Those of you who have been reading here first about my border collie Judy, will be interested to know that I have researched a new supplement and tested it on her. It is called Nexrutine and it is a completely natural Cox 2 inhibitor. What does that mean - Cox 2? Apparently that is what causes arthritis and rheumatism and an inhibitor reduces inflammation and pain. To be honest, Judy is also on Metacam, the most popular chemical Cox 2 inhibitor but - I use Metacam in the evening at half the recommended dose and 1 capsule of Nexrutine in the morning. It seems to work a treat. She doesn't limp anymore and is quite happily accompanying me on two walks a day. And if she wants to - she can run! Especially when she sees her doggy friends and cats or squirrels.
Judy is still on her daily dose of glucosamine with chondroitin and I use the human form in tablet form (1 per day). Please, please, please - if you are using glucosamine make sure it is not sourced from shark cartilage. Around 78 million sharks are killed every year just for their fins - most fins are exported to China from the EU (can you believe it??) and the EU fishing industry in my opinion will be responsible for the demise of sharks very soon if something isn't done about this. Apparently the Spanish are extremely aggressive in their fishing methods, going well outside their fishing territories and using appalling methods like long lines with hooks on them to catch sharks (up to 200 sharks have been found dead on some of these lines). No surprise there, I hear you say - they rip of people who want to buy property in Spain so why should they care about sharks? I agree, but I must say that during my time spent in Spain I only met extremely nice and caring Spaniards, people who are interested in protecting their wildlife, their National Parks and who want to abolish hunting.
I am going to take my other dog, Bess, off her prescribed steroids as I feel they are doing her a lot of harm at the moment. I have researched other natural products that can help with eczema and I came across neem - it can be taken as capsules internally or applied externally in the form of neem oil. apparently it boosts the immune system which is a major factor in treating eczema. Bess is also on two capsules of evening primrose oil and two tablets of garlic with fenugreek. A few people have commented on her feet which are far less inflamed theses days. They used to be rather red as she kept gnawing them and ripping off hairs.
All my dogs are on a diet of cooked chicken and white rice with boiled vegetables, garlic and herbs plus a smidgens of dried dog food (I prefer Burns) and their coats look fantastic. I started this diet after friends of mine brought back their pooch from the brink of death by feeding her chicken etc.
It is not as laborious as you may think. Just buy a good free range chicken (no battery chickens for me) and boil it in a large pot together with the veggies and herbs for approx. 1 hour and 15 minutes, let it cool down and remove the meat from the bones. Then steam a large pot of white rice (I use Basmati) and once that has cooled down you are ready to go. A little will go a long way - I feed my dogs twice a day smaller portions and 2 chickens last me 10 days. I put the meat in a container as well as the rice and it keeps well in the fridge. If I have to travel then the dogs have to make do with the dried dog food.......
Finally one of the perks of speaking German is that I can watch German television. I had a satellite installed 9 months ago and am now watching science and nature programs as I find them far more informative and not so insular (sorry Britain!) unlike the television here. And hey presto - today I watched a program about an orthopaedic technician who makes bandages for dogs with arthritis. They filmed a three year old labrador that developed arthritis and started to go lame to the point where it used only three legs to get around. The technician measured the dog's leg and handmade a bandage which the dog had to get used to, but after only 4 days it was able to jump over low hurdles and now it seems to have forgotten about the bandage completely and is running around freely and without any signs of lameness. There are apparently only 5 orthopaedic technicians in Germany that specialize in animals. I don't know of any in the UK but it means that if Judy one day is unable to use her hind leg there is an alternative to the usual (having to put her to sleep).
Well, apart from animals I care about people as you know. Which is the whole purpose of running an internet catalogue offering fairtrade, organic and eco friendly products. I believe that if one gives people a purpose in life and an alternative to poaching then wildlife and nature can be saved. Most indigenous people that I have come across treat their environment with respect. It only gets out of hand if they have no other choice because they have no food, no clean water, no clothes and no hope whatsoever, that they start plundering their natural resources. And most people in developing countries want only one thing - give their children a good education so that they can prosper and help their countries. And education doesn't just mean learning English, maths, physics etc. It involves teaching about the symbiosis in nature and the relationship between humans and nature - that we have to look after fauna and flora in order to be able to survive. It also means teaching about ancient traditions, respect and good manners - something that sadly a lot of people in the so-called developed countries don't put any emphasis on anymore.
Next time I'll tell you about my forays into the world of chocolate......Can't wait and in the meantime I'll keep on testing various chocolate bars for you ;-
