Feed Your Dog an Organic Diet

 

The homeopathic approach to animal care centers on prevention. Many times a specialist will look at what your dog is eating and suggest a balanced, natural diet. Feeding your dog organic products can better maintain his digestive health and weight.

Organic foods are typically made with whole grains and good sources of protein. Just be sure the meat source is truly organic. This will ensure that the beef, fish or poultry is free of antibiotics, hormones and preservatives.

Putting your dog on a high-grade organic diet can also help his skin and coat. Filler ingredients, processed foods, artificial colorings and additives may be unhealthy for a dog inside and out.

Liver shunts are a congenital problem in some dogs. During gestation the placenta delivers blood with food and oxygen from the mother through the umbilical vein. This means that in the fetus, circulation is the reverse of circulation after birth, because the fetus’ veins have the oxygenated blood and arteries return unoxygentated blood to the heart. In order to make this work, there is a shunt from the liver venous circulation to the arterial circulation. At birth, the pressure within the circulatory system changes as respiration occurs and this shuts the shunt, which eventually disappears. If this reverse in circulation doesn’t happen for some reason, the liver is deprived of a blood supply and doesn’t develop properly after birth. Many puppies can live with the small functioning portion of the liver for some time but eventually have problems and usually die if the situation is uncorrected. It is possible to surgically close the shunt and the surgery works well. I can remember hearing of one sheltie that was 6 years of age (or possibly older) before a congenital liver shunt was recognized, so some dogs can live a long time with this problem.

Roundworms in dogs are caused by the Toxocara canis and the Toxocara leonis parasites which are located in the intestinal tract of the dog. The dog will have a pot bellied appearance and poor skin and hair condition; the symptoms of the parasite will be more severe in puppies. The parasite can be treated once it is detected. The roundworm may affect humans also, by the ingestion of the Toxocara canis eggs that may be present in the soil or sand. The parasite may cause vision problems in humans.