We experienced our first heat wave of the season here in the city. Everyone brought their dogs to the beach/park. Everyone loves to pet someone else's dog, however, there is a right way and a wrong way to approach a dog.

When approaching a dog that you don't know that well, approach with caution, not all dogs are friendly toward strangers. Do not use jerky movements.

Offer your hand at face level to allow the dog the opportunity to sniff the pheromones. Avoid reaching down from above as this is considered to the dog as an intimidating gesture.

If the dog appears friendly and with the consent of the owner, stroke gently from the neck to side. Do not pat from above, a very common action done by most, as this is dominant gesture.

Luv Sheila & Freedom, my black lab

Just a friendly reminder that all orders are processed Monday to Friday at 11:00 am PT. Orders placed over the weekend will be processed on Monday morning. The following is especially important for customers placing on-line orders for 1 or 2 day air service. If selecting 1 day air service after 11:00 am, the order will be processed the following business day.

I've received, since I've started with petwellbeing.com a lot of questions in regards to declawing cats. Although I can understand the purpose, before making an educated decision, like with anything else regarding your cat, there are a few things to consider before walking into the vet's office for the procedure.

Claw is not like a toe nail, it is actually a moveable digit, therefore, clawing will be moving an essential body part used for daily tasks, much like how our toes work. By declawing half their "toe" you're also cutting off motor nerves which makes tasks such as walking, running, sprinting and even stretching difficult.

Since a cats pain receptors are more sensitive than humans, many pain killing drugs do not agree with cats and can make them exceptionally or ill. Declawing can also lead to infection.

Most declaw for the purpose of preserving their furniture, however, cats scratch furniture to self clean their claws. A healthier investment is a scratching post in conjunction with appropriate training, through books and manuals, the cat to use a scratch post for said cleaning.

One method of post training found on-line is that if the cat scratches furniture, clap hands loudly and say, "NO" and physically move the cat to the scratching post. If you need to take drastic measures, keep a squirt bottle on hand and squirt the cat gently each time he/she attempts to scratch the furniture. Praise the cat when it does use the post for positive r-enforcement.

In a learning channel documentary back in July back in '95 showed the declawing procedure and how the practice is a North American trend and that veterinarians in other countries to this day, to my knowledge, refuse to do the procedure.

For the record I am not for or against declawing I just want my readers to have all the information before making any lifestyle or educated decisions before going forward with such costly procedure.

I welcome comments from every spectrum.

Luv Sheila & Freedom, my black lab

Every Thursday and Friday I like to tour many different pet related forums, mostly forums of popular search engines to read what is on the minds of most pet owners and try and address some of their concerns every Thursday.

This week a puppy owner raised a concern in regards to house training her puppy. Through further on-line research I was able to gather the following.

The good news is that dogs won't willingly soil themselves in their sleeping area. This is why my sister and I used to take turns sleeping with Freedom, our black lab. They would rather go in a designated area each time.

Please bare in mind that puppies have to relieve themselves more often than adults dogs, therefore, it's important that someone is at home during the day to relieve them every few hours. Also you have to expect some accidents until they're properly broken.

You can tell a dog needs to go when he/she starts sniffing the ground for the right spot. You only have literally seconds before the dog pees. Make sure that you have newspaper set in a designated area. Physically pick up the paper and hold he/she there until they urinate.

Remember that dogs have the learning capacity equivalent to that of a two year old toddler. After a puppy makes a mess, never physically disciple or put his/her nose in the mess. This will not register with them but rather make them fear you. Instead praise the puppy after it properly relieves himself.

If anyone has any ideas on research for dog or cat topics, please comment or shoot me an e-mail at the customer service address. I welcome all topic suggestions. Even cute cat and dog jokes are welcome.

Luv Sheila & Freedom.

The following are testimonials that we have received recently in regards to milk thistle.

"I have noticed her returning to more of her old self. More acitve and eats better."

"Absolutely! I've been wanting to write to say "Thank You" I ordered your Milk Thistle at a time when there was no hope for my dog. My vet is a wonderful doctor but he did all he could do. Since my little man was dying and it was just a matter of time, I thought trying your product couldn't hurt. His first monthly blood work after being on your Milk Thistle amazed my vet. He mentioned the 2 levels he looks for to tell him how bad off things are but i cant remember what they were called, but he was excited to tell me that one level had gone down 45 points and the other went down 200 points!!! My little man is doing so much better and I am so grateful to you! I was able to share my story with another lady in the waiting room as her dog was also there in liver failure! I love the product and will remain a customer and try other products shortly.
Kind Regards,
Donna Ross"

Before placing an order please carefully read our disclaimer.

Making a home safe for a puppy is an important thing. Like with babies and toddlers, certain precautions need to be taken until the puppy is trained and past the "chewing stage".

1. Keep windows closed or partially open to avoid wandering.
2. Put away loose items and breakables out of reach.

Just a friendly reminder that all orders are processed Monday to Friday at 11:00 am PT. Orders placed over the weekend will be processed on Monday morning. The following is especially important for customers placing on-line orders for 1 or 2 day air service. If selecting 1 day air service after 11:00 am, the order will be processed the following business day.

Christmas came early last year for pet owners in the Vancouver, BC Canada region. A Vancouver veterinarian Dr. Bruce Burton and the Vancouver police department teamed up and hosted a free veterinary clinic back in December. Due to the success and over whelming demand, the Round House community center will be hosting a free clinic day for pet owners of the homeless as well as low income families on first come first serve basis this afternoon.

The following are some recent testimonials about our ES clear cancer treatment supplement.

"Very fast shipping, When you need it remember every day counts. i dont give out surveys, but my cat matters. your product saved him. for that i am very grateful to your product and my computer search."

"'I'm glad I found your website thank you for providing "safe" alternatives to expensive-vet issued-prescription drugs."

"Daisy is a cat I have had for about four years. We bought a house with five acres and quite a few abandoned cats live in the neighborhood. Daisy came to me in need of food and I have been taking care of her since. In March of this year she was laying on her back in the sun and I saw a large red lump on her chest. It looked like the skin was inside out. I took her to the vet, she had surgery and the biopsy showed it was cancerous. I searched online and found a website with a posting of a lady who had used ES Clear for Cat Cancer. Daisy has been on this medicine for two and a half months now and is doing very well. The vet said she has three months to live and told me to expect respiratory symptoms to happen soon because it will spread to her lungs. So far I have not seen any symptoms the vet spoke of and she seems healthier and happier than I have ever seen her. She lives inside with me now and is a wonderful girl. I am so glad we have had the time to get to know each other. I hope the ES Clear will continue to work for her and she will be with me for many more years to come. This is a wonderful product and I would urge anyone to try this product and not give up hope."

"Ms. Boomer has been taking the cancer medicine for almost 2 years now. She is featured on your web page and still doing ok. The tumor has grown but her appetite and quality of life is still good."


Before ordering, please take the time to read our Disclaimer.

In addition to regular checks with the vet, there are things that can be checked at home in regards to your dog's health.

1. When examining the eyes they should be clear, bright and no discharge.
2. Ears should be pink with no odor or too much wax discharge.
3. Skin should not be oily or flaky.
4. Gums should be pink and odor free.
5. Anal region should be clean and dry.

The above are guidelines, however, this is not intended to be a replacement of checking with a certified vet or encouraged as self diagnosis for any illness. If you do suspect that your dog or cat may be ill, please see a vet.

There are many supplements and medications on the market to support and treat canine mental disorder AKA severe separation anxiety. Our lessstress and malticalm, depending on the specific conditions is an assistant to treating separation anxiety. In addition to proper medication and or supplements there is some behavioral training that can assist with this condition.

Just like humans who suffer from anxiety and or depression, physical and mental training to assist us living normal lives is very important. Also just like us humans, the majority of separation anxiety is chemical imbalance and less to do with the owners treatment or lack of.

I live in a strata complex in which at 7:00 am each morning, we hear a dog whining and crying, often as soon as the owner leaves for work. This continued for more than a week. I finally investigated and spoke to the owner whom discovered that through vet testing he did in fact have a possible chemical imbalance in regards to separation anxiety.

One way, in addition to using medication, to help is that when he came home, before, going grocery shopping and or out to the bar with friends, he walked his dog and then left for the evening. This way the dog didn't associate the owner leaving as a negative thing and knew that he was always coming back.

There are other training books and manuals dealing with separation anxiety that are available in most libraries. I encourage anyone reading this article, whether your pet suffers or not to still practice some of the habits to foster a stronger bond between the pet and owner.

Luv Sheila & Freedom, my black lab

The first newsletter for June came out. I hope that everyone enjoyed our fist newsletter that was e-mailed the other day. I enjoyed hearing the feedback as well as a few testimonials on some of our products. Keep the comments coming as feedback of any kind is appreciated.

There was some concern, one person's, over the soft food recipe. Yes excessive amounts of carbs aren't good for both humans and animals, however, feeding home made soft food once in a while is okay and provides other nutrients that animals need. You wouldn't be making the soft food recipe every day, therefore, in conjunction with a healthy carnivore diet and exercise, a warm treat is appreciated by both owner and pet. On the same note, you wouldn't be serving the entire portion at once but rather freezing and reheating for another time.

Please feel free to make suggestions, testimonials, photos of your loved cat and or dog for our next newsletter.

The following is a testimonial of our supraglan supplement.

"Yes, after trying...we noticed a HUGE IMPROVEMENT in only 2 weeks...we will continue to buy!!!"

Please read out disclaimer

You just bought a dog, congratulations. Now you need some essentials for the dog. It can be overwhelming at first, just like a newborn, as to what to buy. We also may have the tendency to buy things that we don't need. The following are the basic must have items.

Bean bag bed or firm bed. You can buy these in most pet stores.
ID tags (in addition to tattoo i.d. done at vets).
Nylon chew bone
rubber chew toy
squeaky toy (be careful of small inner parts that may be swallowed)
Muzzle, regardless
Grooming brush
collar and leash
stainless steal bowl (food) and a ceramic bowl (water)

I stumbled upon the following question on a popular search engine Q&A forum about cats.

"I bought a kitten that appears to be unwell. I've had her for 3 hours now, should I ask for a refund?"

This is a good question and often a question I receive on the phone from customers buying supplements.

Although not encouraged to purchase from pet stores but rather rescue organizations and or reputable breeders, if you must go through a pet store, first thing is to ask about health guarantees and if any shots and or first check up has been given. Make sure that you demand such paperwork rather than relying on word of mouth.

My finance and I were going shopping in the mall the other day and stumbled upon a couple buying a kitten. When they questioned about the kitten's first shots, all they were given was a verbal confirmation. The couple did not request any written proof? Would you purchase a used car without a repair and service disclosure? Why would you do the same for a kitten?

Kittens adjust differently to their environment and thus can have emotional, viral and bacterial stress as any new born animal may have adjusting which is very common, however, if you do suspect something, especially within the first 12-24 hour period, either question the pet store owner and request a refund, exchange or compensation toward the kitten's first vet visit.

The trouble with buying from a pet store rather than a certified breeder is that pet stores reply on impulse buying. The turn around processes is too fast for proper breed demand. In other words, you don't know where the animal came from.

I go shopping in the mall every week and was a little disturbed by the high turn around with the stock of kittens at a particular store. I inquired with the owner in regards to where he receives his inventory in which he responded, "Due to confidentiality, we are unable to disclose that." This is a huge red flag as they are supposed to disclose, with paper work, where they get their stock from. In this case, it may have been from a backyard breeder.

This is not to say that this happens with all kittens sold in pet stores, however, there are some things to consider.

Most of these kittens are breed in a mill. The high percentage of ill cats come from backyard breeders just throwing mates together, with health concerns of their own, without any gene pool consideration and or research to produce a healthy animal.

Before purchasing a pet from any pet store, check out the Better Business Bureau to make sure that similar or other complaints have not been made about the pet store. A reputable honest business would do what they can to rectify any situation.

The worst thing is to get emotionally attached to a kitten and then consider the possibility of returning him/her.

Luv Sheila & Freedom (my black lab purchased in good health from a breeder).

The first 3 months if a puppy's life is the most important, this is known as the self discovery learning stage. This is the time when dogs chew things the most. Commonly they will chew on their owner's shoes as that holds the scent of their owner. This is a destructive behavior with a purpose. The young puppies are trying to memorize the physical characteristics including scent. Other skill building activities include playing with a rolling ball to not only practice dexterity but also general balance.

Puppies play with each other to develop problem solving skills, balance and communication.

4 to 5 months is a good time to start training with a professional trainer so that behavior becomes a trait. The older the dog gets, the brain actually shrinks which means memory is limited. Long term memory is still present. This is why it is harder to teach an older dog new tricks. This is the perfect age in which more discipline than play is the focus.

The memory capacity of a dog is equivalent to that of a human 2 year old.

Happy Wednesday, enjoy this cat joke for the week.

What kind of cats like to go bowling?
Alley cats.

"Stormy started on ES Clear in July 2007. For seven months prior she was having frequent attacks of breathing difficulties. After many trips to the vet with very short term relief treatments and then ultimately the cancer diagnosis I discovered ES Clear. Stormy showed almost immediate improvement. The breathing problems all but went away. Her appetite and energy levels went back to normal and she has been a very happy cat for the past 10 months. Thank you so much for ES Clear and giving my little one her life back."

"Right off the bat I noticed some increased energy. I have only had Ozzy on your product for about 2 months so I haven't seen any other changes, but I remain optimistic!"

Please read out disclaimer prior to ordering.