I have used Milk Thistle with my pets for years to detox the kidneys and liver.  There are so many toxins in our environment that both people n pets need to detox from our systems.  I also use many mushrooms and essential oils to assist in detoxing.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT HERBS TO EVER ADD TO YOUR PET’S DIET!



DOSAGES:

Use ¼ of a teaspoon per 20lbs of body weight.

 The Natural Way to Enhance your Pet’s Life: “Despite much of the publicity that has been generated about this ‘wonder herb’, milk thistle should not be used as a daily food supplement. Milk thistle is a medicine that is best reserved for situations in which the liver is already under abnormal stress.” Most holistic doctors feel that milk thistle should be administered for 3-6 weeks with a 1-3 week break.

Detoxification is such an important process, not only for us humans, but also for our pets. We can be feeding our furry loved ones the best foods in the world but pores clogged with toxins will not allow essential nutrients to pass, causing a weakened immune system. A pet’s weakened immune system equals a multitude of problems! Milk thistle is the boss of detoxifiers!

But what else can this rock star of an herb do exactly?

This is an amazing article by Dr. Axe and this is why I recommend goat, coconut milk or coconut water kefir for our pets.  Dogs and cats don't process cow's milk so you don't want to feed cow milk kefir to your pets.

Kefir Benefits by Dr. Axe

Kefir is a unique cultured dairy product that is one of the most probiotic rich foods on the planet and has incredible medicinal benefits for healing issues like leaky gut.

Its unique name comes from the Turkish work “keif”, which means “good feeling”.

For centuries, it has been used in European and Asian folk medicine due to the wide variety of conditions it has been known to cure. When made correctly, it is one of my favorite drinks and, after reading this article, I hope that you consider including it into your regular natural health regimen.


Kefir Nutrition Facts

Kefir is a fermented milk product (cow, goat or sheep milk) that tastes like a drinkable yogurt.

Kefir contains high levels of vitamin B12, calcium, magnesium, vitamin K2, biotin, folate, enzymes and probiotics.  Because kefir does not have a standardized nutrition content, the content values can vary based on the cows, cultures, and region where it is produced. Yet even with the range in values, kefir has superior nutrition.

Because of kefir’s unique set of nutrients it has been show to benefit the body in 7 main ways:

• Boost Immunity
• Heal Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Build Bone Density
• Fight Allergies
• Improve Lactose Digestion
• Kill Candida
• Support Detoxification

And these are just a few of the benefits of consuming kefir daily.
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Since the beginning of time, every culture has pickled and fermented foods primarily to preserve them. Unknowingly, they were magnificently creating superfoods jam-packed with healthy microorganisms (also known as “probiotics”) and regularly enjoyed healthy, long lives because of them.

In his Theory of Longevity, Nobel Laureate Elie Metchnikoff pioneered research suggesting that fermented milk has significant health benefits back in the early 20th century.

Since then, research has proven time and time again that the age-old practice of fermentation is good medicine because of the “healthy bacteria” that are contained within these foods.

A list of the more common probiotics that we regularly see in fermented foods include:

• Bifidobacteria species
• Lactobacillus acidophilus
• Lactobacillus caucasus
• Lactobacillus bulgaricus
• Lactobacillus rhamnosus
• Acetobacter species
• Leuconostoc

Kefir is one of the highest probiotic foods you can eat with several important probiotic strains. And homemade kefir far outranks any store-bought variety:
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At this point you may be wondering: why would we want to eat foods with bacteria in them? Don’t people take antibiotics to kill the bacteria so that they can feel better?

Living in the American “antibacterial” culture, where hand sanitizer is only an arm’s length away, it may seem like suicide for people to knowingly eat foods or drink beverages filled with microorganisms. However, nothing could be further from the truth! The key to understanding this is to learn a little bit about your gut.
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Did you know that over 75% of your immune system is housed in your digestive system?  Essentially, trillions upon trillions of “good” bacteria and fungus kill the “bad” microorganisms, which keeps you alive and well.

So what happens when you take antibiotics or regularly use antibacterial lotions and soaps?

You literally kill the good bacteria and the bad ones take over. This, in turn, disturbs the symbiosis (balance) of your microbiome which will lead to digestive issues and immune reactions.

Studies have linked everything from autism to most chronic diseases to leaky gut syndrome and improper digestion. Bottom line is that if you can’t absorb the nutrients in your food because you don’t have the proper bacteria balance in your gut, your body will never run on all cylinders because it lacks the fuel.
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First described by tribes in Russia, “kefir grains” are actually not grains at all, but are a delicate balance of yeast and bacteria.

Able to ferment milk in around 24 hours, kefir grains can transform raw milk into a Superfood probiotic drink (kefir), a naturally-carbonated, refreshing beverage that has several key medicinal benefits.

Rich in Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum, kefir also provides significant amounts of lactic acid bacteria and beneficial yeast. In fact, the cocktail of beneficial microbiota within kefir makes it one of the most powerful probiotic foods on the planet!


1. Fights Cancer – Consumption of fermented foods has been shown to kill several different types of cancerous tumors in animal studies. The Journal of Dairy Science, for example, published a study that evaluated the immune cells in mice and discovered that regular kefir consumption helps stop breast cancer growth.


2. Supports Detoxification – “Mutagens” are various agents that can literally alter your DNA and can be found everywhere in our environment.

Aflatoxins, for example, are food-born toxins created by mold and can be found in many ground nuts (which is why peanut butter causes allergies and immune reactions), crude vegetable oils (like canola, soybean, and cottonseed), and grains (wheat, soy, and corn).

Being rich in lactic acid bacteria, kefir can literally bind (kill) aflatoxins and other funguses, which helps preserve healthy genetic expression.


3. Boosts Immunity – Next time you get sick, think twice about taking an antibiotic and drink kefir instead. A study out of University College Cork in Ireland compared Lactobacillus probiotic preparations, and compared them to conventional antibiotics in three animal models that are similar to humans. They discovered that, “In all three animal diseases we observed a positive effect in that the animals were significantly protected against infection.”

In fact, the researchers discovered that probiotics worked as well as or even better than antibiotic therapy in not only eliminating the infectious agent, but in resolving symptoms!


4. Builds Bone Density – A 2014 study published in the journal of Osteoporosis International found that consuming kefir benefits bone density and can reduce the risk of osteoporosis.  The researchers found kefir works by increasing the absorption of bone building minerals of calcium and magnesium.

The probiotics in kefir improve nutrient absorption and the dairy itself contains all of the most important nutrients for improving bone density including phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K2.


5. Heals IBS and IBD – Because of the high doses of probiotics including the strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium kefir is also an effective natural treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. A study published in a Canadian medical journal found that probiotic rich foods, including yogurt and kefir, can help heal IBS and reduce bowel inflammation.


6. Allergies and Asthma – In a recent study published in the Journal of Immunology, kefir was found to have both positive effects on allergies and asthma. In the study, kefir significantly suppressed inflammatory markers of interleukin-4, T-helper cells and IgE immunoglobulins. The researchers stated that kefir has strong anti-inflammatory properties that could prove useful in the prevention of asthma.


7. Improves Lactose Intolerance  – It may sound crazy, but yes fermented milk products like kefir can help people with milk-related lactose intolerance. To grip your brain around this, you have to keep in mind that fermentation changes the chemical make-up of foods and, as in the case of fermented milk, kefir is relatively low in lactose.

Additionally, if you struggle with lactose problems, you may want to try adding kefir to your diet in small amounts because a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that, “Kefir improves lactose digestion and tolerance in adults with lactose malabsorption.” As a disclaimer: although I have found most people do very well with goat’s milk kefir a small percent of people may still have issues with dairy.

If you have had lactose intolerance, my advice is to try it first by placing a small drop of the kefir on the inside of you arm or wrist and let it dry. Then wait 24 hours and see if you have any inflammation. If you do, then steer clear of it. But if not, then try adding just a drop or two to a beverage or some food and see if you have any reaction. You can then increase the amount until you are certain that you are not reacting to it.

As with any food or diet, make sure to listen to your body.

NOTE: If you have had an allergic reaction with any dairy, then I would seek advice from your doctor or natural health practitioner on how to test your allergies without ingesting the kefir.
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Photo by Joel Hollenberg.


Honey, bee pollen, beeswax, propolis . . . all bee products have special gifts for dogs, especially dogs with allergies

By CJ Puotinen

Bees may sting, but they create some of the world’s most valuable, versatile products. Honey, bee pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, and even the venom from bee stings are all touted for their human health benefits – and many experts say that dogs derive the same advantages.

Feeding honey to dogs is nothing new. Juliette de Bairacli Levy, whose Natural Rearing philosophy has offered alternatives to conventional treatment for over 60 years recommends honey in all of her animal care books.

New Jersey beekeeper Joe Dallon, who uses organic methods and feeds essential oils to his bees, introduces Chloe, the author’s Lab, to honey straight from the hive. Like most dogs, she loves the taste.

“I believe I could not successfully rear domestic dogs without this remarkable antiseptic food,” she says in The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat. She adds that while honey is not a normal item of diet for carnivores, lions in the wild enjoy honey and it is considered a staple food of the omnivorous bear.

“Honey is the greatest of the natural energizers,” Levy writes, “a nerve tonic and a supreme heart tonic . . . Predigested by its makers, the bees, it is absorbed immediately into the bloodstream of the consumer. A diet of only milk and honey can sustain life for months in humans and animals. It has been well and longtime proved that honey is also highly medicinal and will inhibit growth of harmful bacteria in the entire digestive tract and destroy those of a toxic nature.”

Levy recommends fasting animals who are ill to let their digestive organs rest and the body to heal quickly. In addition to water, the only food she recommends for fasting animals is honey.

An invert sugar, honey contains mostly glucose and fructose, which are monosaccharides or simple sugars. Monosaccharides are more easily assimilated than the disaccharides and polysaccharides found in table sugar, milk, grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables. A tablespoon of honey supplies 63 calories. Honey does not require refrigeration but keeps best in tightly sealed containers stored away from heat and light. Honey thickens when refrigerated.

Depending on the flowers harvested by the bees, honey is light or dark in color, and its flavors vary from delicate to complex. Raw honey contains vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, E, and K, plus calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, silicon, sulfur, potassium, manganese, copper, and iodine, with darker varieties such as buckwheat containing higher mineral levels. Vitamin C levels vary; some honey contains up to 300 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams (about 3½ ounces or 7 tablespoons).

Honey has been a medicine as well as a food for millennia. Ancient Greek, Assyrian, Chinese, and Roman physicians routinely prescribed it for health and longevity and for conditions such as indigestion, diarrhea, fevers, coughs, colds, flu, asthma, allergies, and ulcers, and as a revitalizing food for athletes, soldiers, and those recovering from illness or injury. Honey is said to increase the absorption of calcium consumed at the same time, help treat or prevent anemia, reduce arthritis pain, and work as a gentle laxative to help prevent constipation. It was also applied topically to treat open wounds, burns, cuts, abrasions, and skin infections.

Honey for dogs

Most dogs love the taste of honey, so it’s usually easy to feed. Some dogs eat it right off the spoon, some get it in their dinner, and quite a few enjoy their daily honey on toast with butter. In Denison, Texas, 50 miles north of Dallas, beekeeper and companion dog trainer Michele Crouse considers honey the best medicine for her dogs Bonnie, a four-year-old Staffordshire Terrier, and Cracker, a five-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever.

“Bonnie has always had a hard time with allergies,” Crouse says. “Her symptoms used to be worst in the spring and early summer, but they continued through the fall ragweed season. She rubbed her face, licked herself, especially on her feet and the inside of her thighs, and scratched on her stomach like crazy, creating dime-sized sores. She itched so much that the vet prescribed Benadryl and prednisone.”

To prevent these attacks, Crouse feeds her dogs a tablespoon of honey twice a day. “I mix it with their food or feed it directly,” she says. “Sometimes I’ll give them berries as a snack, with the honey mixed in. Both Bonnie and Cracker love the taste. Otis, our mixed-breed, isn’t interested in honey or anything sweet. Fortunately, he doesn’t have allergy symptoms.”

Crouse uses raw honey which she strains through a single filter to remove debris. “Otherwise,” she says, “it’s straight out of the hive.”

As long as Bonnie receives her daily honey, she remains free of allergy symptoms. “But if I forget for a week or so,” says Crouse, “the symptoms come right back. I know several other dogs who have had the same response. They react to seasonal allergens until their owners put them on honey, and then they’re fine.”

Crouse agrees with beekeepers and health experts who have observed that local raw honey works best on allergy symptoms. “It makes sense,” she explains. “When you eat the honey, you ingest minute amounts of local pollen, and after your body adjusts so that it doesn’t react to the pollen, you can be exposed to larger amounts, such as when plants or trees are in bloom, without being affected.”

Savannah’s cyst healed quickly with topical honey.

In addition to using honey as a food, Crouse washes her dogs with it. “I start with a clear, natural shampoo base from an organic supplier,” she says, “and mix it with an equal amount of honey to which I’ve added aloe vera and essential oils like lemon grass, orange, lemon, lavender, tea tree, citronella, and the Asian herb May Chang (Litsea cubeba). All of these plants have disinfecting, deodorizing, or insect-repelling properties. The essential oils make up about 5 percent of the formula, so it’s safe for adult dogs and older puppies. To dilute the shampoo and make it easier to use, I add about 25 percent water.”

Crouse says that the resulting shampoo doesn’t lather much, but it cleans the dog well and soothes the skin. “I let it stand for a minute or so, rinse it off, reapply, and then give a final rinse. I board dogs, and if a visiting dog is scratching and itching, I’ll give him a bath in honey shampoo, and that always helps.” In Jacksonville, Oregon, Natural Rearing consultant Marina Zacharias feeds her dogs honey and applies it topically to cuts and wounds.

“The high sugar content of honey is one of the factors that makes it such an excellent infection fighter and wound healer,” says Zacharias. “Glucose oxidase, an enzyme in honey, produces hydrogen peroxide, which helps kill harmful bacteria. In addition, there are yet-unidentified substances which bees collect from flowers that give their honey antibacterial properties. For best results, it’s important to use raw honey that hasn’t had its effectiveness destroyed by processing.”

Clinical trials of burn and injury patients show that the application of honey as a wound dressing rapidly clears infection, inflammation, swelling, pain, and odor while speeding the sloughing off of necrotic tissue (dead skin) and the growth of new skin cells. It remains moist, seals wounds – including skin grafts – and protects them from exposure to air, absorbs pus, reduces scarring, and prevents wounds from sticking to bandages. Unlike other topical antiseptics, honey prevents microbial growth without causing tissue damage.

Raw honey eventually crystallizes or solidifies, making it difficult to apply. In addition, honey crystals can feel sharp on tender or inflamed skin. For best results, apply soft or liquid honey. To liquify crystallized honey, stand the jar in hot water until it can be stirred or poured. Microwaving is not recommended because in addition to destroying enzymes and other nutrients, heating honey in a microwave increases its hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content, which adversely affects its flavor.

In addition to applying honey to wounds, Zacharias has successfully treated wart-like growths with honey. “When honey is applied daily, they eventually soften and disappear,” she says. “Juliette recommends honey as a treatment for burns. I have personally seen this work, and the healing is remarkable. In one case, a young mixed-breed toy dog tripped his owner and the scalding hot coffee she was carrying burned his back. The skin did not blister but it was very painful and angry looking. Thanks to honey, the dog healed very well, and his hair grew back beautifully.”

The procedure Zacharias recommends is to wash the burned area with vinegar and apply honey thickly every 10 minutes until the pain subsides, then apply light bandages over the area. “Unfortunately, the hair will need to be clipped away,” she says, “and if the dog wants to bother the bandage, you will need to use an Elizabethan or cervical collar.”

On other wounds, Zacharias says, you can apply honey directly without bandaging. If the dog wants to lick it off, try distracting him for 20 minutes or so and give the honey time to be absorbed by the skin. You can reapply it this way three or four times a day.

“Honey applied twice a day healed an open cyst that wouldn’t close in one of my older Basset Hounds, Savannah. As soon as I started applying honey, her skin closed over the wound, it healed fast, and we avoided surgery.”

Honey and herbs

Most dogs enjoy the taste of honey, which simplifies the administration of fresh or dried medicinal herbs. “Canine Allergies and Your Dog’s Health” (May 2007) described how the herb cleavers (Galium aparine) helped cured a dog’s allergy-related sores on its legs. Several readers who began feeding their dogs cleavers tea reported that the strategy worked for them as well. Brewing tea is one way to add cleavers to your dog’s diet, but another is to make an herbal honey.

Start by coarsely chopping enough fresh lemon balm, thyme, sage, oregano, lavender, basil, or other herbs to loosely fill a glass jar. Alternatively, fill the jar half full with loosely packed dried herbs. Fill the jar with honey, covering the herbs. If the honey is too thick to pour easily, warm it by placing the honey jar in hot water or heat the honey gently in a saucepan or double boiler just until it is liquid.

My comments:

I use essential oils to make the honey for they are easier to add and much more powerful so you only need to use a few drops of the oils. By the way lemon balm is melissa essential oil.  Make sure you use Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils for they can be taken internally.  Most less expensive essential oils are not certified pure and are only for external use.  You don’t have to let the honey mixture set or filter it because the oils mix in easily and don’t leave any residue to filter out.  Melissa Essential Oil is an expensive oil but it is very effective for use with dogs.

Seal the jar of herbs and honey and leave it in a warm location, such as a sunny window, for at least two weeks. For a double-strength herbal honey, wait a month or more, then fill another glass jar with herbs, pour the contents of the first jar into the second jar, and let the honey stand another month. If you’re in a hurry, heat the honey until it’s almost boiling and the pour it over the herbs. The honey won’t be raw any more, but it will still contain significant healing properties, and it can be strained and used the same day.

Before using herbal honey, filter it through cheesecloth or a strainer to remove plant material and store it at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Add the medicated honey to your dog’s food. In addition, keep a small jar of honey (herbal or plain) in your first-aid kit or backpack for use in emergencies.

Honey infused with the herbs mentioned above is an effective dressing for cuts, surgical wounds, burns, lick granulomas, abrasions, hot spots, and infected wounds. It can be given orally to prevent infection from viruses or bacteria, soothe a sore throat, help an anxious dog relax, improve sleep, and speed recovery from illness. Added to food, herbal honey helps reduce gas and other symptoms of indigestion.

Another way to feed herbs is to mix them with thick raw honey (refrigerate honey for a thicker consistency if necessary) and shape it into small balls that are easy for the dog to swallow. Use the same technique you would to pill a dog.

All honey, especially organic raw honey, has medicinal benefits, but the honey best known for its antimicrobial properties is manuka honey from New Zealand. More than 20 years of research have shown it to naturally destroy harmful bacteria such as Staphaureus and Streptococcus (including drug-resistant strains); Helicobacter pylori bacteria associated with stomach ulcers; vancomycin-resistant Enterococci; and Pseudomonas. The veterinary use of manuka honey includes its application as a dressing for burns, amputations, and wounds, and its internal use for gastrointestinal and digestive problems.

Can honey be given to dogs with diabetes? Experts disagree as to whether honey has all of white sugar’s harmful effects or has a slower blood sugar absorption rate, putting it lower on the glycemic index and making it less likely to disrupt the patient’s blood sugar levels. Some tests have shown honey to cause a significantly lower rise in blood sugar, but results vary according to the type of honey used. Discuss this with your holistic veterinarian.

Also, consider feeding dark raw local honey or raw organic honey. The safest way to feed a therapeutic tablespoon once or twice a day to dogs with diabetes is to start with smaller amounts and always feed it in combination with fats, which by itself lowers a food’s glycemic index. Coconut oil and butter are excellent honey partners. Observe your dog’s reaction before increasing the amount and discontinue use if he displays any adverse symptoms.

Bee pollen

As they collect nectar from flower blossoms, bees also gather pollen, a high-protein food, to carry back to the hive. While doing so, they spread pollen from flower to flower, fertilizing plants so that they produce berries, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. More than 100 crops grown in the US are pollinated by honeybees.

Bee pollen, which is collected from hives and sold as a health supplement, has long been prized for its proteins, amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, and other nutrients. Approximately half of its protein is made up of free-form amino acids, which require no digestion; they are immediately absorbed and utilized by the body. It is unusually high in the bioflavonoid rutin, which strengthens capillaries, protects against free radical damage and has anti-inflammatory effects.

Proponents claim that bee pollen improves energy, endurance, and vitality, speeds recovery from illness or injury, helps convalescents gain weight, helps the overweight lose weight, reduces cravings and addictions, fights infectious diseases, boosts immunity, improves intestinal function, increases fertility, and helps prevent cancer.

Bee pollen is also a widely used remedy for hay fever and allergies. As with raw honey, which contains small amounts of bee pollen, it is said to be most effective when derived from local hives and taken for several weeks prior to allergy season, then continued through the year. This desensitization process begins with tiny amounts, such as a single pollen grain or pellet, and continues in gradually increasing amounts until the maintenance dose, as much as a tablespoon per day for human adults, is reached.

Some canine athletes are fed bee pollen to improve their strength and stamina; some owners give it to their dogs as an all-purpose supplement or to prevent allergy symptoms. For best results, avoid inexpensive imported heat-processed pollen in favor of raw, unprocessed pollen from local beekeepers. Fresh bee pollen is slightly moist and requires refrigeration.

Like people, dogs can have allergic reactions to bee pollen, including wheezing, breathing problems, and even anaphylactic shock. Start with a single grain of bee pollen and carefully check your dog’s response. If he shows no symptoms of discomfort, give two grains the next day, and slowly increase the amount over several weeks to a maintenance dose of 1 teaspoon per 30 pounds of body weight per day, mixed with food. Bee pollen is often blended with honey.

Royal Jelly
To appreciate the nutritional value of royal jelly – for bees, at least – consider that all queen bees begin life as worker bees. It is only because they are fed royal jelly and nothing else that they grow larger than worker bees and live far longer. While the average worker bee lives for five to six weeks during summer, queens live for three to six years, laying 2,000 eggs per day.

The queen bee’s longevity and fertility gave rise to royal jelly’s reputation as a miraculous rejuvenator, fountain of youth, and energy enhancer. Modern researchers have substantiated at least some of these claims, describing royal jelly as a metabolic catalyst, a substance that combats fatigue, increases energy, and supports the adrenal glands. Some of royal jelly’s components are natural antidepressants.

Royal Jelly has become a popular supplement for humans and for some canine athletes and breeding dogs. Organic royal jelly is available in natural foods markets. Highly perishable, it requires refrigeration. Most labels recommend taking small amounts, such as ¼ to ½ teaspoon once or twice per day between meals on an empty stomach. Adjust the label dose for your dog’s weight, dividing it in half for dogs weighing 60 to 80 pounds.

Because of its slightly sharp, bitter, biting taste, dogs may not care for royal jelly. Blends of royal jelly and honey, which are also popular, may be more to their liking. Try mixing your own by blending 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) organic royal jelly with 6 ounces (¾ cup) of local raw honey. Keep refrigerated. Give your dog ½ to 1 teaspoon of this blend twice per day, morning and night.

Some manufacturers of human and canine grooming products add royal jelly to their shampoos and conditioners, claiming that it enhances hair color and increases volume. Those claims have not been scientifically tested, but royal jelly is certainly a luxury ingredient.

Propolis from Bees

By CJ Puotinen

Propolis

Few substances are as antiseptic as propolis, a sticky, resinous material also known as “bee glue,” which is gathered from the buds, bark, and leaves of deciduous trees. Bees seal cracks and holes in their hives with propolis to prevent the entrance of intruders and to disinfect or sterilize bees brushing against it. When a mouse or other invader is stung to death in the hive, bees seal the body in propolis, preserving it while keeping the inside of the hive sanitary.

Although propolis has been used for millennia to fight infection and improve health, it is unfamiliar to most Americans. However, it’s gaining popularity as a natural antibiotic that doesn’t disrupt beneficial bacteria or cause other side effects. Propolis, which is rich in bioflavonoids, is effective against viruses, harmful bacteria, yeasts, and fungi. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, helps prevent allergies, and speeds the healing of ulcers and skin problems such as acne, eczema, wounds, cuts, and burns.

The only down side of propolis, especially when it comes to treating dogs, is its awful taste. Freeze-dried propolis is sold in capsules, which can be hidden in food, and small amounts of propolis tincture (liquid extract) can be placed in empty two-part gel caps, which are sold in health food stores, just before using.

Propolis tincture can help protect dogs from canine flu, kennel cough, and other infectious illnesses. It can be applied to cuts, wounds, burns, bites, stings, hot spots, and lick granulomas (its bitter taste helps deter licking). However, its stickiness can complicate topical application. Mix propolis with a small amount of olive oil to create a less sticky disinfecting salve. Mix it with honey to help heal gum disorders.

Beeswax

Bees produce wax to construct the combs that store honey. Beeswax contains more than 300 different chemicals. It’s best known for its use in candles and as an ingredient in cosmetics, floor wax, furniture polish, and salves.

The makers of herbal salves often use beeswax as a thickener. Michele Crouse makes body bars by combining beeswax from her hives with coconut oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter, and mango butter. “They’re the consistency of a ChapStick,” she says, “and they do a great job of healing sores, moisturizing dry skin, and soothing cracked paw pads.”

Bee venom
Some people pay to get stung by bees or injected with bee venom in medical clinics. Apitherapy, or bee sting therapy, is common in China and gaining popularity in Europe and the US. It is said to alleviate arthritis, other symptoms of inflammation, and allergic reactions to bee stings.

Now dried bee venom is being added to some New Zealand honeys and topical creams to provide the benefits of apitherapy without the pain. The theory is that venom that is ingested or applied externally has the same health benefits as venom that’s injected.

Large-scale venom collection is made possible by a technology developed in Russia and New Zealand in which a bee venom frame is mounted on top of a hive’s honey frame. Bees receive a mild shock from the frame’s electro-stimulator and in response sting a glass collection sheet. Venom dries on the glass, which is taken to a nearby laboratory for processing. The dried venom is removed from the glass and mixed with honey or used in other bee products.

Arthritis is the human condition for which bee venom honey is said to be most effective, but bee venom honey success stories include the treatment of auto-immune disorders, shingles, tennis elbow, bursitis, lower back pain, ligament injuries, premenstrual syndrome, and other conditions. Bee venom honey is said to support the body’s natural coritsol levels, increase blood flow through affected joints, and inhibit the production of prostaglandins, which are chemicals that increase inflammation.

New Zealand honey producers have received testimonials describing dogs whose arthritis, hind end weakness, torn ligaments, and even hip dysplasia improved as a result of using bee venom honey.

Bees are in danger
For the past two decades, Juliette de Bairacli Levy has asked her followers not to use honey or other products from honeybees because these helpful insects are under so much environmental stress. Between pesticides, mite infestations, foulbrood disease, hive-damaging moths, and other problems, bee populations have dramatically fallen across North America. Now Colony Collapse Disorder is destroying entire hives. Bees look healthy one day and disappear the next, becoming too weak to return to their hives. In most cases, the victims have been raised for commercial crop pollination, given supplemental feedings containing white sugar, and exposed to chemical pesticides.

At the same time, organic beekeepers and beekeepers who feed their bees disinfecting essential oils report that their hives stay healthy even in areas where Colony Collapse Disorder has become common.

In her many years as a beekeeper, Levy prevented bee diseases by growing disinfecting herbs near her hives. “The bees themselves are natural herbalists,” she wrote, “and will gorge themselves on bitter rue or pungent lavender and rosemary. My bees enjoyed excellent health and possessed complete resistance to the many diseases afflicting the local white-sugar-fed bees.”

Local organic honey, if you can find it, can be an excellent addition to your dog’s diet and health care. A good second choice is organic honey from nearby states.
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By Rodney Habib in Nutrition And Diet


Today’s cat and dog owners are becoming more savvy than just a few years ago. They’re starting to pay attention to food labels because they want the best for their animals. So they read the labels and they choose foods that they believe will give their pet a long and healthy life.

A recent trend is the move toward grain-free foods. By tracking retail pet food sales, GfK reports that grain-free dog foods saw a 28% spike in 2013. “We see the growth of grain-free foods – and natural pet products generally – as part of a larger trend toward humanization of pets,” said Maria Lange, senior product manager of GfK’s Retail and Technology team. “Consumers are clearly comfortable splurging on pets they see as valued family members, not just everyday animals.”

And that’s where it all goes wrong…

Pet food companies are recognizing our desire to move away from harmful grains. And why wouldn’t we? An overwhelming percentage of dogs suffer from yeast and skin disease.

“Grains and other starches have a negative impact on gut health, creating insulin resistance and inflammation” says holistic veterinarian, Dr Jodie Gruenstern. “It’s estimated that up to 80% of the immune system resides within the gastrointestinal system; building a healthy gut supports a more appropriate immune response. The importance of choosing fresh proteins and healthy fats over processed, starchy diets (such as kibble) can’t be overemphasized.”

Yeast is a fungus that’s always present on pets as part of the normal flora of the body, both internally and externally. When the immune system becomes depressed, or when the dog is fed starchy foods, the yeast will proliferate in the hair follicles and throughout the body.

So pet owners with itchy pets want to keep them off harmful steroids and are rightfully looking at their pet’s food as a potential cause. Pet owners now know that grains feed yeast, and with the explosion of itchy pets these days, pet food companies are making a lot of money by selling them grain-free foods.

But here’s the kicker: yeast and allergy symptoms aren’t caused by grains, they’re caused by starches.

Starches are complex carbohydrates that turn into sugar when metabolized in the body. Do you know what yeast loves to eat? Sugar!

Starches are found not only in rice, corn and wheat, but in potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes – all of those ingredients found in grain-free goods.

You see, there’s one really big problem with kibble: they can’t make it without starch. That starch is not only cheap to source, but it’s necessary to hold the kibble together. Without starch, your bag of grain-free dog food would be a bag of dust.

So pet food manufacturers can call those foods whatever they want – but those grain-free foods, expensive veterinary allergy foods and super premium foods all have one common denominator: lots of starch!

So how much starch is in your pet’s diet?

Check out that chart at the top of the page – we made it to help you understand what could be fuelling your dog’s itchy skin. (source: Borggreve et al; Murray et al.)

FYI: Rice didn’t make the chart as it has the highest levels at 810g/kg. We just figured everyone knows rice is the starchiest of all… right?
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