PET TIP OF THE WEEK What You Can Do To Help

In past weeks I have written about tips to help your pet. This week I want to write about what you can do to help other pets.

I hear many people say they wish they could do more or wish they could take in all the homeless animals. Well that is just not at all possible but there are things, little things that you can do that will help in very big ways. You don't have to take in all the strays or even one stray but you could help those that do take in the strays.

As a rescue I have limited funds that I have to stretch out to care for the animals. There are things that I would love to buy but just don't have the money to spare. You might think these things are so inexpensive but when it comes to food or extra stuff, food wins out every time.

Here is a list of things that you can buy and donate to a rescue group near you:

Paper plates: For about 3 dollars, you could buy a big pack of cheap paper plates. These really are a luxury item in a rescue. It is so nice to open a can of food, put it on a paper plate then throw it away after a meal. However it is not something that I spend money on because I have plates that I can wash. But when it is donated to our rescue, it is as valuable as gold!

Plastic spoons: Again, it would be nice to scoop out a portion of canned food onto a plate and then throw it away. This is something that I wont even spend a buck fifty on, but when it is given to us, I so appreciate it. I actually get excited!

Feeding syringes. You can find these with the baby medications. They are for measuring medications. The syringes have a little tip so it is easier to give the infant liquid medication. This is so helpful when feeding pets as well. The little tip is easy to push between the jaws. It is easier then an eye dropper. I used these like there is no tomorrow when i am feeding litters without a momma cat. Its accurate measuring and I can see just how much the kitten is eating. Its faster then feeding with a bottle and I can even put a feeding tube on the tip if I need to tube feed. This is an invaluable tool and I am always wishing for more. I will buy them only when I need them and that means a trip to the store and an extra expense.

Toys: This is something that I simply will not buy for the pets in our rescue. Instead my kitties play with milk rings and tops and empty boxes. Those make great toys but get boring after a while. I will be the first to tell you that a variety of toys is better for indoor cats to keep them interested in playing and staying active, but the truth is, lack of funds don't allow me to buy them.

Treats: I don't buy treats but I do make them. However many rescues lack in this area. It would be nice to give a dog a cookie or a kitty a cracker just because we love them and want to give them a treat, but many rescues do not have the funds to splurge. The animals are fed and a treat is just an unnecessary expense.

You have things laying around the house that you might even consider throwing away that would be so helpful to a rescue group. We don't throw nuthin away.

Old quilts or bed spreads that are faded and may even have holes are great to fold up on the floor to give a pet a soft place to sleep or line a cage for a nursing mother. I go through so many blankets with nursing mothers. I have to change their bedding at least once a day and sometimes twice depending on the mother cat. Some are "neater" then others. Old pillow cases, and sheets are also always appreciated too. We often glue Velcro to the opening of pillow cases and stuff with old flannel shirts to make comfy beds. Its easier to clean then a bed because all I have to do is open the case, throw the "stuffing" and the pillow case in the washer then dryer then put it all back together again. NICE!


Towels that are old and faded that have lost their plushness are fantastic for animals. Personally we are always looking for junk towels to clean up the messes that kitties make, dry the floor after mopping because with animals, its not a good idea to leave a floor to air dry. I know some rescues even use the old towels as feeding towels because it provides a larger feeding area that multiple cats can get to easily. They pour the dry food on the towel, when food is gone, they pick it up and wash it.

It is hard in this economic times to donate money, but your time is just as appreciated. You might not be in a position to take an animal into your home and foster it, but you can offer it love and attention at the shelter. You can feed it at the shelter. You can empty the box and give it some place clean, in a shelter. Never underestimate your gift of time.

To Lift Your Spirit.

Our Miracle

Our Rescues Name

I'd like to share the story of Spirit with you..

About 18 months ago I found a black and white adolescent cat walking in circles and meowing on the street in front of my yard. He was in bad shape. My heart broke for him. He looked like he had been hit by a car and maybe had some sort of disease. To protect the other cats in our rescue, I couldn't risk bringing him inside, but I couldn't just let him roam hopelessly on the street only to die slowly or fall prey to another animal. I managed to catch him in a blanket and took him to my vet knowing that I was going to put him to sleep. He was so frail, I could feel his bones through the blanket.

I asked the vet to take a look at him before we were to put him down. I just had to ask, can he be saved? Is there anything that I can do for him? In the 10 minute car ride I was already bonding to him. I am such a sucker!

After the exam, we realized that this poor boy, estimated to be about 10 months old, was not hit by a car, but was brutally attacked. Someone hurt him and left him for dead. He had blunt force trauma on his head and face which caused injury to his eye, broken nose, missing teeth, and brain trauma. But he survived this attack and walked away. He survived it! He didn't lay there and die! He had the spirit to live. I decided that I would help him all I could. He tried so hard to find help, I wasn't going to give up on him.

For weeks, Spirit struggled. He couldn't eat on his own so I fed him using a feeding syringe every 3 to 4 hours. He had no control of his bowels or bladder.. He had moments where he was too weak to even stand on his own, but he would try and his body would shake. He had seizures, but slowly, he had breakthroughs. Little baby steps and small strides were huge monumental moments.

Specialist's didn't know how far he would come back. I was warned not to get my hopes up, but then one day while he was curled up in a towel on a chair next to me, I saw him bat at the edge of the towel. I had to take a double take. He was playing! That was his very first “kitty” moment. I knew then, in spite of all doubts, there was his fighting Spirit.

It was a long healing road for him with a mixture of amazing strides and disappointing set backs, but his spirit was undeniable. Little moments were so special. I learned early, that he enjoyed laying near a window to soak up some sun. As the days got warmer and as he got a little stronger, we would sit in the back yard together. We made it our morning “thing.” I would enjoy a cup of coffee and he would sit in my lap feeling the breeze and the warmth of being outside. Sometimes I would let him lay in the grass and I would watch him bat at a tall blade of grass. It was like watching him experience pure joy.

Spirit through his recovery has captured the hearts of many people. He would get stronger and behave more and more like a kitty and then he would fall way back. He wold have what we called “down days.” After several of these fall back episodes we found out that he had a hole in his skull behind his eye that was leaking brain fluid down through his nose. It took us a while to figure this out because he would do so well for a while, then one day be down on his back. What was happening was that fluid would leak from his brain and get trapped and build pressure and stop the flow of the leak. Then he would feel better, start acting like a kitty, and jar the pressure causing more spillage. His prognosis was not good at all. He was going to die without surgery and I didn't have the money to pay for it. So one kind surgeon and his staff donated their time and preformed the surgery that he needed to live. The surgeon went through Spirit's nose and put a mucus plug on the pin point hole and plugged the leak. I had to keep him calm for several weeks on medications, to give the plug time to seal and in time scarring would grow over it to keep it in place.

That surgery was a turning point for Spirit. He got stronger and more coordinated on his feet. He would snuggle with the other cats. He tried to play with the jingle balls, but he lost interest in that toy because the other kitties were faster and would steal it from him, all in play of course! But he was playing, and snuggling, and loving life!

Today I fondly call him my snot head. If you didn't know that he had ever suffered an attack, you would hardly be able to tell. He is sly, and he is slick, and he is my food thief. He is also my cuddle bug and my velcro kitty. He likes to be in whatever room I am in, and Lord have mercy, should he get shut behind a door. He shall not be ignored. He will meow, and meow, and play pawsies under the door. When all his cuteness fails to sway me to open the door, he starts yowling. He definitely is in charge!

Spirit will always have special needs due to the attack. He is missing teeth, his nose never completely healed on the one side, and he does have sensitivity in his eye which may cause blindness later down the road, but his special needs are not what makes him special. He is special because of his spirit!

Meet Miracle The Cat! Our Rescue's Name.

Our Rescue's Name Sake

Miracle

Miracle is two years old and he has special needs. He was born crippled in his hind legs but that never slows him down. He doesn't understand why all kitties don't run on their front legs too.


Miracle was born in our rescue and he was one in a very crowded litter of nine kittens. He grew in the back of his mothers womb and the over crowding caused deformities in his hind quarter.

Miracle cannot use his hind legs and he has some minor digestive deformities which we control with a special diet. He eats Hill's Science Diet, ID. This is a bland diet food and easy on his digestion. He is not allowed any other food or treat except an occasional piece of fresh boiled chicken. Again, thats only on an occasion.

Miracle is as playful and rambunctious as any other kitty on four legs! He can run and play with toys, climb using his front claws. He just can't jump up, but he can jump down and land on his front legs. His favorite game is hide in the box. He is a loving happy boy that purrs when getting his cuddle time.

Miracle truly lives up to his name and he is an inspiration because he thinks there is nothing he can't do. If only we all could think like he does!

PET TIP OF THE WEEK, DOG TRAINING

PET TIP OF THE WEEK, DOG TRAINING

Our Miracle

I have a different outlook when it comes to training dogs, then many professional dog trainers that I have met. The closest trainer to my personal beliefs (although I have never met) is Cesar Millian because he promotes understanding dogs and using their natural instincts to train.

An untrained dog is an unhappy dog. It is the dogs instinct to please whether it be you or their pack leader. The first step in understanding how to train your dog is to understand that YOU are their pack leader. You are the alpha. If you do not train your dog and give them an opportunity (something that I call their right) to please you, then your dog is unhappy and will act out. Simply put, if you are not training your dog then you are not giving your dog the attention that he/she deserves.

The first step to training is bonding. Training should be a very loving experience between you and your dog, and never rewarded through treats, ever! Your dog was born with a need to please YOU. Never confuse them with a treat. I'll talk more about when to give a treat later.

I always suggest that when a person adopts a puppy or adult dog, that they spend the first three day just playing. One person should bond with the dog first. ONE PERSON. Even if you intend to have this dog as a family pet. ONE person needs to be the alpha. One person needs to play, give loving affection, feed and take outside for the first three days. Outside should be in a confined area away from other dogs and people. In other words, no walking in public or allowed outside with other dogs that are already in the family for the first three days,. The rest of the family can share the responsibilities later, but for the first three days, one person needs to do the alpha bonding. One more time...ONE person is IT for the dog for the first three days. This is crucial for training your dog with love.

Now that you have established the loving bond through play and affection, your dog now craves to please YOU. Congratulations, you are the alpha! Now you turn that play time into train time and it is so easy to do. You simply introduce a command into the play time. So where do you start? What should the fist command be? Your first command should be “COME.” Why that one first? Because you want your dog to come to you whenever you want, no matter what the dog is doing.

Just like with bonding time, training time is a one on one deal. No other dogs or people are allowed in the training area, whether that be in your living room, outside, in your bedroom, or wherever. Later, after the commands are learned, and your dog understands what training time is, another person or another pet can be in the room as long as they do not distract the session. Remember that training is bonding and your dog NEEDS that time with you.

Training To Come:

The method of training to come may seem harsh to you, but truly it isn't. If you use this method, you will see that it is not harsh or mean, but a quick way to get your dog to understand the command come.

I begin every session with love and affection but not play. I use my gentle voice and scratch the belly, scratch behind the ears, pet on the head and just give the dog a good moment of one on one happy time. Then I slow it down, and firm my voice. By changing the tone in my voice, I am alerting the dog, through practice, that we are going to work.

The next thing I do when training to come is attach a leash to the collar and turn the attachment so that the leash hangs closer to the floor. Position the dog, the length of the collar away from you, then use your command voice, call the name, and say come. Immediately and quickly pull the dog to you. Pull the dog all the way to you, pulling the full length of the leash until the dog is directly in front of you. Now your dog has been through a shocking experience and is wondering what the heck??? Now you praise and love and praise and love and “good dog”, and praise and love. You train with love. Let your dog know that you are thrilled and pleased. Now your dog is thrilled and pleased because you are. Your dog doesn't yet understand why you are thrilled and please but hey, “I'm a good dog.” Once you see that your dog is happy, do it again. Put your dog away from you by the length of the leash. Call the name, and say come, then pull the dog to you. Finish the act with praise and love and praise and love and more “good dog” and praise and love. You are thrilled and please with your dog. Now do it again, but this time, give your dog a test. Instead of pulling after the command, just give a gentle tug and see if your dog will come to you. If not, then command, pull and reward with affection. If he does, then immediately turn that affection into excitement. Use a higher pitched voice, be a bit more aggressive in the affection, give more. Your dog will realize that this is a good thing

If your dog is a young puppy, then I suggest that you stop the session after the third try, simply because of their attention span. Try to limit the sessions to about five minutes, several times through out the day. As the puppy gets older and has learned how to learn then you can increase your training time. The same holds true for an untrained older dog. The dog has no understanding of training time, so keep it simple at first. Give your dog a chance to understand what it is that you want.

After the training session is over, you take the leash off and now its time to play and rough house. Give lots of affection and play hard. Run energy out of your puppy. The training session was good. Now after its all over, you and your dog have played and are tired, if you want to give your dog a treat, by all means do it. You both learned, you both played, now you are both tired. Give your dog a treat to relax with, while you enjoy a latte' for yourself.

During the training session and your dog comes to you with a gentle nudge the first try, then it's time remove the leash. Place the dog a distance from you, then call out the name and give the command, just like every time before. When the dog comes to you without the leash, your dog gets it. Your dog has learned to please. Now this is the command that you will use in every training session. Start by affection, change your tone of voice, call the name, command to come. When your dog gets to you, you say in your commanding tone, “good dog” and start the next training session. In every training session you should begin with come, because that was the first thing your dog learned and already has an understanding that you are going to work.

Whatever command you choose to teach next, remember that your dog wants to please you. Always start with affection and end with play. Whether your dog gets it the first try or the tenth try, no matter what, you are pleased for trying. As your dog gets older and more experienced in training time, the quicker your dog will pick up new commands. You might even think that your dog is the smartest dog in the world because training has become so easy. But remember, its so easy, because you made it that way. You are nurturing your dog through training and love.

Thank you for reading. I hope you find this tip of the week helpful. If you would like to treat your dog or cat to a healthy gourmet treat, please take a moment to visit our store at: www.OLA.com/store/MMKR or contact me at: MarysMiracleKittyRescue@Yahoo.com.

All sales go to help support the kitties in our rescue.

Thank you

Mary's Miracle Kitty Rescue

PET TIP OF THE WEEK L-LYSINE

Our Miracle

L-lysine is an amino acid that can be found in any health department of any grocery store and pharmacy. I use Nature Made, but there are several companies that produce it. I got mine at CVS Pharmacy, but you can get it a little cheaper at Walmart.

What is L-lysine?
As state above it is an amino acid that helps promote immune system health. You can take it and so can your dog and cat! It was originally recommended to my by a dental vet. As a matter of fact she gave me the bottle right out of her desk to give to my cat that had stomatitis. Stomatitis is advanced gum disease and in most cases caused by a compromised immune system due to sickness or advanced age. We put Chuggles on it to help his immune system, along with the medications, to fight the gum disease. It worked and I have been sold on it ever since.

I have been rescuing cats for about 8 years now. For many years around the fall season my cats would get a cold or “rhinitis.” One by one my cats would get sick and one by one I would take them to the vet and get antibiotics and they always got a steroid shot because a cat that struggles breathing through the nose, struggles smelling their food and a cat WILL NOT eat what it can't smell, and that includes drinking water. A fast acting steroid really boosts the medication and within a day cats are feeling better, still somewhat stuffy, but they can breathe better and eat. It wasn't uncommon for me to spend at least 500 dollars at the vets over the course of the fall months because of Rhinitis..

Rhinitis in cats is generally due to a weakened immune system caused by Feline Herpes Virus (FHV). Something interesting that I found out is that FHV is as common in cats as Herpes Simplex 1 is in humans. HS1 is cold sores, canker sores in and around your mouth and nose. Many stray cats and even those that are born to healthy mothers that were once stray or homeless are born with FHV, because generally the mother has it even when not symptomatic. Yes even some pure breeds have it because it is so common and extremely contagious. But what I didn't know was that I could actually prevent a FHV from flaring up in my cats simply by feeding them L-lysine! By preventing the flare, I am also preventing the rhinitis from showing its face in my cats.

Again L-lysine is an amino acid that boosts the immune system. FHV as any virus or illness, will compromise the immune system. By giving the cats L-lysine, it helps the immune system to stay strong. When I rescue an adult cat I immediately put them on 500mg of L-lysine if they weigh more then 8 lbs. If their weight is frail or is a kitten then its 250mg. I start them on this even before their first well kitty check up at the vet. Then after the vet visit and they are put on any de-wormer or medication, I keep them on the daily dose of L-lysine through out the course of treatment. After treatment I lower the L-lysine to maintenance and give them the same dose every other day.

This is the third fall season with no rhinitis in any of our cats! An $8.00 bottle saves me hundreds at the vet!!! My cats are healthy, all a good weight, and I don't have to spend hours giving steam treatments to cats and getting special “smelly food” to encourage them to eat. As a matter of fact, since I learned about the benefits of L-lysine in animals, I have not had to take my cats in to the vet for any illness! Just shots and wellness check up visits is pretty much all we do., They get L-lysine to boost the immune system and yogurt to promote good digestive health.

If your cat is over 8 years of age, OR suffers from any chronic illness such as, Feline Leukemia, Diabetes, thyroid issues, put them on L-lysine and you will see a difference in their over all health very soon.

I realize that I have written mostly about the effects of L-lysine on cats, but it does the same thing for dogs too. If you have a dog that is sickly, suffers from a chronic illness, that includes cancers too, put them on L-lysine while on treatment. It only BOOST the immune system and allows the medication to do its job better. It is an amino acid and will not hurt your dog. Some of your better quality pet foods have L-lysine in it.


Proper doses for dogs and cats based on 500 mg pills.
LARGE BREED DOGS, Crush and put 2 pills into food..
Medium breeds dogs and average cats 1 pill,
small and toy breed dogs and kittens ½ pill.
With medical treatment once a dayh
Maintenance once every 2 days

Disclaimer: Before you start any treatment for your pet it is important to consult your vet first.

Thank you for reading. I hope you find this tip of the week helpful. If you would like to treat your dog or cat to a healthy gourmet treat, please take a moment to visit our store at:
www.OLA.com/store/MMKR
OR contact me at MarysMiracleKittyRescue@Yahoo.com.
All sales go to help support the kitties in our rescue.

Thank you

Pet Tip Of The Week: Corn.

Our Miracle!

Who of us doesn't like corn? Cream or corn, corn chowder soup, corn kernels, corn on the cob (dripping with butter and salt of course), corn bread, pickled corn, corn flakes, corn chips and corn syrup. Oh and lets not forget pop corn. Corn is pretty yummy and its almost as big a staple in our kitchens as is potatoes, rice, and beans. As good as corn is, did you know that it is absolutely not good for dogs and cats?

Corn is a cheap filler. Basically corn fills the tummy, but offers no nutritional value whatsoever besides being a carbohydrate. Most...I say most, but not all of the supermarket brand pet foods are the lowest grade. They use cheap fillers...corn, and meat by-product, which is also the lowest grade of meat. Calling it a “meat” is a stretch but I'll harp on that in another discussion.

Over a period of time corn, because it has no nutritional value, can actually cause damage. Dogs have a hard time digesting it. You wanna test this? Feed your dog some whole kernel corn then follow them around outside for a couple of days. You will see the corn in their stool.

So lets take a look at some supermarket brands of dry pet food, starting with dogs. I will only list the first three ingredients because it is about 75% of the food content. Everything after that is in lower percentage rates and on a downward scale through the last ingredient.

Purina Dog Chow:
Whole Grain Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal. Notice the first ingredient is Corn. Then comes meat and bone meal which is meat and bones ground and mixed together for a protein and calcium source. Then there is corn again. The majority of this food is corn.

Beneful Healthy Weight Dog food:
Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken-By-Product, Corn Gluten Meal. Again, this dog food is made of mostly corn but at least there is a specific meat source. However by-product is bone, ligaments, beak, and parts unsuitable for human consumption.

Iams:
Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum. As far as supermarket dog foods, Iams is a better quality because the first ingredient is Chicken, Not chicken by product, or chicken meal, but real chicken, however sadly, quickly followed by corn as the second ingredient.

After Iams hit the supermarket and many vets started to recommend it because of the Chicken. Purina needed to develop a better quality food. Thus came...

Purina ONE Naturals:
Chicken, corn gluten meal, poultry byproduct meal. A direct competitor to Iams with chicken being the first ingredient, followed with corn, and then adding another protein source within the top three ingredients.

Now lets look at cat food.

Purina Cat Chow.
Corn Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal. Like their dog chow, the main ingredients are mostly corn. I'll touch on this later but corn is especially bad for male cats and here it is the first ingredient.

Friskies Indoor formula:
Ground Yellow Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal. This is even worse then Purina because the first two ingredients are corn. This also disappoints me because Friskies is claiming this is an indoor formula. Indoor cats have less activity, get less exercise, yet the first two ingredients are carbohydrates instead of a lean protein.

Special Kitty:
Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Yellow Corn, Corn Gluten Meal. Getting a little better with the Chicken by-product being the first ingredient but as you can see the main bulk of this food is corn.

Iams
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal. This is a little better. It has full blown real chicken in the first ingredient. But then its followed by a by product meal, which is low grade, and then there is the corn. However giving credit where credit is due. Iams, understands the importance of the very first ingredient being a meat.

So why am I harping on corn when so many pet food manufacturers use it? Because it's bad. Again, because there is no nutritional value of corn and it is used as a filler, prolong use of cheap pet food can cause, dental disease, chronic digestive disorders both in the stomach and bowels, bloating, hyperthyroidism, pancreatitis, diabetes, bladder infections, kidney failure, liver failure, and even heart failure. Corn filled diet is also connected to Cushings Syndrome. A low nutrient diet strains the immune system and pets lose the natural resistances to infections and yes even to cancers too since it is abnormal cells that the immune system is failing to recognize and attack.

Corn is especially bad for male cats. An adult male cat's urethra is only about the size of the tip of a ball point pen. Corn causes crystals and a male cat can't pass the crystals in the urine. This is a very painful blockage. Most of the time, the only cure for this is a male kitty sex change. The surgeon goes in, does a little rearranging and some stretching of the urethra, a couple of THOUSAND DOLLARS later, the crystals can pass through, and now your boy kitty is going like a girl kitty. I am not making a funny here. It really is a sex change operation for your poor boy. The upside to this is that generally the problem is cured and kitty can relieve himself without pain. The down side, if not caught in time the urine can back wash into the system, cause septicemia and kill within a day.

Now you know why I don't like corn in pet food. It's just bad for them! Bottom line is, cats and dogs are carnivorous animals. They need mostly protein, not mostly carbohydrates. Thus said, there are premium quality pet foods found in specialty stores such as petsmart and petco that is VERY good for you pets that are high in protein and contains no corn or meat by-products. In fact, they will be eating better then you are! Some premium food that serve both dogs and cats are: Wellness, Halo, and Blue Diamond. That's just three but there are many others. Just go to a specialty pet store and start reading the labels on bags of food. A word of caution though, they do sell foods that have corn in it. So know that, just because a food brand is sold in a specialty store, doesn't mean it is always special. You need to read the ingredients.

Generally premium foods do come with a premium price and in this recession, sometimes its hard to have a balanced meal to feed your children! So I am going to touch a little on medium quality foods. Medium quality is okay until aging sets in and some dietary or health needs arise. A good one for dogs that you can get at supermarkets is:

Natural Life: Adult Lamaderm Lamb Protein & Rice
Lamb Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Oatmeal. Rice and oatmeal are not bad. I would like to see another meat in this mixture for higher protein content, but natural life (lamb blend) replaced the corn with oatmeal and that's a big bonus in my opinion. Natural life chicken blend disappointed me because I found corn as the second ingredient.

A good blend for cats that you can also find in supermarkets is:

Newmans Own. (by the late Paul Newman)
Organic Chicken, Chicken Meal, Organic Soybean Meal, I'm not really big on soybean, but it is a protein. The first three ingredients are protein which is what makes this okay for your cat.

The specialty pet stores also carry medium quality foods because it is more accommodating to your bank account. They have a much broader variety then the supermarkets. I want to caution you though. Some of the medium quality foods will slip corn into the 4th or 5th ingredient. So be sure to read the entire ingredient list before you buy. Otherwise you are paying more money for corn.

In closing I want to say that I would never tell someone to stop feeding their pet store brand food. In this economy I would rather see you feed your pet what you can afford, then give them up because times are really tight right now. I myself have had to feed the cats in our rescue store brand foods. Usually I go with the medium grade foods and add a protein powder, so that I can afford to feed our special needs cats their prescription diets. But there have been some weeks when I have mixed the medium grade with the bottom of the barrel just to keep them fed. This tip is only to give you information that you may not have known. As long as your pets have you, thats all they really need.

Thank you for reading. I hope you find this tip of the week helpful. If you would like to treat your dog or cat to a healthy gourmet treat, please take a moment to visit our store at: www.OLA.com/store/MMKR. OR contact me at: MarysMiracleKittyRescue@Yahoo.com

All sales go to help support the kitties in our rescue.

Thank you
Marys Miracle Kitty Rescue

Pet Tip Of The Week: Yogurt

OUR MIRACLE!

The Benefits of PLAIN No Sugar Yogurt For Your Dog or Cat.

DISCLAIMER: Before using yogurt to maintain good health for your pet, or any homeopathic treatment, please check with your vet FIRST.

Many cats and dogs are intolerant to dairy products because of the lactose. It can make them gassy and give them loose bowels. As much as we would like to treat our little fur babies, especially the feline kind, to a small bowl of warm milk or cream, it is better for them that you don't. However you may give them as a treat kitten or puppy formula. KMR formula is the best and its only pennies more then other brands.

Yogurt is a dairy product but it contains live active cultures called Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. These cultures break down or kills the lactose in milk, which is what most pets are intolerant to.

Yogurt is actually good for pets and for you too. The live active cultures promote good digestive health and is a natural boost for the immune system.

We all, including our pets have good bacteria in our bodies. This good bacteria is called Flora. You have it on your skin, inside your mouth, and in your digestive tract.

Using Yogurt To Restore Good Health

When your pet becomes ill and your vet prescribes an antibiotic to kill the harmful bacteria, yogurt can help restore the balance of the good bacteria in your pet. I always suggest that whenever your pet is on medical treatment to also "treat" your pet to some yogurt. When your pet is sick with an infection, the bad bacteria is battling the good bacteria and winning. The yogurt puts the good stuff back into the body and therefore helps the medication do its job, and by restoring the good bacteria through yogurt, helps the immune system fight the infection. Yogurt enhances the effect of the antibiotic.

Also de-worming can disturb the good flora. Many times a dewormer can cause loose bowels which shows an off-set in the good flora. Feeding yogurt will restore the good balance.

Sometimes Vets will suggest using "Forta Flora." It comes in packets in a powder form. This is very good but can take about 30 days to do its job. Yogurt takes about 2 weeks and is WAY less expensive.

Using Yogurt To Maintain Good Health:

I stumbled on the good effects of yogurt by accident. We have a cat that suffered stomatitis. This is advanced gum disease. After having his teeth cleaned, several rounds of antibiotics, and a couple of sterroid shots to boost his immune system to fight off the gum disease, and flushing his gums daily, I started giving him kitten glop as a treat. I was feeding some young kittens the glop and my cat liked it too, so as a treat I was giving him about 1/4 of a cup. He's a good kitty and deserves spoiling! Shortly after giving him his daily treat of kitten glop we had an appointment with his dental vet. She told me that she has never seen his gums looking so healthy and his teeth were so clean. She asked what I was doing different then before and the only thing I changed was giving him kitten glop as a treat. WOW light bulb moment. She said it was the yogurt in the kitten glop. The active cultures in the yogurt was keeping his flora balanced in his mouth and fighting off the gum disease. That was more then a year ago. Chuggles gets a tbs of yogurt on a potato every other day, the stomatis is gone and he is the picture of excellent health.

Using yogurt as a maintenance after treatment is so beneficial. Many times medications can off set the balance of good flora. Even using the yogurt with the medication, it is important to also use it afterward because of the effects on the immune system. As a rule, I use it every other day for our cats in our rescue. A tsp of yogurt over their food is a yummy treat. On occasion, a cat will turn his nose up at yogurt. Just like people, Yogurt doesn't appeal to everyone. However I have found that mixing a little tuna packed in water or some fresh boiled chicken in with the yogurt, they usually become very interested in it. They just need a little bit of fooling. Dogs I find need less inciting. Just give them a spoon of yogurt and watch them lick it off!

Thank you for reading. I hope you find this tip of the week helpful. If you would like to treat your dog or cat to a healthy gourmet treat, please take a moment to contact me at: MarysMiracleKittyRescue@Yahoo.com.

All sales go to help support the kitties in our rescue.

Thank you

Mary's Miracle Kitty Rescue