Ear infections are common in dogs and cats. Young animals can have ear mites and without a microscope, the infection can look very much like a yeast infection--a dark or black waxy discharge. Your veterinarian should be initially consulted for treatment. This podcast is focusing on recurring ear infections that are either yeast or bacteria in origin, resulting from a biome or microflora imbalance. This imbalance can be caused by food allergies (commonly grains, other carbohydrates, dairy, chicken, beef, fish or fish oil), occasionally by environmental allergies, getting water in the ear or eating carbohydrates irrespective of food allergies. It is critical that you pay attention to what you feed your dog or cat in the hours or day prior to the onset of the infection. It's important to rotate the protein once a month to prevent hypersensitivities. Dogs and cats should not need regular ear cleaning if their immune system and microflora are balanced. At the end of the podcast, I give the listener a natural cure for aural hematomas, an viable option to surgery, which is to rub food-grade castor oil into the inner ear flap once a day for five days, massaging the oil into the hematoma. It can take up to 14 days for it the ear hematoma to subside completely and it's important to treat the underlying infection but it's an excellent option to surgery because there is no scar tissue, otherwise known as cauliflower ear, that occurs once the hematoma subsides.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/donna943/support

Dr. Michael Lemmon has been a holistic veterinarian for fifty four years and just before he set out to retire, I interviewed him. We discussed ways to prevent veterinary burn out, how to connect with a higher force, keeping spirituality at the core of practice. We also discussed some of his favorite ways to treat cats and dogs holistically and how he and others founded the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Lemmon is an extraordinary person who can focus on the positive and carry an open-minded spirit and a zest for infinite learning. My favorite line of this podcast is, "Nature is the greatest temple." What is Dr. Lemmon doing in retirement? Using the book and movie, "Back to Eden" as a motivational and educational template, he is going back to gardening, to permaculture. We will all miss him so much.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/donna943/support

There are three major causes of anal gland diseases in dogs. First, genetics and anatomical configuration affecting anal gland expression. Second, food allergies and other causes of Damp Heat or stagnation, constipation and other patterns of disharmony often caused by too many carbohydrates and other food allergies. Third, a diet that lacks the correct fiber levels or contains too much bone. Anal gland material should be liquid in dogs and cats, or close to it and not pasty, bloody containing pus. They provide a way for animals to spread their scent in nature. Problems can cause excess scooting, licking and pungent discharge, require emptying very often or abscess causing an exterior wound. Correct management is important to prevent these problems. There is a serious disease causing the body to attack it's own anal gland causing a fistula. This is very common in German Shepherds but not common in other breeds and the information provided above does not necessarily help these perianal fistulas but later I will address autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases in particular. There are also anal gland carcinomas, tumors of the anal area which can make expression difficult. #analglands #fiberfordogs #dogs #abscesses #holisticvet #holistic #naturopathic #naturopathicpetdoc #rawdietssolveanalglands #analglanddisease #expressanalglands --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/donna943/support

In the Chapter, "The Lost Art of Urinalysis," I describe two young dogs whose lives turn around once we isolated their individual pattern of imbalance causing a high urinary Ph in Lola, the Newfoundland and severe hematuria (blood in the urine) in Coco, the Aussie-doodle. If conventional veterinarians primarily looks at causative bacteria, they can miss some of the main imbalances which give rise to infections in the first place. In my book, Zen and the Art of Caring for Pets, I shine a light on various issues in our profession, two seemingly unrelated problems: One is veterinary burnout and the other is the lack of safe therapeutic options in chronic care. But by using botanical therapies and diet, patients can make miraculous recoveries. Clients are happier and in turn, veterinarians can experience a more fulfilled life dream to help animals. This chapter really emphasizes one difference between holistic and conventional medicine-whether you focus on the bacteria or virus or you focus on the immune system, that innate ability we all have to fight disease. If you or someone you know has a pet with chronic urinary issues, this podcast may be of interest to you. Please subscribe to my youtube channel and give me a review on Amazon if you can! More information is available on my website www.nwholisticpetcare.com. #urinarytractinfections #urine #canine #dog #UTI #sterilecystitis #cystitis #naturopathicpetdoc --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/donna943/support

Learn how to use holistic principles like clicker training to help your kitty learn that normal procedures such as nail trims and pilling can be positive experiences instead of a perpetual fight (which cats always win). Learn how to read your cat's coat and check for hydration as well as how to clicker train for success with SubQ fluid administration, nail trims, blood draws, anal gland expression and pilling. If you think about it, why should cats trust us? How can we teach them that trusting us will help them live longer and happier lives and keep your veterinarian safer and healthier too. #veterinarian #feline #cats #pillingcats #clickertraining #clickertrainingcats #DrDonna #Naturopathicpetdoc #traincats #caringforcats #wellness --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/donna943/support

The recipe for the vitamin powder is 1/4 cup of raw organic sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and Brazil nuts and 3 tbsp of organic Spirulina. You can grind these ingredients into a powder and refrigerate. The canine dose is 1/4 tsp per ten pounds of body weight. This is a great way to give your dog vitamins and minerals he or she can digest easily and you may instantly see more energy and less fleas. At the clinic it's part of our preferred flea prevention, as well as cleaning the house regularly and a raw or homemade diet. For more information about diets, you can check out my website www.nwholisticpetcare.com  or my new book, Zen and the Art of Caring for Pets. If you are interested in natural treatments for dogs and cats, please let me know what subjects you would like me to address. At our clinic we treat immune-mediated diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, painful conditions, allergies and cancer using acupuncture, NAET, chiropractic, herbs and whole food diets.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/donna943/support