What's Scratchin'?

04/22/2022

04/19/2022

BEFORE TOSSING OUT YOUR EGGSHELLS, YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING FIRST! (which can help heal you and your pets' joints!)

“An egg is known to be a nutritional powerhouse, packed with protein, vitamins and minerals in both its yolk and white, but the membrane that surrounds a developing embryo may possess even more amazing qualities that can benefit health and well-being.” - The Alternative Daily

What is the eggshell membrane?

The most annoying part of the egg when trying to peel it, of course! The rubbery membrane, which can actually be the extremely beneficial according to researchers and their studies!

“A 2009 study published in the Journal of Clinical Interventions in Aging found that a supplement of natural eggshell membrane was effective for reducing knee pain and stiffness related to the condition without causing side effects that are known to result from long-term use of traditional treatments, like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications.” - Livestrong

However this membrane needs to be offered at the raw, uncooked stage and not the boiled stage as heat can destroy the beneficial properties.

“Eggshell membranes contain substances with known benefits to joint health, including glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin and collagen.”- published on the Insider Health, February 2011.

To further stroke this membrane’s ego, according to Dr. Karen Becker:

“Eggshell membrane contains a number of natural substances for today’s pets, including:

• Collagen - A fibrous protein that supports cartilage and connective tissue strength and elasticity.

• Elastin - A protein that supports skin, cardiovascular, cartilage, and spinal health. Elastin gives tissue its elastic tension and ability to resume its shape after stretching.

• Desmosine and isodesmosine - Two little-known amino acids responsible for elastin’s elastic or “rubbery” properties.

• Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) - Includes glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid - vital polysaccharides that are structural components of connective tissue, interstitial fluids and skeletal structure.

• Transforming growth factor-b - A protein that plays a crucial role in cellular differentiation and immune function.”

The tricky part of course is actually peeling the membrane away from the eggshell. Crack the organic egg from your local farmer, use it as normal, and then attempt to peel that white rubbery skin-like membrane away from the eggshell. Then feed it direct to your pet or fire on top of their food!

The peeling may seem tough at first, but with a little bit of practice, you can turn what normally goes into your trash into a super nutritious healing machine for you and your pets.

Rodney Habib Pet Health Media

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

04/17/2022

🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

Three primates suffered frostbite while enduring subfreezing conditions this year at an exotic animal farm operated by a North Carolina county commissioner that has been repeatedly cited by federal inspectors. The latest citations, involving a black and white ruffed lemur, a De Brazza’s monkey...

04/11/2022

THE INVISIBLE SLIMY MONSTER IN THE WATER BOWL

Ever rub your fingers on the inside of your pet's water bowl and you feel a slippery slime of sorts? Well that invisible goo is called Biofilm.

Biofilm is a collection of organic and inorganic, living and dead materials collected on a surface. It is made up of many different types of bacteria bound together in a thick substance that acts as a glue to both hold the bacteria together and adhere it to a surface.

Biofilm can often be good bacteria but there is also the bad!

Biofilms provide a safe haven for organisms like Listeria, E. coli and legionella where they can reproduce to levels where contamination of products passing through that water becomes inevitable.

Bad Biofilms have been found to be involved in a wide variety of microbial infections in the body such as urinary tract infections, middle-ear infections and bladder infections.

Many pet parents are guilty of simply refilling the water bowl over and over without a wash and this becomes a wonderful environment for biofilm to soak around in.

How to reduce Biofilm:

Remember to clean your pet’s water bowl at least once a week if you can and change water daily.

For pet daycares where a host of different bacteria float around in water bowls, wash daily!

For best results, run your water bowls through a hot cycle in the dishwasher with an eco friendly, non-toxic soap to really clean out the biofilm!

Rodney Habib Pet Health Site

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

(P.S. - I am going to get lambasted over the "wash once a week at least" concept. However, after a wonderful discussion with a well known pro-active veterinarian/scientist, when she studied the bacteria looming in pets' water bowls she found if you have a healthy beast, biofilm can actually be full of wonderful, healthy bacteria. It's like playing in the mud as kids and having good bacteria all over you! So sometimes cleaning regularly can wash all the good stuff away. ;) )

04/11/2022

USE CAUTION WHEN CHOOSING A FLEA & TICK PREVENTIVE FOR YOUR PET! ⚠️🐶🐱

Popular flea, tick and Heartworm🦟 products have a history of being associated with reactions in some dogs and cats including seizures, behavioral issues, muscular/balance issues, and even death.

One class of these pesticides Isoxazoline (found in products like Nexgard, Bravecto and others) is so powerfully potent that it starts killing within two hours after administration! 🤯 In fact, it kills 98.7% of fleas within 24 hours! Because of this, Isoxazoline drugs now carry a warning⚠️ on their labels in both the U.S. and Canada.🇺🇸🇨🇦 Even the FDA-U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning statement for veterinarians and pet parents. 👩🏻‍⚕️

If you need to use a chemical preventive, or if you are looking for safer alternatives, you don’t want to miss today’s Inside Scoop Live episode at noon!

We’ll be discussing natural options, how to know if you really need Heartworm preventives year round, and supplement protocols to help support your pet if you have to give these pesticides. 🙌

Today Rodney Habib and Dr. Karen Becker are joined by special a guest co-host, veterinarian Dr. Judy Morgan D.V.M for this flea, tick and Heartworm extravaganza. We’ll also be covering:

🔥Non-chemical, natural prevention and integrative protocols

🔥What to look for and what to avoid when choosing a chemical pest preventative

🔥 Detox and support protocols when you are giving chemical preventives

…plus our Flea, Tick & Heartworm Guide full of DIY recipes, supplements and more! 📖

Join us Sunday at 12pm ET for this Live discussion. Looking forward to seeing you in the comments! 🙌

👉If you haven’t joined our troll free subscription group of 2.0 pet parents and want to learn more, just head over to the Planet Paws page and click the blue "Become a Subscriber” button to join our weekly Livestreams + get access to all the previous episodes to watch at your own pace! https://www.facebook.com/PlanetPawsMedia

04/10/2022

04/03/2022

DOES YOUR PET REALLY NEED BOOSTERS EVERY YEAR? 💉

Spring means annual shots, and soon you’ll be getting that email or postcard📧 from your vet letting you know your dog or cat is due for their annual boosters.

We all want our pets protected from life threatening diseases, but did you know your pet may be carrying enough protection from their puppy and kitten shots to last a lifetime?! (Just like your childhood immunizations).

Your pets may not need to be “boosted” at all, and giving more shots to an already-immunized animal is not only a waste of money, but in worst case scenarios, may cause serious immune issues of all types.

In today’s Inside Scoop episode, immunologist and titer expert Dr. Laurie Larson will be joining us to discuss pet vaccinations and titers, including:

🔥Why it is important to measure antibody titers

🔥How often should you check titers

🔥Puppy and kitten vaccinations: when and what do they really need

Join Rodney Habib and Dr. Karen Becker today at 12pm ET for this Live discussion. Looking forward to seeing you in the comments! 🙌

Dr. Laurie Larson runs the Companion Animal Vaccines and Immuno Diagnostic Service Lab and Titer Service at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and also teaches veterinary immunology.

👉If you haven’t joined our subscription group of 2.0 pet parents and want to learn more, just head over to the About section on the Planet Paws page and click the blue "Become a Subscriber” button to join our weekly Livestreams + Archives! https://www.facebook.com/PlanetPawsMedia/supporters/

03/08/2022

https://www.wral.com/covered-in-blood-unleashed-rottweilers-attack-small-dog-on-local-greenway-trail/20175505/

Two unleashed Rottweilers attacked a woman's small Yorkie-mix while walking along a Greenway trail this weekend.

03/02/2022

No amount of pills, powders or supplements can undo poor diet and lifestyle. 🐾💖

03/01/2022

WHEN YOU EAT IS AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT YOU EAT! ⏰🐾

According to longevity scientists👨🏻‍🔬, these are the two most important factors that dictate life span and health span. If changing what you feed your dog feels overwhelming or isn’t feasible, just start with the timing. Feeding the same calories your dog would normally eat, but only during certain hours of the day.🕔

Just feeding your dog within a specific window of time can reduce the likelihood of some of the most common chronic diseases plaguing our pets’ today! 🐶

We sat down with Dr. Satchin Panda of the Salk Institute and Harvard Medical School's Dr. David Sinclair to discuss the profound health benefits of creating a daily “eating window,”🪟 which follows a dog’s evolutionary feast-and-fast cycle, and the remarkable health benefits that come by instituting this simple longevity strategy, including a reduced risk of cancer🦠, reduced inflammation in the body, improved brain🧠 health, and a longer lifespan!🧬

👉 You can read more about this in our book, The Forever Dog. We devote an entire chapter called “Personalized Meals as Medicine”💊 and provide a blueprint on how to transition your dog to a healthier lifestyle, one step at a time, including how to determine what your dog’s eating window should be based on their body score test.

Available now at www.foreverdog.com

02/28/2022

A recent study debunks yet another misconception about raw pet food 🥩🐶🐱

Read more about the study’s findings and the different types of raw foods in today’s free blog post: https://bit.ly/3teNTmv

02/25/2022

What would happen if you fed your dog🐶 245 cloves of garlic🧄 in a week??

21 years ago an experiment was conducted by Japanese scientists🇯🇵 who wanted to know what would happen if dogs were fed lots of Garlic Extract🧄💦 for 7 days straight.

At the end of the trial, NO dogs died.🙏

In fact, none of the dogs even showed any symptoms, but the scientists found microscopic🔬 changes in some red blood cells🩸, leading to the conclusion that garlic may be toxic☠️ to dogs.

How much garlic extract was fed to these dogs in the study, you ask? Well it would be the equivalent of feeding a 70lb golden retriever🐕 245 cloves of garlic for one week (2.46lbs of raw garlic).

Since then, the ASPCA, American Kennel Club, HSUS and most online pet resources continue to say “garlic is toxic to pets," but garlic is listed as a safe pet food ingredient by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Confused? So are most pet lovers around the world.

Tune in to our Forever Dog Food Myth Busters Facebook live tomorrow at 10am ET on The Forever Dog page.

We cover garlic confusion and many other urban legend food fears in our upcoming book, The Forever Dog, available now for pre-order.

www.ForeverDog.com