homemadedogfood

Cracked Dog Paws, Frostbites a common occurrence in Winter. 8 simple Tips on how to protect the paws of your dog.

November 10, 2019 by Melanie 2 Comments

Avoid cracked dog paws, frostbites and itchy paws in wintertime.

I do not know about your dogs, but my dogs love winter and the snow. When winter comes, my dogs spend a long time outside, and it isn’t easy to get them in—cracked dog paws, frostbites, every dog owner’s nightmare.

Yes, my dogs have, from time to time, cracked dog paws, frostbites, as well as burns from the salt.

It is usually not so severe because I take precautions and protect my dogs’ paws.

When a dog has a cracked dog paw pad, it is not fun for your dog. It hurts, it is itchy, and it burns. It is like when you have a cracked heel.

Dog Paws are sensitive and need protection.

A dog’s paws can be very sensitive. You never know how much salt and other chemicals are thrown onto the streets, sidewalks and footpaths by the people and the city. Just to melt the ice and make walking safe for us humans. ( Yes, I understand it can be costly if someone gets injured on your footpath.)

Your dog’s paws are like your car before winter comes. You bring it to the garage and get the underbody protection. The same you do with your dog. You protect their paws from the ice, salt or chemicals on the street.

When you have dogs, you know that not every solution is suitable for dogs. Some can tolerate dog shoes, and some, like my dogs, hate them.

They will chew so long on it that they are shredded in pieces and not useable anymore. They will not stay on for long.

You can use some tips and products to protect your dog’s paws. It would be best if you decided what suits your dog, as you know your dog best.

Protective Balms for cracked dog paws, frostbites and itchy paws before and after treatment.

Why more and more of our Pets have cancer. The shocking truth on the cause of cancer in Pets.

April 12, 2018 by Melanie 6 Comments

A common disease in Pets “Cancer”

Can you relate to this?

Your cat or dog is acting fine, is happy and is jelly jolly as usual. You go for a checkup with the veterinarian as you discovered a lump in your pet’s body.

To be on the safe side, you will go to your Veterinarian and let it check out. He will make a test and the result comes back with the shocking news “cancer”.
You rightly ask yourself why how and there are no signs no warning nothing.

What are the leading causes of Cancer in Pets?

You are not alone in this, each year in America alone 6 Million dogs and 6 million cats are diagnosed with the shocking news Cancer.

Whether this is a mast cell tumour, osteosarcoma, lymphosarcoma, or breast (mammary gland) cancer, mast cell and bone cancer, there is nothing that you can do to prepare your self for the horrific news.

Your head will spin, and you will have lots of questions. The most crucial question is what to do now?
It is very natural that issues will arise next.

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Questions pop up, and any veterinarian will be able to answer all the questions you have. In your mind cancer patients are sick, and shouldn’t there be some signs …you are going to ask yourself.

Aren’t cancer patients ill? Shouldn’t there be some other signs if it is so severe as the veterinarian is saying?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Cancer can have many leading causes in pets.

Look at the Law of Nature. Pets Cats and Dogs usually live in nature, and in the wild, the rule shows when you are sick you are doomed to die, as the animal will be easy prey for the predators.

Infected animals will attract the Predators and stand out from the pack. Most animals will not act sick for this reason.

Depending on the animal if they act sick, the animal could lose the pack position. It is a kind of protection for those animals to keep the status up.

Even if the pet has a tumour, it might not have spread enough to cause a real significant tissue injury.
Many times we had heard of accounts when a lump been found in an otherwise healthy person, and it only turns out to be malignant. The same goes for animals.

What is Cancer and what is the cause?

Cancer can be a collection of related diseases. Cancer is a name given to different conditions. All types of cancer begin in the cells of the animal body.

Cells start to divide themselves without stopping and begin to spread into the surrounding tissues.
Cancer can start anywhere in the animal body.

The animal body made up of trillions of cells, the cells grow and divide themselves to the need of the animal body.
Cells go through an ageing process, and when those cells become old or damaged they die, and new cells will take up their place.

In case of cancer develops this clean process breaks down. The cells become more and more abnormal, and the old or damaged cells what would die will survive.

New cells are formed even they are not needed. The extra cells somehow continue the process and divide themselves again and create a kind of cluster what causes the growths called tumours.

That will continue to a point where the remaining healthy cells can no longer sustain the health of the animal body.
That will tip the scale, and the animal will show slow signs.

This fundamental Phenomenon is called decompensation, and it is the tipping point in the health and disease of an animal.

Did you know that similar to humans the lifespan of our loved pets has increased and they live longer through the advancement of medicine and on the emphasis on preventive care and nutrition?

We only want the best for our Pets Life

Each year alone an estimated 6 million dogs and nearly 6 million cats will be diagnosed with cancer. It is scary and a large number. The malignancy looks and behaves much the same as it does in humans, it will also spread to the same organs.

According to the Veterinary Cancer Society, Dogs are affected by more forms of cancer compared to other animals. 47% of dogs, especially over the age of ten years, are likely to be diagnosed with cancer what leads to death.

32 % of cats being diagnosed with cancer but at a smaller rate. It is a fact that humans and dogs get cancer at the same rate whereas cats get fewer cancers.

In some breeds cancer can develop at an early age, but more common are the appearance of the cancer disease in older dogs. With more than 100 types of animal cancer it can be a long way to recovery or to detect cancer.

You can find cancer in animals in different areas like in the skin, bones, breast, head & neck, lymph system, abdomen and testicles. One of the most common types of cancer in cats is Leukaemia and lymphoma. For dogs, the most common type of cancer is mammary gland cancer.

When we lose our pets to illness, we lose a part of our heart and soul.

We owe it to ourselves and our furry friends to know the TRUTH about how what we do affects their quality of life and longevity.

We only want the best for our pets.

Did you know that a big part of pet health depends on the food and nutrition balance in their daily life?

Read my blog about essential oils for cats and dogs

To uncover the cancer-causing secret, manufacturers don’t want you to know about the pet food you buy.

You won’t hear about this from your vet. And you sure won’t hear about it from pet food companies.

Do you know that we human say you are what you eat? The same goes for our pets.

Take the Quiz to see if your pet is in danger of getting cancer. Ebook Page – TTAPC April 2018 – SOCIAL & WEB

Quiz Page – TTAPC April 2018 – SOCIAL & WEB

Do you have a pet that had cancer or has cancer? How did you handle it? Please share with us your experience.

Why consider homemade pet food.

It is important what you feed your pet. Why? Lots of brands have commercially processed food and they use meat by-products. Those are chemicals and preservatives that can be harmful to your pet.

Feeding your pet a balanced diet is important and if you want to keep your pet healthy look at what kind of food you feed your pet. Homemade pet food is also helpful when your pet has allergies or a sensitive stomach.

Having a pet who has cancer can be expensive. Check out our recommendation for pet insurance. Click here.

All yours Melanie

Love to hear from you

Cushing’s Disease in Dogs. The silent killer for dogs and how to detect it early to prevent it.

March 31, 2018 by Melanie 13 Comments

What is Cushing disease in Dogs?

When you get told first time by your veterinarian that a dog that is only 5 years old has Cushing’s disease. You go what is that. You think you misunderstood.

Learning from experience it is more common than you think. Cushing’s disease in dogs is common but hard to detect and most of the time it goes undetected.
Our dog Charly is five years old and was diagnosed to have Cushing’s Disease after endless expensive tests.

When our vet explained it to me, it sounded a bit strange, and I could not grasp the meaning of it. I went on to Google to search for it. Surprise it is more common than I thought.

Our dog has all the symptoms. Saying this despite having all the symptoms of Cushing disease it is difficult to detect especially if the dog is older most of the time it is taken back to old age.

Cushing’s disease a disease that is extremely difficult to nail down as the symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome associated with some different ailments.

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What are the specific warning signs for older dogs that they have Cushing’s disease?

The adrenal gland, located in the dog’s belly near the kidneys, produces a hormone called cortisol. This hormone cortisol affects many functions of different organs in the body.

In short, the Cushing’s disease in dogs otherwise knows as hyperadrenocorticism is the overproduction of cortisol, and is a condition that becomes increasingly likely as your dog ages.

If there is too much cortisol in a dogs body, it can cause problems like stress and possibly suppresses the immune system of a dog. When an immune system is weak, it will increase the chance that the dog is prone to get sick easier.
To diagnose the Cushings disease is a bit complicated and it can be a challenge.

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How often should I see the veterinarian with my dog?

Early detection is crucial.

What are the symptoms of the Cushing disease?
@ A Thirsty Dog that drinks more than usual.
@ Urinate more often than usual
@ Lack of energy
@ gains more weight special around the belly
@ The skin becomes thinner and the coat is not shiny anymore. The fur looks patchy
@ Easy bruising on the skin
@Heavy panting
@Black-heads formation
@ Around back end there is a muscle wastage
@Reoccurence of Infections

The problem of the Cushings Disease

One of the most significant issues the Cushings disease brings is that it is difficult to detect. That is why it is also called the pretender. Many times this Cushing disease is misdiagnosed.

To be sure there is some test and those that are not cheap.
This test is expensive, and you are now in the questionable decision-making process to do or not to do the test.
It is not an easy decision.

The Cushing disease is a severe condition of the middle-aged to older dogs. Sometimes it is also misleading and over-diagnosed.

A variety of simulation tests are available and can confirm a suspicion of Cushing disease. Depending on the test chosen it may also indicate if the pituitary gland is the cause of the adrenal gland.

What Test is there to find out if your Dog has the Cushing Disease?

Those tests are:

#The ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic hormone) test
#Low dose dexamethasone stimulation test
#High dose dexamethasone stimulation test
#Most clinics start with an ACTH stimulation test to get an answer of yes or no. ( This information comes from our vet after having a thousand question. Thank you, Dr Dreyer, for explaining the basic in a more straightforward language.)
After that, the vet will discuss with you further test or further steps to take.

Treatment For Cushing’s Disease In Dogs

There is readily available Treatment, but it is a question of yes or no, as the treatment is costly in the long run. You have to weigh several factors, and one of the more significant factors is the expense.

With Cushing disease, there is not always a clear way of right or wrong action. It is a hard decision for a dog owner to decide to go with therapy or not to go with treatment.

You have to make a decision based on your circumstances and your wallet. ( I am not joking it is not cheap) unless you have taken pet insurance.
A veterinarian should thoroughly investigate Cushing Disease.

If that is a visible sign, the vet should also check for Thyroid problems and other skin conditions. Where the symptoms prevail but the diagnosis is negative, “homoeopathic formic acid” has been helpful in restoring a shabby coat to health again.

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Thyroid problems are commonly mistaken for Cushing’s disease.

Homoeopathic Thyroid 30c at one drop per day for three weeks can return thyroid levels to normal – recheck levels at this point.

Another factor about the Cushing disease is the cause of the overproduction of the adrenal gland. Not always but most of the times the excess production is caused by a benign tumour located in the pituitary gland. ( pituitary gland is stimulating the adrenals. )

Of the endocrine system, the pituitary gland is the boss. The primary function of the pituitary gland is the production of hormones which control the various endocrine glands in a dogsbody.

A tumour in one of the glands can cause overproduction of the corticosteroid hormones. It can be then the result of hair loss.( it is like overuse of steroid drugs that overuse can have the same reaction)

Sweating and weight loss ( even if your dog has a big appetite) increased intake of water, anaemia and listlessness are also symptoms of the Cushing’s disease.

If Cushing’s disease is diagnosed in the early stages, the homoeopathic remedies are an excellent option to consider. Please ask your Veterinarian about the homoeopathic remedies.

Cushing’s Disease and the confusion with other diseases

Older dogs will have a lot of symptoms like Cushing’s disease. It is difficult to diagnose as a lot of signs are universal to ageing symptoms in dogs.

What are the symptoms that can be mistaken for Cushing’s disease

#Bloated belly is a sign of gastric torsion and gastric dilation; it can be fatal when untreated.
#Urinary incontinence and urinary tract infections are a sign of old age.
#Diabetes shows signs of increased thirst slow-healing wounds and those signs can easy associated with the Cushings disease.
#Hypothyroidism has similar patterns of hair loss can be misdiagnosed as Cushing’s disease.
#Discuss this with your veterinarian as he will understand and will analyse the proper test and treatments.

Homoeopathic Pituitary

It is a historically made Remedy from the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. It balances the action of the gland.
It is given in low potencies over an extended period. Consult your Veterinarian as he knows best how to tune the homoeopathic treatment.

Natural Herbs for Cushing’s Disease

There are also a lot of herbs available and what are beneficial. I like natural medicine, but I have learned over the years that sometimes we need to combine medication and natural treatment to achieve the best result. Believe it or not, sometimes both can complement each other. To judge this, please ask your veterinarian and follow their instructions.

Natural-remedies-for-Cushing’s-disease

If your animal is suffering from this condition and is on cortisone, and you wish to take it off of this drug and pursue an alternative treatment, you should find a holistic veterinarian that has experience with this condition.

Conclusion

Cushing’s disease is a difficult disease to detect. It will be not easy for your dog and yourself when diagnosed with this Cushing’s disease.

One thing I have learned is that the Cushings disease can come out of the blue and a lot has to do with what you feed your dog.

I have written a blog on homemade dog food recipes and when I was looking for an alternative for my dogs I came across the “dog food secrets “and I was shocked what is actually in dog food.

Charly is much better now, and I have to say his condition improved a lot and yes I am feeding my dogs now homemade dog food.

Thank you for stopping by to read Cushing’s Disease in Dogs. The silent killer for dogs and how to detect it early to prevent it. Please share this blog that people are aware of this disease. Sharing them helps us to understand them better and we are able to soothe their condition.