The Whole Pet
News and Tips from Beverly Animal Natural Health Center
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Dr Lynne Ricketts and husband, Taidgh McClory welcomed their boy-girl twins on October 1st. Davin and Estelle joined big brother Kye and Jenny the dog at home. All are doing very well! Please be patient as we try to accommodate all our patients during her maternity leave! |  |
Feeling stiff? Trouble getting up in the morning? Getting tired too soon on your walk?
Check out www.GoodDogAquatic.com! This is for the non-readers here but I really think we could all use some form of physical therapy as well!. Our canine patients have quite an ability to move but like us, we sometimes take for granted the “maintenance” that an efficient machine requires. Think of how they can jump 4 times their body height. They roll themselves up in a ball to get into just the right spot on the couch! At Good Dog Aquatics, Luis is able to assess the dog’s gait, muscle mass and “problem” spots. A plan is then created to work on building up or rehabbing the patient. This is done both at their facility in North Andover as well as at home.
We recommend physical therapy for our older patients as well as younger patients that may have an overuse or sporting injury. It is a great, non prescription way of treating many physical problems. Check out their website.
We ask what your pet is feeding because we believe that food can play a huge role in the health of your pet. There are literally thousands of pet foods to choose from these days. We “endorse” foods such as Wysong, California Natural, Innova as well as foods such as Wellness.
However, the most important thing is to be educated about reading labels. This means reading the fine print! Marketing is abundant in the food marketplace. Just because they show a nice dish of food in a picture, that is not always how it comes out of the bag or can! We recommend that the ingredients list should be whole foods vs meals, should have ingredients that you are able to pronounce. Avoid fillers and artificial flavors. Dogs should not be fed sugar! Here is a link to some interesting websites on pet nutrition: www.balanceit.com and www.wysong.net. You are what you eat!
As for “table scraps”..if they are healthy foods such a fruit, vegetables, grilled meats and good carbohydrates ( pizza crust vs donuts..not good), they can be given to a healthy pet that does not have food allergies or other food sensitivities. Don’t feed from the table to discourage begging!
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Madeline, our dog of nine years went to Dog Heaven Tuesday, October 13th after a battle with degenerative myelopathy. I found her one Friday on my way home from work and the rest, as they say, is history. She was a pitbull from Lynn that was fantastic with the four cats she moved in with. She was a pitbull when she would do anything to be wherever the kids were. They loved her, cuddled with her, fed her and loved her. I was always so proud to be a pitbull owner. Here is a special note I want to share from a friend: Sometimes our best friends are covered in fur... They give us their hearts... They color world... The only thing missing--- The gift of more time... To have them beside us for all of our lives. |