A Path With Paws

Every day we see Ali become more comfortable with us and learning how to be a dog in America.

Yesterday we braved the rain to go to Marymoor for a Formosan Mountain Dog meet up. There were about fifteen dogs of many different colors and coats but all around the same size and shape. We had our big moment when I let Ali off leash for the first time outside our yard. She exceeded my expectations by not only coming back when she was called but also keeping an eye on either Adam or me. It was more like she was watching us to make sure we didn’t run away then that we were watching her. She seemed to be saying, “now that I have people who feed me and love me I am not losing track of them!” It was so much fun to see her running free and getting to play with other dogs.

The people there were great and we got to hear so many stories about these brave, loving and intelligent dogs. They were excited to offer us advice on cats, training and being able to let go of a loved foster. Many of the dogs there had much rougher lives than Ali, being hit by cars, having broken body parts, and having rubber bands put around their necks which slowly dig into the flesh and is a way dogs are sometimes killed in Taiwan. In spite of all this I saw an amazing group of dogs just enjoying themselves.

A few days ago Ali started stealing our socks and putting them in her bed so she could suck on them. She had had no interest in toys up until that point. We decided to take her up to the Mud Bay to buy her some things since we preferred she have her own instead of the socks, even though she was gentle with them. We bought her an earth stuffed toy full of little earths. When we got home she was super excited, shaking the big earth and throwing the little earths into the air and running after them and pouncing on them. It was so fun to see this former street dog having fun!

Her favorite new toys are a little duck and chicken that make bird sounds given to her by my friend and local shaman Rose De Dan. You should have seen Ali’s eyes light up when Rose made the chicken make the chicken sound and then handed it to her. Ali walked around with it in her mout,h so proud, and then lay it at the front door so she would not forget to take it with her when she left. These toys were favorites of Rose’s dog Puma who recently passed away and I think that makes them even more special. Ali now sleeps with the chicken between her paws at night.

Yesterday after the park we met up with Rose and a friend of hers at the PCC. Ali’s hips were a little sore after the park and they gave her some reiki work, which she really enjoyed. Rose’s friend had recently been diagnosed with cancer and Ali seemed to sense that she needed some comfort. She lay down against her in the parking lot of the PCC offering love, energy and support. It seems I have a little healer dog in my hands. I have found when I am upset or if Adam and me get in an argument she is quick to offer her comfort to him or me in a gentle but firm way.

So on to the cats. Despite what I thought Ali has decided that she might be able to live with cats. We had a trainer out yesterday morning who pointed out that she could have easily already killed a cat if she wanted to. As I write she is laying in the middle of our living room with a cat sitting behind her and next to me on the couch grooming himself. One of our other cats just announced herself, jumped over the baby gate and walked in front of Ali. Ali lifted her head to watch but that was all. So the jury is still out on that one but it looked like with enough work it might be possible. It helps that the cats are also learning not to run in front of her.

Meanwhile Ali has decided that she needs to guard the house for us. Unfortunately she sees the paperboy as a threat and since he comes at 4:45am wakes us up. The easiest solution seems to be to cancel the paper and get a good night sleep instead.

I could write so much about this special little girl but I’ll leave it at that. I do want to leave you with a video of the shelter most of these Taiwanese dogs come from. The numbers alone are amazing and the work the volunteers do with these dogs are heartwarming.
Good Life?

Also see What is it like to have a Taiwanese street dog – Adventures with Ali
and Taiwanese dogs – Why we rescue

This is a great new workshop offered by my friend Rose De Dan and Peggy Gilmer who is a leadership coach. I am planning on taking it myself.

Nothing develops our abilities or heals us as quickly as time spent with animal teachers in sacred ceremony.

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Long ago people and animals had a relationship based on mutual trust and respect; indigenous people celebrated the sacredness of Horse and honored the spiritual connection with powerful ceremonies.

Over time that understanding and connection has been mostly forgotten. And, in losing connection with the spirits of our Horse relatives, we have also lost connection with our own.

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Join us, Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing, and Peggy Gilmer, Leadership and Self Mastery Coach at Silk Purse Farm, for a collaborative and groundbreaking adventure in a truly lovely and unique location.

During this very special weekend we will spend time in sacred ceremony and dialogue with the Horses who can show us the way back – helping us to heal and renew the bond that we once shared.

In the process you will gain insights and experience energetic shifts that will strengthen your ability to communicate and connect with all animals as teachers and partners.

So that we may have the support of spirit allies we will invoke sacred space in the Peruvian shamanic tradition for the duration of the weekend. Opening sacred space makes it possible for Spirit to manifest profound connections, insights and energetic shifts for all participants.

Our intention for being with the horses is threefold: to connect with them, to learn from them, and—as partners—to work together in healing and in ceremony to co-create a new way of being.

Located on the Enumclaw Plateau overlooking the Cascade foothills, Silk Purse Farm is home to a herd of equine coaches who playfully and skillfully teach humans to be better partners to animals…and other humans.

No Prerequisites: No previous experience with animal communication, horses, riding, shamanism, or energy healing is required, only a willingness to connect with the Horses as teachers.

Prior to the workshop:

Two one-hour preparatory teleclasses are included in the fee and attendance at BOTH is a requirement for participation in the August 11-12 workshop.

These teleclasses are designed to offer participants basic training, guidance, support and community-building before we meet with the Horse teachers. The call will include some shamanic journey work and there will be daily practice exercises for afterward to help strengthen awareness and the ability to foster connection during the event. (Yes, there is homework, but it will be fun!)

The first teleclass is July 10 at  6:00 p.m. PDT
The second teleclass is July 24 at 6:00 p.m. PDT

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During the workshop we will: interweave the energy from storytelling, shamanic journeys and ceremonies with visits, interactions, guidance from the horses play with horses who openly provide feedback, learn with you, and never judge join together in ceremony for personal and global healing discover our own intuitive capabilities for use in daily life and with our own animal companions identify and release energetic blockages that are holding you back

This class offers the opportunity to participate in smaller groups with one-on-one attention as well as focused individual work for a fuller and more intimate and enriching connection with the energy and the horses.

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FOOD AND BEVERAGES

The fee for the workshop includes cost of training plus beverages and lunch both days. Dinner Saturday night features community-style potluck dinner. Details will be provided upon registration for planning purposes.

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LODGING

Workshop fee does not include any travel expenses incurred or lodging. A list of the closest accommodations and contact information for them will be supplied after registration. All lodging is about 10 minutes from Silk Purse Farm.

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TRAVEL INFORMATION

By Car: If driving from the Seattle area, travel time is approximately 1 hour.

By Airport: Sea-Tac, Seattle, WA, is closest, located approximately 27 miles and 40 minutes away from Silk Purse Farm.

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Who We Are

Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing LLC

Rose De Dan is a shamanic practitioner, Reiki Master Teacher, animal communicator, author and artist.

In 1995, while living in Worcester, Mass., she had a life-changing experience during a Reiki class and was gifted with a vision of a healing practice for animals. In pursuing that vision, Rose began to remember her childhood dreams and passion to help animals. In the process of becoming an energy healer, animal shaman, and voice for the animals, Rose found her practice evolving into building bridges between people and domestic and wild animals, and has been bringing people and animals together in ceremony since 1998.

“Months after the workshop, my animal communication/healing work continues to improve and my own animals are responding in clear and positive ways…It was very empowering to be in an entire group of people who share my love of, and commitment to, animals…I learned from each and every one. Rose, you’re an inspiration. I wish I had known you 30 years ago when I was trying to figure out why I’m here.” — Kathy Dunn, Norcross, GA

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Silk Purse Farm

Peggy Gilmer is an Executive Coach and Leadership and Self Mastery Coach for Children and Teens. She’s also a Reiki III Practitioner and owns Silk Purse Farm where she has partnered with her herd of Tennessee Walkers for 15 years, helping her clients to become the best version of themselves. For more information about Peggy’s work in general please visit her website. For more information on her work with horses please visit The Feel of Mastery or tune in to her blog Light from the Barn: what animals know about life, love and leadership.

“I don’t know if I can imagine a more powerful and rewarding combination of wisdom resources – a seasoned executive coach, well-loved horses, and a gorgeous natural setting. You will be astonished by the breakthroughs available to you at Silk Purse Farm. Being in the natural world in the company of a wise human guide and the complete honesty of horses is a pleasure in itself. Add showing up with a willingness to listen to body, heart, mind, and spirit and you are guaranteed to go deep and move fast. My capacity as a leader in the workplace, as a parent, as a friend, and as a person committed to growing the greater good expands each time I work with Peggy. “Magnificent” begins to describe the journey!” — Bridgett Chandler, CEO, Campfire NW

As many of you know, two weeks ago Ali came to live with us from Taiwan. We are fostering her for a group called Salty Dog Rescue.

So what is it like to have a street dog from Taiwan?

I asked this question before fostering her and couldn’t come up with a whole bunch of answers by Internet searching.

Surprise number one was that Ali came potty trained – I certainly was not expecting that. Not only is she potty trained but she will not poop on our property and prefers not to pee in the yard if she can help it. It means walks are very important but that she is a very clean and neat dog.

However it was difficult last week because she accidentally ate some old cat vomit. Very gross! This gave her diarrhea and since she wouldn’t poop in the yard it meant a night of me not understanding why she keep needing to go outside but would then kept run to the gate and jump up and down to get out of the yard. I was convinced that she hated us because we were not keeping her permanently and she had figured that out and was trying to run away in the night. Instead she was desperately trying to say, “please, please let me out, I really, really need to poop!”

The night after that she was better luckily but it still involved one walk at 3am. Not to mention trying to scrape diarrhea off of your neighbor’s lawns because your dog will not poop on yours.

The other thing that I really didn’t consider is how smart Ali is, and not in a Border collie or lab kind of way. We don’t have natural selection in our dogs in the United States. We pick and bred mostly for looks or for very specific intelligence traits. Ali is here because her parents knew how to make it on the streets. They knew how to blend in, get food, read people very, very well and get along.

I feel like Ali constantly watches us and learns from us. She also is the only dog I have met who doesn’t get tangled on a leash. The second the leash is in the wrong place she corrects it. When I walk her I feel more like I am working with a trained dressage horse. It seems like she can read my mind on where we are going and what my next thought is just by observing my body language.

Yesterday we were at the Fremont street fair with Ali and it was very crowded. She did very well, greeting people and other dogs in our path nicely until we hit the food and then she because completely crazed. There were all these people with plates of yummy smelling food and she wanted some, even more, she needed some. It was if her survival depended on it and it probably did at some time in her life. Before I knew it I had a dog dancing on the end of the leash. She would bound into the air, balancing on her hind legs and looking very cute in front of everyone we passed with the plate of food. Not the easiest thing to deal with when you are the person on the other end of the leash. I felt like I had a circus dog!

I’m sure she learned to stand on her hind legs to look cute and get food and that is how she survived on the streets.

We finally took her aside and feed her a whole lot of jerky treats we had picked up from the Darwin’s pet food booth. After that she calmed down a bit but still wanted to dance in front of people. I’m thinking there may be a good trick in this once we get all the basics down. Right now we are still back at sit and stay.

The cats are a bit harder. I think she has learned that if something small runs you chase it. One of my older cats quickly put her in her place by whacking her on the nose early on. That one whack sent her yelping to the far end of the room and since then the two of them are fine together. The two younger boys are a different story. We are slowly all learning to coexist and she does fine with them if she is on leash or if someone is petting her. We are trying to teach that very good things happen (you get lots of love) if you are in the room with cats and don’t chase them. I am hopeful that she will get this with more time and we have a trainer coming out on Saturday to help us with the process.

I keep on thinking she is going to finally get this cat thing down right before she gets adopted. But that will be good for her because it means she can go to a home with cats. However I picture my cats saying, “so we finally become friends with the dog and right when she is fun you get rid of her. What gives here?”

The third thing I didn’t realize is how hard it is going to be to give his girl up. She has now bonded with me, Adam and Martin. She sleeps with us at night. She is with me almost all the time when I am not working. And she is so sweet and loving and is starting to feel like a member of the family. I look into her eyes and worry about her feeling like we have betrayed her when she goes to a new family. At the same time I know we are giving her an excellent start in this country and in her new life. I know that with time she will get used to a new family and learn to love them as much as she loves us. And if they can provide plates of yummy food even better!

A week ago I went to the airport to help out a local group called Salty Dog Rescue and came home with a foster dog.

And so begins my journey with Ali, my Taiwanese street dog.

As we wander around Seattle meeting people, I get the same question over and over again.

We have enough dogs in this country – why are we bringing in more?

I know, I know but anyone who has been to a country with a large stray dog population knows the misery of what being a dog can be. It makes a lot of what we see over here in shelters look like nothing.

In Taiwan there is estimated to be between 500,000 – 1,000,000 stray dogs on the streets, yes that is a million. Dogs are viewed as a nuisance by some and there are those that put out inhumane bear leg traps. Dogs end up losing parts of their legs in the process and many die horrible deaths from abuse or starvation. There are of course many dog lovers there also but the number of strays is too overwhelming to be solved by simple adoption – there is too many.

Yes I know, adopting out these dogs is just a branch of the problem.

The root of the problem is spay/neuter and education and there are groups over there working on it. Meanwhile there are all these dogs and as many dog lovers knows – it is hard to look a dog in the eye and tell them they don’t matter.

Sometimes you have to focus on the branches in order to tackle the root of a problem. When we focus on the branches instead of the root by bringing dogs to this country, we are also helping the groups over there that are striking at the roots of the problem through spay and neuter and education. It is a long hard road they are on and being able to look some of these dogs in the eyes and tell them that there is hope and that they can be loved and respected, is a big thing to these rescue workers when you see so much suffering on a daily basis.

Believe me, when I did shelter work, if I had to go to work each day just to spay/neuter and euthanize I would not have been able to do it very long. It was the fact that I was able to help individual animals, be able to look in their eyes and say, “we will find you a better home.” Without this I could not have done the hard parts of my job.

So bringing dogs to this country opens a ray of hope beyond what can be achieved by just adoption within Taiwan. And if you are one of those lucky dogs who does make it over here you have a chance to have a home, have a human who loves you, have food and safety and also become an ambassador for all the dogs back in Taiwan who are not so lucky.

More on Ali soon….meanwhile here are some links to read more about Taiwanese dogs

Animal Rescue Team Taiwan is the group that Ali came from over in Taiwan. You can use Google translator if you want to read it in English.

Here is a little about the Formosan Mountain Dogs
which these street dogs are descended from.

Salty Dog Rescue is the Seattle group, which brought Ali over here. They have a list of dogs up for adoption and who need foster homes. They also have links to articles on the animal abuse in Taiwan.

All the photographs of dogs in this article are looking for homes, click on their photos for more information.

My friend Pam of FCAT keeps on sending people to my site to get information about urinary issues in cats. Last night we were talking and I said, “I really need to write an article on that.” “Yes you do, “ she answered. So here it is.

So here is the short list of what to do to help prevent crystals in your cat and a little about treating FLUTD. This is a lot more information beyond this list and I hope you read it also.

1. Feed your cat like the carnivore they are. Usually this is all you need to do for prevention if your cat doesn’t have FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease or crystals. This would mean feeding a high protein canned, cooked or raw diet that is high in moisture and high in meat. I’m talking 80% meat or more, no grains, no dry, at least 70% moisture and very little fish. I prefer a raw diet if you can do it.

   Here are some diets that work very well. I originally had a second best list of canned but you know something, with the internet you can order the canned foods even if you live in the middle of nowhere so you don’t get a second best list, these poor kitties with urinary issues need the best!To make it easy, I have links to buy all the canned food recommended below on Amazon.com. If you live in a large enough town or city you can also buy these at your local natural pet store.

   • Make your own -Here is the raw food I make for my kitties. They eat this 95% of the time with a little Instinct and Weruva if I get behind in making it. See Making Crazy Awesome Cat Food – part two

   . With using free range meat from the local food co-op, I spend about $50 a month per cat to make this. If I used cheaper meat it would be about half that cost and still much better than anything you can buy.

   • Your local raw food made specifically for cats. In Seattle we have two great companies Darwins and Natural Pet Pantry. Both of these companies are excellent. Look for one in your area. I also love Rad cat but it is expensive if you are feeding a herd like I do. More and more companies are making raws that you can buy at your local pet store – ask around.

   If you can’t find a raw, canned is second best.

   • Instinct canned food for cats. Any meat flavor is good. This food is 95% meat with good ingredients. Click here to buy Instinct Grain-Free Chicken Formula Canned Cat Food by Nature’s Variety
   • Weruva is a great food also, up there with Instinct. There is a little potato in this one and you have to use only the grain free varieties which is about half their line. I do not recommend using the fish flavors. Click here to buy Weruva Cat Food Paw Lickin’ Chicken on Amazon.com.
   • Tiki cat chicken and egg Koolina. Only this flavor, the others have too much fish! Click here to buy Tiki Cat Koolina Luau – Chicken with Egg In Chicken Consomme
2. Reduce stress in the house, as stress can alter urine pH – Here are some products that can help.
   
   • Comfort Zone with Feliway Spray for Cats
   • Bach Pet Rescue Remedy – I like putting 3-4 drops in the water dish every time it is changed.
   • Animal Apawthecary Tranquility Tonic – this one is a strong herbal and I do not recommend it long term without the direction of a vet. The valerian is very bitter and can be a little unpleasant to take. For urinary issues I like mixing it with Animals’ Apawthecary Tinkle Tonic which helps to soothe the bladder. The combination can be very helpful for many cats with FLUTD.
3. Glucosamine can help if there is a FLUTD component to the crystal issues. Glucosamine helps to repair the bladder wall and decrease inflammation in the bladder. I like using the Zuke’s Hip Action Treats for cats if they will eat them. A 10lb cat needs two treats or 100mg of glucosamine a day.
4. If your cat has active FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease) or crystals, make sure you have a vet to work with on this issue. You need to do constant monitoring of their urine. You may need to use western medicine to quickly change the pH of your cat’s urine and deal with active inflammation, infection, or crystals. Make sure there is not an urinary tract infection or stones.

We didn’t used to have large issues with crystals in cats because guess what, if your cat eats a diet that cats were meant to eat, meaning mostly meat, they almost never have crystal issues. But as the foods have gotten more filled with grains and fillers over the years and as more cats are put on dry food these issues have come up more and more.

Crystals are painful and in male cats can cause a complete blockage of the urethra. If blockage occurs and your cat cannot pee this is an emergency and you must immediately get them to the vet or the urine can back up into their kidneys and cause kidney failure and death. Bad stuff!

Crystals can be part of a disease process in cats we call FLUTD or feline lower urinary tract disease. More about that later.

Let me just stop and say here. You need to have a vet to work with on this issue especially if you have a male cat. It is really important. You need someone to monitor what is going on with their urine.

So what is this crystal thing all about?

When I was in vet school we saw a lot of struvite crystals. These crystals form in the urine of cats that have high PHs, aka alkaline urine. Carnivores have acidic urine – if you eat a diet mostly of meat you do. Herbivores have alkaline urine, a natural product of eating plants. Cats should naturally have a pH of between 6-6.5. Struvite crystals often form when urine pH is 7 and higher.

So why does this happen? Awhile back we started feeding our cats foods with more plants – aka grain and potato and less meat and the pH of their urine rose.

In addition crystals form easier in concentrated urine. Cats aren’t great about drinking a lot of water. When you feed a cat a diet of dry food they still don’t drink a lot and they are in a steady state of mild dehydration all the time. That leads to concentrated urine and makes it easier for crystals to form.

So we made two mistakes, we took away the moisture cats need from their food and we started feeding them like they were omnivores. It made it cheaper and more convenient for us but it didn’t work so well for our cats.

Once the food companies figured this out, many of them started adding urine acidifiers to their foods. After all it’s cheaper to add a chemical then to make a food that is good for cats with high meat content. The problem with this is that many cats now ended up with urine that was too acidic which we didn’t know would be an issue until we started seeing oxalate crystals forming in their urine, which we have seen learned tend to form when the urine pH is low aka too acidic, below 6. So in trying to solve the problem we overdid it.

Companies that make prescription diets have worked with this by adding the perfect amount of acidifiers to an omnivore diet to try to imitate the pH that would naturally happen if we just feed our cats a diet for a carnivore. Most prescription foods are made with poor protein sources and lots of fillers and chemicals. Most cats I see on prescription diets end up with health problems as they age.

It all seems like a lot of trouble when you consider that if you just feed your cat like a
carnivore who doesn’t drink a lot of water, you almost never see crystal issues.

So how do we feed our cats like the carnivores their bodies say they are and avoid crystal issues?

The best way is by feeding a raw, home cooked or canned diet which is grain free and very high in meat and moisture. If possible, it should also be potato free as potato is a starch and processed in the body similarly to grains and is also in the nightshade family so can cause inflammation in the body. I also recommend not feeding much fish and avoiding fish completely if your cat has had issues with crystals. The high magnesium content of fish can contribute to the issue of crystals.

So that is all easy and good but there are also some other factors that come into play.

Let’s talk a little about FLUTD. Feline lower urinary tract disease is a complex of symptoms that make a cat painful in their bladder and often leads to inappropriate urination and sometimes blockage in the males. Many times these cats have painful bladders, bloody urine, straining, and crystal formulation. Most of the time there is not an urinary tract infection but sometimes there can be infection tied into all the other issues.

We still don’t completely understand this syndrome. Over the years it has had many names and many treatments. Every western conference I go to I make sure to attend the lecture on FLUTD and guess what it ends up that none of the treatments really work all that well and we still don’t know exactly what causes it. For those of you that know anything about interstitual cystitis in humans, it is a very similar disease, it may actually be the same disease. IC in humans is also very poorly understood and hard to treat.

Stress can change the pH of urine. We know when it comes to FLUTD that stress plays a large role. Make sure that your cat has as low stress as possible. Sometimes a little rescue remedy in the water can really help. Feliway pheromone spray also can be helpful, as the pheromones in it help a cat to feel at ease. If your cat has FLUTD or crystal issues and is very stressed, talk to your regular or holistic vet about anti-anxiety meds or herbs. Consider having a behaviorist come to your home and work with you to make your cat more comfortable. Animal Apawthecary makes a nice tincture called Tranquility Tonic which helps with stress, however I do not recommend this being used long term without the advise of a veterinarian and I almost always mix this one with their Tinkle Tonic which reduces bladder inflammation.

Urinary tract infections can also cause crystals. Make sure your vet runs a culture of your cat’s urine to rule out the possibility of a urinary tract infection. Just trying a trial of antibiotics does not rule in or out an urinary tract infection. Many antibiotics are also anti-inflammatory and even if there is not an urinary tract infection you will often see a temporary resolution of signs. If there is an urinary tract infection I always recommend antibiotics. It is the safest and easiest way to treat the problem. Unlike in humans who often times know right away that they have an urinary tract infection, cats often have had it for awhile before we diagnosis it. Because of this I do not recommend using herbs alone to treat UTIs in animals.

Occasionally cats can have stones. These can sometimes be dissolved out with special diets, medications or herbs. Occasionally these need to be surgically removed. X-rays will diagnosis most stones but sometimes an ultrasound is necessary. If symptoms persist consider doing the diagnostics to rule out this issue.

When it comes down to it, this issue is from us feeding our cats a diet they were never meant to eat. The best thing you can do for your cat friend is to put them on a healthy cat appropriate diet. When it comes to FLUTD and its other factors find a good vet team to work with. To find a holistic vet in your area see How to Find a Good Holistic Vet.

So the next time you send someone to Path With Paws, there is urinary information here!

As with all information on this website check with your cats’s veterinarian before making any changes to their treatment protocol.