We've moved!

Cozy Critters Pet Sitters of Bellaire Blog has moved! 

Though this blog (2009 - 2018) will remain, all of our new blog posts can be found on our recently updated website at CozyCrittersofBellaire.com

Interesting Discovery About Raisins and Grapes

Have you ever wondered why raisins or grapes are toxic to dogs? 

Do you eat raisins or grapes? Do you drink wine? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you'll want to check out this very informative 14 minute video interview with well known veterinarian Karen Becker and Melissa Gardner, who has a very interesting background.






For a deeper look into fluoride check out the film Fluoride: Poison on Tap. Available on YouTube. You'll be amazed at what you'll discover.


A special note of caution about Fluoride: Poison on Tap: This is a great film but one of the doctors in the film suggests that the healthiest water is distilled water with some organic apple cider vinegar added for minerals, so as to avoid fluoride --  I have to jump in and say this: This is not a good idea! And please never give distilled water to your pets! There is a better way! A healthier way!

Distilled water has had not only all the chemicals removed but all the minerals too. For water to be balanced (healthy/beneficial), it has to have minerals. Distilled water is known as "dead" water. It has no life force energy. Drinking distilled water may be sometimes used for short periods for detoxification purposes but drinking it on a regular basis can deplete the body of minerals. 

And drinking apple cider vinegar, even when diluted in a glass of water, can make your teeth sensitive. I have sensitive teeth to begin with and can't drink ACV for this reason.

Another thing about distilled water is it can't penetrate your cells and properly hydrate you due to it's surface tension, as I talk about in more detail in my book Structured Water: Nature's Gift. However, structured water is water that is energetically alive, has a lower surface tension, and it is able to penetrate on a cellular level to hydrate you like never before.

It's not what brand or kind of filters the water has that you drink, but whether it's structured or not that matters. Structured water is the healthiest way to go. Keep your brand and filters if you want, but structure it!
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Stop Vaccinating Seniors!

Another veterinarian speaks out about over vaccination of pets and says "Stop vaccinating your seniors, already!" This time it's homeopathic veterinarian Dr. Will Falconer, located in Austin, Texas.

As he points out in his article with the same title, "The expert telling you to re-vaccinate your already vaccinated senior pet should be told in no uncertain terms that they are out of line. How? Cite the real experts. The veterinary immunologists. They don’t profit from pushing vaccines, but they know far more about them than the rest of us. What do they say? Stop vaccinating."

Read Dr, Falconer's article to find out why you should stop vaccinating your seniors by going here:  https://vitalanimal.com/stop-vaccinating-seniors/

Instead of going in for the "yearly shots" that we've been conditioned to do, take them in for a yearly (if not every 6 months as recommended for seniors) wellness check-up and blood work, as holistic veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker shares in her article Your Older Pets Special Needs and How to Meet Them. (Notice there is no mention of vaccinations in her article.)

Here's a great no-nonsense video explaining the facts about pet vaccines by Dr. Becker. 

And I'd like to mention that as she points out, boarding kennels don't recognize titer tests and they usually require more vaccines, such as kennel cough and the flu vaccines. All the more reason to use a Professional Pet Sitter like Cozy Critters Pet Sitters instead of boarding!



Veterinarian Dr. Jean Dodds is one of the foremost experts in pet healthcare. She developed NutriScan, which is the most accurate food sensitivity and intolerance test on the market. Check out her vaccine protocols for Dogs and Cats. Notice that she recommends you request the rabies vaccination that is thimerosol-free (or mercury free) when your pet is vaccinated for rabies. 

Yes, that's right -- the majority of rabies vaccines contain mercury additives. These additives go by different names –Thimerosal, Thiomersal, Merthiolate, and others. A real good reason to not over-vaccinate and when your pet must get a rabies shot, to request one that does not contain mercury! 

Read what veterinarian Dr. Cathy Alinovi  has to say about this and other toxic ingredients in pet vaccines in her article What are the Ingredients of Vaccines?

The importance of pet parents educating themselves on which vaccines their pets need and how often cannot be stressed enough. Vaccines are NOT harmless.

Fluoride and Pets

Fluoride in the water (and other products) is a problem for people and for pets. Fluoride is a toxic poison which should have never been added to the water supply or other products.

The good news is that structuring your water and your pets' water can protect you and them from not only the fluoride in water, but other toxins as well.

Whether it's tap or bottled water (which also contains fluoride), structuring it with a structuring unit protects you from fluoride as well as any other toxin in the water by changing the molecular structure of it. Once structured, any toxins pass right through you (or your pet) and come out your elimination system or sweat, causing no harm to you. If you have a whole house unit or a unit for the shower you can also be showering in healthy structured water and avoid absorbing fluoride, chlorine and other chemicals through your skin.

Animals definitely prefer drinking and bathing in structured water over "regular" water. So do people once they experience it. As a professional pet sitter I have been in the unique position to have been able to observe this for over five years now. You can read pet lover testimonials by going here. 

Please watch this newly released film below about fluoride and learn about the history of fluoride, how it came to be in our water and other products, what happens when it is consumed, and what you can do to avoid it, and cleanse it from your body. And when you watch it, keep the animals in mind too. If you don't have time to watch it right now, please make a note to come back to it later. It is well worth watching.

But before you do, a special note of caution: although one of the doctors in the film suggests that the healthiest water is distilled water with some organic apple cider vinegar added for minerals, so as to avoid fluoride, I have to jump in and say this: This is not a good idea! There is a better way! A healthier way! And please never give distilled water to your pets!

Distilled water has had not only all the chemicals removed but all the minerals too. For water to be balanced, it has to have minerals. Distilled water is known as "dead" water. Drinking distilled water may be sometimes used for short periods for detoxification purposes but drinking it on a regular basis can deplete the body of minerals. 

Not to mention drinking apple cider vinegar can make your teeth sensitive. It does mine.

Another thing about distilled water is it can't penetrate your cells and properly hydrate you due to it's surface tension, as I talk about in more detail in my book Structured Water: Nature's Gift. However, structured water is water that is energetically alive, has a lower surface tension, and it is able to penetrate on a cellular level to hydrate you like never before.

It's not what brand or kind of filters the water has that you drink, but whether it's structured or not that matters. Structured water is the healthiest way to go. Keep your brand and filters if you want, but structure it!

Check out the film Fluoride: Poison on Tap available on YouTube.

Reminder: Buy Only Treats Made in U.S.

There's been another recent report of a dog dying after eating a jerky treat that was purchased at Walmart. Read more here.

Just as I wrote in 2012, this warning still holds true today. (Yes, these treats are still sold in stores!)  Please remember to read the packages when you buy treats! Are they sourced/made in the USA? Don't buy them if they not!

Who's in Charge?

The FDA warned Mars Petcare a roach infested pet food plant is a "regulatory violation", but then the agency just walked away taking no enforcement action. This is typical of what happens within the big pet food industries and why you can't trust them. It's like the fox guarding the hen house.

Here's a one minute video message from our pet food advocate, Susan Thixton with TruthAboutPetFood.com:

Pet Food Consumer Alert from FDA

Here's a good example of why you should save your pet food bags instead of dumping the kibble into a container, and why it's important to read the ingredients. 

The FDA issued the following pet food consumer alert on July 12, 2018:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting pet owners and veterinary professionals about reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs eating certain pet foods containing peas, lentils, other legume seeds, or potatoes as main ingredients. These reports are unusual because DCM is occurring in breeds not typically genetically prone to the disease. The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine and the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network, a collaboration of government and veterinary diagnostic laboratories, are investigating this potential association.

Early reports state that the dogs consistently ate these foods as their primary source for months or years. Does your dog's food contain these items listed early in the list of ingredients? Time to change food!

Canine DCM is a disease of a dog’s heart muscle and results in an enlarged heart. DCM often results in congestive heart failure. Heart function may improve in cases that are not linked to genetics with appropriate veterinary treatment and dietary modification, if caught early.

For more details about this warning please check out our pet food consumer advocate Susan Thixton's article by going here: https://truthaboutpetfood.com/fda-investigates-potential-connection-to-diet-and-heart-disease-in-dogs/

In this article Susan also reminds us of how pea protein, pea starch and pea fiber actually got put into pet foods in the first place. Thanks for all you do in advocating for healthier pet foods, Susan!

UPDATE 8/10/18: The FDA has provided an update to their investigation into a potential link between diet and heart disease in dogs and also answer some frequently asked questions.