Elaine Waldorf Gewirtz - The Everything Natural Health for Dogs Book: The healthy, affordable way to ensure a long, happy life for your pet

THE
EVERYTHING
NATURAL HEALTH
FOR DOGS
BOOK

Dear Reader,

Our dogs have our hearts and we want to do everything we possibly can to provide them with the best toys, food, bedding, and health care available. Naturally, we think they deserve a quality life and want them to share our lives forever. Helping them live a natural lifestyle is the most important step we can take to achieve that goal.

As an experienced dog lover, I will lead you through the maze of canine holistic health care. In this book, youll find the latest information about all types of natural health maintenance and prevention techniques. Youll learn the basics of nutrition and care, and you can be aware of any changes in your dogs health or behavior and seek treatment at the first signs of trouble. When you know what questions to ask your veterinarian or what remedies you can give your dog yourself, you are in the best position to safeguard his health.

Whats wonderful about providing holistic health care for your dog is the wide range of options that are available to treat a problem. Many of these alternatives have been tested over generations and go a long way toward keeping your dog in tip-top shape for many years to come.

Elaine Waldorf Gewirtz

Welcome to the EVERYTHING Series!

These handy, accessible books give you all you need to tackle a difficult project, gain a new hobby, comprehend a fascinating topic, prepare for an exam, or even brush up on something you learned back in school but have since forgotten.

You can choose to read an Everything book from cover to cover or just pick out the information you want from our four useful boxes: e-questions, e-facts, e-alerts, and e-ssentials. We give you everything you need to know on the subject, but throw in a lot of fun stuff along the way, too.

We now have more than 400 Everything books in print, spanning such wide-ranging categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking, music instruction, foreign language, crafts, pets, New Age, and so much more. When youre done reading them all, you can finally say you know Everything!

PUBLISHER Karen Cooper

DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS AND INNOVATION Paula Munier

MANAGING EDITOR EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing

COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Katrina Schroeder

ASSOCIATE DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Elizabeth Kassab

SENIOR DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Brett Palana-Shanahan

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Hillary Thompson

Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com

The healthy, affordable way to ensure a long,
happy life for your pet

Elaine Waldorf Gewirtz
with Jordan Herod Nuccio, DVM, CVA

Copyright 2009 Simon and Schuster All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions
are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything Series Book.
Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Media, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-59869-991-1
ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-991-3
eISBN: 978-1-60550-714-9

Printed in the United States of America.

J I H G F E D C B A

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available from the publisher.

The EverythingNatural Health for Dogs Book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. In light of the complex, individual, and specific nature of health problems, this book is not intended to replace professional veterinary advice. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions in this book are intended to supplement, not replace, the advice of a trained veterinary professional. Consult your dogs veterinarian before adopting the suggestions in this book, as well as about any condition that may require diagnosis or medial attention. The authors and publisher disclaim any liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of this book.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

Dedication

Kudos to my family, especially to my husband, Steve, and to my children Beth-Jo, Seth, Sameya, and Sara and her husband Ryan, for their understanding when I was too busy to come play. Roses to my mother, father, and sister, Rosalie, Leo, and Beverlee-Jo Waldorf for sharing the wonderful memories of our first dogs, and finally to todays Dalmatians, Bob, Jill, Will, Halle, and Kota, who have their leashes on and are waiting at the door to go for a walk.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to my agent, Kate Epstein, for going the distance for me in a kind and gentle manner, and to my editor, Katrina Schroeder, for her utmost support and patience.

Top Ten Ways to Keep Your Dog
Naturally Healthy

Choose a healthy dog to bring home and begin house training and regular training as soon as he arrives.

Locate a holistic or integrative veterinarian that you feel comfortable with and provide preventive health care by taking your dog to the doctor regularly.

Give your dog plenty of water daily and feed her a natural high-quality diet with fresh, wholesome ingredients, supplements, and vitamins.

Give your dog some exercise every day; exercise should be appropriate for his age and growth stage.

Spay your female dog before her first season to prevent mammary cancer and neuter your male by his first birthday to prevent testicular cancer.

Give the core set of vaccines only to puppies, or comply with the legal requirements of your state; after that use blood tests, called vaccine titers, to determine immunity levels before vaccinating.

Keep your dog free of parasites and your environment clear of toxins.

Ask your veterinarian about using homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, massage, aromatherapy, and herbs when appropriate.

Maintain your dogs oral health.

Learn the early warning signs of illness and seek preventive treatment when necessary.

Introduction

FROM THE TOP of his huggable head to the tip of his furry tail, your dog needs you to keep him healthy. While he has no trouble figuring out creative ways to bring you tulips from the garden or unhinge the trash can lid, theres no way he can live strong without your assistance. You are his cook, chauffeur, barber, nurse, personal trainer, activities director, and pest control specialist. And when you walk through the door with a bagful of new toys, you are his main squeeze.