Helping Geriatric Dogs & Cats with Herbs

Ever wondered what Traditional Chinese Medicine could do for your aging dog or cat? Lots! Here are examples of TCM formulas we might use for senior pets:

Heart failure: Zhi Gan Cao Tang, Xue Fu Zhu Yu tang
Stroke or vestibular disorder: Tian Ma Gou,Teng Yin Wan, Tong Qiao Huo Xue Tang, Ban Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Tang
Arthritis: Duo Huo Ji Shen Tang, Di Gui Pi
Kidney Disease: Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan
Incontinence: Suo Quan Wan, Jin SuoGu Jing Wan, San Piao Xiao San

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Therapies & Medications for Senior Pets

The following help improve symptoms our senior dogs & cats experience due to aging:
• Acupuncture
• Chinese Herbs
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids
• Flower Essences
• Pheromones
• Homeopathics
• Medications to Strengthen Liver & Brain

Acupuncture
This simple therapy of inserting needles into specific points will tune up your pet’s system. Your pet will be more comfortable and will have optimum organ function—just as tuning up a car helps it to function as it should. Dogs and cats tolerate the tiny needles very well, and those that don’t can benefit from photon therapy or moxa.

Chinese Herbs
Over two thousand years have gone into the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbal formulas for senior pets. TCM formulas can address all problems for which we typically use drugs, such as arthritis, kidney disease, liver disease, allergy, anxiety and confusion.

Omega 3 Fatty AcidsOmega 3 fatty acids benefit the brain because 60% of the brain is fat. The cell membranes of all nerve cells, and the myelin sheaths that wrap around and insulate the nerves, contain a high percentage of fat. Omega 3 fatty acids provide the materials that produce healthy nerve cells and have been proven to positively influence mood, behavior, and learning. The best sources of Omega 3 fatty acids are fresh ground flax seed, such as MegaFlax Digestive from Designing Health and fish oils, such as Nordic Naturals’ Omega 3 for Pets.

Flower Essences
Probems with psychological or spiritual aspects benefit from flower essences. Check out SpiritEssence (www.SpiritEssence.com) for a wide range of medications that can be dropped into your pet’s mouth, put into its water, misted into the room, or misted onto the pet.

Pheromones
Pheromones are chemical messages that alter behavior. Humans do not smell the pheromones in Comfort Zone D.A.P. for Dogs or in Comfort Zone Feliway for Cats but these pheromones have a calming effect on pets. D.A.P. can help make your dog feel as though it is back in the nest box with its mother; and Feliway can help make your cat feel as though the entire world is at its command.

Homeopathic
Homeopathic medications can be given safely without interfering with other medications. Among best meds for seniors are Zeel for arthritis and Traumeel for injury. If you’re creating a first aid kit, Traumeel is the single most important homeopathic med to put into your kit.

Medications to strengthen aging liver & brain
One of the liver’s jobs is to control the proteins circulating in the blood. As the liver ages, it allows proteins into circulation that are detrimental to the brain. Cholodin, Marin, S-Adenosyl (SAMe), and Denosyl help the brain, in part, because they promote liver health. As an additional benefit, S-Adenosyl (Zentonil) also increases mobility in pets with arthritis.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Physical Changes in Aging Pets

We’ve been discussing changes that occur in senior pets and have covered behavorial changes. Now, let’s look at physical changes

Brain & Senses
Size and weight of brain decreases with aging. The fluid-filled ventricles can increase in size. Neurotransmitters change. Senses diminish and pets don’t see, hear or smell well. The lenses of the eyes become cloudy. The eyes become red and dry (keratoconjunctivitis sicca or dry eye) as tears lose their lubricating ability and thick discharge appears in the corners.

Bones & Muscles
Older pets lose muscle mass; the spine becomes more prominent. Seniors have weak and stiffened ligaments & tendons, and thin, ineffective joint fluid. Joint fluid cannot nourish the cartilage in their joints so that it dries and becomes brittle. Bones demineralize and soften. These bone & muscle changes make it difficult for seniors to take long walks, climb steps, jump into the car or onto the counter. Senior pets are stiff & wobbly; they fall over easily.

Mouth
Almost all aging pets have dental disease with inflammation of gums (gingivitis). Dental calculus (tartar) builds up. While some believe kibble and dry food causes less tarter than canned or soft food, this is not necessarily true. It is true that accumulated calculus leads to gum disease, pain, infection, and loss of teeth. The speed and severity of these problems is influenced by genetics, nutrition, infections such as Feline Leukemia, and feeding habits.

Stomach, Intestines & Digestion
Older dogs and cats may lose weight and become cachectic or gain weight and become obese. If they lose weight, it is because they don’t digest their food as well as a younger pet or have disease process such as cancer that demands more nutrient than they consume. Seniors are inclined to problems with constipation and diarrhea. They have fickle appetites and like a food one day, but not the next so that variety becomes important. Enzymes, probiotics, and B Vitamin injections are helpful.

Kidneys
Aging kidneys lose their ability to hold water so that pets drink more and urinate more (polyuria polydipsia or PUPD). In addition, several diseases (diabetes, Cushing’s disease, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism) cause pets to have PUPD. The large volume of urine in the bladder can cause house-trained pets to urinate in the house. With the loss of large volumes of water into the urine, the body dehydrates, stools become dry and are more difficult to pass so pets develop chronic constipation secondary to kidney disease.

Bladder
Aging kidney cells produce urine so dilute that it cannot prevent bacteria from growing within the bladder. Bladder infections (cystitis) cause frequent, painful voiding of small amounts. Pets with cystitis often urinate in the house or outside the litter box.

Skin
Pets have thinner drier skin and coats as they age. The skin loses its elasticity because vitamin C-dependent collagen doesn’t form. Cysts, warts, and tumors form. There’s an increase in chronic Staph and yeast infections. The coat becomes unkempt. Dogs will grey; cats maintain their coat color, although usually it is less vibrant than when young. Nails grow thicker and longer as the result of liver disease.

Weight
Aging pets increase total fat and decrease total muscle. To prevent obesity, they need joint medications and frequent, mild exercise. For most aging pets, senior diets are not as helpful as a good regular diet with herbs.

We've covered lots of material on senior pets. These are wonderful years that you can look forward to enjoying. If you prepare to spend a little more in veterinary care & supplements than you've spent for your young robust cats & dogs, then the days ahead will still be good.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Behavior Changes in Aging Pets

Aging pets have physical and behavioral changes. Let’s consider the behavior changes and what we can do to remedy them.

What behavior changes occur with aging?
Behavior changes with aging include problems with orientation, social interaction, activities & exercise, grooming, housetraining, sleeping, and eating. Here are some examples of these problems:

Orientation
Pets that aren’t orientated become confused and get lost in familiar locations. They may get stuck on the wrong side of the door, or sit at the hinged side of the door.

Social Interaction
Pets having trouble with social interaction no longer enjoy being petted and don’t come to greet you like they used to. In families with multiple pets, the pets may squabble and the stable inter-pet hierarchy may crumble. Pets experiencing arthritis may become so irritable that they snap at you rather than play with you.

Activities & Exercise
Your senior pet may have joint pain so that it cannot go for walks, climb on the bed, or jump into the car.

Grooming
Their coats appear bedraggled, and they don’t clean themselves after eliminating. There is an increase in scruffy or poor coats with diseases, such as diabetes and Cushing’s disease.

Housetraining
Pets may have trouble with housetraining because they cannot jump into the litter box, cannot walk to the door to go outside. Many senior pets lose bladder sphincter control and dribble urine. Many senior pets become chronically constipated and have difficulty passing stool. Straining to defecate causes pain and these pets associate pain with the litter box and learn to avoid it. Instead, they defecate around the house.

Sleeping
Aging pets often sleep poorly. They’re restless because of pain, anxiety, changes in their brain sleep center, and because they don’t get aerobic activity during the day to help them sleep. Pets may cry and pace. They may prevent you from sleeping, too.

Eating
Your senior pet may have a poor appetite (anorexia) because senses of taste and smell aren’t strong, and food loses its appeal. To compound the problem, senior pets may have dental disease and stomach ulcers.

Who gets behavior changes with aging?
Any pet can develop behavior changes with aging. If your pet has a disease that decreases blood flow to the brain, such as heart disease, behavior changes may be more severe. If your pet has liver disease, it may also have behavior changes because the liver controls the molecules that circulate in the blood. When the liver cannot rid the body of toxic materials, the toxins enter the brain and alter behavior. This is most apparent 1-2 hours after eating.

Pets fed diets low in antioxidants, phytonutrients (phyto=plant), and Omega 3 fatty acids may experience the greatest deterioration in brain function.

Signs & Symptoms of Aging
Pets with behavior changes secondary to aging often wander about confused. Pets that were independent may become clingy. Some pets snap when you try to pet them. Pets appear uninterested in food, their environments, and in themselves. They’re restless at night. They lose their housebreaking training.

Solutions for Aging Problems
For pets with disorientation:
Maintain a regular schedule.
Leave the furniture in the same position.
Speak calmly, but in a voice that’s loud enough for them to hear.
Teach hand signals to deaf pets.

For pets with problems with social interaction:
Engage in petting and interaction when your pet has the most energy during the day.
Allow your pet to come to you when it’s ready rather than expecting interaction when you’re ready.
Create a quiet place for your pet to retreat to if it feels stressed by hubbub in the house.

For pets with problems with activities & exercise:
Provide medication for joint pain.
Choose gentle activities, such as swimming, rather than jogging.
Go for shorter, more frequent walks.
Provide ramps for access to the car, sofa, and bed.

For pets with problems with grooming:
Use a gentle brush and remove old hair at least weekly.
Prevent hairballs in cats by providing fiber.
Wash your pet if it soils itself.

For pets with problems with housetraining:
Maintain a regular feeding and potty schedule.
Use an indoor litter pan for pets than cannot walk outside.
Provide fiber to promote normal bowel movements.

For pets with problems with sleeping:
Provide a soft, supportive bed.
Use a bed your pet can walk onto without making a step up that can hurt arthritic joints.
Consider supplementing with melatonin.

For pets with problems with eating
Heat the food to increase its aroma.
Use canned or fresh foods rather hard kibble.
Use foods with increased caloric density if your pet is losing weight.

In future Caring for Pet entries, we'll look at physical changes associated with aging and what we can do about them.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Aging Pets

One-quarter of our cats & dogs are considered seniors—they’ve reached 75% of their life expectancy. We understand so much more about aging and it makes it possible to keep our cats & dogs healthy & happy.

Let’s think of aging as a natural process associated with gradual deterioration of body & mind. How rapidly a pet ages is governed by many factors including its genetics, toxin exposures, diseases, nutrition, immunity, and psychological state.

If we examine an aging pet’s body microscopically, we’d see fibrosis of the heart valves, liver and other organs, decreased enzymes for digestion, decreased lung and kidney function, loss of brain and bone, loss of muscle and cartilage. These microscopic cell changes lead to low metabolic rate, poor digestion, lethargy, pain, and behavior changes. Over the next few Caring for Pets blog entries, let’s discuss the physical changes with aging, then the behavioral changes.

If you’re in the Vancouver area, come to Vancouver Animal Wellness Hospital May 15 at 1 PM and we’ll have an open discussion about aging that will cover all the ways we can help senior pets. We’re located at 105 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC. The session is free and open to all. Call if you’d like more information: 604 738 4664. See you there.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad