Agrimony“0 Comments”
admin | 10:18 am | March 29, 2008 | Flower Essences
An agrimony pet appears to be brave, but is in fact highly sensitive and deeply affected by what is going on around him. This is especially so if there is conflict or hostility between his humans. He will try to intervene, wagging his tail or brushing up against you but really unsure of himself. He may be restless, and prefers company rather than being alone. He may be the type of pet that doesn’t show pain, even though he is injured. He may be susceptible to developing vomiting or diarrhoea if upset, or urinary incontinence if older. He may also be prone to skin problems, parasites, arthritis or heart disease. This remedy is also useful during recuperation following surgery or wound healing.
Agrimony from the Natural Vet Company
Bach Flower Remedies for dogs, cats and other pets“0 Comments”
admin | 10:00 am | | Bach Flower, Flower Essences
The Bach Flower Remedies are based on the research and findings of an English doctor, Dr Edward Bach. Dr Bach was a medical pioneer in the early 1900s, who became aware of the link between stress, emotions and illness. He was also a specialist in the study of bacteria, and in particular the role of bacteria and chronic disease. Dr Bach sought to find a simple, safe way to restore harmony in the diseased body through emotional wellness. In his search, he discovered properties of flowers, trees and bushes that provided him with the remedies he was looking for.
Since his discovery many more flower essences have been discovered around the world, including
So how do they work? Essences are thought to work through the body’s energy system and may work in a similar way to homeopathy and acupuncture. Dr Bach proposed that the remedies work by the transfer of ‘life force energy’ from the plant to the patient’s ‘vital force’. They are usually considered a form of ‘energy’ medicine acting on the emotional and spiritual levels of the body. Use of the essences alters the emotional or mental state in a subtle way. They can also help healing due to the connection between emotional and physical well-being.
This connection is based on Dr Bach’s idea that negative emotional states can suppress the healing process. This is interesting because in the last decade there has been a great deal of interest in ‘psychoneuroimmunology’ or the study of the connection of the mind and its influence on disease. Connections between the immune, nervous system and endocrine (hormonal) system seem to support this concept.
So do pets have emotional states that can influence their health? Well you can probably answer that yourself. We know many pets have behavioural problems and we can even describe the personalities of our pets. Many pets suffer from stress either because of their temperament, because they haven’t been socialised appropriately as puppies, or because their environment is stressful, especially when their owners are stressed too. We know that stress can reduce our immunity, so it is not unreasonable to accept that stress and emotional stress can influence the health of our pets.
Even though Dr Bach developed his flower essences for people, they have been used in pets for over fifty years. There are currently no scientific studies to support their use, but many owners observe positive changes in their pets with use of these non-toxic, gentle remedies. Each Bach Flower Remedy helps deal with specific states of mind. These states include fear, terror, mental torture or worry, indecision, indifference or boredom, doubt or discouragement, over-concern, weakness, self-distrust, impatience, over-enthusiasm and pride or aloofness.
The difficulty with using Bach Flower Essences or other flower essences in pets is that we can’t ask how the pet is feeling. We have to rely on our judgment and observations and sometimes intuition to find the appropriate remedies.
Bach Flower Essences from the Natural Vet Company
Vaccination“0 Comments”
admin | 2:51 pm | March 8, 2008 | Vaccination
VACCINATION FACT SHEET[1]
Vaccinations as a Component of Comprehensive, Individualised Care
For many years, the practice of veterinary medicine has benefited from the annual administration of vaccines. By encouraging dog owners to bring their pets in yearly for vaccinations, veterinarians have been able to recognize and treat disease earlier than might otherwise have been the case. and to inform clients of important aspects of canine health care. They have also prevented epidemics of disease and so vaccination is a very important part of disease prevention and every dog should be vaccinated, but it is not essential to vaccinate every year.
However each dog’s vaccination needs should be assessed at least yearly and modified on the basis of changes in your dog’s age, health status, home and travel environment, and lifestyle. Your vet should explain the potential benefits and risks of vaccination and assess their suitability for your dog given its lifestyle and risk of exposure.
The Immune System as it Applies to Vaccination
Understanding the immune system provides a basis for understanding the nature of vaccine immunity. Two major types of immunity prevent or limit infectious diseases: nonspecific (innate) immunity and specific (adaptive) immunity.
In nature, it is innate immunity (including skin, hair, tears, normal microbial flora, and mucus and acidity of the gut) that prevents a majority of disease causing agents from infecting and/or causing disease in animals.
Adaptive immunity is characterised by being specific and having memory, and is the type of immunity stimulated when an animal receives a vaccine. This specific immune system response is comprised of:
1. Humoral (antibody) immunity, where B lymphocytes (plasma cells) produce the four immunoglobulin classes: IgG, IgM, IgA, and IgE; other cells (phagocytic cells and effector molecules) also play an important role.
2. Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) is comprised of T lymphocytes and their effector molecules, including T helper cells, T regulatory cells, T cytotoxic cells, macrophages, and a number of products of the cells called cytokines.
The Immune Response to Vaccination or Infection
When an animal is vaccinated or infected, the immune response includes cloning of antigen-specific T and B cells that serve as effector cells for immediate protection and memory cells that provide long-term immunity.
The effector cells themselves are usually short lived, dying in days or weeks after stimulation.
Memory cells, on the other hand, survive for years, often for the life of an animal for some vaccines and infections. Memory T and B cells and the antibodies produced by long-lived memory effector B cells cooperate to provide protection from challenge at a later time in life for the vaccinated animals that come in contact with the disease causing agent.
Available information suggests that vaccine protection from infection and/or disease in the dog is regulated primarily by humoral immunity and secondarily by cell-mediated immunity. This finding is particularly true when vaccination is known to prevent reinfection (sterilising immunity). This is the ultimate form of immunity because disease cannot develop when infection is blocked or infection is significantly limited. Sterilising immunity occurs after effective vaccination (protection) against certain pathogens such as distemper, infectious canine hepatitis, and canine parvovirus.
However, when vaccination fails to protect against infection and instead protects against the development of clinical disease (as is the case for Canine parainfluenza “kennel cough” vaccination), cell mediated immunity and humoral immunity both play a critical role in preventing or reducing the severity of disease—not by preventing infection but by limiting its effects or keeping the infection localised.
It is essential to note that the mechanism of protective immunity in a vaccinated dog is very different from immunity in an unvaccinated naive dog. Antibody is usually present in a vaccinated dog and functions to limit or prevent infection. It is never present at the time of infection in an unvaccinated, naive animal. Furthermore, cell mediated and humoral immunity due to memory cells is stimulated in minutes to hours when a vaccinated animal is infected (called an anamnestic response); whereas it takes days or weeks (primary response) to be stimulated in a nonvaccinated, immunologically naive dog.
Antibody Titre Tests to Monitor Immunity
In a vaccinated animal, antibody plays the primary role, because it prevents infection (sterilizing immunity) or limits the infection, and CMI plays a minor role. If infection occurs, antibody increases rapidly and restricts infection .
The presence of serum antibodies to an infectious agent-even if detected months or years after vaccination, indicates that the animal has the memory cells required for a rapid anamnestic cell-mediated and antibody response if the animal is exposed to the same infectious agent at a later time.
How then should antibody titers be used to monitor vaccine immunity? They can be helpful in the following ways:
• to determine if there has been an immune response following vaccination
• to determine the duration of immunity
• to ensure the vaccine is immunogenic
• to know precisely when to vaccinate a puppy
• to determine whether the animal is a “low or nonresponder” to certain vaccines
Although the Canine Vaccination Task Force committee does not feel it is necessary to determine titers to core viruses on an annual basis because of the long minimum duration of immunity, titers can be used for your assurance that an animal has immunity.
Experience with postvaccination titers for Canine Disteper Virus, Canine Adenovirus, and Canine Parvovirus shows that sterile immunity lasts for years; thus, if the test is positive 1 year after vaccination, it is likely to be positive >3 years after vaccination.
PUPPIES
If the test is negative, then you should revaccinate again immediately. If the test is not positive shortly (>2 weeks) after the final vaccination, it suggests that the animal was not immunised. If you waited until 1 year of age, as we do now, the animal would potentially be susceptible during the most critical time in its life, the time when the animal needs to have vaccine immunity. Experience with the Titre test demonstrates greater than 90% of the dogs tested after the puppy series and up to 3 years after vaccination are positive, an indication they have sterile immunity and don’t need to be revaccinated with core vaccines.
[1] Report of the
Arthritis pain and its effect on pets“0 Comments”
admin | 2:33 pm | | Arthritis
Many conditions causing long term pain have a marked effect on your pet’s health and good spirits. Signs your pet may be in pain include: stiffness/lameness after exercise or when rising, difficulty managing stairs or steep slopes, the inability to jump into the car, altered gait, swelling around the joints, crunching or cracking when joints are manipulated and a decreased range of motion. It is important to work out what is causing your pet pain and any possible underlying factors that can be contributory.Consult a veterinarian to assist you and to suggest a possible course of treatment.
One of the most important things that you can do to improve your pet’s health is to help them maintain a normal, healthy weight. Dietary changes are often beneficial. Long term use of pain / inflammation relieving drugs such as prednisolone and other corticoid-steroids should be avoided unless they are the last resort as there are many known side effects associated with these drugs. Care should also be taken with the use of non steroidal anti inflammatories such as Rimadyl, Metacam, Ibuprofen etc. That said, these drugs are very effective and it is better to treat with such medications than to leave your pet suffer pain. Animals often do not show us that they are in pain in the same way as we would. They can become quiet and withdrawn and sleep a lot, reducing/relieving pain in such pets must be your primary consideration. Sometimes it is necessary to provide quick relief to your pet with such treatments while a longer term strategy can be implemented. Never disregard veterinary advice where pain management is concerned. In regard to exercise, short bursts of activity throughout the day is preferable to long walks, swimming and walking on flat ground are excellent forms of exercise for your pet. Massage, acupuncture, chiropractic and physiotherapy may help your pet feel more comfortable.
SUPPLEMENTS / HERBS / FORMULAS
Providing a source of glycosaminoglycans is one of the most important things you can do for a pet with pain associated with joint inflammation. These substances have been proven to reduce joint degeneration and to reduce inflammation. They do not stop pain though so additional pain relief may be necessary. Glycosaminoglycans can be obtained from one of the following:
- Chondroitin sulphate
- Green Lipped Sea Mussel
- Bovine or Shark Cartilage
- Glucosamine combinations
- Pentosan polysulfate (ask your vet – may be contraindicated in pets with kidney or liver weakness)
- Manganese, Magnesium and Zinc
- Omega 3 fatty acids / fish oil
- Vitamin C & E
There are a number of herbs available that are thought to help the pain of conditions like arthritis. It may be beneficial to combine use of a formula indicated as an adjunct for anti-inflammation medications and one indicated as a support treatment for pain.
The Natural Vet Company provide a factsheet online to deal with the specifics of a structured supplementation plan online.Phytoarth does not provide any glycosaminoglycans.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)“0 Comments”
admin | 12:57 pm | March 7, 2008 | Herbs
Ginger can also be known as African Ginger, Common Ginger, Ginger Root, Jamaica Ginger, Ardraka (fresh rhizome), Shunthi (dried rhizome), Jiang, Sheng Jiang (fresh rhizome), Gan Jiang (dried rhizome), Pao Jiang (prepared rhizome) and Jiang Pi (peel).
It originated in Southeast Asia but is cultivated worldwide due to its popularity as a herb used in cooking and for natural medications. Ginger is used clinically in human treatments for a large number of complaints. It is claimed in Chinese medicine to warm the body, increase pulse rate, boost pale complexions and strengthen the body after blood loss or significant stress. Uses in modern times include dyspepsia (recurrent pain in the upper abdomen), flatulence, colic, vomiting, diarrhea, spasms, and other stomach complaints, colds and flu, to stimulate the appetite, as a narcotic antagonist, as an anti-inflammatory agent for migraine headache and rheumatic and muscular disorders, for travel sickness; for tapeworm prevention; to repel mosquitoes, for retained placenta and the prevention of mastitis, eye disease, for sprains, for the treatment of wounds, hemorrhagic septicemia, pneumonia, asthma, cough, swelling of nasal mucosa, tympanitis, loss of appetite, for lumbar fracture, and stoppage of urination and as an all round tonic.
There have been a large number of clinical studies based around the medicinal properties of ginger showing good results for gastrointestinal treatments, pain reduction, reduction of inflammation. Animal studies on dogs and pigs have also shown good results for sickness, arthritis, parasitic worms and for inflammation.
Products from the Natural Vet Company containing Ginger