Happy Friday Everyone! Meet Onus - meaning "responsibility" and duty. He is our 16-month-old pitty-mix rescue and the sweetest dog ever. Today I want to focus on our dogs/pets - what is driving disease and shortening the lives of our fur-babies - what we can do to optimize their health and development, prevent disease, and even reverse chronic conditions to give them the best quality of life and longevity.

Did you realize that cancer is the leading cause of death in dogs? Sadly, the cancer rate is ~ 1/3 in dogs - and 50% > 10yo. Our dogs are dying much younger from all the same environmental factors that cause disease in humans and other mammals- highly processed deuterium-loaded food, glyphosate and other pesticides/herbicides, vaccines, plastic exposure through toys, blankets and bedding, flea and tick treatments, unfiltered water, lack of sunlight, and often inadequate exercise and mental stimulation. It isn't because we don't want what is best for our fur-babies - we have been trained to provide kibble, toys and all sorts of treats. Have you read the ingredients? It is actually shocking.

Dogs descended from wolves, which are true carnivores. Modern dogs are considered "carnivore-leaning" omnivores, but their teeth say something different. They are facultative carnivores. They have 42 sharp teeth for breaking raw bones and tearing through animal tissues. They have a hinged jaw and can only tear their food moving the jaw up and down - they can't chew and grind their food by moving the jaw laterally like we do. They have fewer taste buds than we do, so they don't taste very much. They have a highly acidic stomach (.5-<2 pH) and shorter intestines (~10') compared to us (1.5-3.5 pH, ~25') - meant for rapid digestion, pathogen control, and absorption of nutrient-dense protein and fat with very low carbohydrate content. Dogs have no digestive enzymes in their saliva to breakdown carbohydrates like we do. Further, they don't have a long, large intestine - something that is required for fermenting carbohydrates (plants) by the microbiome. Modern dogs are fed lab-created "kibble" that is low in nutrient-dense protein and healthy fat, but high in seed oils, flavorings carbohydrates. Dogs have no dietary requirement for carbohydrates - especially grains. Grains are loaded with deuterium, glyphosate and other toxins and heavy metals.  It can benefit our pets greatly by providing a natural food diet suited to their specific needs rather than "kibble."

Our pets need clean pure water like we do. The water we often give our dogs is from the tap and full of PFAS (forever chemicals), toxins, medications, fluoride and chlorine, as well as heavy metals. Exposure to chlorination byproducts in tap water and swimming pools increases the risk of lymphoma and bladder cancer in dogs. Drinking from stagnant lakes or ponds can also pose a risk for parasites and bacteria. They need filtered mineral water like we do. Charles and I personally use Zero Water filters in a large glass dispenser (Amazon) and re-mineralize with trace minerals. We also eat plenty of good sea salt. 

Increase sunlight exposure. Dogs and cats require full-spectrum sunshine like we do! They make vitamin D in their fir and melanin to protect themselves as well. Dogs concentrate their melanin in their nose. They can smell that you were there yesterday. Let them take their naps outside - let them get hot in the sun, then cool off with a garden hose or pool. They are also at risk from nn-EMF (non-native electromagnetic frequencies), routers, isolated blue light from indoor lighting, TV screens, computer screens, etc. They are meant to connect to the ground through their pads to gain electrons. The more time a dog spends indoors, the less healthy it will be. We changed our light bulbs to incandescent - but use red bulbs in lamps after dark. I also keep a red light turned on and a window cracked to allow light in anytime we are indoors to offset the blue light toxicity that can occur just through "energy-efficient" windows.

Products we use on our pets are very important to scrutinize. Flea and tick treatments, shampoos and deodorizers are often full of phthalates and other toxins and hormone disruptors. Chemicals sprayed on lawns and parks, vaccines and even vitamins and supplements aimed at helping our dogs can actually be making things worse, shortening their lives. Now that it is flea and tick season in North Texas, we need solutions that don't harm our environment, ourselves or our pets. You can make a natural flea and tick spray using vinegar and water with neem or other essential oil. There are recipes on the web. You can spray your yard as well. The vinegar kills mosquitoes and eggs on contact. You can also get a solar bug zapper to keep away mosquitoes - can cover an area ~4,000 sq feet. Switch to a natural shampoo for your dog as well. Change their bedding from fabrics made of plastic to natural cotton or linen. 

Charles and I adopted a pup from a rescue facility. His name is Onus - meaning "responsibility" and duty. Onus weighed 8 pounds when we adopted him at 7 weeks. He now weighs ~85 pounds at 16 months. Charles makes Onus' food and even freeze-dries meals for him - or we hand chop meat, give him bone broth and raw bones, bone marrow and organ meats. He eats eggs and sardines daily and enjoys raw bone-in chicken drumsticks, thighs and wings on the side. It sounds like he is eating chips! He occasionally gets some blanched purple sweet potato, pumpkin, green peas or green beans for example, but low amounts infrequently. He is the happiest, healthiest dog I've ever known. He also doesn't overeat. He self-regulates - so at times he just isn't hungry and we save it for the next day. We drizzle HP-EVOO over his food (2 TBS/day) and a sprinkle of sea salt.

HP-EVOO (high polyphenol extra virgin olive oil) - Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants that protect the mitochondria, feed the microbiome and epigenetically turn off cancer genes. Oleuropein (Ole), hydroxytyrosol (HT), and oleocanthal are some of the major polyphenols in EVOO that are being studied in treating cancer. "Ole mediated PI3K/AKT signaling pathway effectively induced apoptosis of canine mammary tumor cells." Polyphenols in EVOO demonstrate profound antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and protective effects - to prevent cancer from starting in the first place - to enhancing pathways that cause cancer cell apoptosis (death), while protecting healthy cells. EVOO is also rich in omega 9 Oleic acid, vitamins A, E, D, and K. EVOO helps skin and coat, digestion and brain health. In fact, there is not a system or tissue in the body that does not benefit from HP-EVOO. Not only can we add EVOO to their diets, but it can be used on dry skin or on ears to help prevent infection. If your dog or cat gets a sore, EVOO can sooth and help it heal. 

So, until next time my friends…Drink, Drizzle, Digest HP-EVOO at least 4T raw daily, give some to your dog or cat- use more for cooking and drizzling onto your food - eat the rainbow of local organic or wild-sourced veggies and fruits - eat according to what is growing at your latitude and location in season - eat wild-caught, pasture-raised, grass-fed - get early morning sunrise light, plenty of sunshine during the day, sleep in the dark, supplement magnesium, zinc, vitamin D3 + K2 - get your trace minerals and electrolytes with good sea salt - Celtic is hand-harvested and Himalayan was formed before plastics - eat foods high in lutein - drink plenty of filtered water. consume digestible and indigestible fiber for your gut microbes - adaptogens (such as mushrooms) and methylation donors (kale, beets, spinach, cruciferous, lion’s mane…), marjoram, rosemary, oregano, parsley and other herbs to detox, enhance overall health and reverse aging and disease - exercise your body and mind - ground barefoot to gain as many electrons as possible, add a few minutes of mindful meditation and breathing exercises to your day to combat stress - take a hot Epsom salt bath and follow with a cold shower/ice plunge - remove EMF (electromagnetic frequency) devices and blue light - use IR (infrared) from incandescent lighting, non-toxic candle or light a fire to enhance sleep and...turn off the light!!   #HP-EVOO 

This blog is intended for informational purposes only. Discuss strategies with your Healthcare Practitioner.