Thursday, December 3, 2015








To all Rescue Groups And Adopters with New Shelter Pets, PLEASE READ!

I see a lot of pets in shelters that are sick, injured, terrified or deemed aggressive (alot of times this is because of where they are at and not always normal behavior) or un-adoptable in shelters. One of the hardest things I see is, to find a home or rescue that can take in these pets. Some shelters are eager to kill as many as possible and others try to help find homes. No matter the reason, if you are adopting or pulling a cat or dog from a shelter, please read this so that you can safely help that pet began a new life.
I must say something about a post that I seen on Facebook the other day and it just made me cringe. A beautiful dog that was dirty and scared in a filthy shelter, was rescued. That was great news. But when the rescue group posted the freedom pic (less than 24 hours later), they also posted the Vet's findings and this is what I found startling.

I have removed the names of the clinic and group.


First visit with vet at ___ Animal Hospital. First overnight stay at The ____ boarding.

• Heartworm positive. Needs xrays and ultrasound to determine severity and treatment plan option(s). Given Nexguard and Heartguard to start and prevent further infestation.
• Tapeworm and roundworm positive. Deworm treatment given.
• Leg and hip limp appears due to allergy hotspot. Allergy injection given and ointment to be administered 3 times each day until healed.
• Possible food allergy. Vet recommends skin allergy food moving forward. Poor shelter food a possible factor to allergy breakout around mouth/muzzle.
• Spay appointment scheduled this week as she in intact.
• All vaccines given, now up-to-date.
• Will be microchipped this week.


Now did you notice anything wrong with this?
First of all, the dog is sick and its immune system is very weak. The shelter food has obviously taken a toll on this dog. So WHYYYYY vaccinate this dog now? Why spay this dog this week? Why microchip this dog this week? Why? Why? Why? This is horrible for this rescue group to do this. Please do not do this to any animal! What is the hurry? It will take time for this baby to heal in all instances. Rescues that do this, I will NEVER donate to.



First off, the dog getting checked out by a Vet immediately is great. The first thing to do with this dog is get it into a HOME..not a boarding facility. I cannot stand to see rescue groups pull a dog and stick them in boarding. Its costly and does not help that dog. Ok, if its for only a day or two then that's fine but I see a lot go into boarding and stay there for years. Then the rescue group no longer wants to pay for boarding and ends up leaving the dog there abandoned. I have been in rescue for years and I have seen this happen VERY often. It's as bad as someone leaving their dog in an abandoned house. DO NOT drop a dog off in boarding and leave it. Now this dog needs to go into a home environment. A foster home if she had not been adopted. Either way, A HOME!

Secondly, get this dog on some homemade food. Not a commercial pet food. Cooked or raw is what this dog needs. Also she will need some supplements to help build her immune system. After a few weeks or so, give the dog their rabies vaccine only. Continue with homemade diet and supplements. Treat hotspot with natural products such as Coconut oil (internal and external), calendula (topical), Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar (added into food) etc. Do not apply medications nor give steroid shots. It only makes it worse by putting a band aid on it. That's what steroids do. Treat the body as a whole, not the symptom. Once the dog becomes stable, has put on some weight and is on a healthy diet with no more hot spots or skin issues, schedule an appointment for a spay. DO NOT give any vaccines or other medications for other issues on this day.
DO NOT apply any types of flea and tick treatments. Use all natural. These are extremely deadly to pets and their are many reports of deaths. Here is a list of all natural products: click here. Find one that works best for you.

For Heartworm positive dogs, there are several ways to treat this. The safest way is all natural using herbs. Yes it will rid the heartworms along with all other parasites. No medications needed for this either. IF you feel you must use medications, you can use Doxycycline and Heartgard for the slow kill method. I myself recommend herbal treatments. YES THEY DO WORK!!! Do NOT under any circumstances use the injected Immiticide from Vets. This is a form of cyanide and this WILL put that pet in a high risk category of throwing/dislodging a worm and end up killing that pet. Also using those deadly injections, you must crate these dogs for months on end. Why do that to a dog? These injections are for the Vets pocket book only. Using all natural products, the dog can continue to live normally. Now you don't want them to go out and run a marathon or anything strenuous but playing around and being off leash is totally acceptable. The odds of throwing a worm are greatly reduced using all natural products. Always watch your pet when giving anything for the first day or so for any reactions but overall, most of the time things should go well.

Only Natural Pet Treatment for the dog mentioned above should be spread out over several months and be done separately along with building the immune system first. I see absolutely no hurry in loading this dog down with all of that garbage. It is NOT necessary and it upsets me to see such treatment of an animal.

I believe rescue groups should find safer ways to treat pets and to reduce costs. Yes it is much cheaper using all natural products and much much safer.

I have rescue dogs myself and treated 4 of them for Heartworms. It took 9 months to 1 yr to rid them of these but in the meantime, they lives a happy normal life without being crated.  Some herbs used work much quicker than that as I had used at the time the Doxy and Heartgard. I no longer use Heartgard either. I use all natural as a preventative and treatment. They will do both. You just will use more for heartworm positive dogs. I have never had a problem at all. One dog I adopted after it had had the injections and during the waiting period, she almost died because of these injections. Not only are they extremely expensive ($1,000+) but also unnecessary.

For people donating to help rescue groups, I think it is wonderful. They need it and spend a lot of time and money rehabbing and healing these furbabies..but ask them, what treatment are they using for Heartworm positive pets? Offer to pay for the natural products or make a donation towards it. Even buy the products yourself and ship it to them. Rescues should NOT be asking for thousands of dollars for the injections when treatment can be done cheaper and safer.

And rescue groups, you may get upset about this article but I am only saying it like it is. LEARN how to safely treat these animals and not overwhelm their immune systems. After all, we all want the same thing, a happy healthy pet and to find a good home. So please learn how to better care for these animals without draining funds and putting the pets immune system in a worse situation. For any help in doing this, feel FREE to email me. I would be more than happy to help you learn and guide you into a better treatment and life for these pets. I would love to share my knowledge with you. After all, I am hear to help the animals have a better life and better health.


~HOPS~

Friday, September 4, 2015

HAL PRICE SALE-If ever you should have an emergency, keep this in your wallet so that someone is able to find this card along with your ID. Make sure your babies are protected and cared for while you are away ill in hospital or in case of a fatality. Let's hope this never happens but statistics show, this WILL happen at some point in a persons life. So protect your pets by alerting someone that you have pets at home that need help in case you can't be there.

Sunday, January 11, 2015




           Vet Checks with Injuries and Arthritis

It seems alot of times when you suspect a joint issue or lameness in your dog, you take your dog into the Vet Clinic. I find alot of times people come to me after they have taken their dog in and the Vet never did X-rays but yet diagnoses the dog with arthritis in the hips or whatever joint is hurting without doing X-rays. If you suspect a problem with a joint, it should be x-rayed immediately so that you know what you are dealing with. You cannot treat something if you don't have the correct diagnosis. This happens so many times that it frustrates the Vets that actually DO care about their patients and do get x-rays right away so they know how to treat the dog.
For example, your dog is limping and you are concerned so you take your dog to the Vet and the vet says, "Oh your dog has sprained its wrist" or "Your dog has arthritis" and sends you home with pain meds. REALLY? Is this your kind of Vet? If so, find a new one right away. This Vet not only put you off, but didn't have a care in the world on how to help your dog.

If you find your Vet doing this, request x-rays. Don't wait for your Vet to suggest it. You need a proper diagnosis to be able to treat the dog correctly.
I am finding this happening alot and it really has me concerned for pet parents. This is why I want you to know so that when/if you walk into a clinic one day with a lame dog, you will know what to do and what to expect. If for any reason your Vet is not willing to work with you on ALL levels, by all means find a new one. They are a dime a dozen. Just because you like them cause they are polite to you or nice to your dog doesn't make them an ideal Vet. You are the one paying the Vet Bill. It is YOUR dog. You have every say so on what happens when you walk through those doors. Same goes for your children and so does it for your pets.

So once you get your correct diagnosis, make a plan on making some changes for your dog. Feed premium canned food or better yet..homemade (preferably raw) diet. Do not feed grains or carbs like potatoes of any kind. Reduce all vaccines. Stay with only a 3 yr rabies and if your dog is ill or in bad shape, have your vet sign a waiver to remove the rabies as well. Remember though, if anything happens like your dog bites someone, your dog will most likely be taken from you and quarantined for up to 6 months. So always weigh your options. Do not vaccinate a pet with a weakened immune system..EVER! Do not vaccinate on the same day of having any surgery. Do not give antibiotics unless absolutely needed. Only certain antibiotics are acceptable with arthritis as well. Doxycycline is acceptable and also helps reduce inflammation in joints. The antibiotics most associated with drug induced lameness are sulfa drugs, erthromycin, penicillins, and cephalosporins.

Having What You Need

Make sure you have all the right supplements for your dog including a joint supplement. In these supplements, make sure there isn't any preservatives or artificial fillers or additives. Find a good mix of substances. Giving JUST glucosamine isn't your best bet. I find supplements that have a combination of good ingredients work the best. Add in a high quality fish/krill oil, coconut oil, Ester C (sodium ascorbate) along with a mix of herbs. Boswellia, Devils Claw, & Turmeric work well.  Add milk thistle to help filter the liver from all the toxins in his/her body. If your dog is limping, a moist heat pack 3 times a day for 15-20 minutes helps relieve some of the pain and inflammation. In winter its great for helping with stiff joints. Keep your dog warm so the joints won't ache too much.

Massaging your dog can be a rewarding and bonding time for you and your dog. Try to give a daily massage for at least 5 or 10 minutes. You can never massage too much. Do it several times a day if you have a few minutes extra out of your day. For extreme pain, give the pain meds you received from the vet. Try not to give them any longer than 2 weeks. Actually NSAID's break down cartilage and make the joints even worse so try to stay away from these as much as possible but please, if your dog is in horrible pain, by all means. give them to him/her. Adequan works well also when you have a dog that's down. It takes up to 4 weeks to kick in but it is well worth it once you get the body primed with it. Giving injections at home is much cheaper. Check with your Vet about getting you an RX for possibly ordering online as it is cheaper that way most of the time. If my Vet gave them, it would cost me $35 a shot. If I give them at home, its about $15-$20 a month. Well worth learning how to give one. Have your Vet show you how.

If you have a knee injury or a in need of a back brace or harness lifts, check into braces, splints and/or harness lifts. Also you can purchase a magnetic bed for your dog. I find my dogs like it and they enjoy laying on it. I think it has helped my dogs.

One thing I want to mention, don't let your dog jump off of beds, couches, out of vehicles or jumping at any extent if your dog is in pain. I never let my special needs girl jump out of my vehicle or in playing. I lift all 70 lbs of her and sit her down on the ground. When she gets in the truck, I put her front feet on the seat and support her rear evenly and lift her to get her even with the seat then let her move forward to get in the back seat. You may find a ramp or something to do this alot easier but this is what I do. She doesn't move without me helping her either. She knows the routine. Rest works well for an arthritic hurting dog. Once the pain has subsided, take daily short walks. You can work up to further walks but do not push it.

If you have a doggie door, make sure it fits your dog properly. A dog constantly ducking its head or having to squeeze through a small door will make the problems much worse. Keep slick floors covered with rugs so your dog won't slip or have to work hard to stay on all fours. Water therapy works very well. Its one of the best things you can do for an arthritic or injured dog. Don't forget your chiropractors and acupuncturist. There are so many things you CAN do to help your dog. And it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Find what works for you and your dog and work at helping him/her be a happy pup again.

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