The Possible Canine’s Blog
Astragalus/Mushroom Medicine Balls
I've been promising to share the mushroom/astragalus Medicine Ball recipe, and I just made a batch to make sure my (usually eyeballed) proportions are right - so, here it is. There are loads of variations to try - I'll share some below - but this is a basic...
Five Top Reasons that “Herbs Don’t Work”
Something I hear an awful lot of, in my work as a herbalist for humans as well as other species, is the simple lament that "herbs don't work". Sometimes expressed with chagrin, other times with dismissal, it's a familiar refrain to me and for many of my herbal...
Learning Never Stops
With all the focus on my new herbal course, I've been neglecting to talk about the two canine nutrition courses I've run for years, seems like they are well known and I always have a steady stream of new students along with graduates. That said, I think it's time to...
The Pre-Sale Continues…
Recently I've been receiving messages here, on Facebook and by email, all of which lament the idea that the Practical Herbalism course is "now closed" and all asking when it will start up again. In light of what appears to be a major misunderstanding, here's a few...
Update on the new course, and other stuff
Today I want to bring my readers up to date on a few changes here, as I've been delayed a fair bit, with computer woes, and may have appeared to disappear, for a while. Early in March I finally switched computers after 8 years, and it has proved to be a real...
Using Herbs Wisely
Using Herbs Wisely Today I want to share a little general wisdom about herbs; their strengths and proper applications for animals, and how readers who are interested in herbs, can sort through the ocean of information (and misinformation) regarding their use. Some of...
Herbs to Know – Yarrow
Herb – Yarrow Achillea millefolium Continuing the series with a wonderful “old standby” herb, but again one I feel is underused in animal herbalism – yarrow! This is a common “weed” that grows everywhere, so one virtue is availability, for sure. An important herb in...
Live Herb-chat on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/events/868226859961447/ A quick entry today to let readers know that I'm hosting a Live Chat on Facebook this Sunday, 1pm EST, and to invite you to drop by with questions or to "listen in". The main purpose of the chat is to discuss my new...
Time for a Vet Check? It may well be
This entry today comes after many discussions on my Facebook group, Canine Nutrition and Natural Health - and I promised to do it, so here it is. In the midst of a thread about finding a "holistic vet", on the group - I ventured in to say, as I have in past, better...
Practical Herbalism – for Common Canine Conditions
Today I am pleased to offer a new course, a unique course, focused on dogs, on herbs and on common canine conditions you as a home herbalist will almost certainly encounter. Why this course, and why now? There is a veritable avalanche of information today, online and...
More on the new Course – FAQs
Practical Herbalism for Common Canine Conditions I am so thrilled to introduce this new online course, focused on practical herbalism, using herbs for minor health issues we dog lovers encounter all the time. I have a full Course Outline posted in a separate...
Practical Herbalism for Common Canine Conditions
Practical Herbalism for Dogs – Homestudy Course This online course will be open-ended, meaning you can take as long as you like to finish. The course starts with covering some basic information on herbalism, describes how to stock up a home apothecary, and then goes...
Canine Cancer – Getting the Diet Right
Cancer Help and Support – getting the diet right, Part One For this entry I thought I’d talk a little about the so-called cancer diet; I say “so-called” because from where I sit, there are many variations, and what I tend to use with an individual dog draws from many...
Herbs to Know – Elder
Many of my readers who have asked about herbs for the immune system, in the hope of avoiding a cold or flu in winter, have learned about the power of the Elder tree, both flower and berry, and are using it for their human family, in syrup and tincture and elixir....
Fruits and Veggies for your Dog – my Top Ten picks
Fruits and Veggies – my Top Ten Picks Further to my blog entry about pros and cons of feeding plant foods to dogs – several of you wrote and asked what are my very favorite veggies and fruits for dogs. Well, as always the bottomline has to be, that your dog enjoys and...
Real Nutrition for Dogs – Questions on Homefeeding
A concerned follower sent me these questions with some deeply nonsensical answers attached,from another source - and asked if I might offer up some more factual and informed replies. These are all things I hear every day, anyway - so in aid of my personal mission to...
Year End Sale – all three courses
Ok, I'm a little late with this - busy times here (like you can all relate to, hhmm?) so I'm extending the date we discussed on the group. Starting today, as soon as this goes up, and right through till Sunday at midnight, I'm offering the following discount. 20% off...
Deconstructing your Dog’s Diet – 101
A topic that comes up often on my Facebook group is, how do people know if a recipe they find online is balanced or not? It is critically important, of course, that recipes not only utilize nice wholesome ingredients, but they provide all the essentials a dog needs,...
Herbal Support for Arthritis
Canine and Feline Arthritis Arthritis is a wellknown, common and often difficult condition in our own species, and most people who live with dogs and cats will encounter the challenges it can pose for them as well. While prevention is always ideal, many animal lovers...
Nutrition and Herbs – Seminar in Rupert
WHERE: Rupert Community Centre, 24 Shouldice Road, Rupert, Quebec (about 45 minutes north of Ottawa) WHEN: Sunday, September 27, from 10 am- 5 pm COST: $75.00 in advance or 90.00$ at the door TOPICS This one day seminar will cover a lot of ground! In four parts, ...
Reducing your pudgy pooch
Since my Newsletter only lasted 3 issues, I'm sharing some of the articles here. There will be a Newsletter again soon, once I get Mailchimp sorted! - for now, some tips on how I approach reducing the overweight dog. (No, it doesn't involve green beans). 🙂 ...
Midsummer sale at TPC – courses!
Any of you who have followed me on Twitter or Facebook know that I am passionate about supporting the rescue efforts of animal welfare activists in Asia, both individuals like Mrs. Yang and groups like Soi Dog, Duo Duo and AnimalsAsia. I know that the shock and...
Canine Cancer – an Introduction to Natural Management
Re-post of an article I did for Plant Healer Magazine This is an overview of working with canine cancer, and the first in a much more comprehensive series. Intro Any herbalist who decides to make working with animals their primary focus, will encounter many of the...
Wild Weeds Part One
Herbal medicine has seen a great increase in popularity of late, and this includes herbs for companion animals. With millions of petlovers concerned about the safety and wisdom of using dehydrated commercial foods for dogs and cats, along with a greater awareness of...
The Power of the Small – My TTouch Journey, Part One
A discussion on a Facebook group prompted me to share a bit about my life and work in TTouch, which I plan to pick up more energetically this year. The whole process of learning what TTouch has to offer is something that can be hard to explain - and extraordinarily...
The Canine Immune System – 101
There's so much more I could say - but let this be a start.... feel free to ask questions here or on the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/756709917722083/. There will be an E-book, coming this summer, as well. Such an important topic. Here you go! My...
New Feature in Facebook group/Newsletter
A quick entry today to let you know there is a new feature at the Facebook group Canine Nutrition and Natural Health. Given the volume of questions that get lost in the fast-paced world of Facebook, I've put a pinned post at the top of the page where members can ask...
Your Senior Dog – Herbal support and nutrition
Reprinted from Plant Healer Magazine - link at bottom For those of us who love and work with animals, few things are as gratifying to see as a happy, well cared for elderly companion – dog, cat, horse, goat, ferret ...a life well-lived, the result of good genes and...
Natural Support for Dogs with Seizures
A re-post, with additional ideas, of an article I did for a local e-zine a few years ago. 🙂 Question: What diet would you recommend for a dog with epilepsy? Answer: As with any dog, before I make recommendations I like to evaluate several factors, starting with the...
Herbal Support for the Heart
Herbal support for the Heart Common canine and feline conditions Heart disease in dogs and cats is common, and may be congenital or acquired. In all cases, both dietary evaluation and herbal support may slow progression of the condition or at a minimum, offer improved...
The Possible Canine’s Blog
Herbal Support for Smoke Exposure
With all the fires raging across California, and smoke thick over the whole area but also moving Eastward across the continent, the herbal world is filled with ideas to support humans exposed to the bad air...but what about our animals? I'd like to address every...
The Spotlight Series…Vitamin D
Hello readers, and first let me say how amazed and delighted I am by the number of people registered already, for the Home Cooking Tutorial! I knew there was a need, but still - I've had a very enthusiastic response, just a few days in. I've known for some time that...
What I’m Feeding Danny
This started off as part of an exercise for the Cancer Tutorial, and as it grew I decided to share it with a wider audience. One of the things I am most adamant about is ensuring that home prepared diets meet all nutrient requirements - fatty and amino acids,...
Consultations for your Dog- a Service Update
Today I’d like to talk a bit about my Consultations, what they entail, what you as a client can expect and how the process works. After providing these services for close to two decades, I have had the opportunity to see what works best for my clients, and to that...
Christmas Cookies – especially for Seniors…
...dogs of any age can have them too, of course. I developed this cookie a few days ago, after seeing a recipe shared around, for "candycane" treats that used wheat flour, a bouillon cube and red food colouring - I mean, none of these are tragic, I dislike...
Energetics 101
This is one of those "by request" posts - since the whole topic of energetics has been tossed around so much lately in the natural health world, and there is a bit of popular confusion, I hope to be able to help sort some of it out. Plus, it's a favorite topic of...
Chamomile – much more than tea!
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita, Chamaemelum nobile) Family: Asteraceae Parts Used: Flowers, fresh or dried Actions: antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, relaxing nervine, carminative, stomachic, antiemetic, vulnerary, diaphoretic, mild antimicrobial, aromatic, bitter...
Adaptogens for Dogs – an introduction and recipe
Last week on my Page (Facebook) I had promised a couple of new recipes, and then alas, life, work and all that jazz simply got in the way. So I promised to share a recipe, an existing one from my (hopefully) forthcoming ebooklet...this is one I make and use with my...
Choosing a Pet-sitter – Things to Consider
There are times when you aren’t able to take your dog or dogs away with you when you travel. And when you aren’t you will certainly want someone who is qualified to take care of your pet while you’re away. So with that in mind, here are some things that you need to...
Spicy Chaga-pumpkin cookies
Yesterday, in the spirit of all the cool recipes I plan to share in the tutorial, I whipped up a batch of a fall favorite here - spicy chaga-pumpkin cookies, with a little extra immune boosting kick thrown in as we head into the colder weather. These cookies, like...