Frequently Asked Questions

Your dog is a carnivore, even though he can eat vegetables, fruit, and grains. Dogs need a significant amount of animal-based protein in their diet, so feeding them a diet consisting mainly of muscle meat is advisable. Fresh organ meat such as liver, heart, or kidney supplies vital amino acids and other nutrients to your dog’s body. Dry kibble is the least desirable food, due to its high starch (sugar) content.

If your kitty is vomiting undigested food (it will look chunky, just like before she ate it), she most likely has an intolerance or sensitivity to something in the food. Many dry and canned cat foods have multiple ingredients, including at least two animal proteins (such as chicken and liver) or more, making it hard to pinpoint exactly what your cat can’t tolerate. Many preservatives, artificial dyes, and chemicals from factory farmed meats may be the culprit. Furthermore, grains and starches can be laden with pesticides and herbicides, making your cat intolerant to these ingredients.

Making your own food is only way to control what goes into your kitty’s body.

This is a complicated question, because there are many factors that play a part in allergies. An immune system that is out of balance is the problem; trying to “fix” it is the challenge.

A poor quality diet, over-vaccinating, reactions to chemical flea, tick, or heartworm preventatives, lawn chemicals and fertilizers, airborne mold, dust mites, and a multitude of things can cause havoc. Since most of the immune cells are in the intestinal tract, you should start with an appropriate diet, digestive enzymes, and probiotics.

Minimizing chemicals your dog is exposed to will help the toxic overload she may be experiencing. But each allergy case is unique, and I encourage pet parents to consult with a holistic veterinarian to get to the source of the allergies.

Horses who are stalled more than they’re turned out, are eating sugary, processed feed, on a rich pasture or are getting straight alfalfa hay, or are high-strung are at higher risk of colicking.

Horses were meant to eat throughout the day and night, walking miles per day to forage on sparse grass. When confined, or turned out in small pastures on thick grass and are getting processed feed, the risk for intestinal upsets increases greatly.

If your horses are eating on sandy ground, use hay feeders so they don’t accidentally ingest sand particles, which can lead to sand impactions.

Have your horse’s stools checked for parasites twice a year, and make sure they have heated water in the winter so they consume enough to prevent problems.

Ear infections are one of the most common things we veterinarians see on a daily basis. There are many factors that can lead to infections, such as dogs with narrow ear canals, dogs that swim and get water trapped in their ears, excess wax production, etc.

The most common cause for chronic ear infections is diet! Inflammation from starchy foods is probably the biggest (yet unrecognized) culprit for dirty, smelly ears.

Once your switch your dog to a homemade diet, the ear problems oftentimes go away on their own.

Diet, diet, diet. And I’m not referring to the overpriced, “prescription” diets that your veterinarian carries in the office.

Felines were designed to obtain most of their water consumption through eating prey. Since our house kitties don’t have opportunities to hunt and eat prey, they must be on a wet food to stay at a good level of hydration.

They’re just not great water drinkers, unless they have a kidney issue. If you’re feeding a dry cat food, your kitty is existing in a chronically dehydrated state. Dry foods also contain high amounts of starch, leading to inflammation anywhere in the body. So between dehydration and inflammation, the urinary tract is affected negatively.

Wet foods greatly decrease the chances for chronic UTIs.

There are many natural therapies and products that can help dogs with advanced arthritis and joint pain. First of all, make sure your dog is on a good homemade or commercially prepared fresh food diet.

Dry food, as mentioned in other comments here on the FAQ page, leads to increased inflammation. Arthritis = inflammation in the joints. Omega fatty acids,pharmaceutical-grade joint supplements, B-complex vitamins, essential oils, homeopathics, and CBD (hemp) oil can provide a good amount of comfort.

If your dog is severely immobilized or you’re not able to control his pain with natural products, a prescription medication from your veterinarian for strong pain control may be necessary. Quality of life is very important for our older pets, and even though I don’t like scripting out medications like this, I do not want the animal to suffer needlessly.