Happygoluckypaws

18/08/2025

Ｍｏｎｄａｙ Ｍｉｎｄｓｅｔ 🧐
Sometimes shifting our mindset means exploring what is 𝑴𝒚𝒕𝒉 𝒗'𝒔 𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒕 .......😉

Last Monday, we explored some interesting facts about Arthritis 🐕 which is probably the most common condition we as humans experience and also our dogs.

This week we continue the Myth Busting theme ,, and just remember....... 🙌🤔

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 & 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀 ?..... 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝟮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 (𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀)🎙 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟱𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟳.𝟯𝟬𝗽𝗺 - 𝟵𝗽𝗺. Just PM me and Zoom link will be provided.

But here are some general tips to get started ........
📌𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 ⚖🐾
Homeopathic remedies, Herbal tonics and Nutraceuticals can be used in a complementary manner alongside of veterinary pain medications and may even be alternative options for those dogs that struggle with side effects or are using medications in acute situations. There is more research and information on these multi-modality approaches that your can consider and build into your regime. Some well known Homeopathic remedies include : arnica, rhus tox, and bellis perennis. Herbs include tumeric, devils claw , boswellia and yucca. Nutraceuticals include but not limited to glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, omega-3 fatty acids, and UC-II collagen. It is all about "balance" and taking into account symptoms and lifestyle and age.

📌 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉 🐕
Avoid high-impact activities – Running, chasing balls, or repetitive motions can strain sore joints. Adrenaline might mask the pain in the moment, but they’ll feel it later. Mix up your routes – New sights and smells keep walks mentally enriching. Let them sniff and explore — it’s just as important as physical movement.️ Take it easy – Ditch the idea of a set distance. Take breaks, sit together, and enjoy the journey at their pace. Warm up & cool down – Start with gentle walking and /or active stretching, and end with a slow cool-down to prevent soreness and injury. Regular low-impact exercise is essential to maintain joint mobility and muscle strength.

If you can't join us for the 2 part Zoom series, then The Canine Arthritis Management (CAM) organisation has a huge amount of free, independent, evidence-based information on how to identify the early signs of pain and discomfort in your dog, how to confirm whether they have arthritis, and what you can do to help them once the diagnosis of arthritis has been confirmed. Great resource for dog owners.🥰🐕

12/08/2025

08/08/2025

03/08/2025

🆆🄴🅳🄽🅴🅂🅳🄰🆈 🆆🄴🅻🄻🅽🄴🆂🅂 🙌

𝙎𝒐 𝒘𝙝𝒂𝙩 𝙙𝒐 𝒚𝙤𝒖 𝒅𝙤 𝙞𝒇 𝒚𝙤𝒖𝙧 𝙙𝒐𝙜 𝙝𝒂𝙨 𝙚𝒂𝙩𝒆𝙣 𝙢𝒂𝙘𝒂𝙙𝒂𝙢𝒊𝙖 𝙣𝒖𝙩𝒔 ?🥔

The day before a call from Dixie's mom, this beautiful whippet opened up a packet of macadamia nuts and ate about seven nuts. Dixie's mom did not discover until bedtime, and whilst there there had been no signs and symptoms, the morning of the call Dixie was lethargic and back legs seemed a little weak. Vet said just to monitor and bring her in if vomiting started as it was too late to induce vomiting.
Dixie's mom has some homeopathic remedies and wondered if there was anything in her toolkit that she could use to help.

𝑺𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑴𝒂𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒂 𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒔 ? 🐕
These nuts are toxic to dogs, and often symptoms don't start to present till 12hrs after ingestion. The most common signs are lethargy , weakness in the hind legs and can progress to vomiting and hyperthermia. The exact toxic compound is still unknown. Luckily most dogs pull through with supportive care.

Whenever any physical symptoms come on suddenly Aconite is the remedy to use, and is often one that is recommended in any homeopathic kit. Dixie's mom had the remedy and started administering every couple of hours. Nux Vomica is also a good remedy for any toxicity for ingestion or exposure and Veratrum Album works well for cases of violent vomiting, tremors, and extreme weakness. Luckily, with frequent dosing of the Aconite, Dixie made a good recovery. I checked in with Dixie's mom the next day and got the following text message
"𝑆ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑠. 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑜𝑓𝑓, 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠"

Interestingly there are some often unknown substances in the kitchen that can cause digestive upsets and toxicity ,,, here are just a few others and some homeopathic approaches.

𝑹𝒂𝒘 𝑫𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 (𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕)🍩
What are the risks: Yeast expands in the stomach and ferments, causing bloating and alcohol poisoning.
Homeopathic Help: Colocynthis eases cramping abdominal pain and bloating.

𝑿𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒐𝒍 (𝑺𝒖𝒈𝒂𝒓 𝑺𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒕𝒆)🧋
What are the risks: Found in sugar-free gum, candies, and baked goods, xylitol causes hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and potential liver failure in dogs.
Homeopathic Help: Phosphorus supports liver function and helps address vomiting or symptoms of liver distress.

𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒆🍬
What are the risks: These contain theobromine and caffeine, which can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, rapid heart rate, seizures, and even death. Dark chocolate is especially harmful.
Homeopathic Help: Nux Vomica is a wonderful remedy if your pet shows restlessness, irritability, or vomiting after sneaking a chocolate treat.

It goes without saying that checking with your vet is a priority if ever you suspect poisoning of any kind. Here is also a link to a hotline where you can get 24/7 information. https://www.animalpoisons.com.au/ The Australian Animal Poisons Helpline is a non-profit charitable organisation that provides rapid, up-to-date and evidence-based poisoning advice to pet owners.

31/07/2025

⏳🧬 Why Timing Matters: What the Research Really Says About Early Spay & Neuter✂️

As loving pet parents, we all want to do what’s best for our dogs — and that includes making the right decision around spay and neuter.

For years, early des*xing (before dogs reach s*xual maturity) has been widely promoted as standard practice — often as early as 8–16 weeks in rescues or before a first season in females. But emerging research over the past decade is prompting a much-needed rethink.

Here’s what the science is showing us.

⏱️ What Does “Early” Really Mean?

“Early spay/neuter” typically refers to des*xing before the dog is hormonally or skeletally mature. That means:

🔹 Females: Spayed before their first season — often under 12 months
🔹 Males: Neutered before 12–18 months, depending on breed size

But these are the very life stages when s*x hormones like oestrogen and testosterone are doing critical work — not just for reproduction, but for bone growth, immune development, mental resilience, and long-term disease prevention.

🔍 So, What Did the Research Actually Find?

Several large-scale, peer-reviewed studies have shown links between early des*xing and increased risk of:

🦴 Joint disease and poor skeletal development
• Early des*xing delays growth plate closure, increasing the risk of hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and cruciate ligament tears — especially in medium to large breeds.
• One UC Davis study (Hart et al., 2020) found that neutering male Golden Retrievers before 6 months tripled their risk of joint disorders.

🧬 Increased cancer risk
• Early neutering has been associated with a higher incidence of certain cancers, including hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma, and osteosarcoma.
• Vizsla-specific research (Zink et al., 2014) showed that spayed females were 9x more likely to develop hemangiosarcoma than intact females.

🧠 Behavioural and cognitive changes
• Early spay/neuter has been linked to increased risks of fear, reactivity, and noise sensitivity, especially in females spayed before maturity.
• This may be due to the loss of s*x hormones that influence brain development and emotional resilience.

🦠 Immune dysregulation and chronic disease
• Early removal of s*x hormones affects the endocrine system and may play a role in autoimmune disease risk, urinary incontinence (especially in females), and even cognitive decline in older dogs.

📚 Just a Handful of the Studies Behind These Findings:
• Hart, B.L. et al. (2020) – UC Davis 35 breed study
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00388
• Torres de la Riva et al. (2013) – Golden Retrievers
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055937
• Zink et al. (2014) – Vizsla Health Study
• Root Kustritz (2007) – Review of gonadectomy timing
DOI: 10.2460/javma.231.11.1665
• O’Neill et al. (2021) – UK VetCompass longevity data
DOI: 10.1136/vr.105828

And many more studies continue to support a breed-specific, age-appropriate approach to des*xing.

💡 So What Are the Options?

We understand there are situations where spay/neuter is necessary — for example, in rescue dogs or to prevent accidental litters. But there are options that preserve your dog’s hormones longer while still preventing pregnancy:

✅ Chemical castration (Suprelorin) – a reversible implant that allows males to mature before permanent castration
✅ Ovary-sparing spay (OSS) – removes the uterus but preserves the ovaries and natural hormones
✅ Vasectomy – blocks s***m without removing testosterone-producing te**es

These approaches can allow dogs to develop normally before decisions that affect their lifetime health are made.

💊 What If My Dog Was Already Des*xed Young?

If your dog was spayed or neutered early — don’t panic. You didn’t do anything wrong. You made the best decision you could with the information you had.

But there are things we can do now to support their health:

🌿 Consider discussing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy with a reproductive or integrative vet

🐕 Support their joints, hormones and immunity with:
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Bone broth & collagen
• Antioxidant-rich foods
• Endocrine support supplements

We’re happy to recommend brands we trust.

🐾 Final Thoughts

This isn’t about creating fear or guilt — it’s about equipping you with science-led knowledge so you can make informed choices for your dog.

As we learn more about how vital natural hormones are to your dog’s long-term health, it’s clear that when we spay or neuter matters just as much as whether we do.

❤️ At Poochie Park & Pantry, we’re here to support you with holistic, evidence-led information — no judgment, just help.

Have questions or want to explore safer options for your pup? Just reach out — we’re happy to chat.

29/07/2025

26/07/2025

Below is a photo of how a toe looks after a flexor tenotomy. This is surgery that is offered all too commonly for treating corns.

The toe nail is pointing upwards because superficial flexor tendon which is responsible for holding the toe downwards is surgically CUT.

The theory is that if the toe is not on the ground then the corn will disappear.

Sadly this DOES NOT address the cause of the CORN - which often occurs because the dog has pain in another area.

Most greyhounds that come in from the track and into pet homes, commonly have old race injuries affecting areas like

1. Shoulder

2. Carpus or wrist joints

3. Stifle or knee

4. Hips

5. lumbar spine

6. Hock joint

Chronic pain in one area will cause the hound to shift their weight onto the opposite limb and then over time, the painfree leg will develop a CORN which is just like a CALLUS.

So the CORN really just tells you a story of where the dog is placing most of their body weight.

It is NOT the CAUSE of their PAIN.

Let me repeat myself

The CORN is NOT the CAUSE of the dog’s pain.

I have had many greyhound owners who deeply regretted getting the tenotomy surgery done as when I explain what is going on and then identify what areas are really causing the dog to be lame, they then realise that in having the tenotomy, they have permanently disabled their dog.

I write this post in hope of educating owners to make the right decision so they can help their greyhounds.

As a therapist, it’s really heart breaking to see how much suffering these dogs have to endure, because of outdated surgical options.

Please think about if your GP offered this to you as a treatment option - I am sure you would not accept it.

Stop the Chop.

22/07/2025

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒚 𝑻𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒅𝒂𝒚 🤓
Not all healing is hands-on. Sometimes, it’s light that does the work.
Photobiomodulation, also known as Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), is a useful therapy tool :
Here’s why:
🔬 It stimulates mitochondria (cellular powerhouses) to repair faster
🧊 Reduces inflammation and swelling
🔄 Improves local circulation
💥 Supports nerve regeneration
🐾 Provides gentle, non-invasive pain relief
AE uses laser for:
1️⃣ Ligament and tendon injuries
2️⃣ Muscle strain or compensatory pain
3️⃣ Joint inflammation
4️⃣ Neurologic support after nerve compression or spinal surgery

Some other unusual but effective uses of Laser have been with Cognitive dysfunction, chronic ear infections, and vestibular disease.

16/04/2025

15/04/2025

🄼🅾🄽🅳🄰🆈 🅼🄸🅽🄳🆂🄴🆃 🤔

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 ⁉️

To potentially answer that question is to explore what scientific investigations and real case histories have shown in terms of how intentions have affected people and communities. 📋

For the last 40 years scientists, experimenting with the limits of quantum physics, have made seemingly impossible discoveries. As early as 1966 a lie-detector expert accidentally discovered that plants could read thoughts. In 1982 meditating Buddhist monks in the Himalayas were able to turn their bodies into a human furnace. In 1994 psychology experiments revealed that a stream of light flowing from healers was able to be measured during healing sessions with people. 👩‍👩‍👦‍👦In more recent years, Lynne McTaggart, a researcher and author joined with other renowned scientists to test the effects of focused group intention on scientifically quantifiable targets – animal, plant and human. Much of the research has been documented in a book titled “𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩”📚 where individual and group intention experiments were able to demonstrate that change could be affected on people plants and animals more than 5000 kms away.
These remarkable results prove human thought, and intention has the power to focus our lives, and effect healing outcomes for ourselves and others. 🤓🐕👩‍👧‍👦

𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀?
Here is a suggestion of one way that embodies some of the principles that was outlined in the experiments. Meditation and focused breathing are key elements.

📌Heart Connection: Begin by finding a quiet place. Sit or stand comfortably. Become focused on your heart and just take some breaths, equal in inspiration and expiration for a minute and imagine breathing through your heart.

📌Set Your Intention: As you continue to breathe, begin to focus on the intention you want to set and visualize your animal. Your intention might be around any number of things, restfulness, calmness, safety, protection. Visualize and feel this intention within your heart. Allow this intention to become clear and strong in your mind.

📌Visualize and embody the Light: Imagine a beautiful, radiant light. This light represents the energy of your intention and surrounds you and imagine it also connects to your animal.

📌Visualize this light expanding, filling your entire body, and extending outward to create a protective, guiding energy field around you and also extending to your animal.

📌Maintain the light & intention : As you move through your day, see if you can hold that light and the intention with you – does not need to be at the forefront of your mind, but is simply how you choose to be that day. When interacting with your animals , consciously connect with this energy, ensuring that your actions, thoughts, and emotions are all aligned with the intention you’ve set.

𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠 ?
✅ Choose an aspect of your relationship with your animal that you would like to improve ( e.g maybe your walks with your dog or riding with your horse seems to be a battle of wills, or maybe your animal has a particular fear about something)
✅ Set your intention , what does it feel like, look like. Then follow the steps as described above and do this for a week.
✅ Look back over the week and examine what changes have occurred, both in terms of your perception of the situation, your relationship with your animal and your animals behaviour/response.

𝐈 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 .😇🥰 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 - 𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞. 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐨 , 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 ,,,, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 , 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧! 💞

08/04/2025

In a study conducted by Shafik (2008), 35 female dogs were divided into five groups, each wearing underpants made from different textiles: 100% polyester, a polyester-cotton blend, 100% cotton, 100% wool, or no clothing (control group).

The garments were worn continuously for 12 months. Throughout this period and for six months after garment removal, researchers monitored serum oestradiol 17β and progesterone levels and observed mating outcomes. Electrostatic potentials on the textile-covered skin were also measured.

They found that 8 bi***es in the Polyester-containing groups exhibited diminished serum progesterone levels during oestrus and did not conceive upon mating or insemination.

Five months after removing the garments, their serum progesterone levels normalized, and they successfully conceived.

The researchers noted a shift in electrostatic potential at the skin layer of the dogs dressed in polyester-containing textiles. They think it may inhibit ovarian function, leading to reduced progesterone levels and temporary infertility in female dogs.

You have to wonder about the people who conceive let alone implement these studies. Mind you, take heed anyone out there trying to conceive in polyester underpants.

Ref: Shafik et al. 2008. an experimental study on the effect of different types of textiles on conception. J Obstet Gynaecol.