The focus of my post today is our overuse of chemicals as it affects our pets.
First, they are subjected to chemicals in their food if they are being fed commercial pet food, along with chemicals in their drinking water, and in the air they breathe.
We fertilize the lawn that they walk on, lay on, play on and roll around on. If you live in the city, the air is further poluted with spraying to kill mosquitoes. We apply chemical sprays or powders to their skin to kill fleas and ticks.
In the house, we use chemical cleaners, deodorant sprays, and hair spray to further polute the air they breathe.
Is it any wonder our pets are now being diagnosed with the same illnesses and diseases that we are. We have a choice what we put in our bodies, and to a point can control our exposure to chemicals, at least within our homes. The animals have no say in where they live, the food they eat, or the air they breathe. It's up to us as responsible pet owners to look out for their wellbeing.
17 comments:
Check out this US Carbon Footprint Map, an interactive United States Carbon Footprint Map, illustrating Greenest States to Cities. This site has all sorts of stats on individual State & City energy consumptions, demographics and much more down to your local US City level...
http://www.eredux.com/states/
You are so right about all the chemicals used in dog food, on the lawn, and in the house. We also feed are dogs the BARF diet, which stands for bones and raw food. We mainly feed raw chicken necks, eggs, hamburger. Our dogs used to have hot spots. We don't have those anymore. Before World War Two, dogs were not fed processed food and lived much longer than they do now.
We have 2 papillons, Sophie is 16 and her son, Sonny is 12. We've had them since they were 6 and 2 and started this regime soon after we got them. I'll be back. Ann (lakedawn)
Yeah.. everything now is with chemicals.. :(
eredux,
Thanks for visiting. I wasn't happy to see that Ohio isn't doing too well on this map.
lakedawn,
Thanks for your comments. Interesting how changing their diet can eliminate so many healh problems. I always thought Abby's allergies were genetic because it's common in her breed. It could be that certain breeds just have a weakness that shows up when the diet isn't sufficient. Glad to hear your dog's hot spots were cleared up with a diet change. Thanks for visiting.
Keeyit,
Thanks for stopping by my site. We all could do more to remove chemicals from our environment.
Yeah, a lot of that stuff can be scary. I always freak out when I find Sharpie lying in the bathtub right after I just cleaned it, then she goes and licks herself later. It hasn't made her sick yet, but you just never know what it could be doing to her. :/
Hi Raivyn,
I finally switched to a non-chemical cleaner for my tub because my oldest cat likes to jump in and lol around in it, and licks up the water left after we shower. She'll even sit and wait for us to run some water in it for her if it's dried out. So much for cats hating water! Thanks for visiting.
Chris
tx for this post! i think many assume any dog food sold in stores will be better for dogs than the foods lakedawn commented on (barf diet).
Sonia,
Thanks for visiting my site. Yes, unfortunately, consumers on the whole tend to blindly trust manufacturers too much. We need to read labels, do our own research, and be aware that just because it's on the store shelf, it's not necessarily best for our health or that of our pets.
Chris
Great post! I knew Indiana was bad, but that bad, yikes! We may have to move. At least we practice keeping those unnatural things out of our house and yard. Thanks for sharing the great tips and thoughts. Soooo important.
Woofs, Johann
Hi Johann,
Yes, we're not doing too good in the midwest according to the carbon footprint map. All we can do is keep it out of our personal environment. Glad to hear you've gone natural.
Thanks for visiting again.
Didn't know about Blog Action Day, so I missed it, but I did finally see about the "Thoughtful Blogger" award and responded: http://www.funnytheworld.com/2007/Oct/19.htm
Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words Bev.
Chris
Very interesting blog. Thanks for visiting my blog and your comments
Kiran-travelfury,
Thanks for the kind words and for stopping by.
Chris
Oooh, what a great blog! I have been rawfeeding my Husky for over 2 years. He has food allergies that caused chronic diarrhea and skin problems. On the raw food diet he is SO much better! I will link to you from my blog.
I love to hear success stories, because I feel diet is so important. My dog Abby is much better also; no sign of the skin allergies she's had for the past 5 years. Thanks, and I'll link to yours as well.
Chris
Indeed, the overuse and abuse of chemicals have now invaded even our household pets. Whether we like to admit it or not, many pet owners have become dependent on chemicals to give themselves a sense of false security that by using chemicals they are protecting their pet's welfare.
Little do they know that they have inevitably exposed their pets and themselves to these harmful chemicals.
Being a responsible pet owner will certainly go a long way in safeguarding our pet's health and ours as well.
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