ANIMAL PSYCHE

Newsletter Archive

Many animals make their transition out of their physical bodies in the spring or late fall.  Just as the seasons change, it seems to trigger underlying health issues in animals.  So when spring is a time of hope and new beginnings, it can be especially challenging when dealing with the grief & loss associated with the death of a precious animal.

For many people, even the thought of losing their beloved animal triggers painful emotions and the grief process can start even while the animal is still alive.  Then to make matters worse, people are faced with important decisions about an animal's treatment, level of suffering and euthanasia.  Quite often, these decisions need to be made, yet with very little time to make them.

Since each animal has a distinct personality, each one has a preference as to whether they prefer to die naturally, whether they want assistance from a vet, whether they want to die alone or with their family around them etc.  So it can be helpful to work with an animal communicator to find out as much as you can about their preferences.  It's a wonderful way to honor your animal's wishes at a very critical time in their life.

Animals tend to take their impending death much easier than most humans as they know their spirit or essence will continue to live on even after they leave their physical body.  They understand the only thing they take with them is the love and connection to their family members (both human and animal).

Any vet will tell you that animals are enduring more chronic and acute illnesses.  They seem to be living shorter lives and increasingly dying at an age much less than their expected lifespan.  Good nutrition is key to the animal's (and our) overall health and optimal functioning of the immune system and organs.  We can go a long way in minimizing the increasing animal health concerns such as allergies, arthritis, dental disease, cancer, degenerative diseases, skin and coat issues.  Many of our animals are overweight and suffer similar weight related illnesses to humans - heart disease, joint issues and diabetes.  The type of food we feed them is critically important as it directly affects their well-being, quality of life and life-span.

So where do you start in this maze of animal food products?  We are fortunate today.  There are many high quality foods available that range from raw food diets to kibble.  That choice is based on each individual situation.  I'm not going to debate that here.  The goal of this article is to stimulate you to learn more about the quality of food.  Educating yourself about animal nutrition is important before you start walking the maze of products. So pick up your kibble bag, read the ingredients and consider what you are serving up for your pet.

How do we begin to choose a good commercial food for our animal?  Dogs and cats are meat eaters by nature, with cats requiring an even higher percentage than dogs.  Although they may do well on diets with less meat, most will do better on high quality meat protein.  It is important to know the meat content of any product you are buying. Ingredients are listed by the highest volume to the lowest.  If you see corn, soy or wheat listed first, you know that most of the product is not protein.  Minimally, the first ingredient or two should be a protein source and listed as specific meats such as chicken, turkey, duck or chicken meal, turkey meal or duck meal.  Both are clean, non-rendered muscle tissue.  Non descriptive meat sources such as Meal and Bone Meal or "by-products" are the lowest quality meat sources; often non muscle based and slaughter house wastes.  By-products are not digestible forms of protein.

Read for other ingredients on a label.  Try to avoid artificial coloring which provides nothing except esthetic quality for the people who feed the animal.  Look for the preservatives added.  BHA, BHT and ethoxiquin are often used in lower quality food.  Other things to avoid are excessive amounts of sodium, sugars, flavor enhancers and texture stabilizers, like promptly glucates, glycols, etc.

Human grade food will help to minimize toxins, including pesticides and hormones, used in processing.  Organic ingredients will have the least amount of these.  Fresh food is usually healthier than processed food.  Treating or supplementing a dry food with fresh foods, such as carrots, apples, fruits, cheeses and vegetables can give them some of the benefits of fresh food with their kibble.

Finally, obesity in animals is a major problem, just as in humans.  Feeding more or less according to their weight is so important.  Grain based treats are often part of a dog's diet and can add additional calories fast.  Nothing beats exercise to help maintain weight, both from burning more calories and facilitating digestion.  So go lace up your shoes and enjoy a walk with your dog!

I don't think I need to go on.  Just writing and reading this can cause stress.  Stress is unavoidable in today's world.  We are surrounded by it at our jobs and in our homes.  Every time we pick up a paper, turn on the TV or read this newsletter, our physiological "stress handlers" kick in.  Our bodies are revved up for survival in the same way they prepare for our fight or flight.  As we talked about in our first newsletter, this can lead to physical illness.

Not only is this stress affecting us, but it is also affecting our furry companions.  Animals are extremely perceptive and sensitive to what is going on around them emotionally, either spoken or unspoken.  They pick up our moods, fears and stress energetically even before we begin to express it, even before we are aware of it ourselves.  Many animals, who share our homes, take on the "job" of being our companion, friend and comforter, providing us unconditionally with love, no matter what mood we are in.  Being so "in tune" with us, they frequently pick up our stress and incorporate it into themselves.  They are there for us in times of good and bad.  They share our burdens and unfortunately our stress with its effects. This stress can manifest in behavioral and/or physical issues in our furry companions.

Now you are now aware of one more huge stress - negatively affecting your animal friend with your stress.  However, this newsletter is really about the positive.  We want to give you ways to deal with the stress - ways to reduce your stress and hence your animal's stress.  Self care is doing something for yourself.  Some of our ideas cost some money, others are free and right there at your fingertips, others are about reducing your stress by sharing yourself and helping others to reduce their stress.  Please make a decision to embrace at least one of these or other ideas for yourself and for your animal.