Many items in our food pantry and garden can act as natural and dietary remedies for people and pets, and conventional medicines also have some carry over in differing doses. Parsley added to dog treats or salads can safely freshen breath for both species, and aspirin can soothe aches if not taken with certain other medications, nor where other counter-indications are present.
One of the latest questions is if the antioxidant juices people drink can be good for pets, even as a last resort. One question in particular is if Nopalea, which is made from the juice of the Nopal cactus, can be also used for canines and felines who are suffering from inflammation. Firstly, the Nopal cactus comes from the Opuntia family, more properly, Opuntia Ficus Indica. The Opuntia is a tree cactus. According to the ASPCA, Opuntia is nontoxic to dogs and cats. If a pet accidentally eats a small piece of the plant, the results might be prickly, but there will be no poisoning.
Although the plant itself does not pose a high toxicity risk, the juice itself is not formulated for pets. Cactus juice, which as a slight laxative effect, is not sold in its pure form. To be palatable, Nopalea juice includes other ingredients as well as supportive antioxidants. The other ingredients, and not the cactus juice, makes it potentially highly toxic to dogs. The following is the list of Nopalea ingredients. Outlined in bold are ingredients helpful to humans but toxic, or possibly toxic to dogs and cats.
Proprietary blend of Water (filtered), Opuntia concentrate (nopal concentrate), Agave Nectar, Grape Seed extract (vitis vinifera), Raspberry extract (rubus idaeus), Strawberry extract (fragaria chiloensis), Cranberry extract (vaccinium macrocarpon), Apple extract (malus domestica), Apricot extract (prunus armeniaca), Mango extract (mangifera indica) fruit, Orange concentrate (citrus aurantium) juice, Papaya concentrate (carica papaya fruit with papain), Tomato concentrate (lycopersicon esculentum) fruit, Kiwi concentrate (actinidia chinensis), Guava (psidium guajava powder), Lemon concentrate (citrus lionum juice), Opuntia concentrate (nopal concentrate) powder, Peach concentrate (prunus persica) juice, Pomegranate extract (punica granatum with ellagic acid and punocaligans), Green Tea extract (camellia sinensis), Beet (beta vulgaris) juice, Bilberry concentrate (vaccinium myrtillus), Acerola cherry extract (malphigia glabra), Amylase, Cellulase, Hemicellulase, Proteases [bromelain from pineapple (ananas comosus) and papain (carica papaya) from papaya, lipase, phytase], Stevia extract (stevia rebaudiana) leaf, Guar gum, Maltodextrin, Natural flavor, Cherry powder, Xanthum gum.
- Stevia can be upsetting to the stomach or even fatal to dogs.
- Grapes are known toxins, which can cause hypercalcima, anorexia, lethargy and kidney damage.
- Parts of the prunis family, such as the leaves, stems and pits are toxic. The prunis family includes apricots, peaches and cherries. The actual fruit is not toxic, but in the blending process, other pieces of the fruit could potentially intermix.
- Healthy dogs produce their own Vitamin C. The jury is out on whether C supplementation is harmful or helpful, or may only be helpful in severely ill animals.
Before giving your pet a “home remedy,” note that their systems are not completely like ours. Read the ingredients very carefully. Not all products that do you good will do your dog or cat good, even if they are “natural.” Enjoy a glass for you, but don’t be tempted to give Mittens or Duke a sip.
BlueSkyScrubs is the brainchild of Shelby Marquardt, a medical resident. Tired of scrub hats that did not cover her long hair properly, she went home and sewed something more fashionable than the “bubble cap.” Blue Sky Scrubs was born.
Guest Blog By: Parker L.
Guest Blog By: Noah S.
A few years ago, I was introduced to Lush cosmetics through a friend who had Lush products on her Secret Santa Christmas list. When I ordered, I couldn’t help but take a whiff of the bath bombs. They practically smell like something you’d eat or put out for potpourri—but not smelly and overly flowery, just something that you would want to have out. There is just no comparison when it comes to comparing them to perusing the plastic containers of bath goods at the drug store. What’s more, is that Lush doesn’t perform any animal testing. Rather, they use all human volunteers to test their products to see if they like the smell, the lather and if it irritates them. They fill out a thorough survey and return it, where doctors, among others, review and recommend the product for reformulation, introduction to the market, or cancellation. It’s not a radical philosophy. For folks who think that animal testing is a “so what,” Lush says:
THE CONCLUSION:
I’ll be honest. I hate the stale smell of cigarette smoke on clothing, and especially the actual smoke puffed in my face. Some folks argue there there is no harm, but I don’t believe them. I have a no smoking rule in my home. All of my relatives are aware of it, and they either do not smoke during their visit, or they smoke briefly in the driveway. Most smokers can refrain for a short family party of two to four hours. When a guest of a relative couldn’t, I thought it spoke to a lack of courtesy or self control. What I didn’t realize is how addicting nicotine can actually be to some folks.
I am an incessant sun screen user in the summer. In the past year, I have become very conscious of the chemicals in sun screen and have ditched a few that contain titanium dioxide and now use one with zinc oxide exclusively. Not only am I not burning, but I noticed any redness from dermatitis on my face is no longer red. Sure, it could be the Vitamin D of the sun, but I attribute it to the zinc. Because of the thick consistency, I am hesitant to use it elsewhere on my body.
