February is American Heart Month

...For humans that is, and after hearing about it on the radio and television, I thought a lot about our pets. I prefer to be proactive instead of reactive, and try to prevent anything from happening before things go south! I try to follow my own tips as best as possible and I hope you and your dog can benefit from them!

Heart health tips

   We need to have good habits in place to keep our dogs heart healthy! Here are some recommendations from Your Dog's Heart that will keep your dog healthy and in shape:

Diet-A healthy diet is good for your dog's heart just as it is good for our own hearts. Your dog's diet needs to be well-balanced and made up of high quality ingredients, whether it's home-cooked, raw, or kibble. I prefer raw but it's not for everyone. Check out Dog Food Advisor for ratings on kibble based on their ingredients. Also remember to maintain a proper body weight for your dog. Being overweight makes the heart work harder!

Young Living Essential Oils- Lemon Vitality, Citrus Fresh Vitality, Orange Vitality, and Copaiba These oils I give orally, just one drop one of these oils in their water each day! I rotate them. AromaLife, Longevity, these two I either diffuse into the air with a cold air diffuser, or I will pet one drop diluted with a carrier oil directly onto the dog. For more info click here!

Exercise- Regular exercise will keep your dog AND YOU in great shape! Your dog's exercise requirements will differ according to size, breed, age, and health. Think about the different dog sports or activities you and your dog can get into!

Young Living Ningxia Red- Ningxia Red contains pomegranate juice* which reduces blood stickiness or the tendency to clump with age, normalizes blood pressure**, It strengthens the cardiovascular system***. It also contains pure Wolfberry from the NingXia province in China where it is a dietary staple in populations know for extreme longevity. My dogs love it! At first they were a little turned off until I diluted it with water! I give them about 1/2 to 1 ounce a day. And for myself 2-3 ounces a day!

Health testing- It's not just for breeders! Common tests include: Radiograph, blood testing, blood pressure test, electrocardiogram (ECG), and echocardiogram.

Keep your eyes peeled!- Keep an eye on your dogs as they age and watch for signs of heart disease

Know your breed- Certain breeds are more prone to heart problems

* Aviram M and Dornfeld L. Pomegranate juice consumption inhibits serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity and reduces systolic blood pressure. Atherosclerosis 2001, 158:195- 198

**Research at Beijing Medical University in 1998 showed that Ningxia wolfberry polysaccharide reduced systolic blood pressure by 23% and diastolic blood pressure by 21% in an animal model.

***Steven Coco of Yale University School of Medicine says, “Increases in dietary potassium benefits several disease states. These include the treatment of hypertension, stroke prevention, arrhythmia prevention and treatment of congestive heart failure.” • Ningxia wolfberries are one of the richest known sources of potassium (1600mg per 100 gm) • Studies published in the British Journal of Medicine indicate that potassium and magnesium together create a powerful synergistic effect to dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease. •High magnesium and calcium levels in Ningxia Red also provide powerful cardio protective properties

I love my dogs, they're the sole reason I got into Young Living, until a friend told me that if I want to be able to play with my dogs and live a long healthy life with dogs...I had to start getting healthier. "You can't pour from an empty cup." I would love to share more about these essential oils with you. Shoot me an email or call me on the phone! 

Sincerely, 

Katie Midkiff, KPA CTP

Crosby, TX

713.855.3363

midkiffkatie8@gmail.com

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