Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) In Cats

Terms: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in cats, Feline Irritable Bowel Disease

If your cat has been diagnosed with feline inflammatory bowel disease or IBD, this is a term that describes a variety of gastrointestinal disorders which can occur in the small or large intestine or stomach. While the diagnoses is characterized by inflammation of the mucosal lining in the digestive tract, pet owners may simply observe symptoms such as weight loss, vomitting, lack of appetite or diarrhea. Some cats can have the opposite effect of severe constipation.

What can be frustrating to pet owners is that their cat may have eaten a variety of foods for many years and now with age, the cat is displaying this intestinal discomfort. For some cats, the symptoms appear when they are young kittens but many times, it appears in older cats. Sometimes the symptoms can be a sign of another health disorder such as pancreatitis, kidney disease, intestinal lymphoma, for example, so it is very important to see your veterinarian right away if your cat is displaying any of these symptoms. Please don't just disregard it as simple pickiness or hairballs, there could be an underlying serious problem.

Cats with Inflammatory bowel disease can often respond well to dietary changes. I have spoken with many cat owners who for years were feeding lower quality (albeit popular name--well advertised) commercial brands that unfortunately were fooled by the great "healthy" advertising. Who hasn't seen some of those great commercials of beautiful kitties eating out aof a crystal dish? Unfortunately, many companies that advertise so well often have some of the worst ingredients.

What are the culprits that can contribute to your cat's inflammatory bowel disease? Well...years of eating foods that contain grains such as wheat, corn, rice, etc as well as lower quality meat proteins containing hormones and antibiotics can do it. Why was wheat gluten added to many cat foods in the first place? The purpose was to fool you as the consumer that your kitty was getting more protein. Look for grain-free foods and even consider giving your kitty the benefits of a raw food diet.

The best supplements that will help your kitty heal from IBD can be found on this link:
http://www.askariel.com/pages.asp?pid=ibd_in_dogs_and_cats At a minimum, try the Probiotic--we have never had a cat that wouldn't eat this on their food. It is pretty much tasteless and will help rebalance the flora in your kitty's intestinal tract. Also, for diarrhea, Soothing Digestive Relief will really help firm up your cat's stool. Tegricel Colostrum and the Notatum/Roqueforti combination will help to bring about long-term healing of your cat's intestinal lining. For best results, you may want to consider a telephone consultation to be sure you are using the correct supplements and using the best diet program for your particular cat's symptoms.

Head Tremors--Holistic Pet Care Helped!

Pictured above is my boy Bleu, a 6 year old Siberian husky who is full of energy. Today is the 3 month anniversary of Bleu's last head tremor which is truly amazing and a testimonial to the power of holistic pet care!!! A canine head tremor is very frightening to witness, especially the first time. It is very common in certain breeds such as doberman pinschers and bulldogs but can occur in any breed. Essentially, the dog has involuntary bobbing of his head and it shakes uncontrollably--very upsetting for the dog and owner.

In June, during a busy time of year, Bleu walked over to me after a long day and his head was bobbing. At first, I thought he was just anxious or nervous. But as the head tremor continued, I quickly realized he had no control--his head would not stop bobbing. He looked just like one of those bobbing dog toys. What was also odd was that he was completely conscious, looking straight at me and yet it was as though his head had a mind of its own. It went away, to my relief after a few minutes and I thought it was just all the stress--after all, we just had a slab leak following a houseful of guests for my stepdaughter's graduation.

Three weeks later, it happened again. This time, no stress in the household. Then, the intervals started getting shorter. I researched online, had lots of tests done--nothing. I found out that this involuntary head tremor might be somehow related to either abnormal calcium fluctuations or low blood sugar--both conditions that can give a dog or person "the shakes" or tremors. In my initial attempts to control the situation, we saw a slight improvement in that the tremors, which had been coming more frequently were stabilizing, but they were still coming. However, as time progressed and I stuck religiously ot his supplement and diet regimen, the tremors stopped. We did not use medication (there is no medication for this) but consistently using calcium, parathyroid support, a hypoallergenic diet and Digestzymes. When one night I didn't give him his enzymes, he had a tremor the next morning. What this told me was that consistency was everything. This is the same with treating pets that have diabetes or epilepsy--timing and consistency in giving food and supplements is critical.

It also shows that even when there is no hope, there are answers in holistic veterinary care that might not occur with conventional veterinary care. My understanding is that many pet owners who have pets with this condition have spent thousands of dollars on testing and just like in our case, the tests find nothing. What I can say in Bleu's case, is that the results speak for themselves. If anyone you know ever encounters this head tremors or head bobbing or even other neurological conditons such as epilepsy, please encourage them to schedule an appointment with us at http://www.askariel.com/ We would be happy to help.

Dog Scratching, Itching and Chewing

Is your dog scratchng and itching? Is your dog's coat dry? Our Dog Skin Package can really help and is on sale now. When dogs are scratching and itching, most owners immediately assume it is from fleas. It is important to bring your dog to the veterinarian for an exam to ensure it is not fleas or parasites which can definitely cause itching. However, once these have been ruled out, many times the issue is food allergies and poor digestion from the diet. Many dry foods such as dry kibble contain grains such as wheat, corn and rice which can cause dogs to scratch and itch. Even hypoallergenic diets can contain too many carbohydrates which can lead to yeast overgrowth and your dog continually scratching and itching.

Moreover, even if you are using a premium raw food diet, dogs may scratch from environmental allergies too. The first line of defense is a powerful Omega 3 fish oil. Amazing Omegas is highly purified, potent and backed by research. Within just a few days, dogs will start to have a lustrous sheen to the fur and new hair will start growing in. This omega oil is really special and the results are dramatic. The Notatum helps to reduce inflammation and infection and the Proaller helps reduce scratching, itching and endless chewing in dogs. Many pet owners report that they are finally able to get a good nights sleep after using this terrific combination as their dog can finally rest and stop endless scratching, itching and chewing.

Save now on our Dog Skin Care Package which helps reduce redness, reduces scratching and itching and helps heal sores and bumps. Great for Pets With Allergies.Save 15% Through Saturday December 5th Sale Price: $59.75 Regular Price: $69.95

Click here to order the Pet Skin Package

SAVE ON PET SUPPLEMENTS--FREE SHIPPING TODAY!

FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $50!

Help your pet with holistic care. Save on your pet supplements by taking advantage of this terrific offer. Visit http://www.askariel.com/ today and find natural pet supplements for a variety of pet health conditions such as cat kidney disease (CRF), dog arthritis, canine cancer, elevated liver enzymes, dog itching and scratching and so much more. We have a full library of information on a variety of pet health conditions explaning how you can help your pet using holistic natural care.

As a way to say thank you to all of our loyal clients, Ask Ariel is offering FREE SHIPPING today Thursday November 26th--Thanksgiving Day.To take advantage of this first-time special offer, please use coupon code "freeship" at checkout. Please note that orders must be over $50 to qualify. You will see the shipping charge included and then subtracted out of your total. Please note only one coupon may be used at a time. This coupon cannot be combined with any other offer.

Benefits of Raw Pet Food--Natures Variety HooRAW Extravaganza!

Click on above invitation to see details

If you live in Southern California and have heard about the benefits of raw pet food but weren't sure if it was right for your pet, please come to our FREE seminar on Saturday December 5th at the Holiday Inn in Lake Forest from 10:30am - 12:00. We want to spread the word about holistic veterinary medicine, raw pet food and help some homeless dogs too. Michele England from Natures Variety will be discussing how raw food is made and the benefits for pets. Susan Blake Davis, Pet Nutritionist will be discussing holistic veterinary medicine and nutritional supplemens for pets and Dr. David Gordon, holistic veterinrian will be discussing acupuncture and chiropractic for pets. Dr. Gordon and Susan Davis offer telephone and inperson appointments to pet owners all over the world. To learn more, click here.

There will be a Question and Answer Panel at the end to allow for plenty of questions! Great prizes and a raffle to benefit Ariel Rescue, a nonprofit charity that saves the lives of homeless dogs from shelters in impoverishd areas. Please RSVP to mengland@naturesvariety.com or call 619-602-7013

Bad Dog Breath---Causes, Supplements and Treatments

Dogs like this one are so loveable and cute....until you smell their breath. When dogs have bad breath, many owners have a tendency to "humanize" the symptom and think they just need a doggie "breath mint". Please don't! Bad dog breath does mean something and usually it is a sign of digestive trouble. Bad dog breath is a condition that needs to be addressed and can be fixed easily--you just have to figure out the root cause. The primary reasons dogs get bad breath:

1) teeth need cleaning OR 2) poor digestion and stomach issues

However, it can be caused by other serious conditons as well such as kidney disease so a simple symptom can have very serious causes that warrant attention.
If your dog has bad breath, take a look at the last time you had your dog's teeth cleaned. There is now anesthesia- free cleaning available at most pet stores and some veterinarian offices which you can explore other than having to anesthetize your dog every time you want to get his or her teeth cleaned. If the teeth are clean, then you need to look at what you are feeding your dog. Kibble, for one can expand in their stomach and be hard to digest. Is your dog having gas and diarrhea too? This is often the case. Poor digestion is directly linked to bad breath as well as skin problems too---you need to change the food.

Try a hypoallergenic food and avoid some of the key allergens mentioned previously on the blog such as corn and grains. A raw diet using novel proteins might also help.

But bad dog breath is also an area where supplements will really help. Take a look at our Bad Dog Breath Kit.

It may seem silly but this combination of three terrific formulas--Probiotic, Soothing Digestive Relief and Vitamineral Green can really make a difference. The Probiotic provides the good bacteria helping to rebalance your pet's digestive flora in the mouth as well as in the intestinal tract, the Vitamineral Green acts like nature's alkalizer and deodorizer and the Soothing Digestive Relief helps the food move through your dog's digestive tract in a healthy manner. What is it you are really smelling? Well....it is bacteria arising from undigested food that is fermenting in your dog's stomach and intestinal tract. So.....the more you can help improve your dog's digestion, the better off you all will be.

Worried About Losing Your Pet? Is your dog acting like an "old dog"?Try Resveratrol Synergy

From the moment we get them, we worry, we worry, we worry. How long will my pet be with me? How long will my pet live? For the first time, there is a promising new anti-aging supplement that is backed by research. Resveratrol Synergy is a powerful antioxidant this is being heavily researched at top universtities. Resveratrol Synergy is an exciting new product that is specially formulated to help you and your pet live with energy and vitality. Resveratrol Synergy
is especially indicated for the following pets:

1) senior pets
2) pets that are acting sluggish
3) pets that are acting "old"and slowing down
4) pets with cancer
5) pets with cardiovascular (heart disease)
6) pets that have always acted "more mellow" than should be

Pets with heart disease can greatly benefit from Resveratrol Synergy as well as it helps to improve blood flow. Dosages are small so this product is very economical and will last the average large breed pet owner several months.

Instead of worrying about your pet's longevity, take action and give them something that will help. Of course, feeding a nutritious diet and using Omega 3s and vegetables is important, but Resveratrol Synergy is definitely worth a try. We are not aware of side effects and only hear wonderful reports of increased energy and joie de vie (zest for life!