By Dr. Karen Becker, DVM

There’s been a myth floating around for years about what it means if your dog’s or cat’s nose is warm instead of cool, or dry instead of moist.

A warm dry nose by itself doesn’t mean your pet is sick or has a fever.

In fact, your dog or cat’s nose can be moist and cool one moment, and dry and warm the next, and it doesn’t mean that he’s sick.

It’s all perfectly normal.

Now if your pet has other symptoms, like for instance loss of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea, lethargy, or other obvious signs of illness, then a dry, warm nose goes along with those other symptoms of systemic illness.

The time for a second look is if your pet’s nose is changing texture.

For example, if it becomes flaky or crusty or you notice a change in the color.

If the nose is not only dry but the skin is also cracking, or if it’s getting lighter in color … if you can see scabs, open sores, non-healing cracks or fissures, or other types of skin irritation … those are all things that you’ll want your veterinarian to take a look at.

Your Pet’s Nose Can Change Color for a Variety of Reasons

The color of your pet’s nose can be black, pink (a pink nose is also called a Dudley nose), liver colored, or the same color as your dog’s or cat’s fur. Nose color is determined by genetics.

Some noses fade during the colder months and return to their normal color during the summer months. This is a condition known as ‘snow nose’ or ‘winter nose.’

Certain breeds have noses that go from black to brown or pink as the dog ages. This is thought to be a result of the breakdown of tyrosinase, which is an enzyme that produces pigment. Since tyrosinase is also temperature-sensitive and works more efficiently in warmer weather, this could also explain the ‘winter nose’ color some dogs get when the weather gets cold.

If you happen to have an orange or calico kitty, you might notice that black spots appear on the nose and lips as your pet gets older. This is a totally normal change veterinarians call lentigo simplex, and it’s no cause for concern.

  Lentigo Simplex

Sometimes the nose will go lighter when the pet is sick and return to a darker color once health is restored. If a pet gets a scrape or other abrasion to the nose, often the nose skin will turn pink as the healing process is occurring, and then the darker natural color will appear as the scab wears away.

Contact dermatitis can also cause your dog or cat to lose pigment on the nose. Some pets have sensitivity to plastic food and water bowls, and continued exposure can cause the nose to lighten in color. Sometimes the lips will also become inflamed.

I recommend you use stainless steel food and water bowls, because aside from the potential for plastic hypersensitivities, plastics wear down over time, and the material in plastic bowls can leach into your pet’s food and water.

The immune disease called vitiligo can also turn a dog’s nose pink, but there are usually other signs of this disorder occurring at the same time, like your dog can have white hairs or entire patches of white hair all over her body.

With vitiligo, the immune system attacks the pigment-containing cells of the body that are responsible for color. Certain breeds seem more likely to develop vitiligo than others including Dobermans, German shepherds, Rottweilers, and Dachshunds.

Caring for Your Pet’s Pink Nose

Whether your dog’s nose is naturally pink or has turned pink either temporarily or permanently, you’ll need to protect him from sunburn during the summer. You can apply a safe sunscreen when your dog will be out in the sun. It is important that you cover up pink noses during hot summer months.

There is a technique and actually a permanent solution to a pink nose some pet owners have opted for, but I don’t recommend it.

Some veterinarians will suggest that you have your dog’s nose tattooed black. I think this should be done only if your dog lives outdoors full time (which I absolutely don’t recommend) and can’t avoid contact with direct sunlight.

Otherwise, this is an unnecessary procedure and must be done under anesthesia.

Signs of a Nose Problem

If you notice a nasal discharge, swelling, an unpleasant smell from your dog’s nose or the area around it, or if your pet seems to be having trouble breathing, it’s time to call the vet.

These signs can point to a foreign object or a foreign body, an infection, or even a nasal tumor. If your pet’s nose has a discharge from just one nostril, there could be a foreign body stuck up in there.

Other signs of an irritant, a foreign object, or a tumor in the nose include sneezing, pawing at the nose, or nosebleeds. Nasal polyps or tumors will often coincide with a bloody discharge or mucus from the nose.

You might also notice your pet’s breathing is noisier than normal, and you can sometimes see a bulge or a lump on one side of the face or nose.

Diseases Affecting the Nose

Pemphigus complex is a group of very serious autoimmune skin diseases that affects both dogs and cats. There are two main types: pemphigus foliaceus and pemphigus erythematosus. Both start with patches of red skin on the face, including the nose and ears. The foliaceus variety often spreads to other parts of the body, including the feet, central body, core, and paws.

Pemphigus erythematosus involves only the face, head, and footpads. The red patches rapidly turn into blisters, and then pustules, which can become crusty and cause the hair to stick to them. They look like oozing, crusty sores. Areas of skin depigmentation are also seen with both of these disease processes.

There is a third type of pemphigus called pemphigus vulgaris, which is rare. Blisters and ulcers can form on the lips, nostrils, and eyelids with this particular disorder and it can also involve the nail beds, which can cause the nails to fall out.

Discoid lupus erythematosus is another autoimmune disease that can occur in dogs, but doesn’t happen in cats. It’s more common in certain breeds including Collies, German shepherds, Huskies, Shetland sheepdogs, and Brittany spaniels. It is thought to be a milder version of the systemic form of lupus, and limits itself only to the face. First the nose loses pigmentation, and then often it develops cracks and sores, non-healing fissures, as well as some crusting.

  Lupus

Another type of nose disorder is called zinc-responsive dermatosis. It’s caused by a zinc deficiency and is prevalent in Huskies, Doberman pinschers, Great Danes, and Alaskan malamutes.

In zinc-responsive dermatosis, the dog’s hair thins and a scaly, crusty rash can develop on the face that is most obvious on the nose, around the eyes, even in the ears, and around the mouth.

Crusting also appears on the elbows and hocks in some dogs. These areas can become callused and crack easily.

It’s important to make sure your dog has a confirmed case of zinc-responsive dermatosis before you discuss supplementing zinc with your vet. Zinc toxicosis is actually more prevalent than zinc-responsive dermatosis due to pet owners over-supplementing with zinc, incorrectly assuming their dog has a deficiency.

Other nutritional deficiencies can also cause changes in nose tissue, especially omega-3 fatty acid deficiency, which can cause the nose tissue to become thickened and dry.

Omega-3 fatty acids are sensitive to heat and light, and their potency decreases over time when food is stored. It’s no wonder that most pets consuming dry, kibbled food end up with essential fatty acid deficiencies.

Nasal solar dermatitis, also known as Collie nose, is a condition seen most often in sunny areas of the U.S. It primarily affects herding breeds including Collies, Aussies, and Shelties. With exposure to sunlight, the skin between the nose and muzzle first becomes quite irritated looking, the hair falls out, then the skin begins to ooze and crust over.

If the condition is allowed to continue with repeated sun exposure, the skin actually breaks down. And in serious cases, the nose can become just a big, giant, non-healing wound that’s incredibly painful. Certainly, skin cancer has been known to develop out of advanced cases of this particular disease.

There are other systemic conditions which can affect the health of your dog’s nose. The most common is hypothyroidism, which leads to a thickening of the nose and a leathery appearance.

Keeping an Eye on Your Pet’s Nose

Checking your dog or cat’s nose should be a normal part of your at-home wellness exam. Getting acquainted with the look and shape of your pet’s nose when it’s healthy is important, because then you’ll be able to determine when a problem pops up and it becomes unhealthy.

You need to look for any unusual signs like nasal discharge, especially and certainly if it goes from clear to mucus-y or bloody. You also need to stay alert for excessive dryness, crusting, or loss of pigmentation.

I also recommend you watch the nose as your pet breathes. Dogs and cats are nose breathers when at rest. If the nostrils flare more than normal, your pet could be having a breathing problem.

If you notice anything unusual about your pet’s nose, especially if you are seeing other signs of illness, I certainly recommend you make an appointment with your veterinarian.

As some of you know, topical ointments applied to the nose are often totally useless, because they become oral supplements in a matter of seconds to minutes in most dogs and cats.

The only supplement I recommend applying to your pet’s nose while you’re waiting for your vet appointment is natural vitamin E. You can actually poke a vitamin E capsule to open it, squeeze out the contents, and apply it to your pet’s nose until you can be seen by your vet.

Other creams and salves can be fairly irritating to your pet’s nose, so I don’t recommend you apply other products unless you have specifically been told to do so by your veterinarian.

Dr. Becker is the resident proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian of HealthyPets.Mercola.com. You can learn holistic ways of preventing illness in your pets by subscribing to MercolaHealthyPets.com, an online resource for animal lovers. For more pet care tips, subscribe for FREE to Mercola Healthy Pet Newsletter.

A subject readers here at HealthyPets and clients at my animal clinic are very interested in is the kind of food they should be feeding their dog or cat for good health.

So by popular demand, today’s video is a discussion of my recommendations for the best-to-worst diets you can feed your pet.

There are 13 categories on my list, and what you’re feeding will fall into one of them.

Now, if the diet you’re serving your dog or cat happens to fall into one of the lower quality categories, I don’t want you to beat yourself up about it.

As a general rule, people who are feeding their pets a lesser quality diet are doing so either because they can’t afford a better food – or they simply don’t know what constitutes good nutrition for their pet.

If you discover your furry buddy is eating from the lower half of the list, set a goal to feed a better quality food now that you know the difference, or when you can afford a more nutritious brand.

Again, everyone’s pet food of choice can be found in one of these categories. I encourage you to figure out where the diet you’re serving right now falls in the list, and then strive for improvement by feeding more nourishing, species-appropriate food.

Food Can Either Heal or Harm

As a proactive veterinarian interested in sustaining the natural good health of my pet patients, I always encourage pet owners to evaluate their animal’s diet, because food is the foundation upon which good or ill health is built.

It’s important to understand that food has the ability to heal or harm your pet, depending on the type and quality of nutrition you provide.

The first factor you should evaluate is the species-appropriateness of what your dog or cat is eating.

A species-appropriate diet contains lots of good quality protein as well as moisture. The protein is necessary because both dogs and cats are carnivores.

High moisture content is required in order to prevent organ dysfunction, including kidney failure. Dogs and cats are designed to eat food that is about 70 percent moisture, which is what a diet of mice and rabbits would provide if your pet hunted his own food.

If you feed your pet dry food only, he’s getting only about 12 percent moisture instead of the 70 percent his body demands. This is especially unhealthy for cats, because they don’t supplement their moisture intake by drinking large amounts of water like dogs do.

Pets on dry food diets (kibble or pelleted) live in a state of chronic, mild dehydration that over time can cause significant stress to their organs.

Species-appropriate nutrition does not contain much starch, also known as grains or carbohydrates. Corn, wheat, rice and soy are found in most commercial processed pet foods, but your dog or cat has no biological need for them.

I recommend you follow the laws of nature when it comes to your pet’s diet, which is to feed everything his body needs and eliminate ingredients that provide no nourishment.

In addition to the species-appropriateness of your pet’s diet, it also needs to be balanced. By balanced I mean food that contains all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients your dog or cat needs.

This isn’t something you can guess at – it should be guaranteed through testing.

Nutritional balance is vitally important because deficiencies will develop much faster in your dog or cat than they will in you. A poorly nourished puppy or kitten can end up with obvious signs of skeletal problems and organ degeneration before she’s six months old.

An older animal can develop life-threatening organ degeneration, among many other not-so-obvious symptoms, over a one  to three year period of eating an unbalanced, nutrient-deficient diet.

The List of Best-to-Worst Foods

1. A balanced, raw, homemade diet is the best food you can feed your dog or cat. It will be nutritionally balanced because you’re following recipes like those found in the cookbook I co-authored, Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats.

Raw means the food is unadulterated and still contains all the enzymes and nutrients that are typically destroyed during cooking or other types of processing.

Homemade is the best option because you are in complete control of the quality of ingredients in your pet’s diet.

I recommend pets get plenty of nutritional variety, and another great thing about serving homemade is you can buy seasonal fruits and veggies on sale, as well as protein sources (meats), and use them in rotation.

1. The next best thing you can feed your pet is a commercially available raw diet. This is a raw food diet that someone else has done the heavy lifting to prepare.

It’s important that the diet is balanced, and you should be aware that there are raw food pet diets entering the market that are not yet proven to be nutritionally complete. These foods often say “For supplementation or intermittent feeding” on the label.

You’ll know if the raw food you’ve selected is balanced because it will say it right on the packaging: “This food has been proven to be nutritionally complete or adequate for all life stages.”

At the present time, these diets are found only in the freezer section of small/privately owned or upscale pet boutiques – not in the big box pet stores. You can also find a selection online.

1. Cooked, balanced homemade diet. It’s the same diet found in number 1, above, except that it’s cooked. This means some of the nutrient composition has been diminished through processing.
2. Human-grade canned food. If the label doesn’t say the ingredients are human grade, they’re not. Pet food made with human-grade ingredients is also a great deal more expensive, so that’s another way to tell what you’re getting.

This type of diet is the most expensive you can feed your pet. What I tell my clients is, “If you have more money than time, you can purchase human-grade canned food for your dog or cat. But if you have more time than money, I recommend you make a balanced, homemade diet right in your own kitchen for a fraction of the cost.”

1. Human-grade dry food. As I discussed earlier, dry food is not as species-appropriate as a moisture-dense diet. Human grade is very important because the food is approved, in theory, for human consumption, which means it doesn’t contain low quality rendered by-products.
2. Super premium canned food which can be found at big box pet supply stores like Petco and PetSmart.
3. Super premium dry food.
4. Veterinary-recommended canned food. Vet recommended canned foods are purchased at your vet’s office or clinic. Typical brands are Science Diet, the Purina veterinary lines, Royal Canin and Waltham.
5. Veterinary-recommended dry food.
6. Grocery store brand canned food.
7. Grocery store brand dry food.
8. Semi-most pouched food.

The reason this type of pet food is so far down the list is because in order for the food to remain “semi-moist,” an ingredient called propylene glycol is added. This is a scary preservative that is a second cousin to ethylene glycol, which is antifreeze. And while propylene glycol is approved for use in pet foods, it is unhealthy for dogs and cats. I do not recommend feeding any food that contains this additive.

1. Dead last on the list and the worst thing you can feed your pet is an unbalanced, homemade diet – raw or cooked. I’m seeing an increasing number of misguided pet owners in my practice who think they’re doing the right thing by serving their pet, say, a chicken breast and some veggies and calling it a day.

Yes, the food is homemade, but it’s nutritionally unbalanced. Pets being fed this way are showing up at my clinic with endocrine abnormalities, skeletal issues and organ degeneration as a result of deficiencies in calcium, trace minerals and omega fatty acids.

From Worst to Best in a Heartbeat

For those of you who now know you’re feeding your pet an unbalanced, homemade diet, there’s an extremely quick and easy way to soar to the top of the list.

All you need to do is add ingredients to balance out the nutrition in the diet you’re already serving your dog or cat. This is a fast, simple fix you can apply to turn an unbalanced homemade diet into a balanced one.

So there you have it – the entire list of my recommendations for best-to-worst pet diets.

If you’ve discovered your pet’s food is on the lower half of the list, set a goal to work your way up the list.

If you’re already at the top end of the list, congratulations! You’re doing the best thing possible by providing species-appropriate nutrition for the animals in your care

If you would like to learn more about making homemade meals for your pets, my recipe book is available here

Dr. Becker is the resident proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian of HealthyPets.Mercola.com. You can learn holistic ways of preventing illness in your pets by subscribing to MercolaHealthyPets.com, an online resource for animal lovers. For more pet care tips, subscribe for FREE to Mercola Healthy Pet Newsletter.

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Dr Karen Becker co-authored the Whole Dog Journal’s Best Homemade Diet Book of All Time award, “Real Food for Healthy Pets.” She has appeared on the hit show, Animal Planet, and is deeply honored to be named one of Chicago’s Top Ten Vets, according to Chicago Magazine. She often lectures about species appropriate nutrition and is also the veterinary consultant for Mercola Healthy Pets, where half a million passionate animal lovers receive her free wellness newsletter three times a week.

Dr Becker is certified in Veterinary Acupuncture and Homeopathy. She owns the Natural Pet Animal Hospital, Feathers Bird Clinic and TheraPaw Rehabilitation and Pain Management Clinic in Illinois. She’s also heavily involved with Wildlife and International Resource Management and also works with exotic animals.  This is her 25th year as a federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator, caring for over 200 wild animals a year through her non-profit Covenant Wildlife Rehabilitation center.

It’s Dr. Becker’s goal to empower pet owners to take charge of their pet’s health. If your pet has health challenges or you simply want optimal wellness for your companion it’s up to you, the owner, to become educated about the 3 pillars of health that will unlock your pet’s healing potential. Do not entrust these decisions to anyone else.

Dr. Becker answers the questions most asked by animal lovers of all types:

* What is a proactive, integrative, wellness veterinarian and how are they different from regular veterinarians?

* What are the “3 pillars of health”?

* Why focus extensively on nutrition?

* What is a species-appropriate diet?

* What about people food versus pet food?

*  If you’ve just realized you’ve blindly been following your vet’s recommendations and not really thinking about intentionally creating wellness in the animals you’ve been entrusted to care for, what do you do?

We are our pet’s guardians, and are in charge of health and well-being for the animals we care for. It is our job to make sure we are doing all we can to foster vibrant vitality through wise lifestyle choices. It’s Dr. Becker’s goal to empower pet owners to take charge of their pet’s health. If your pet has health challenges or you simply want optimal wellness for your companion it’s up to you, the owner, to become educated about the 3 pillars of health that will unlock your pet’s healing potential. Do not entrust these decisions to anyone else. If you are interested in preparing your pet’s diet yourself you can purchase Dr. Becker’s cookbook, “Dr. Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats,” from amazon, or healthypets.mercola.com.  Karen Shaw Becker, DVM, Chief Veterinarian at  healthypets.mercola.com

Personal Note from Val

From Val:  What a treat Allie Phillips is!  As a prosecuting attorney, you wouldn’t think she would be interested in doing healing work with animals, but she is.  I loved learned about her work defending animals, her heroic efforts on the behalf of animals well-being.  It was fascinating to hear how she got started doing healing work with shelter animals.  Crystal healing is very cool, and powerful too.  Enjoy!

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Allie Phillips is an author, attorney and advocate for animals. She has spent most of her career working to better the lives of animals. She has worked as a front line prosecuting attorney; currently is the Director of the National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse, which she launched at the National District Attorneys Association; as a lobbyist when she was Vice President of Public Policy for American Humane Association; as an active shelter volunteer; fosterer for homeless cats; as an advocate for better animal shelter practices; book author; and even as an energy healer for abused, neglected and homeless pets.

She works tirelessly to keep animals safe including creating Sheltering Animals & Families Together (SAF-T) which is an international initiative to guide family violence shelters on how to accept families with pets when fleeing violent homes, and co-creating Therapy Animals Supporting Kids which assists criminal justice professionals on how to incorporate therapy animals with abused children.

She has published two books: How Shelter Pets Are Brokered for Experimentation which discloses the secretive world of pound seizure and shelters who give homeless cats and dogs to research, and Defending the Defenseless, the definitive guide to advocating and protecting for our companion animals.

Allie answers these powerful questions:

* How did you as a respected prosecuting attorney get interested in animal advocacy and energy healing?
* What is Integrated Energy Therapy healing and the different types of energy healing you practice?
* What is crystal healing and how does it work with animals?
* How do animals react to energy healing?
* How do animals benefit from energy healing?
* Can an animal receive energy healing if they do not live near an energy healer?
* Can anyone learn how?

Please visit Allie’s website at www.manifestedharmony.com to learn more about energy healing and to locate a practitioner or a trainer in your community. Grab a copy of Defending the Defenseless to read more about energy healing and other alternative therapies to benefit animals. Contact Allie at allie@manifestedharmony.com.

Click here to download…

Click here to get your copy:

Here are some videos you might find interesting:

http://youtu.be/svP7cuSDc4Q

http://youtu.be/wR7DiGrCt2I

Whenever I mention energy therapy or energy healing, I am discovering more people who have heard of it or are interested in learning more. It is not seen as woo woo or taboo anymore. Although there are those who believe that only healing can come through pharmaceuticals and traditional medicine, there is a growing population who know the power of energy therapy. And in recent years, there has been a growth in energy therapy to benefit animals. I specialize in helping companion animals experience physical and emotional wellbeing through energy therapy.

I have spent my career as an attorney. I am trained to ask for proof and evidence before I believe something; I am open-minded and analyze new information before I form a belief. I can tell you from my personal experiences and training that energy therapy does work and research studies are now backing up those claims. Since I began my energy training in January 2008, I have been providing energy therapy to my own cats and to the feline residents at King Street Cats, a cat orphanage where I have volunteered for many years. This article will share with you the amazing gifts that energy therapy can provide to companion animals.

Energy Therapy
So what is energy therapy? It comes in all different forms, but in its basic terms it involves channeling a higher source of energy to provide healing. Some people tune out as soon as I mention a higher source. But I think most people can agree, regardless of religious affiliation, that there is some higher power that governs our Universe. We are discovering that there are different layers and sources of energy and when you are attuned to this energy, you can connect with a healing source.

Energy therapy is subtle. Anyone who expects an immediate cure or cessation of symptoms may be disappointed; however, there will most often be an immediate shift in physical, emotional or mental wellbeing. For most, there is a tingling sensation as the energy travels through the body to eliminate energy blockages. While I have seen immediate changes in a companion animal’s physical and emotional state during an energy therapy session, the most benefit comes from consistent and repeated sessions. Because healing at the physical or emotional layer may be deeply embedded in an animal, one session will start to release the issues and instill wellbeing but may not completely resolve the issues. And if an animal is exposed to an environment or situation that is causing physical or emotional stress, or is recovering from such an environment, several or repeated sessions may be needed.

Energy therapy does not necessarily provide a cure to an ailment; instead, it allows the body (both human and animal) to relax to the point where the body can heal itself. The energy allows for the body to achieve the highest healing available, even if that does not mean getting better. So if a companion animal does not get well after energy therapy, the companion animal may not be in a position to have full healing, yet will experience healing in other ways.

Energy Therapy Specialties
I am certified in Usui Reiki, Integrated Energy Therapy and Crystal Healing and will share how I have incorporated those techniques with companion animals.

Reiki is a Japanese healing modality that means universal life energy. This technique promotes relaxation and balances energy at the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. During a Reiki session, the animal must consent to receiving the energy. So I look for the animal to sit within my hands or nearby to receive the energy. If they walk away, I end the session. A Reiki session with an animal can occur by hovering hands directly over or lightly touching the animal, sending the energy from a small distance, or even sending energy from a greater distance (across the globe) and to time in the past or future. Energy knows no space or time boundaries, so healing can be sent anywhere to any time. Companion animals are highly attended to energy, therefore even a short treatment can result in visible significant relaxation. I have even had a few companion animals snore in delight as they soaked in the energy. Reiki can be particularly beneficial for companion animals in shelters who are not accustomed to being in a cage or kennel, hearing the sounds of other animals, or being away from a home environment. The relaxing energy can help the companion animal relax and show their personality, which optimizes their chances for adoptions.

Integrated Energy Therapy® is an angelic energy that “gets the issues out of tissues”. IET supports humans and animals to release limiting energy patterns and blocks from the past while balancing energy at the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. IET is a gentle energy that works directly with the 12-strand DNA and focuses on specific integration points on the body. Each integration point relates to an emotional issue, such as fear, stress, powerlessness. When the emotional issue is released, physical healing is able to occur in that area. I incorporate IET with a companion animal when there is a specific physical or emotional ailment that needs assistance. For example, repressed stress can cause stomach and digestive issues.

I recently became certified as a Crystal Healer and have found that animals resonate beautifully with the healing energy of crystals. And the science behind crystals is fascinating! Crystals have a set dominant oscillary rate (a vibration), whereas humans and animals have a variable rate that changes with our environment. When a crystal comes into contact with a human or animal’s energy field, the energy field of the human or animal will sync to the rate of the crystal. So if you are holding a Black Tourmaline crystal (a grounding stone), your energy field will begin to sync to the healing energy of the crystal and you will feel calmer and more grounded to earth. And because crystals outwardly vibrate their energy (the larger the crystal, the wider its range), placing crystals around animals will also provide healing. Simply being in a room with crystals or laying crystals around your pet as they lay or sleep will provide a benefit. Check out the Manifested Harmony You Tube page to see the benefits of crystal healing with cats.

Examples
Since 2008, I have been conducting energy therapy sessions with my own cats, client’s pets, and with the residents of a cat orphanage where I volunteer. Here are some examples of how energy therapy has helped.

In 2009, my beautiful Flame Point Siamese cat Sammy was diagnosed in the early stages of kidney failure. Having just learned Integrated Energy Therapy and being taught that fear resides in the kidneys, I pondered what would be causing fear in Sammy. After a few weeks, I realized that around 2008, Sammy lost his hearing. His world went silent and that must have been fearful for him (especially when his feline sister, Lucy, would jump out of no where to scare him). In energy therapy, we also learn that animals may take on a physical ailment of their person to lessen the impact. I started giving IET to Sammy and focusing on his kidneys to remove the fear. He also loved to soak up Reiki every evening as he would lie on top of me and relax. I also started conducting sessions on myself because I was undergoing some stress and fear in the workplace. While I never expected to reverse the kidney failure, and knowing that no person or animal is immortal, I simply wanted to extend his life for as long as possible and provide good quality of life. I hoped that the energy therapy would relax his body and energetically remove some of the energy blockages in his kidneys. Although Sammy passed away on February 24, 2012, he lived a higher quality and longer life than I had anticipated. In the final weeks before his passing, I surrounded him crystals to help him be at peace with his eventual passing. I attribute his longevity to high quality food, fluids for the final five months and to energy therapy.

I volunteer at King Street Cats, a free-roaming cat orphanage in Alexandria, Virginia and have many opportunities to engage in energy therapy on cats who have been abused, neglected, abandoned or have behavioral issues. Recently, I have been incorporating crystals into my work. For newcomers who are initially housed in a comfortable cage until they adjust, these cats may be frightened or depressed over losing their home. We find that older cats suffer from depression or anger after losing their home. To help calm them and regain their true sense of self, I have been hanging organza bags with crystals on the cage doors.

In April 2012, we welcomed Tommy who was rescued from a hoarding situation. He was timid and nervous to come out of his cage, yet showed interest in coming out but lacked courage. Tommy is a beautiful and smart boy who tilts his head to the side when you talk to him. I hung a bag of Aquamarine (for courage) and a Clear Quartz Crystal (to amplify the energy) on his cage. After a week, he showed progress and was moved from a cage in our intake room into the main free-roaming room where he is now mingling with the other cats and playing. To help share crystal energy throughout our orphanage, I worked with two of my students (who are also volunteers) to hang Rose Quartz (to heal heartache) and Selenite (to calm the environment) from the ceiling to radiate out to all of the cats. For cats who are struggling with significant behavioral or health issues, I am also providing crystal charms to hang on their collars.

Front line prosecuting attorney and advocate for animals. Allie Phillips has written two books: How Shelter Pets Are Brokered for Experimentation and Defending the Defenseless. She is the Director of the National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse, which she launched at the National District Attorneys Association; an active shelter volunteer; a foster mom for homeless cats; an advocate for better animal shelter practices; and is as an energy healer for abused, neglected and homeless pets. www.manifestedharmony.com

Dr Bach was drawn to the medical profession from a very early age. He was convinced that there was a simple method of healing to be found that would cure all disease. As a medical student he believed that the true study of disease was in observing how each individual patient was affected by his complaints and seeing how these different reactions influenced the course, severity and duration of disease.

One of his first observations was that the same treatment didn’t always cure the same disease. What that means is that if for example there were ten asthma patients in the hospital ward and they all got a certain medication, they didn’t all respond to that same medication in the same way. Some patients benefited from it and others didn’t. This caused him to try and discover what was causing this difference in response. He discovered that what made the difference was people’s personality and attitude.

In 1919 he was accepted to the London Homeopathic hospital and was deeply influenced by the homeopathic approach of treating the patient not the disease.

His quest for the ultimate remedy lead him to whales where he spent six years from 1930-1936  discovering the remedies and developing the method which is now known as the Bach Flower Remedies.  It includes thirty eight remedies each addressing a specific personality type or mood state. He found that balancing the inner factors associated with disease, supports the body to restore physical health.

Each personality type is characterized by a broad spectrum of mental, emotional and behavioral patterns. These address beliefs, attitudes, emotional triggers and responses and typical behavior.

The underlying concept is that each personality type has a repertoire of internal resources that can be self-serving or self-limiting depending upon the balance between positive and negative aspects.

For example: The Oak personality type is known for responsibility, independence and endurance. These traits can be extremely beneficial when in balance. However, when in excess, the oak personality takes on more than he can carry, eventually causing collapse in the form of physical disease.

The Agrimony personality type is known for optimism, joy and love of life. When balanced, these traits are extremely resourceful. However when unbalanced, optimism and sense of humor become a mask for the inability to deal with unpleasant emotions. These unresolved emotions accumulate, causing physical disease.

The remedies address these personality types bringing the core potential back into balance. This facilitates access to the positive aspects of the personality potential, creating inner harmony and self-realization. This renewed self-alignment supports the physical body to heal.

Identifying personality traits facilitates a profound understanding of the underlying themes associated with disease and provides an easy and accessible method of treatment.

With that, people can also experience a wide range of mood states that can dramatically affect the body. Mood states by definition are usually short in duration and not typical of the particular personality type.

For example: any one of the personality types can be temporarily exhausted, despondent, indecisive or traumatized in relation to a particular issue or for a specific period of time.

Physical conditions can be the result of temporary mood states or the cause of them. In both cases healing is enhanced by rebalancing the mood state as such facilitating the body’s full healing capacity.

The advantage of the Bach Flower remedies is that they address both personality related patterns and mood states,  offering a “hands –on” “whole-person” solution for the entire spectrum of the human experience.

Treating the patient not the disease is no longer just a token of language. It is a valid and clinically proven perspective that demonstrates the power to promote better physical, emotional and mental health.

Joan Jacobs
Joan Jacobs is a holistic healer with 25 years experience as clinical healer, educator, speaker and author with expertise in emotional & spiritual healing. Joan teaches at the Faculty of Health Sciences, at the Ben Gurion University, Israel, and has held senior teaching and program coordinating positions at leading schools of complementary medicine in Israel with emphasis on advanced studies of The Bach Flower Method.

Joan instructs programs for cancer survivors, women’s health and empowerment and substance abuse victims. She also created unique HR management programs for the corporate arena and has worked with some of Israel’s leading companies. In 2010 she created The Light Within International Healing and Transformational Program and published her first book Messages from the Soul- A Holistic Approach To Healing. Joan hosts the Light Within Radio Show on VoiceAmerica’s variety Channel.

The Light Within Official website: www.the-light-within.org

Contact details: jjacobshealth@gmail.com

Assess whether the dog has aggression or fear issues.

Teach proper manners in advance. Jumping up isn’t only a nuisance; it becomes a safety hazard when you are holding a baby who can be injured or knocked out of your hands. To prevent your baby from being jostled or stepped on, train your dog to sit for greeting and to come up on furniture or your lap only when he is invited. Loose-leash walking also becomes critical when a stroller comes into the picture. Practice walking your dog with the stroller before the baby comes, and, if needed, get your dog accustomed to anti-pull devices, such as front clip harnesses and head halters. Practice the “leave it” and “drop it” commands, which will come in handy when getting your dog to leave baby items (like stuffed animals) alone or to drop them if they’ve already been snatched up.

Think pet-proofing as well as baby-proofing. If your dog currently sleeps in your bed, you may need to relocate him; having the dog on the bed may not be ideal if your baby will be sleeping in a bassinet or cosleeper next to your bed and could possibly be jumped on. Consider crate training your dog or setting up a doggy-proofed area for the times when you will not be able to supervise your dog. Child gates should be set up at the edge of the baby’s room to prevent the dog from going inside unsupervised. Pick gates with vertical slants to help discourage your canine Einstein from trying to climb over them. Move the dog’s food and water bowl out of areas where the baby will be, and get a diaper pail with a secure lid to help keep your canine from spreading unwanted décor around the home.

Help your dog be independent. Soon-to-be-parents are often tempted to lavish extra attention on their dog because they feel guilty about the time they will be taking away from their pooch once the baby arrives. But the smoothest approach is to prepare your pet to be independent, so that he is already used to a decrease in attention before you bring the baby home. Stock up on food puzzles and chew toys to keep your dog’s mind engaged, and prepare an exercise routine for your dog that you can stick to once the baby arrives. Exercise is critical — your routine can include walking the dog yourself or setting up a dog walker or doggy day care to help out.

Acclimatize your dog to the sights and sounds of a new baby even before he or she arrives. Use a baby doll to mock activities you will do when your real baby arrives. Do the diapering, feeding, bathing, swing time and other activities with your dog present. You can use the mock baby to teach your dog to respect the baby’s space and remain calm when you do baby-related things. Play recordings of baby noises, such as crying, and pair them with tasty rewards so your dog associates them with something good occurring. (I recommend a CD called Preparing Fido.) On the day your baby arrives, have a family member take an item home that has been on your baby (either a piece of clothing or a blanket). As soon as your dog smells this item, give him a highly palatable reward, such as a piece of a turkey hot dog. Then remove the scented item. Present it again, and reward again. Since dogs are so keen on smell, he will begin to associate your baby with good things happening before he and your baby even meet.

Introduce the baby and the dog carefully. Have your dog meet the new baby on neutral territory. Although it was winter when we brought home our precious Reagan, we had the pugs come outside for a quick visit before we brought Reagan inside. While the pugs were meeting Reagan, we kept the visit under control by giving them known behavior commands such as “sit” and “down” while rewarding them. We allowed brief sniffing, and then directed them to do an action that was compatible with a baby in our hands.

Always supervise your children and pets together. The majority of dog bites happen to children when they are not being supervised by an adult. Monitor all interactions between your dog and your baby, and use baby gates or crating when close supervision is not possible.

About Vetstreet.com

Vetstreet.com (www.vetstreet.com) is a new site dedicated to connecting pet owners with the best products, services and veterinary care to help keep their dogs and cats healthy. Vetstreet’s articles are written, developed and reviewed by leading veterinarians, professional journalists and animal health experts, providing pet owners with the most accurate information and current advice on everything from finding the right puppy or kitten to dealing with serious medical conditions. In addition to information about the latest events, trends and product reviews, the site also features a vet directory. We are still in the soft launch phase of our online shop but the Vetstreet retail environment will soon offer a broad array of vet-prescribed medications, nutritional products, grooming supplies, cute dog beds, fun pet toys, and more.

My dear friend Stacey Canfield, photographer to the Stars and founder of Soul Sitters, shared this remarkable story and I wanted to share it with you.  I know you’ll find inspiration, hope and peace from it too.

Remember:  “When someone leaves your life, it’s because they’ve taught you everything they can, and it’s time for them to go home now.” – anonymous

By: Nancy Denen from SoulSitters.com

If you have ever lived closely with a pet, you have probably experienced how intuitive they are. We think we know them, to the point of anthropomorphizing; however, just when we think we’ve figured them out, the pet will do something beyond what humans think possible.

Twelve years ago my husband and I adopted an abandoned cat from the Carlsbad Animal Shelter. We named her Moorea and when my Dad was in a rehab facility, I brought Moorea to visit him. I was amazed at how many residents in the facility were drawn like magnets to her. This prompted me to become a certified in pet-therapy and team with Moorea through our local Love on a Leash chapter.

Moorea and I have been volunteering with San Diego Love on a Leash and The Elizabeth Hospice for seven years. Each visit has been unique and worthwhile, but when Moorea visits a hospice patient, the blessings are tenfold. Let me share a few examples with you.

Our very first pet-visit with a dying patient was in a hospital setting. This elderly woman’s family had just that day placed their mother on hospice services. That is a difficult choice for family members. The patient and her adult children had always had cats and requested a cat-therapy visit. When Moorea and I got in the room, I could sense the tension and sadness of the situation, as well as the deep love.

Seeing Moorea, each person in the room broke into smiles and laughter to see a cat in a hospital room. I placed Moorea on the mother’s bed. Moorea crept up to the woman’s side and then snuggled between her right arm and side, facing the door of the room. It was almost a protective position and that is where Moorea stayed for almost 3 hours while the adult children met with the hospice social worker. During that time, hospital staff came in with instruments to check the patients’ vital signs. This meant draping tubing and wires across Moorea’s back, but Moorea never budged.

Then the cleaning staff came in to take out the plastic trash bag and replace it with a new one and they swept the floor. Again, Moorea never budged. Later the adult children came back to their mother’s bedside. They took many photos of Moorea snuggling with their Mom. I suggested they gather around the head of the bed so I could take a group photo with their mother. They demanded Moorea be in the picture so I retook the photo, not as close up because I had to get the cat-therapist in the shot. Moorea and I reluctantly left the bedside and I asked if they would like another visit the next morning, so we agreed on the time. The following morning, the door to our patient’s room was closed and a nurse was just coming out of the room. Our patient had died just a short time before we arrived. What a blessing to have shared my cat with this woman and her family on her last day on earth. And the photos I took of the family with Moorea were the first of many final-portraits I’ve taken of a loved one, smiling and cuddling a cat.

A month later, our volunteer coordinator from The Elizabeth Hospice called to ask if we minded traveling further than we usually do to visit a 92-year old man whose dying wish was to pet a cat. How could I say no?! So the next day Moorea and I headed up to a senior facility where this gentleman had lived with his wife until she needed more care.

He was living alone and had in-home nursing care round-the-clock. When we arrived, he was very thin and weak, lying in a hospital bed. He was almost too weak to speak, but nodded his head “yes” when I asked if he would like Moorea in his bed.

A tiny, frail smile appeared on his gaunt face and his arm lifted a few inches so he could reach his hand to Moorea’s back and pet her soft calico fur. I sat back and just let Moorea and the gentleman bond, as she snuggled against his chest, warming his heart. As it turns out, with excellent care from hospice and a board-and-care facility where he later moved, Moorea and the man were able to spend many such hours together. Over time, he gained the strength to sit up in a wheel chair, sit on the couch to watch golf tournaments, and have Moorea drape across his lap. In fact, Moorea and I were present to celebrate his 93rd birthday with him and his housemates and staff a year later!

Four months after his birthday, he passed away suddenly, too quickly for me to drive up in time to bring Moorea to his bedside, but I will never forget this stoic gentleman of few words, who always had lots of baby talk to whisper into his cat-therapist’s ear.

It is difficult to select only a few examples of the miraculous connection Moorea makes with people, but please indulge me as I share one more.

As Moorea and I age, carrying Moorea in my arms becomes more difficult, so I purchased a dark blue pet-stroller and push it down hospital halls. Even if a person doesn’t care for cats or isn’t up to a visit that day, Moorea will always earn a big smile because she looks so darn funny in that stroller!

One day, after visiting a hospice patient who couldn’t speak but always put her hand over Moorea’s warm back, I was pushing Moorea in her stroller out of this room when an Elizabeth Hospice social worker was coming out of the room directly across the hall. She and I had never met and she didn’t expect to see a feline in a stroller. After she composed herself and stopped laughing, she said, “I have a patient in this room that is in and out of consciousness. I wonder if she likes cats? Would you mind stopping in for a minute?”

As I picked up Moorea from her stroller and put her near the patient, I asked, “Would you like a visit from my cat?” Immediately the woman opened her eyes, raised her arms, and made a sound. I placed Moorea gently on top of the covers on her chest and I heard the social worker exclaim, “I’ve never seen so much response from her! This is amazing!” We stayed for a short visit and returned the next week for a second visit, though the woman barely reacted that time but did know a cat was sharing her bed. The third week we returned, the patient had passed away.

There are books about other pet-therapists. They are more common than you may think. Have you had an experience with an animal Soul Sitter? We’d love to read your story.

The Miracle of Bach Flowers

Note From Val:  I first learned about Bach Flowers in the mid 1990′s, and have used them for myself, my family, my animals and recommended them to my clients and friends with great results.  I was very interested in Joan’s depth of knowledge about their use with humans and animals, and learned a great deal that I didn’t know in our interview, and that is not common knowledge.  You’ll love learning more about them too, regardless of whether you’ve been using them for years or are brand new to the concept.  Enjoy!

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 Joan Jacobs is a 25 year experienced holistic healer, Bach Flower practitioner and teacher.

In her clinical work, Joan awakens the body to restore health by accessing and activating information held within the anatomical structures, and then supports the healing process using energy healing, Bach Flower remedies and healthy self-management skills.

Joan teaches at the faculty of health sciences, at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and has held senior teaching and program coordinating positions at leading schools of complementary medicine in Israel.

She also teaches certification programs for Bach Flower practitioners in which she teaches her unique approach to case intakes and prescribing.

Joan developed and instructs programs for cancer survivors, particularly breast cancer survivors as well as programs in the field of women’s empowerment and health and also for substance abuse victims and prison inmates. Joan has also developed unique applications of Holistic approaches in the field of  interpersonal relationships in the work place. She has worked with the staffs and personnel of some of Israel’s leading companies, hospitals and educational institutions.

Joan answers these questions and more:

* Who is Dr Edward Bach, and what is The Bach Flower method?

* How are the remedies created, and how do they actually work?

* What type of conditions, in humans and animals, benefit from the Bach Flower remedies?

* What is the difference between prescribing for personality type issues and temporary mood states?

* How can animals benefit from this healing method?

For more information on Joan Jacobs and her book, “Messages From The Soul- A Holistic Approach to Healing” please visit www.jjacobshealth.com.

“Health depends on being in harmony with our souls.” Dr Edward Bach

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Personal Note from Val Heart About Divorce, Separation and Breakup

From Val:  I am SO excited to bring Steven May and Davit T Pisarra’s important work to you.  Everyone goes through relationship hell at some point – it’s important to be prepared and to safeguard your furrkids as well as your children. 

I’ve been divorced too, but fortunately I knew how to communicate with our cats so they had a voice in the process and they stayed safe, sane and as happy as possible.  Do you have a plan that helps ensure their needs are met, that they don’t get sick or neglected (or hurt), and that they have a voice in what happens to them?  After listening to our chat, you will be better prepared on all accounts.  Enjoy!

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Pet expert Steven May and family law attorney and newspaper columnist David T. Pisarra are the co-authors of the first book that explores a dilemma facing an increasing number of pet parents each year.

In the case of a divorce, separation or break-up…who gets the dog?

“What About Wally – How To Co-Parent A Pet With Your Ex” is part How-To and part How-Not-To guide into the realities of this potentially traumatic issue. Practical legal advice and thoughtful dog behavior guidance sit alongside heartwarming real life stories and personal anecdotes from the authors own experiences in co-parenting a pet with their ex’s.

Our relationships with our pets have changed and they’re now more a part of the family than ever before. We know the pain that many children go through when their parents are divorcing and it’s similar for our pets. By taking the steps to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible, both the pet and the pet parents benefit.

You won’t want to miss the answers to these questions:

* How are dogs viewed by the courts in a divorce?
* How to I protect myself if I want custody or joint custody of the dog?
* Are their similarities in divorce court between pet parents and the parents of children?
* Why is co-parenting good for the dog?
* Are dogs affected by their owners divorce?
* What are some steps to make the transition as smooth as possible for the dog?

To pick up a copy of “What About Wally?” go to www.whataboutwally.com. For great pet parent tips join 94,000 other pet owners and visit Steven May’s Facebook page “The Daily Growl.” www.facebook.com/epetexpert

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