I received a comment from a reader asking if it is safe to give her dog ACV and cinnamon. At first I lost the comment and could not find it, technical glitch. So here is a response for all my readers.
I give both my dogs ACV all the time in their food and coconut oil, not together. ACV has many health benefits for your doggy. ACV has not helped stop fleas for my dogs, but I do not spray on their coats. I use Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. It does not have to be this brand, but organic is always healthier.
ACV has many health benefits for your pooch. What is good for your dog is usually good for people as well. I use it as an energy boost in water. The taste may take getting use to.
• Makes one less attractive to biting insects
• Helps prevent food poisoning
• Acts as a natural antibiotic by interrupting the development of infectious bacterial and viral diseases
My pet sitting service, Touch of Home, is a play on words, since I use touch healing.
Massage~One of the most beneficial forms of touch is massage. It is recommended for problems with muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Massaging your pet increases blood flow, relieves sore spots, both of which help your pet heal more quickly. Massage isn’t only for muscles. It also reduces stress and strengthens the immune system. It helps rid the body of toxins and often recommended to help pets recover from surgery.
Relax pets with effleurage massage. This is a gentle massage using long, slow strokes, moving your palm from the head to tail and feet. Stimulate the muscles with petrissage. More vigorous that effleurage, helps relax and stretch scar tissue. You gently grip the muscles and give them a simultaneous roll and squeeze, like kneading and rolling dough. Buddha Dog is a small animal massage and wellness service in Los Angeles, CA. Click here for their free animals massage booklet.
Photo credit: mountain animal healing
Reiki~I use this healing technique mostly on my dogs and cats and pet guests. And have used on horses. We are called Reiki practitioners. There are many different types of Reiki, I practice Usui Reiki, founded by Mikao Usui in the 1920’s in Japan. Reiki (ray-kee) means universal or spiritual energy, also known as life force energy. Everyone can channel this energy from the Divine Source and can be attuned by a Reiki Master Teacher.
Animal Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of healing and relieving stress. It can be used on animals, plant life, people, food and more. I give Reiki to my pet food also for the best nutrition. It cannot harm your pets and is non-intrusive, putting your hands on or near the animal. Reiki works well with other therapeutic techniques and veterinary medicine. It is not meant to replace veterinary care.
The best thing about Reiki is you don’t even need to know what the issue is with the animal, Reiki goes where it is needed most in the body, whether physical or emotional.
Always ask animal’s permission before starting Reiki and thank them when finished. YES-pets will lick you or curl up by you and turn their body a certain way towards you. They are saying this is where I need Reiki. NO- they get up and leave or become agitated. That’s OK. Try again later. Animals accept Reiki more easily than humans.
First center yourself, taking several deep breaths and clearing your mind, just Be. Imagine a white light coming from Source or Universe through your crown chakra, or top of your head and filling your whole body. Permeating every cell and radiating out through your palms. Set your intention, ask pet for permission, lay hands gently on pet. Leggo your ego and let Reiki do its work. Meaning YOU are not the healer but the vessel that channels the energy.
Sometimes you feel tingling or heat in your hands, sometimes nothing. Reiki is still working. Usually pets will become very relaxed or go to sleep. Thank pet and Source for energy. Many Reiki practitioners ask for spiritual guidance as well. You CANNOT harm your pet! Do not worry about where your hands are. A good place to start is one hand on chest and and the other on the back of the neck.
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Reiki clears energy blocks that cause dis-ease. Beginners start by using certain hand placements on the seven main chakras and then you will become more intuitive about where to place your hands. Chakras are centers of energy, located on the midline of the body, and yes, animals have them, too. You can practice this before you are attuned. Some people are naturally gifted healers and intuitive. Maybe you are! Reiki also benefits animals transitioning to the ‘other’ side.
Therapeutic Touch~(not to be confused with Tellington TTouch, which I will talk about next). Theapueutic Touch comes from the ancient practice “laying on of hands,” in which the healer seeks to rebalance the energy field of the pet. In the 1970’s therapist Dora Kunz and Delores Krieger Ph.D., R.N., developed a systematic approach to this technique. TT does not touch the physical body, but rather the energy field 3 to 5 inches away from the body. This is an excellent therapy to get you ready for Reiki.
Tellington TTouch~Developed by Linda Tellington-Jones in 1978. TellingtonTTouch uses the hands in a variety of ways to stroke, massage, and lift various parts of the body. The most basic technique involves making small circles with the fingers and hands, so that the cells are stimulated in a very subtle way. TTouch is easy to learn, requires no special equipment and it works! Over the past 20 years, hundreds of cases show TTouch to be a simple and effective means to relieve a vast range of common and uncommon health issues — from a simple headache to a life threatening emergency. TTouch is used for a sense of well-being, reducing stress, pain relief, depression, arthritis, deepening relationships, enhancing focus and learning and much more.
Acupressure~You use your fingertips to apply pressure to various points on your pet’s body. Acupressure works in much the same way as acupuncture, instead of using needles, you use your hands, focus, and healing intention, part of a 3,000 year old healing system called Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM. I want to point out that ALL these healing therapies use intention and energy.
According to this healing system, each animal’s ‘life force,’ or ki (kee) as in Reiki, or qi…chi (chee), moves through pathways called meridians, and can be accessed at specific points where a pathway courses close to the body’s surface.
Acupressure is used to support healing, reduce muscle spasms, strengthen immune system, and relieve pain. You are looking for a depression, or small indentation, in the muscle or in area between muscles, bones, and ligaments when looking for the pressure point. Closing your eyes may help you feel for the point and may actually feel the energy. Pressure points are never on the bony prominences or mountains, but in the valleys.
The benefits of acupressure are helps manage chronic pain, improves mobility, increase sense of well being, alleviate nausea, help control vomiting, increase strength, promote tissue healing, enhance circulation, increase blood flow, positively affect immune response and various organ functions.
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I would recommend being in a quiet place with your pet, calm and relaxed. Maybe a couple of deep breaths before you start any of these therapies. Veterinarians are always sending out wellness check up invites. By using one or more of these therapies, proper diet, love, and holistic care, we can eliminate the need for these. All of these therapies use energy, intention and intuition. They are safe, less expensive than vet visits, and can be used in conjunction with other therapies. You can learn these yourself or go to a holistic or naturopathic veterinarian.
This was designed by the Bone-A-Fide Dog Ranch, a dog boarding and daycare business located near Seattle, WA.
Woohoo! I am number 6.
We, San Diego, have many pet friendly stores and restaurants. It is not unusual to see doggy water bowls out. We have many off leash dog parks and beaches. Even our ballpark, home of the Padres, is named Petco Park. Dogs are allowed at certain games. We have Pet Day on the Bay, you and your doggy can take a Hornblower cruise around the harbor, which benefits the Helen Woodward Animal Center.
California, 19 other states, and DC have legalized the medical use of marijuana. Patients are given a ‘medical marijuana’ card by a doctor. There are lots of medical marijuana dispensaries where I live, locals call them pot stores. The known human benefits of medical marijuana are safe and effective treatment for cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy, and other conditions.
According to Jennifer Bolser of the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, technically, dogs can’t get “high” like humans can. When asked if pets can get high as a person would understand the sensation, she answered, “No. Marijuana exposure in pets causes neurologic toxicity, which is not the same as the “high” that people experience. The symptoms (staggering, agitation, stupor, etc.) that develop in pets do not appear enjoyable for them.”
However, research of medical marijuana on animals is non-existent.
Search the Web and you’ll find a wealth of anecdotal evidence from pet owners about how marijuana improved the lives of their sick and dying furry companions.
Denise gave Miles a glycerin tincture of marijuana sold as a pet medicine in dozens of licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles. Miles developed a splenic tumor that eventually metastasized to the liver and lungs. Miles was given two months to live and tramadol for the pain. But, Miles’ owner didn’t like the way tramadol affected her pet.
Within an hour after she gave Miles the tincture, the dog’s appetite returned, and he was no longer vomiting. “It couldn’t have been a coincidence,” Denise said.
Ernest Misko had never experimented with marijuana until his doctor recommended the 77-year-old Chatsworth, Calif., resident try it for his chronic back pain. Misko was so amazed with how good his back felt afterward that when his aged pet cat, Borzo, had difficulty walking, Misko started feeding the cat the same marijuana tincture Denise used. Within a few days, Borzo appeared to be pain-free and was moving much better, according to Misko.
Should veterinarians be able to prescribe medical marijuana for your pooch? Would you want medical marijuana given to Spike?
Personally, I would use God-made treatment over man-made. Holistic remedies, such of flower essences and herbs are always safer for people and animals.
Federal law prohibits all uses of marijuana, and anyone violating the law faces serious legal penalties. Even in those states where medical marijuana use has been approved. Even in those states where medical marijuana use has been approved, officers with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) periodically raid medical marijuana dispensaries, seizing their assets and shutting them down, even if only temporarily.
Marijuana has been classified as a schedule I controlled substance since 1970. Schedule I is the most restrictive of the federal Controlled Substances. The regulatory hurdles for clinical research on schedule I drugs are so high as to act as a deterrent. Numerous physician and health care organizations, including the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, and National Association for Public Health Policy, are urging the federal government to reschedule marijuana to allow more research that could yield new cannabinoid-based medications.
I give both my dogs ACV all the time in their food and coconut oil, not together. ACV has many health benefits for your doggy. ACV has not helped stop fleas for my dogs, but I do not spray on their coats. I use Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. It does not have to be this brand, but organic is always healthier.
touch of home 