Blog - Dr. Dee Blanco

Thinking Required: Dr. Dee’s Rebuttal to Anti-Anti-Vaxxers

July 30, 2019 by Dr. Dee Blanco 2 Comments

The article in Veterinary Practice News entitled “IS FEAR DRIVING THE ANTI-VACCINATION MOVEMENT?” by Dr. Brennen McKenzie is nothing original.

It’s one more fear-filled repetition of the same-old, same-old: ignorant pet owners and their delusional vets aren’t toeing the vaccination party-line. Drinking that Kool-aid is just what vet school taught us to do – and what a huge pitcher that is! But making endless pejorative comments about alternative medicine vets is forgetting that we’ve all had the same training. Some of us just elected not to become another mouthpiece for Big Pharma.

First Do No Harm

There’s a growing body of science that fractures the erroneous and long-held myths of vaccination protection, efficacy, and harmlessness.

Behind all the hype and fear are real dangers that conventional veterinarians refuse to see or acknowledge.

Think of this: your highly educated, super smart vet who knows a lot about animals will unequivocally deny that vaccines can cause harm to their patients, family, and friends.

That’s not science; that’s dogma!

Science is a methodology, not a belief system, and a dogmatic mindset is a violation of the oath to first do no harm.

Why is it we ignore great science if it conflicts with our beliefs? Even if it’s right under our noses as empirical evidence in our practices?

The answer might lie in something called conformational bias which occurs when we desire or prefer a particular idea to be true and then gather information from any source — social media, Google searches, other friends or colleagues — to support our desires or belief, ignoring other contrary data.

We all have a tendency to do this sort of wishful thinking which often stops the gathering of any new information that potentially contradicts our views or prejudices. Not very “scientific,” is it? It’s the “blinders on the eyes” effect.

No Thinking Required

Vet school didn’t teach us to think critically, connect the dots, or self-evaluate; instead, they initiated our training to become the mouth pieces of Big Pharma on the very first day.

They spoon-fed us everything we needed to consume, to digest and to excrete. Period. Nothing else. No thinking required.

After all of this spoon-feeding, what do we do?

We consume-excrete; consume-excrete. Mountains of information and minutia “consumed” then “excreted” in endless stressful examinations meant to make us vet automatons. A perfect terrain for Pharma and Co. to make vets eternally addicted to and pushers of often unnecessary and typically toxic meds — such as vaccines.

This ultimately leads to a practice model that is taking hold throughout the country — corporate medicine — what I call flow-chart or commercial medicine. The vets hired in these very efficient, regimented clinics are required to follow the party-line for every single animal, or close to it. This foundation now set in the vet schools is why the tradition of private practice will likely last for only one or two more generations. The home-grown vet practice is on it’s way out. Finito.

Welcome the vet conglomerates, pet insurance (because you can’t afford to go to those vet clinics without it), vaccine schedules enforced even in the very ill animals, and more toxic chemicals than ever before.

But, I digress… sort of.

This lays the foundation for a rigid mindset, which becomes a rigid mode of practice. And that deadly combination doesn’t bode well for our animals.

Modern Medicine and Its Casualties

I am old enough to have seen many cases of parvo in dogs, and leukemia in cats, AFTER the race to vaccinate massive numbers of animals with those brand new vaccines.

I saw litters of puppies die after I vaccinated them.

But, Pharma told me those animals were already incubating the disease and it wasn’t their vaccines that caused the disease.

My clients told me differently and I believed them. They knew their animals.

That started my deep dive into some self-examination and some critical thinking about vaccines. Those deaths of innocent animals were dismissed as part of the brave new experiments required to further science and protect more animals.

But, what if your animal was one of the casualties of modern medicine? I have lived now about 39 years knowing my actions (ignorant as they were) caused the deaths of some animals. It still impacts me.

The Scarlet Letter A

Questioning our actions, procedures, and methods when it comes to vaccinations is heretical. One is ostracized and punished by being labeled an anti-vaxxer.

But you know, I love and am proud of that name! After almost 39 years in practice, I have seen countless animals live really long and healthy lives — 15-20 years in big dogs, and 25-30 years in cats — with few or no vaccines.

If you want to count humans, I have experienced robust health (with a capital ‘R’), without chronic disease in my family members and countless children of dear anti-vaxxer friends. Amazingly, they have survived and now are thriving young adults with children of their own, without the “benefit” of the vaccine toxic soup being injected into their precious young bodies.

But, to nourish this sort of lasting health requires changing a mindset that pervades our culture so deeply, we’re not even aware of it.

Creating Robust Health for Your Pets

It’s much, much easier to support health than it is to fight disease. However, it does require changing a pervasive cultural view about health.

It means remembering that the body is a complex, amazing, and sacred vehicle, completely capable of self-protection as well as healing. Yes, it can do this on its own! With a little extra support from you robust, long-lasting, vital health, self-healing is attainable!

For the vast majority of vets who write these articles critical of anti-vaxxers, the possibility that the body can protect and heal itself is anathema. We are supposed to be the medical deities after all! We’re taught that we must initiate “protection” by injecting heavy metals, formaldehyde, other toxicants, and of course multiple viruses, all at one time, into the body or your animal will die. End of story.

Now who do you think is playing the fear game?

Sidenote: If I could, my alternative title here would be: “Is Fear Driving the Indoctrinated Vaccination Movement?” Or alternatively, “Are We Addicted to Vaccines?” Oh, but I think I’ve already done that in lectures and articles for Dogs Naturally.

How do I treat my pet for flea and ticks the natural way?

June 19, 2019 by Dr. Dee Blanco Leave a Comment

It’s the most itchiest time of year!

Have you ever wondered why there are more nasty bugs around in summertime and how you can get rid of fleas and ticks naturally?

If you want this to be fast, let me be real with you now – there is no fast natural solution; however, natural care for pests is not toxic like the topical ointments. You have to make your choice here, draw your line in the sand, and show the fleas you mean business!

If you want to get rid of fleas and ticks naturally, you need to understand what lures them to your sweet pets! Start by learning the flea life cycle:

What is it about your lovable dog or your mischievous cat that’s so appetizing to fleas?

The main environmental limiting factor determining the survival of a flea is warmth. That should make it obvious why fleas are worse in the summer. Freezing kills the eggs, but, our warm homes are the perfect places, any time of the year, to house these pests.

Adult fleas live for only 3 – 4 months. Within this time frame, the pressure is on to lay eggs someplace warm with enough “food” to provide for the young. When their eggs hatch, the larvae chew on what is referred to as “flea dirt.”

And… just so you know… “flea dirt” is the dried blood left from the adults chewing on your animal’s skin. (Ugh… I know… so gross!)

After a hearty first meal, the larvae form cocoons or pupas until they’re ready to jump onto a passing warm body. They are heat-seeking missiles and wait for your pet (especially the white ones!) to pass by, then jump onto them. This cycle runs over the course of about two weeks and, thanks to the summer heat, results in higher rates of infestation.

You may not see fleas in winter, but, sadly, that’s just because they’re hanging out in their cocoons waiting for warmth and moisture.

The best tick prevention starts with understanding their life cycles.

To reach full maturation, ticks must survive four life stages: Egg, Six-legged Larva, Eight-legged nymph, and Adult.

Upon hatching from the egg stage, ticks require the blood of a host to survive. It can take up to 3 years for a tick to grow into full adulthood. Many ticks die prior to full maturation for lack of sufficient hosts for each stage.

Ticks thrive in the heat and moisture of summer, just like fleas and many other insects. They are particularly fond of areas thick with high grasses where they’ll select a long blade of grass, hold on the grass with their back legs, and reach out to unknowing passerby with their front legs. When you or your dog brush up against these grasses on your walk, the tick is waiting and ready to latch on and hitch a ride!

Making your dog or cat an unappetizing host is the best natural flea and tick prevention plan.

First thing’s first – in all things regarding health and prevention, diet really matters. The healthier the animal, the less appealing they are to insects.

Most commercial pet food is made with poor quality or even rancid meat. This rancid smell then wafts out of the pores of your animals which make them highly attractive to pests. Since this food is not really nutritious or promoting the healthy well-being of your animal, fleas and ticks are able to detect this more “sickly” disposition and choose the animals whose systems are in less of a position to fight.

Fresh food is key to making your animals the least interesting thing on the menu.

Spend your money on fresh food! Stop the sentence starting in your head “I don’t have the money.” If you spend your money here, that’s less money you have to spend on diseases and conditions later. Remember: you can pay the grocer or pay the vet!

Have you ever heard about garlic being bad for your pet? Let’s get one thing straight – pests hate garlic and it can absolutely benefit your dog or cat when administered wisely.

Yes, fresh garlic is anti-parasite, anti-biotic, and it wards off fleas, ticks and even mosquitos to a degree!

There is never a shortage of bad information floating around and garlic has gotten a bad rap for our pets. However, I can tell you after 39 years in practice, I’ve never seen a garlic toxicity in a dog or cat.

Garlic is very safe for your dog. Fresh minced garlic cloves added into pet food daily will support the anti-flea patrol. As an added bonus, it’s great for many other things including liver detox.

You can use one to two cloves of garlic for a large dog every day. After you mince the garlic, let it set for 10 minutes before feeding. Do not use store bought in a jar minced garlic. It must be freshly cut.

Another way to use garlic is to spray a concentrated liquid in your yard. It will kill the fleas present and even protect other plants from insects in your garden.

For getting rid of fleas and ticks the natural way for cats, try adding nutritional yeast to their fresh food and brushing them regularly.

You can give cats a few pieces of minced garlic, but, they might really prefer nutritional yeast. Just a light sprinkle of this on their food will help build an unappetizing barrier between your cat and the pests! Nutritional yeast is loaded with B vitamins and help the body repel those pests. And most animals love the flavor, especially cats.

If your animal’s not a fan of the raw garlic, try yeast and garlic wafers. They have B vitamins, yeast, and a sulphur smell to ward of pests.

Flower essences can support your pets’ energetics against invasion.

Additionally, a few drops of beneficial flower essences in your pet’s water will further build immunity. I personally like to add Flea Free and Golden Armor to help with that subtle energy. Since we are mostly made of energy and a few other pieces of physical substance (Really – our bodies are actually not very dense – according to Quantum physicists!), it’s always good to address any physical issue, in this case the attraction of fleas and ticks, at the energetic level. The flower essences help guard and repel the insects but must be used daily and ongoing to help build resistance. And again, this is non-toxic!

In addition to home remedies to get rid of fleas on your dog or cat, you’ll want to break out the flea comb!

If you find any nasty little bugs clinging your pet, you’ll be able to pull them off and drown them in water with a little dish soap.

A good detox bath with hot water, natural soap, and a vinegar rinse will further soothe the skin of your animals and wash away any appetizing bits of broken flesh tempting the vampiric pests.

The best flea treatment for your home is to keep your environment clean!

Start with the inside and work your way out. Depending on where you live, especially if your residence is prone to pests, you may have to be exceptionally persistent in your cleaning efforts.

Wash bedding, your own as well as anything your pets sleep on, in hot water once per week. This will kill any pests lingering in the crevices of your belongings.

Vacuum your carpets at least once or twice per week. Make sure to get into the nooks and crannies where tiny creatures like to hide!

Using diatomaceous earth or borax powder (20 Mule Team Borax works) can help desiccate the fleas. Spread the powders in the corners of your home. Leave it for 24 hours, then vacuum carefully. Do not allow your pets to breathe these in as they can cause some irritation, especially in cats.

FleaBusters is a borax based product that can be used inside the house. Be careful as cats are more sensitive than dogs to any sort of chemical, etc. This is sort-of natural AND it’s better than toxic bombs, but, it does have pyrethrums extracted from chrysanthemum flowers which might have some toxic effects in sensitive animals and people.

The best flea and tick prevention is not a fast chemical process – it’s a well-thought out prevention plan to boost the natural immunity of your animal with a healthily, non-toxic lifestyle.

Fast solutions involve toxic chemicals, which only cause more problems for the animals and the planet and create more resistant super pests. Ask anyone who lives in a warm climate like Florida or California how difficult it is now to get rid of fleas and ticks. The use of massive amounts of pesticides have made not only super pests but also have poisoned many an animal and other beneficial insects.

Beneficial nematodes can be used around your house to kill fleas, but not in your home. These tiny microscopic creatures are parasites for the fleas and can be purchased and sprayed around your yard. Check out The Bug Lady’s site for more information. They are more specific for just fleas, so, make sure you purchase those.

You can also buy growth regulators online to hormonally regulate the maturation of fleas. Keep in mind, you must reapply around your house if it rains. Growth regulators are just what they sound like and apparently do not harm other beneficial insects. I cannot guarantee this and frankly, I do worry about it. But, I also know they work in desperate times.

Getting rid of fleas and ticks naturally is a multidirectional approach.

Here are some other things I recommend in my own summer pest control kit:

Sonic Guard is a tag emitting a very slight ultrasonic wave to deter fleas and ticks from jumping on your animals. You put it on a collar during the warm months. It makes an undetectable ultrasonic sound for about 5 feet around your pets head. It has a battery and lasts anywhere from 6-12 months depending on usage and exposure to wet.

VetriRepel made by VetriScience is a lemongrass spray you can use to get rid of fleas and ticks naturally or protect your animals when they are outside. Although this isn’t a noxious smelling product I wouldn’t use this if they seemed disturbed by the smell or inside the house. I’m very sensitive to smells and find this one tolerable.

If you use both of these items and the before mentioned flower essences together in a kit, you’re employing a well-rounded, natural approach to protecting your dogs and cats during flea and tick season!

Three Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Help Your Pet Live Longer

June 5, 2019 by Dr. Dee Blanco Leave a Comment

We love our dogs and cats just like family and, yet, when it comes to how to raise our fur babies, we have limited examples of what promotes their health and well-being. If you grew up with animals, you are likely familiar with free-feeding (just keeping food available in the plastic FIDO pet dish all day), the pitter-patter of excited feet when your animals hear the crinkle of a bag, the *pop* sound of a can opening, an after dinner walk for dogs, a hands-off approach to cats, etc.

What you and your folks likely didn’t know, especially if you grew up in the city, is this is a commercialized, industry-driven model for pet care. Companies which benefit from making pet care convenient, packaged, and deliverable are the ultimate designers of this highly unnatural approach to raising animals. From pet food to toys and even stuff you heard at the vet’s office, we’ve got some cleaning up to do!

#1: The first thing you can do RIGHT NOW to help your pet live a long, healthy life, is clean up their diet!

I know it’s convenient to open a bag, pour the contents into a bowl, and call it dinner. We can all relate to those nights when we just don’t feel like cooking fresh food even for ourselves. Thing is, when we make the choice to eat out of a box or a can, we know we’re settling for a processed food. We don’t like to eat that way every day and neither do our animals!

Most of what you’re buying when you purchase commercial pet food is the marketing. You’re buying a beautiful package designed to entice you, not your animal. These foods are often made with substandard, rancid ingredients covered with artificial ingredients to make them palatable. YUCK! (Learn more about what’s not right with your pet’s diet in my three-part course on feeding fresh.)

I live a busy life, too, so, when I recommend you feed your pet a fresh food diet, it’s because I’ve found ways to make this healthy for my animals and easy for me! What’s really amazing is, when you take the time to make better food for your animal, who is completely reliant on you for nutrition, it takes over how you, in turn, feed yourself! Win-Win! When you buy the raw ingredients of a species-appropriate diet, you will save money in the long run which you would have spent at the vet trying to clean up the mess of inevitable illness associated with a deficient diet.

#2: Your second option for how to help your dog or cat live a vibrant, long life is to clean up their home!

I’m not picking on your housekeeping habits here – I’m talking about everything which comes into contact with your pet’s mouth. Think about the toys they have, the bedding on which they sleep, the bowls in which you give them their dinner, and so on.

Unfortunately, our homes can be an enormous source of toxicity, especially for those animals who never leave the home (which is not a healthy lifestyle at all). These animals are constantly exposed to off-gassing from furniture, carpets, plastics, cigarette smoke, electromagnetic poison from cell phones, portable phones, smart devices, burning plastic from cookware, air fresheners, incense, essential oils… and the list goes on and on.

Our homes are meant to be our refuge from the storm, but, these days, our homes are holding a constant exposure of toxicants for ourselves and our animals.

You’ve heard about the evils of plastic and BPA – if it’s toxic for you, it’s toxic for your dog or cat! If their toys, bedding, and food dishes are made with or lined with plastic, they are exposed to the sorts of chemicals humans won’t mix with their drinking water anymore. Find stainless steel, glass, or ceramic bowls for water and food dishes. You may also want to check for lead products or other harmful chemicals used to make their toys and bedding.

It doesn’t stop at the house! Are pesticides used at the dog park, or, are you using any kind of chemicals in your front yard? All too frequently, city parks use RoundUp to control weeds. RoundUp contains glyphosate (a known carcinogen) and 2-4 D (a main ingredient in Agent Orange, also a carcinogen). Your animals explore their environment with their mouths, noses, and foot pads. Anything your animals contact is most definitely coming home with you. This means those pesticides are on everything and everyone they touch. You’ll want to make sure you’re taking your pets to cleaner spaces and not trailing in poisons on the carpet and furniture where it can affect everyone in your home.

#3: To improve your animal’s vitality and help your dog or cat live a healthier life, cut out unnecessary vaccines.

After 38 years of veterinary practice, I’ve seen how animals react to vaccinations and it’s absolutely choking the life out of them. Vaccinations are filled with toxins, heavy metals, viruses, antibiotics, and carcinogens, just to name a few. And they encumber your animal’s natural resistance to infectious diseases, stimulate auto-immune diseases, poison detox mechanisms, cause brain-related inflammation, and chronic disease of almost any sort. I’ve seen countless vaccinated pets struggle with chronic illness and have counseled their heartbroken, frustrated pet parents who thought they were doing right by their dog or cat.

Do your homework when it comes to vaccines. I’ve now seen thousands of unvaccinated animals (and kids) who thrive beautifully and have all their defenses available to fight off disease naturally.

Does this sound a lot like detox? It is! Learn more about how to detox your pet in my course!

Now you know your pet needs a clean, natural environment as much as you do! Your pet needs fresh, whole foods, toys and other products free of chemicals, and significantly fewer if not completely eliminated vaccines. To fully understand how these tips work together and what other things you can do to improve your dog or cat’s longevity, take my course on how to detox your pet. I’ll talk to you about why our pets need to detox, how to start the process of surveying their environment, natural alternatives to what is considered the “norm” in pet care, and much more. Educating yourself on what your animal needs to live a longer, healthier life is the best investment in your dog’s or cat’s vitality.

Does My Pet Really Need All This Stuff the Vet Recommends?

June 5, 2019 by Dr. Dee Blanco Leave a Comment

Has this happened to you?

You get to the vet’s office with your new puppy or kitten. You want to do right by your animal, so, you do your best to learn how to keep your pet healthy and happy. Your vet recommends several products for flea and tick “prevention,” heartworm “prevention,” followed with several vaccinations.

Now you’re wondering, “Is all this stuff really necessary?!”

Do I have to get all this stuff my vet recommended if I want to keep my pet healthy and happy?

The short answer is “No.”

And, the long answer is “No, definitely no, if you want to raise a happy, healthy pet.”

And, more accurately: “No, if you choose to raise your animal the natural way, you can opt out of all that stuff your vet recommends – almost. “

Hard to believe?

I know this sounds heretical. Certainly, conventional vets would completely disagree with me, but, after 38+ years of veterinary practice, I know raising your animal in a more natural way is a completely reachable goal.

If you’re raising your animal au naturale, (fresh food, little to rare vaccines, no drugs or pesticides, uncontaminated water and environment/toys/bedding, ample socialization, regular exercise, etc.), you can opt out of everything considered “preventative” from commercial medicine.

That does NOT mean you should do nothing! It’s not just turning down yearly vaccinations, flea/tick/heartworm pesticides, early spaying/neutering, and processed foods. I consider these must-do’s in addition to actively supporting the body to prevent and clear illness, parasites, viruses and bacteria. The body knows how to do this via the immune system. Putting chemicals into the body does not make it healthier or really prevent anything. Instead, they do poison, pollute and stress the body.

Does my pet really need this flea and tick or heartworm “preventative?”

Flea, tick or heartworm pesticides are commonly recommended by vets even in areas where there are little to no fleas, ticks or mosquitos.

The ongoing use of these so-called preventative pesticides have created a huge resistance. Ask anyone who lives in California about the flea and tick issues and how it’s progressed over the years. To make matters worse, once these toxicants are put on your animal, they end up on you, your kids, and anyone else petting your animal. And remember – these are toxic pesticides must be metabolized by the body (liver and kidney) and are a stressor to the body.

If you feel you need to treat your pet for fleas and ticks, I do recommend holistic alternative remedies in my shop.

Heartworm pesticides are also given liberally to many pets even in areas without heartworm exposure; then, they’re recommended for use year-round, even in the winter. Once again these are pesticides and come with risks for every animal, human and the environment.

When an animal has a full complement of immune function, fed fresh, life-giving food in a non-toxic environment, their immune system is ready and available to fend off the mosquitos’ attack. An animal overloaded with chemicals from vaccines, food, toys, bedding, water (and everywhere else) is not able to rally the immune “troops” to naturally kill the heartworm in the skin. But, naturally raised animals can and do every day!

Again, it can’t be said enough that it takes some effort, commitment and some additional cash to support your animal in a natural life style which, in turn, supports their immune system so it can function optimally.

My vet recommended early spaying and neutering – will this help keep my pet healthy and happy?

Critical hormonal development occurs in young, growing animals. Early spaying and neutering is recommended by your vet as a convenience to you and as more propaganda to inhibit cancer. As a recommendation for the health and happiness of your pet, you really should wait until your dog is at least two years old. For cats, waiting for even as long as six months can help insure lasting health.

If you wait to spay or neuter your pet, you allow for adequate time for your animal to reach puberty and grow healthy bones. Among the many issues connected to early spaying and neutering, we increase the chances of our animals experiencing immune dysfunction, poor brain development, obesity, ligament and bone diseases, cardiac issues, certain cancers, and adverse reactions to vaccines.

You can find more details on the consequences of early spaying and neutering on my blog.

Speaking of vaccinations, what shots does my pet really need?

Unfortunately, this issue is too big to squeeze into this blog. The short answer is your core vaccinations last longer than one year. Core vaccinations refer to those which protect against infectious diseases such as parvo, distemper, hepatitis and panleukopenia.

The only vaccine required by law is rabies. The rest are completely optional. If your pet had a combo vaccine as a kitten or puppy given at around 15-16 weeks, they need nothing else for the rest of their lives. Waiting until their mama’s antibodies are worn off (somewhere around 14-16 weeks) before administering these core vaccinations insures the vaccines will stimulate an antibody reaction, which will last a lifetime. We call this the “one and done” method.

All vaccinations come with mind-boggling consequences. The toxicants present in all vaccines (for humans and animals alike) come with a laundry list of frightening risks to our health, but rarely are you ever informed about these risks. This all too frequent medical procedure is approached with a carefree attitude that you would never, never have regarding any other serious procedures.

To learn more about what’s in vaccines and why you’ll want to avoid them, visit Dogs Naturally to read one of my articles on the subject.

If my vet recommended a specific pet food, does my pet really need to eat this special formula to be healthy and happy?

If your vet is recommending processed foods to your animal, beware.

Those hardened pellets in professional looking bags or those stinky lumps of meat from a can are all highly processed foods. Think about how you would feel eating out of a box daily. Your animal needs fresh food to receive living nutrients just like you!

I have a three-part course dedicated entirely to how to feed your animals a fresh diet as well as several blogs on the background information of why it’s important to feed fresh. As I’ve said in the past, “you can either pay the grocer or the doctor.” Investing in your animal’s nutrition will actually erase the need to buy any processed foods your vet may have recommended.

Here are the things every pet should have:

What your pet does need to be happy and healthy is a yearly, thorough physical evaluation from a veterinarian.

I’m NOT talking about the cursory checkup with just a quick heart rate, lung, and mouth check. What every pet should have is a thorough evaluation of the joints, teeth, eyes, ears, coat, mobility, strength and palpation of the abdomen feeling for any abnormalities.

In addition to the things every dog or cat should have, what YOU need is for your vet to sit down with you and go over any concerns they have found and discuss all the options.

If you have other options outside of toxic medicines or surgeries to treat certain illnesses, you should be able to speak to your vet without judgement about these alternatives. Your vet should give you informed consent when performing any procedure at all – including vaccines. You should be able to read the vaccine inserts to look at ingredients and discuss the actual need for them.

What your vet offers in the way of true prevention to keep your pets healthy are diagnostic tests to help monitor your pets’ wellness as they age.

A thorough annual physical exam would include a stool analysis and urinalysis. These simple tests can tell a lot about your animals’ health. Feces is easy to gather, but, must be fresh to use for testing. The urinalysis can be done as a screen at the vet’s office with urine you collected just before your appointment. First morning urine is best, but, it must be very fresh.

As your pet ages towards 8-10 years old, routine, yearly blood work up can help monitor changes in the liver, kidneys, blood cells and thyroid, to name a few. The tests for organ function are call Chemistry Panels which have short and longer versions to provide a different depth of detail about our pet’s health.

I suggest these longer versions of Chemistry Panels for older animals, often called the Geriatric Chemistry Panel. Some of these include a cursory screening test for thyroid, which only gives a small indication of the health of the thyroid. A more thorough, complete thyroid evaluation must be sent off to a larger lab and requires more time to return the testing, but, can give much more information about the thyroid itself along with the pituitary/hypothalamus and the adrenals – which play an important part in thyroid health.

A complete blood count or CBC shows the state of health of the red and white blood cells. This detects anemia, infection, allergies, and parasites to name a few. The Chemistry Panel and the CBC are usually done together. They are well worth the money you spend. This is no different than your own yearly checkup with your doctor as you age for detecting gross changes in blood values.

From these tests and physical exams, you’ll have a great deal of information about how to proceed with giving your pet a healthy and happy life!

As an example, if your vet finds your pet has x-ray changes displaying arthritis and recommends a pain medication that could cause liver issues, consider a very high-quality fish oil and a turmeric combination for anti-inflammatory benefit. These natural supplements provide invaluable support without side effects. Make sure to source organic, sustainable, and pure ingredients.

Your vet is a highly trained individual in the specifics of diagnostics, surgery, radiology and the like; however, most vets are not trained in natural rearing and natural preventative techniques.

When it comes to choosing super high-quality nutraceuticals, fresh food diets, vaccine education, information on resistance to parasites, and using natural medicines, your vet may have little information.

Preventative vet care can include the use of homeopathy, acupuncture or acupressure, chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, massage, physical therapy (laser, underwater treadmill), herbology, flower essences, and many more. In fact, there are so many natural modalities available now, you have a virtual smorgasbord of choices for your animal.

So, if the question is “How can I raise my pet naturally?” search for a holistic vet who is trained in natural medicine with a focus on prevention and wellness as opposed to illness and disease.

Still, keep in mind, your regular vet is certainly a good person with whom you can continue your relationship to help you diagnose and, especially for acute ailments, provide supportive care.

It really takes a team to keep ourselves and our entire family healthy. Finding the right vet who supports your choices and works with you will always pay off in great health for your animal.

How Pet Food Labels Are Misleading

May 1, 2019 by Dr. Dee Blanco Leave a Comment

Are you worried about what is in the processed foods we feed our dogs and cats? I’m going to share with you how to read pet food labels, but, let me warn you — it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

I know you want to give your dog or cat the healthiest life possible. I’m all too familiar with that moment when you think you’ve picked a great low-carb, low filler product you’ve understood to be the best pet food diet and then you hear about potential toxins in an ingredient you know is in the food you just bought. You do your homework and then you find out how the people who benefit from the pet food industry have made it really complicated to understand the actual nutritive value of their products. You can’t help but wonder what those dog and cat food companies are trying to hide! UGH!

But, never fear! By the end of this blog, you’ll know what the best pet food diet really is!

How to read pet food labels and understand what pet food ingredients to avoid (the status of this topic is definitely “it’s complicated”).

So, what’s really in these mysterious pellets and stinky canned clumps we’ve come to accept as dog and cat “food?”

The truth is troubling — it may be difficult to determine exactly what’s in many commercial pet foods even if you call the manufacturers. Just last year, companies in California and Missouri who supply ingredients to pet food manufacturers like Buffalo Blue and Purina were ordered to pay a combined $7 million for admitting to providing cheap ingredients, such as ground poultry feathers, described on the label as “poultry meal.”

It’s important to understand this is not at all an isolated incident. There are other ingredients which may look benign on the food label, but, could be some mystery substance even the manufacturers cannot identify. Studies which tested pet food ingredients found as much as 40% of their test products to be potentially mislabeled. The lack of absolute certainty of what is meant by “animal meal” or “meat flavoring” should be concerning.

Before pet food labels can be explained, let’s consider the “cooking” process of these commercial pet foods (I assure you, “cooking” is a generous word for what really happens).

All pet foods, whether canned or dry (with very few exceptions) are high-heat processed. If you’ve looked into your own diet, you know highly processed foods are less alive, less vital and actually more dangerous.

The heating process of carbohydrates (which are among the most recognizable on nearly all pet food ingredients lists) creates carcinogenic compounds, kills enzymes and some vitamins.

I never recommend a processed food to be used as 100% of the diet. It should be a very small portion or only on a temporary basis if you really want your animal to live a long, vital life. They may like and even crave the processed foods, but, that doesn’t insure health. It’s a little like trying to convince a teenager to have a fresh salad when he eats mostly frozen pizza – it’s going to take time and patience to help your animals crave a nutrient-rich, healthful diet.

Is grain really a dog or cat food ingredient I should always avoid?

I completely understand the confusion about grain in pet food ingredients!

“Grain-free” has become a trendy marketing term ever since folks started to learn how most dry foods had a tremendous amount of grains (often rancid) and little protein. To make matters worse, many of these products have replaced the grain with potatoes which, in large amounts, is just as harmful to your animal’s health.

Some veterinarians believe our dogs and cats have no capacity to metabolize and use carbohydrates. After 38 years of practicing veterinary medicine, I believe dogs can adjust their enzymes to accommodate some appropriate starches. This is one of the reasons they have adapted so well to living with humans for thousands of years.

There’s a big difference, however, when it comes to cats. Cats are considered obligate carnivores; they are not able to utilize much in the way of carbohydrates at all. They utilize fat and protein for energy, not carbs!

If you want to know how to read pet food labels, here are some dog and cat food ingredients you definitely want to avoid.

In an ideal world, your wild dog or cat would be eating the best parts of an animal they hunted themselves. As scavenged food is less-than-ideal, they would likely catch a fresh animal for their supper.

When learning how to read pet food labels, common words you will see are “meat by-products” or “meat digest;” these are catch-all terms for all sorts of ingredients we might find unsavory for our pets. In the “meat by-products and digest” ingredients listed on pet food labels, the fur, feathers, beaks, hooves, intestinal organs (entrails) and any diseased tissue (tumors) of not-so-recently deceased animals are included. The processing of decomposed animals is a very unsanitary technique, making these processed by-products a highly toxic, unsafe pet “food.”

Most people are aware how soy and corn are not good for animals; both crops belong on the list of pet food ingredients to avoid. Frankly, the main reason I think these major crops are so bad for animals (humans included) is that they are typically all genetically modified crops (GMOs) contaminated with glyphosate (Roundup). Our companion animals are not efficient at metabolizing soy or corn. Additionally, they are eating what I refer to as “Franken-foods” (genetically modified) of which we have yet to know the full extent of the danger. What we do know is our pets are not healthier for eating these foods and showing signs of more chronic disease with each generation. Keep in mind, too, with glyphosate exposure, our animals’ immune and detox systems are severely compromised, leading to more health issues.

As you investigate how to read pet food labels, pay close attention to the way in which protein is written on the pet food ingredient list. Nutritive proteins should be specifically spelled out and listed with the words “beef, pork, chicken, and/or turkey.” If the references to protein are generic, like “animal, meat, or poultry,” this could include a wide range of unsavory body parts.

It doesn’t take a major exposé of pet food ingredients revealed to know any artificial coloring, preservative, or flavoring is bad for your pet’s health. If you see the words BHT, BHA, ethoxyquin, propyl gallate, meat flavoring, propylene glycol, “natural” flavoring, MSG, gluten-meal, calcium carbonate (limestone), folic acid (a poor source of folate), or sugars, you need to run, not walk, away from this bag or can of mystery meat.

With all these pet food ingredients revealed, what IS the best diet for my pet?

Think for a moment about what is the best diet for you? Fresh, whole foods, right? It’s the same with your animals with a species-specific spin (to learn more about what diet is most appropriate for your dog or cat, read more on my blog entitled Species Appropriate Diets for Dogs and Cats).

If you make your own fresh food, which really isn’t that hard, complicated or expensive (and your animal will love you for it), you can control almost every aspect of the food and know with greater certainty what your pet is really eating.

You can learn more about pet food ingredients to avoid and how to feed your animal fresh food by taking my Feeding Fresh courses.

I know it can be maddening to figure out how to feed your beloved animals. I realize it can be intimidating to think about how to make their food. Yes, there will be a learning curve, but, after you learn how even the pet food companies might not know what goes into their products, how the high-heat processing of decomposed animals is dangerous, and how the sanitized language on pet food labels is designed to trick you, then why not try? You will see your animals’ health bloom and your heart will soar with joy knowing you hacked one of the most important fundamentals for helping your pets live a longer, vibrant life!

I decided to make it as easy as possible for conscientious pet parents like you to give your pet the healthiest life possible.

You can learn more about how to transition your pet to fresh food with this easily digestible course I created! The course has recipe ideas, handouts for deeper understanding of how your pet absorbs nutrition, the health benefits you see in animals eating a fresh diet, and a full plate more of information on what you can do to help your pet live a long, happy life!