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| Article: What You Can Do About...Skin & Coat Problems With Your Pet - by Dave Cole | ||
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By far the most common disorders experienced by our faithful dog and cat friends involve the skin and coat. Hot spots, bare patches, feline acne, dull-looking fur, itching, bumpy rashes, scratching, shedding, bad smells, dandruff, pigment changes, matting and tangles, all can reflect nutritional problems. CJ Puotinen, author of "The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care" says this: "The key to a lifetime of healthy skin and fur is good nutrition." Dr. Jane Bicks, author of "Natural Care For A Healthy, Happy Dog" & "Thirty Days To A Happier, Healthier Cat" and winner of three Presidential Citations says: "Poor nutrition and allergies are two of the most common causes of skin and coat problems and can lead to ailments such as dry, flaky or odorous skin, dull brittle coats, excessive shedding and sores from frequent scratching and biting." What You Can Do 1. Grooming Grooming is important. Regular brushing stimulates the lymph system , which involves the immune system and waste removal. One of the most common skin irritations is an allergic reaction to flea bites. Go over your pet with a flea comb at least once a month in the winter and at least once a week in the summer. Comb your pet with the flea comb starting at the neck and on to the chest, then remove hair from the comb onto a white paper towel or sheet of white paper. Look for fleas or for small dark grains that look like sand. These are probably flea feces. Fleas do not live on your pet 24 hours a day. They often jump off and hide in the carpets, then jump back on the pet to get their next meal. Check for ticks at the same time. Gently massage your pet all over, feeling for tiny bumps. If you find one, inspect it under a bright light and if it's a tick, remove it with tweezers. Frequent brushing during tick season can help to remove ticks that are crawling on the fur, but tweezers must be used to remove the attached ones. Regular bathing is important, but remember: too frequent shampooing can strip the natural oils from the skin. We recommend once a week bathing and shampooing for your pet if at all possible. 2. Pure Water Pets with skin and coat problems very often have their lymph system slowed down by the addition of too many toxins in the pet's body. The lymph system is the body's waste disposal system and is aided by various organs such as the liver and kidneys. Normal cell activity produces wastes which must be gotten rid of, and excessive wastes can come from food ingredients that are not easily digested or assimilated into the cells. Plus many toxins are in the body from such things as chemical preservatives, fillers in the foods, and other various ingredients which are not digestable....and from drinking impure water. Tap water contains chemicals like sodium fluoride and chlorine. These are not chemicals which contribute to your pet's health and thus when drank, they become waste that the animal must remove. Well water is often not properly tested or treated for the presence of bacteria/micro-organisms and there is usually a heavy concentration of minerals. We recommend giving your pet.....ONLY Distilled water. NOT bottled water. Distilled water is 99.9% pure and will not only ease the burden of chemicals being ingested, but will help to flush the liver, kidneys and lymph system of the wastes and allow these organs to have an easier time functioning. You can get distilled water at any local chain grocery or drug store. Remember: many skin problems are the result of too many wastes (toxins) in the boy that are not being flushed out. ****************************************** Our Plan of Action Involves: A. Eliminating the ingredients which may be contributing to skin and coat problems from coming in B. Using distilled water to help flush the wastes out C. Regular grooming and external skin care D. Providing a high quality food and supplement to help feed the skin and strengthen the immune system ********************************************** 3. Nutrition CJ Puotinen tells us, "Most skin conditions respond well to a complete change in diet....... Supplements are important because most pets with allergies have impaired digestion and need help assimilating nutrients from food...... Antioxidants are an allergic pet's allies." Fellow pet lover, it's just like this..... Do you really believe that by feeding your pet chemical preservatives like BHA & BHT, and Ethoxyquin ( all proven to be either carcinogenic or to cause liver & kidney damage) your pet is going to have healthy cells? The food we eat and the food our pets eat is what eventually becomes our cells and our tissue. Feed the cells a diet of chemical toxins and the wrong balance of minerals, and guess what's going to happen? What would happen to your child if you fed him or her a consistent diet of toxic chemicals, chocolate cake and ice cream, and soda pop? Your pet is no different! The skin is the largest organ in the body. Overload the lymph system and the liver with garbage and you're going to have a skin or another organ with problems. We can't put it any simpler. Go take a look at the label on what you're feeding your pet right now. Look for two things: A. The presence of chemical preservatives B. An over abundance of carbohydrates (corn, wheat, rice, etc) to meat protein sources. To have a food that feeds the cells the proper nutrition for dogs and cats, you should have a food that has at least 3 quality MEAT protein sources to every 2 carbohydrates. Get an over abundance of carbohydrates to proteins and your pet (dog or cat) is not getting the right balance of minerals and amino acids that they need to sustain optimum levels of health. Improper Nutrition + Chemical Preservatives + Impure Water EQUALS Poor Health ********************************************* Your pet's health and well being is your choice. We recommend: 1. Regular grooming & brushing. 2. Drinking Distilled water. 3. Switching your pet over to a food that contains no harmful chemicals and one that contains the right ratio of meat proteins to carbohydrates. 4. Supplementing the pet's diet with quality supplements that will "fill in the nutritional gaps" & help feed specific organs and tissue that have problems. 5. And as all of you already do: Give them as much love & affection as possible. |
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Dave and his furry companions, Tippy & Alfred, publish two |
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