Sweet William finally has found his "forever" home!

 

Sweet William, a 2 year old purebred boxer finally has found his "forever" home! Ariel Rescue saved his life.

William has had a very hard start in young life and he is only two years old. He was brought to the Orange County Animal Shelter by his owner in October. This is the same owner who previously adopted William from the same shelter, just one year earlier. The owner did not leave a reason why he was turning William into the shelter.

Ariel Rescue found out about William's plight. He needed our help. Two times is two times too many for a dog to have to be at a high-kill shelter. People won't adopt a dog that has been "returned" . William is a wonderful dog with a terrific disposition. We are so happy William has finally found a home at last.

Please consider adopting a pet in need.  You can find pets of all breeds, colors and ages on petfinder.com  Rescue dogs make wonderful pets and are so grateful to you for saving them.  Open your home and heart to a rescue dog in need just like William.

11 Year Old Sheltie With Recurring Bladder Infection

Q: My 11 year old sheltie, Cody, is fully recovered from bladder cancer thanks to Protocel but he has a lingering UTI. My vet is alternating Clavimox with Baytril after a few weeks off one or the other (pulse therapy). This does not seem to be working. Can you recommend something to get rid of his UTI and preventing a relapse?

D.L. Dunn

A: Yes, the Pet Pet UTI Prevention Package for Urinary Tract Infections which includes Renelix, Pet UTI Prevention Formula, Notatum and Power Probiotic would be very helpful. Also, using OncoPet for immune support would be advisable to help fight off cancer recurrence  Be sure you are feeding your sheltie a grain-free, hypoallergenic diet. Grains and poultry can contribute to UTIs in some pets.

Dog Chewing Paws--What Does This Mean?

Q: My dog has one paw that he chews and won't leave alone. I have tried everything I can think of to get him to stop (like aloe vera, vitamin-e, even putting a sock on his paw). I just got him a cone (Elisabeth collar) to see if it will help discourage him from chewing. So far soaking the paw in black tea seems to help soothe it. If you have any other suggestions I might try that would be great. Thank you for your time. KT

A: Dear KT: When dogs are chewing on their paws, it is due to allergies. They may have an environmental allergy to grass or it could be overall environmental allergies. Usually though there is some type of yeast overgrowth and the more they chew, the wet saliva can create a yeasty, smelly overgrowth inbetween the toes. I have a couple of suggestions:

1) First, take a look at your pet's diet. It is really important to feed your dog a completely hypoallergenic, grain-free diet. Please watch this free food allergy webinar that will help you determine the best food to feed your dog. http://askariel.com/pages.asp?pid=Pet_Food_Allergy_Webinar

2) Use a yeast formula that kills intestinal yeast. We have had excellent results using the K9 Yeast Defense Formula

3) Get a medicated, antifungal shampoo from your veterinarian to soak the foot.

Weighing Your Pet is Important for Overall Health

Fitness Tip of the Day! If you haven't done so in the past two months, it's time to weigh your pet. Pets (and people) should be weighed every few months. A lot of times, pets can either be losing weight or gaining weight. Many times, the first sign of illness in a senior pet is WEIGHT LOSS! It can be very subtle and you may not have noticed that your pet is eating less--especially in multiple... pet households.

Getting on the scale, as much as we loathe it, is the single best objective way to measure our overall health. Scales are available at lots of big chain stores as well as your vet's office. For small pets, you can weigh yourself first and then hold your pet to see the difference. Keep a log of your pet's weight.

Got a question about your pet? Join our pet forum on www.facebook.com/askariel

Cat with Diarrhea and IBD Losing Weight

Q: How do I get wet diarhea off my cats butt and back legs. She has lost a lot of weight and is very frail

A: Sorry to hear your kitty is so sick. There are quite a few things you can try to help stop your cat's diarrhea. First and foremost, be sure to take your cat to the veterinarian. Your cat could be very dehydrated and may need fluid therapy and/or medication. Also, using a few supplements such as Power Probiotic or the IBD Kit would really help too.

Cats often develop diarrhea and IBD due to the food you may be feeding. Do not feed your cat food that contains grains such as wheat, gluten, oats, etc and also for some cats, poultry may be an issue. Be sure to watch this: 
You can also try giving your cat a teaspoon of canned pumpkin with each meal. Canned pumpkin helps to regulate bowel function and firm up the stool.

Golden Retriever Getting Recurring Ear Infections

Q: I have put both of my Golden Retrievers on a grain free diet. Both are doing well including improvement of a loose stool issue with my senior dog. My youngest dog is 3, he has has also improved in some areas but does get reoccurring ear infections from yeast even on a grain free dog food. What are possible other causes for him to get recurring ear infections?

A. Ideally, for pets that are getting recurring yeast and ear infections, you want to use a raw frozen diet, if at all possible. Raw frozen diets are highly digestible. You can use a raw frozen diet in combination with homemade. You just need to be sure the proteins are completely hypoallergenic. You can learn more about food allergies in pets by watching the Food Allergy Webinar.

In addition, for Golden Retrievers and dogs prone to allergies and ear infections, it is a good idea to use K9 Yeast Defense. K9 Yeast Defense controls yeast overgrowth and helps prevent recurring infections. Using a good probiotic, such as Power Probiotic,  along with the product will boost your Golden Retriever's immune system. Finally, Amazing Omegas reduces inflammation and allergic response. Many Golden Retrievers are prone to allergies so using the raw food diet (hypoallergenic proteins) along with the recommended supplements should prevent any future ear infections and yeast.

Diet For Bichon Frise Bladder Stones (Calcium Oxalate Stones and Struvite)

Q: We have a lovely soon going to be 8 yr old Bichon Frise that has had 3 operations to remove bladder stones. I believe the first two were Struvite in nature but the last one was Cal Oxalate. She is scheduled for another surgury next week for more Cal Oxalate stones. Are there any proven diets that you are aware of that reduce the chances of forming Cal Oxalate stones? We love our dog but aren't sure how many surguries she can take without harming her??? Thank You, Ron & Carolyn 

A: Sorry to hear that your dog has had constant bladder stones (struvite and calcium oxalate stones). While it is true that some breeds such as Bichon Frise are more prone to developing bladder stones, we have worked successfully with many of these pets to prevent future bladder stones from reoccurring. Diet has everything to do with it! Using the appropriate diet along with some key supplements can make a tremendous difference in preventing future bladder stones. From a conventional veterinary perspective, pets are given prescription diets that manipulate the urinary pH which are often unsuccessful. These diets contain corn, byproducts and other fillers and there are much healthier, nutrition options. In addition, by altering the pH of a pet's urine one way using prescription diets (e.g. in your dog's case, she had struvite which grow in alkaline urine) the pet then becomes too acidic and develops calcium oxalate stones which grow in acidic urine. The key is to get your pet on a diet that is pH neutral using wholesome, hypoallergenic foods.

It's essential to give your Bichon supplements to prevent future bladder stones.  Renelix 
is a veterinary-recommended product used successfully with cats and dogs that have recurring crystals and stones.  This natural remedy is beneficial for cats and dogs with urinary tract crystals, stones, kidney disease and accumulation of toxins in the urinary tract.  Power Probiotic  is a must for any dog or cat that has stones, crystals or chronic UTIs.  These pets have taken multiple rounds of antibiotics which can destroy the beneficial bacteria in your pet's immune system.  Many probiotics don't survive a pet's stomach acid and are manufactured in such a way that they are only "live" at the time of manufacture.  If your Bichon has had constant infections, then it is essential to keep your dog on Power Probiotic, a multi-strain probiotic to help fight infections and recurrences.