Omega Alpha Pet & Equine Shiny Coat For Pets - 500ml

Natural Health Supplements for your Pet

Health food stores everywhere are enjoying brisk traffic as Canadians continue to discover the wide array of natural health supplements and practices to ensure their families' health, and often as safer alternatives to more invasive procedures or pharmaceutical products that may have toxic side effects. Nutraceuticals (a more appropriate catchall term for the many varied products containing vitamins, herbs, minerals and other natural substances) have proven to be a market winner as consumer demand and satisfaction with these products continue to rise. But just try and find nutraceuticals for your fur-bearing family members!

Because of a lack of availability of nutraceuticals for pets, many health food consumers experiment on their cats, dogs, birds and other pets with human health products, but often without consulting a licensed animal health specialist such as a veterinarian. Is it safe to administer human health supplements to pets? What about proper dosage? For example, chromium for most adult humans is safe at no more than 500 mg. per day. What about giving chromium to a cat? At what dosage might a natural health ingredient be toxic to your beloved pet? These are questions that must be asked as many foods or substances humans can take safely may have adverse effects on pets. Chocolate and ASA (acetylsalicylic acid) are just two common items that can be toxic to dogs and cats, for example.

Fortunately, research into natural health products for our animal companions is ongoing and shows that many nutritional and herbal products helpful to humans are also good for "Fluffy" or "Bandit". Many animals suffer the same illnesses or effects of aging as do their human companions, and their bodies are comprised of similar organic and molecular structure to human beings. Certainly the time has come for consumers to be able to buy natural health products specifically for the good health of their pets.

Omega Alpha has identified six common areas of health problems faced by cats and dogs (and at some cost to their human companions) that can often be resolved with less expensive and less invasive natural health supplements.

Dealing With Pet Stress and Anxiety
Just as humans suffer from increased stress in the 21st century, pets also may become anxious due to a variety of stressors such as moving to a new home, the introduction or loss of an animal or human companion in their "territory", illness or surgery, change of family routine, or in reaction to being confined. Cats and dogs especially tend to love their routines and can become very emotionally upset when Little Susie or Tommy goes away for summer camp for 3 weeks. Reactions to this kind of anxiety can vary but include behaviours such as refusal to eat, urinating on and destruction of furniture, excessive barking and yowling, and worse!

Some herbs used for centuries in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) to calm anxiety and lessen bouts of insomnia such as Biota orientalis, and Zizyphus jujube may also be used for your pets. Additionally, these herbs contain the anti-oxidants quercitin and rutin which will help quench free

radicals and add to your pet's overall health. Omega Alpha's new E-Z Rest contains these herbs and more, and may help your pet rest more easily during a separation from his companion(s) or to calm anxiety due to travel or other causes.

How Do I Get My Cat or Dog to Take Herbs?
Administering herbal products to your cat or dog may at first seem daunting yet after the first few dosages the animal will likely adjust, and perhaps even welcome the supplement as a special treat.

Dogs tend to not be a problem as they will often eat anything, especially when easily disguised in their food. Most cats and some finicky dogs are clever at avoiding eating pills or tablets. Liquid preparations are the easiest to administer and here's how:

1. Add the remedy in just a small enough portion of your pet's wet food or most desired treat to hide the taste. I could usually get my cat to take any medicine by adding it to the juice of canned tuna, her favourite treat. A strong tasting/smelling treat like fish often hides the aroma of the medicinal, and most cats will eagerly chow down on sardines. Small servings of soft cheese, cooked animal fats and peanut butter are other foods much preferred by cats and dogs and easily mixed with a liquid formulation. Most pets have at least one food item it will find irresistible so experimentation may be required. Consider keeping food and water bowls out of reach for a few hours before dosing so she will more readily eat or drink the dose when administered. (Remember to always avoid contact between the product container and the pet's mouth or food/drink bowl to circumvent microbial contamination.)

2. Liquid preparations can easily be smeared onto the pet which encourages it to then wash itself by licking the area clean. Around the mouth, on the tops of the paws, on top of the nose or ears seem to encourage immediate washing, but make sure they can reach the area and do not apply the remedy too near the eyes or inside the ears and nose which may be irritating.

3. Use an oral dosing syringe, available very inexpensively in pet supply stores. It is the most accurate method of dosing but requires inserting directly into the mouth and should be cleaned between doses.

4. However you choose to administer remedies to your pet, in all cases closely watch the animal after to ensure they consume the required dose without regurgitation.

The natural health approach to pet care is the same as human health care. Prevent illness and disease before they occur and don't just treat the symptoms of illness; get to the source of what may be making your pet ill. Maintenance of good health and prevention of disease will ensure that you and your beloved animal companion will enjoy a higher quality of life together and perhaps for a much longer period of time.