Dog Instincts

Some canine behaviors are learned and others are genetically programmed instincts. The following are examples of instinctive herding, hunting, and communication behaviors:

Herding and hunting:
· circling,
· giving the eye, and
· nipping to move the herd.

Communicating aggression:
· growling,
· snarling, and
· walking stiffly with tail upright, hackles raised before snapping.

Communicating submission:
· ears flat,
· head low,
· eyes turned away,
· licking lips, and
· grinning.

Communicating play:
· play bow with elbows on the floor and tail up in the air.

Instinctive behaviors can be changed by breeding because they are in the genes. These changes are quantitative not qualitative.

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Puppies, Learning & Emotions

Puppy brain
A puppy’s brain increases 5 times birth weight in first 8 weeks, then doubles to adult size by one year of age.

Learning to smell and feel
First two weeks is sensitive period in dogs. Although blind and deaf, puppies learn through their abilty to smell ad feel. They begin to understand odors, softness, handling. During this period, handling the pup for 3 minutes a day creates a put that is less stressed by unexpected events throughout life. It also helps to stimulate pups with cool hands, to change temperature, touch, and stroke quality.

Critical learning periods in a puppy’s life, socialization, tail wagging, food
The first socialization period begins when the eyes open between the 2nd and 3rd week of life or 13-20 days of age. During this period the pup should be in contact with dogs and humans. If it is a herding dog, it should be in contact with the flock.

After 3 weeks of age, pups learn tail wagging while signaling littermates.

Pups learn willingness to approach strange food at 5-7 weeks, and should be offered a variety of textures, tastes, and smells. This openness to food decreases at 9 weeks of age.

Biting
Pups learn bite inhibition from mother and siblings, and transfer this knowledge to humans. This is one reason single puppies and abandoned puppies are more inclined to bite than pups raised with littermates and with a conscientious, calm dam.

Hand-reared pups
Dogs that are hand-reared from birth don’t wag their tails much, and don’t understand that dominance is expressed by a tail in air, and submission is expressed by tail carried down.

Maternal hormones
The mother’s hormones of mother influence the developing puppy. For example, fearful and anxious mothers are more likely to produce fearful pups. Aggressive mothers are more likely to produce aggressive pups.

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Yunnan Paiyo, A Herb For Dogs With Cancer

Sheltie with Hemangiosarcoma Cancer

Denise asked for advice on using Yunnan Paiyo because she has a male Sheltie, Bandit, with hemangiosarcoma. Hemangiosarcoma is an aggressive cancer that starts in the blood vessels or lymph vessels of the skin, spleen, bone, or heart and spreads throughout the body. Metastasis is usually to the spleen, lungs, and liver. My own 11-year-old male Sheltie also has sarcoma, and this topic is dear to me.

Herbs for Cancer

Many herbal formulas, including Yunnan Paiyo, are used to treat hemangiosarcoma.We use some herbs to stimulate the clearing of masses, the “blood moving” herbs according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). We also use herbs to support energy and the desire to live and enjoy life. In TCM, these herbs support the Kidney Yang and “shen” or spirit.

Yunnan Paiyo is an herbal formula from the Yunnan province in China that helps prevent bleeding, which is common with hemangiosarcoma. Yunnan Paiyo also helps with bleeding stomach ulcers, bruising, and pain caused by bruising. In addition to its benefit to those with cancer, Yunnan Paiyo is used for dogs active in sports, undergoing surgery, having dental extractions or taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Yunnan Paiyo is sold as a capsule that can be given whole or opened and sprinkled onto food. Dogs don’t seem to mind the taste of Yunnan as they do with many herbs, but it can be mixed with honey or meat for those that don’t delight in the flavor.

How Often Is Yunnan Given?

Yunnan Paiyo is often best when pulsed, which means given for a short term, then stopped and begun again. For example, it can be given for a couple weeks, then stopped for a week; given for a few days, stopped for a few days. The pulsing schedule is determined by the veterinarian, who considers all supplements and their individual effects.

We typically pulse Yunnan because it exhausts the TCM “fire” and “yin” elements if given in excess. Also, Yunnan has been associated with elevated liver enzymes (ALT, ASP, AST), but it is not clear if the elevations are due to the underlying illness or to the Yunnan.

Recommended Dosages

There are several published oral dosages for Yunnan Paiyo, which make it clear that there is a wide range of dosages requiring the veterinarian’s judgment:
· one 250 mg cap/25 lb twice a day
· one 250 mg cap/10 lb divided doses
· 30-35 mg/lb per day divided doses
· 35-50 mg/lb per day divided doses

We support Denise in her care for Bandit and recommend that she work with a holistic veterinarian to obtain the best care. Herbs such as Yunnan Paiyo that are capable of doing so much good can do harm and should never be given without a veterinarian's direct oversight. This is doubly important when medicating dogs for cancer and using both the classic Western diagnosis and a TCM approach.

Finding a Holistic Veterinarian

To find a holistic veterinarian trained in the use of Yunnan Paiyo, visit the American Holistic Vet Med website and search by state, area code, or phone prefix.

We offer Bandit and Denise our prayers, hoping they enjoy all that life holds for them both.

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Dog Behavior, The Difference Is Between Male & Female Dogs, Not Between Dog Breeds

Researchers Benjamin & Lynette Hart at the Center for Animal Behavior at Univeristy of California in Davis asked obedience judges and veterinarians to rank 56 breeds on 13 characteristics:

• general activity,
• excitability,
• excessive barking,
• dog aggression,
• snapping at children,
• dominance over owner,
• territorial defense,
• watchdog barking,
• destructiveness,
• playfulness,
• attention seeking,
• trainability,
• ease of housebreaking.

They found personality differences based on sex were greater than personality differences based on breed. Male dogs more likely to dominate owners, be dog aggressive, playful, active, territorial, and to snap at children. Females were better at obedience training and housebreaking but they demanded more affection. There were no differences between males and females in over-all excitability, excitability barking, or watchdog characteristics.

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Dog Breeds Named for Countries

Without realizing it, we’ve given dogs national characteristics by naming them for the place of origin. How well do dogs on the following list reflect the place they’re named for?

Afghan Hound
Alaskan Malamute
American Cocker Spaniel
American Eskimo Dog
American Foxhound
American Staffordshire Terrier
American Water Spaniel
Anatolian Shepherd
Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd
Australian Terrier
Belgian Malinois
Belgian Sheepdog
Belgian Tervuren
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Chinese Shar-Pei
English Cocker Spaniel
Finnish Spitz
French Poodle
German Shepherd
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Queensland Heeler

What dog should represent America? Canada? Australia?

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The AVMA & the AHVMA

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is the national association representing veterinarians. It has 75,000 members, 140 employees, puts out a monthly journal (JAVMA), and holds an annual convention. The AVMA has a $28,500,000 budget approved for 2008, delegates and lobbyists in Washington, and a relationship with the American Medical Association (AMA) that encourages a unified look at health encompassing both animal and human issues and increases focus on areas that humans and animal health issues intersect: parasites, bioterrorism, human-animal bond. This makes the AVMA sound like an ideal organization to serve veterinarians, pet owners, farmers, and the public at large, but is it?

The AVMA is managed by those with interests in maintaining good relationships with dog food manufacturers, vaccine and drug manufacturers. Because of this, the AVMA supports the feeding of packaged foods for pets, regular vaccinations, and the use drugs, chemotherapy, and surgery as the standard treatments for illness.

The oath all members of the AVMA take upon becoming veterinarians decrees that animal health and wellbeing are their primary concern. Here is what we all promise when we take the Veterinarian’s Oath:

Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of livestock resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge. I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics. I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.

Even though every veterinarian in the United States has sworn this oath, the AVMA has not come out against ear cropping, tail docking, declawing, gestation crates for hogs, tail docking in milk cows, or force-feeding of poultry to make foie gras.

The AVMA does take a stand against the use of techniques accepted by other cultures. It requires veterinarians to obtain waivers stating that holistic practices are not the norm. These waivers include the information that other more acceptable practices exist, and the more acceptable practices to which they are referring are drugs, surgery, and chemotherapy. Waivers are required for animals receiving acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic care, flower essences, soft laser or photon therapy, Chinese herbal formulas, and other forms of holistic medicine.

If consumers of veterinary medicine want an AVMA that is more open-minded, more holistically oriented and more concerned about animal welfare, they should ask that veterinarians be trained in holistic medicine and become members of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA), just as they are trained in conventional medicine and become members of the AVMA.

If veterinarians were required to be members of both the AVMA and AHVMA, the care available for cats, dogs, horses, birds, and farm animals, zoo animals, and exotic pets would more truly reflect the commitment made by all who take the Veterinarian’s Oath.

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Color and body type of Labrador Retriever Dogs

Labrador Retrievers are both extraordinarily special and extraordinarily common. As America’s favorite breed, there are far more registered Lab puppies than any other breed, and there are probably more unregistered Lab puppies than unregistered puppies of any other breed, as well.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognizes three colors in Labradors: yellow, black, and chocolate. There are two body types:
• a leaner, taller body type that is common in dogs bred for hunting, and
• a heaver, shorter dog that is common in dogs bred for showing in AKC conformation events.

The “S” solid color gene
Both body types come in solid colors of yellow, black, or chocolate, but a tiny amount of white on the chest is acceptable. The gene that controls for the color to completely cover the body everywhere is E, and the gene that controls for color to only partly cover the body is “e.” When labs were originally bred, there were probably dogs with “e” gene because there were some spotted or parti-colored Labrador ancestors. Because AKC standards encouraged solid colors, dogs with spots or patches of color (parti-colored) were not officially sanctioned. If these spotted or multicolored Labrador Retrievers appear for sale today, the odds are that the puppies:
• are not pure bred Labradors or
• are carrying unusual DNA, such as XXY chromosomes.

Other Labrador color genes: si, sp, and sw
The ideal Labrador has the solid color “S” gene, and this leads to the all yellow, all black, or all chocolate coat, that can include a few white hairs on the chest. There are several variants of the “S” gene, and they can show up in the Labrador either because both parents have the gene, or the Labs were bred with dogs that are not Labradors. When Labradors have has an unacceptable coat color, they can’t be registered with the AKC, but they can be perfectly wonderful dogs. Variants of the “S” gene include si, sp, and sw.

The “Irish” si gene
The gene “si” denotes the “Irish” white pattern, which is common in herding dogs with white on the collar, chest, and feet.

The “piebald” sp gene
The “sp” is the piebald gene, which produces a small amount of white on the chest and toes.

The wide white “sw” gene
The “sw” gene is a wide, white color pattern, which produces large white spots or a parti-colored coat.

Other genes for coat color patterns
In addition to having variants of the “S” gene, Labradors can carry genes for black and tan and for brindle, but dogs that express these genes are not registered as Labradors by the AKC.

Spot of Bolo or Mark of Bolo
Labrador Retrievers can also have a small white patch above the carpal pad at the back of the foot that is called the mark of Bolo. The English Champion Labrador Retriever, Banchory Bolo, had white patches above the carpal pad and modern breeders of dogs with white carpal patches call them the Bolo spot. In fact, no one has done the genetic work to prove that modern dogs with Bolo spots are related to the old Champion Bolo.

Color does not affect health, but it affects price
Whether a Labrador Retriever is black, yellow, chocolate, piebald, spotted, brindled, or has the mark of an Irish herding dog does not affect its health. This is different than is the case of coat color in some breeds where color is associated with skin problems and baldness. In Labrador Retrievers, many colors can indicate a healthy dog, but only those with AKC acceptable solid black, yellow, or chocolate can be registered. It would seem unwise to pay much money for a “special” Labrador Retriever that is spotted or unusually colored. My advice If you want a dog because you like its looks, go for it, but don’t believe it is a “purebred” Labrador Retriever unless it looks like all the other purebred Labs.

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Anxiety in Dogs and Shock Collars

We’re discussing anti-stress therapies for Charlie, a young terrier who became anxious after his family’s relatives outfitted him with a shock collar to control barking.

In yesterday’s blog, we’ve looked at acupuncture, homeopathy, and flower essence remedies for anxiety, and today, we’ll cover herbs and hormones that can help Charlie.

Both Chinese and Western medicine identify herbs that lower anxiety. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) refers to anxiety and other forms of emotional upset as disturbance of “shen” or spirit. There are dozens of TCM herbal formulas for shen disturbance, and veterinarians choose the best formula based on physical exam findings, including an inspection of the tongue and pulse.

Tongue and Pulse Diagnosis for Shen Disturbance
Shen disturbance often causes a change in “heat” in the tongue and pulse so that there is a marked increase or a marked decrease in heat.

Excess heat gives the
· tongue a deep red color and
· pulse a bounding quality.

Deficient heat gives the
· tongue a pale color, and
· pulse a weak, soft quality.

Excess heat occurs for two reasons:
· heat-generating events or
· a fluid deficiency.
Fluids cool the body, and without them the body heats up.

Insufficient heat also occurs for two reasons:
· lack of heat generating energy, such as yang and chi energy derived from attention, food, and exercise; and
· excess cooling that is generated by excess fluids, which can occur with stagnation.

Putting a shock collar on a dog either shuts down the dog’s energy or ramps it up, but shock collars don’t leave energy in a balanced state. With Charlie, the first thing the family noticed was lethargy, withdrawal and a reluctance to bark under any circumstances. Charlie’s veterinarian would probably find that his tongue is paler than normal and his pulse weaker than normal.

In dogs that respond to shock collars with anger and resentment, the tongue would appear redder than normal and the pulse faster. These dogs might become biters.

Chinese Herbs for anxiety
Based on Charlie’s physical exam findings, a TCM shen formula would be chosen, such as:
· Huang Lian E Jiao Tang,
· Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan,
· Lian Wen Dan Tang, and
· Zhu Sha An Shen Wan.


Western Herbs for anxiety
Western diagnosis of anxiety is, like the TCM diagnosis, complex. We think of anxiety as associated with diagnoses of depression, obsessive compulsive disease, and separation anxiety. These conditions can be treated with antipsychotic medications similar to those taken by humans, such as Paxil and Wellbutrin, but these medications have serious side effects so it is often safer to try Western herbs first. Among the Western herbs that help relieve anxiety are:
· Valerian,
· Kava,
· Hops,
· Passion Flower, and
· St Johns Wart.

Hormone for anxiety - Melatonin
The hormone Melatonin also helps anxious dogs. Melatonin promotes a deeper, more restful sleep so that the pituitary gland, which is active at night, can release growth hormone. Growth hormone affects mood as much as it affects physical function, and we see the effects of melatonin and growth hormone every morning when dogs wake restful, happy, and eager for the day. We also see the effects of these hormones on the skin and coat because without them the hair thins and bald patches can develop.

Combining therapies
Using holistic veterinary medicine, hormones, herbs, homeopathy, and acupuncture therapies can be combined to treat anxiety. Often the most effective approach is to incorporate a little from several different therapies rather than to rely on a single therapy.

In future blogs, we’ll look holistic medications and supplements that will help Charlie learn better so he can be trained without aggression and without shock collars.

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Shock Collars for Dogs Cause Emotional Stress, Holistic Therapies That Help With Stress

Charlie, a young terrier with lots of energy, was left with relatives while his family was traveling. The host family put a shock collar on Charlie to control his energy and barking. When Charlie’s family returned they found a frightened dog that no longer barked under any circumstances.

People who use shock collars may not realize how devastating a jolt to the neck is to a highly energetic, rambunctious dog. Instead of training dogs, shock teaches fear, despair, distrust, and resentment. Folks who don’t understand this are welcome to put a shock collar on themselves and hand the control to anyone who wants them to behave. With the control goes the decision about when the shock collar comes off. Kindly observe what happens to the ability to think clearly and to enjoy life.

Emotional pain that mistreated dogs experience is as extreme as physical pain. Look for downcast eyes, disinterest in food, no desire to investigate new experiences, fear around new people, cowering and withdrawal. Charlie’s family should act immediately to address their pet’s emotional pain for two reasons:
· to relieve mental anguish
· to prevent psychological pain from being expressed as behavior problems or physical illness.

All forms of holistic healing have methods to treat emotional pain, and here are some examples that can help a dog like Charlie process the anxiety and fear caused by abusive training with a shock collar and move beyond the experience:

Acupuncture points to massage
· at top of head in the middle between the ears
· behind the ears, deep in the groove between the skull and the ear

Homeopathy
· Rhus tox if prefers to be alone
· Phos acidum if apathetic
· Belladonna if nervous and restless
· Phosphorus if nervous and oversensitive
· Kali phos if shy, difficulty meeting people
· Thuja if overexcited and easily angered with little things

Flower Essence
· Aspen if fearful, withdrawn or anxious in many different circumstances
· Mimulus if fearful, withdrawn or anxious in one or two identifiable circumstances
· Gentian if depressed or discouraged due to bad experience
· Larch if cowering and overly submissive
· Rock Rose for terror, panic and extreme fear
· Star of Bethlehem for mental and physical shock

It’s fine to use multiple therapies. The Flower Essence therapies are often combined, then misted onto the pet, dropped in the mouth, or put in the drinking water. SpiritEssence at www.SpiritEssence.com has Stress Stopper and other formulas that are useful in cases like this.

Chinese and Western herbs also address emotional suffering. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emotional suffering is a form of “shen” or spirit disturbance. In future blogs, we’ll look at herbs that help with anxiety and shen disorders. We’ll also identify some holistic therapies that will help Charlie learn better so he can be trained without aggression and without shock collars.

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Treating Hives or Urticaria in Dogs

Hives are red raised, itchy blotches that can form a pinpoint rash or a plateau of inflamed welts. The Western medical term for hives is urticaria, and the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) term is wind-heat caused by Lung meridian excess. Homeopathic medicine also recognizes hives as a medical problem, but diagnosis it in terms of the dog's overall presentation

Hives are rather rare so you might think you'll never need this information, but the same approaches that fix dogs with hives also help dogs with flea bite sensitivity and hot spots. With all three conditions, immune system over activity leads to inflammation with redness, swelling, heat, and itching. If, in addition to inflammation, skin infection is a factor, the threatment must also cover infection.

The first step in treating Patch for hives is to make him comfortable by relieving inflammation and itching (pruritus). Use running cold water, ice packs, or fans on dampened skin. Give homeopathic remedies with immediate benefit, such as Apis and Rhus tox.

For long-term relief from hives, Western medicine, TCM and homeopathy each have something to offer.

Western medicine therapy for hives, hot spots, and flea sensitivity:

• antihistamines (Benadryl),


• steroids (prednisone),


• Omega 3 fatty acids from fish or flax to decrease tendency to inflammation,


• probiotics and prebiotics to strengthen the intestine since “Leaky Gut” syndrome predisposes dogs to develop itchy skin disorders.

TCM herbal formulas that dissipate heat and treat hives, hot spots, and flea sensitivity:

• Xiao Huang San (Dissipating Huang-Pattern Powder),


• Huang Lian Jie Du Tang (Coptis Decoction to Relieve Toxicity),


• Long Dan Xie Gan Tang (Gentian Drain the Liver Decoction) and Er Miao San (Two Marvels Powder),


• Wu Wei Xiao Du Yin (Five Ingredient Decoction to Eliminate Toxin) which also addresses skin infections,


• Fang Feng Tong Shen San (Pills of Ledebouriella with Magical Therapeutic effect),


• Si Miao San (Four Marvels Powder),

and individual herbs, such as:

• Jing Jie (schizonepeta),


• Fang Feng (ledebouriella root),


• Be He (mentha) , and


• Ku Shen (sophora root).

TCM also recommends diet changes away from carbohydrates such as wheat and corn. TCM recommends meat and fish that are "cooling" or "neutral" rather than "hot." Serve the food raw, but warmed:

• turkey,


• rabbit,


• cod fish, salmon, tuna, sardines,


• pork, or


• beef.

Cooling vegetables include:

• broccoli,


• celery,


• spinach,


• cabbage, and


• carrots.

TCM recommends that Patch avoid "hot" foods such as mutton, chicken, garlic, oats, and ginger.

TCM uses acupuncture to relieve hives, hot spots, and flea bite sensitivity:
Points that clear hives accompanied by moist skin or discharge:
BL 25, LI 11, SP 9, GB 41, LV 3, CV2.
Points that relieve itching:
LI 11, LI4, BL 40, SP 10, GV 14.

Homeopathic approaches to hives, hot spots, or flea bite sensitivity are most effective when they take into account the dog’s nature. Among the remedies for hives, flea bite sensitivites, and hot spots are:

• Apis


• Belladonna


• Sulfur


• Hepar sulph


• Ipecac


• Rhus tox, andv
  
• Urtica urens.

The most effect treatments include a little from each approach. For example, Patch could begin with

• Apis every 2 hours


• daily Omega 3 fatty acids from fish,


• yogurt for probiotics,


• Long Dan Xie Gan Tang and Er Miao San if there is no infection,


• Wu Wei Xiao Du Yin if there is skin infection, and


• hamburger, carrots, and broccoli or pork, cabbage, and broccoli.

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Caring for Pets, Hives in Dogs

Patch, before hives made him miserable.

Hives are raised, red areas caused by allergic reactions. They are often intensely itchy. With hives, and other allergic symptoms, the immune system is reacting not to a real threat, but to an imagined threat.

The immune system, which controls white blood cells (WBCs), is responsible for Patch's hives and for all allergy symptoms. The soldiers of the immune system, the WBCs, go to war for a perceived threat, and with allergies, as with the war in Iraq, damage is out of proportion to the threat. In the body's allergy war, the major weapon is histamine, which is stored in packets inside WBCs.

With hives, the immune system senses a threat and sends chemical messages to dilate blood vessels. With blood vessels dilated, red and white blood cells flood into the area. Vessels become so dilated that the cells separate slightly and WBCs and fluid leak out into the skin. As WBCs travel between the skinn cells, they release packets of histamine, and histamine further dilates the capillary vessels. The skin turns red, hot, and swollen. The swollen, red areas can form a rash of tiny pinpoints or they can form large raised areas recognized as hives.

In addition to causing heat, redness, and swelling, histamine can cause itching, headaches, and malaise. Histamine, not the trigger that set the allergic reaction off, makes Patch miserable.

The allergic triggers that caused Patch's hives could have been anything he ate, breathed, or touched.

Examples of things pets eat that cause hives include:
· drugs,
· fish, and
· tomatoes.
Pets can also be allergic to worms and parasites that are inside their body.

Examples of things pets breathe that cause hives include:
· tree, grass, and flower pollen,
· burning weeds, including burning poison ivy,
· room sprays and disinfectants,
· cigarette smoke,
· human perfumes and after shaves, and
· pet perfume sprays.

Examples of things pets touch that cause hives include:
· soaps and lotions,
· poison ivy, poison oak
· cleaners used on floors and carpets,
· rubber mattresses,
· cedar chips in dog beds,
· preservatives used on dog houses and decks, and
· cedar and aromatic woods.

Our friend, Patch, has hives so severely that he wakes up at night and scratches. Because Patch sleeps beside his mom and dad, they wake up, too. After a few sleepless nights, Patch’s family is ready to check into a hotel to clarify whether the problem is in the house or on the dog.

In future blogs, we’ll cover treatments for hives. We'll also cover supplements and herbs that can help prevent hives and allergic reactions. These supplements and herbs make WBCs less inclined to mount an aggressive response when there is no true threat to a pet's well being. We only wish Iraq could be this easy.

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Top cities for dogs

Top cities for dogs were decided based on dog-friendly places, transportation, beaches, parks, stores, and dining opportunities. Must have been the lack of beaches that knocked Colorado towns from the list.
· Boston
· Vancouver
· New York
· San Francisco
· Austin
· Portland
· Northern Virginia
· Orlando
· San Diego
· Dallas/Fort Worth
· Chicago
· Indianapolis
· Philadelphia
· Salt Lake City
· Seattle

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Caring for Pets, Lead In Ceramic Food Bowls From China

Check your dog bowls. Check your cat bowls. With the latest recall of ceramic dishes made in China, check to see if your pets are eating from bowels made in China. Chinese-made ceramic bowls may have a high lead content in the glaze. For that matter, so might ceramic bowls made in Mexico.

To prevent lead and heavy metal toxins in glaze from leaching into your pets’ food, switch to:
· ceramic bowls made for babies,
· ceramic liners of crock pots, or
· stainless bowls.

Pets exposed to lead develop subtle learning, behavior, and health problems that become increasingly more severe. Some of the problems caused by lead are:
· anemia
· anorexia
· coma (loss of consciousness)
· constipation
· diarrhea
· headache
· hyperactivity
· insomnia
· irritability
· kidney problems
· learning disability
· lethargy
· nausea and vomiting
· Schizophrenia–like symptoms
· seizures.

If you have any concerns that your pet’s bowls may be contributing to health, learning, or behavior problems, switch immediately to glass bowls or stainless cooking pots, then find new dishes.

New pet food dishes don’t need to cost much money, just look for dishes that won’t break, and are chemically inert—such as glass, stainless, and ceramic approved for babies. Then, ask your veterinarian to run a simple blood test to see if there are changes in your pet's red blood cells that indicate lead damage.

Lead profoundly affects health, and you’re able to prevent lead poisoning from glaze used on ceramic dishes in China with a simple approach—NO ceramic dishes for pets that aren’t certified as safe for babies.

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