The latest statistics on pet cancer from the US, almost 10 years old now, showed that 1 out of 1.65 dogs and 1 out of 3 cats were reported as having cancer. For dogs, that is almost every dog! So why do dogs have the highest risk of contracting cancer than any other mammal on the planet today?
This is what I learned from a talk by Dr. Marlene Siegel, a Florida Integrative Veterinarian, of 40 years:
In her practice, she used to see pet cancer once or twice a year. She now sees 10 – 15 cancer cases a week. Why?
Diet:
Most of us are feeding our pets processed food from large bags sitting on a pet store shelf or at our Vet clinic, loaded with hormones, chemicals, and pesticides, that is genetically modified. Even when reading the labels, we don’t realize that the food is loaded with toxins including heavy metals. Why aren’t we feeding our pets a species-specific high quality, organic, diet? For that matter, we also need to look at what we are feeding ourselves.
There are essential vitamins and minerals that we and animals cannot make on our own. A prime example is Vitamin D. It is something that human bodies can make from the sunlight or can get from supplements or, preferably, both. When the sunlight hits our skin, it produces vitamin D3 using, in part, cholesterol from the body. This does not happen with our carnivore cats and dogs. They require a dietary source. But, if the protein in that can or bag has never seen daylight, the animal, chicken, cow, or lamb, protein that went into that feed will be vitamin D deficient and, hence, so will your pet. A University study found that animals fed on a packaged kibble diet are 85% vitamin D deficient. Our pets need diversity in their diets, just as we do.
We need to feed our pets a species appropriate diet with the essential nutrients in place, particularly the vitamins and minerals that the body cannot manufacture on its own, but are critical for the body to run its metabolic pathways. The same is true for ourselves.
Water:
The second thing we have to look at is water. Most pet owners use a clean bowl and fill it with tap water, but have no idea that it contains over 65,000 toxins. Even those of us who drink bottled water feed our pets tap water. Which water are we using for our daily tea or coffee? A better-quality water includes reverse osmosis and distilled water, for both you and your pet.
Environment:
Most of our pets live a great life filled with love, toys, cozy pet beds, and even adorable outfits with tiny boots to protect their paws from rain and snow. But what about the household elements that they experience on a daily basis?
Mold is a huge problem. It is not something that you will always see with the naked eye. Have you had any water damage history in your home? Was it remediated properly? Even if a leak was resolved, it often leads to hidden mold. Mold produces allergens and irritants; even mycotoxins, which are extremely detrimental to health. Your pet is breathing this in daily, 24⁄7, except when out for his or her daily walk. On the other hand, you get to leave periodically for the office, an outing with friends, or even a week’s vacation.
Are you cleaning your home with organic cleaning products, like water, vinegar, and essential oils or are you using products with ingredients on the label that are even difficult to pronounce? Your pets are walking and lying on floors that were cleaned with these products and breathing it most of the time.
Laundry detergents? We throw their beds into the washing machine or they may even sleep on our bed linens, laundered with detergents filled with xenoestrogens (synthetic or natural chemicals that mimic natural estrogen) that are endocrine disruptors, the known cause of many cancers. Remember, they are lying on our beds and on our laps so whatever you use to launder your clothes and linens will directly affect your pets as well.
And how about our home’s electromagnetic pollution? Our routers, smart appliances, the buildings’ WIFI and even nearby elevators, if you live in a condo, bathes them, and ourselves, in pollution. During the night and when you leave home, you can unplug your router to reduce radiation exposure.
Signs and Symptoms of Disease
- Periodontal Disease: lift their lip up and look at their teeth. If there is plaque, tartar, gingivitis, a stinky mouth, it is because there is a lot of bacteria in there and is an indicator
- Eyes: if their eyes are getting “more blue”, it is inflammation which can lead to cataracts. It is not just a sign of aging.
- Skin: Lumps, bumps, itching on the skin. Dogs and cats don’t sweat to remove toxins except through panting, the pads of their feet, and some mucous lining. Toxins can come out through their skin.
- Maybe they don’t move like they used to or jump on the bed like they used to, or have breathing problems
- GI issues: not pooping as regularly, or poops are too soft or too hard are all indicators of a health issue.
- The liver has hundreds of jobs that it does, including detoxification, putting the toxins into a form that we can eliminate through the colon – is it happening regularly?
- The lymphatics – important, yet ignored, for drainage and stimulating the immune system, and can be done with manual treatment.
Why are these deteriorations happening? Most pets (and people) are dehydrated, especially pets eating a kibble diet. They are not drinking enough water and that water is not properly structured. If dehydrated, everything, including the toxins, are more concentrated going through the kidneys. In addition, they are not pooping properly. Bottom line, they aren’t getting rid of their waste products efficiently.
Sweating is a great way to release toxins. Lying outside in the sun all day can be very helpful but not practical for most pets, especially in many climates. Like full spectrum infrared therapy that helps people sweat to release toxins, animals are drawn to full spectrum infrared pads. They like to lie on them and when done will get up and move. A portable infrared sauna is not safe for our pets.
I, personally, have used biotherapeutic drainage with my toy poodle, Ruffi, who lived to age 16 and my Maltese Ali, who lived to age 17, with no cancer or other chronic disease. In particular, the UNDA numbers for the kidneys, liver, and lymphatics proved very effective.
Intermittent fasting has proven to be very healthy for humans. For our pets, we can improve function by just feeding them twice a day. Don’t give them snacks or let them graze on their food throughout the day. Pets are not designed to eat all day long. Their digestive system needs periods where they can rest and digest. The liver has to have time to process and do its job.
For pets in Dr. Siegel’s world, “the definition of cancer is a deficiency (nutrition), combined with a toxicity, and mitochondrial dysfunction (physical weakness and cognitive decline)”.
The animals that heal best depend on the emotional stability of their owner. Owners whose emotions are full of fear, anger, guilt, and shame appear to have animals that are most challenging to heal. Often the animals exemplify the same emotions as their owners. They are emotions that are repeated throughout people’s lives and need to be identified, felt, and healed (let go).
“Learn something new every day. Each decision we make influences ourselves, our pets, and those around us. We need to embrace and encourage each other to do better.”
By Gilda Rovan, BA, RHN, ROHP, CHCP
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