Alma Foods: Holistic Pet Care, Discussion 1

I have a pet ferret....yes.....a ferret. Mine is a teensy-tiny runt with a huge personality, tons of energy, and a love of coconut and cantaloupe like no other (it's true, just ask her). About a year ago, my ferret--aptly named Sensai--began to grow a tumor-like ball on her tail and to lose her fur. A few months later, she became a completely naked ferret except for a small amount of fur on her paws and her face. The cluster of cartilage-like cells at the end of her tail was cancer. At first I was in denial because I was so afraid to have to face losing her, a beloved and joyful part of my family!

I switched around her diet often in the beginning as I was trying to find the perfect, healing diet for her. When I first had her in the very, very beginning she ate conventional non-raw, heavily-grain-based formulas with cheap ingredients....the "junk food" stuff. She loved the taste, don't get me wrong, but she was always sleepy and was tired easily. I realized that an animal's diet needs to be pure and clean and healthy just like a human's should be or as the animal would have in the wild. So, I put her on the Archetype 1 & 2 diet by Wysong. I started her out on the non-raw Archetype diet which still had amazing ingredients and a much higher nutrient and antioxidant content than her old food. Once she adjusted, she loved it! Then I began to change my ideas again.....in nature she would not be eating cooked food. Unlike humans who grew alongside the use of fire, she--an obligate carnivore--would be eating raw meat. So, I switched to the raw Archetype diet and stayed on that for most of the year. She loved it but it always bothered me that it was a dehydrated diet. Especially while she was sick I realized her body must have spent a large amount of energy digesting that dehydrated meat and re-hydrating itself to make up for the lack of water in the food. That energy could be going toward healing her body instead of digestion, I realized. So, after a week and countless hours later of researching the ferret's optimal diet (which is live prairie dogs, which, my domesticated ferret will never kill herself nor would I want to see her try!) I found the best option for ferrets who will not/can not kill their own food. This food is called PawPaw Naturaw.

Now, I'm not a paid endorser for PawPaw Naturaw, this is my objective opinion: this is the best dog and cat food available today. And yes, you heard that right: dog food. The PawPaw Naturaw food is basically pure meat, which is what Sensai needs. Ferrets need a high fat content in their diets too so I feed her organic, extra-virgin, cold-pressed hemp, flax, olive, and coconut oils daily. It helps her eyes, skin, coat, brain function, and these high-quality fats supply a lot of energy, minerals, and therapeutic nutrition. This food is frozen meat in either bulk or smaller medallion form. They offer chicken, turkey, elk, bison, beef, and more depending on the nutrient needs of the animals. This holistic, fresh, organic diet is more expensive but these are our animals! The ones who love us unconditionally, who look to us for help and discipline and love and joy and shelter and......food! Personally, I want my pets to be as happy and as healthy as possible; I want them to suffer minimally or none at all and I want them to live a long life. Too many animals now are dying in pain from cataracts, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and other degenerative diseases. Not only does the animal suffer but so do we, the ones who love them and have to see them in pain. The lesson here? Love your pets, treat them well, feed them well, and invest a little more now to save a lot later. Preventative medicine!!! Check out the PawPaw Naturaw website, and tell them my blog website sent you!

http://www.pawnaturaw.com/

So, back to Sensai's illness and recovery. So, Sensai had cancer. And was furless, tired, and losing appetite. I started feeding her PawPaw Naturaw Bison diet and she began to become more energetic and gained a little weight but was still very ill. Now, this next part I do not suggest and am not implying anyone do. If your pet is ill, go to a holistic vet. I took the situation into my hands but again, I do not support at-home medicinal pet care, drug use, or surgery. I used the same methods many farmers use to castrate sheep, goats, and other animals. The process: to cut off blow flow to a particular body part so that it will undergo necrosis, fall off, and new tissue will grow in its place to heal the wound. No blood, no pain. The cancer on the end of her tail died, fell off, and the end of her tail re-grew healthy tissue.

And NOW, a couple months later......she has gained weight, is playing all day, is excited about going outside, climbing, exploring, and learning. AND, she has begun to re-grow her fur!! That's right! A disease that for most animals there is no cure was cured holistically! She has grown so much hair back I expect she'll have a full coat again within the next 2 months, most likely even in much less time. I will keep you updated with pictures of Sensai as she regrows her fur and completes her cancer recovery. Her story I hope can show us all the fighter inside all of us, and the strength and power in love, nutrition, and good food!

The only "before" pictures I could find: