Three essentials for healthy pets:

*  A diet of fresh, whole foods

*  Avoid redundant vaccinations

*  Substitute natural products for synthetic and persistent pesticides

At Cold River Veterinary Center our healthiest patients are fed "people quality" food. We have a handout, Home Food for Cats and Dogs that explains the process of making a simple stew for your animals, with ideas for healthy snacks. The best thing you can do to ensure good health and longevity for your friends is to prepare home food for them, as often as possible.

If you cannot cook for your pet, use a high quality canned food. Dry pet foods require preservatives to retard spoilage; canned foods do not. However, there isn’t a single commercial pet food on the market that will meet all the needs of your pet. Most commercial pet foods contain too much salt, too little fiber, too much fat, not enough antioxidant nutrients, and no fresh fruits or vegetables. All pets need fresh food (including vegetables) to be really healthy.

Second, avoid whatever vaccines are deemed unnecessary by your veterinarian. Puppies and kittens should be protected at weaning with a series of inoculations against common, life-threatening diseases. They may need a booster at one year of age. The majority of pets do not need to be re-vaccinated on an annual basis. Indeed this procedure can adversely affect their immune system. Many veterinarians and professional groups, such as the American Association of Feline Practitioners, no longer advocate annual vaccination for all pets. Each patient’s risk of infection must be weighed against the potential harm from over-vaccinating. At CRVC, we recommend monitoring the patient’s need for re-vaccination by measuring antibody levels (titers) every one to three years, depending on the patient’s health and risk factors.

Twenty years ago we had many dogs who were tied to a tree, slept outdoors in a "dog house", and whose job was to bark at intruders. Today, pets share our lifestyle and environment. The risk that these pets will get infected with heartworm (from a mosquito bite) is less. Pets with weak immune systems, poor nutrition, and chronic drug therapy are susceptible to heartworm, fleas, yeast overgrowth, and many other health problems. These individuals do not need more medications; they need changes in their nutrition, lifestyle, and environment.

Consider natural alternatives to synthetic flea, tick and heartworm products. Any synthetic chemical that cannot be rapidly cleared from the body is going to be a chronic irritant and potentially harmful to the liver and kidneys. Many of these prescription pesticides have an affinity for fatty tissue and organs and are only slowly detoxified in the body. Areas of high fat turnover such as nerve sheaths, brain, liver and adrenal glands are especially susceptible to toxicity from fat-soluble pesticides.

Alternatives to long-acting synthetic pesticides include herbal flea and tick repellants, botanical flea shampoos, boric acid crystals to help desiccate flea larvae and pupae around the house, and environmental management. We still recommend heartworm antigen testing (blood tests) every year for dogs and heartworm antibody testing in cats where we have a suspicion of heartworm disease. Good nutrition and immune support can go a long way towards improving metabolic, hormonal and emotional balance, and help your pet stay clear of many pests and parasites.

  William K. Kruesi, M.S., D.V.M.  3/2000