Prepping for your pets
 

What are you doing to prepare your kitty cats and puppy dogs? Are can foods the best way to go for longevity and the only logical way to go? I've noticed dried food has gone up dramatically in price while can foods have stayed relatively the same when I went to the pet store today.

What are your thoughts?

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

dry food is best as it can stored for long periods of time....... and if possible get your pets WELLNESS Line a that is the best stuff money can buy that is truly wholesome(when the pet food recall happened wellness was one of the only brands not affected because they use a better base for their foods)

but I think the best strategy well being able to get your pet down to situation where they are only eating one meal a day.

If a SHTF went down and weeks into the ordeal people take notice you are still caring for your dog just the same it will be a dead give away you have goodies stocked up.


T

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

Store ketchup. And maybe some marinade.

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

Great stuff, only thing I feed my pups, even munch on it myself.

Woof-woof!

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

Only the best for you Co!

:bull-buddy-icon:

T

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

We use Taste of the Wild Wetlands Formula for our dog. I keep a lot of it around. A person could do a lot worse than eating it if you had too.

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

Do you have a link to a place with the lowest prices? I'm almost certain that PetSmart doesn't carry lines like that. Maybe a farmer's market/health store, but I doubt it.

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

You talking to me? If so we get ours at a pet store since I like to buy local but you can find it here. http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/p...5Fid=1074&Page=


Lord Marley approved! :D

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

Good boy, take care of those pups - You sly dog :wink:

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

Rice and beans.They like em better than dog food now so no problem.

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

Doggy Preps
http://notso.silent-e.com/images/chihuahua_xmas.jpg

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

I feed my cat the frozen raw food from AFS. I buy two cases at a time, which is six months of food. It costs me $.75 per day to feed her.

http://i32.tinypic.com/2nvf2id.jpg

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

I find this an interesting line. In most third world countries I have been in pets are strictly a luxury. In many places a dog will be eaten in a heartbeat. Cats are befriended but never taken in. They are always skinny. But then so are the people.

So here's how I see it. Unless you have dogs for protection and unless you have cats to keep a barn free of rodents, the amount of food required to keep them is really gonna strain your preps in a SHTFS. I live in the country so it's easy for me to feed my cats only the bare minimum, thus keeping them hungry. This forces them to go hunt, which is exactly why I have them (OK, I let them come in when it's cold) Same for my dog. It's not uncommon for him to catch a squirrel, or rabbit. A while back he had a possum (sorry Avalon). So they can probably fend for themselves for quite a while.

Biggest problem I see is PARASITES. Right now it's very easy for me to mail order everything I need to worm my outdoor cats and dogs of worms. But what happens in a SHTFS. If I or my kids get roundworms, pinworms or tapeworms now I just go to the Doc and get it taken care of. It's not a life threatening crisis. But in a SHTFS this may not be the case. Parasites are a leading cause of death in some countries. We are unprepared at the basic level on how to prevent these because of our reliance on modern medicine. The old Biblical laws even forbade contact with cats and dogs due to the diseases/ pests they carried. There's a reason it's legeal to shoot ferrel cats in Wisconsin, just like skunks, they carry disease.

I'm not sure of the answer to all of this but when TSHTF please realize many hard descisions will eventually need to be made. I understand this is a
sh---y scenario but it is valid and should at least be addressed.

s

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

I do the best I can my pooch.... this stuff you recommed really looks good I will order some and get back to you on it.


Thanks for the link


T

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

yeah SB that is really hard..... I hope I have enuff of everything to keep my pets safe.


That is one possiblity I really dont like to dwell on.


T

Your neighbors will appreciate your pet prepping...
 

Here Cuddles... here boy...

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...oast_hire1.jpg

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

My six 8mo BlackLab/Cur pups have never been fed commercial or cooked food. They were weaned directly to fresh, raw minced chicken, veggies, and pork or beef.

After 3 months, the veggies and mincing stopped, and they've been fed bone-in raw chicken, pork and beef since.

They're now fed 1/2 whole chicken every other day, with fresh pork or beef heart in between. They get one meal a day, and are thriving. They have beautiful, glossy coats, sparkling white teeth[very sharp as you can imagine], no fleas, and no vacs. or vets.

It's called Natural Rearing, and there are several Yahoo groups discussing it.

Don

PS: To stay on topic, my nagging worry WTSHTF is how to maintain them. Sometimes I think I should turn them into self-sufficient goats!

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

Since I did not think dry pet food would keep I had been planning sharing with them. They like our food. But that freeze dried product looks like a winner and better for them. They do their duty around here. The dog was just out running off a raccoon. But people hear her too, and she sounds even bigger than she is.

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

I feed my Bengal cat mostly raw Kangaroo or raw veal from a local pet food processor ("Super Pets"). He's also a natural hunter. If TSHTF, I would probably end up letting him fend for himself for food (plenty of mice, birds, etc, nearby; he even eats bugs).

The dogs are another story. They're hunters too, but they have zero experience. I'll have to give that some thought...

BTW, our vet discouraged us from giving cat food to the dogs ("too much protein") -- but based on this thread it seems like raw meat would be OK. I'll have to try that.

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

SB, I used to work in a Veterinary Lab doing parasite checks. They are actually interesting little critters under the microscope. Most don't transfer to humans although it is not impossible. It is a much, much bigger problem in other countries then in the US. [for the record all my possums had extensive parasite checks and never had any]

I was so intrigued by this subject I did my own research on human and animal parasites. The average person in the US already carries a nice little assortment of parasites. They tend to stay in check except under extreme circumstances. That why you see so many in countries with poor diet and sanitation..

That being said there is no need to banish your animals because of parasites. There are lots of pharmaceuticals available at this point. When those are not so easy to obtain Mother Nature provides. There is a tincture of wormwood, cloves and black walnut that is a well respected human and animal wormer. It kills a wide variety of internal critters in human and pets. It is cheap and can be stored for years.

http://www.naturesalternatives.com/herbs/bwxp.html

As far as diseases goes the real concern is rabies. Its a valid concern and rabies could become a problem in a WTSHTF scenario because people are going to abandon their pets. I was vaccinated for Rabies many years ago because I did wildlife rehab. I still have a strong titer against it but most people have to be cautious handling stray animals and certain wildlife. In this area foxes and raccoons are the big carriers although we also had a small outbreak in Ferrel cats and dogs too.

I would suggest everyone make sure their cats and dogs are current on rabies vaccines. If money gets really scarce parvo and distemper shots are available for a few dollars at the farm supply stores and you can vaccinate and worm your animals at home. Also there are homemade heart worm preventives you can make yourself that also clear out almost all intestinal worms.

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

Thanks Avalon, that's better advice than what my knowledge was/is. No I haven't and won't banish my friends, but I do expect them to earn part of their keep and they do. When I moved in here two years ago I had quite the mouse problem. But with hungry cats around and a little mowing(habitat) the problem is gone for now.

As for the parasites, they are very easy to treat right now. However, I still get this queasy felling when I see a tapeworm crawling on my cats butt.. YUKK!!!!... When it gets cold they, along with the dog, have access in and out of the house.

The website address you gave didn't work(http://www.naturesalternatives.com/herbs/bwxp.html) is it right?

I am also interested in the natural cures you mentioned if you have any more info. Fortunately we have little rabbies up here. The last case was a bat and that was quite some time ago.

Thanks

s

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

SB, check the link again.. I changed it
http://www.naturesalternatives.com/herbs/bwxp.html

Tapeworm segments come from fleas. The animal chews on the flea and starts the tapeworm cycle. They look horrendous but are the least dangerous parasite. Its the microscopic ones you don't see that can cause serious problems. The Vet medication for tape worms is expensive and unless the fleas are gone they will come right back.

It is really important to control fleas and ticks. Lymes disease is very high in this area and at some point fleas may be a problem with disease. Im a big believer that humans and animals should both be wormed once a year. :D


Parasites are an interesting and controversial subject. Natural medicine and mainstream medicine don't agree on it. I think the truth lies in the middle.. I will warn you if you go websearching human parasites the info out there will scare you to death. Some of the extreme stuff you see probably is happening in other third world countries and since you travel there you might have concerns.. Here is some good middle of the road info..the way I handle it is my Daughters and I do a total cleanse once a year and leave it at that. I keep my animals on a formula that controls parasites and control fleas and ticks..


Parasitic Infection: Symptoms and Treatment



Hulda Regehr Clark drew world attention to one specific fluke that she maintains is the cause of all diseases. There are in fact over 3000 different parasites that have been loosely grouped into four different categories.

According to the World Health Organization, 3.5 billion people suffer from some type of parasitic infection. Not all of these people live in third world countries; many in the developed world have any number of parasitic infections, some of which are so highly contagious that extremely casual contact with something that has been handled by an infected person can infect another person.

Since there are such a huge variety of parasites and their characteristics vary greatly, it is not possible to generalize too much; however some broad statements are possible. The symptoms of parasitic infection vary enormously, enough that anyone reading the list that follows will quickly assume that he or she harbors some type of parasitic infection. Therefore, it should be stated that the presence of one or more of these symptoms does not lead ipso facto to the conclusion that one is infected, merely that it might be worth investigating the possibility of such an infection.



Symptoms of Parasitic Infection

Acute parasite infection is usually characterized by greater or lesser abdominal distress and diarrhea, often urgent and attended by burning sensations and tremendous fluid loss. Only rarely is there any visible evidence of infection. Moreover, many laboratories fail to detect the presence of parasites even when presented with specimens from infected persons. It is therefore sometimes necessary for the patient to determine whether infection is likely and to self-administer some remedy since allopathic medicine requires a diagnosis before prescriptions can be written.

Once a condition has moved from acute to chronic, there may be alternating periods of constipation and diarrhea, abdominal distention and bloating, intestinal cramping followed by burning sensations and the sudden urge to eliminate. Generally, there is malabsorption of nutrients, especially fatty foods. Irritable bowel syndrome, blood sugar fluctuations, sudden food cravings, and extreme emaciation or overweight are all possible symptoms�but, as stated, not necessarily proof of parasitic infection.

Itching is a possible clue to infection, especially among children; however, the absence of itching does not mean there is no infection. The itching tends to be worst where there is moisture: nose, eyes, ears, and of course the anus. Skin sensitivity is also common: rashes, eczema-like conditions, and even serious eruptions.

Many parasites affect the nervous system and give rise to sleep disorders, such as insomnia. In children, hyperactivity is common, but adults may have symptoms ranging from depression to anxiety. Some parasites affect the brain and memory. In short, the part of the body affected depends on where the parasites have invaded: blood, intestines, liver, pancreas, kidneys, brain, etc. To make infection even more difficult to determine, add to this scenario the fact that many, if not most, parasites migrate so the symptoms could change depending on where the parasites are at any given time.

How Parasite Infections are Contracted

It is extremely easy to contract a parasite infection. Contaminated water is one source of infection. Improperly washed or undercooked food is a common means of infection. Transmission from pets is another. Contact with another infected person is also a common route of infection. Travel can escalate the risks. Antibiotics pose another problem because they interfere with normal intestinal flora, some which tend to control certain types of infection.

Treatment

Since there are many types of parasites, each with its own particular life cycle and pattern, a few generalizations may simplify the rationale behind the different treatment strategies.

First, one needs to understand that the parasite is a creature that depends on a host for survival, ergo its name. It leeches nutrients that the host needs in order to be healthy.

Second, the parasite invades a bodily structure and inflicts damage to that structure so healing requires both the elimination of the parasite and the regeneration or rejuvenation of the affected organs.

One thing at a time. I spent many years in tropical countries and came to realize that experts in parasitology are more likely to hail from such countries than from the big modern medical institutions that tend to underestimate the importance of parasitic infection. Parasites lay eggs, thousands of them each day. According to most investigators, the eggs are destroyed by cloves and/or clove oil. Some eggs may be weakened by hydrochloric acid in the stomach, but parasites are clever and want to survive so they usually lay their eggs where the chances of viability are greater. Therefore, the hydrochloric acid is mainly effective against newly ingested eggs. Since one can never be certain of destroying all the eggs, perseverance has its rewards.

Many parasites hide in the folds of the large intestine or under the membrane lining of the intestines. When the eggs hatch, usually around the time of the full moon, the lining sloughs off and exposes a sensitive area that gives rise to acute pain and often the urge to eliminate. Some people have observed the tissue when it is sloughed off.

Cloves

I want to tell a clove story. I had some cloves in a conventional spice jar. One day when I went to use the cloves, I noticed that the red plastic lid was "melted." It looked just as it might had it been exposed to extreme heat, but the plastic was a bit sticky. I have since discovered that several spices, good quality, fresh spices, have a similar capacity to emulsify plastic. I am certain that it is the volatile oils in the cloves that possess this unique trait.

For parasite cleansing, it is necessary to use fresh cloves that have not been irradiated. Most spices are irradiated with 35,000 the amount of radiation permitted in a chest x-ray. This is ostensibly done to eradicate bacteria, but spices are generally excellent bactericides so the irradiation is merely a way of destroying the precious properties of spices. Non-irradiated spices are available from most high-end health foods stores, and we, of course, carry these spices.

Cloves are among the most antibacterial spices known, but as we all know, a few cloves go a long way. Those with some familiarity with herbal medicine know that clove oil is also used to numb pain due to dental infection; but few know that part of the reason clove oil works so well is that it alleviates the infection. Cloves are antiseptic, bactericidal, and antiparasitic.

The Second Strategy

After addressing the eggs, one can deal with the parasites that managed to hatch. There are various opinions here as to what works. Hulda Clark and Hanna Kroeger used wormwood, Artemisia absinthium, in a powdered form and the green hulls of black walnuts in a tincture. These are traditional Western herbs for parasites, and a recent study at the University of Washington suggests that a different species of wormwood, Artemisia annua, a famed anti-malarial herb that is also in many parasitic formulas, has significant anti-cancer properties as well. It is this artemisia that we use in our formula.

Chinese medicine relies on bitter herbs to stimulate the liver to produce more bile. One theory is that it is the bile that kills intestinal parasites, not the toxic properties of the herbs. It is important to bring this out since wormwood is toxic, not perhaps in small doses, but to gain some idea of its addictive and toxic properties, one need merely look at the absinthe habits of the nineteenth century.

Vermouth gets its name from the German "wermut" or Anglo Saxon "wermod" or wormwood, presumably because absinthe was used as a flavoring in some recipes for this famed aperitif. I feel quite certain that some of the traditions of consuming such beverages stemmed from the monasteries that made the wines and liquors and that also housed the vast libraries of books on botanical medicine. There is a cultural tradition of dealing with some of the risks of parasitic infection that is seen in some of the rituals from the past.

While Artemisia annua is safe, Artemisia absinthium should be used cautiously. It may anesthetize a worm enough that it looses its grip on the intestines so that it can be eliminated. This said, some species of wormwood have other properties that justify their use in antiparasitic protocol. For instance, Artemisia annua, popularly known as Sweet Annie, reduces stomach pain and helps to relieve the anemia that often attends parasitization of red blood cells.

Intestinal Flora, Foods, and Other Measures

For a web page, this has become quite long, but it would be irresponsible to omit some further recommendations. Since parasites thrive in the absence of proper intestinal flora, it is wise to repopulate the body with intestinal flora. Chlorinated water and diarrhea cause destruction and loss of friendly flora so every effort should be made to rebuild the flora. Turmeric greatly assists this work as do supplements of acidophilus, bifidus, bulgaricus, and other friendly organisms.

Use of green juices, aloe juice, and a diet high in greens also helps as does supplemental garlic and asafoetida (in capsules or food.) In addition, one can nibble on pumpkin seeds and eat fresh pineapple and calimyrna figs. Coconut also has antiparasitic properties. According to some sources, sesame oil is somewhat antiparasitic, and black cumin seed, Nigella sativa, has significant anti-parasitic properties. Many recommend drinking sesame oil, a teaspoon or so at a time throughout the day. I personally would add clove oil and/or fennel seed oil to the sesame oil. Fennel seed tea, three cups per day, can be used, especially towards the end of the cleanse. Some authorities believe that fennel intoxicates parasites, making them less protective and easier to annihilate.

Recipe for pumpkin seed, sesame, astragalus nutbutter

In my experience, no one succeeds in ridding the body of parasites in the five days Hulda Clark suggests is possible. I am convinced of this because there are so many hiding places in the body, especially the intestines. I do not deny that one can become significantly better in a short time. I merely doubt that thorough elimination is possible in a short time. I know specialists in India who required four years to complete treatment. This said, somewhere between the miraculous five-day cure and the discouraging four-year one, there might be a middle ground.

Ayurvedic parasite protocols

Realism

When using parasite formulas, I would suggest hitting hard on the days leading up to the full moon and just thereafter and going a bit easier on the last and first quarters of the moon. I would do this consistently for at least three months or until all symptoms disappear. Once the body is rid of parasites, it has to be understood that it needs to recuperate from the insult. Therefore a program of regeneration of the affected organs should follow.

Re: Prepping for your pets
 

I will check out that website....... thanks


T