10/11/2021 Empower Hour! Member Q&A
How Can I Tell If My Cat Has a Skin Problem?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman
The most common symptom is an itchy pet, but if they’re not itching and they have the three S’s: skin sores, shedding, or smelling and those are all clues that your pet has a problem that’s focused on the skin.
Skin sores usually come with itching, scratching, and can be called hot spots which are sores that pop up out of the blue. Shedding, excessive shedding you will be able to see and bad odor from the coat – you can smell.
The fixes I would recommend are daily brushing, if you’re not doing it already because that will stimulate the skin to moisturize and help with the shedding of the hair. Aloe vera topically, if there are any skin sores. Aloe Vera is wonderful for that. If there’s an instance of dry skin like flaking, itching from dry skin, the most common experience is after fleas but there are many causes. I would add a humidifier to make sure the humidity in the house is about 50 percent and supplement one from RX Vitamins called Ultra EFA that is great for skin problems.
Hi, I’m Jeff Feinman holistic veterinarian from HolisticActions! Here to answer your pet questions, thanks for coming, bye!
Suggested Treatments:
- aloe
- brushing
- humidification
- Ultra EFA
Related Symptoms:
- skin sores
- shedding
- smelling
DISCLAIMER: Holistic Actions! does not provide advice on certified medical treatments. Content is intended for informational purposes only and to equip you with the tools needed for Holistic Medical Decision Making (HMDM). It is not a substitute for clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Never use content found on the Holistic Actions! website as the basis for ignoring advice from your veterinarian to seek treatment. If you think you may have a veterinary emergency, please call your vet or an animal hospital immediately.
Dr. Jeff
Jeffrey Feinman, BA, VMD, CVH, graduated in 1985 from the University of Pennsylvania and was Penn’s first veterinary dual-degree University Scholar, holding both molecular biology and veterinary degrees. He is the founder of HolisticActions.com and dedicated to pet parent empowerment.
Dr. Jeff is devoted to researching about how to harness the innate power of the individual using Vitality and Balance. He and his wonderful wife Amy live with Archie, a rescue pup, and a Rex cat named Tigger.
What Are The Symptoms of Pregnancy in Cats?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman
Cats cycle frequently so they are prone to getting pregnant if you don’t spay or neuter them so knowing what symptoms to look for are important. The most frequent symptom is actually related back to cycling which happens every two weeks. The first symptom that you see may be that she’s stopped cycling. When she gets pregnant she will stop cycling. Another symptom that is an early symptom is the nipples start pinking up, getting a little pink and a little swollen. Another symptom is she starts eating more because she’s eating for herself and the babies.
During that time, it’s really important to be treating her with the best fresh food nutrition that you can get her to eat. Another treatment that is really important when a kitty is pregnant is minimizing stress. So try not to let her get too freaked out, things going on in the environment, trying to minimize treatments, other drugs.
The last treatment I would say is not really a treatment but getting an area set up and ready for her to have her babies. To offer to use the whelping box, have the whelping box to have the babies, cats don’t often comply with that but one treatment would definitely be to get ready for the cleaning you’ll expect a couple months after she gets pregnant.
Hi, I’m Jeff Feinman, holistic veterinarian here in Western Connecticut and I’m answering pet parent questions for HolisticActions! and thank you for joining me!
Suggested Treatments:
- great nutrition
- minimizing stressors, and getting the space prepared
- heating lamps
Related Symptoms:
- estrus cycles stop
- pinking up/nipples swelling
- weight gain
- increased appetite
- clinginess
DISCLAIMER: Holistic Actions! does not provide advice on certified medical treatments. Content is intended for informational purposes only and to equip you with the tools needed for Holistic Medical Decision Making (HMDM). It is not a substitute for clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Never use content found on the Holistic Actions! website as the basis for ignoring advice from your veterinarian to seek treatment. If you think you may have a veterinary emergency, please call your vet or an animal hospital immediately.
Dr. Jeff
Jeffrey Feinman, BA, VMD, CVH, graduated in 1985 from the University of Pennsylvania and was Penn’s first veterinary dual-degree University Scholar, holding both molecular biology and veterinary degrees. He is the founder of HolisticActions.com and dedicated to pet parent empowerment.
Dr. Jeff is devoted to researching about how to harness the innate power of the individual using Vitality and Balance. He and his wonderful wife Amy live with Archie, a rescue pup, and a Rex cat named Tigger.
10/04/2021 Empower Hour! Cushing’s & Addison’s Disease
Can I use essential oils around my pets?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman
The real quick answer is yes. How you use them and especially if you use them on yourself or your pets, the source and quality of the essential oil is very very important. I do recommend the AnimalEO.com oils. Dr. Shelton does a great job at sourcing her oil. Another good oil blend for calming is an essential oil blend called Pet Remedy and you’ll get a lot of sources from around the world. It goes into their diffuser to help calm pets. But in general, to go back to the question about using strong odors or essential oils around your pet. The best strategy is to upgrade your pet’s diet to improve their balance and their ability to withstand any external influences. Strong odor can be a stressor to the body and by upgrading the diet you build the resilience of your pet and decrease the chance of any problem.
Hi, I’m Jeff Feinman, HolisticAction veterinarian from HolisticActions.com. Here to answer any of your pet questions. So thank you and talk to you soon!
Related Symptoms:
- Anxiety
- Fleas/ticks
- Aggression
Suggested Treatments:
- Pet Remedy oil diffuser and Calm-A-Mile
- Evict and Away from www.animaleo
- Boost in a Bottle
DISCLAIMER: Holistic Actions! does not provide advice on certified medical treatments. Content is intended for informational purposes only and to equip you with the tools needed for Holistic Medical Decision Making (HMDM). It is not a substitute for clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Never use content found on the Holistic Actions! website as the basis for ignoring advice from your veterinarian to seek treatment. If you think you may have a veterinary emergency, please call your vet or an animal hospital immediately.
Dr. Jeff
Jeffrey Feinman, BA, VMD, CVH, graduated in 1985 from the University of Pennsylvania and was Penn’s first veterinary dual-degree University Scholar, holding both molecular biology and veterinary degrees. He is the founder of HolisticActions.com and dedicated to pet parent empowerment.
Dr. Jeff is devoted to researching about how to harness the innate power of the individual using Vitality and Balance. He and his wonderful wife Amy live with Archie, a rescue pup, and a Rex cat named Tigger.
My Dog Seems To Be In Pain While Walking Or Running. What Should I Do?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman
It always depends on the individual, your dog individually. The number one treatment is to go to the vet and get any diagnostic tests that the vet thinks need to be used. Maybe blood tests looking for Lyme or other tick-borne diseases. Those may include x-rays or other, more advanced diagnostic testing.
The treatments for symptoms of limping dogs, or a dog that appears to be in pain or limps, symptoms like slow getting up or getting down, not wanting to go up and down the stairs, or decreased B.E.A.M (behavior, energy, appetite, mood) in any way, and the main treatments for those kinds of symptoms are weight loss, so make sure that your dog is not at all overweight and maybe even try to get them a little bit thin. The thinner a dog is, the less pain they will have with their joints. Treatments like core exercises, physical therapy, gradual walking, and other energy-building treatments that raise cellular energy and the ability of the body to heal are beneficial. Treatments like the therapeutic sniff walk, snuffle mat can help your dog. And then, of course, you have your treatments that are supplement-based like fish oils, deer velvet, or other known supplements that we use all the time for stiff and arthritic dogs that appear to be in pain.
I’m Jeff Feinman, a holistic veterinarian here in Weston, Connecticut, and I’m answering pet parent questions for HolisticActions!. Thank you for joining!
Suggested Treatments:
- Weight loss and fresh food feeding
- Core strengthening exercises
- Assisi Loop
Related Symptoms:
- Slow to stand or lie down
- Slow to climb stairs
- Limping
DISCLAIMER: Holistic Actions! does not provide advice on certified medical treatments. Content is intended for informational purposes only and to equip you with the tools needed for Holistic Medical Decision Making (HMDM). It is not a substitute for clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Never use content found on the Holistic Actions! website as the basis for ignoring advice from your veterinarian to seek treatment. If you think you may have a veterinary emergency, please call your vet or an animal hospital immediately.
Dr. Jeff
Jeffrey Feinman, BA, VMD, CVH, graduated in 1985 from the University of Pennsylvania and was Penn’s first veterinary dual-degree University Scholar, holding both molecular biology and veterinary degrees. He is the founder of HolisticActions.com and dedicated to pet parent empowerment.
Dr. Jeff is devoted to researching about how to harness the innate power of the individual using Vitality and Balance. He and his wonderful wife Amy live with Archie, a rescue pup, and a Rex cat named Tigger.
What Cat Food Brands Would You Recommend?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman
The answer is really no commercial brands, in that I, as a veterinarian that focuses on vitality and energy, I prefer fresh food feeding, meaning a non-processed, non-commercial cat food. But if you’re going to have a brand of cat food, make sure it’s a wet-canned cat food, not a dry cat food.
I want to go a bit into the symptoms that your pet may have that tell you if s/he needs a diet upgrade. Those include dry coat, shedding a lot, dandruff, and low B.E.A.M (behavior, energy, appetite, mood).
The number one treatment for those symptoms is to raise the quality of the food, going from commercial to fresh food. The food could be cooked or raw, anything that is given in variety and moderation. But certainly, stick with the wet food for cats. Dry food can predispose cats to things like obesity, diabetes, and other health issues including kidney disease. The number one treatment for a cat with an unknown diet is upgrading the diet to a fresh food.
I hope that answers your question. I’m Jeff Feinman, holistic veterinarian here in Weston, Connecticut, and I’m answering pet parent questions for HolisticActions!. Thank you for joining.
Related Symptoms:
- Decrease in BEAM
- Dry and scaly coat
- Digestive symptoms
DISCLAIMER: Holistic Actions! does not provide advice on certified medical treatments. Content is intended for informational purposes only and to equip you with the tools needed for Holistic Medical Decision Making (HMDM). It is not a substitute for clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Never use content found on the Holistic Actions! website as the basis for ignoring advice from your veterinarian to seek treatment. If you think you may have a veterinary emergency, please call your vet or an animal hospital immediately.
Dr. Jeff
Jeffrey Feinman, BA, VMD, CVH, graduated in 1985 from the University of Pennsylvania and was Penn’s first veterinary dual-degree University Scholar, holding both molecular biology and veterinary degrees. He is the founder of HolisticActions.com and dedicated to pet parent empowerment.
Dr. Jeff is devoted to researching about how to harness the innate power of the individual using Vitality and Balance. He and his wonderful wife Amy live with Archie, a rescue pup, and a Rex cat named Tigger.
How does juvenile renal disease affect dogs?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman
It depends on the context of the individual. The most common symptom that I see is actually no physical symptom but rather detection on a routine blood test. It’s a good reason to get routine blood tests at your veterinarian periodically. They likely do it before any routine surgical procedure.
But symptoms you’ll commonly see other than no symptoms are things such as stunted, decreased growth, drinking a lot, urinating a lot, and other urinating symptoms, changes in appetite, symptoms like vomiting, symptoms like diarrhea.
The treatments really will depend on your individual pet’s diagnostic workup but treatments like upgrading of the diet while decreasing the phosporus, treatments like supportive supplements like AminAvast and Rx renal, and many other treatments that your veterinarian will work with you to find a solution.
Hi, I’m Jeff Feinman, here in Weston, Connecticut. I’m answering pet parent questions for HolisticActions. Thank you for joining.
Suggested Treatments:
- fresh food feeding
- A phosphorus binder like Aventi kidney complete
- AminAvast
Related Symptoms:
- Drinking a lot (polydipsia)
- Urinating alot (polyuria)
- Decreased appetite (dysrexia and anorexia)
DISCLAIMER: Holistic Actions! does not provide advice on certified medical treatments. Content is intended for informational purposes only and to equip you with the tools needed for Holistic Medical Decision Making (HMDM). It is not a substitute for clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Never use content found on the Holistic Actions! website as the basis for ignoring advice from your veterinarian to seek treatment. If you think you may have a veterinary emergency, please call your vet or an animal hospital immediately.
Dr. Jeff
Jeffrey Feinman, BA, VMD, CVH, graduated in 1985 from the University of Pennsylvania and was Penn’s first veterinary dual-degree University Scholar, holding both molecular biology and veterinary degrees. He is the founder of HolisticActions.com and dedicated to pet parent empowerment.
Dr. Jeff is devoted to researching about how to harness the innate power of the individual using Vitality and Balance. He and his wonderful wife Amy live with Archie, a rescue pup, and a Rex cat named Tigger.
I think my older dog has dementia. What should I do?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman
The symptoms: being out of it, wandering and getting lost, or hitting things, can be really tough for your pup to live with and for you. What do you do? Well, the first thing you can do is engage your pup as much as possible, so they can get engaged with their environment. The best treatment in my mind is a therapeutic sniff walk, which is you just taking them out and letting them go sniffing, you know, not walking but sniffing around, and through engaging with all the environment for miles around. The sniffing (in people as well) will raise cellular energy and help the body heal faster.
Other symptoms can show, like going to the bathroom in the house instead of outside, symptoms like wandering aimlessly, really any kind of cognitive symptoms like the kind of things you would see in Alzheimer’s for a person. There are many, many treatments, but start with the DHA fish oils. I love Smartzyme, which is a vital DHA, the only species producing algae that may actually help your pet produce their own DHA and help itself. It can be a great, life-saving treatment. There are many other treatments for older dogs. Cholodin is one supplement that is validated as a treatment for dementia.
There are many other things but I cannot stress enough the therapeutic sniff walk. It’s the number one, two, three, and four. Therapeutic sniff walk and the treatment of a good fresh food diet, as I know you’re already feeding.
Hi Jeff Feinman, holistic veterinarian here in Weston, Connecticut answering your questions about your pets, so thank you and we’ll talk soon.
Vist HolisticActions! for more holistic pet care information.
Suggested Treatments:
- sniffing
- engagement
- cholodin supplement
- senilife and other supplements formulated for dementia symptoms
Related Symptoms:
- staring at the wall/door
- sundowners
- inappropriate elimination
- not remembering commands
DISCLAIMER: Holistic Actions! does not provide advice on certified medical treatments. Content is intended for informational purposes only and to equip you with the tools needed for Holistic Medical Decision Making (HMDM). It is not a substitute for clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Never use content found on the Holistic Actions! website as the basis for ignoring advice from your veterinarian to seek treatment. If you think you may have a veterinary emergency, please call your vet or an animal hospital immediately.
Dr. Jeff
Jeffrey Feinman, BA, VMD, CVH, graduated in 1985 from the University of Pennsylvania and was Penn’s first veterinary dual-degree University Scholar, holding both molecular biology and veterinary degrees. He is the founder of HolisticActions.com and dedicated to pet parent empowerment.
Dr. Jeff is devoted to researching about how to harness the innate power of the individual using Vitality and Balance. He and his wonderful wife Amy live with Archie, a rescue pup, and a Rex cat named Tigger.
What should I do if my dog continues to bite people?
Answered by Dr. Jeff Feinman
If your dog has been biting people and is now continuing to bite people, you want to look at the full context of the symptom, the behavior symptoms, because the continuation of biting may indicate an earlier training issue. It could be a socialization issue. It could be a medical issue. It depends on the full context of the symptoms. Symptoms like is your dog happy otherwise, happy in any specific situations or only in specific situations. There could be symptoms of aggression that are triggered by certain people or places, so it would really depend on the full context.
The treatments kind of depend on a bit of the context of the symptoms, and we’re talking about the symptoms before biting, of things like the ears going down, the tail going down, the hackles going up, the body posture. Dog’s have pretty good dog-to-dog visual communication. It’s just up to us to us to get to be as good as the dog and knowing if the dog is gonna be aggressive or more likely if he’s scared and the fear is gonna end up as a possible aggression.
The treatment if he’s continuing to bite is to get with your vet and check out medical problems, especially the thyroid, as the thyroid is known to be associated with aggressive behavior issues, and then start working intensively with the trainers.
Hi, Jeff Feinman, holistic veterinarian here in Weston, Connecticut, answering your questions about your pets. Thank you, and we’ll talk soon!
Visit HolisticActions! for more holistic pet care information.
Suggested Treatments:
- most important treatment is determining the context and triggers
- training based on what your pup loves
- conventional drugs like prozac
- holistic support w/flowers and reiki
Related Symptoms:
- growling, lifting lips
- snapping, crouching
- BEAM symptom changes
DISCLAIMER: Holistic Actions! does not provide advice on certified medical treatments. Content is intended for informational purposes only and to equip you with the tools needed for Holistic Medical Decision Making (HMDM). It is not a substitute for clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Never use content found on the Holistic Actions! website as the basis for ignoring advice from your veterinarian to seek treatment. If you think you may have a veterinary emergency, please call your vet or an animal hospital immediately.
Dr. Jeff
Jeffrey Feinman, BA, VMD, CVH, graduated in 1985 from the University of Pennsylvania and was Penn’s first veterinary dual-degree University Scholar, holding both molecular biology and veterinary degrees. He is the founder of HolisticActions.com and dedicated to pet parent empowerment.
Dr. Jeff is devoted to researching about how to harness the innate power of the individual using Vitality and Balance. He and his wonderful wife Amy live with Archie, a rescue pup, and a Rex cat named Tigger.