A Path With Paws

Most of the time diarrhea is not a serious issue and will pass in a day or two. Often times with dogs it is due to eating something they shouldn’t. Cats are more prone to have transient diarrhea from stress. For information on chronic diarrhea see Chronic Diarrhea in Dogs – Herbs and Diet to the Rescue.

There are some simple days to treat acute diarrhea in cats and dogs but before we talk about those, some symptoms that you should take seriously.

Reasons to see a vet immediately

1. Very young puppy or kitten – these little guys can quickly become dehydrated and are more prone to parvovirus and panleukopenia that can be deadly.
2. Extreme lethargy – this may be a sign of more serious disease.
3. Vomiting with the diarrhea – an animal can quickly become dehydrated if they are losing fluids from both ends. If they vomit once or twice, are not lethargic and are eating then you may be able to wait but if vomiting is extensive or continues for more than a day see your vet.
4. Blood in the feces or black stool – can be a sign of bleeding ulcers in the stomach or of a disease called Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis or HGE. Both can be deadly. It is common to have a small amount of red blood with diarrhea but it should not be excessive. With HGE you often have more blood than feces.
5. Diarrhea with neurologic symptoms such as shaking, problems walking or seizures. This could be a sign of toxin exposure or more serious disease.

So what do you do if your dog or cat has diarrhea (this is assuming they are eating well)

1. Pumpkin – One of the most simple and easiest ways to treat diarrhea. Not only does it treat diarrhea but also helps with constipation. I use 1 teaspoon with meals for cats and small dog and 1 tablespoon or more for medium to large dogs. Most animals really like the taste of it.
2. Stop Diarrhea formula (Zhi Xie San) – This is my favorite herbal formula for diarrhea,see What I made today – Stop Diarrhea Formula If you have a holistic vet you work with they may be able to make it. Ask them! If not Zhi Xie San is also available for purchase in my etsy shop Kingdom of Basil
3. Slippery elm – can be a great coating agent to both the stomach and intestine. Animals’ Apawthecary Phytomucil is a great product that includes slippery elm and other herbs that coat and sooth the gi tract. Sweet and easy to give it is easiest for cats and many dogs. Slippery elm alone can be bought in powder and cooked with a little water to make a syrup or given in capsules to larger dogs.



4. Bland diet for dogs. Many times this guys need something easy on their digestive tract. Rice, chicken broth and chicken breast cooked together in a pot makes a nice bland diet. I usually feed for two to three days and then slowly work them back to normal food. Cats usually are picky when it comes to food and will often not eat a bland diet.
5. Rule out parasites by taking a fecal sample to your veterinarian. This is especially important with dogs and young kittens. Older cats are less likely to have parasites especially if they are mostly indoors.
6. Fasting is an option but should only be done if your animal is an adult, not geriatric, and does not have other health issues. I always provide water. If you fast do it for 24 hours and then move into a bland diet. You can also do a broth fast where chicken broth is offered but no other solid food
7. Probiotics – can help to rebalance the bacterial flora of the intestinal tract. There are many animal products out there but human probiotics are also fine to give. I often recommend opening the capsules and sprinkling on your animal’s food. The best probiotics are found refrigerated at your local health food or supplement store. One of my favorite refrigerated ones is Udo’s – most health stores have it. If you order it online make sure it comes cold packed. Two of my favorite non-refrigerated ones that you can order online are Vetri-Mega Probiotic and Thorne Bacillus CoagulansVET
8. Bach Rescue Remedy or other ways to manage stress – some animals get diarrhea from stress. In this case stress is the root cause and needs to be addressed. A little rescue remedy in the water can help. There are other stress management techniques including Feliway for cats and DAP for Dogs which are pheromone sprays that reduce anxiety, Thundershirts for dogs and behavior management.

If your animal’s diarrhea is not getting better within 24-48 hours or if they get worse during that time see your animal’s veterinarian. Most diarrhea is transient and quickly passes but it could be part of a larger health problem. Some animals have chronic diseases that cause diarrhea such as pancreatitis, liver dysfunction, and inflammatory bowel disease. Many of these suggestions can help with such illnesses but there are other ways that often work better and have longer lasting results.

This article does not take the place of veterinary care. If you are animal is sick see your veterinarian.

People are often amazed that I do acupuncture on the little guys – the cats, the rabbits, and the chihuahuas. I even have one little yorkie who is smaller than the chihuahuas I treat.

One thing I miss about doing house calls is that I don’t often get to meet everyone’s complete animal family working at the clinic. There is something fun about getting to know everyone and becoming part of that family.

However I do have some animals who come in together for acupuncture or bring along friends. One of my favorite animal families includes three chihuahuas, a cat and a large dog named Boomer. And sometimes they all come in together! If you have been to my clinic you know my treatment room is quite small so this is something. Usually we end up with the chihuahuas, Pickles, Bambi and Oliver and the cat Harley on the couch with me and their human mom Mary and Boomer on the rug. We all fit!

I often find that little dogs are a bit nervous about acupuncture but they quickly warm up to it. Pickles used to shiver but now she proudly jumps on my lap and enjoys herself. I enjoy getting to snuggle with her during treatments. Harley the cat happily curls up with his chihuahua friends and the only thing we have to worry about is one of the little dogs accidentally sitting on one of his needles. He is one cool cat in a household of dogs.

Bambi is the newest addition to the family and is an elderly little girl with a host of problems, eye, skin, heart and mobility. Her human mom Mary fell in love with her and brought her home and is busy nursing her back to health. She also is now enjoying getting her treatments.

Oliver and Boomer just come along for the ride but seem to enjoy being part of the crowd and I enjoy getting to see them every month. They don’t seem to understand why they don’t get quite as much attention as the girl dogs.

I love that my practice includes animals of all types, personalities and sizes. I love helping them feel better and spoiling them with treats!

The main focus of Chinese medicine is on treating the animal, the cancer is secondary.

Why did the cancer get there is in first place? Because of a longstanding imbalance in the body. In western medicine we would say that the immune system malfunctioned.

Why? Usually because of diet, genetics or environmental factors.

The job of the practitioner is to look at an animal as a whole being. I usually take about 30-60 minutes just to get a full history on my animals I treat for cancer. With the whole history I am treating the whole animal and not just the cancer. This is why the animals I treat often times feel better than before their cancer diagnosis after we start treatment

So why do I write articles that look like cook book recipes?
Many times the same cancers come from the same deficiencies. For example squamous cell carcinoma is almost always going to come from an animal who is having dampness/inflammation issues. Mast cell tumors almost always are in animals who have blood deficiencies. So you can cook book some of these cancers and get it right most of the time.

However the best is to find a veterinarian with training in Chinese medicine who can look at your animal and guild you to what is the best protocol for them. Them and not their cancer. I realized that some of you live in places that it is not a possibility in which case I am hoping you can use my guilds with your animal’s primary vet to come up with a treatment protocol.

So on to the Chinese Medicine!

Traditional Chinese medicine also known as TCM uses a system of metaphors to describe disease and come up with treatment methods. As odd as it can seem to a newcomer to this art, the system works.

This system was developed long before anatomy was known as well as it is today. In fact when TCM was first developed there was a ban on dissection and most of what was known about anatomy was learned on the battlefield by those who treated the wounded. Because of this many of the Chinese organ systems are different then the western ones. For example in TCM the spleen is considered the main organ of digestion even though we know today that the spleen really has very little to do with digestion. Even so the points in acupuncture, which correspond to the spleen, often treat digestive disorders and the herbs for digestion are often considered spleen tonics.

It would be really easy for me to give you 1000 pages or more on Traditional Chinese Medicine but really I want to talk about cancer and how it related to Chinese medicine and how you use Chinese diagnosis to figure out what herbs and supplements to give an animal.

The two most common Chinese diagnosises for cancer are.

Phlegm nodules/dampness and blood stagnation.

In addition you can have cancers that get into the realm of triple burner obstruction and blood heat but those both end up connected to one of the first categories. Blood heat is when the blood congeals and produces toxic heat and triple burner obstruction often is related to both phlegm obstruction and/or blood stagnation. More about those later.

In addition there are many minor imbalances which make the body predisposed to cancer.

Spleen deficiency leads to phlegm build up that leads to phlegm nodules.

Blood deficiency leads to problems with blood movement which leads to blood stagnation.

Many of these lesser patterns are also from poor diet, genetics or environmental factors.

So what do you need to know?

• Phlegm nodule cancers tend to be inflammatory. They are hot and painful and grow fast. They are usually very locally invasive but can also spread.

  These cancers are lymphoma, osteosarcoma, anal gland tumors and squamous cell carcinoma. There are many other phlegm cancers.

  Most of these animals have had some kind of inflammatory disease in their history. They are more prone to being gassy. They may have been or are overweight. They have more of an excess personality – they are outgoing and have a lot of energy but not always stamina. They may be prone to digestive upset usually with phlemy diarrhea or vomit. If they have infections they are usually hot and severe. They may have multiple lipomas. Often times as these animals get older they become more deficient in both personality and physically but when you look back at their history it tells a different story.

  These cancers do best with herbals like Hoxsey like formula and Si Miao San. They may also do well with Xiao Chai Hu Tang and its sister formulas because long time dampness can lead to triple burner obstruction. See below for more info on TBO.

• Blood stagnation cancers are the cancers that are caused by abnormal blood flow. They may also have an inflammatory component to them although usually it is milder than with the straight phlegm/dampness cancers.

  Cancers like mast cell tumors, hemangiosarcoma, many of the liver tumors, thyroid tumors, and salivary gland tumors tend to be blood stagnation cancers.

  These animals have a history of blood flow issues and blood deficiency. They may be a little timid. They are prone to dry skin and maybe dry eyes. They may have had infections in the past but they are usually mild. They may have back pain or weaknesses or shifting lameness. If they have skin tumors they are usually small and benign and hang off the skin. They may also have digestive upset but usually it is more liquid diarrhea or stomach pain. They may be sensitive to stress.

  These cancers are best treated with Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang and its sister formulas, Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang, and single blood moving herbs like curcumin.

  In addition chemotherapy and radiation can cause blood deficiency and stagnation so I often use these formulas in animals receiving these treatments even if the cancer being treating is a phlegm nodule cancer.



• To make things harder many cancers are mixed with some components of blood stagnation and some of phlegm/dampness. Leukemia is a good example, usually I use blood movers like Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang with dampness herbs like Hoxsey. After all this cancer is in the blood stagnating it but also has a damp component to it. Sanshedan ChuanBeiye and Artemisinin can also help with these mixed cancers.
• Some cancers lead to or are caused by triple burner obstruction. Hemangiosarcoma is the best example of this or many other abdominal tumors fall into this category including many of the lymphomas I see. For these cancers I always use Xiao chai Hu Tang or one of its related formulas and then also treat the original pattern that lead to the TBO either with acupuncture or additional herbals.

  A little more on Triple burner obstruction

  The triple burner in Traditional Chinese Medicine runs down the center line of the body.

  There is the upper burner which includes the lungs and heart, middle burner with the spleen and liver, and lower burner with the kidneys and urinary bladder. If the triple Burner is obstructed, yin and yang cannot meet and there is a separation of yin and yang in the body. The yin or water of the kidneys needs to come up and cool and mist the lungs and heart, and the yang or fire of the heart needs to descend down and spark the fire of life of the kidneys.

  When yin and yang come together you get life. Both these functions happen by passage through the triple burner along the centerline of your body. If these functions cannot happen, the upper body gets hotter and the lower body gets weaker. If yin and yang cannot meet then the body stops working.

  Here is another way to look at it. If you look at yang as the chemical reactions in the body which fuel life, and yin as the antioxidant response that makes sure no harmful products are left behind, you can understand how these two relate. You need both for life and you need them to work together. Without the yin antioxidant response we become toxic, without the yang fueling the body we become weak and deficient. If either of these functions stop we are in trouble.

  Triple burner obstruction will lead to death – sometimes very quickly, if the obstruction is complete and sudden and sometimes over a longer time, if it happens slowly.
  Triple burner obstruction commonly manifests with excess conditions in the front of the body such as coughing, vomiting, anxiety, headache, and/or panting and deficiency or weak conditions in the back of the body such as hind leg weakness and incontinence. There is usually some kind of obstruction in the middle of the body such as a tumor in the liver or spleen, bloated abdomen or back pain.

• Bleeding cancers can be very deadly. Most bleeding cancers are from blood stagnation. In hemangiosarcoma one of the largest issues is that the blood stagnation leads to bleeding so I always work with herbs that address this, the main one being San Qi (pseudoginseng) usually in both the form of Yunnan Baiyao and in added San Qi to the formulas I work with. For bleeding cancers Yunnan Baiyao is very important.

Usually I work with 4-6 supplements/herbals in dogs with cancer and 1-3 in cats with cancer.

Complicated? You bet! Impossible? No

This is why I strongly recommend trying to find a veterinary herbalist in your community to work with. Each animal is different; each animal needs a slightly different formula combination. I often have animals I am treating with the same cancers who are on different protocols. The best results come from using the right formulas in combination with acupuncture.

In some animals we will change formulas as the symptoms and cancer changes as well. Sometimes what worked at first will stop working or we will need to add something else. If you have a practitioner you are working with they can hopefully catch these shifts early and make changes before it is too late.

See How to find a good holistic vet

Return to Integrative and Holistic Methods for Treating Cancer in Cats and Dogs

It’s not every day you celebrate your 19th birthday and that is especially true if you are a dog. Tomorrow Casey Thomas will be turning 19 years old, making him the oldest little guy I have worked with so far.

Casey is a sweet little old man, with greying whiskers and fuzzy black feet. He can still be quite feisty, after all he is a terrier. He likes his short walks down the block although sometimes they are more about sniffing than walking and sometimes he asks to be carried back home. He doesn’t hear and see like he used to anymore but he is well loved and cared for. He loves to snuggle with his mom and aunt and likes to eat with his family, preferring to eat what they are eating these days and that is perfectly fine.

He pulled through a major bout of pneumonia this past year and we thought we might lose him but he is back to going strong. He loves his acupuncture, although hates the needles going in, that is when his feistiness comes up, did I mention he is a terrier. However acupuncture makes him immediately perk up and feel better. You can see the spring come back into his step.

Casey is well over 100 years old in human years. I hope I’m as healthy and loved as he is when I reach that age.

Happy Birthday!

My friend and colleague Donna Kelleher just put out a new book on her healing journeys with animals called, The Proof is in the Poodle. This book follows the lives of five animals: A bedraggled poodle-mix named Sampson, an opinionated terrier named Smudge, a rescued horse named Tino, a golden retriever named Jasper and a striped tabby cat named Tinkerbelle.

Although animal rescue and herbal medicine are continuous themes, the author explores the notion of healing, discovering that animals need inspiration to achieve optimum health. The book also follows the life of the author through hard-learned lessons and an unwavering dedication to animals as well as her mentor, a neighborhood herbalist. Readers come away with a new insight into the world of holistic veterinary medicine and new skills to improve the wellness of their own beloved animal companions.

Many of you may know Donna from her book The Last Chance Dog: and Other True Stories of Holistic Animal Healing. Donna is considered one of the pioneers of holistic medicine for animals worldwide. I was lucky enough to start up my practice in West Seattle right after she had moved away and was able to step into a very supportive community of animal people who were open and excited to embrace holistic medicine. If you have not read Last Chance Dog, I highly recommend it!

I just ordered Donna’s book and am looking forward to reading it and I promise to post a review soon! With this book Donna is also self publishing for the first time. Self publishing allows an author to keep more of the income generated from a book and also gives them more freedom to follow their own vision. To order Donna’s book go to her website The Proof is in the Poodle .

These days Donna has a holistic veterinary practice in Bellingham, Washington.

I often get the question, “how do I prevent cancer in my dog or cat?”

This is always a hard question to answer. There are so many factors involved in the development of cancer that even doing everything we can to avoid it, animals can still get cancer.

In addition cancer forms when multiple control processes in the body fail. There are many things we still do not understand about both why cancer forms and how to treat it effectively. I am certain that in the next fifty years we will understand a lot more and with the new gene and stem cell therapies that are emerging we will look back on how we work with cancer now as barbaric and ineffective.

Cancer is a breakdown of the immune system and the processing and chemical/hormonal systems in the body that regulate cell growth. Every day cancer cells form in our body and our immune system immediately finds them and destroys them. In addition there are chemical and hormonal processes in our body which stop cells from becoming cancerous. These processes make it so cells age and die naturally as new cells take their place. In cancer this does not happen. The signals for cells to age don’t work and cells rapidly divide and reproduce.

We know that there are genetic factors involved in cancer. This is especially apparent in the purebred dogs. The Bernese Mountain dogs are the most likely breed to have cancer. I have never meet one who did not die of cancer, which is a shame for such a beautiful and kind dog. Most get cancer before their eighth birthday. They are closely followed in percentage of cancer cases by the Golden Retrievers and Boxers, who also are very prone to cancer.

Toxins and pollutants also have a role in cancer. BPA in plastics has been linked to cancer. Estrogens in our water supply may also contribute. We know there are industrial chemicals in the environment and pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals lead to cell damage and chemical abnormalities in the body, which can cause a failure of signals that stop cells from becoming cancerous or in a weakened immune system.

So with all these factors, what can we do to prevent cancer in your animal companions?

• In my opinion the number one thing you can do to help your animal friend is to feed the best diet possible. I prefer raw diets of high quality meat but a good home cooked or canned diet can also be great. If you feed canned food make sure the company which makes the food is not using BPA coated cans. If you can’t afford anything but dry feed a high quality dry food with high protein. Consider adding cancer fighting foods to their diet See Diets for Cancer – you are what you eat a fighting cancer machine.
• Avoid exposure to pesticides, herbicides and other toxins. Make sure you don’t use chemicals on your lawn, and when you are out walking your dog try to avoid the lawns that are too green and weed free. Be careful what chemicals you use in your home. Do not use harsh cleaning chemicals around your animal.
• Only use flea medications if needed unless your animal has a flea allergy. Yes these are also pesticides and the jury is still out on how toxic these products are to your animal friend. I feel like it is becoming too common to just put animals on year round flea treatment even when it is not needed. If you do use flea medications use the least toxic ones possible and avoid products with multiple ingredients.
• Avoid over vaccination. I do believe in vaccination but I believe the current vaccine schedules are more than is needed. There are studies confirming the links between vaccination and certain types of cancer like fibrosarcoma. While the correlation is harder to prove with other cancers there does seem to be association between over vaccination and certain cancers like hemangiosarcoma and leukemia. See To vaccinate or not to vaccinate that is the question part 1 cats and part 2 dogs.
• Keep your animal from becoming overweight and make sure they get exercise. Overweight animals are more prone to both cancer and inflammatory disorders such as asthma, inflammatory bowl disease, diabetes and Cushings disease. Exercise helps promote good blood flow and a healthy immune system.



• Do not smoke around your animal. There are studies that show that second hand smoke significantly increases the risk of cancer in your animal by three times the rate of animals in non-smoking households.
• Depending on the source of your water consider using a water filtration system. Some water contains toxins, hormones, and heavy metal contamination.
• If you have an animal at high risk of cancer because of breed or because of factors you can not control consider some extra anti-cancer tools
  1. Add supplements to their diet to help control cancer like Cod Liver Oil, extra vitamin A and D, IP-6, Coenzyme Q10 and/or mushroom supplements like MUSH Medicinal Mushroom Blend or Host Defense MyCommunity
  2. Work with an acupuncturist or holistic vet to do treatments to help correct any imbalances early or to do occasional detox treatments. This can be done with acupuncture, herbs, homeopathics or other therapies.
  3. Get regular check ups to catch cancer early and when it is treatable.

Is there more cancer in our animals then there used to be?

It is hard to tell. I believe a lot of cancer used to not get diagnosed. It was the ain’t doing right dog in the backyard that wasn’t taken to the vet, the cat who just wandered off one day.

We definitely do a lot more diagnosing these days and with it catch more cancer then we used to. However I think our world has also become more toxic, with chemicals and pollutants. Our cats and dogs are down on the grass, sniffing, eating, licking their feet. Our animals are on our couches and beds that have flame retardant chemicals on them, they are eating foods that are becoming more unhealthy, they are being treated with more pesticides then every. So it is hard to say if there is really more cancer or that we are just doing more to diagnose and treat it then ever before.

There is no way to completely avoid the risk of cancer but there are ways to decrease the risk. Many of these suggestions also can help avoid the risk of other chronic diseases and help animals have more energy and vitality as they age.

Return to Integrative and Holistic Methods for Treating Cancer in Cats and Dogs

Usually I tell folks I can tell if a skin tumor is benign by how it feels. Most benign tumors are easy to roll around, in other words not attached to any deep tissue. They tend to grow slowly and if they are under the skin they are fairly smooth. You can get some really ugly bumpy benign tumors on the skin surface. The exception to these rules is the mast cell tumors, which tend to feel like benign tumors but are really cancerous.

Mast cell tumors contain histamine and it is common to see a large amount of swelling if they get hit or injured. Often times this is when they are diagnosed. In large tumors this release can be dangerous and can cause anaphylaxis. Usually with small tumors this is not an issue.

This article is about small grade 1 and 2 mast cell tumors of the skin. For internal mast cell cancer and grade 3 tumors see Mast Cell tumors grade 3 and internal mast cell cancer

There are certain breeds of dogs who are very prone to these tumors, the number one breed being Boxers.

If you can remove a mast cell tumor of the skin usually you are in good shape if it is a grade 1 or 2. These tumors are slow to spread to other areas of the body. The grade 3 ones can be more problematic as they are faster to spread. Your veterinarian may use an antihistamine during surgery to avoid any chance of anaphylaxis, especially if the tumor is larger.

Mast cell tumors that grow in the skin are usually related to issues with blood flow. If there is not proper blood flow to the skin the immune system is not getting there and there is not enough vigilance against these tumors forming. These animals often will also have other issues with dry skin, skin inflammation or itchiness but not always.

Most dogs that have mast cell tumors in the skin will go on to form more with time. With enough of these growths the chances of getting a grade 3 seem to increase so it is best to try to treat the underlying blood flow issues early.

While I always used to recommend removal of these tumors, I have now seen more and more that I have been able to get rid of through herbal treatments, especially with combined topically and internal application. These days I often try an herbal approach first. That being said, I still feel like quick removal of these tumors and initiating steps for prevention of more is a good option.

The two most important tools I use for treating mast cell skin tumors are

1. Up the meat in your dog’s diet and make sure it is good quality protein. If possible consider a high protein raw food. This helps reduce inflammation in the skin and improve blood flow. See Diets for cancer.
2. Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang – this formula helps to move blood out to the skin and enhance the immune system’s response to cancer. Constant vigilance! More and more I feel like small tumors can be treated with this formula both used externally and internally. While I used to always recommend surgery, now I like to see if I can get rid of them with this herbal first. Please click on the formula name above to learn more. Also when treating any tumors topically check in with your vet first as mast cell tumors can cause a sudden release of histamine. I have never had a histamine issue with using it topically in one of my patients but the potential is there.

In addition I will sometimes use the following

• Acupuncture – can help to move blood to the skin and boost the immune system
• Mushrooms – Chinese mushrooms such as shiitake, maitake, cordyceps, and reishi can help stimulate the immune system and have a strong anti-cancer effect. I prefer the My Community Host Defense Mushroom Blend from the high quality company Fungi Perfecti.
• Artemisinin – can help to kill off cancer cells when they form
• Cod liver oil – the omega fatty acids in fish oils help to stimulate the immune system, work as anti-oxidants and reduce inflammation.

Georgia’s Legacy just put up a great article on Mast Cell Tumors that talks quite a bit about the grading. Please read Mast Cell Tumors in Dogs.

Also see for the story of one of the dogs I worked with.

Back to Holistic and Integrative Approaches to Cancer

It is very common for cats and dogs who have cancer to loss weight even when they are eating well. This is because the cancer is stealing their nutrients and not allowing the body to have what it needs. Weight loss in the face of a healthy appetite and proper nutrition is called cachexia.

There is a simple protocol I use to address this issue if it isn’t just an issue of appetite.

1. Add in Cod Liver Oil or Fish Oil at 2-3X recommended dosage. I prefer the Nordic Naturals Pet Cod Liver Oil. Cancer can not use fat and Omega 3 oils help to reverse cachexia.
2. Feed 1-2 tablespoons of canned sweet potato or pumpkin at every meal for the average sized dog. Use a teaspoon for cats. This helps with digestion and helps them use the nutrients in their food better.
3. Add in 1-2 eggs a day for the average sized dog or part of an egg for cats. Eggs are a very good source of 100% digestible protein. They can grow a baby chicken from two cells to a whole animal – pretty amazing when you think about it. Cooked or raw is fine. You can hard boil a dozen at a time and keep them in the refrigerator to make it easier.
4. Consider feeding multiple meals a day or increase the amount of food. Feed grain free food if possible. This can help and probably seems obvious but doesn’t normally work on its own without using the above additions.
5. There are some other herbal formulas that can help but they differ from animal to animal, so consider seeing a veterinary herbalist if the above doesn’t work.

If appetite is an issue then I recommend working with a holistic vet with acupuncture and herbs or consulting with your animal’s regular veterinarian about appetite stimulants and anti-nausea medications.

If you happen to walk down Forest Street,
There is a Golden Retriever you’re sure to meet.
She might surprise you with an aggressive Hello,
But with a stuffed animal in her mouth she’s a sweetheart you know.
Her name is Maggie and she was born a Taurus,
Stubborn and proud she came to live before us.

-Jeff Leach

Written in memory of Maggie Rose by her loving human dad. Maggie has inspired people and animals all around the world with her story. We will all miss her. Please click on Maggie’s name to read her story.

Thank you Kathy Crabbe for using creative commons to license your beautiful art so I could share it here.

I’ll be on vacation in the sun of Mexico for the next week until February 20th. While I am away I will not be approving comments or visiting the forums.

Even without me there is a lot of information on this website, please explore. Thank you for visiting!