I have always known that dogs are smart but there is another characteristic that is deeply seeded in the canine soul – compassion.

I know no other animal than a dog to jump to the rescue of his friends so selflessly and without thinking twice if their life is in danger.

My dog  Skai regularly jumps to my rescue when I am swimming despite the fact that he much prefers a pasture to the ocean.   I have seen dogs grieving their best friends,  I have seen them protecting or saving  children and I have  also heard of stories where a dog ran to get help when their friends were injured.

As I am thinking of all the different situations,  I can’t  help myself  thinking that dogs are in fact the most evolved life form on this planet.   They without  a doubt are the masters  in showing us what love and compassion really is as you can see from the videos bellow.

All I  want to do today is to say one big  thank you to those dogs and humans who care… and make the lives of others safer and better.

With gratitude,

Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM

Life is an ever-changing river that flows no matter how we feel about it. The flow brings changes and while change is the driving force of growth, evolution and discovery, often we feel discomfort when change takes places.

Over the last several years, I have really got the sense of what you and your animal friends need. Most of you look for ways to prevent disease, keep your four legged friends healthy and long living.

You also seem to enjoy a community of likeminded people who you can have an open discussion with and not worry about being looked down upon when you say no to drugs, chemotherapy, surgery, vaccines or processed food.

Aside from being your vet, I have always encouraged you to go with the voice of your heart and do what you love the most and do the best.

2 days ago, I promised to make an announcement.

Most of you know my connection with Skai, my dog and how much he means to me. He has been a tremendous teacher and so is my 20 year old cat Mina but I never understood her as well.

For 23 years,  I have been working with both, cats and dogs, and as time progressed I learned I can’t  be the Jack of all trades.  I have realized that if I  wanted to continue  developing my skills and help to create an effective system for natural healing  and prevention, I had to choose what I do the best and that is treating dogs.

There are many  “cats only” clinics but there is only one “dog only” practice in the US and none in Canada.

Today, I would like to announce that As of today, October 3, 2011, I will be the first Dog Only veterinarian in Canada and I trust that the cat lovers will forgive me.

However, I do promise that I will continue providing the same quality holistic veterinary care to already established  feline patients. The truth is some of you, my feline clients, are my dear friends and I would miss you and your cats.

My decision to take the canine direction is mainly based on the fact that cats and dogs are very different.  I have been constantly faced with the issue of “not offending the dog or the cat lovers” when teaching or doing research and I didn’t like it.

So after years of working with both species, today I am “coming out” as a dog only vet with the exception of my already established feline patients.

If you have any questions and/or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me here.

With gratitude,

Dr. Peter Dobias

If there is one condition that people ask  about the most, it is allergies. I hope that the upcoming Allergy series will bring you more clarity and  relief to your dog if he or she too is   trapped in the world of allergies or conditions that resemble them.

Our own experiences shape our perception about our healthcare

My grandfather was a herbalist and my father was a conventional veterinarian and by the time I was six years old, I was the Quinea pig for both. I was given herbal teas and medicine and my father used to think that there was no difference between prescribing medication for people and animals. Because he had the access to prescription drugs and considered the visits to the family doctor a waste of time, he gave us antibiotics for every cold, anti-histamines for allergies and corticosteroids for every pimple on his own.

Trapped in the cage of old beliefs

When I got to vet school, it was because I felt I wanted to figure out healing with more than a cook book approach to medicine. We were taught how to prescribe drugs or perform a surgery but seldom, if ever, we were taught approaching each patient as an individual. Our teachers simply were not aware that the disease symptoms are only the signals of the body that it is out of balance and all they could do was to teach us what they were taught. It  also applied to allergies.

I am sure the teachers  meant well. None of them were taught that drugs that are sometimes life saving often  degrade and erodes the  health health we want to restore.

I compare the situation of prescribing drugs to using a credit card. We use it knowing that eventually the statement will come and we will have to pay the balance. If we don’t, we will have to pay the balance plus interest. In the case of drugs, the interest equals the drug side-effect.

A post graduation wake up call

When I graduated from vet school, I started to realize that conventional medicine was not the answer for many health problems. I saw the damage caused by overused drugs and feeding junky processed food. In the mean time, my allergies to animal hair were getting out of control and I knew that if I wanted to continue practicing, I had to heal my allergies and anti-histamins were not working. I also wanted to figure out why so many so called “allergic” dogs and cats didn’t  respond to the conventional treatments and their health continues to deteriorate.

I started to explore more holistic approaches to healing, examined, observed and studied thousands of patients and gradually  realized that more than 80% of all conditions diagnosed as allergies are not true allergies.

In the mean time,  I was also able to cure my allergies with a combination of better diet, cleansing my body and working with several different practitioners from homeopaths, energy healers, chiropractors, osteopaths and physiotherapist.  Thanks to the “misfortune” of having allergies, I   understand them better.  The good news is that  most allergic people and pets could be allergy free with applying a few relatively simple steps and this is what I want to share with you in my upcoming allergy series.

Humility vs. arrogance

I am very grateful to all my patients, clients, teachers for the wisdom they brought to me. It would be easy to  overlook some amazing solutions to a problem, just because they often appear to be “too simple.” The treatment of allergies may be one good example.

I am saying this with humility of knowing that I don’t always succeed. It is simply because there is still so much to learn about medicine.  In fact I believe that the biggest threat to good medicine is the arrogance of thinking that “we know.” 

In the following chapters of the Allergy series, I would like to share with you what I have learned about allergies and how you can make a difference in the life of your dog if he or she is suffering from allergies.

I also hope that the information will make you give  your own health a thought and  increase the chances of healthy, happy and long life.

Stay tuned, I will do my best to post one articles a week about Allergies.

With gratitude,

To subscribe for articles about allergies and more news, click here

If your  dog has cut his paw,  here is a simple natural  approach.

If you are  out an  about and the wound  is bleeding, rinse it if you can with the water  from a tap or water bottle vigorously and bandage it or use a piece  of cloth to apply a pressure bandage.  From here , you have 2 options.

Options A: Wounds that superficial and not  gaping more than 2 mm.

1. Rinse  it  with  water  or saline solution vigorously –  not too hot , otherwise  you would burn the cells that  are supposed to heal.
2. Dry wound  with gauze or  clean towel.
3. Apply Healing Solution on a piece of gauze  liberally and bandage it to the foot using Vetrap or another self sticking bandage material.  You can use a light bandage.
4. Change bandage ideally 2x  daily  for 3  - 7 days depending on how deep and severe the injury is.
5. If you  live in a wet  area, you can put a plastic bootie or thick plastic bag  on when walking outside.

Option B:  In wounds that are deeper (more than 5 mm or gaping more than 2 mm)  stitches may be needed.

I usually  go for light sedation  and local anesthetic as opposed to local anesthetic  only.  Local  anesthetic stings and dogs can get really traumatized by being held down for a long period of time.  Ask your vet if you could be present during the procedure or at least until your dog is  sedated.

If your vet is  open minded, ask him not to use any chemical soaps as they slow down healing and are toxic.

Use the same approach as in  option A before and after surgery. I recommend using Calendula 200 C  homeopathic  remedy once a day for 5 days  in addition to applying healing solution to speed up  recovery.

This approach to wound  care will speed up the rate of healing about 40%.  Usually no antibiotics are needed with this approach that is  proven by years of clinical use.

Good  Luck!

TO PURCHASE HEALING SOLUTION – CLICK HERE

Have you ever happened  to be without internet?

It has happened to me today and I think that the “dog gods” are responsible.  I may not  have a TV but  I  am  definitely guilty of spending more time in front of the computer  than my dog,  Skai, would wish. He often  gives me “The Look” when I am working.

I  am often conflicted because I know that at least the main  purpose of my life is to spend time with my two and fourlegged family, friends and others interesting people. How do I decide that I divide the time fairly and do not loose the sight of what matters?

So here I am, sitting  in an internet  café in Tofino, BC, learning that  there is no internet today at this end of th world today.  “You are in the middle of nowhere… so don’t be  surprised that  the internet doesn’t  work!”, the café employee laughed.” She appeared to be entertained over my obvious symptoms of internet withdrawal. Me, no internet…! Neverthless, I have succeeded  not to  throw myself on the floor and I didn’t have a temper tantrum.  However, I am still feeling like if my internet umbilical cord was ripped right out.

My   plan  was  that  I would come out  here with my 2 sisters and their kids only if I could finish some of my work that was “urgent.”   “Yeah,  urgent!, ” I hear the dog gods speaking,  “Living your life is the only urgent thing, take a break and spend more time with Skai. You have been glued to you Mac for days and what is  wrong with you…?”

“But  I am spending a lot of time in front of the computer giving people tips on how to keep the animal friends healthy.  Imagine, they could be spending time in the park or on the beach instead of  the vet office.   It is my way to say  thank you for having such a blast with Skai and other dogs and people.” I  argued.   “I hope that you will make the internet running again, because I need to post a post about our Allergy lecture and Skai’s 10^th birthday fundraiser.” I begged.

“Ok, ok,  you dog gods,  I will  promise that  I will spend much less time on the computer this weekend and more time  with on the beach.  Just make sure  that you will keep Skai “dispatched” as my assistant in life for many more years, will you?” I also hope we will be able to negotiate “a deal”  for other  canines around, they have so much to teach us! No I don’t mean peeing at the corners. I mean how to love and be good.”  Are you hearing me?

“Oh, by the way,  thanks for giving me all  those tips on healing and nutrition, my readers say that they  seem to be making a difference  and the natural supplement formulas that you planted in my head work great.”

I will  also post our conversation  on my  blog to pass on the message:  Computerize only after  the members of  your canine “good life squad” sleeps after a a good walk twice a day. Is that  a  deal?

Thanks for listening!

PS: Taking your dog for a walk or a run at least 45  minutes  2 x a day is essential for his or her health. The backyard is  for veggies or flowers but your dog needs to get o to see the world. If you see the pleading eyes, they are real.  Just make sure you get  of  the office chair or the couch before the dog gods disconnect your internet.  Aren’t dogs great in reminding us what really matters in life?

Did you too notice that many pet food companies and food industry giants are suddenly going all natural?  Many  people appear to have been  lured by the promise of top  quality ingredients and also by packaging and advertising that likely costs more than the food itself.

“But what if they have really changed?”  You may ask.

I wondered about the same so I did a little “market research.” We  all know what it costs to purchase  “quality ingredients” that these companies claim are in the bag.

Here are some examples:

Science Diet makes 30 lbs of all natural dog food that costs 57 dollars at an online store. This means that it is sold for a believable $1.90/lb.  However, if you consider that dried food may be around 60 – 75%   lighter than fresh food, you would be paying $0.47/lb.  If you consider the cost of drying,  packaging, storage and transportation and a 20- 25% distributor mark up and  30 to 40% store mark up, it is impossible to make high quality food for such a price unless the company sources from 3^rd world countries or uses inferior quality ingredients.

It is a paradox that so many people believe what is written on pet food packaging. It is an industry that is not regulated by any independent quality assurance organization.

If my assumptions are correct here are a few other examples considering 1:4 fresh : dry ratio

IAMS sensitive naturals 25 lb bag  would approximately cost  $0.38 /lb of fresh food

Royal Canine 30 lbs bag  would cost $0.40/lb of fresh ingredients.

To summarize,  it appears that an old dog doesn’t seem to be learning new tricks here. The old ones are just packaged differently.

Whenever  you are unsure about what decision to make, I suggest you look back to nature.  As far as I know natural means natural and kibble doesn’t grow on trees.

Thank you very much pet food giants. I will pass on your offer of “innovated” natural pet food and choose food as nature intended.  I also wonder, Mr. Giant Pet  Food Co,  why you serve wholesome delicious foods to vets at conferences and lectures?  Isn’t kibble the best nutrition out there?

]]> http://www.peterdobias.com/community/2011/07/natural-diet-is-the-best/feed/ 0 http://www.peterdobias.com/community/2011/07/dog-collars-can-cause-disease-and-possibly-lead-to-cancer/ http://www.peterdobias.com/community/2011/07/dog-collars-can-cause-disease-and-possibly-lead-to-cancer/#comments Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:12:36 +0000 Dr. Peter Dobias http://www.peterdobias.com/community/?p=2197

Before you start reading the following lines, I invite you to do a little test. Open your hands with your thumbs touching each other. Place the thumbs at the base of the throat and with the fingers pointing back and surrounding the neck. Now, take a deep breath, squeeze and pull back with all your force keeping your thumbs connected.

This is how many dogs feel when they are on the leash and they are pulling.

If you are still keen to continue with this experiment, put a choke chain around your neck and attach it to a leash. Ask a friend to grab the end of the leash and pull and jerk on it periodically. Welcome to the dog world! No, I will not make you go on with this experiment and ask you to test a prong collar or electric shock collar. I just want you to become more aware of what is happening dogs and that collars have caused more injuries then you can imagine.

One day,

Skai and I were on one of our favorite walks in Capilano Canyon near our home in North Vancouver.  The wild river has carved the rock into breathtaking scenery with moss-covered cliffs, white water rapids and old growth rainforest.

Just a few minutes after starting our walk, I noticed a man with a young German shepherd on a leash. The poor little pup was struggling to say hi however his owner had a different idea. He was determined to prevent his dog from coming closer to us by yanking and jerking harshly on the leash that was attached to a choke chain. With every yank, I caught myself closing my eyes, cringing and feeling sorry for the poor dog. He was coughing and gagging with every jerk and had no idea what was going on.

Suddenly the voice in my head whispered: “Peter, you must say something, this poor dog is helpless and will get hurt,” the voice went on, “maybe the man is not even aware of what he is doing.

“Excuse me,” I started with hesitation, “You may not be aware of this but the choke chain you are using can cause a life long injury and damage and I thought you may want to know why”.

“Thank you, that would be great, I would love that,” the man replied. “I had no idea.”

Here is what our chat was about:

Wondering where the collar originated from?

No one really knows when the use of collars started. Perhaps it was the way the cave people restrained their wild dogs from running away.  However, the first reference to dog collars comes from Ancient Egypt.

The reason why I am so weary of collars is that when dogs pull they can cause a lot of damage. The neck and cervical spine are one of the most important “energy channels” in the body. It contains the spinal cord for supply to the whole body, is where the front leg nerves originate from and it is the energy channel where the nerves controlling the internal organ function pass through. The thyroid gland that regulates the whole body metabolism is also located in the neck.

For years, I have observed the relationships between the neck injuries and health of dogs.  I have learned that if the flow of energy in the neck is interrupted or restricted, a whole array of problems may arise including lameness, skin issues, allergies, lung and heart problems, digestive issues, ear and eye conditions, thyroid gland dysfunctions to name a few. I also suspect that the patients that have severe energy flow congestion in the neck area have a higher cancer rates.

While the purpose of this article is not to give you long description of each condition, I would like to give you a few examples to  help you understand how important the health and alignment of the neck is to the general health of your dog.

Hypothyroidism (low thyroid gland hormone) may be related to collar related injuries.

For the longest time I have been puzzled about the high rates of thyroid issues in breeds that frequently pull on the leash, such as  Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds. It seems obvious that the collar actually pushes on the throat exactly in the area of the thyroid gland. This gland gets severely traumatized whenever a dog pulls on the leash, it becomes inflamed and consequently “destroyed” by the body’s own immune system when it tries to remove the inflamed thyroid cells.

The destruction of the thyroid cells leads to the deficit of thyroid hormone – hypothyroidism and because the thyroid gland governs the metabolism of every cell. The symptoms may be low energy, weight gain, skin problems, hair loss and a tendency to ear infections and organ failure.

Ear and eye issues are frequently related to pulling on the leash.

When dogs pull on the leash, the collar restricts the blood and lymphatic flow to and from the head. My clients are often perplexed when all the ear and eye problems disappear after switching their dog from a collar to the right harness.

Excessive paw licking and foreleg lameness can also be related to your dog’s collar

Leash pulling impinges the nerves supplying the front legs.   This can lead to an abnormal sensation in the feet and dogs may start licking their feet. These dogs are often misdiagnosed as allergic and all that needs to be done is to remove the collar and treat the neck injury.

Neck injuries can cause a variety of problems.

Some dogs suffer severe whiplash like injuries from being jerked around. Extension leashes do not help because they encourage dogs to pull. They are faced with the imminent jerk when they get to the end of the line.

Most people do not know that leashes and collars can be at the core of many problems and that just one incident of pulling or running fast to the end of the leash can be serious. So how can we reduce such risk?

A harness – the collar alternative.

Over the years, I have searched for the best way of making dogs safe and  to prevent neck injuries. Harnesses that have the leash attached at the front of the chest are the best solution because they distribute the pressure of tugs and jerks throughout the whole body and keep the neck and throat free.

Many harnesses on the market have the leash attached on the back and pulling still restricts the front portion of the neck thereby pressing on veins, arteries, nerves and energy channels.

When you choose the right harness, make sure that your dog’s harness is the right fit and follow the maker’s instructions carefully. Use the harness only when leash walking and take it off when your dog is off leash. Ensure that the harness is not pressing or rubbing anywhere and that it is washed regularly.

If your dog is adequately trained, give him as much off leash time as possible. If  you have a “puller” have his neck examined by a vet, physio or chiro experienced in neck assessment. You may want to get his thyroid level measured and the neck and back checked for any signs of injuries. Keep in mind that many veterinarians are not trained in checking spinal alignment and working with the right practitioner is essential.

If you are looking for gentle and effective treatment methods, homeopathy, physiotherapy, intramuscular needle stimulation, chiropractics, acupuncture and massage are the best choices.

I hope that you will join our “gentle leash” efforts and will pass this information onto others. If you would love to see such medieval torturing devices like choke chains, martingale, prong and shock collars become museum pieces, here is an opportunity.

Whenever you see a dog pulling and choking on the collar, gather the courage and talk to the owner.  If you would like to be part of our “gentle leash” movement, you can contact us here.

With Gratitude,

Dr. Peter Dobias

Many people believe that if they feed good quality food or the best natural food that their dogs or cats diet will be complete. This is not true.

Intensive agriculture has caused a severe degree of soil mineral  and nutrient depletion which has caused deficiencies in the whole food chain including plants, herbivores and finally carnivores.  We have seen sailors dying of scurvy, iodine deficiency causing goiter, vitamin B deficiency causing beri-beri, a neurologic disease and death. It is a paradox that most people and even medical practitioners do not ask the most important question. What is missing in our own and our pets’ diet? Is it possible that these deficiencies cause serious health problems?  Of course they do!

The story of Peggy and Skai

A few years ago I was asked by one of the local natural pet food manufacturers to come up with a better alternative for calcium and mineral supplement. First, I looked at several different mineral sources and found a unique species of mineral absorbing algae that has been used with great success in the treatment of osteoporosis.  I formulated GreenMin with the idea of providing the essential minerals.

First I used it  myself  and felt great, more energetic and less achy after exercise and yoga. Then I gave it to my dog Skai and his sister Peggy who lives with my friends. As time went on I started to see a huge difference between Peggy and Skai.  I was puzzled.  Skai’s coat became softer, shinier and rich colored, his digestion was better than ever and he was full of energy with no signs of stiffness.  Peggy, on the other hand, started to show some stiffness and my friends complained that she  limped on occassion. Her coat was dry and bleached out and she continued to have occasional diarrhea.  How could it be?  Then I  asked my friends if they were giving the supplement.  They sheepishly confessed that they forgot!

This was the picture of mineral deficiency.

Natural versus Synthetic

Most people understand the need for supplements,  however many do not realize the difference  between  synthetic supplements, natural extracts and whole food based supplements. While synthetically made supplements resemble their natural cousins, their comparison is similar to wholesome organic oranges and artificially colored and flavoured pop soda.  Generally, I try to avoid  synthetically made supplements. Many people do not know that many synthetic supplements are made in chemical labs from crude oil and other chemical substances.In fact artificial vitamins and supplements create a state of excess and chemical imbalance that I have gradually learned to recognize by observing subtle shifts in the energy of different organs and the body.

Deciding whether to give synthetic or natural is relatively easy. The more challenging part is to find the right product because many supplement label claims are inaccurate or untrue.

Beware of shady production practices, go with products you trust

I discovered this by doing research on certified organic spirulina which is no longer available in the western world. The reason is that Spirulina doesn’t grow without a naturally occuring Chilean nitrate that can no longer be used in certified organic foods. It is shocking that there are still many suppliers of “organic” spirulina from China which was  clear proof that the Chinese organic claims are untrue.

For most people it is hard to recognize products backed up with solid knowledge or those formulated haphazardly. Learn more about the company, learn to know people who formulate the products and their background. I also prefer having several different products rather than mixing everything in one. If products have too many combined mixed ingredients, choose others that are simple and made with human grade ingredients. I have chosen to make  GreenMin locally in Vancouver and source the ingredients directly from the growers.  If they do not want to show me their certification documents,  I don’t deal  with them.

Extracts versus whole food based supplements

Natural extracts are better, however they are still “extracted” from the whole food. The difference is similar to eating an apple and drinking apple juice. One is nutritious,  the other one is pasteurized sugar loaded  drink that can make the body acidic and imbalanced.

Whole food supplements are made of wholesome food with hight nutrient content and positive effect on the body. A good example is a turmeric, holy basil and ginger based anti-inflammatory supplement that has a very strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and superfood qualities that is much safer than conventional drug  Metacam that causes side-effects . Probiotics supplements are another good example. Vitamin supplements and minerals can also be sourced from whole food and these are the products that I like to use.

What do my pets get?

My 9 year old dog Skai receives

A whole food probiotic cultured multivitamin.

GreenMin – an essential mineral, phytonutrient and superfood formula that also detoxes the body of heavy metals and other toxins

Wholemega – essential omega oils sourced from virgin salmon oil and certified organic flaxseed oil.

Nondairy probiotics.

Mobility and joint support made of Perna mussel.

Turmeric based anti-inflammatory, such as zyflamend after vigorous exercise which has also strong antioxidant – anti-cancer properties.

Once every 6 months, I do a liver cleanse with a herbal supplement and chlorophyll complex

My 19-year-old cat Mina receives

A whole food glandular and vitamin supplement formula ( available through email order only at contact@peterdobias.com due to manufacturer regulations)

GreenMin for Cats Esssential mineral supplement.

Non-dairy probiotics

For  senior cats I add a glandular supplement to support kidneys ( available through email order only at contact@peterdobias.com due to manufacturer regulations)

If you’re interested in learning more details about supplements, description and dosing, visit our webstore.  I’ve created easy to follow categories according to age and  specific organ support.

With gratitude,

PS:  A percentage of the proceeds from the purchase of any products goes to Healing Foundation  to conduct medical research in the field of  holistic disease and cancer prevention and  to provide free education to you and other holistically minded pet lovers.

Recently, I have had the pleasure to interview one of the Vancouver’s most talented healers, Ryan Carnahan on a very interesting topic of detox.  Heavy metals are one of the most serious pollutant and disease causing factors out  there.  Learning how to detox naturally may ad months and years to your best friends life.  I hope you will enjoy this interview.

With gratitude,

Dr. PD:

Hi  Everyone,  I have the pleasure to  introduce you to Ryan Carnahan  who has  been  very  kind and  agreed for me to interview him. He is a person who has a deep knowledge on the level of nutrition, supplements and  energy healing and I would like you to hear  a little about   minerals and their function and foremost,  how they  contribute to getting rid of  heavy metals in the body.

Ryan,  what  is  your background?

RC: I have been  in  practice 17 years,  in my practice, I combine homeopathy, osteopathy, herbal medicine, energy healing and of course  nutrition. I integrate all these in my practice to provide  people with a  well rounded  approach to maximize  health and longevity.

I have also heard that you’re a new owner of a dog?

RC: Yes, Reina,  we have had her for 8 months, she is a rescue dog from Mexico.  We are  very  blessed to have her in  our life and she has really taught me a lot and I have learned a lot from you in our discussions in how to take care of her.

What has she taught you?

RC:She is an ongoing reflection of what is going on  in my life.  I have always known that  pets are  very similar to children but  experiencing this is very different.  In my  practice,   I see the dynamics between  children  and parents and see how directly children and pets are  influenced by the things that  happen in the families and may be outside of the awareness of the parents. I can  look at  Reina and  I can see what is going on with me. It is apparent that they pick up the energy in the household and they adapt to the household and other relationships.  It is a constant reflection of ourselves and it takes away some self-centeredness of ourselves  because  we devote our life to taking care of someone else and it is an honor to do so.

I would like to go back to the topic of minerals and what  function in the body they  have and what  happens  when  we  provide a whole food source of minerals.This is quite important and I know you have picked up on it  when  you created GreenMin by seeing that  the best  quality raw diet  can be  still deficient in minerals. We can be feeding the highest quality diet from the most  pristine  environments but the plants are growing in soil that  is lower in minerals than it once was. The body needs to  use these nutrients for detoxification and maintaining health.

The liver is the most  important detoxification  organ  and it  requires a huge selection of nutrients in order to detox the  body from a  wide  range of toxins – including those produced during metabolism and from microbes such as bacteria, yeast, as parasites as well as environmental toxins.

The liver is  constantly working to metabolize these toxins and if the body is not receiving the full  spectrum of nutrients such as  minerals  and vitamins, the liver’s enzymes will not be able to process these toxins efficiently and they will start to create health problems.

So when  we  talked about GreenMin,  I  was  thinking especially about minerals and how the animals  may be benefiting from that. Animals  eat  food with  bones  and organs and  these contain  heavy metals.   Particularly the kidneys and brain  can contain  high  levels of  mercury and other metals like cadmium. Lead is often stored in the bones. If our  animals  eat  bones and organs which is  a part of their natural  diet, their liver, kidneys, bowels and lungs – all of the detoxification routes – need to metabolize and process toxins in the best possible way.  In  order to  do this, they need a full spectrum of nutrients to handle this.

Coming back to  some of these minerals like  sulphur, selenium, zinc, magnesium etc – these are crucial in  the production of detoxification enzymes in the body and the liver.

Mercury is a real  problem and  it comes  from the environment, vaccinations that the farm animals and our pets  get and these compound into the pets bodies and hopefully,  if your pet is healthy, it will be  able to excrete as much of the heavy metals as possible.  Sulphur, selenium, zinc, manganese, magnesium and others are all required for these enzymes, especially in the liver for detoxifying these metals.

Now coming back to mercury in specific, sulphur and selenium bind to mercury in the body so what happens is that mercury attaches to these minerals and can create a depletion of these minerals in the body.

Zinc will compete with cadmium, lead can compete with calcium and become deposited in bones, so these toxic metals have a way of sneaking in and using our metabolism and nutrients that we are ingesting to wreak a little bit of havoc.  So it is important that we have a really healthy supply of the good minerals so that our detoxification enzymes can be in the best form possible and so that they can help shovel these metals out of the body.

So if we are in a nutrient deficient state, like many of our pets are who may be on a very poor diet to begin with, you compound that nutrient deficiency with the environmental toxicity with the toxicity of the vaccinations and all of these things and they are really not in the best place possible to be able to recover and rebound.

Now, it can sound kind of doom and gloom but ultimately we don’t have to be afraid of environmental toxins.  We need to be wise, we need to be prudent and we need to be informed.  We just have to do the right thing so that we are in the best place possible so our bodies can be the natural detoxifiers that they are.

Our bodies will eliminate toxins through our bowels, our hair, our sweat, our urine but they need the proper nutrients in order to do that and that is where I products like GreenMin can come in and really put the animals in the best place possible for the toxicities that may be in the food that they are eating.

Dr. PD So if I understand well, the minerals are basically the soldiers of the body for the detox system and they work really hard to eliminate any heavy metals or any toxins that are in the system through being part of the liver and the enzymatic system and just helping to eliminate.  That makes a lot of sense because we have seen this especially in middle aged and older animals that are probably much more burdened by heavy metals and different toxins, they suddenly can look renewed and that is most likely what is happening.

Now some of our listeners and clients and customers have been wondering whether they have to put vitamins and essential oils in the food on top of minerals and some of them also believe that if they put vitamins and maybe essential oils that they do not need to put minerals in.

What is your opinion about that?

RC: Well, you know minerals, vitamins and oils are all very different categories of nutrients. You can try and just put eggs and flour in a cake and see how that tastes but really you are going to need a little sugar, a little baking powder and whatever you need to make the cake that tastes its best! In my book I talk about the three top supplements.

For me it is a good quality multivitamin, a high quality fish oil- and I say high quality because there is a lot more popular fish oils coming out there now that are not high quality. So yeah, fish oils are important.  They don’t have to be fish oils, Omega III’s can come from a plant based form but they are not as potent and bioavailable as the fish oils. And the third is a probiotic supplement. So we have these top three things that I think are very important.

Ryan, I have always believed that the health of people and their animals come along together.  It sounds like you may be a perfect person for some of our listeners and clients to be in touch with.  Where do you work and what do you do?  I know that you work in the human field and I would like to know a little bit more about your practice.

RC: Sure, I practice in Port Moody, BC ( Vancouver Lower Mainland region) and work with a wide range of people dealing with conditions ranging from back pain to digestive problems, immune system problems, etc.  I specialize in chronic pain but I do treat a wide range of ailments.  As we spoke about earlier, my approach is quite holistic and I use different modalities to approach the body to try and look at it from as many angles as possible to really see what is going on.

The goal of the treatment is really about balancing the body so it can heal itself, it is as simple as that. So we identify imbalances on a physical, mental, emotional and energetic level and then use herbs, homeopathy, osteopathy and energy balancing to restore balance to the body.  It is all about balance and once the body is balanced it will heal itself.  And I say the same thing about animals.  If we are providing the nutrients that they require, the body will tend to go back into balance and that will in turn create much better health.  So this is what I aim for with my clients.

Dr.PD: I love the simple approach to healing because I usually say that we need to eliminate toxins and what doesn’t belong in the body and then provide the body with nutrients that it needs then rebalance and realign the energy and that is all that needs to be done because the body does the rest.  I think we will have a lot of opportunity to talk in the future and I believe that you are still open to new clients although I know you are very busy.  What is your website address?

My practice site is www.RyanCarnahan.com and I have another website which is healerathome.com where I offer a series of ebooks covering the most important natural first aid remedies and there is a free ebook on treating colds naturally, which I am really excited about because it is just packed with good information that can be used on a regular basis.

It has been great talking to you Peter – what we really focused on today is the physical aspects of health but the other important aspect of health is the mental and emotional aspect of ourselves and our animals. This is also very important for detoxification as well – perhaps we can talk about another time.

Dr. PD: Thank you Ryan,  those  are definitely topics that I would like to have the future discussion on.

Take Care

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