Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (2 page)

These are very exciting developments for those of us in alternative medicine. I am very grateful for my good fortune in seeing these things come to fruition. I am also very thankful for the wonderful acceptance our book has had among both the public and the veterinary profession, so my final thanks is to you, the reader, for your interest and for your support.

—Richard H. Pitcairn

Everything connects to everything, which connects to everything else. You can’t understand life in fragments. That has been a guiding principle behind this book and, I believe, the key to its success and endurance.

From a wider perspective, the topic of natural care for dogs and cats offers an enormous opportunity to show the value of taking a holistic approach to any aspect of life. That has been the real joy in creating it, as a kind of tribute to the sacred wholeness of creation.

Now, even more than the second time around, I see this book as our admission that, despite our specialized scientific knowledge, we simply cannot grasp the wholeness of life from the details of its workings. So, ultimately, the best we can do in caring for a living creature is to approximate the natural conditions under which it thrived for millions of years, and, where we can, to gently stimulate the natural vital force to right itself when it has become unbalanced. From this perspective, one can meaningfully look anew at every detail of how we care for animals: their diet, their living quarters, their social interactions with other animals and with us, the ways they are affected by the environment, and the use of natural remedies.

From this larger perspective, we are also freed, indeed impelled, to explore past the limits of old assumptions: Perhaps “pet food” is not the only thing that pets can eat; perhaps animals are affected by our thoughts and feelings; perhaps there is a system of healing that trusts and goes with the body’s intelligence rather than tinkering with its expression; perhaps we have come to the point that, for our mutual survival, we must consider the ecological impact of our choices.

If this book serves to communicate a healthy respect for the intelligence behind creation and a sense that we would do well to interfere with natural processes as little as possible, then I would know that its deeper purpose, and mine, has been fulfilled.

—Susan Hubble Pitcairn

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Producing a book is a lot like making a film. It’s a team effort. Yet the authors’ or actors’ names and faces appear so prominently that we can easily overlook the tremendous contributions made by those working behind the scenes.

Though this is the third edition of this book, we want to repeat our thanks to the editor of the first edition, who helped make it accessible and helpful to so many pet owners. Carol Keough lovingly coached us through the original edition. She carved away the excess, sanded the rough spots and polished the surface until the whole thing began to shine. To her we owe tremendous thanks for the success that this book has become. Special thanks also to my ever-supportive co-workers during that time, Tootie Truesdell and Dottie Warner.

For the updated, revised, and much expanded second edition, Charlie Gerras offered patient, encouraging support and helped us stay at least somewhat on schedule as we struggled to meet the deadlines. Special thanks go to my associate Jana Rygas, DVM, for her detailed contributions to behavioral issues in chapter 11 and to Deborah Kearns and Sheya Rondeau, my dedicated assistants, for years of positive, intelligent service on behalf of natural medicine.

Our appreciation extends no less to the many dedicated people at Rodale Press who worked on both editions, particularly to John Feltman and Mark Bricklin, whose faith and encouragement originally convinced us that we should put our earlier understanding to pen and typewriter, and to Sharon Faelten and Rob Sayre, who urged us to put our increased experience to scanner and keyboard, which resulted in edition two.

This third edition had the gentle guidance of Jennifer Kushnier, my editor at Rodale, who patiently allowed my many absences from “the project” as I traveled for teaching purposes. Thanks also to Jan McLeod for careful fact-checking and the volunteers at Rodale Press for trying out the “new, revised” recipes. Through all the editions there have been many contributors at Rodale and we thank each and every one.

A very special contribution was made by Patti Howard of Washington, D.C., a client and friend who very graciously proof-read each page and made very helpful suggestions as to animal welfare that corrected some of my simplistic understanding. I aspire to her sensitivity.

To Dr. Carvel Tiekert of Bel Air, Maryland, founder of the American Holistic Medical Association, and a good friend, much gratitude for the thoughtful suggestions that enhanced the Quick Reference Section and brought it up to date.

Dr. Lynn Peck, a lecturer at the University of Florida, did a careful reading of the manuscript and helped bring clarity and accuracy at several places. Her assistance is much appreciated.

For the development of our ideas and experience, we are very grateful to the many wonderful clients, readers, and colleagues whose shared commitment to natural healing for animals has made all the difference. In the wider circle of our lives, we are very blessed to have some of the finest clients and colleagues that any veterinarian could ever hope for. You are too many to name, but we treasure the difference you have made in our lives and in this work.

I am especially grateful for those clients that “stayed the course” when the challenge was great—who did not give up or lose hope. It allowed all of us to celebrate the victory of recovery of health and gave me the opportunity to learn in the most difficult of situations.

To Anitra Frazier, author of
The New Natural
Cat
, heartfelt thanks for years of support and encouragement. Special gratitude to Jessica Higgs, my assistant, for her cheery and generous self.

When it comes to the heart of this book, and the ideas within it, it is graced by hundreds of pioneers whose commitment to healing and understanding has inspired, informed, challenged, taught and healed us and many others. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Samuel Hahnemann who devoted his entire life to the development of homeopathy, a medicine of gentleness and beauty.

Lastly, to all the animals of the world, both domestic and wild, who feel, who suffer too much, yet show delight and forgiveness to us, who share with us the fate of this increasingly fragile planet—we offer our appreciation and the hope that this work will be of benefit.

To them, and to all the human members of the “crew,” we dedicate this book.

—Richard H. Pitcairn, DVM, PhD

—Susan Hubble Pitcairn, MS

PART ONE

NATURAL HEALTH
FOR PETS

“SENSITIVE ASSAYS HAVE DETECTED RESIDUES OF OVER A HUNDRED DIFFERENT FOREIGN CHEMICALS AND METALS IN OUR TISSUES—COMPOUNDS AND SUBSTANCES THAT WERE VIRTUALLY ABSENT FROM THE ENVIRONMENTS OF OUR PREDECESSORS.”

—
MARC LAPPÉ

CHAPTER 1

WE NEED A NEW APPROACH TO PET HEALTH CARE

“W
hy don’t you take care of this one?” my colleague asked me, with the look of someone about to unload an unwelcome problem. He pointed through the door to a little middle-aged dog sitting forlornly on the examining table. If his coat had ever been sleek, soft, and healthy, it was no more. Obviously, his hair had been falling out for some time, revealing large greasy patches that had an unpleasant odor. Even his spirits were low. Unfortunately, I’d seen cases like his all too often.

Waiting nearby were the dog’s equally dejected guardians, an aging couple who had “tried it all” and still cared enough about
their little companion to try once more. The dog’s hospital record showed a long history of treatments—cortisone shots, medicated soaps, ointments, more shots, more salves—none of which brought any noticeable improvement.

“The poor little guy is just
so miserable
, doctor,” began Mrs. Wilson anxiously. “We would do anything if we thought it would help.”

It didn’t take me long to decide that it was finally time to step off the beaten path and try out a new nutritional approach to this kind of case, an idea that had been brewing in my mind for some time. We were at a medical dead end and there was nothing to lose. But more importantly, I knew there was a good chance that what I had in mind might work. As I examined Tiny, I explained to the Wilsons why I thought an improved diet was their animal’s best chance for recovery.

“Skin problems like his are probably the most common and frustrating of the conditions we try to deal with,” I told them. “Because the skin is such a visible area of the body, it can show the first signs of underlying problems, particularly those caused by inadequate diet. The skin grows very rapidly, making a whole new crop of cells about every three weeks. It needs a lot of nourishment, so when the diet lacks what’s really needed, the skin is one of the first tissues to break down and show abnormalities like the kind we see here in Tiny.”

As we went on talking about the effects of diet and the shortcomings of highly processed pet foods based on low-quality food by-products, the Wilsons saw that a change could make a big difference. So we worked out a suitable feeding program for Tiny, emphasizing fresh natural foods.

Starting now, Tiny would eat meat, whole grains, and fresh vegetables. In addition, the Wilsons would give him several supplements rich in nutrients important to the health of the skin as well as to the rest of the body—brewer’s yeast, vegetable oil, cod-liver oil, kelp, bonemeal, vitamin E, and zinc. I also recommended that they bathe Tiny occasionally with a mild, non-medicated shampoo to help remove irritating, toxic secretions from his skin without burdening his body with harsh chemicals.

During the next weeks, my thoughts often went to Tiny, wondering how he was doing on this new treatment. A month after their first visit, the Wilsons returned to show the results of the treatment. Tiny was like a new dog.

“You wouldn’t believe the difference!” Mrs. Wilson exclaimed. “He runs around and plays like he’s a puppy again.” Tiny was indeed full of life, jumping around excitedly on the examining table. His coat was much healthier, and hair was rapidly filling in the previously bare spots.

It was very rewarding to all of us, but most of all to Tiny. For the Wilsons, there was the added benefit of realizing that their dog’s health was now in their control and that keeping him well did not require monthly injections of cortisone or other medications.

A NEW SENSE OF PURPOSE TAKES HOLD

Tiny’s case was one of my first clinical attempts to apply the results of a long learning process concerning the vital role of nutrition in health. Now, after 27 years of seeing successes such as this with improved diet, the essential importance of nutrition in restoring health is obvious to me.

I did not, however, always approach cases in such a manner. My veterinary school training in nutrition had included little more than the admonition: “Tell your clients to feed their animals a good commercial pet food and to avoid table scraps.” Beyond that, nutrition just wasn’t considered an important part of our education. I accepted this attitude at face value, and after graduation I set out to conquer disease, armed with the usual arsenal of drugs and surgical techniques gleaned from my years of schooling.

Faced with the day-to-day challenges of my first job in a busy mixed practice (small and large animals), I soon learned that many diseases simply did not respond to treatments as I had been told they would. In fact, it often seemed that what I did to help mattered very little. I was like a bystander at the battle for recovery—doing a lot of cheering and occasionally making a contribution of sorts, but often feeling ineffectual.