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May 3rd, 2004. The day I gave one of the
most unique friends I have ever had the pleasure to love back
to the Lord. My beautiful Labrador dog, Oso.
Update: Oso actually lived nearly 15 years and 6 months! I can’t
believe it. A close friend just found her birth certificate
and I checked it for her birth date (Dec. 9th, 1989). She is
a year old than I originally thought. So that makes her 108
years old. Wow. Thanks for hanging in there just for me Oso.
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Roger ran up the
weather beaten stairs of my little bungalow like living
quarters and called out to me in a panic to come quickly.
My heart was immediately in my throat intuitively knowing
it could only be one of my dogs in serious trouble for
this retiree to get so worked up. Roger confirmed my concern
by relating what he saw. “Todd, Todd something’s
wrong with Oso. She keeps falling over when she tries
to walk!” I had my shoes on in 5 seconds flat as
Roger talked in an unfamiliar pinched voice. He knew how
close I was to this dog of mine. Strangely, it was he
who graciously gave Oso to me nearly 6 short years previously
as he knew I loved her and could take better care of her.
Roger and I took a quick glance from the balcony down
at Oso as we spoke. “Todd, you gotta get down there
and give her some water quick and wet her down. Get her
out of the heat.” No doubt, this was an extreme
emergency.
As chance would have it, we broke some heat wave records
that week and this happened to be the worst day in so
many months I can’t even remember the last time
it was that hot. I believe it was 102 degrees in Brea,
and we are up in the dry hills to boot. My poor Oso. I
knew with just that quick glance that she had suffered
her second stroke in 4 months. I raced down the stairs
and through the gate blowing pass my Golden Retriever
Tabby standing still in amazement. In retrospection, I
can only wonder if Tabby had tried to help Oso out by
attempting to waken our lazy attention on this blistering
hot day. I can only wonder if Tabby was crying aloud in
their dog pen, begging for help from someone….anyone
to come to her best friend’s aid, Oso. Yes, I would
like to think she did and more and that I just didn’t
hear her.
I sprinted up to Oso, kicking dirt in a frantic scramble
as she wavered back and forth before I scooped her heavyweight
size body into my arms. I looked into her eyes to find
what I had feared-darting, even dancing eyes that shot
back and forth. Oso, was in the midst of her second full
blown stroke while her Papa relaxed in his bed from a
late night of computer research completely unaware. I
hold myself 100% responsible for putting her through the
pain. I should have had my butt up and out of bed checking
to see how the dogs were getting along in such blistering
heat. I had *absolutely* no idea whatsoever we were in
for such a scorching swelter. That’s no excuse!
We pet owners must be cognizant that our animals are very
susceptible to drastic changes in climate. The whole week
was hot. I don’t have a leg to stand on. I should
have been there for my Oso earlier. No excuses.
 Her
body was stiff as a brick and her tongue hanged out so
far my own jaw dropped with anguish. I hobbled up the
stairs to my living quarters and smashed through the door
accidentally as I prepared to unleash my clenching grip
on her incredibly rigid body. We both collapsed onto the
living room floor. I called out to my housemate in the
shower, “Get her some water and a sheet. NOW! Oso
is having a heat stroke! Moments before she was standing
up, crunched up into a tight stance and breathing incessantly.”
Bless my housemate, she was both extremely concerned for
Oso and at the same time quick to bring the water. Thank
God, Oso didn’t drop into a coma, collapse and die
on the spot. This dog was a fighter, the likes I have
never seen before! I spent the next 1 hour feeding her
water and wetting her heat soaked coat down with cool
liquid. I massaged her when I felt she started to “come
back” to me and show some alertness.
Then one of the worse conversations of my life ensued
over the next hour and a half. It was torture and you
pet owners know what I went through if you have ever contemplated
the prospect of euthanasia for a loved one. “Should
I? Or should I not? Was this the appropriate time to
let Oso “go?” Was her brain affected in a
way that would keep her unable to balance and feed herself?”
She was 14.4 years old. 100 on the dot in “dog years.”
She suffered a stroke nearly 4 months earlier and Oso
and I executed her comeback with The Lord’s help
as a team. It worked! She had suffered a similar blow
late one night when I discovered her falling down repeatedly.
I’m convinced her behavior and actions were identical
to today’s. Oddly, they were in the exact same location
as she aimed her body toward the comfort of her dog house
only 3 feet away. Both times unable to transcend that
gap. Strokes can do that. The first stroke, although somewhat
severe and unequivocally linked to the second, allowed
me to test the transmission of brain signals to her muscles
via limb movements and ultimately unassisted walking.
She would repeatedly fall down by herself just after that
*first* stroke. What was really strange was that she would
always fall in a motion that made her head contact the
grass first. Strange, and definetly another potential
problem and future challenge in and of itself.
I had told my housemate and Roger, the former owner of
Oso, that I would let her “go” just as soon
as *OSO* gave me the signal. Not when others felt that
she is too old, but when *Oso* decided she was just too
old to care about going on with life. That I would let
her go just as soon as she didn’t hop around when
she knew it was time for her massage. Just as soon as
she no longer went “bonkers” when Tabby and
I came back from our walks to meet Oso comfortably waiting
for the two of us. Just as soon as she didn’t take
delight in eating her raw meat and snapping bones like
peanut brittle. I told everyone that I would let her “go”
just as soon as she darn well wanted to be let “go.”
And not a moment early. Would you let a love one “go”
like your mom or dad simply because they breathed heavy,
didn’t have the strength they used to, and had difficulty
walking and running? No of course you would not. Because
they still got their brains, for crying out loud! Likewise,
if in my opinion I felt Oso’s cognitive ability
was still functioning fine and she was not otherwise in
considerable physical pain, then she would remain an integral
part of our family until she said otherwise. Just the
night before she passed away, I had found my old pal Daisy
running around the neighborhood. I called her over and
she happily jumped into the car for a 5 house ride to
my place. I wanted to show my housemate this funny Boston
Terrier I had mentioned from time to time. After I let
Daisy run down the stairs and pass the dog pen, Oso erupted
into a series of barks at Daisy. I was both surprised
and proud. Oso really was never much of a barker. But
she was occasionally compelled to when she wanted out
to see what another dog was doing moseying around her
yard. This just goes to show myself and others that care
that Oso was in fine shape both mentally and physically
just the night before she passed away forever.
 I
had told my housemate for the last two and a half years
that if she (my housemate) really thought Oso was ready
to go, to tell me. Obviously I was admittedly very biased
and wanted to keep Oso with me for as long as possible.
But if my housemate truly though Oso would be in a better
place than here on earth with her Papa Todd, to tell me
honestly. Fast forward to December of 2003, her 14th Birthday,
I actually said out loud that Oso would probably only
make it to her 15th birthday. That I couldn’t foresee
anything further for her. But if she hit 15 and continued
to have joy in her heart, that again I would happily continue
to wait longer for her exit signal. After much contemplation
and a lot of tears of sadness, I had made the decision.
Actually, my housemate for the first time ever gave me
“the nod.” She felt Oso was ready to go. I
looked into Oso’s darting eyes after she had calmed
her breathing and talked with her for a long time. Asking
her what she felt and what she wanted. Of course, I only
had her body language to work with.
It was excruciatingly difficult. Once again, just as we
had together orchestrated a comeback from her first stroke,
I felt The Lord breath new life into Oso. Her tongue was
completely back into her mouth. Her mandible was completely
closed and she breathed cooled air quietly through her
nose. Her heart beat also became somewhat regular.
Yes, again my great Oso bear was battling back, but much
quieter this time. Or was she? It is very difficult for
me to relate all the range of emotions I went through
and in the chronological order they occurred. Suffice
it to say, the whole event was so surreal and scary it
is still difficult to grasp everything that happened some
time later. I had been reminded by two overwhelming facts
that in the end shaped my decision to ultimately agree
with my housemate. 1. Oso was 100 dog years old. And 2.
Strokes, although they affect and involve a myriad of
tissues including muscles, they can and often do have
wide sweeping affects on the brain’s ability to
function properly. I had often felt Oso was always up
to the challenge with respect to any physical challenges
she started to face in her last 2.5 years. It was #2 that
closed the door on this remarkable dog’s long, beautiful
life that had started way back with the inception of the
1990’s.
 The
decision to let her go was in a sense made up for me.
We were both just too darn concerned that her brain may
have been affected too much this time. After Oso’s
first stroke it took 2 weeks of massage and using my magnetic
pulser to encourage her head to align straight on her
neck and shoulders. It would take another month of manually
working together to deter her body from wanting to fall
over after walking for several minutes straight. Shortly
after that she was back to her trademark bursts of energy
that would see her run across the lawn. But this time,
May 3rd, 2004 was different. My intuition had told me
even previous to the second stroke that this very well
could be Oso’s last year. Refreshing my memory just
how long it took Oso to recover from her first stroke,
well it was a sobering thought I rather not think of.
It was very hard. As it would be for anyone who was about
to lose a best friend they had relied on in the best of
times….. and in the worse of times. That was my
Oso and Tabby. I could ALWAYS depend on them to listen
to me as long as I needed to talk. To pick me up when
I had fallen. And to encourage a smile in me with something
silly they’d do when only moments earlier I had
been wearing around a frown all day long. My Oso and My
Tabby could do that. They could make me forget about reality,
forget about all those life challenges that I simply didn’t
think I had the strength to endure.
My gracious housemate made the calls to the Vets in order
to schedule euthanasia for Oso. I just couldn’t
talk on the phone and asked if she would be kind enough
to also answer any of the questions the Vet had if presented
when we arrived. I was in no shape to talk in a comprehendible
manner. I was also reminded of something I had wanted
to do this very month.I wanted to take a new picture with
Tabby and Oso as well as myself to use as a promotional
flyer for my pooper scooper business as well as on my
website. I had it all planned out.
We would use the backyard, I would where a Tuxedo (my
company name is The Poop Butler) and the dogs would be
positioned by my side. Sadly, that pictured would never
be snapped. I had only wanted to honor Oso, but instead
I took some very fast, last minute photos downstairs to
remember her by before we ushered her off to the Vet.
Although her head was tilted to the right, which is common
after a stroke, we were able to snap off a few photos.
My face looked very swollen and my eyes looked like they
had seen 15 rounds. I haven’t seen the photos yet,
and can only pray that at least one or two show Oso &
myself looking happy. After a stroke? In 103 temperature?
I know it sounds like I’m “out of my cotton
picking mind”, but if anyone could look happy in
this dire situation, Oso just may have been that very
dog. I’m just too shocked by the whole event to
develop the pictures right now. It doesn’t matter
really. What does, is that I was able to spend a few more
memorable minutes with Oso and Tabby in the backyard lawn
one last time like we had thousands of times before.
Oso road very quietly in the back of our car. It was kind
of strange. She really wasn’t panting much like
she normally would. Especially considering the heat of
that day. I cried the entire way. I had no tears of joy.
They were all tears of grief and anger at myself for not
paying closer attention to Oso’s needs on that steaming
hot day. I was already convinced years ago that it would
be very hard for me to let this exceedingly unique, extremely
loyal dog breath her last breathe. I had always known
that it would be ME that would ultimately take it from
her. She was tuff as nails. She was not going to take
her own last breath, fall over and die. No way. This dog
was the original Comeback Kid. Somebody would have to
*take* her breath away from her because she convinced
me long ago that she would forever keep herself alive
just to see me happy. Sadly, I wholeheartedly agreed that
one day that particular *somebody* would be me. Let me
be blunt. That *I* would have to take her last breath
away from her MYSELF. That I would have to be the one
to march Oso to her grave. Everyone that had known Oso
knew she was semi-indestructible. And as such they knew
I would be “the caretaker”. Something I have
dreaded for years. The inevitable. Something I was reminded
of for the last 2 to 3 years. Frequently being reminded
by her former owners what Oso’s age was. I knew
all those small facts and a lot more. I knew this dog
in ways that some people may never even know their own
significant others. I’m proud of that.
 I
sat for 10 minutes with Oso outside the Vet’s under
a large, cool awning. Only moments before anxiously confirming
an earlier fear I had. That Oso would attempt to place
her head on the ground before any other body part when
I slowly let her down from my arms towards the ground.
I decided I would give it a go just to hopefully collect
some invaluable last minute closure to the decision I
was about to make. I felt so very many feelings and memories
race through my mind, panic evident across my face &
in my body language as I caved into the inevitable reality
that the EXACT day in my and Oso’s lives had come
after years of waiting. I was extra hurt at that very
moment because I confirmed there was absolutely no way
she could walk, let alone stand. What I had feared at
the house was that Oso’s brain had *possibly* been
effected as it was (temporarily/permanently?) with the
first stroke. This was obvious now and confirmed. However,
no one…and I mean no one will ever know whether
Oso’s faculties were effected temporarily or permanently.
In my heart I believe is the answer. That my Oso would
have battled back yet again. That through our collective
love for each other and the help of our “therapy
dog” Tabby, that Oso would once again come roaring
back with a wagging tail and a smile on her face. I truly
still feel the pain as I watch my remaining Tabby dog
look around in bewilderment where her “stable mate”
had suddenly disappeared to. This is truly saddening for
both myself and of course Tabby. For it was not just I
who lost a best friend, but also my Golden Retriever,
Tabby. To see Tabby run down their dog path until reaching
the gate to wait for me, and see her quickly turn around
to wait for the slower Oso to come trotting along is heartbreaking.
Tabby has gone from sniffing around the dog pen to find
Oso, to displaying feelings of lose, withdrawal and sadness.
I honestly never would have thought such an independent
dog like Tabby was capable of such deep feelings. Lose
is real. And we both feel the pain. As blessed as I am,
I may have Tabby another 6 great years!
So why did I do what I did? Why did I cry my head off,
clutching Oso for the last time as she lay completely
still….even blissful on the doctor’s table?
Why did I give the ok to administer lethal injection in
her veins? Why did I hug her one last time, turn around
in pain, and walk away from her never to see her gray
muzzle poke out of her dog house again? And why did I
agree in effect to take Oso away from her favorite dog
friend, never to see Tabby again? Why did I essentially
agree to massage her only one last time on the very day
of her passing, May 3rd, 2004? And why did I consciously
choose to give her back to The Lord? Why? Some days I
just don’t know.
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| Oso
Taught Me 5 Important Aspects About Life: |
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 That
if I blink, life will pass me by.
Through Oso, I vicariously have learned to “seize
the day” as was preached in the movie Dead Poets
Society. I have learned first hand from watching Oso slowly
wind down like a clock in her later years, that enjoying
those I love while I still have them is of paramount importance.
 What
it feels like being 100% responsible for another life.
Along with my Tabby dog, Oso furthered my working understanding
about what all goes into being completely 100% *responsible*
for another living, breathing being other than myself.
It is both a humbling and deeply rewarding feeling knowing
my dogs totally depend on me.
 How
I feel about animals.
Animals are more than capable of closing the gap and making
up the difference between lonliness & happiness in
a person’s life. So much so, that I truly hope people
place them near the top of their list if they can commit
15 years to another breathing, caring animal. Smiles abound.
 How
I feel about other people.
That although I love people in general, I am quite disturbed
just how negligent they can be at times towards the ones
they love. This of course does not only include their
own pets, but also their significant others. For this
very reason I now offer dog walking for dogs in need.
 How
I feel about myself.
I learned so much about myself through this dog’s
life, and in her death. Of course my Tabby dog is also
included, as I have learned much from her as well. It
is simply too personal to shed any further light on this.
If you are close to your pets, you know what I am talking
about. |
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| What I Will Miss About My Beautiful Oso (Merely A Sample) |
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How she and my
Tabby dog would lift me up so high, when I was feeling
oh so low. I had lost my business, my girlfriend, exhausted
my financial reserves in a failed business venture, and
to add insult to injury-needed to “bunk up”
with my blessed best friend David Jeffrey Brown. David
and Andrew Vincent Nieves got things going in the right
direction for me. But it wasn’t until I had adopted
both Tabby and Oso that my life was securely back on track.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to The Lord for providing
these pieces of the puzzle in my comeback. Oso and Tabby
provided just what I needed, just when I needed it. They
loved me unconditionally. While others ran *from* me,
Oso and Tabby *ran* to me. I learned vicariously through
them that to concentrate on others peoples needs and our
pets, that we completely realize with open eyes just how
blessed in fact we really are.
 All
the times she would stick her gray muzzle out of her dog
house with Tabby when I came outside in the pouring rain
to check up on them. Didn’t matter how hard it was
raining, they would just come out running knowing their
Papa would give them loving care and fun play time in
the dry solace of our shed. It’s heart breaking
to know that Tabby and I will be doing that all alone
without Oso. We will not forget you Oso!
The “Hero’s Welcome” that she and my
Tabby dog would always throw me when I arrived home in
my car. Sheesh, you would almost think I never gave these
dogs a lick of attention at all. Of course there couldn’t
be anything further from the truth. And therein lies the
answer. They often went completely bonkers practically
pitching a conniption fit when I arrived because they
knew if they would give me an agility performance that
I would surely reciprocate with allowing them out of their
pen so they could go “hog wild”. Believe me,
it almost takes some getting used to seeing your dogs
go so crazy happy that their practically doing cartwheels
just because you came home from the market.
Massaging Oso. Plenty an hour gone by spent in quality
time with her. We commonly attempted to work through her
physical challenges. Didn’t matter in the end if
I ever obtained results or not though (I did). What she
really wanted was my loving attention. Anything else was
icing on the cake. But she enjoyed her massages and so
did I! She needed someone to care for her, and I needed
someone to care for. And care about. “Oso, papa
will miss massaging you nearly every day of the week.
I am very, very sorry that it was too little too late.
But I was so excited and proud when you finally let me
know in your own special way that the reason you always
looked at the ground when you walked was because your
neck muscles were so overly contracted.
I sincerely say “thank you” for allowing me
to correct that for you through massage. I can not tell
you what happiness you gave me to finally see you able
to consistently hold your head high, look straight into
my eyes and wage your tail with joy whenever I would come
to let you pups out of your pen.”
Walking and running with her in the Brea Cleveland National
Forest foothills with Tabby on the “point”.
Our backyard and ole stomping grounds here. Where Oso,
Tabby and myself would run around in circles without the
limits of leashes or the concerns of cars. Some good little
trials that we shared memories on. My heart was broken
when I finally gave up the idea of taking her up in the
hills anymore due to her growing chest and shoulder pain.
Glucosamine & Chrondrotin were of marginal help as
I believe the problems were only distantly correlated
with her joint movement. The day later came that I decided
she no longer could weather walks around the block was
another blow. She was aging. But this dog just “kept
on keeping on”. The ability to fight on with a smile
on her face and a tongue hanging out of her mouth was
contagious.
 Just
how badly she wanted to always run in the yard. Because
of the growth in her chest, it really created a breathing
problem for her when she overexerted herself. It may have
been heart worm. I only had her ingesting parasite herbs
for a very short time sadly and blame myself for not acquiring
the knowledge to do this earlier. Guys, please take responsibility
for helping your own pets. Doctors and Vets simply don’t
care about them like we do. Educate yourself and then
ACT! Later, that very same chest problem dove-tailed into
a shoulder problem that really deterred her from running
around freely. But I digress. What was real heartwarming
was when she would regularly decide to mentally forget
about the pain and just break into full blown sprints
that came out of nowhere. At an out of shape 65 pounds,
this black Labrador would put a smile on even the saddest
face. She was just funny like that. When other dogs were
around she would give it a go for a few minutes. Wobble
around in measured pain for awhile afterwards, only to
typically follow it up with down right quick blasts of
energy. Smiles.
She was such a lover. She was a black Labrador, so you
know this to be basically true across the board for this
breed. It’s no wonder why Labs and Golden Retrievers
are 2 of the most popular dogs in the US. They live up
to their reputation as lovable, gregarious animals that
live their lives to bring joy to the family that owns
them. You simply can’t go wrong with these 2 breeds.
My other pup is a beautiful Retriever. If you are looking
for a family dog that is also good with kids, look no
further.
What made my Labrador Oso so special was that she thought
she was a 65 pound “lap dog.” You know-the
small 10 pound dogs that typically like to sleep at the
end of your bed or attempt to cuddle up in your lap as
you watch Seinfield or Frasier on TV. Oso was like that.
If you walked away from her, she would just slowly catch
up to you. It amazed me how she only cared about people,
regularly overlooking other dogs. Although she by far
was most concerned with receiving attention from me her
Papa, she would occasionally pander to anyone who would
pet her. If a dog was walking with their owner on a leash,
she would bypass any interest in the dog and nudge her
nose against the persons leg to get attention. Being around
so many dogs I’ve learned this. There are simple
a *very* small segment of the dog populace that are extremely
“tuned into” and really only care about humans.
Rarely even giving a second glance at other dogs.
It just blew my mind and was quite humbling to know that
even when feeding Oso her favorite chicken thighs with
bones, that she would wait to eat it if she knew I would
spend even a few moments petting her. Ten times out of
ten this incredible dog of mine would choose to receive
attention from her Papa even over her favorite food. If
you have ever fed your dogs raw meaty bones, you know
just how miraculous this is. My other independent dog
Tabby would have been 20 feet away in the corner protecting
her coveted “kill” before I even looked up.
While Oso on the other hand would continue to ask for
more petting, massage and chit chat from me until I stopped.
Only then would she enjoy her second favorite past time
of gobbling up meat. Unsurpassed loyalty that no money,
food or other distraction could every replace.
 This
dog loved me! I mean unequivocally and completely unconditionally.
We both possess codependent personalities in a sense,
whereas my other dog Tabby is very independent and typically
expresses only one emotion which is happiness. My relation
with Oso before she quietly slipped away was much closer.
This dog really floored me with the diversity of emotions
she could call up and express to me. IF I hadn’t
gone out to spend time with the dogs on a particular day,
she would mope around her pen looking gloomy as can be
imagined. She would probably stave to death of attention
before she would ever starve from the lack of food. Fortunately,
I was nearly always there for her. And she was *always*
there for me. If you have one of these types of dogs,
then you know what I am describing. Completely devoted
to giving their owner 100% attention when in each others
presence. Whereas an independent, fun loving playful dog
like my Tabby could be just as happy running off and playing
with the neighbors dog. Oso was different. Where ever
I went, there she was. Needing more attention from me,
and returning it 100% back.
Believe me, if you have been leading a life of lonliness
and can confidently commit to 15 years, I think you will
be blown away with just how much a dog can love you and
make you feel wanted and alive. Needless to say, matching
a persons personality traits with a particular dog breed
is highly suggested. This is critical. So what made
Oso so different? She *needed* me. And I *needed* her.
Well, I’ll quit while I’m ahead. There are
simply too many feelings and thoughts I have for this
beautiful dog to thank for on a simple computer screen.
Knowing myself and the retrospection I involve myself
in, I surmise I will achieve further catharsis in this
healing crisis I now feel by adding future thoughts. I
have already forgiven myself. I rationalize that for some
of us deeply caring people, I imagine this makes things
more meaningful as we fight back the tears of joy, pain
and remembrance for the ones that have sustained us. But
I did not sustain Oso. In fact, assuredly The Lord used
her to sustain ME, her Papa Todd. And for that, I publicly
thank The Lord Almighty.
The times she would astonish us with an impromptu leap
onto the bed to take cover from the rolling thunder outside.
If you saw Oso, you would probably be as shocked as we
were. Agile she was not. Funny she was. Her and Tabby
are mucho scared of intense thunder.
6 Years ago when me and Tabby my Retriever moved in, we
met the resident dog of the house, Oso. Of course from
this day forward, she was considered my dog. Long story
short, while Oso and Tabby where working out who was going
to play Alpha Female, they had got into a fight. It was
so pitch black I really couldn’t make out the dogs.
I wanted to drench them with the hose but it was too far.
I tried to break them up by kicking them and got a nice
surprise of my own. One of the two grazed my ankle bone.
Since Oso is pure black I think it was here that caught
my ankle, as I could faintly see Tabby’s yellow
coat in the fog. 6 Years later the scar is as visible
as ever. Thanks for the memory Oso.
“That’s My Oso Baby!” |
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| What I Learned In Oso’s Later Years That I Wished I Knew In Her Younger Years |
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| I’ve Learned
That The Commercial Dog Kibble We Feed Our Pets IS Toxic And
Contributes To Their Early Demise |
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http://www.healthinsync.com/
I believe you can send a sample of your dog or cat’s
favorite pet food to this company and for $40 they will
test it for various toxins such as solvents, chemicals,
heavy metals and microbial organisms. On this company’s
home page click the link called “Services”,
then click the “syncrometer” hyperlink. This
discusses a few of their diagnostic services. There are
of course other companies utilizing different equipment
that can readily provide you with similar testing I believe.
What I have learned about *commercial* dog kibble has
completely changed my mind about pet feeding. Feeding
my dogs a *raw diet* is the only solution for me for better
health attainment in my pets. Think about it for a moment.
Our canine pals are carnivorous wild animals that have
been domesticated over the last 2 centuries. They’re
closely related to coyotes and wolves and as such have
natural instincts to kill other smaller animals and eat
their kill *raw* and uncooked. To eat raw, meaty bones
is not only more natural than eating the commercial dead
food we buy for them at the store, but is immensely more
nutritious and immeasurably safer. We can thank all the
big money advertising firms for leading us astray. They
would have us believing that laboratory conceived, commercially
distributed kibble is more nutritious for our dogs compared
to a RAW DIET. Even to go so far as to say their extruded
bagged ingredients are a complete source of nutrition
for our pets. I say hogwash and rubbish. Marketing and
hype, pure and simple guys.
As far as the ingredients used in our dog kibble, I encourage
you as a caring dog owner to read your bagged kibble label
and then research those ingredients. It’s not pretty.
Question? Were dogs, coyotes, and wolves running off to
their local Walmart to pick up a bag of Purina Puppy Chow
say just 60 years? No, they weren’t. They were fed
a raw diet that mostly included raw meats and bones which
are *infinitely* more nutritious than that toxin riddled
bagged crap they peddle. Additionally, I’m of the
opinion that these same manufacturers are totally negligent
in implementing further research to ensure that the bagged
kibble they market is safe from the *solvents* they commonly
use to clean their machines. Yes, they end up in the kibble
and into our dogs. And have they made certain that immune
compromising heavy metals and harmful chemicals soups
are removed in their kibble ingredients? And what about
molds, fungi and parasites? Believe me guys, these manufacturers
are not only completely unaware of these types of concerns,
but you can be darn sure they wouldn’t care or do
anything about it if they were certain they existed in
their toxic chemical soups we call bagged and canned dog
kibble. Instead of holding the dog food manufacturers
and medically oriented Veterinarians responsible for my
pets health, I prefer now to instead hold *myself* responsible
for my pets health. There is nothing more powerful than
“self help.”
So what have I changed? I started feeding Tabby and Oso
when she was alive primarily raw, meaty bones like chicken,
beef, turkey, rabbit as well as organ meats and various
other essentials. This is of course in the absence of
the commercially available kibble I formerly fed and personally
feel is very toxic to our pets. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawdiet/
This pet raw diet forum is a good place to start your
quest for information about feeding your pets a raw, natural
diet. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Kitchen/
is another fine forum to exchange ideas on the topic of
pet raw feeding. If you would like to do a search engine
search you could use the acronym “BARF” or
simply type in “bones and raw feeding/food”
for your dogs and cats. An amazing resource on the topic
of pet raw feeding is here: http://www.njboxers.com/.
You will find all manner of info on the topic including
resources galore. |
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| I Will Work With Holistic Veterinarians For Future Health Challenges My Tabby Has Whereas In The Past I Sadly Used Medically Minded Vets |
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I base my opinions
on information collected. I will do my best to use the
services of *holistically* oriented veterinarians in the
future when faced with the challenges my Tabby (remaining
dog) presents. I believe far and away now that “holistic
veterinarians” are more interested in providing
*solutions* for my pets problems than medically oriented
vets are today. Like human Alternative and Complementary
Healthcare practitioners, holistic veterinarians are much
more focused on the underlying causes to our pets problems.
I have found them to look into the challenges that animals
possess and diligently research the true underlying problems
and address them with NATURAL solutions. Holistic Vets
commonly use *natural* herbs versus the commonly administered
laboratory created, synthetic drugs from medically oriented
Vets we today call “Medicine.” Synthetic “medicine”
versus natural herbs and the like? No competition. From
here forward I will be seeking the most natural form of
remedies for my pets and do my best to shun anything made
in a laboratory.
Along the same lines, my medically oriented Vet cut out
a necrotic (dead, unvascularized-unoxygenated) mass in
Oso’s chest. Back then I did not have the presence
of mind to ask how they feel it was formed and if they
had suggestions how I can deter it from recurring. Naturally
like most allopathic doctors/Vets, they never said a word
about future PREVENTION. They are happy to continue to
CUT, CHEMO, and DRUG our family pets which often times
become the very problems which lead to their early demise-not
the solution at all. Long story short, after only a year
a completely new mass had reformed in her chest in the
very same area. Necrotic tissue? I think not! That mass
had a lot to do with further complications, creating a
domino affect that promoted further walking and running
challenges for my Oso. I have learned from this experience
as well as many others, that complementary and alternative
veterinarian healthcare will be my first line of defense
for my current Tabby dog and any future pets. Similiarly,
I will never again discount the positive value and benefits
that massage therapy, chiropractics and other invaluable
manual modalities can have towards increasing the longevity
and happiness in my own dogs. |
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| Utilizing Indicated And Appropriate Herbs For Our Pets Health Challenges And Maintenance Can Prolong Their Health And Happiness |
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| Additionally, I
have also learned a bit too late the value of buying over
the counter herbs for my dogs. From this day forward I
will administer appropriate herbs and other formulations
as the cornerstone for maintaining and promoting my pets
health. Continually. I have learned the value of anti
microbial herbs to provide a powerful punch in deworming
our pets. Administered once or twice a year can go a long
way to keeping the microbial monsters that attempt to
infest our pets at bay. http://www.petmedicinechest.com/
is an example of a great online company that sells all
manner of herbs for various types of challenges your pets
may have. I highly recommend their newsletter also. I
am not affiliated with them in any way, but have found
them to simply provide an excellent example of just how
many conditions in which quality, well researched herbs
can be utilized for. Drclarkia.com
sells a phenomenal parasite tincture that is delivered
in liquid form. I am currently using this parasite cleaning
tincture for my dog Tabby with great results. It is a
product that has rightfully gained an exceptional reputation.
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| Using Various Parasite Tinctures Against Microbes Our Dogs Surely Possess Is A Strategy I Will Forever Employ Now |
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| Which leads me
to mention something else on my mind. My dogs have taught
me another strange, but valuable lesson. That humans,
like our pets, are also carriers of a vast amount of bacteria,
viruses, molds, fungi, and yes parasitic worms too. How
do we contract them? Through various means that is beyond
the scope of this web page. Suffice it to say, one challenge
that we pet owners have is the daily concern of contracting
these microbes from our own pets. Again, we can obtain
these live microbes from *anywhere*. However, a little
talked about, but well known source is of course own family
pets. I have learned from reading as well as personal
experience that this is not only a truth, but one that
can help potentially promote the health and happiness
of YOU AND YOUR PETS. Yes, our dogs DO have microbes of
all types and they can and often do transmit those to
us as their caretakers. This is not something to freak
out about, however I have learned at least for myself
to take appropriate measures to kill those pathogens in
vivo within myself and my dogs. If you are interested
in learning more about microbes and your health in an
effort to extrapolate that information to caring for your
dogs, I recommend the book The Cure For All Diseases written
by the finest alternative researcher alive today, Hulda
Clark. Although she does talk briefly about animals, it
is a book written predominately for humans and discusses
many health conditions. Putting it conservatively, it
will blow your mind. Clark’s The Cure For All Aids
And HIV book is the resource she has chosen to release
her most updated research. If you enjoyed the first book,
you can read about some of her newest research she has
presented in the 2003 released HIV book. Don’t worry
about the HIV title, if you liked the Cure For All Diseases
book, you will find the information she has presented
in the HIV book a continuation. |
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| Dog And Cat Flea Collars Are Toxic And Do Far More Harm Than Good |
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| I reserve this
as my opinion based on information collected. Your animal
is wearing a chemical soup of toxic material built into
those collars if they are wearing one now. They may kill
fleas, but at what cost? It could compromise your pets
health. Do your homework on pesticides that are commonly
used in flea collars to delivery their killing punch.
Although I have never used one, I surely know better to
after researching the potential dangers. Along the same
lines, I have learned that several of the ingredients
found in our dog washing shampoo are very “suspect”
as well. Due diligence will go a long way. |
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