished by acids, enzymes and microbes. Protein for example is broken down into individual amino acids. Once the food is broken down into nutrients, these are able to pass through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. From there the nutrients can be transported where ever they are needed in the body through the blood. Blood delivers water, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, glucose, oxygen, salts, hormones and proteins to all the cells in the body.
Cell theory states that: All living things are composed of cellsCells are the basic unit of structure All cells are produced from other cells
A collection of cells is what make up your dog's body tissues. Their organs, muscles and bones are all made from cells.
Cells are able to repair themselves, but eventually each one dies off and a new cell is created to replace it. If the cells aren't health - your pet will not be healthy.

An animal's metabolism is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions that are constantly occurring within their tissues. The three main purposes of metabolism are to convert food to energy, to convert food to building blocks and to eliminate wastes. These chemical reactions are what allow the animal to grow, repair and maintain their physical bodies. In order to keep up with an ever changing environment, the reactions of metabolism is finely regulated to maintain a constant condition within the cells, a process called homeostasis.

Enzymes are crucial to metabolism because they act as catalysts - allowing reactions to proceed rapidly, and regulating the rate of metabolic reactions. Vitamins and minerals function as co-enzymes and co-factors, which can be thought of as helpers that are required in order for enzymes to carry out a chemical reaction. Most vitamins and minerals need to be supplied from the diet as they cannot be synthesized by the cells.

The food our pets eat is what gives their bodies all the information and materials they need to function properly. If they don't get the right food that carried the right information and materials, they become undernourished, metabolic processes suffer and their health will decline.

Nutrients give our pets:
1)Instructions about how to function and
2)The resources to carry out those functions

The foods our pets eat along with what they are exposed to in their environment directly affects their DNA and its expression. Epigenetic factors (beyond the gene) are directly and indirectly influenced by the presence or absence of key nutrients in the diet, as well as exposure to toxins, chemicals, pathogens and other environmental factors.

Food is the primary way that we are all interacting with our environment and it can alter genetic information in the space of a single generation. Researchers have come to understand that how any particular gene is expressed, is determined by epigenetic up or down regulation in response to certain nutrients. For example - if there is not enough calcium and vitamin D in the body, certain genes remain dormant (turned off) and less bone is built in the body. Until the required nutrients are again available. A dormant or "turned off" gene can be turned back on and function optimally in the right environment.

Your pet can have the a super healthy lifestyle - getting the right amount of exercise and rest,  a low stress environment, low exposure to toxins and so on, but without proper nutrition they will still not be able to maintain their health effectively.

You might wonder if your pet needs a vitamin or mineral supplement. Read more about that here.

The bottom line is that food has incredibly powerful effects upon the body and there are no shortcuts or magic pills to pop that will compensate for poor nutrition. 

Support your pet's good health with a solid foundation through excellent nutrition!

Check out other blog posts on the topic of nutrition.

We all need a variety of vitamins and minerals for our bodies to be healthy. Vitamins are required in order for hundreds of different roles within our tissues to take place. Many of us turn to supplements for ourselves and our pets to make sure we are in fact getting everything needed to be in great health. But you need to be aware that your pet's vitamin supplement could be causing more harm than good.
 All supplements are not created equal!

One of the biggest problems with vitamin supplements occurs when they are created through synthetic means.  Synthetic vitamins are created in a laboratory (not by nature) and do not contain the same compounds as found in nature.

Take vitamin C for example. The majority of vit C supplements are synthetic and contain only ascorbate acid, but ascorbate acid is NOT vitamin C! Real vitamin C found in whole foods contains eight different compounds, one of which is ascorbate acid.

When you isolate one out of a handful of different compounds that make up a particular vitamin, you cannot expect it to perform the same as the whole complex would. All of the compounds work together to create a synergistic effect. Studies have shown that the body treats these isolated and synthetic "nutrients" as foreign substances. So instead of being absorbed and improving health, the body flags them as substances to be excreted.

A study conducted at the University of Leicester looked at 30 healthy men and women taking 400 milligrams of ascorbic acid for 6 weeks. They found at this level, the ascorbic acid promoted DNA damage in these individuals.

Back in the 1940's a study was conducted with foxes. One group was given synthetic B vitamins, and the second group was given natural sources of vitamin B. The outcome?

Group 1 did not grow normally, had a poor coat and died prematurelyGroup 2 grew normally, had a healthy coat and survived their usual lifespan
When it comes to providing the body with vital nutrients required for optimal health, science does not even come close to duplicating nature.

Now there is also the problem of supplements being contaminated with different toxins such as heavy metals, bacteria and petroleum products. Unless the manufacturer is testing their products for these toxins I would consider them contaminated.

Depending on what your pet's diet contains, vitamin and mineral supplements may be a necessary addition to ensure they are receiving all the required nutrients. Always choose supplements made from organic whole food sources. Only whole foods contains WHOLE vitamins, minerals, enzymes and bacteria that will be utilized beneficially when consumed.

Stop wasting your money on synthetic supplements that are not going to give you the desired effect and can potentially make your pet's health even worse!

An organic raw food diet that contains a variety of "parts" and protien sources will provide the best foundation of nutrition for your cat or dog. Whole food supplements will bridge the gap between the diet and the required nutrients for optimal health.

Are you wondering if you need to supplement your pet's diet? are they missing nutrients that will negatively affect their health over time? Get your pet's diet completely assessed with a Nutrition Consultation and find out what they might be missing! Are you looking for a quality vitamin and mineral supplement for your dog? Email me and I will share with you my top choices.

Contrary to popular belief, a recent study has confirmed that dogs do in fact create Amylase in their saliva.

Amylase is an enzyme that breaks down starch during the digestion process. It has long been thought that dogs did not create ANY amylase in their saliva, only in the pancreas. Previous studies failed to detect amylase in canine saliva.

A lack of amylase in canine saliva has been used to support the notion that dogs are carnivores, not omnivores. So what is the relevance of this finding that dogs DO create amylase in their saliva? Does this mean dogs are actually omnivores?
Not so fast...keep in mind that what happens in the dog's mouth is just one small part of the whole digestion process. To understand what a dog's dietary needs are, the entire digestive process should be understood.

Now, even though canine saliva has been studied before, amylase was not detected because it is present at very low levels. It's not found at the same levels as seen in herbivores or omnivores. This is an important clue.

There was a study published in 1907 which showed that the properties of a dog's saliva will change as their diet changes. This finding was repeated in a more recent study from 2016 which showed that the amount of starch intake is linked to the number of copies dogs have for the (Amy2B) gene responsible for creating amylase in the pancreas. This is an adaptation that allows canines to receive some nutrition from carbohydrates/vegetation. Dogs eating higher starch diets had more copies of the gene compared to dogs eating low starch diets. Studies show that wolves have 2 to 8 copies of the Amy2B gene and dogs have between 2 and 20 copies.

This makes me wonder WHY not all dogs have the same numbers of these amylase genes. I would theorize that the number of genes present is not only directly relatable to the amount of carbohydrates that the dog is eating, but also is influenced by the amount of carbs the dog's ancestors ate. If a dog eating a higher carb diet has more Amy2B genes switched on this could be passed on to it's offspring.

With the study of epigenetics we know that diet can affect successive generations. The food that is consumed affects gene expression in the individual AND these changes are also present in their offspring. Read more about epigenetics  HERE.

Whether or not dogs have a low level of amylase in their saliva is just one small piece of their entire biology that should be considered when ascertaining what an appropriate diet is for them.

The thing about dogs that seems to cause so much disagreement about what they should be eating comes from their adaptive and scavenging nature. Just because a dog can "survive" eating a starch based diet doesn't mean it's healthy for them in the long run. 

There is a big difference between surviving and thriving!

Even conventional literature on the topic of canine nutrition states that dogs have absolutely ZERO requirements for carbohydrates in their diet. Yet processed kibble diets are filled with carbs!

Now if we as the dog's caretaker have to step in and cook or grind up veggies for the dog (because they don't have the ability to digest them well in their natural state) how much sense does that make? All animals have the ability to obtain the food that is appropriate for their species - without human help! In nature, any species that is unable to obtain their required foods will either adapt to the foods that are available or die out.

There is no denying that fruits and vegetables have many health benefits, but do dogs really need them? 

Ask yourself - what kinds of foods would a dog eat in nature? what would be available to them and in what form?

Also keep in mind that each dog is an individual with unique requirements based on breed, age, activity level, genetics, epigenetics and environment.

I have had a number of clients that appeared to be doing everything right with how they cared for their dog yet the dog was still suffering with "allergy" symptoms. Simply removing all vegetation from the diet was all it took to get rid of those pesky symptoms. Yet, other dogs seem to do fine with a small amount of vegetation. Could this be reflective of the dogs individual genetic ability to digest carbs? More research is needed before this question can be answered.

When it comes to diet, bears are quite an interesting species to look at. Like dogs, bears are classified as carnivores - although their diets are quite varied among the different species.  Black Bears have a diet of mostly grasses, roots, berries and insects along with some fish and other mammals. Polar Bears eat a mostly carnivorous diet, feeding primarily on seals, plus other mammals and berries and plants when their preferred food is unavailable. At the other extreme you have Panda Bears which feed on mostly bamboo plus a very small amount of meat, eggs and other vegetation.  Looking only at the teeth of these three species we see differences that assist each type of bear with their specific diet. Panda's have broad and flat molars to aid in grinding up bamboo, Polar Bears have developed carnassial teeth designed to rip and tear flesh and crush bone, while a Black Bears teeth are in between the two extremes - reflective of their omnivorous diet.

To get a picture of any animal's natural diet we really have to look closely at their anatomy and physiology. What kind of foods are they equipped to acquire? Can they run fast and dispatch prey? do they have teeth made for grinding vegetation? Do they have a long and complex digestive system designed to break down and ferment cellulose or a short and highly acidic system ideal for digesting meat? Research these topics and you will get a picture of exactly what is a natural diet. And feeding a natural diet is the only path to good health!

For more details on this interesting topic grab a copy of my book The Inner Carnivore.

No one can deny that the cost of Veterinary Care is rising.  Medications and procedures can be quite taxing on the wallet.

One of the wonderful benefits of raising your dog using the principles of Naturopathy is that many health problems are prevented, keeping your spending on medical care to a minimum.

Natural modalities are also generally lower in cost than conventional treatments.

Years ago I was faced with the possibility of a huge medical bill for one of my dogs. We ended up at a specialist due to hind limb paralysis. This was a young dog with no history of trauma. The paralysis developed over about 24 hours.
The specialist recommended an MRI of the spine in order to determine what was causing the paralysis. I asked what the chances were that there would be a definitive diagnosis if we chose to do the MRI. The answer: I was simply told it may or may not explain what was going on with the dog. If it didn't give us any answers, the next step according to the specialist would be to do an exploratory spinal surgery.

In essence I was asked to put the fate of my dog into the hands of a professional who would use the newest and best technology and surgery to try and correct this hind limb paralysis for a hefty sum of money with no guarantees that they could even find the problem, never mind correct it. We were looking at $6,000 to $9,000 for the MRI and $5,000+++ for surgery. 

What to do?

I didn't feel like the conventional approach that was being recommended was the way to go. I certainly did not like the idea of an exploratory spinal surgery. That didn't sit well with me. I resisted the pressure from the Veterinarian to have an MRI done immediately and took my dog home.

After some quick research on other options I booked a chiropractic and acupuncture appointment for my dog. This turned out to be the best decision I could have made. We saw improvement after the very first session and within a month the dog was nearly 100% back to normal. A total of half a dozen appointments for chiropractic and acupuncture and some time was all it took for my dog to return to a healthy state.

So for a fraction of the cost and without any invasive procedures I had my dog back. There is always a choice! When I think back to this experience, I can't help but wonder what the outcome would have been if I had followed the recommended course of action from the specialist?

Have you ever been in a similar situation with your dog? Have you dodged a big veterinary bill by using other modalities?

I'd love to hear about your experience!

We know that good health is dependant upon a healthy gut, both in people and animals. Unfortunately thousands of pets are facing a continual assault on their gastrointestinal system causing nagging symptoms to develop that diminish their quality of life and shorten their lifespan.​Eating Dead Food
Processed foods that have been cooked at moderate or high temperatures, pasteurised, processed using high pressure or are irradiated are damaged so that they no longer retain their healthful properties. Any pet food sitting on a shelf in a bag or can is dead food. Nutrients are damaged, enzymes obliterated and beneficial microbes killed off. Enzymes are required for every chemical reaction that occurs in the body. Vitamins, minerals and hormones are at a complete standstill without enzymes.Biological Invaders
High loads of parasites, fungus, virus's and bacteria can cause a host of digestive issues including poor absorbtion of nutrients and inflammation of the gut.

​Prescription Medications
Veterinary care has become synonymous with pharmaceuticals. But as more and more pet owners are beginning to figure out, these drugs are causing many more problems. Antibiotics are still typically considered the first choice of treatment for digestive infections among conventional veterinarians. Even though we know that antibiotics disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut, which can persist for a long time after antibiotic use, even indefinitely.

Toxin Exposure
There are unfortunately an abundance of toxins that our animals are exposed to. Thinking about some of the toxins that have the potential to be in their food and water we have glyphosate, mcyotoxins, fluoride, heavy metals, dioxins and pesticides. Over time, each of these can considerably damage the digestive system in one way or another.When one single part of the body is not working well it will affect the WHOLE body. In little ways at first, then more dramatically. If you have ever played the game Jenga you know that you can remove only so many blocks from the tower before it falls. Sometimes you get lucky and it teeters and totters, but remains standing. Other times you don't get so lucky and the whole stack tumbles down.

​But your dog does not have to tumble down the path of poor health.
Select a fresh raw diet for your canine companion. Packed full of naturally occurring enzymes and bacteria this is the way to support a healthy digestive system. Seek out non-pharmaceutical methods if infections or parasites crop up and minimize the toxins that your dog is exposed to.  Your efforts can literally add years onto your dog's lifespan.