by Dr. Jean Hofve & Jackson Galaxy
Library of Congress ISSN #1550-0764
Volume 7, No. 3 – May 2009
In this issue:
1. News Bites
2. Swine Flu – What You Should Know
3. Aromatherapy and Pets
1. News Bites
Rabies Vaccination Laws: All 50 states now have rabies vaccine laws that call for rabies vaccines no more than every 3 years, as opposed to every 1 or 2 years as was previously required in some places. Many states also added a medical exemption so that sick animals or those with chronic health issues do not have to be vaccinated. Some states do not require rabies vaccines for cats at all. However, counties and cities may still have different regulations. Check the laws in your area before you have your cat vaccinated; it may not be legally necessary. Immunologically speaking, kittens and puppies receiving their first two rabies vaccines at the appropriate interval are essentially proteced for life; but because it is a public health issue, rabies is the only vaccine that is legislatively required. See Dr. Jean’s extensive article on Vaccination for more information on the risks and benefits of this medical procedure.
Nutro Cat Food Recalled: Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier. (Contrary to what many people think, most pet food recalls involve dry food; one more good reason to avoid dry food for your cat!)
New for 2009 in our Bookstore: Dr. Jean’s updated report on Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD).This is a common problem, especially at this time of year. Find out how to prevent and treat this potentially deadly disease!
2. Swine Flu – What You Should Know
There has been a lot of media-generated panic about “swine flu.” The current virus has less to do with swine and more to do with the penchant of the media to use scare tactics to sell themselves and their advertisers! However, given the conditions in hog “factory farms” these days, if swine flu does take hold, it has an easy route to spread.
For tons of info on swine flu and vaccines, see SwineFlu.Mercola.com.
3. Aromatherapy and Pets
There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the use of aromatherapy with animals, especially smaller pets like cats, birds, and “pocket pets” like gerbils and hamsters. Our friend Russell Louie of Optimum Choices has written a comprehensive paper on the subject, and we are very pleased to be able to reprint it.
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The similarity to humans made horses and dogs ideal test subjects for essential oil research in the early 1900’s. There are more case histories and research done on horses and dogs than any other animal. Because of the resurgence in aromatherapy today, our other domestic animals such as cats, birds, hamsters, gerbils, etc. are now being treated with essential oils, and the volume of case histories is accumulating. One case reported by a veterinarian was a cat found listless, unable to walk or crawl, after the owner applied just one drop of undiluted peppermint oil to the cat’s stomach….(Read more….)