Harness Fit

Dr. Ava Frick presented at the Senior Dog Care Summit.

This 50 minute presentation is all about harnesses for your senior dog and is called: Harness Fitting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

Can a harness hurt your dog? What are the benefits of a good fitted harness for dogs? Dr. Ava Frick’s talks about how it can help your senior dog.

February is Animal Heart & Dental Month!

February is a busy month in the animal world educating pet parents about heart and dental health! In a way, they are actually connected because the bacteria in the mouth have affinity for the valves in the heart. Especially in the presence of vitamin A deficiency. So, getting or better yet, keeping a clean healthy mouth is the first step to protecting the heart. Raw diet is the first step to preventing dental calculus. Big soft bones or chew devices [for the dogs, not so much for cats], brushing, spraying, rinsing, water solutions, can all add to keeping the mouth fresh and reducing plaque build-up. But if needed, do not hesitate to have dentistry performed. A clean mouth is more important than you may realize in helping your pet to feel really good.

Speaking of the heart. The biggest topic over the past 3 years has been about taurine deficiency. In 2012 there was an article in VitaHound titled: Taurine Supplements are Usually Required in Present Day Dog Diets. Yes, as far back as 2012 the word was out – no canine diet has adequate taurine to match the stress and inflammation that dogs deal with. And why do dogs have inflammation and stress? That fact I have been recognizing since 2005 by doing hair Tissue Mineral Analysis testing.

Inflammation and stress are related to adrenal gland function, aldosterone production, sodium retention, loss of potassium, calcium, and magnesium, inadequate levels of choline, taurine, inositol, vitamin A and E. Basically, inadequate availability of whole food minerals, vitamins, and amino acids (especially taurine) lead to inflammation and inflammation precedes heart disease. In dogs with heart disease [other than congenital or genetic related], there are many potential factors preceding the onset that have been sneaking up undetected for quite a bit of time.

And if those dogs had been eating an archetype diet, like real unprocessed (anything but kibble here) meat containing food, it never would have happened. Why? Taurine is found naturally in milk, meat, fish, eggs, and sea vegetables such as kelp and seaweed. As for meat (not meat meal or by-products), mice have three times more taurine than chicken, next highest beef, followed distantly by lamb. Kelp is a good supplement source since it contains all 21 amino acids and is also rich in minerals and many vitamins. Adding the needed taurine to your dog’s diet is reasonably safe with a natural supplement. Dosages range from 200mg to 2000mg per day, best given 2 to 3 times a day. Cat foods already are supported with added taurine as this deficiency has been known to occur in cats for decades.

Other factors known to be needed by or as protection for the ticker include: Vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, CoQ10, L-Carnitine, vitamin B2 for heart rate, vitamin B1 protects against cardiac hypertrophy and bradycardia, pantothenic acid helps with tachycardia, fish oil to reduce cytokines and herbs such as Hawthorn for conductivity.

Heart muscle innately produces CoQ10. Using a product containing concentrated heart muscle or feeding heart, will provide natural CoQ10, but there are times when even additional is beneficial. Whole food vitamin E containing E2 (the part of vitamin E that increases the carrying capacity of oxygen in the blood) reduces stress to the heart and allows the pet to breathe more slowly and efficiently.

Protecting the heart begins early in life and in the mouth! Get a Tissue Mineral Analysis Test done to know what mineral and toxic metals are of concern for optimal cell function. Follow a natural diet. And focus on what it takes to keep the mouth healthy.

Is your water destroying your health?

In almost every village, city, or country the water we drink and bathe in is loaded with toxic chemicals- chlorine, fluoride, pesticides, drugs, heavy metals… the list numbers in the hundreds in most areas. The result? Epidemic cancer rates, immune-system disorders, lowered IQ, Alzheimer’s and much more.

The Environmental Working Group (https://ewg.org, EWG) in 2021 released the new Tap Water Database, cataloging more than 320 contaminants across nearly 50,000 water utilities. On their website, you can actually enter in your city and see a list of the contaminants and ratings. They also have a “Guide to Safe Drinking Water” with helpful tips on eliminating water toxins.  EWG is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping you live your healthiest life.

The sensible thing for consumers in order to both save money and to protect the environment is to be proactive and take matters into their own hands, first by using effective filtration to handle their own water.  I developed my Ideal Earth Water filters to remove toxins while leaving the beneficial minerals alone. Go here to purchase the Ideal Earth Water filter.

Do you have a dog with digestive issues? Or do you find that your dog is sometimes fussy with what they eat? Or maybe your dog has bad gas and you don’t know why?

Join us for the very first Dog Gut Health Summit. It’s completely online and free from September 24 to 28 brought to you by Dr. Katie Woodley in partnership with Pet Summits!

Hear from over 15 of the most trusted experts, including Dr. Ava Frick, in pet nutrition and dog care share their secrets for healthy digestion and gut health at this free online event.

Click HERE to register for this event, space is limited.

The author of “Conversations with Animals”, Dr. Ava Frick talked to Kara about how to train your dogs from puppies to seniors. To watch this video go here.

The author of “Conversations with Animals”, Dr. Ava Frick showed ways to keep your pet cool this summer. To watch this video go here.

The author of “Conversations with Animals”, Dr. Ava Frick, DVM talked about a new technology called “Alpha Stim” to help your pets recover and heal. To watch this video go here.