What I Do

In addition to offering behavioral consults for rescue dogs, I also work with dog wellness. At the recommendation of a friend, Emmy Vadnais, I call myself a "holistic dog consultant." Since 2008, I've been studying muscle testing (aka applied kinesiology) and EFT (aka Emotional Freedom Technique or tapping), and this past weekend, I was lucky enough to visit my local Vitamin Shoppe to visit with customers about health and dogs. (The folks at that Vitamin Shoppe, by the way are both incredibly friendly and super knowledgeable.)

I love that we're moving toward a model that includes both humans and dogs. In fact, I feed my dogs supplements every single day, and I've been thrilled with the results. They've never been healthier.

So today I'm going to write about one small component of dog wellness that affects a huge percentage of dogs (and people, for that matter): Yeast. You heard it, yeast.

Did you know that dogs can take human supplements? In fact, I've always been a little startled that people package these supplements separately for dogs. My two favorite yeast remedies for dogs are Vitamin Shoppe Acidophilus with Apple Pectin and Probiotic 8, which also comes in a vegetarian formula. In fact, I keep both of them in my refrigerator at all times. After all, yeast is something that so many of us deal with. (And I think it's closely related to the processed, sugary food we eat.) Whenever possible, I muscle test my dogs for the type of acidophillus they need, the quantity, and the duration. Then I break the capsules open on their food. (For the record, most dogs require 2-3 pills per day--in 8-12 hour intervals--for 2-3 weeks.)

If you don't know muscle testing, bring your dogs to someone who does. But you can usually tell if your dog has excess yeast by sniffing her ears. Do they have a sharp pungent odor? I've also noticed that dogs with excess yeast often have dark skin on their belly, kind of like they've been lying on rich, black soil.

So anyhow, why not give it a try? Not only will a dog with a balanced system feel better, he will smell better, too.