Firstly happy Canada Day to our Canadian Customers and happy advance Independence Day to our friends in the US.

The following are holiday safety tips for both cats and dogs. Although most of this was expressed in my Halloween safety article last year, it is worth repeating for this weekend.

Cats and Dogs can get startled with fireworks. If your pet is known to have noise phobia's such as thunderstorms and loud appliances like my black lab Freedom (he hates the vacuum) than fire works will/may raise their anxiety level.

There are a few solutions: Find a Kennel that can house the pet overnight, preferably of course opened during the holiday or simply keep the pet(s) at home.

If you're going to keep the pet indoors, keep it in a room with no windows and a radio or TV in the background as a distraction.

If you must take your pet outside, which is not recommended as some pets can get defensive and agitated due to the noise, keep it on a leash and or kennel if possible.

You can if need be use prescribed tranquillizers or mild sedatives. We offer a natural anti-anxiety supplement called Lessstress which can also be used in such cases, however, these do have limitations and should not be used on a regular basis.

Please note that you should never punish your pet for fearful behavior, this is a natural occurrence to be frightened with fireworks. On the same note, don't reinforce the behavior with "it's Okay" and paying positive attention.

Another important holiday ritual is the all American BBQ. The same rule about keeping pets indoor applies, especially since certain foods are toxic to cats, dogs and or both. Chocolate is the biggest culprit for dogs. Chocolate desserts are the major staple on the dessert table at any 4th of July BBQ.

If pets are outside, please have them tied or kept behind the fence at a BBQ and please educate the guests not to feed the pets. Their intentions are good, however, at potluck BBQ'S, not everyone knows the ingredients of certain foods, therefore, to be careful, preparing a home made pet food recipe from a book is encouraged or feed their regular food to minimize "begging" when the guests arrive.

Happy Canada Day and Happy 4th of July from petwellbeing.com

I received an information letter/attachment in my inbox the other day, not sure if it was from a customer or a vet whom just wanted to pass some information, however, thought that the information contained would be of assistance to others whom may be reading.

Of course the information below is meant as a guidline(s) for common symptoms of cancer in cats and not intended to replace vet care and proper diagnosis. We are not certified vets, therefore, this information is not intended as positive diagnosis by any any means.

To the person whom originally e-mail us this information to customer care, whomever you are, thank you so much. I am sure our readers will benefit from the information that you have provided.

I speak with more customers on the phone who order our ES Clear for cat cancer supplement than for dogs. The primary reason that more cats have cancer than dogs is that cats are good at hiding a lot of the symptoms associated with cancer that by the time the vet as diagnosed the cat, they're either mid way or too far along.

According to the Veterinary Cancer Society, the following are 10 possible signs of cancer in cats.

Abnormal swelling.
Sores that do not heal
weight loss
Loss of appetite
Bleeding discharge from body openings
offensive odor
difficulty eating or swallowing
hesitation with physical activity.
stiffness
difficulty breathing, urinating or defecating.

Please keep in mind that the above are symptoms are of many other things or could be as well, therefore, if she has abnormal swelling, she may not have cancer, hence why vet diagnosis and testing is important and to ensure best change of recovery for a proper diagnosis.

Dogs cry, however, they do not shred tears the way we humans do. There have been some reports from pet owners of their dog crying or excessive moisture due to stressful situation.

If you're dogs eyes are watery, it could be a sign of an irritant as they do not shed emotional tears. The the correlation between tears and sorrow is up for debate.

In Northhold London, a puppy was accidently flushed down the toilet. Daniel Blair, the cocker spaniel's young owner, decided the puppy needed a bath after playing in the yard so he put the put in the toilet and gave it a wash. The puppy got stuck in the waste pipe for 4 hours. Plumbers rescued the pup who is reportedly doing fine.

I've covered this topic before that puppies should be monitored with their toddlers/young kids, especially in the case noted above.

It is important that when a new puppy is introduced to the home, proper care and education and supervision is required. A puppy is another member of the family, not a toy.

Accidents happen and although both puppy and child were fine, there have been instances that out of defense and accident, animals have attacked children.

The question I receive at least 5 times per week if not more from customers is kittens who have persistent and or chronic diarrhea. This is common in kittens according to on-line at columnist Dr. Richards (unable to locate credentials on-line, therefore, please speak to your own vet in regards to cat diarrhea).

Although this is common, this is serious concern that needs to be addressed with a vet as kittens are more likely to suffer from dehydration from the diarrhea more than adult cats.

There are two types of diarrhea, acute (meaning lasting about 48 hours) and chronic diarrhea that can be long-term.

Diarrhea can be caused by:
Parasites
Coccidia
Giardia
Improper diet
Cow's milk
Viruses
Stomach upset
Food allergies
Feline Leukemia
Colitis
Foreign objects causing obstruction
Bacteria
Stress

Checking for dehydration:
While the kitten/cat is at rest, lightly pinch the scruff of the neck, pull up gently, keeping the cat firmly on the ground.
Hold the scruff for just a few seconds then release.
The scruff should fold down to normal in seconds, if the scruff/skin stays tented up, get your cat to the vet immediately or administer subcutaneous fluids yourself.
You can also check the gums by lightly pressing your finger against the side of the cat's gums. The gum should go white and then pink up quickly.
If you see streaks of white on your cat's gums or the gums are pure white or yellow, get the cat to the vet quickly.
The third eyelid (called the yaw) will also show when a cat has become dehydrated.

What NOT to do:
Do NOT give over-the-counter medications to your cat, unless the vet okays it.
Do NOT deprive your cat of food over 24 hours. You can withdraw food for one day to rest the gut, but any longer your cat stands a chance of developing a worse problem than diarrhea.
Do NOT use over-the-counter wormers, or other pet-aids that you think will solve the problem.
Do not self-diagnose your cat.

Because all cats have different personalities, likes and dislikes, some methods may work well with some cats and not at all with others. It's a case of trial and error.

1. If you have bare soil cover it with gravel, pinecones or slate chippings etc, it will discourage digging.

2. Gather up many pine cones and place them amongst the flowers.

3. Cats hate the smell of citrus. Get yourself some oranges and scatter the peels and segments too if you want around in your garden. You can also spritz the area with orange or lemon scented water

4. Try coffee grounds.

5. DON'T use cayenne pepper - cats get it on their paws, then in their eyes and scratch their eyes -painful and cruel.

6. Plastic forks (big pkg for $1 or so), but bamboo skewers would look much better - stick them in the ground all around plants and flowers!

7. Try crushing eggshells and sprinkling them around the flower bed. The prickly effect of the shells on the cat's paws may deter it for a while. Best to do this when you are expecting a few days of nice weather - rain will just wash it into the soil. Another benefit - it is also reputed to deter slugs.

8. Spray water at them (not from a hose) from one of those spray bottles from a garden centre or use a super-soaking water gun for cats further away.

Start with the cheapest method. You don't need to spend a lot of money to deter cats.
And talk to the cat owner about the problem and let them know what steps you are taking. Make sure they know you don't wish to harm the cat, just that you're trying to protect your flowers. They may have some suggestions that would help - after all, they know their cat's personality better than anyone.

Pet food safety is on the mind and concern of all pet owners. Just like there's always a fear of recalls and product safety just like with human food. We want the best for our pet and understandably so.

The risk of negative press can impact a company's sales.

Let's be realistic, there are always chances of recalls and or manufacturing errors, although slim and far and few between, when it does happen, the media blows it out of proportion, especially when it comes to pet food.

For anyone in any retail industry the key thing to minimizing such potential recalls in establishing a relationship with supplies and make sure that you know where the supplier gets their material from before it reaches your hands. The more hands, the larger the risk in for potential recalls.

A company needs to make sure that they have specifications on all sources of where an items or mixes comes from before packaging. A reputable company should not be afraid to challenge the sources in which the ingredients comes from.

Trust is good, control is better as said by Martin Karutz on a similar topic on this months Pet International magazine. It also encourages quality control.

If possible, a reputable food distributor should audit and visit the environment, working and manufacturing conditions of where the ingredients comes from etc. Seeing is believes and speaks volumes in regards to quality control.

On the consumer end, it may be difficult to get all the information that one may want in regards to the food that they choose for their pet, however, below are some basic guidelines for consumers.

Look at the label and make sure that the country of origin is disclosed as well as the ingredients.
1. Check the company's website and make sure that all ingredients are listed.
2. If possible, make your own pet food from fresh ingredients, properly prepared. There are tons of pet food recipe books out there.
3. Call the customer care line and get more specifics on origin. The information may be limited, however, having a bit more product knowledge is better than not knowing anything at all.
4. Don't be fooled by packaging, labeling and or claims, further research.

In the news:

Animal lovers protest a Cowichan Valley Pound in order to stop a cruel way to euthanize of cats.

On-line petition has gained more than 1,1000 to stop the use of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide gas.

Public pressure against the use of "gas boxes" to euthanize cats have been successful in the past.

One shelter manager argues that when used properly a "gas box" is more humane than injection. Injection of chemicals can often prove to be too traumatic according Helen Roberts, shelter manager with the Nanaimo Animal Shelter. The gas proves to be an anesthetic.

If cats are clawing and trying to escape that can be 'cause the box wasn't set up properly. It should be pre-filled so that the cat goes unconscious right away.

"My cat Sammee is a small grey tabby. She is my best friend,so when she started losing weight and yowling [as they call it] I call it crying for help-I took her to the vet. He said she had an over active thyroid,a 103 degree temp. and was on the verge of kidney failure! he sent me home with these small pills that i was supposed to give her 2 x a day. well if you knew my Sammee you would know this is impossible. She has been difficult to give anything since she was a kitten! The pills helped but I could'nt give them to her everyday because it traumitized her so much. That's when I decide to go on line and research her condition. I ran across an article on pet well being that had a testimonial about their cat and how much the product Resthro worked. Sammee is 15 yrs old and she went from near death to running around her old self!! Not only that, the medicine is a liquid and it is so easy to give her! I am so thank full to have found this product and to have my Sammee at least for a few more years!!!Thank you Pet Well Being for caring about animals!!! Sincerely, Irma Gubany"

I see dead people! Not really, however, cats have been known to have that "sixth sense" when it comes to death.

For a cat named Oscar in Providence RI, he was able to predict the death of a patient by appearing in their rooms hours before their death to notify staff as family members of their loved ones passing.

Oscar jumps on the bed and purrs and comforts the patient and often sits with the family and or substitutes for family that either may not be in existence or on their way.

How does Oscar know that a patient is near passing? Oscar may be picking up specific odors surrounding death that the human nose may not be able to pick up. There are certain chemicals that are released when someone is near passing.

With the epidemic scare of the swine flue, it doesn't surprise me that this morning I received 2 chat messages/questions from potential customers concerned about whether their cats and dogs can catch the swine flue.

According the BBC on-line as well as other news sources cats and dogs cannot catch the swine flue.

The scientific reasoning for why cats and dogs can't catch swine flu is our genetics are different, and a flu virus that "fits" our human system likely won't fit within your dog or cat's.

Luv Sheila & Freedom (my black lab)

A customer on our chat asked me a question the other day, "What is the normal heart rate for a cat?” Although I am not a certified vet or authorized to give specific medical information, the following information was obtained through a cat care book from the library. If you notice any abnormalities with your cats heart rate please take him/her to the vet immediately. Once properly diagnosed by a certified vet we have a supplement that may be of benefit called Hearty Heart for cats.

The Normal pulse for cats is between 130 - 240 beats per minute. To feel the pulse look for the femoral artery which is located close to the surface on the inside of the thigh at the groin.

Count the number of beats per 15 seconds and times that by 4 to get the total per minute.

There are different types of heart disease (Cardiomyphapthy) in cats, most popular are: dilated Cardiomyphapthy, restricted Cardiomyphapthy and hypertrophic Cardiomyphapthy. A cat can have heart disease for a long time before experiencing heart failure. Most forms of severe heart failure occurs when there is too much fluid in the lungs and heart.

If you suspect your cat to have a heart condition please take it to your local vet, although economical in these tough times, self diagnoses especially in relation to the heart is not a good idea.

Luv Sheila & Freedom (my black lab)

"I just wanted to thank you....My cat was diagnosed with Lymphoma six months ago. The vet told us that he could possibly last 30 days. My cat is 16 years old so I did not want to torture him with chemo or radiation. I always used to have a holistic vet before I moved to Florida. I did not search for a holistic vet, but I chose him quite by accident. To make a long story short, I searched online to hopefully find something like he would prescribe.That is when I discovered Clear ES. I had NO EXPECTATIONS. It was a last ditch effort to Euthanasia. At first I thought it was a coincidence when Rizzy's tumors shrunk after a dose of Clear ES. I did not even read that it might do that. I just noticed the huge tumor got noticeably smaller. In a short time, my husband and I both noticed that Rizzy seemed livelier than he had been in years. Even his chronic diarrhea went away. I never expected anything when I bought the ES Clear. I was just so sad. I knew it couldn't hurt, but I really did not expect it to help. It has been six months now since my cat was diagnosed and given a month to live. I know Rizzy is not cured and eventually he will succumb to his cancer. I do wholeheartedly believe that ES Clear prolonged my cat's life. My husband believes it too. Not only that, ES Clear made Rizzy feel so much better that he actually enjoys his life more now."

Thank you,Susan Ruegger-Fentz

I received an e-mail asking me to write a review for the product, ES Clear, for cat cancer that I recently purchased. I would love to write a review, but unfortunately I did not buy this product in time and I lost Milo on March 19th. We did use this product daily and it certainly controlled his vomiting and diarrhea, but his cancer must have been too advanced. He was thirteen years old and our vet felt surgery would have been too much for him. I do feel this product help in the short time and he did not have pain which I was most greatful for. I would certainly recommend it to anyone that had a cat with cancer. Thank You!

Corinne Bernstein