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Are Antibiotics Making Your Pet Sick?

In March, 1997, I published my last article about antibiotics.

Diarrhea, abdominal pain, severe inflammation of the colon (colitis), irritable bowel syndrome, skin problems, fever, elevated white blood cell count, weak immune system, vomiting, dehydration, potassium deficiencies, allergies, colon perforation, bad breath, excess stomach gas, yeast problems, nutritional deficiencies and constipation are just some of the many side effects and problems linked to antibiotics.

In 1928, when Alexander Glemming discovered antibiotics, everyone was raving at this incredible breakthrough in medicine. However, over the years, this breakthrough which was heralded with curing disease is now creating disease and problems of its own.

Bacteria now has built resistance to many antibiotics. Hence, stronger and stronger antibiotics are needed to do the job and if weaker antibiotics create problems, can you imagine what more powerful antibiotics will do?

It's a vicious circle because ultimately bacteria will build resistance to the new and more powerful antibiotics too!

New forms of bacteria and disease are being created. These new problems are very dangerous and the flesh eating disease is the best example of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Antibiotics literally means against life (anti = against and biotic = life). In a healthy body, there is both good and bad bacteria in the intestinal tract. There should be about 80% good bacteria and about 20% bad bacteria.

When antibiotics are used, both good and bad bacteria are destroyed in the intestinal tract. Once the antibiotics are stopped, the bad bacteria grows back first and faster. The result is a very unhealthy and weak body with no friendly bacteria.

It takes on average 1 year to recover from antibiotics if you are feeding good food and supplementing with friendly bacteria. If the diet you are feeding is bad, then your pet will take even longer to recover and may never fully recover.

The funny thing is that antibiotics relieve symptomatic problems. But after the antibiotics are stopped, the symptoms come back. So what happens now? They give more antibiotics.

What's ironic is that antibiotics are then given to help combat the problems that the antibiotics created in the body.

Antibiotics are definitely over prescribed and over used. Antibiotics for example do nothing for a virus and yet are often administered anyway.

Hopefully soon, common sense will prevail and medical practitioners will realize what is happening. But, it is up to you, the people to put pressures on vets to become more careful about their practice of administering antibiotics.

In fact, encourage your vets to learn the alternatives. Make them aware that there are side effects that can no longer ignored.

Before Antibiotics, What Did People Do?

In World War 1, medics put garlic cloves, which have long been acclaimed for their natural antibiotic properties, in the wounds of soldiers. Some use bee propolis which has natural phagocystosis properties. Phagocystosis is the ability to encourage white blood cells to destroy bacteria.

My uncle, who comes from Slovakia, was telling me that in the old country the villagers would let bread go moldy. They would then apply the moldy bread over a wound to prevent infection. Little did these villagers know but they were making their own penicillin.

There are certainly many other natural antibiotics which have no side effects (except bad breath in garlic's case). In general, natural antibiotics only attack bad bacteria and leave the friendly bacteria alone.

Become aware that although antibiotics have helped save many lives, they are not a cure by any means.

An Important Note

It's important to note that there are situations in which one has no choice but to use antibiotics. I believe it is important though to avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics. One can help avoid needing to use antibiotics by building a healthy body with a strong immune system which has its own natural defense system. Depending on the situation, natural antibiotics can be used but if the situation is advanced then you may have no choice but to use pharmaceutical antibiotics in order to save your pet's life... this is the reality of some situations whether we like it or not.

If antibiotics are needed, then many people will give friendly bacteria such as acidophilus while giving the antibiotics. This is done to help replenish some of the good bacteria as quick as it is killed by the antibiotics. If your pet is ever in the situation in which antibiotics were or are needed, then consider giving friendly bacteria for at least 1 year if not longer. You may also want to consult a holistic vet to learn about other things you can do in order to help reduce or minimize the side effects of antibiotics.

Conclusion

  • The body should have 80% friendly bacteria and about 20% bad bacteria inside the intestinal tract. After the use of antibiotics, the body will have no more than 20% friendly bacteria and 80% bad bacteria if not more.
  • Most illness, disease and problems begin in the intestinal tract. Thus, antibiotics create the potential for serious illness to begin.
  • You may not be giving your pet antibiotics, but if it has ever eaten foods with preservatives, you have been giving your pet what I call 'hidden antibiotics'. The job of preservatives is to control bacteria and once your pet eats food with preservatives, it will ultimately have an effect inside the intestinal tract too and kill the friendly bacteria.
  • You should expect it will take at the very least 1 year to recognize the intestinal tract with friendly bacteria after the use of antibiotics.
  • Re–colonize the intestinal tract with friendly bacteria by using supplements and feeding natural foods.
  • Although antibiotics can cause potential health problems, there are times in which one will have no choice but to use antibiotics in order to save the life of their pet.

More Articles

While I have written any more articles since this one, I do continue to write but instead writing on a specific subject, I do a question and answer section. But before looking at my question and answer section, you might want to read articles written by Dr. Swift, DVM. You will find many articles on numerous topics that might be of interest to you.

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Questions and Answers

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Testimonials

What Others Have Said

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The following are testimonials shown in random order. In addition to reading these testimonials, you may also want to read The Sick Pet Project.

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What A Difference Your Diet Has Made!

2009-03-13

I just wanted to write and tell you what a difference this new diet has made in my dogs' over–all health. I am awe struck and I have only had them on it for about three weeks.

I have two Chihuahuas and a Sharpei mix. My Sharpei (Nelly) had skin problems or allergies, I think due to the dog food I was feeding her. I could run the sweeper three times a day and still have hair everywhere. I was seriously thinking of finding a new home for her. I work two jobs and have teenagers and not enough time to sweep constantly.

That's when I started searching for a new diet for the dogs. I came across this and started it right away. It doesn't really consume anymore of my time and I don't have to sweep everyday anymore! I just can't get over the difference in their coats. They are so shiny and healthy looking. Thank you so much Jesse!

I actually enjoy feeding time for them. They love it. Even the finicky Chihuahua! And another great part about this is that they don't poop near as much as they used to. I know that Nelly would go at least six times a day if not more. I have learned so much from your website. I have read a lot of books about feeding a raw diet and one would say do this and the other one say don't do that and back and forth but none of it worked out for us and none of it was as simple as this is!

I just can't thank you enough.

– Shani

In Just 6 Days

2010-06-10

Here’s our story.

We have 2 rescue Chihuahuas, one is a mix, we believe, with Jack Russell Terrier. His name is Lucky and he is approximately 8 years old. We rescued him 3 years ago. Our other little guy is Chico and he is about 2-3 years old. We rescued him November, 2008 and they said he was 2 but we think he was younger, just looked older and acted older because he was undernourished. We have been feeding NutroMax and Iams dog foods, which we believed were on the better side of commercial grade pet food.

Lucky has lost some teeth and recently developed allergies with wheezing and coughing. The vet gave us 2 medicines for him to give twice a day. On Saturday, May 29, 2010, he came to his breakfast, sniffed the food, shook and shuddered and walked away. I thought that was weird!, but when he gets hungry he will eat. Saturday night he did the same thing and also Sunday morning. By now my husband, Robert, and I are getting a little concerned. Lucky is a little chunky, but not obese, so missing a few meals probably wouldn’t hurt him as long as he was drinking his water, which he was. Well I tried giving him the canned food, which he ate for a couple of meals and then did the same thing as he did with the dry. Sniffed, shuddered and walked away. Well, for a week I tried several things, canned chicken, cut up chicken (sautéed) and then on Friday, June 4, 2010, I started searching the internet for homemade pet food. Praise the Lord! I found your website. I immediately switched both dogs to raw food on Saturday morning. I happened to have thawed a chicken breast, cut it into small pieces and they both chowed down!

Saturday I bought some ground meat, turkey and some beef (lean), and have been feeding them both raw meat mixed with some chopped frozen veggies ever since. The immediate improvement (within 6 days) in both dogs has been just short of miraculous. Lucky is not wheezing and is back to his old bouncy self. He gets the bounce from the Jack Russell side of his family. He hasn’t had his meds since he quit eating because we thought they might have been part of the problem. Chico is more relaxed and not as fearful, which is a strange benefit, but I’m loving it. We believe he was quite abused in his former life and even after being with us for 1-1/2 years still acted fearful. Both their coats are smoother already and their bowel movements are much better, still firm, but not hard. Believe it or not they are even getting along better with each other. I guess just generally feeling better overall.

I am so excited about their new diet, oops, new life style change, and am telling everyone about it and giving them your web site info and a copy of the condensed version of your book.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being there when we needed you.

God bless you and keep up the good work taking care of His creation that give us so much love. And isn’t love the key to everything?

– Hazel

As Far As I Knew — I Did Not Have A Sick Pet

2010-07-18

My story begins a little differently. As far as I knew — I did not have a sick pet.

My dog, who is now 8 years old, was getting gray hair far earlier than I thought was normal — she's had two operations on her back legs due to stretched out ligaments from chasing squirrels, and had the mid life bulge around her mid to back section — but the vets never said anything about her being too heavy at 60 pounds.

I purchased a juicer and wanted more info on juicing and came across the Juicing Book website. As I read further, I saw the pet nutrition link and forgot all about me and was intrigued that there was even a reference to pets on a juicing site.

I had been making my dogs food since the Chinese scare of tainted pet food. What I didn't know then, was while I was looking after her best interest — I was slowly killing her at the same time.

So, long story short, I dove into the whole raw diet for Rudy. I cut her off of all cooked foods starting in either February or March of this year, 2010. She wasn't keen on it and wouldn't eat for several days, no matter what I put in her bowl. I soon discovered that she didn't mind eating meat that was partially frozen. Now, she eats her food enthusiastically, cold or room temp.

Her change in diet did come with some repercussions. She had the most awful gas for a couple of days in the beginning and it about killed us. Jesse informed me that this was her body detoxing and should end shortly — which I'm all too happy to report did.

He suggested that she would benefit from some supplements; especially the digestive enzymes and the Pet GO which supports the organs and glands for a reason I don't remember... but I too have to use digestive enzymes among other supplements, and this made sense to me as well.

About 4 or 5 months into her new eating regiment she started urinating what looked like coffee colored urine. She didn't behave stressed out, still ate her food but it was a pretty disturbing sight. So I took her to the vets and they did an ultra sound and said she had no blockages, and wanted to send me home with antibiotics (which I didn't use); but in the meantime I hit Jesse with an email asking him what his thoughts were. Again, he informed this that this was more likely another sign of detoxification as she was expelling kidney sediment from her kidneys. He never knew that she had bladder problems from an infections as a puppy; but because of the dark urine it was a kidney issue. Sure enough, without any antibiotics or other drugs her urine cleared; she had terrible gas again for a couple of days and every so often it will creep on us again — but we are now familiar with the fact that this is a detox mechanism.

Jesse also explained to us that the flushing of the kidney sediment from the kidneys has helped prevent the forming of kidney stones, which obviously make me happy to know!

By the way, while at the vets office, she weighed 53 pounds (which means she has lost 7 pounds while eating all the food she wants). She looks amazing, her coat is becoming back to normal and her figure looks really good — the middle age spread is gone and she doesn't waddle when she walks.

The picture doesn't do her any justice — but hope that you can see the color of her hair becoming natural again as opposed to gray.

We can't thank Jesse enough for holding our hands thru this process — it will be much easier for the next puppy that we get — but all the information and assistance is beyond words.

— Nancy and Rudy


Rudy