October 2004: In This Issue

SPECIAL REPORTS:
Dental Care for your Pets
Violence Against Animals
Injectable Heart Worm Drug Recall

RECIPE OF THE MONTH:
Pork & Pumpkin Casserole
Kitty's Cat Nip Butter Bar

PREVENTATIVE HEALTH TIP / Dental Care for your Pets

-Home care will save you many dollars and prevent the risk of anesthetic deaths.

-New studies show that brushing your dog’s teeth with soap, or with hydrogen peroxide & Baking Soda will prevent plaque and dental problems.

Why?

Dr. Gerard Judd, Ph.D a chemist has been working in dental research for over 18 years investigating the causes of plaque and cavities. He says that in humans, fluoride does not really protect people’s teeth from cavities,

- If it did, 42% of Americans over age 65 would still have their teeth.

- a recent study of 26,000 college students attending the University of Arizona in Tucson found that fluoride in drinking water increased tooth decay by 43%.

Also, cities (world-wide) that fluoridate their water had much higher cancer rates than cities that did not.

Fluoride is a waste product of the Fertilizer Industry and is a poison.

Fluoride does not cause teeth to harden, but forms a different kind of crystal on the teeth that is brittle.

What Causes Plaque?

-Plaque is formed when the pH of the mouth becomes too acid promoting the growth of pathogenic bacteria which combine with saliva causing food oils to “stick” to the teeth.

-Eating dry dog or cat food does NOT prevent this from occurring.

-Feeding raw or boiled knuckle or rib bones can help remove plaque naturally

-Brushing teeth with a combination of hydrogen peroxide, aloe vera juice (1:1) with a little bit of baking soda will eventually loosen plaque so that it can be easily chipped off with your fingernail or a dental tool.

What Causes Cavities?

-Dogs and cats rarely get cavities because their enamel is structured different from people

-Acids in the mouth help promote the dissolution of enamel. Soft drinks, colas and acidy fruit juices will cause the teeth to become “softer”

-Sugar and bacteria are not the cause of cavities
(Teeth are made from calcium hydroxy phosphate and contain no carbon. Bacteria cannot eat the teeth and cause decay.)

-Always rinse your mouth after eating citrus, acid vegetables (like tomatoes), sodas, colas and coffee.

-The most common cause of cavities according to Dr. Judd is the improper use of dental instruments by the dentist.

-He claims that the process of cleaning teeth with sharp metal instruments causes more problems than it solves. (Dentists and veterinarians “dig holes” in the enamel when they clean teeth resulting in damage to the enamel which then further erodes and forms new cavities.)

TIPS on Prevention:

-Always rinse your mouth with a lot of water or a little milk after eating acid foods or drinks.

-Begin giving your dogs bones when they are young, so they can learn how to eat them properly and maintain a healthy mouth (boiled or raw bones only, baked bones splinter!).

-Be careful giving bones to older dogs who have never eaten bones before, and have been eating only soft foods. Its best to boil these bones for about 1 hour to soften them. Rib bones are best to start with.

-Ask your veterinarian or dentist to only use an ultrasonic cleaner to remove plaque from teeth, not metal dental instruments.

-Brushing with baking soda will neutralize acids in the mouth and teeth.

-Dr Judd recommends brushing teeth with soap to get oils off teeth so they are not so “sticky”

-A safe & easy soap to use is Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint castile liquid soap (available at most health food stores). Careful though, this soap is concentrated, so it just takes a drop or two!

-For the treatment or prevention of gum disease apply the following mix to the gums and teeth:
1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel
1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide
1 teaspoon of baking soda

Why not tooth paste?

Most toothpaste is made up of 60% glycerin which will stick to teeth for a long time and cause food particles and bacteria to create plaque. Many brands for pets contain sugar, and acids which may increase plaque with use.

What can you do to make your teeth or your dog’s teeth stronger?

-Calcium + monosodium phosphate + Vitamin D

-Supplement with minerals and vitamins or feed foods high in calcium, phosphorus and Vitamin D

-Calcium and Phosphorus sources:

raw meat bones / Brewer’s Yeast

-Calcium sources

Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese,
carob powder / bones
Kelp(sea weeds: nori, wakame, dulce)
collard greens, dark green leafy vegetables, alfalfa, comfrey

-Phosphorus sources

• Wheat bran & wheat germ
Squash & pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds, nuts
Cheddar cheese

-Vitamin D sources

cod liver oil /
Butter
sardines, salmon, tuna, shrimp
sunflower seeds
liver,
eggs,
milk,
mushrooms

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Violence Against Animals: Sign of the Times?

Nothing gets people’s attention and sympathy like news about violence perpetrated against vulnerable and defenseless children or women.
Likewise, many of us get upset to hear, see, or read about the mistreatment of animals. But until we are shocked by a sensationalized TV news story or a newspaper headline, most do not think about it for very long nor do anything to change the trend that is increasing.

This “trend” of increasing domestic violence is becoming so prevalent in our society that most of us are becoming numb to it. Some people put it out of their minds on purpose, because the thought of it is so disturbing.

The Kauai & Honolulu Humane Societies with their countless number of volunteers present and past, and volunteers working at Humane Shelters nation-wide have to face the aftermath of this violence 24/7. This vocation and life’s path is difficult, frustrating, and heart breaking. Mahalo to them all, from the deepest part of our hearts for being “in the trenches” doing compassionate deeds for our community helping animals.

What are the causes of the violence? How can the causes be prevented?

When we hear about someone abusing an animal, we get mad. We want to get even. “Let’s punish these hateful people!” “Let’s fine them and send them to prison!”

Do these solutions really solve the problem? Will punishment deter or prevent violence against animals? Has it worked to prevent family abuse and domestic violence? No! What drives a person to inflict pain and suffering on an animal, and maybe later on, a spouse or child?

What is the Source of Violence: The Bigger Picture

What are the “roots” of the problem? Just look around and see. We have laws with serious consequences, and people still commit serious crimes of violence. Do we just keep building bigger and bigger jails? What happens when the animal abuser comes back to live in your neighborhood? Will you trust the penal system to have rehabilitated this person? Will this person do it again? Would you trust your children around a person that hurts, maims, or takes pleasure in seeing animals suffer? I hope not!

We live in a very violence orientated society. Just look at the movies that are the most popular and make the most money. TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, in your neighborhoods….violence is everywhere. We as a society enjoy seeing the “bad guys” killed and humiliated on the large screen. We support violence with our dollars as we leave them at movie theatres and video game stores. We seek war as a solution for violence.

Violence has become part of our culture. Violence can be justified.
Many people are programmed to believe that it’s OK to use violence to solve a disagreement or dispute, attack or conflict as long as they are “in the right” and in control. People with violent tendencies tend to want to dominate and suppress others to make themselves feel better about themselves.

The drug known as ICE and the legal drug alcohol, tend to enhance violence in these people, and that’s why these two substances are such a danger to our community.

Even today, in many patriarchal cultures around the world beating your dog, donkey, or wife has become an acceptable way of dealing with one’s anger and life’s frustrations.

Why Do Some Individuals Abuse Animals?

People who abuse animals on purpose have anger brewing within and when they cannot control it any longer they “go off”! They explode like a volcano and take it out on their dogs, or other people’s pets. They take it out on the most defenseless beings in their lives. Why is anger and violence eating their souls and deadening their hearts?

I am no psychologist, but I have been observant when dealing with these people around animal abuse issues in my practice and working with humane animal shelters. What I see is a “dis-ease” within the heart in these individuals. Not an excuse for the behavior, but a deep and festering wound that will not heal with prison time. These people have stored up hate, anger and resentment for many years. They are wounded emotionally in their hearts. They lack compassion. As a result, they are self-hating, and soul suffering individuals. They may act “normal” but when agitated their evil comes out like the devil in the movie the Exorcist. How did they get that way? Maybe, they are a result of their up-bringing, or a result of their culture.

So What Is the Solution?
Unless we address treating these people with psychological & spiritual counseling, anger management, and drug rehabilitation, simply punishing them with fines and prison terms will not prevent nor deter them from violence again. What happens when someone’s child angers them?

Some will say, ”This will cost the taxpayer a lot of money!” Maybe, and maybe not. We are gearing up in this country to increase spending on bigger jails, more police, and more judges. All these cost money too, with no solution to the real problem. “More jails, and more enforcement!”, many politicians cry as they have hang fear over people’s heads to gain votes.

We have used these same methods in other cities with little change. Domestic violence continues to grow exponentially. This paradigm does not work. It does not solve anything, just puts people “on the back burner”, jail….until they get out and do it again.

Besides treatment these individuals should be required to pay for the animal’s medical care, and serve time doing a community service instead of jail.

There may be other reasons why people neglect or unconsciously abuse pets such as ignorance, mental illness, drug addiction, and alcoholism.

What ever the cause, violence against animals in our community is a symptom of a deeper problem: emotional & spiritual imbalance.
We have Individuals living in our community without compassion and without respect for life, including their own. They need help not just punishment.

We have more people locked up in jails than any other country in the world. Has this worked to stem violence in our society? Maybe some perpetrators of violence are “too far gone” to change and they should be locked up, but there needs to be more positive choices available for those that still have a chance to change such as our teenagers and young adults.

We need to “heal” these “lost souls” in our community so we as a community can heal also.

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PROHEART -6 INJECTABLE HEART WORM DRUG RECALLED BY FDA
Injectable Heartworm Product Recalled from the Market Due to Serious Health Concern

Although originally when Fort Dodge Drug Company came out with the oral version of Proheart for dogs I had used it for 4 years without any reactions, I cautioned dog owners and veterinarians against using the injectable 6 month duration drug. After many complaints from dog owners and some veterinarians, FDA decided to recall this drug from circulation.

The problems suffered by dogs include sudden lethargy, uncontrolled
bleeding, vomiting, diarrhea, heart and liver problems and such nervous system abnormalities such as seizures.

"We don't really understand why this product is causing these problems,"
public relations manager Dr. Sundlof stated. Fort Dodge to Comply with FDA's Request to Recall ProHeart 6

Fort Dodge Animal Health, of Overland Park, Kansas, at FDA's request, has agreed to immediately cease production and recall its heartworm medication ProHeart®6 from the market until the FDA's concerns about adverse reaction reports associated with the product can be resolved. FDA is requesting that the firm continue to conduct research to determine the cause of related adverse reactions and develop a strategy to help prevent such problems in the future before the product is marketed again. The FDA will convene an independent scientific advisory
committee to thoroughly evaluate all available data.

ProHeart®6 is an approved injectable sustained-release heartworm prevention product for dogs. Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal condition of dogs, cats, and other species of
mammals. The parasite that causes heartworm disease is transmitted through the bite of the mosquito.

FDA is also advising veterinarians to avoid administering this product to dogs until further notice. Pet owners should consult their veterinarians regarding their pet's health care needs. Since the product was approved in June 2001, Fort Dodge Animal Health has cooperated with FDA to investigate numerous adverse event reports. As a result, Fort Dodge has voluntarily changed the label to include post approval safety information including rare reports of death and caution to practitioners that dogs should have a negative test for heartworm before administration.

Despite these label changes, FDA is still receiving unexplained adverse event reports, some of them severe. FDA's concern is based on voluntary self-reporting to FDA by veterinarians and owners whose dogs have suffered adverse drug experiences (ADEs) to ProHeart®6 (which
contains the drug moxidectin) as well as the mandatory reporting of adverse events by Fort Dodge Animal Health Division.

Fort Dodge Animal Health has agreed to recall any product that has already been distributed to veterinarians.

As of August 4, 2004, FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) had received 5,552 adverse event reports for ProHeart®6. The actual number of adverse events is likely even higher because studies show that only a fraction of actual ADEs are reported. The Agency has observed an increase in the number of cases associated with liver and bleeding abnormalities followed in some cases by death.

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Recipes of the Month: Pork & Pumpkin Casserole (for Dogs)

Ingredients:
1 cup of chopped & cubed yams
½ cup of chopped broccoli
1 cup of chopped carrots or green papayas
3 cups of cubed pork butt
( you can substitute beef or lamb if you like)
1 clove of crushed fresh garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt or kelp + ½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup of canned pumpkin (non spiced)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 can of health food store variety (no MSG) of either chicken broth or cream of corn soup

Directions:
Mix garlic with olive oil and spread all over the bottom of the pot, then mix everything together and place into the pot:
yams /carrots or green papaya / meat
broccoli / and pumpkin (get down and dirty)
Then season with salt and pepper

Pour about ½ to ¾ can of soup broth over everything

Place in a ceramic crock pot/cover and heat on low heat for 4-6 hours

For Cooking in the Oven:
Preheat oven to 350, then turn down to 325 F and put casserole into the oven for about 1- 1 ½ hours.

Kitty's Cat Nip Butter Bar

Ingredients:

 1 bar of butter (1 stick)
2 teaspoons of dried catnip
1 teaspoon of alfalfa powder
1 teaspoon dried romano cheese (optional)
1 teaspoon of brewer’s yeast

Mix the powders (romano cheese, brewer’s yeast, alfalfa, catnip) all together. In a sauce pan, Heat butter on medium low heat until melted.

Add all the ingredients. Stir for 3-5 minutes. Pour into a mold (ceramic or glass cup) Chill in the fridge and use as needed to:

ENTICE YOUR KITTY TO EAT NEW FOODS, BY SPRAEDING ONTO VEGETABLES, MEATS, AND FISH!

ALSO GREAT FOR USING TO COAT PILLS AND “SLICK” DOWN ANY MEDICATION YOU HAVE TO ADMINISTER TO YOUR KITTY!

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©2003 Ihor Basko, DVM

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