Highlander Pet Center

Toxins are everywhere, and if you have ever spoken to a homeopathic practitioner, you know how much damage these invisible chemicals can do to you. What you may not have realized, however, is that these same toxins can affect your pet. In fact, toxins affect your pet in a much more profound way than they affect you. This article will tell you all about the different toxins that could be affecting your pet, where they come from, and some of the steps you can take to make sure that your pet lives a long, healthy, happy life.

Where Do Toxins Come From? – Your Toxic Enemies

Toxins are everywhere in our modern environment, and it is technically impossible to avoid all of them. However, there are certain places that they are more common than others are. When it comes to pet care, one of the biggest perpetrators of the toxic burden that pets experience comes from the commercial pet food industry. Eating toxins is the easiest way to get toxins in your system, and sadly, most pet food has them.

Some of the ingredients, such as corn fillers, are relatively innocuous. Others, such as bone meal, are definitely toxic and avoid at all costs. Bone meal made from the parts of animals not for human consumption. By-products are not much better. Sometimes, the animals included euthanized animals – including horses, chickens, cows, dogs, and cats. With some cases, there have even been reports of the animals’ flea collars ending up in bone meal. Along with bone meal, and by-products, chemical preservatives are carcinogenic to pets.

Another major entryway of toxins in pets is through their lungs. If you use a lot of detergents, aerosol air fresheners, perfumes, or laundry products, your pet is probably inhaling chemical poisons that could be harming your furry friend. Some of the ingredients link to cancer in people, so you can bet that they link to cancer in pets, too.

Pollution is another major source of toxins. Your pet might be inhaling exhaust fumes from the local traffic, playing in pesticide-laden grass, or even just licking residue from the streets off their paw – it all has toxins. Sometimes, the toxins form in the animal’s body. Such is the case with ammonia.

Why Are Toxins So Terrible?

Pets are small creatures. Cats and dogs do not have the same digestive systems as we do, and they cannot metabolize toxins as easily as we can. As a result, the toxic chemicals that are in their bodies are more dangerous. Either way, large amounts of toxins affect animals and humans in the same way.

Large percentages of toxic chemicals found in our environment, as well as in pet food, are carcinogenic. Carcinogenic chemicals are chemicals linked to cancer and tumor growth promotion. This can obviously lead to a shorter life for both you and your beloved pet.

Others can actually cause obesity, heart problems, and stroke. This is because certain toxins harden fat, and make it more difficult to lose weight and lower cholesterol. These toxins can include arsenic, preservatives, and certain pesticides.

Still more can cause birth defects, and those are teratogens. If your pets are pregnant, it is important to make sure that you limit their exposure to toxins.

What You Can Do To Protect Your Pet

The best thing that you can do for your pet is to make an effort to limit their exposure to toxins. You can start by changing their diets for the better, and by avoiding chemicals linked to illness. You can also help them get rid of their toxins by putting them in a detox program. Talking to a holistic veterinarian can teach you volumes about what to expect when detoxing your pet.

I have been a pet owner all of my life and for the last thirty years my wife and I have raised over a dozen cats. Please visit my website at: http://tipsaboutcats.com is your information source for their health, diet, disposition, and exercise. We even show the basics of making your own cat toys and condos. All tips and proceeds from this website is contributed to our local animal shelter who is short of funds from the county. I have a number of recommended natural food, supplements, products and books that are in my store which will save you time hunting on the web for at http://tipsaboutcats.com/store/. There are two expert interviews in the blog pages that are must reads because they will answer most of your questions and concerns about natural cat health and diet. Please feel free to leave comments on my website where you will also find links to me on Facebook and Twitter.

So many times when we go out on initial consultations we find that the client has already interviewed or used another dog walker or pet sitter. There can be many reasons things just didn’t work out from, being undependable to the sitter went out of business. I have heard a lot of reasons and very few of them had to do with price. So how can a concerned owner be sure they are finding the right Professional Pet-care Provider?

Well let us get through some of the very basics when you are hiring anyone to come into your home. You want to know if they are insured and their staff is bonded. Proof of insurance should be offered to you at the consultation. They should able to explain the basic coverage for you as well. Another basic is they should provide you with at least 3 references at the consultation. If you have a special need, inquire if they have ever dealt with it before. You should also be signing a contract of some sort that spells out the details of what is covered and what is not. Some sitters will charge you for this initial consult if you don’t book with them at that time and others offer consultation for free. Keep in mind though that you need to block out about 60 minutes to discuss your pet care needs. A really good sitter won’t rush through the consultation. Ok, so that’s the basics: insurance and/or bonding, references, experience, contracts.

But what else might you be looking for? I often say if you are picking up the phone to call a pet sitter you are looking for someone who will do more than just let the dog out and scoop the litter box. Even hiring a midday dog-walker is more than just someone walking your dog. Most really good sitters will customize your pet’s visits for you. Customize, that sounds like really expensive, but it is not. It should be all part of the standard visit.

During your initial consultation your sitter will be listening to you, your concerns, and asking questions for clarification. All this is done to determine how the visits to your home and your pet will be “structured.” Does your dog bolt out the door? A good pet sitter and dog walker will not only try to keep your dog from bolting out the door, they will discuss with you how to structure the visit to work on teaching your dog good doggie manners at the door. Basic leash manners and leash training as well will be part of the structured visit. This type of basic training will discussed and shared with you. The other thing they should be asking about is your routines with your pet. You can let them know what are some of the routine things your dog likes to do and the sitter can use your techniques to keep your pet happy while you are away.

You want to watch how your pet behaves around the potential sitter, does the sitter ignore the pet or do they work to build an initial bond of trust? Sometimes a sitter just does not hit it off with your pet. Even a really good sitter will occasionally run into a pet that just does not respond well. We have all seen it. The friend that your cat just hates, but loves everybody else. A good sitter will recognize this issue and may turn you down. If that is the case they should have another sitter they can recommend for you. If your pet shows aggression towards the sitter, your pet may not be a good candidate for home visits and the sitter will likely recommend a kennel.

Lastly, does the sitter inquire about cleaning supplies. Things like mops, brooms, and vacuums are often needed during a pet sitting visit. I know we go so far as to locate the dish soap and on long pet sits ask if it is OK to use your washer or dryer to keep pet towels and bedding clean while you are away. A little inquiry like that can tell you a lot about the sitter and the pet sitting company. While it is taking care of your pet, it is also part of taking care of you and your home. Who wants to come home to muddy paw printed up floors, dirty doggie towels, and kitty litter tracked all through the home during a 10 day vacation? I know I would not and neither would my clients.

There is so much more to finding the right pet sitter or dog walker for you and your pet, than just someone showing up to let the dog out. A true in home pet care provider will hit on all the relevant points and those not so relevant ones…like finding the dish soap to help keep the water bowl clean without being told. So watch for those clues in the questions and time spent at the initial consultation and both you and your new sitter will be off to great start!

Beth Pasek is the founder and owner of The Finicky Feline and Fido, LLC a premier pet sitting provider in the Cleveland, Ohio market. She specializes in providing customized pet sitting and dog walking packages that feature the structured visit.