Newsletter - May 2012

The News at Home

We had an electrical problem in the house over the weekend. The first hint came when my hand mixer made a loud banging sound and starting smoking, and the second was lights flickering as if each had a mind if its own. Our local electric company ruled out a problem on the outside of the house, and determined that there was a loose wire that was sparking happily inside the power box in the basement.

The "emergency" electricians who claimed to be available 24/7 couldn't tell us if they'd be able to come over or not, so we decided to wait until the morning when our regular electrician would help us out. In the meantime, the temperature was a brisk 17 Celsius (62 F).

My tossing and turning during the night didn't seem to matter to Tori. As you might guess, the crispness in the air simply spurred her on. I was tired, cold and grumpy by 7 a.m. while she played soccer by herself, and barked at me for attention just before jumping on and off the sofa with the boing-boing action one might expect of a happy Jack Russell.

We welcomed the electrician with opened arms while Tori barked and spun around as if she'd been snorting something illicit. At the moment, the house is warm, the lights are on and our super star dog has finally fallen asleep. Not a minute too soon if you ask me.

Digestive Enzymes Bonus!

Our digestive enzymes are usually packed as 60 capsules per bottle, but we received a nice surprise. Our latest delivery includes 72 capsules per bottle, giving us a 20% bonus which we're happy to pass on to you.

Limit of 4 bottles per order while quantities last.

Making The Case for Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes have helped many of the dogs I've worked with. Several of those with gastrointestinal problems, unable to gain much weight, or with sloppy stool have benefited even though blood tests showed no pancreatic problem. Many dogs with arthritis seem to benefit as well. Strange? Maybe not. And maybe it's not a coincidence that I've benefited from digestive enzymes as well. Here's the rational (and a bit of my personal story):

Regardless of the cause, inflammation results from events that generate pro-inflammatory cytokines - proteins that are released from cells within the immune system, and in chronic cases becomes self sustaining. In cases of pancreatitis, inflammation is extreme, focused on one organ, and needs quick medical attention.The diet must be extremely low in fat, low to moderate in protein, and high in carbohydrate in order to allow the pancreas to rest. However, once a dog has been seen by a good veterinarian, and no cause can be found for symptoms such as gas, inconsistent stool, lower energy level, acid reflux, nausea, etc., digestive enzymes are something to consider.

In my personal case of being found to have inflammation throughout the GI tract, especially the duodenum, doctors said no to my suggestion of digestive enzymes. Since tests showed no problem with my pancreas, taking digestive enzymes made no sense to them, but I had my history with dogs to consider. Digestive enzymes helped me tremendously. I used to take 1-2 capsules 15 minutes before a meal, and found that one year later, I rarely needed them at all. The only time my GI tract demands that I take them is before eating spicy or acidic foods.

Ok...but digestive enzymes for arthritis? What's that about?

Current Pharmaceutical Design is a medical journal (peer reviewed) that I look at when I want to make my eyes cross. Nevertheless, it holds some interesting information including the pathology of inflammation in osteoarthritis and involvement of matrix proteinase enzymes. Unfortunately, very little seems to be known about what turns the enzymes on and off, and if the gurus don't know, I don't either. So, I can't explain the details of why digestive enzymes seem to help so many dogs (not all) with arthritis, but neither can I deny what I've seen over the years.

Photo Session Contest Winner

Congratulations Guylaine Charest! YOU and your dog are the incredibly lucky winners of a free photo session with Mariah Hilton of Bunch We Lunch With Photography! Please contact Mariah to schedule your appointment for a session that you'll be telling all your friends about - I can assure you of that!

Monica

How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg - Abraham Lincoln