Natural Pet Health

One of the most important aspects of properly caring for your pet rabbit is providing him with a healthy, satisfying, and well-balanced diet. Fortunately, doing so is relatively easy, since there is general consensus about what is good for rabbits and a wide range of great food pellet options.

Rabbits can also eat many of the fruits and veggies that you probably have on your dinner table every night (see below for recommendations and portions).

Hay

Hay is an essential component of a rabbit’s healthy diet. One reason why is that feeding a rabbit hay on a daily basis seems to reduce rabbits tendencies to pull out and consume or chew on their own hair, which leads to (sometimes very dangerous) hairballs.

Buy high-quality leafy grass hay, timothy hay or clover hay. Avoid alfalfa hay, as it can sometimes be problematic and has been shown to increase the risk of bladder stones.

FRESH Water

Like all creatures, rabbits need fresh water in order to survive. Change water daily or at least every two days. When you change the water, also wash the water bottle or dish thoroughly to get rid of bacteria.

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Cats experience anxiety and get stressed out just like us human staffers. Unlike people, cats don’t have a lot of creative ways to express their feelings. Unfortunately, when cats suffer from stress and anxiety, they generally communicate it in a very clear way that can really turn humans upside down. They usually tell us by not using the cat litter box.

And since we can’t speak meow, and cats don’t talk, the challenge is to figure why our cats aren’t feeling right. Usually when a cat stops using her litter box, it’s a medical problem. But if it isn’t, one of causes high on my list is stress and anxiety.

What do cats get anxious about? Here’s a partial list:

*Moving to a new home
*Gaining a new household member, animal or human
*You change jobs and start a new schedule
*You bring new furniture into your home
*Kitty’s favorite person moves out, and she misses that individual
*Construction and/or remodeling of your home
*Relocation of her cat litter box(es)
*Change in type of cat litter

This list is not complete. Felines are complicated creatures, and almost anything can set them off.

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Have you ever thought you would like to make your own balms and salves and put the exact herbs in them that you would like to use? I will give you the basic recipe for making a salve or balm and you can make any herbal salve you would like to have.

First you have to “infuse” the herb in pure olive oil. To do this, fill a canning jar (either pint or quart) almost full with your herb. Then pour pure olive oil over the herb. I like to let mine sit near a heat source, not hot, just warm for a couple of days to get the infusion moving. If you have a pilot light on your stove, you can sit it in the middle of the stove and let it soak up the heat. If not, a window sill in the sun is a good place to put it while it infuses.

After two weeks of infusion you are ready to make your favorite salve or balm.

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3 teaspoons (tsp) = 1 tablespoon (Tb)

2 cups = 1 pint

1 cup = 250ml
1 tb = 20ml
1tsp = 5ml

60 drops = 1 teaspoon (tsp)

2 tablespoons (Tb) = 1 fluid ounce (floz)

4 floz = 1 Gill

2 Gills = 1 cup

1 dram = 1/8 floz (1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp)
4 drams = 1/2 floz (1 tb)

Double handful = approx 1 1/2 cups
Handful = approx 2/3 cup
Fistfull = Approx 1/3 cup
Palmfull = approx 1/4 cup
3 Fingers = 3 1/2 tsp
2 fingers = 1 tsp
pinch = 1/8 tsp

Liquid
1 floz = approx 30ml
2 floz = approx 60ml
4 floz = approx 125 ml
8 floz = approx 285ml
1 pint = approx 570ml

Dry
1 oz = approx 28g
2 oz = approx 57g
4oz = approx 113g
8oz = approx 229g
1 pound (lb) = approx 454g

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These are great for giving herbs to animals reluctant to eat the herb when it is mixed with their food. Also, you know exactly how much of the herb the animal is getting.

I especially like these for giving herbal worm formulas to kids (young goats) and dogs becasue most of the time they love them and beg for more which makes it so easy to administer.

Herbal Dosage Balls For Livestock:

Mix together:

* 1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) powdered or finely crushed herbs
* 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) powdered Slippery Elm Bark (Slippery elm acts as a binding agent to hold the herb mixture together.)

Add:

* 1/4 cup Honey or Molasses

With your fingers (or in a food processor), mix and knead into a dough. Break into 16 even pieces, shape into balls and then roll the balls in a little bit of Slippery Elm powder just to coat. Each ball equals a 1/2 Tablespoon dose. Offer an herbal dosage ball to the animal first, and he may eat it right out of your hand.

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Litter box training

Ferrets are not drawn to use their litter-boxes like cats, so patience and treats work best to insure a potty trained fuzzy in your home. Here’s how to do it:

1. Begin by training in a smaller space, such as your ferrets cage.

2. As with kittens, look for signs that your ferret is ready to go (such as spinning or backing into a corner) then placing them in the litter pan.

3. After each successful potty session, reward them with a treat immdediately.

4. When you feel comfortable that your ferret has the proper manners, begin placing litter-boxes throughout the areas (outside of the cage) they are allowed.

5. If you are still having accidents, especially in a cage, try placing food or ferret bedding in the offending area. If this area smells more like their kitchen or bedroom, your ferret will be less likely to continue the unwanted relief in that area.

6. Remember, even a potty-trained ferret can make mistakes. Be sure to clean these areas thoroughly, removing any scent with a cleaner such as Nature’s Miracle for Ferrets which will remove any ferret scent, keeping these areas free of the potty smell which could lead to further accidents.

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I learned about energy healing by receiving healings from a practitioner. When I tried to find my horse’s chakras, I took my first steps to becoming a healer myself. Finding the chakras on my horse, Echo, was easy for me. Echo became my first client.

Energy work, energy healing, pranic healing, Reiki, and hands-on-healing are just a few of labels which describe similar systems.. I use Shamballa Multidimensional Healing because it offers the highest vibrational frequencies available on Earth at this time and focuses on empowering the client.

In a Shamballa session, the healer is a channel for Life Force energy, Unconditional Love energy, and Spiritual Light. By holding specific intentions based on the client’s goals, the healer provides a safe space and an opportunity to release and restore balance at the cellular, organ and system levels of the physical body. In addition, limiting beliefs, blocked emotions, and karmic and dna patterns can be replaced with new ways of being. The individual blueprint for that person’s or animal’s body can be repaired and restored to the cosmic seed blueprint of perfection that was originally intended.

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What are the main causes of constipation in pets?

The most common cause of constipation in pets is an incorrect diet. A lack of fiber (and sometimes excessive fiber) can be a problem as well as indigestible bones which can be swallowed and produce a cork-like blockage in the digestive tract.

Other causes of constipation include worm infestation, lack of exercise and furballs (in cats). Symptoms of bladder infections (such as straining) can also sometimes be mistaken for constipation.

Constipation can lead to a build up of toxins, which can cause numerous health problems.

Symptoms of Constipation in Cats and Dogs:

* Straining to have a bowel movement with no result
* Abdominal discomfort
* Loss of Appetite
* Bloating
* Going for long periods between bowel movements
* Hard, impacted stools

What is the conventional treatment?

The most common treatment for constipation is a change in diet. If this does not work, a mild laxative may be prescribed. An enema may also be necessary to remove hardened stool which is impacted in the colon.

How can herbal remedies and dietary supplements help?

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Dog shedding is part of dog ownership. While you can’t exactly cure dog shedding, there are some steps you can take to minimize excessive dog shedding.

How to Control Shedding

Grooming is the key to controlling dog hair shedding. You know the hair is going to fall out. It is better to brush your dog’s coat daily and remove the hair yourself than to have dog hair all over the floor, furniture and your clothes.

Some dogs shed seasonally, such as in the spring when they are shedding their winter coats, and may require twice daily brushings during those periods. In general, dogs with smooth coats will need brushing approximately once or twice a week, while dogs with silky coats will need brushing three to four times a week. Long haired dogs require daily brushing to keep their coats looking their best.

Feeding your dog a high quality food with Omega 3 fatty acids will help keep him healthy and keep his coat shiny. Also, vacuum frequently to keep your house dog hair free. Some dogs don’t mind being vacuumed themselves!

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Origin:

The origins of the Labrador are rather obscure but two types of dog were known in Newfoundland - a large heavy dog used to pull boats into land and a lighter, smoother coated variety used by fisherman to retrieve game and fish. They were both known as Newfoundland dogs and it was not until 1812 that the larger breed was known as Newfoundlands, and the smaller as the lesser Newfoundland or Labrador. In 1814 Labradors were taken to England where, in a book ‘Instructions to Young Sportsmen’, the breed was described as ‘by far the best for every kind of shooting’.

Personality:

An adaptable and devoted companion with a kindly nature, Labradors easily adopt the role of children’s playmate or elderly persons pet. The keenness to learn and willingness to please make the Labrador an ideal choice as a guide dog for the blind. The puppies are placed with a family for the first 12 months of their life and then return to the Guide Dog School for an intensive training course. After graduation the dog is matched with a compatible owner and devotes itself to the safety of its owner.

Trainability:

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