Although I don’t have a dog myself, I came across an interesting article by Richard Pitcairn, doctor of veterinary medicine, who has natural treatment options for bites, bumps, or burns that could happen to your dog (especially with time spent outdoors in the summer). He even recommends carrying along first-aid treatments, such as those noted below, in case they ever become necessary.

As a quick fix for insect bites from spiders and centipedes or a sting from bees, hornets, or wasps, rub a drop of nettle extract onto the sting. Hold a dull knife perpendicular to the skin and scrape it across the sting a few times. This will pull the stinger out without pain. If you try to pull out the stinger with tweezers or your fingers, this will only squeeze additional poison into the wound.

If your dog gets a chemical, electrical, or campfire burn (showing burnt fur or white skin), dip gauze into Urtica urens or stinging nettle (combine six drops per ounce of water). Add more solution if it dries and bandage as needed.

In the case of poison (such as from ingesting toxic plants, water, or dead animals), your dog may have symptoms such as vomiting, trembling, extreme salivation, and urinate or defecate frequently. In this instance, combine one cup of water with five teaspoons of activated charcoal granules. Also call 888-426-4435 for the National Animal Poison Control Center.

If you notice that your dog is panting excessively, passes out, or has a very fast heart rate, he or she may be suffering from heat stroke. A quick fix is to get to a shady area with good air flow and give the dog water. Also, pour water on it’s body (including the head) and then place ice packs around him or her as you head to the veterinarian.

Although I hope your dog does not run into any of these problems, it’s always better to be prepared. If you have any other natural solutions that you use to help your dog, please feel free share them!

“Trail Fixes: How to Treat Your Buddy’s Bumps, Bites and Burns” by Richard H. Pit cairn. Natural Awakenings magazine June 2009

Have you ever looked at the small print of ingredients listed on your kitty’s favorite treats? If not, pull them out and glance at the delicious, nutritious ingredients- wait a minute- delicious and nutritious ingredients? Are we referring to the poultry by-product meal listed as number one or perhaps the animal digest a few more down? Yikes-what have I been feeding my cat?!?

If you are starting to feel wary of this cat treats you have trusted for your pet, you are not alone. In fact, a great deal of information on specific ingredients is available, although not widespread. These details can help you make decisions on purchasing wholesome, nutritious food for your kitty while avoiding cheap fillers.

The ingredients in my cat treats were so alarming that I decided to give homemade ones a try. I can assure you that the treats I made were safe for me to consume (although baked tuna isn’t my normal craving) and my cats, both a small kitten and adult cat enjoyed them. The recipe I tried is called “Tuna Tidbits” and is very easy to make.

Simply mix in a medium-sized bowl a 6 or 7 oz can of undrained tuna, 2 cooked egg whites, 1/4 cup corn meal, and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. Form a ball with the mixed dough (adding additional water if necessary) and then press it to about 1/4″ thickness on a cutting board. Then cut the treats into small pieces (I ended up having to break my down after baking because 1″ was much too large) and spread them out onto a baking sheet.

Bake the treats for 20 minutes at 350 degrees and remove them onto a cooling rack soon after they are finished. Once they are cooled, break them into pieces small enough for your cat’s particular enjoyment (I broke the pieces much smaller for my kitten) and store extra treats in a sealed container for later.

I hope that this alternative treat is enjoyable for your kitty and also helps to provide you a better piece of mind when spoiling him or her.

Strange find. Finally, I thought I’d found a solution that would allow us to get a cat for the garage (and ok, in the basement occasionally to hunt) without Justin dying – Allerpet C.

This product is found all over the Internet by the way, at a range of prices. The first time I found it, I was absolutely giddy and ready to buy, when a voice of reason asked me “what are the ingredients?”

(thanks : j )

Well, there wasn’t an ingredients list, but a U.S. Department of Labor MSDS sheet was available, and it succinctly stated ‘Product contains no hazardous components’.

That actually raised a flag. I decided to look a little further.

The second site I found selling Allerpet actually listed the ingredients, and I googled a long one – methylisothiazolinone – and, surprisingly enough, even Wikipedia had to report this ingredient is actually a neurotoxin, shown to be allergenic and cytotoxic, and linked to nerve cell death and DNA damage in humans.

Wait – I’m supposed to apply this to my cat’s fur every day, indefinitely, and then it’s safe for him to be in my house?

Oh, ok. It does say ‘non-toxic’ on the website, so the answer must be ‘yes’.

Well, no. One of the greatest secrets I’ve learned from working in marketing is that the only label that matters is the boring, non-descript, shrunken and unpronounceable list on the side: the ingredients label. Yes, that’s what the product actually is. Yes, that’s what’s going into your body, pets, and home.

Not the pretty face on the front of the package. Not the swirly graphics or the shiny letters. Not even necessarily ‘all-natural’ or ‘non-toxic’, even especially if a bureaucratic agency is involved. It’s methylisothiazolinone. Did you know that methylisothiazolinone is found in many shampoos and bath products? Maybe you’ll want to check yours out for yourself. And hey, if it’s not meth, it’s one of a thousand other toxic chemicals found in every-day products.

Eek. So I found an alternative – I think – at PetSmart – Dander Free for cats. The ingredients were vaguely described on the bottle, including that ominous phrase ‘Contains no known hazardous ingredients.’

See, it’s the word ‘known’ that caused me to email them for a specific ingredient list. I’m not content to blindly trust corporations to make health decisions for me, which is also (partly) why I’m kicking and screaming against the socialist takeover of this country.

Buyer beware! At least do it for the kittens.

Update: Len from Earth’s Balance kindly explained to me that Dander Free for Cats is a completely natural product, free from chemicals and preservatives. If the product works I will post a review.  Thanks for the comments!