BY: Susan Lewelling
Toxins suppress the immune system, damage healthy tissues and do not promote a state of homeostasis. Toxins can be found in many places and in many forms.
Learn how to avoid them and use natural products in their place.
TOXINS, in ALL forms
Toxins come in many forms and our pets, being in direct contact with the ground and floors are even more so exposed than we sometimes realize. Consider that they do not wear shoes or clothes, so their foot-pads and undersides are exposed to anything in any surface, be it the floors, roads, grass, mulches or soils. Pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, cleaners, ice melting products, even the chemicals our roads, sidewalks, and the very floors and coverings in our homes are made out of can affect our pet’s health.
They are exposed to airborne pollutants outdoors, and then what about in our vehicles and homes? Candles, car exhaust fumes, air freshener sprays, carpet powders, and secondhand cigarette smoke can all have an effect on our pet’s health.
We should also consider what we clean with; hard floor cleaners, carpet cleaning solution, dish detergents, pest sprays, laundry detergents and fabric softeners. What about our perfume, deodorant and other personal care products. Our pets lick us and sniff us daily and they are even exposed to the chemicals in the lotion you put on your hands.(not to mention the chemicals you are exposing yourself to!)
Besides all this pets, are then exposed to pesticides through the so-called preventatives our vet sells or we get at a pet store or big box store. Do these products really work and are they safe? Have you read the package inserts? It warns that you (and especially your children) should not come into contact with the product until it is dry (aka:fully absorbed into your pet’s skin).
Umm, ABSORBED INTO YOUR PET’S SKIN.
Does this not ring some warning bells that these things are not safe for you OR your pets???? So some people just give them an all in one pill every month, and even a once-every-6-months- shot…. that is safe right? WRONG. These are pesticides as well, many are neurotoxins, and have been found to cause much damage to the brain and nerves, as well as the kidneys and intestinal tract of pets.
Heartworm preventative are really pushed around my area, supposedly the rate of infection is very high. Actually the preventatives are insecticides that do not prevent anything, but the dog from being completely healthy.
What basically happens is a mosquito bites your dog, transmits the heartworm larva through the bite, the larva worm begins to live in your dog’s bloodstream, and moves to the heart. Then eventually as the larva matures and goes through several stages it is killed by the pesticide.…sometimes. Recently I have confirmed from several sources that heartworms are becoming immune to the current preventatives & dogs are getting infected despite being on year round preventatives. All the risk, none of the cure.
The very best way to keep your dog from getting HW is to make sure it is in optimal health. Most of the dogs that test heartworm positive have poor nutrition, or compromised immune systems. IE, they are feed corn-kibble & are over-vaccinated…Starting to make sense?
It is all a big circle. Owner feeds kibble that the vet or the commercials tell them to, vaccinates when the vet says, spay/neuters before the dog is fully mature, uses the flea/worm preventative medications & chemicals. Dog appears to be pretty healthy but is dying from the inside out. After a few years eventually something happens, like heartworm or diabetes, behavioral changes, digestive problems, kidney disease or a cancer/tumor…person says “but my dog was so healthy”, vet says, “well these things happen, especially with this size/breed/sex dog, it is genetic or a normal part of aging.”
The kibble compromises first the digestive system, then that stress weakens the immune system, and then the chemicals assault a weakened system, and so on & so on… on top of that vaccines weaken rather than strengthen the immune system, which compounds even more stress on the dog’s body systems. No wonder our pets are susceptible to heartworm infestation, immuno-deficiencies, joint problems, and early aging!
Natural Rearing is not a guarantee that your dog will always be completely healthy, live to 25 years old & die in its sleep. But after Cooter’s relatively small vaccine reaction, I opened my eyes & began to look critically & questioningly at all the problems dogs were having all around me, my dogs, my families’ dogs, my friend’s dogs & everyone else’s dogs. Diabetic dogs, IMHA dogs, dogs with “allergies”, dogs with tumors… all this was considered “NORMAL & ACCEPTABLE”… REALLY??? I mean think about it… would dogs have survived for the thousands(or millions) of years with no help from humans & modern medicines if all that was NORMAL & ACCEPTED? They would be EXTINCT!!!! US humans meddling is the real problem…..When did all these illnesses become Normal & Accepted in dogs? IN THE PAST 50 YEARS…since dog food & multiple, yearly vaccinations…
What does your COMMON SENSE tell you about that…. I know what mine tells me…
I know that it is scary… stepping out on your own when the “experts” are telling you that you are going to damage your dog…but how really healthy is the average medically cared for dog today? Dogs should live 20-30 years depending on their size. Most dogs live 7-13 years nowadays. 10 years old is considered elderly! Dogs should be in their PRIME at 10 years of age!
Now what can we do short of leaving it all behind and living in a cave or a grass hut? First off we must forgive ourselves for what we did not know before we knew better, then we must make a promise to our pets(and our selves) to do better.
We can start by changing one thing. For instance, change your laundry detergent to a natural soap, like Dr Bronners or Miracle II Soap. Or throw out all your toxic candles and invest in a diffuser and some good therapeutic grade Essential Oils like Young Living offers. One step at a time, evaluate your world and make changes where you can. Read up on Natural Rearing of animals or consult a Naturopath or natural Pet care Coach.
Natural Rearing is not being irresponsible and not doing things, it is about being proactive and doing more natural things that support and work with the body, instead of suppressing and poisoning the body. It takes as much or more thought & planning than conventionally rearing ever did for me…
My dogs live in the house with us, are included in the family outings, activities, vacations, etc as much as possible, I drive extra just to see an excellent Holistic DVM, plan their meals, study Natural ways to prevent fleas/ticks/worms/heartworm. My dogs are not on any pesticide preventatives or HW preventatives. I use a herbal repellent spray. I have my dogs tested yearly for HW. I would use a Natural remedy (HeartWorm Free)that is much more gentle & safe than Chemical/Drug methods if one ever did consistently test positive,
I want everyone to understand the whole vicious cycle, so they will not be scared of the rhetoric from vets & drug companies & dog food corporations …The whole awful cycle of UN-Health in our pets is so ingrained in our society today that it is accepted as NORMAL. It has not always been this way and this did not happen overnight.
If you have questions or need guidance on moving towards a more natural lifestyle for your pets, contact me for a consultation.
Browse through my previous blog posts for other articles & videos about Toxins, chemicals, preventatives, etc. they will have the tag TOXINS.
DISCLAIMER: All information provided on this site & any advice given by Susan Lewelling is intended as educational/informational only and should not be considered as medical care advice and is not intended to replace the advice of your veterinarian. Please use your good judgement when making health care choices for your pets.
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