Your pet is like a canary in a mine shaft.
What they experience is an indication of what you’re being exposed to in your home environment!
I never really thought about this till my “first born fur baby” Bear passed in 2020.
He had just celebrated his 12th birthday and at the time I thought his symptoms were just signs of aging.
His passing was as much a shock to me as it was the patients that got to know him over the years.
Looking back there were parallels between my health issues and his…
… but I really didn’t put it together till my podcasts with Dr. Chris Bessent.
Bear passed of a type of lymphoma that ended up causing fluid to build up in his lungs and putting a strain on his heart.
The vet told us that it’s a common occurrence in Golden Retrievers.
I accepted it and didn’t dive into it deeper.
Right around the time that Bear started to really slow down I had discovered mold in my home in Tacoma.
It was worst in my bedroom and the kitchen.
The two places Bear spent the most time with me.
If you had a chance to meet him, you know he followed me every where.
And his favorite play to lay was right where I could trip over him while I was cooking in the kitchen.
While I was going on a rampage to get the mold out of the home and detox myself I didn’t even think to treat him too.
Looking back, he started biting his feet and pulling at his fur on his feet soon after moving into that house.
At the same time I started to have rashes that covered my entire torso and looked like bruises when they faded.
Some of those bruise looking marks are still present on me to this day!
Dermatologists and even a hematologist / oncologist told me they had no clue what was going on.
The best I could come up with was a stress reaction with a bogged down lymphatic system.
As any naturopathic doctor would do, I started series of lymphatic cleansing, liver and gut detoxes.
No change.
Life happened, the practice got busier and I gave up on it.
Till the mold situation.
Which had me questioning everything about my home and work environments.
4 years passed from moving in the house till Bear died.
All that time I chalked his foot symptoms up to allergies.
What if they were signs of mold?
I can only suspect.
Bear was fed organic dried raw kibble for more than half of his life.
I tried feeding him a raw diet, man that was tough, props to anyone that can do that.
He did have a lot of treats from the local independent pet store.
And he survived my Dad feeding him a McDonald’s burger and a large ice cream cone from DQ – in the same day!
But those were not daily exposures.
His air, water and food, at home and at work…those were constants.
Same goes for all of you.
What didn’t I have controlled for him?
His air!
At least until I found the mold in 2018.
How does mold get in your body?
Spores, in the air!
Not being a Vet, I wasn’t sure if he could tolerate herbs so I never gave him any.
I cringe now thinking of all my education and not at least trying something out on him!
While it’s too late for Bear, it’s not too late for you and your pets.
If your pet has a chronic condition, assess your own health to see if there’s any connections.
Unfortunately, most veterinarians are not well versed in holistic wellness for pets.
The good news is there are many holistic vets, like Dr. Chris Bessent and you can search for one near you using the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association’s Website – HERE.
For those of you from the South Puget Sound area of WA there are two great holistic vets – Balance Veterinary Medicine in Federal Way, WA, Dr. Erika Nelson and PetZen Animal Wellness Center in Gig Harbor, WA.
I recently released a podcast series with Dr. Chris Bessent on the crossover between your health and your pet’s health.
It’s fascinating and with out a doubt will open your eyes to taking the environment that you live in seriously!
Because of Dr. Chris, I’m now giving Bryan, my current fur baby, milk thistle and other herbs to help his liver and kidneys detox all the things he’s exposed to on a daily basis.
If you’re curious about what herbs may be beneficial for your pet, you’re in luck!
Dr. Chris Bessent’s website – HerbSmith, Inc includes an extensive quiz, called Curate the Bowl, where she evaluates each quiz and makes recommendations based on each pet’s symptoms.
It’s not uncommon for clients to ask me what food and herbs to give to their pet.
I felt bad for not really knowing.
Now I have someone with the credentials to support your pets with quality food and herbs.
If you’re looking to level up your pet’s health and nutrition to match your own – check out Dr. Bessent’s Simple Food Project and Medicus Pet Food for those that need a specific diet.
Here’s to your ENTIRE family’s health!
Dr. J
