Alternative Medicine for Pets/swollen 4 paws

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Expert: - 10/3/2011


Question
I was asked to give ground oatmeal to my 17month old chihuahua  that has swollen toes.  She is allergic to grains.  Is ground oatmeal a grain and is it ok to give to her if she has skin allergies?  Otherwise please let me know actually what to purchase.  Detail  Any suggestions of what to do for those swollen paws and how to get them to come down?  I have socks on to keep her from licking them constantly.

Answer
Oatmeal is indeed a grain. There are many grain free foods available.  I would try one of them. It is important to not only change the food, but also to avoid ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: WHEAT, CORN, SOY, DAIRY AND BEEF! Be sure that the food you select contains none of these, and that none of these go in your dog's mouth in the form of treats as well, whether off of your plate or in the form of store bought dog treats. I would also suggest that you look into switching your friend to not only a grain free formula, but consider using a prepared raw diet as well. There are many good, frozen brands available such as Northwest Naturals, Steve's Real Food, Raw Health,BARF, and others depending upon where you live. If a raw food isn't available, I would recommend adding a quality enzyme supplement to whatever food you buy. If the store you go to has quality grain free foods, they should have enzyme supplements as well.

I would also recommend eliminating any other toxins from your pet's body and environment such as, any form of chemical flea control (internal and external), chemical heartworm preventatives (there are homeopathic alternatives available), vaccinations, etc.

My new book "Simple Steps to a Healthy Pet" will be available soon as an e-book on my site: www.critteroil.com.  It has a lot more information than I can tell you here, plus if you go to the site, there are many articles there already that will help you understand the "whys" of my recommendations.

Any other questions, please feel free to call me at my business; 727-327-2356.

Take care,
Sue Griffin

Alternative Medicine for Pets

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Susan R Griffin

Expertise

I can answer questions concerning pet allergies, natural flea control, breeding and dog breeds, puppy training, pets and stress, and pretty much any dog related question.

Experience

I have been a Holistic Pet Care Consultant for over 20 years. My specialties are nutrition and flea, skin and coat problems but I have experience with other health issues as well. I have been studying canine nutrition for over 20 years as well and have a broad knowledge base there including breed specific information. I am the author of The Healthy Pet Handbook and Simple Steps to a Healthy Pet as well as many other pet related articles; and have hosted radio talk shows on natural pet care. I conduct seminars on natural pet care, relationship training and the spiritual, energetic relationship between people and companion animals. I trained my first dog in 7th grade, bread my first litter in 12th grade and began showing at age 20 (I'm now 60). I have studied dogs all of my life and I have a degree in Psychology with minors in Ecology and Animal Behavior from Utah State University. I am a graduate of The New York School of Dog Grooming (1972) and Orchard Kennels School of Training (can't remember the year). I am the founder and owner of Naturals For Animals in St Petersburg, FL and the developer of Critter Oil and other natural products and Pet Energy Therapy, a pet assisted therapy for people. I look forward to answering your questions and feel free to read the articles on my site, http://critteroil.com

Organizations
National Association of Counselors and Therapists

Publications
Pet Pages Magazine Journal of the Association of Counselors and Therapists New Times Naturally

Education/Credentials
As stated above: Graduate, New York School of Dog Grooming, Orchard Kennels School of Training, Utah State University (BS), Certified Hypno-therapist, Certified Stress Management Consultant and ordained minister. Personal studies over 20 years in Canine nutrition, alternative therapies and holistic medicine.

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Thousands of now healthy, happy pets and their owners.

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