Are Trendy or Traditional Pet Cures and Remedies Safer?
Published December 29, 2011
By Jo Singer
Which pet cures are safer: the "trendy" ones or the "traditional" ones? Which do you use?
But when I recently received a flyer advertising “Joey Green’s Amazing Pet Cures: 1,130 Secret Uses for Your Favorite Products" touting "cure-alls" for many pet ailments, I was quite concerned about their efficiency and safety.
Some of the home remedies and products this flyer suggested were just plain old outrageous to me. For instance, the idea of using KrazyGlue to safely remove ticks is simply crazy. The active ingredient in Super Glue is cyanoacrylate, a material related to cyanide, and requires careful handling as per instructions by the manufacturer. Another tidbit suggesting freshening kitty’s breath using Uncle Bens Whole Grain rice also seemed inappropriate to me. Since a serious underlying medical condition may be causing kitty halitosis, veterinary intervention is called for.
The flyer went on, suggesting feeding Grape Nut Flakes to a pudgy pooch to shed some pounds. At best, the piece of advice sounds...well, flaky. Another outlandish suggestion: if your pup is trekking out into the snow, use Pam cooking spray to prevent snow from sticking to their paw pads. Now I don't know about how your dog or cat would react to the hissing sound of a spray can, but I am sure our cats would be hanging upside down from the ceiling in terror.
If you're really interested in helping Fido lose weight, consult with your vet for a safe exercise program and a sensible weight control diet. And rather than using Pam on your pet's paw pads, try rubbing a little bit of Vaseline onto their tender footsies before going out into the snow.
While these “trendy” products found around our homes may be appealing, products made specifically for pets are by far more effective and safe. What do you think? When it comes to treating your pets, do you stick with pet-specific products, or are you uncovering the 1,000 secret uses of non-pet-specific products? Leave a comment to share your opinions.
Shortly after retiring as a social worker and psychotherapist, I discovered my "writer's voice"…
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Comments (6)
Dear Joey
Since I obviously did not read your book, let me preface my response by saying that I wrote my article based solely on the advertisement, which was highly alarming to me.
Prior to writing my reactions to the "flashy" advertisement for your book, I searched it with a fine tooth comb, but nowhere did I find any disclaimers strongly advising folks to read your book before trying any of these common household products, or to seek veterinary advice to ascertain product safety. Nowhere in the advertisement are directions offered about how to safely use the products in the advertisement. This author is concerned that folks may try using them without knowing exactly how to apply the products, thereby putting their pets at risk.
Just as an example, feeding grape nuts flakes to pets to get rid of bad breath may seem easy and tempting.Cats and dogs are carnivores. They actually do not require carbohydrates in their diet.http://campaignfortruth.com/Eclub/240205/Petfood.htm.
Many commercial pet foods are loaded with grain as fillers which eventually can lead to symptoms of poor health. Since many serious medical conditions are at the root of a pet's bad breath, in this writer's opinion, using this cereal to simply alleviate the symptoms without first finding out the cause, is in my opinion highly irresponsible.
I stick to my guns that the inferences made by the advertisement that by simply using common household products will "keep your pets happy and healthy" lacks the necessary back up to ensure pet safety. Perhaps a revision of the advertisement to include disclaimers suggesting veterinary consultation and reading the book before trying these "home remedies" would be helpful.
Sincerely, Jo Singer
Sorry to Joey but I agree with the autor of this article. I sent for the book and after looking it over I sent it back. Not a good book at all!! There are way to many bad ideas in it. Just not a good book for pets. I am a trained vet tech and know bad when I see it. I showed the book to our vet. She felt the same way. You have your book back.
Dear Jo,
I'm the author of "Joey Green's Amazing Pet Cures" (alerted to your post by Google, and while you are wise to be concerned about your pet's safetey, your post above regarding the safety to the tips in my book is filled with incorrect assumptions. I carefully researched all the tips for safety. If you read my book, rather than relying on an advertisement, you'll learn that using Krazy Glue to remove a tick from a pet's skin is perfectly safe (since I instruct you to put a drop of Krazy Glue on the end of a broom straw, apply to the body of the tick, let dry, and gently pull). Krazy Glue contains Ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate, which produces cyanide gas only upon heating or burning, so your fears for this use are unwarranted. Using brown grain rice to cure bad breath in a pet is recommended by Dr. Cheryl Schwartz, a veterinarian in private practice in Oakland, CA, and quoted in "The Doctor's Book of Home Remedies for Dogs and Cats" (Rodale, 1996). Feeding Post Grape-Nuts Flakes to dogs and cats in recommended by Dr. Charles W. Hickey, a veterinarian in private practice in Richmond, Virginia, in the same book. Spraying a dog or cat's paws with Pam Cooking Spray is similarly recommended in the book "Shoes in the Freezer, Beer in the Flower Bed" by Jan Wilen and Lydia Wilen (Fireside, 1997). And if you read my book, rather than relying solely on an advertising flyer, you'd see that in the book I also recommend using Vaseline Petroleum Jelly for that same purpose—as you suggest. Be careful posting your opinion on a book without reading the book or researching the information you are disputing.
Sincerely,
Joey Green
Mr. Green,
Krazy Glue in any format as a remedy to remove ticks is disturbing information that I would prefer not being put out there in any format!
Research or no research, you have to make sure you know who your audience is. Perhaps you haven't seen what I've seen people do to animals, perhaps you can't even imagine that they would, but I'd rather not put any suggestions out there for irresponsible people to be cruel to animals...intentionally OR UNintentionally.
The purpose of this book is that it serves no purpose....I'm glad that it was brought forth to the public so that people like me can warn others about the harm some of these things can do!
And advise against it....
While you may have researched these methods, it doesn't guarantee that people will read the proper way to use the product causing harm to the animal.
From years in the industry I can tell you that people make some really crazy and often times bad choices for animal care.
It's presumptuous to assume that people would use your methods responsibly and find it counterproductive to offer remedies based on "cost effectiveness" rather than "safe" ways to help your pet.
I plan on purchasing your book and hope that it comes with "warnings" as well! If not, then my assumption would be accurate and I would find this an irresponsible way to help pet owners!
Just my thoughts!
Since animals can not talk and tell you their ailments, I will continue doing what I have always done, call the vet. There have been times that if I had not called the vet, I would have an animal in serious troouble. Since the vet has never done anything I could do at home with a home remedy, and knowing that I do not have the knowledge that the vet has, I will continue to use their services.
Conventional medicine (veterinary medicine) is never a bad idea, but it is also a good idea to have holistic knowledge. Some veterinarians, like human doctors, are medicine motivated. For example over vaccinations of family pets.
I work with vets who use medicine to heal, but not "solve" symptoms. Some vets just throw an antibiotic, for example, at you so that your "bill" which is mostly the office visit is worth the trip. Your pet may really not needed the antibiotic, but often times vets are ruling out symptoms to get to the cause of the problem.
As you would be with your own body, be well informed....ask questions....and don't be afraid to "challenge" or "ask" for an explanation, reason or cause and effect of something the vet suggests. If he/she is offended, select a different vet!