Budweiser does it again!

With Superbowl this weekend, Budweiser has released a new commercial. I am not advocating for this particular product. What stands out is the heartfelt connection (yes, I realize it is a commercial). I say, as lovers of the animals in our care, many of whom have been our greatest teachers, many of us can relate to the connection and bond that is formed. We seek to strengthen this bond and continually strive to improve on our own skills to both learn from, share with, honor, and respect the animal we are in partnership with. Be it, brief moments of time spent via training, or healing (massage/acupuncture/herbs/AC, or whichever services and modalities we offer), or over an extended time for those who walk our life path with us. This commercial touched me.. I recognize the message; that of honor, respect, and heartfelt connection. What did this 1 minute and 13 second "story" evoke in you?? Anything bubble up (besides thinking of beer, football, and food??~joking)??


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2prAccclXs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Heartfelt connection and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr day!!

“Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words.   
Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pause and reflect on these words. They ring exceptionally true in life and for myself with the work that I do. There is such a healing presence in the animal companions I have served. With each experience of me providing "healing" and relief to them, I have found that they, themselves, are my most profound teachers and each experience shares healing with me.

Words indeed cannot fully or comparably describe the heartfelt connection that occurs. Those are the moments that my heart sings and comes more alive.

There is so much wisdom behind much of what Dr. King spoke throughout his life. Many of his speeches and quotes resonate with me and are applicable to life as we experience it today. Both to how we relate to fellow 2-legged's and how we relate to other beings we share this earthly experience with. 

All my food is good for my animal companion, right??

Do you love avocados? Reading this post from Horse and Man started me thinking about what we feed our animal companions that are good for us but seriously and potentially detrimental to their health. Some items that come to mind are grapes, onions, chocolate, macadamia nuts, apricot/cherry/peach pits, walnuts, tomato stems/leaves, walnuts, nightshade plants, soda/alcoholic/carbonated beverages, yeast, just to name a few. What else can you add to this list?
http://horseandman.com/medical/avocados-are-poisonous-to-horses-so-is-the-tree-the-bark-the-leaves-every-part/

Making it "hot" would help!

How many of you have "escape artists?" Here at UDWT our resident Houdini is our young, ornery, and incorrigible Arabian, Leggo My Fuego. In both photos he is on the "not so right" side of the fence. This is a reminder to CHECK THE FENCE LINE! Make sure everything is in order. And, not be complacent (like I obviously was). If you have electric fence, make sure that fence is on and HOT, especially if you have a horse that is sorely in need of a job, inquisitive, and super intelligent.

World of Pets Expo- (take 2)

In addition to our Reiki workshop, Dr. Christina Chambreau, DVM will be giving a great workshop on helping your animal companion live longer (and save some money while you're at it). This is a great opportunity to have her look at your dog (if you bring him/her), or, ask her any questions that you may have about your pet. And, if you're there (whether you attend our workshop, or not) be sure to stop by, visit, and introduce yourself! I will be either at the Animal Reiki Alliance booth or Dr. Christina Chambreau's booth. I'd love to meet you!

Help Your Cats & Dogs Live Longer and Save Money Too
- with Dr. Christina Chambreau

Dr. Chambreau, a veterinarian who lectures around the world, will examine your dogs to demonstrate to everyone how to look for the early warning signs. When you change diet, exercise, treatment methods, emotional support to eliminate these little things (vomiting hairballs, smelling doggy, having tear stains, etc), your companion will benefit by better health for many years. These approaches are environmentally sustainable as well, so you, you animals and the planet all benefit.

This is a one day workshop on Saturday, Jan 26, 2 to 4 pm

Pre-registration is required due to the limited number of available slots. $50 with dog, $30 without dog. Limit of 6 spaces with dog per workshop and 30 spaces without dog.
World of Pets Expo Workshops

www.ChristinaChambreau.com

World Of Pets Expo, January 26-27! Come see us!

A gentle reminder! Come out to the World of Pets Expo January 26th and January 27th. I will be there co-presenting with the Animal Reiki Alliance. And, if you're there (whether you attend our workshop, or not) be sure to stop by, visit, and introduce yourself! I will be either at the Animal Reiki Alliance booth or Dr. Christina Chambreau's booth. I'd love to meet you!

Reiki Healing for Animals
with - Kathleen Lester, Animal Reiki Practitioner & Teacher
Executive Director, Animal Reiki Alliance

and

Inez Donmoyer, Certified Equine, Canine, and Small Animal Massage Therapist & Reiki Master Practitioner, Owner, Unicorn Dreams Wholistic Touch

Reiki is an energy healing holistic therapy that complements traditional veterinary medicine. Come learn how Reiki can support your animal companion, through preventative healing, stress management, healing injury or illness, enhancing the bond between human and animal and easing the transition to death. Bring your animal companion, as a few animals will be selected from the audience to receive a mini session during the workshop. Anyone can learn Reiki, learn how you too can become a Reiki practitioner or learn Reiki to work with your own animal companions.

This workshop will be held on Sunday, Jan 27, from 10am to 12 pm

Pre registration is required. Limited seating. $35 per person.

http://www.worldofpets.org/MDworkshops.shtml

Got mud??

With the unseasonably warm weather.. we've been experiencing a bit of mud at Unicorn Dreams Farm.. of course, we are also in a flood plain, so whenever we have a heavy rain, or thaw, we are guaranteed one thing…. MUD!!!! Something we are hoping to do next year is add some stone and specifically, pea gravel to our "dry" lot, loafing areas,  and in parts of our riding ring (which also doubles as a paddock). Having a place for the horses to go to dry their feet is very important.. equally, having variety of ground texture will help strengthen their hooves.  

While mud in and of itself may not necessarily be a bad thing.. a clean pasture environment with mud for the barefoot horse is preferred over being confined in a stall or small enclosure, especially if the stall/environment is wet with soggy manure and ammonia-soaked bedding.  The key is the "quality" of the mud and do the horses have a place to dry out?  Is it clean? Not mixed with debris and manure? How sanitary is that mud? A mud and manure packed hoof is a breeding ground for bacterial infections.  Some issues include: thrush, white line, abscesses, soft soles and frog sloughing (which can lead to compromise in hoof strength and support structure, making the horse more prone to sole bruising, etc), scratches/greasy heel, etc.

Please check out the following 2 links. One is from Daisy Haven Farm, and the other is from Linda Cowle's website.  Both are FABULOUS and have a variety of articles pertaining to hoofcare and overall equine wellness.

Daisy Haven Farm has a few examples of healthy dry lot enviornments on their website (we LOVE Daisy! They have great articles and case studies. Check them out!).

http://www.daisyhavenfarm.com/hoof-health/environment/dry-lot-examples

Here's a fantastic link on Passive Hoof Conditioning on Linda Cowles' website.  She also has A LOT of articles and I highly recommend spending some time there to check them out.

http://www.healthyhoof.com/articles/passive_hoof_conditioning.htm

Ingredients matter! What's in that dog food?? ((Beneful))

For your dog's sake, please understand what it is you are feeding him/her (the same is said and applied to horses, cats, and other animal companions). Beneful is NOT a quality food. In fact, Dog Food Advisor gives this product its lowest rating, a score of 1. The ingredients alone make the nutrition geek in me cringe and shake my head. Don't fall for the attractive commercial and marketing ploy of this being something to feed your pet.

I've listed some of the ingredients that have me concerned:

Ingredients: Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, soy flour, sugar, propylene glycol, meat and bone meal, animal digest, , dried peas, , added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 2), garlic oil, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity)

Corn, corn gluten meal, wheat flour, rice flour, soy flour, sugar, food coloring are NOT appropriate "food" for a carnivore. Additionally, corn and soy are high GMO crops. Rice has been linked to having high levels of arsenic. Meat and bone meal, animal digest, animal fat are also red flags to me. This points to 4D ingredients. Whenever an animal (meat source) is not named you are opening up a can of worms and a host of potential health issues. These items can be anything and from anywhere including diseased cattle, restaurant grease, euthanized pets, and slaughterhouse waste. Menadione has been linked to liver toxicity and allergies. Learn to read ingredients and discern what they mean. As you may already know I am a proponent of feeding a species appropriate diet (my carnivores are raw fed), if you are not able to go there, understand what the words mean under ingredients and feed the highest quality that you are able. Please be sure to read the linked article.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/dog-owners-blame-beneful-for-their-pets-illness-010813

Healing a healer..... Sushi's story.

Sushi is an elder kitty with compromised health. He recently had surgery for gall bladder blockage and has a damaged liver. Sushi is also a healer. He will often aid his human when she is not feeling well. He will place himself on or around wherever she may be experiencing malaise. One of her concerns is that he will expend his energy to help her and this will drain him and take away from the healing he himself needs to stay well. Last December I was attending a Christmas party his human was hosting at their home. She (the human) informed me that Sushi had not been his usual active, voracious, and happy self and she was concerned (she has a "history" of losing her heart animals around winter solstice). She took me in to where Sushi and her other kitties were "hiding" during the party. I could see that he wasn't feeling well. I offered him Reiki, telling him he could partake, or not, whatever he deemed necessary. As soon as I offered, my Reiki "turned on" and I could feel Sushi soaking up the energy. The next day his human contacted me and informed me that he was doing much better and was back to his happy, bouncy, hungry self.

A couple of weeks later his human contacted me to tell me that Sushi was feeling unwell again and his energy was wrong. He was subdued and not very active, nor was his appetite as it usually was. As soon as she sent me a photo of him my reiki "turned on" again. I offered him distance reiki which he accepted. I explained to his human that there have been rather huge energetic shifts recently and as both a healer and a feline Sushi was likely feeling and tuning into those shift. Again, after the session, his human contacted me to let me know that he was greatly improved and back to his active, ravenous self.

During the session I "asked" him if he would be interested in being attuned. I explained to him that if he is attuned he can pull from universal source and will not need to dip into his own reserves. I am excited to report that both Sushi and his human are interested in having Sushi attuned to Reiki and I will be attuning him within the next couple of weeks.