Hello everyone,
The Health and Genetics article for September will introduce a few additions to your repertoire of "tricks" to help keep your dog(s) healthy: Willard Water, Rescue Remedy, and Apple Cider Vinegar.

Willard Water
When I attended Wendy Volhard's Healthy Dog Camp in October 1998, I really came back with more ideas and information than I could put to use at one time. One of the concepts was the use of Willard Water. It is one of the "tools" I intended to utilize on a regular basis but up to now have only used it occasionally. I'm now ready to incorporate it into my dogs' "program of care." There's no better time than now to share it with all of you. The following paragraph is directly from Wendy's book, "The Holistic Guide to a Healthy Dog."

"What is Willard Water?
Dr. Willard discovered a unique catalyst that alters the molecular structure of ordinary water. In his product Willard Water XXX one of the ingredients is fossilized organics from refined lignite. The lignite, which is rich in carbon, is added to "re-activate" the CAW (catalyst-altered water). Lignite is a source of trace minerals, nutrients and amino acids, humic acids and carbon, natural ingredients that act as growth accelerators in plants. Researchers have also found traces of antibiotics that occur naturally in lignite…."

This water is not something new. In 1980, Harry Reasoner of CBS's 60 Minutes visited Dr. John Willard to find out about the claims made for it. They were unable to dispute any of the claims.

Some of the uses of Willard Water:

· Cattle are much less stressed, utilize their food better and are healthier.
· Seeds soaked in Willard Water survive during droughts and grow better than non-soaked seeds.
· Houseplants watered by Willard Water grow much better.
· A greyhound kennel got rid of a stubborn virus when they used Willard Water.
· Owners of aggressive dogs report a mellowing after the dogs drink Willard Water.
· Hot spots sprayed with Willard Water can dry up over night.
· Spraying cut pads with Willard Water not only stops the bleeding but seems to relieve pain.
· Swelling and irritation caused by an insect bite is reduced.
· Willard Water cleanses wounds.
· It promotes healing and if used when sutures are still in, can reduce scarring.
· It is used in dogs' water and in their food when traveling to reduce stress.
· It is used as an eyewash.
· It cleans a dog's ears.
· It helps keep stress levels under control.
· It is very helpful for many skin disorders when used topically.
· It helps relieve dogs of diarrhea.
· It can be used as a coat conditioner.

How do you use it?
The product is purchased in a concentrated form and you add one ounce to a gallon of distilled water. You use it at this strength. Buy some spray bottles and fill them from your gallon container. Use it in this dilution for every purpose. If you are going to add the Willard Water to your dog's regular drinking water for any extended period (the longest I've done it is about a month), you can dilute it even more (1 ounce to two gallons of distilled water). Currently, I'm on my second gallon of "treated water" for this cycle. I'm planning to treat two more gallons this time around. I also have a spray bottle I keep handy to use topically and to take with me when I travel.

If you are treating hot spots and spray it before it becomes "too hot"; you won't have to shave the dog.


Willard Water can be purchased from: L & H Vitamins
1-800 221-1152

Morrill's New Directions
1-800 368-5057 


Rescue Remedy
The other "tool" I brought back from camp is the use of Rescue Remedy. Rescue Remedy is made from Bach Flowers and is a composite of five remedies. It includes Star of Bethlehem (for shock), Rock rose (for terror and panic), Impatiens (for mental stress and tension), Cherry plum (for desperation), and Clematis (for disorientation). 

Use it by dropping two drops directly into the dog's mouth or rubbing it into the gums. When used for shock, trauma, fear, extreme stress or unconsciousness, it will bring the animal around almost immediately. 
You can put two drops into distilled water and pour it directly onto cuts or wounds - for humans or animals. If the feet are cut or hurt, soak several times daily.

This is one remedy I carry with me at all times. I have a bottle in my purse and a bottle in the glove compartment of my car. I use it for Abby, my ultra-sensitive Golden mix, any time I take her to any performance or event where she needs to be crated. I've finally learned that when I take Kyra to any new place with a lot of people and dogs - like the Healthy Dog Camp, it takes her a full day and sometimes more to relax. Now I use Rescue Remedy as soon as we arrive. It works wonders.

I think the following excerpt from Wendy's book will illustrate far better than I can just how valuable this product is: "With all the camps, classes and seminars we have given over many years, there have only been two bad dog fights. When they happened, the owners of the dogs were in as bad shape as the dogs. On both occasions, we gave Rescue Remedy first to the owners to get them back under control (the color literally came back into their faces), and then gave it to their dogs. The dogs not only were injured, but they were upset about the condition of their owners. In this situation Rescue Remedy buys you time to make an intelligent assessment of the situation and to act accordingly. Rescue Remedy reduces the panic level of both handler and dog."

You can buy Rescue Remedy any place Bach Flowers are sold - usually health food stores. You can get it from L & H Vitamins (number above) and Luyties Pharmacal Co., at (800) 325-8080.


Apple Cider Vinegar
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" seems to have some veracity. Apples contain a large amount of potassium plus phosphorus, chlorine, sodium, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, iron, fluorine, silicon, and many trace minerals. In long-term studies done in Vermont on herds of cows, many benefits have been observed, e.g., lack of mastitis, itchy skin, influenza, respiratory diseases, easier freshening (whelping), lack of eclampsia, and cramping after delivery of calves. Horses with ACV in their feed raced much better and never came down with distemper, even when exposed. ACV is credited with killing bacteria outright, and in fact was used in the late 1800's to prevent food poisoning. People carried flasks of ACV with them when they were invited to feasts. In those days the preserving of food was often done through salting or soaking in vinegar. People invited to eat away from their homes always put ACV into their drinking water to protect them against food poisoning. If you occasionally use raw fish in your dog's diet, use a little ACV. Fish even slightly "off" can create horrible gastric problems. 

Credited with: Curing pyelitis, a condition caused by inflammation of the kidney and chronic itching. According to Dr. Jarvis' book, itchy skin is a sign that the skin is too alkaline in nature. You can therefore soak your dog down with water and rub in ACV or make a wash and sponge it into the coat, allowing it to drip dry. It is amazing how quickly this stops itching. We have used it on beginning hot spots, which immediately dry up. If the skin is already broken, we dilute the ACV with water in a 1.1 ratio (think of Willard Water here), put it into a spray bottle and spray it onto the coat. This way, if you have a show dog, you do not need to shave the dog down. The hot spot dries up in 24 hours. 

ACV is helpful to use internally when a dog's eyes run with clear watery discharge, or the nose runs, or when your dog is coughing a liquid kind of cough. Put a couple of tablespoonfuls in the food a day (for a dog 50# or over) and you will immediately notice a difference. Use a couple of drops, diluted half-and-half with water, in your dog's ears at his weekly grooming session to avoid ear infections. All of the above conditions relate to potassium deficiencies, so if your dog shows any of the following signs, such as lack of mental alertness, mental and muscle fatigue after exercise (agility participants and people who work their dogs take note), susceptibility to the cold, calluses on elbows and hock joints, constipation, itchy skin, cuts, bruises too easily, pimples on skin surface, twitching of the facial muscles, cramps in muscles, sore joints or the beginnings of arthritis, try some ACV in the dog's food and see the difference. 

Try ACV rinse in bath water and let the dog drip dry. Fleas and ticks do not find an acidic-based skin desirable to live on, so it provides good protection against both of these parasites. Give an ACV dip when going into tick-infested country, and also before you show your dogs in the summer, where the stress of the shows seems to allow even the healthiest of dogs to pick up an occasional flea. ACV normalizes the pH of the skin and you get used to traveling with a dog that smells like a salad. 

Note: As I've mentioned many times before, I feed my dogs the Natural Diet formulated and tested by Wendy Volhard. Part of the daily diet includes 1-1/2 tablespoons ACV daily for the big dogs, 2 teaspoons for my 35# dog and 1 teaspoon for the 15# Sheltie. The ACV gets added to their raw meat meal.

The resource for the above information is Wendy Volhard's book "The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog.

If you have any questions about the above, please call me at (517) 546-3046, fax me at (517) 546-3048, or e-mail me at judyh@ismi.net. Until next time, Kyra, Zeus, Abby, Callie and Tova say "try some of the above, we've never felt this good". 
Signed: Judy Huston