Filed under: Natural Kids | Tags: Babywearing, baby carriers, holistic moms, holistic babies
I went to a really interesting meeting last night with a group called “Holistic Moms” in Livonia. It is a nation-wide organization with chapters across the country. Each month they have guest speakers on various topics of how to raise children more naturally. You may know that I don’t have any children of my own but I thought it would be a good place to connect with people who are interested in the same things I am. By the way, in case you are wondering, there was one dad there last night. There is no discrimination and men are very welcome.
Anyway, the topic last night was on “babywearing” which is the action of having your baby or small child secured to you using a wrap, sling, or baby carrier. Many of us are familiar with the image of people from developing countries “babywearing” because they need to in order to get their day to day tasks done. In the U.S. it is more frowned on with some pediatricians and other child-rearing specialists being adamantly opposed to the concept.
The presentation was really interesting and one of the points that I came away with was that those professionals who are so against babywearing do not have scientific data that shows that there is harm to the child that comes with being that close to one of the parents for a large portion of the day. However, there are lots of scientific studies that show a lack of physical contact between the child and caregivers DOES create some very real developmental issues including attachment disorders and reduced brain development.
Some of the interesting studies that have been done on babywearing show:
- Both parent and child release endorphins when the child is close and this enhances the child’s sense of well-being and immune system.
- Children who are kept close have better brain development.
- Carried children have less emotional stress and cry significantly less.
- Children learn to communicate better because they are an optimum distance of about 12 inches away from the parent’s face as their eyes and brains are developing.
- Using a carrier allows for the caregiver to have hands-free for other activities.
One of the things I enjoyed about the presentation was that it wasn’t a “militant” or opinionated soapbox that you “must” carry your baby for so many minutes throughout the day. It was more about, here is why you might want to carry your baby or small toddler (some of the carriers can hold up to 65 pounds!), and here are some of the pros and cons of various styles of carriers.
There is more information (and a very interesting read) in a book titled “The Vital Touch” by Sharon Heller. The suggestion is that if you are looking for a baby carrier for yourself (or someone you love), go to a natural parenting store or, better yet, see if there is a local “babywearing” group. They often have an assortment of carriers that you can try first so you can figure out which style suits you the best before you make your purchase. Carriers also come in a variety of fabrics and sizes so if both parents want to participate you will likely end up purchasing two.
For more information on the holistic moms organization, you can go to www.holisticmoms.org. Thanks to Karen for the great presentation and to Andrea for leading the meeting. Also, thanks to Tonya for introducing me to Holistic Moms in the first place!
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who believes in finding natural ways to stay healthy for the whole family. You can find more information about Shaklee and Donna’s favorite products at: www.Shaklee.net/DonnaCopeland There is a free membership offer for the month of July so be sure to check that out if you are not already a member.
I have been reading how our bodies process and utilize food and it is fascinating! Each part is designed to do something different and has an impact on how well our bodies are able to do their work. As I was reading “Why Do I Feel This Way” by Christine Gaber, RHN, and Charlene Day, RDC, I was struck by the impact we have on our bodies digestion and how there are things that we do (or don’t do) every day that make it harder on our bodies.
If we think about digestion as the process of breaking down food into particles small enough to enter cells, we can consider how we impact a couple stages along the way. To start with there are numerous digestive enzymes that are very specific in what they are breaking down.
Our teeth are designed to chew our food into a semi-liquid state to mix up the digestive enzymes (of which there are some that are only available in the mouth) with the food for the initial phase of digestion. This is the only step in the digestive process that we have any conscious control over and how many of us don’t exercise that control? If we make it a habit to send down big chunks of unprocessed food we are causing problems for ourselves in the future such as indigestion and leaky gut (it really is called that).
One piece that I found fascinating is how our stomach needs the acid and other juices available to properly break down food. So many pharmaceutical products are out there designed to decrease stomach acid that we are simply creating other problems. One thing is that if there isn’t enough digestive juices and stomach acid available, the food will begin to rot in your stomach. That can create a stinging sensation which feels like heartburn so more antacids are taken. It is ironic how much we do to our bodies in the name of comfort that actually have a completely opposite affect. In this sense, we have control over what we put in our body’s that will affect our stomach acid production. Think twice before you pop an antacid. You may be doing more harm than you think.
The final tidbit I would like to share with you today is regarding stress. I know that I can randomly do a “body check” during the day to find areas where I am clenching muscles and holding tension. One of the most common is my belly (shoulders are right up there too). We live in a state of stress in many cases, rushing from one thing to the next, not taking time to re-charge ourselves, let alone eat a meal thoroughly. When our bodies are under stress they either tend to dump food quickly, without proper processing OR hold onto it until the stress is over so it can properly process the contents of your stomach.
If your life is in danger, your body has more important work to do than process food. The bad thing is, right now, our bodies are given the message every day that our lives are in danger. (In reality we are simply running late to get our daughter to soccer practice.) Consider the stress in your life and how you manage it. Can you take the time to fully chew your food and give your body time to digest it? How many people do you know who are dealing with various digestive disorders? (and those are just the people who have told you, countless others suffer in silence or think how they feel every day is normal)
I have found that “Stomach Soothing Complex” does a nice job with an herbal blend of easing stomach discomfort without working against my body’s natural tendencies. I am working on consuming food more mindfully, especially thorough chewing of each mouth-ful. Pre and probiotics are helpful to restore integrity and health to your digestive tract so that may be something to consider as well.
Make a goal to practice mindful eating at one meal today and see how you feel at the end of it. Feedback is always appreciated.
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who has had her own digestive challenges through the years including a Candida infestation, leaky gut, and a gluten-intolerance. She now seeks to be more thoughtful at meal times and to educate others on simple ways they can improve their body’s functioning. You can find more information on her website at www.Shaklee.net/DonnaCopeland
Filed under: gluten-free | Tags: gluten-free, Gluten-Free Pie Crust, Strawberry Pie
A week ago was my dad’s birthday and I toyed with the idea of making a pie but my day got busy and I decided rather than stress myself over making a pie I would wait. Well the thought of a pie just kept noodling around in my head so by the weekend I knew a pie was in my future and I had settled on strawberry, having never made a strawberry pie before. It just sounded good!
I already knew what piecrust I was going to use based on previous experience, the “Rich Cornmeal Piecrust” from Jacqueline Mallorca’s “The Wheat-Free Cook” I just had to figure out what to do for the filling. I’m not a big fan of gelatin so I skipped all the recipes in my cookbooks that suggested it and instead settled on one of my favorite cookbooks, Betty Crocker (the classic one with the red cover). The main difference was that I was using frozen whole strawberries and she (I always think of the cookbook as one woman’s creation although I know otherwise) is starting with fresh whole strawberries.
I used frozen strawberries because they are reasonably priced and organic. I understand that strawberries are sometime pretty heavily sprayed and I haven’t managed to find an organic strawberry farm (if you know of one…let me know please!). So I started by thawing three bags of frozen, whole, organic strawberries.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
I prepared the crust by combining in the food processor:
- 1/2 cup stoneground cornmeal (if coarse-ground, put in food processor by itself for a minute or two to make less coarse)
- 1 cup sweet white rice flour (I just use whatever white rice flour I have in my fridge)
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sugar (omit if using the piecrust for a pot pie or other savory dish)
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pulse to combine together. Then add:
- 12 Tablespoons butter, cut in small cubes (1 1/2 sticks) – the butter should be cold and just pulled from the fridge, don’t use at room temp!
Pulse until the butter is dispearsed and small lumps are created. Then add:
- 1 large egg
Process briefly to mix then add:
- 1 Tablespoon ice cold water and process
- repeat (or use smaller quantities of water) until there is a ball of dough that barely clings together.
NOTE: Ms. Mallorca makes this recipe sound like it will only take 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of water to make the dough stick together. I find it takes more like 5 or 6 Tablespoons. Go sparingly and see what works for you. My dough still barely sticks together and there are still lots of crumbs when I pour it out of the processor.
Place a couple sheets of plastic wrap on the counter and pour out dough.
Form dough into one solid lump and separate into two equal parts.
Set one part aside.
Place another piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough that is on the counter.
Use your rolling pin on the dough (sandwiched between the plastic wrap) to roll out to the proper size for your pie plate. You might be surprized how well this works. If it gets sticky, put it in the freezer for a few minutes to get cold again. This dough works better if it is cold.
Peel the top layer of plastic wrap off the pastry.
Turn the pastry upside-down on your pie plate.
Peel off the backside of the plastic wrap (set aside to use to roll out the other piece).
Repair the crust and fix the edges (usually no water is required to fix, just mash the pieces together).
Use a fork to poke holes in the crust.
Bake until lightly golden brown. (I’m sorry I didn’t time it becuase I was working on the filling at the same time, I just kept an eye on it. It was probably about 15-20 minutes.)
NOTE: Because this recipe is a single-crust pie, I take the second lump of dough and roll it out like the first one. Instead of putting it in a pie plate, however, I roll it loosely into a tube shape, tuck the plastic wrap ends in, and place it in the freezer so I have an extra pie crust for the next time I have a hankering for a pie.
Strawberry pie filling (by Betty Crocker)
Mash strawberries to equal 1 cup (I used a fork in my Pyrex measuring cup).
In a saucepan, combine:
- 3/4 cup sugar (they said 1 cup, I bet you could use even less)
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
Then add:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup mashed strawberries
Put on medium heat and stir constantly until mixture begins to thicken (mine never bubbled although they said it should) and stir for one minute more after thickening begins.
Allow to cool for about 5 – 10 minutes.
Combine mixture with thawed strawberries then pour into prepared crust.
Put in fridge to finish setting (unless you are eager like me and need to finish the next step and then try a bite before it has finished setting up).
REAL Whipped Cream (skip all the artifical ones and cans that can’t be recycled…do yourself a favor and make it the old-fashioned way, a snap if you have an electric mixer (hand or stand).
Pour one small carton of “real whipping cream” into a bowl (glass or stainless steel).
Add 1 – 2 Tablespoons sweetener (I use organic cane sugar most of the time for this purpose)
Beat until peaks begin to form (five minutes or less).
Either serve on the side or spread across the entire pie (my favorite).
Enjoy your treat! The piecrust in the freezer is earmarked for some of the black raspberries that are in season…something else I have never made!
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who has been gluten-free for close to five years now. She enjoys trying new recipes and sharing tips on living a healthy lifestyle on her blog. To find gluten-free supplements go to: www.Shaklee.net/DonnaCopeland (not all are gluten-free, consult with Donna). If you are looking for a specific gluten-free recipe, feel free to make a request.
While Keith and I were in Tennessee we went to a presentation by Chris Gibson and Vicki Lewis of Green Driving Solutions. There has been a fair bit of media around increasing gas mileage ever since gas prices started creeping up a few years back so we were feeling like we were pretty comfortable with how to increase gas mileage. Well, we were surprised! There was more to learn that we hadn’t heard about so I thought I would share a few tips with you today and let you know where you can go for more information.
Did you know that for approximately every 15 minutes of idling you burn 1/4 gallon of gas???? I had already committed myself to not idle but after hearing that I vowed to skip drive-thrus unless absolutely necessary. The estimate is that 3.8 million gallons of fuel are wasted EVERY DAY by idling. WOW! If you are going to be stopped for more than a minute or two it is better to turn your car off and turn it back on. Modern, fuel injection, vehicles use less gas starting than the vehicles of 30+ years ago. So if you remember your parents telling you it wastes gas to restart your car, that was then, this is now.
Another myth is that you should let your car warm up before you drive it. Not true. Cars today are designed to be started and driven immediately and actually the engine will warm up faster if it is being driven because it is designed to have air moving through it. I heard from a friend who was visiting a European country that they had a law against idling and you would get a ticket if you were found idling your car while scrapping snow from your windows (or for any other reason). I don’t see that law passing in the U.S. of A., but it would be good if we could all be a lot more conscious of our idling habits and decrease them.
One thing you may not know is how “emissions” happen. When the engine is running, gasoline gets squirted into it and it burns the gasoline to create energy. The unburned gasoline goes out the tailpipe as an emission. (Pretty simplistic view of an engine and how it works but I hope it makes sense.) Anyway, if spark plugs aren’t working properly to make a spark then the gas won’t burn or if too much gas is in the engine (because someone put their “pedal to the metal”) it will produce more emissions.
Studies have also repeatedly shown that there is a driving “zone” that gives a person the best gas mileage. It may vary from car to car but I have heard that it runs between 45 and 60 miles per hour. You probably recognize that this is lower than most state’s maximum speed limit. Does anyone else out there remember when the speed limit was 55? That was done in response to the oil crisis of the 1970’s when the nation was trying to decrease our oil consumption.
So watch how heavy your foot is this holiday weekend and don’t peel out of your in-law’s driveway just because you are eager to get home. Accelerate slowly and when you stop for a meal on your drive home, park the car and walk in to the restaurant, you could use the stretching and exercise anyway.
You can find more information and purchase the Green Driving Solutions DVD (90 minutes packed full of information for only $24.95) at www.GreenDrivingSolutions.com. If you are in the Ann Arbor area you can get the DVD at Quest Martial Arts 734-332-1800.
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor with a passion of helping the people and planet to be healthier. She loves using Shaklee’s Basic H2 for cleaning the car (although it doesn’t get cleaned as often as it should) and the H2 Wipes are very handy for wiping down the inside of the car and recyclable when you are done with them. Find more information at www.Shaklee.net/DonnaCopeland/GetClean
Filed under: supplements
By now you have probably heard that the oil in fish, especially deep water fish, like Salmon, is very good for you. There is, however, a very unhealthy side to fish consumption which is the contamination levels of heavy metals and other toxins that are in the fish. We humans have only ourselves to blame as all the other creatures of the world are innocent in the heavy-duty pollution that has taken place in the last couple centuries.
Back to Omega 3’s…it seems a little counter-intuitive that oils are actually good for so many parts of our bodies. Here are a few:
- Joints-Omega 3’s have an anti-inflammatory effect which makes them a wonderful and healthy addition for anyone dealing with arthritis or other joint issues. I give them to my dog and cat every day to help them stay healthy and moving well.
- Heart/Cardiovascular-including but not limited to: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, irregular heart beat, blood clots, atherosclerosis, etc. Omega 3’s have been clinically-proven to reduce the occurrence of coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and more.
- Brain/Mental Health-including but not limited to: dementia, anxiety and depression, mood swings, learning and behavioral disorders, etc. DHA, one of the elements of OmegaGuard is essential to brain health.
- Diabetes
- Digestive-i.e. IBS, Crohns, Colitis, etc. The anti-inflammatory effect is likely what is so helpful here with these conditions.
- Skin/Hair-A friend of mine has found that increasing the Omega 3’s in her diet helps her complexion to stay more clear. Our cat and dog have healthier skin and fur when they are consistently taking their Omega 3’s (the dog gets the capsule just dropped in her food, the cat’s capsule gets opened up and dribbled over his food which he adores licking up).
- Pre-natal-Studies have shown that woman who supplement with DHA (one of the Omega 3’s) have smarter babies with better brain development. Wow!
So now that we have established why Omega 3’s are so good for us, let’s look at considerations in how to get Omega 3’s into our diet. The single biggest consideration is what I mentioned at the beginning, contamination of the best sources of Omega 3’s: fish.
Shaklee Corporation has been manufacturing their Omega-3 Complex for decades, long before the media recognized the benefits of Omega 3’s. The fish oil is distilled THREE TIMES and then tested for heavy metals and other contamination. If any trace contamination is found that batch is not used. The standard is incredibly strict and is equated to looking for a grain of sand in an Olympic-size swimming pool.
I, for one, don’t much care for the flavor of fish. As a vegetarian it was simple for me to also toss fish out with the rest of the meat because I don’t like it. After reading up on all the good things that Omega 3’s do for me I decided to take the Omega 3 supplement because I feel the HUGE benefits outweigh my vegetarian considerations. Plus, I don’t have to taste the fish!
One little tip, I take the Omega 3’s (the red capsules in Vitalizer) just before bed because sometimes during the day there can be a little burping of fish flavor and I never notice it when I take them at bedtime. I think I am probably losing a little absorption because they aren’t being taken with a meal, but I am willing to do that because I don’t want to chance tasting fish.
Know that not all companies (I would hazard to say very few) take such pains to make sure their Omega 3 supplements are that pure. So think twice before you grab the cheapest Omega 3 supplement on the drugstore shelf. You can do a lot of damage to your body with those heavy metals and other toxins. Plus, once we ingest heavy metals, they don’t leave our bodies naturally.
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who has been enjoying her own healthy skin and coat as a result of taking Omega 3’s regularly. You can find more information at: http://www.shaklee.net/DonnaCopelandThe name of the supplement is OmegaGuard or it is included in the Vitalizer daily strip as well.
Seventy-eight years ago today, Charles Edward Sink was born. He was the first child and only son of Joseph and Geneva (Klarer) Sink. Thirty-three years later he became Janet’s husband. Forty years after his birth he became my dad. Only a few weeks before his seventy-seventh birthday, he died. He had said in the months leading up to his death that it would have been nice to live to eighty. So here I sit, just a little over a year after his death, pondering how to celebrate his birthday.
A wise woman once told me that “birthdays are an opportunity to celebrate the uniqueness and specialness of that person.” While I am grieving I find that birthdays feel emotionally mixed because I want to honor the person but I also feel the ache of missing their physical presence such that going through some of the same traditions may feel too painful. Some other holidays may be even worse, depending on family traditions.
I picked up a book titled “Empty Chair” several years ago and found it to be very helpful as I grieved in the first couple years after Lee and Madison died. The book is mainly about handling special occasions, times when you really notice the “empty chair” at the table. I’ll share a couple key tips that I found most helpful.
- Follow your heart. It is really important to be in touch with yourself and your own feelings so you can take care of yourself. This is true of the big picture (for example, an extended holiday season as you plan ahead) and also the smaller picture, such as, “How am I feeling in this moment, what do I need to do to take care of me?”
- Make all of your plans flexible. If you think being at home for a special day might be too much and you decide to accept an invitation to go to a friend’s home, let them know in advance that if it is too much for you will they have a problem if you leave. If they will, accept a different invitation or make other plans. Allow yourself to be flexible in each moment. You may surprise yourself and feel better than you expected and thus be “up for more” but the reverse could also be true and you don’t want to put yourself under that kind of stress to keep a happy face on when that is the very last thing you are feeling.
- Don’t strand yourself. Along the same lines as “make your plans flexible” you want to make sure you have the ability to leave when you want to. So maybe don’t buy a non-refundable ticket to Jamaica for a holiday only to discover once you are there you can only imagine being at home.
- Make room for new traditions. Many grieving people find great comfort in creating a new tradition or two that really honor the person who passsed. It could be anything to setting aside some time to share memories or donating to that person’s favorite charity. Be creative and think of what makes sense for you.
- Allow traditions to change from year to year. The first few years of grieving all feel different, especially for a significant loss. Just because you ate Thanksgiving Dinner at Aunt Nancy’s last year doesn’t mean you need to do the same this year.
- Try not to tie yourself to the role of host/hostess. If you are hosting an event it is practically impossible to leave in the middle to take care of yourself. Think twice before committing to any hosting, most especially a major event. You may have already discovered as a grieving person that sometimes there is nothing more you want than being alone so try to work your plans so you can have that time if you want/need it on that day.
So today, on my dad’s seventy-eighth birthday, I am going to pick black raspberries (a special treat I used to bring him on his birthday for the last few years) and I am contemplating making a banana cream pie (his favorite birthday treat) but I haven’t decided on that yet. We will have Mexican food for dinner with refried beans, corn tortillas, and spicy salsa, one of Dad’s favorite meals. I purposely left my schedule flexible today (and yesterday too) so I can take time to myself and flow with the day. Feel free to join me in honoring a man who touched so many lives in his family and local community.
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who lost her father to cancer in June 2008. She has shared other grief tips on this blog as well as her specialties of gluten-free, green, and healthy living tips. Thank you for sharing this journey with her. For more information on Shaklee, go to: www.Shaklee.net/DonnaCopeland
Filed under: Green Living | Tags: Natural tick prevention, natural tick removal, ticks and pets
One of my favorite parts of my morning ritual is taking a brisk walk. I really love getting outside and being nourished by the sight of the sunrise, the trees, hearing the birds singing…all of it. So on my first day in Tennessee I hopped out of bed and went for one of my favorite walks, from our house to the top of the hill overlooking the family cemetery. Upon my return I realized I needed to add another piece to my morning ritual called “tick removal”. Ugh! I stopped counting after five. Thankfully none of them had imbedded yet but they just gross me out.
I must say after being here a few days and picking ticks off regularly they gross me out less and less, even when they are imbedded. We tried a new “tick repellant” for dogs this trip to see if it helped since Keith and I are committed to not putting poisons on Jewel any more. So here are my “Tick Tricks” that I have picked up over my years in Tennessee:
Get a “Tick Twister”. I found it on-line when I googled natural tick prevention or something like that and later discovered them at a pet supply store (Petco or PetSmart, I know that Pet Supplies Plus does NOT carry them). They are about five dollars for two twisters and they are the world’s best invention when it comes to removing ticks. They are shaped like the claw part of a hammer but a lot smaller. You slide the tick’s body through the open end (ticks go in head first so you just lever them up a bit so they are perpendicular to your skin) and then maintaining the position of the tick, rotate the tick twister in a circular direction doing several full turns until it disengages. The beautiful part is that there are not parts left in side of you to give you an infection and you are not squeezing on the tick to get it to pull out. They are really strong and have amazing grips!
We tried Sentry’s “Natural Defense” Natural Flea and Tick Squeeze On for Dogs and Puppies” which is made with peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, lemon grass oil, clove oil, and thyme oil. You squeeze it directly on the skin all the way down the spine from shoulder blades to base of the tail. It leaves their hair a bit greasy for a couple days and it was a slightly unpleasant odor having that combination of all those herbs. After a week I must say I have no idea if it helped or not. We still picked off an average of one to two ticks per day. I think the biggest contributing factor was where we allowed her to walk with leads me to my next “tick trick”.
Keep your grass mowed and leaves raked if you live in a “ticky” area. Ticks love to hang out in tall grass (as do chiggers) and piles of dead leaves. Jewel and I love to go tromping “off-road” as I call it when we run through the woods on the Tennessee property but we don’t do that during tick season (which is roughly April – October).
We have heard it said that sulfur can be used on humans as a tick repellant but don’t use it on your furry friends. It can be poisonous to them. A friend of mine just told me yesterday that after treating a dog of hers twice with a sulfur-based treatment for mange the dog died and she believes it is from the sulfur. You can sprinkle it in the yard if you know you have a tick-infested area too although it is pretty expensive and it turns the soil more acidic (good for blueberries) so you may want to investigate more before you use that. I don’t think I would use it if my dog my consume it in the yard but in Tennessee Jewel is always on a leash so we don’t need to worry about her eating something she isn’t supposed to. By the way, if you use the sulfur on yourself you will need to put it in a lotion or powder to apply to your ankles since it won’t stay on by itself.
One final tip is to “feed the birds”. Birds, and especially chickens love to eat ticks. We aren’t in Tennessee long enough at one time to keep chickens but I believe we will begin filling birdfeeders on our next trip and keep them stocked to see if we can attract birds to our home and have their support in reducing the tick population naturally.
Those are my “Tick Tricks” that I have picked up over these past years in Tennessee. I will admit to shrieking like a little girl and dancing in the tub with my arms flailing around my head when I discovered my first tick on the top of my ear a few years ago (yes, I was in the shower and I was in Michigan!). I am proud to say I have matured a bit but I do believe the words “get it off of me!” came out of my mouth just a few days ago. Ticks and I will never be bosom buddies but I do recognize their place in the ecosystem and I pray for a long, hard winter to reduce their numbers. One more downside to global warming!
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who doesn’t believe in using poisons on the earth that will cause greater harm than what it is supposed to be fixing. She shares her knowledge here on this blog on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For more information on her Shaklee business, one of the most integrity-filled green companies around, go to: www.Shaklee.net/DonnaCopeland
I am often surprised that there are still dog owners out there who don’t realize that chocolate is poisonous to their friend. So allow me to add a few others you may not realize could be life-threatening to your favorite furry friend.
Onions, grapes/raisins, chocolate, avocados: These are all poisonous to dogs. On avocadoes it is the skin and pit. The pits on many fruits are poisonous to both humans and animals so make sure you compost them and keep the compost bin inaccessible to your furry friends (ours is outside out gate, my sister Elaine put fencing around hers to keep her dogs out).
By the way, if your dog does ingest one of the above (and quantity that may harm depends on the size of your dog and how much they ingest) you can make them vomit it up (if it hasn’t been too long…check with your veterinarian or local animal emergency clinic to decide). Pour peroxide down their throat (yep, it is as fun as it sounds) and it will foam and make them vomit. You may need to repeat a few times to get all of the material out of their tummies. I guarantee this won’t be fun for either of you and you may want to do this on a floor that is easily cleanable. We have had the pleasure of doing this three times for Jewel.
Time #1: Jewel was probably a couple years old and Keith brought home these great, huge, fudgey brownies to share with me. We got distracted by something and Jewel snatched them off the table. When we discovered it we called animal emergency (of course she did this after 10 PM, our animals have a knack for having emergencies when we are thinking about going to bed). Animal emergency told us about the peroxide and how to do it. After two rounds we felt we had gotten the chocolate out of her.
Time #2: Fast forward a few years and I had made some lovely brownies with mints in some and Reese’s Cups in others. I wrapped a couple samples in plastic wrap to share with my sisters and set them on top of the microwave (about 4 feet off the floor). I went into the other room to the garbage (Jewel and Fari both are not above trash picking…they must be their Grandpa Sink’s genes…and we keep the garbage behind a secured door.) and when I returned about 10 seconds later Jewel looked guilty.
I looked around to see what she had done and discovered the missing brownies. After a round or two of peroxide we got two still-wrapped packages of brownies. Keith declined my offer to sample the warm, chocolate goodness.
Time #3: A couple years ago we were having a birthday party for my step-daughter, Alyssa. I had baked an organic chocolate cake which was awaiting frosting in the microwave (that is our favorite dog-free storage container because she hasn’t figured out how to open it). I had gone into Quest when I got a frantic call from Alyssa saying that she had pulled the cake out to use the microwave and forgot to put it back in. Jewel had eaten the entire cake.
We got out the peroxide only to discover that I only had about a half bottle in the house. We used that and I ran to the drugstore for more (always keep a couple bottles on hand…it doesn’t go bad). After using the better part of another bottle, Jewel still hadn’t vomited (although Alyssa and I had peroxide all over us!). I concluded that she had figured out how to use her tongue to keep from swallowing the peroxide. We ended up taking her to the animal emergency clinic where they put a pill under the lid of her eye that induced vomiting. Amazing! Alyssa got a store-bought cake that year (vanilla) and the rest of her party went off without a hitch.
We keep any chocolate in the house out of reach of Jewel. Even my baking cocoa is kept in the refrigerator. Our snacking chocolate (because of all those good antioxidants) is kept in the freezer (we eat smaller portions when it is frozen too!) and baked goods are kept in the microwave or we wrap them into individual portions and freeze them.
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributer and lover of furry friends. Her dog, Jewel, takes Shaklee’s Joint Health Complex and OmegaGuard (Omega 3 Fatty Acids). Her cat, Fari, takes the same however he enjoys his OmegaGuard opened so he can lick up the yummy oils. Find out more at http://www.Shaklee.net/DonnaCopeland
Filed under: Green Living
Fari (“So Far” is his legal name) showed up outside our bedroom doorwall on my birthday in 1997. I immediately knew that he was a birthday gift for me. Keith was not so convinced although Fari quickly worked his way into Keith’s heart and they are the best of buddies now. Fari’s antics and play brought a whole new level of fun into our home. One thing he liked to do was jump in the bathtub and drink out of the last few drips coming out of the faucet. One day I noticed him jumping out of the tub and onto the bathroom floor where he proceeded to lick himself. I had the instantaneous realization that I had cleaned the tub only about 30 minutes before and while I had rinsed it well, there was bound to be some residue on the tub and know being ingested by my friend.
Talk about a wake up call! I had already dabbled in green cleaners and bought a bottle of Shaklee’s Basic H whenever I came across someone selling it but I typically used what was convenient and cheap. No more! I wouldn’t be party to poisoning my friend. This solidified the green road for me.
Do you remember when the pet food industry became exposed for their poor quality control that resulted in the deaths of animals a couple years ago? I know a few people who switched to making their own food at that time and I seriously considered it but I couldn’t find a “cookbook” that I felt completely comfortable with their information. For example, one cookbook looked like they really had great information on supplementation for your dog but a couple of their recipes contained raisins (which are poisonous to dogs, as are grapes). So I didn’t feel I could trust the rest of their information if they had that simple piece wrong. It was just a different type of poisoning so that wasn’t the route for me.
Keith and I switched to pet food companies that only produce their food in the United States since it is held to a higher standard (ask your vet or the local pet supply store person to help you figure it out). A discussion about what food products to avoid for maximum health of your animals is a whole other blog. Today I want to focus on actual poisonings and concerns in and around your home.
Peruse the list and see if any of these are in your home and in the coming week I will share details on what is harmful and how you can avoid the affects with safer alternatives:
- Swifter spray mops
- Butyl Cellosolve
- Bleach
- Odor eliminators/air fresheners
- Ant traps and sprays
- Mice and rat poisons
- Pest control services
- Garden fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides
- Flea and Tick topical prevention treatments
- Onions, grapes/raisins, chocolate, avocados
- Plants (indoor and outdoor)
I am guilty of using pretty much every product I listed here at some point or another in my life, many in the last five years. We are all on our own path and we need to decide for ourselves when the time is to make the change. Often we simply don’t realize the harm we are subjecting ourselves or our loved ones to by the daily choices we make. That is why I started this blog in the first place…to share the information I have been learning so you can make your own, more informed choices to keep you and your family safer and healthier. I’m not an expert, I am on the same path that you are and I know that by this time next year I will know more and be making different choices than I am right now.
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who sees her cat and dog like members of the family. They take Shaklee supplements and enjoy the home being cleaned with non-toxic products. Your pets can too if you go to: www.Shaklee.net/DonnaCopeland
