DOG WATCH
Our Connection to Our Animals is Undeniable
Their lives are interwoven with ours in so many ways: they are our great companions, protectors and teachers, and we count them among our children. They perceive our thoughts and emotions and love us unconditionally. Yet they are even more than that.
Our animals are showing us the toxic environment we live in and the consequences for our health… and theirs… if we don’t pay attention.
The Truth About Our Toxic World
Toxins are in plastics and food packaging, stain resistant flooring and upholstery in our homes, flame retardants in bedding and electronic equipment, volatile organic compounds from paint, glue, and household cleaners, and heavy metals in water, pesticides, food and air.
Read more here, from Dog Fancy Magazine. Is Your Pet Polluted?
Simple Steps Make a Big Difference. Read my article:
Watch Your Dog For a Healthy Home, by Rosemary Levesque
These chemicals, including mercury, one of the most pervasive and deadly toxins, are 2- 20 times higher in dogs than in people.
These toxins are carcinogenic (cancer causing), neurotoxic (cause nerve damage) and cause reproductive and genetic damage, to say the least.
Why Are Dogs So Much More Toxic Than Humans?
- Dogs have a shorter life span. Accumulating in higher amounts from generation to generation, there is a buildup of toxic burden passed on to offspring at higher rates than humans.
- Dogs are in closer proximity to the toxins they encounter every day. They walk barefoot through homes and streets, picking up chemical residues that are directly absorbed through the skin. They also inhale more toxins from furniture and flooring.
- Following guidelines from the majority of veterinarians, dogs tend to be over vaccinated. Many vaccinations contain mercury, a potent neurotoxin, as a preservative.
- Most commercial diets are contaminated with additives, byproducts, fillers, preservatives and grains that add no value and may cause harm to our animals.
- There is no regulation for toxicity of dog toys which may contain lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium and arsenic, as well as phthalates (chemicals used to soften plastic, but interfere with hormones and reproduction, and are linked to birth defects.)
- The chemicals often used to treat or prevent fleas are highly toxic. (Read the label. It says not to get it on YOUR skin. Why would anyone put it on their dog’s skin?)
- Household cleaners and fresheners, pesticides and fertilizers are highly toxic in small amounts to children and to our animals.
According to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Center (2008), “dogs have much higher rates of many kinds of cancer than do people, including 35 times more skin cancer, 4 times more breast tumors, 8 times more bone cancer,
and twice the incidence of leukemia.”
Approximately 50 percent of older dogs die of cancer,
making it the leading cause of death in dogs.
It starts with education and prevention and continues with my support and consultation in times of health challenges you or your dog may be facing.
