Our Natural Life » Pet Care – Natural http://ournaturallife.com/blog Provocative discussions about leading a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:23:59 +0000 en hourly 1 Searching for accurate information and provocative discussions about living a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life? Join hosts Jon and Cathy Payne for informative interviews with local and national experts, authors, farmers, filmmakers, and chefs. A bimonthly podcast of varied length that focuses heavily on the principles of Weston A. Price Foundation, Slow Food, sustainable agriculture, and buying local food. Reported through the lens of the hosts lives in rural Georgia. Jon and Cathy Payne no Jon and Cathy Payne jppaynesr@gmail.com jppaynesr@gmail.com (Jon and Cathy Payne) © Alchemy New Media LLC - All Rights Reserved Provocative discussions about leading a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life Weston A. Price, sustainability, sustainable food, holistic health, farming, organic, nutrient dense food, slow food, biodiversity, locavore, pastured meat, raw milk Our Natural Life » Pet Care – Natural http://ournaturallife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/itunes144x144.jpg http://ournaturallife.com/blog/category/pet-care-natural/ TV-G Elberton, GA Monthly Georgia Organics Conference 2011 and Gearing up for Spring (ONL074 Podcast Show) http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/03/georgia-organics-conference-2011-and-gearing-up-for-spring-onl074-podcast-show/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/03/georgia-organics-conference-2011-and-gearing-up-for-spring-onl074-podcast-show/#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:56:37 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=566 In this show, Cathy recaps her weekend at the Georgia Organics conference in Savannah, paid for by Georgia Organics as part of the Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring program. Jon and Cathy discuss heritage breed rabbits, biodynamic farming, their new rabbit barn, clicker training their English Shepherd dog, and building housing for a future intern and apprentice.

[...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/03/georgia-organics-conference-2011-and-gearing-up-for-spring-onl074-podcast-show/feed/ 2 English Shepherds,Heritage Rabbits,Homesteading,Local Food In this show, Cathy recaps her weekend at the Georgia Organics conference in Savannah, paid for by Georgia Organics as part of the Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring program. Jon and Cathy discuss heritage breed rabbits, biodynamic farming, In this show, Cathy recaps her weekend at the Georgia Organics conference in Savannah, paid for by Georgia Organics as part of the Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring program. Jon and Cathy discuss heritage breed rabbits, biodynamic farming, their new rabbit barn, clicker training their English Shepherd dog, and building housing for a future intern and apprentice. Last week I attended my fifth Georgia Organics Conference. I did not think I'd be able to budget for a trip to Savannah or have time to leave the farm. So imagine my surprise when I received an email from Georgia Organics saying that my registration was paid for and that I could stay in a host home for free! As a recipient of this year's Georgia Organics Farmer-to-Farmer mentoring program, I get these perks and mentoring from three fantastic farmers. Russ Green of Greendale Farm is helping me with the business of running a farm profitably. His farm is a showcase of sustainability and diversity, with his artisan cheese dairy, and "beyond organic" beef, lamb, pork, and egg production. Michael MacMullan of McMullan Family Farm is helping me with the use of organic fertilizers, cover crops, and growing produce. He is a fifth generation farmer. Finally, Mac Wade, fifth generation farmer working with his mother Tink of Tink's Grassfed Beef, is helping with pasture development and mineralization. I think this team is awesome! Each of the mentors has visited the farm and given me homework to do. And I thought that was behind me when I finished my doctoral program seven years ago! A highlight of the conference for me was a workshop titled, "Biodynamics is the New Organic" with Daron Joffe aka Farmer D of Farmer D Organics. Daron took a somewhat esoteric subject and made it so much more accessible to me. In order to have a sustainable farm there is a cycle of soil - plants - animals - compost. The first priority is to nurture the soil. I already have a small library of books on biodynamics and doubled it by the end of the conference. Time to crack the books! Friday afternoon I visited Hope Grows Farm in Sylvania, Georgia. This two year old, 5 acre farm produces chicken, eggs, pork, produce, and pecans. They have a unique CSA program. People pre-pay the amount they want to support the farm, then shop for the items they want in a mix-and-match program. The farm was started with a budget of only $300 and a lot of hard work. The farmers, Arianne and Elliott, are only 25 years old. Saturday I attended several workshops, the members meeting with a speech by Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, and the Farmer's Feast. In the past, we've enjoyed keynote speakers at the Farmer's Feast including Joel Salatin and Michael Pollan. This year Vandana Shiva was on the docket. Unfortunately, a family emergency required her to be in India and there was no time to replace her on 24 hours notice. However, sharing dinner with my friends Tim and Lucy Heil, Jessica Lara, bottles of wine and delicious farm-to-table food was still quite a treat. Broad River Rabbitry is growing its heritage breed rabbits. We're building a rabbit barn to house our Silver Fox, Beveren, and now American rabbits. By the end of the summer we will add a fourth breed, Lilac. As we grow, my friend Krystal Beers and her husband Tom of Two Hunnyz Rabbitry have been a great resource. As owners of two English Shepherds, they've been a support with Cody as well. Jon and Cathy Payne no 52:54 Pets Need a Natural Life, Too! (Podcast ONL073) http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/01/pets-need-a-natural-life-too-podcast-onl073/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/01/pets-need-a-natural-life-too-podcast-onl073/#comments Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:53:07 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=528 Dr. Kim Bloomer and Dr. Jeannie Thomason, veterinary naturopaths and co-hosts of the popular Podcast, Animal Talk Naturally, spent an hour talking with Jon and me about their journey in promoting naturally health care for pets. Just as humans thrive on a holistic approach to health care and eating traditional, real foods, pets thrive [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/01/pets-need-a-natural-life-too-podcast-onl073/feed/ 0 Homesteading,raw milk,Real Milk,Weston Price Dr. Kim Bloomer and Dr. Jeannie Thomason, veterinary naturopaths and co-hosts of the popular Podcast, Animal Talk Naturally, spent an hour talking with Jon and me about their journey in promoting naturally health care for pets. Dr. Kim Bloomer and Dr. Jeannie Thomason, veterinary naturopaths and co-hosts of the popular Podcast, Animal Talk Naturally, spent an hour talking with Jon and me about their journey in promoting naturally health care for pets. Just as humans thrive on a holistic approach to health care and eating traditional, real foods, pets thrive on a species specific diet and a holistic approach to wellness over treating of symptoms. Their passion for healthy, whole animals is reflected in our conversation as well as in the work they do for holistic health through a variety of venues. Our interview can be downloaded from the link below or on iTunes, Zune, Tivo, or Stitcher. Podcast ONL073 It's been a couple of years since we talked about holistic pet care. While many of our listeners may not (yet) have farm animals to tend to, the average American is a pet owner of one or more species. Pets are part of the family and cared for as such. I see a huge parallel between the health issues in our pets and those of the pet owners. Diabetes, cancer, obesity, heart disease, joint issues, and thyroid problems are way too common in cats and dogs these days. Many if not most of these issues could be linked, as in human health, to inappropriate diet, vaccinations, and chemical exposure. Our newest house dog, Cody, is a five month old English Shepherd. While he is a family companion, he is also a working dog on the farm, expected to help with herding, vermin control, keeping livestock from getting to rough with us, and guarding livestock and family. He needs to be sound, of good temperament, and athletic to perform his duties. We are helping him develop the best of his potential with training, a species appropriate diet, and minimal exposure to chemicals and toxins in his environment. Kim Bloomer and Jeannie Thomason have been teaching about natural animal care since 2004. They were pioneers in the areas of chat, blogging, webinars, and audio podcasting. Kim and Jeannie are adjunct professors in the animal health program of Kingdom College for Natural Health. They recently founded the American Council of Animal Naturopathy. Their primary focus is on prormoting health versus disease management and in empowering pet owners to rear naturally healthy dogs through proper diet and holistic care. They require their clients to use a species appropriate raw diet for carnivores. Their motivation and passion stem from a love of animals and education. Kim has written two books including Whole Health for Happy Dogs: A Natural Health Handbook for Dogs and Their Owners , co-written with Jill Elliott, DVM. Visit their websites at www.aspenbloompetcare.com and www.thewholedog.org. You can download past episodes of Animal Talk Naturally on iTunes. Be sure to listen to our Podcast interview with these knowledgeable practitioners! Jon and I will be guests on Animal Talk Naturally February 9th. Broad River Pastures Farm Updates Our first Silver Rabbit doe's litter has 4 healthy kits, age 18 days now. They are out of the nest box, fully furred, and hopping about with their eyes open. It is very rewarding to see the life process unfold from breeding to birth and maturation in such a short span of time! I've added a rare white Beveren doe to the rabbitry. She came bred and we are looking for a litter in mid February. Jon brought home an additional trio of rabbits from Maryland via Whitmore Farm. One of those does is also expecting a litter in mid February. We are adding additional room to our barn to help with feed storage and to allow us to remodel the rest of the building and apartment. Things are developing quickly and professionally. We will have an apartment ready for our next intern very soon! Our 13 Orpington and Orpington-cross hens are all laying medium to large eggs now. Our 8 Black Copper Marans hens began laying small eggs recently, too. The ducks continue to lay extra large and Jumbo sized eggs. Jon and Cathy Payne no 45:26 Everything is Ducky in Elberton! http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/06/everything-is-ducky-in-elberton/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/06/everything-is-ducky-in-elberton/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:21:31 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=363 Life on our new farm is busy and hot, but Jon and I consider ourselves "lucky ducks" because we have our first livestock on the farm. You guessed it - ducks! Sunday morning we picked up nine Khaki Campbell ducks that are six weeks old. Hens of this breed are notoriously good egg layers, excellent foragers on pasture, and hardy. Duck eggs are nutrient-dense and rich in protein, fat, cholesterol, and calcium. People who are allergic to chicken's eggs can often enjoy eggs of other layers such as ducks.

[...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/06/everything-is-ducky-in-elberton/feed/ 8 ONL061 From Suburb to Farm http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/05/onl061-from-suburb-to-farm/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/05/onl061-from-suburb-to-farm/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:58:31 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/05/onl061-from-suburb-to-farm/ A misty morning on the walking trail.

Jon and I have been very busily transitioning from suburb to farm. It has been quite an adventure! Thanks to all of you who have been following us on facebook or Twitter, send encouraging emails, and listening to the archives of our Podcasts. I finished my last [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/05/onl061-from-suburb-to-farm/feed/ 3 Jon and I have been very busily transitioning from suburb to farm. It has been quite an adventure! Thanks to all of you who have been following us on facebook or Twitter, send encouraging emails, and listening to the archives of our Podcasts. Jon and I have been very busily transitioning from suburb to farm. It has been quite an adventure! Thanks to all of you who have been following us on facebook or Twitter, send encouraging emails, and listening to the archives of our Podcasts. I finished my last day of my 33 year teaching career Friday, May 28, so we hope to get back to regularly scheduled blogs and Podcasts again. Thank you for your loyalty and patience. Since our last Podcast on April 2, we have completed so many projects at Broad River Pastures! In spite of the busyness, Jon religiously walks the farm each morning with his coffee and takes time to enjoy the beauty here. On the left is a photo of the woods near Kelley Creek one misty morning in May. I'll see if we can post more of his morning walk photos on the Our Natural Life Podcast page on facebook. We have been greatly blessed this month to become grandparents once again! This time we have a grandson. Mom, Dad, big sister and baby are doing fine. Another blessing on our farm is the arrival of interns Andrew and Patrick. They have provided invaluable skills, ideas, and labor for us as we get things started. They've used scrap lumber to build our square foot gardens, built a duck coop/schooner style, removed our barbed wire fences, and built compost bins. Not bad at all for their first 10 days on the job! Better Bilt Homes erected our Garage Workshop/Apartment building in only 8 days in April. We need to add HAC, electric, plumbing, and insulation, but we are very glad to have the storage space and workshop for Jon. The construction short movies are on YouTube here. We welcomed our first farm animals this weekend! Cici and Pearl are rescued Great Pyrenees who have been working as Livestock Guardian Dogs on a farm with goats, chickens, and ducks. They are anxiously awaiting a new flock to protect. In a few days we will be bringing up some Khaki Campbell duck layers for them to work protect. They will be providing the border patrol we need to keep coyotes, wild boar, foxes, and feral dogs off the farm. Our neighbors the Youngs at Natures Harmony Farm are raising a thousand broilers on pasture with no losses thanks to their hard working livestock guardians. We are grateful to all the servicemen who risked or lost their lives to serve their country, and those who continue to serve. We hope that you had a great Memorial Day weekend. Thank you for all your support, letters, donations, and support by shopping our Amazon Store, Selina Naturally, and other affiliates. Jon and Cathy. Live "Farm Cam" Broad River Pastures blog. All images (c) 2010 Alchemy New Medial LLC, all rights reserved. Jon and Cathy Payne no 37:57 ONL012 – Clicker Training Your Pet http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl012-clicker-training-your-pet/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl012-clicker-training-your-pet/#comments Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:45:05 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=145 In this episode we discuss clicker training for your pet. It is a more natural way to train a pet that involves positive reinforcement contrasted against the older methods involving verbal and physical discipline. We answer the following questions;

What is clicker training? What is natural about it? How do I get started? and we [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl012-clicker-training-your-pet/feed/ 0 In this episode we discuss clicker training for your pet. It is a more natural way to train a pet that involves positive reinforcement contrasted against the older methods involving verbal and physical discipline. We answer the following questions; In this episode we discuss clicker training for your pet. It is a more natural way to train a pet that involves positive reinforcement contrasted against the older methods involving verbal and physical discipline. We answer the following questions; What is clicker training? What is natural about it? How do I get started? and we share some personal dog training stories. Here are the links we discussed on the show; What is clicker training Clicker training for all animals - even goldfish! Why a clicker and not your voice? 7 short YouTube demonstrations Just for fun, Kate and Gin on Britain's got Talent - awesome! US Dog Agility Association *** Mars Petcare recall due to salmonella. *** Toxic BPA plastic - FDA ignores warnings Our next few shows will be about 'slow food' and slow cooking, the opposite of fast food, but much healthier. //Jon Jon and Cathy Payne no 37:38 ONL011 – Holistic Pet Care Part 2 http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl011-holistic-pet-care-part-2/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl011-holistic-pet-care-part-2/#comments Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:42:29 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=144 This is the second part of our series about holistic pet care and how it differs from traditional allopathic veterinary care. We discuss alternative treatment methods and share some real life experiences with that we have experienced with traditional remedies. In this show we answer the following questions;

What is acupuncture? Why use Chinese herbs [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl011-holistic-pet-care-part-2/feed/ 0 This is the second part of our series about holistic pet care and how it differs from traditional allopathic veterinary care. We discuss alternative treatment methods and share some real life experiences with that we have experienced with traditional r... This is the second part of our series about holistic pet care and how it differs from traditional allopathic veterinary care. We discuss alternative treatment methods and share some real life experiences with that we have experienced with traditional remedies. In this show we answer the following questions; What is acupuncture? Why use Chinese herbs for pets? What are some problems with chemical products for pest control? What are some natural methods of controlling fleas and ticks? What are some problems with the use of steroids? Here are the links mentioned on the show. Animal Acupuncture - National Geographic Healing Pets with a Holistic Approach - NY Times Traditional Chinese Medicine in Veterinary Care - AltVetMed Dog Arthritis - Pet Care Tips - Dr Colleen Smith DVM Treating Arthritis - Susan Wynn DVM History of Rimadyl Antibiotics and Steroids Natural Flea Control- Diet, Exercise, Homeopathy - Jeffrey Levy DVM Diatomaceous Earth for Flea Control More about Natural Flea Control Flea Control Nematodes Jon and Cathy Payne no 35:32 ONL010 – Holistic Pet Care http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl010-holistic-pet-care/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl010-holistic-pet-care/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:35:05 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=142 In this episode we talk about holistic pet care and how it differs from traditional allopathic veterinary care. We discuss homeopathic remedies and share a couple of our real life experiences with them. We answer the following questions;

How does holistic pet care differ from allopathic veterinary care? What is homeopathy? What is osteopathy? What [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl010-holistic-pet-care/feed/ 0 In this episode we talk about holistic pet care and how it differs from traditional allopathic veterinary care. We discuss homeopathic remedies and share a couple of our real life experiences with them. We answer the following questions; - In this episode we talk about holistic pet care and how it differs from traditional allopathic veterinary care. We discuss homeopathic remedies and share a couple of our real life experiences with them. We answer the following questions; How does holistic pet care differ from allopathic veterinary care? What is homeopathy? What is osteopathy? What are the problems associated with vaccination and medication? Here are the links mentioned on the show. Michelle Welton - Your Purebred Puppy - advice you can trust. Dr Kimberly Parker on Homeopathy Dr Kimberly Parker on Osteopathy Dr Charles Loops about vaccinations Dr Charles Loops about Vaccinosis and Chronic Disease Dr Gloria Dodd about hip displaysia And one more - off topic to today's podcast, but an important warning. Red Bull Can Give You a Stroke And finally, check out the video I mentioned about the battle of the hummingbirds in our back yard. Until next week! //Jon Jon and Cathy Payne no 30:52 ONL009 – Raw Feeding Your Pets http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl009-raw-feeding-your-pets/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl009-raw-feeding-your-pets/#comments Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:00:05 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=139 In this show we talk about the benefits of feeding our pets a species appropriate diet of raw meat and bones. Some of the points we cover are;

How we started feeding our dogs naturally Problems with commercial pet food Rationale and benefits of raw feeding

Commercial pet foods are unnatural, unhealthy, and contain ingredients [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2008/09/onl009-raw-feeding-your-pets/feed/ 0 In this show we talk about the benefits of feeding our pets a species appropriate diet of raw meat and bones. Some of the points we cover are; How we started feeding our dogs naturally Problems with commercial pet food In this show we talk about the benefits of feeding our pets a species appropriate diet of raw meat and bones. Some of the points we cover are; How we started feeding our dogs naturally Problems with commercial pet food Rationale and benefits of raw feeding Commercial pet foods are unnatural, unhealthy, and contain ingredients you do not want your pet to eat, including used restaurant grease and rendered, euthanized animals & even roadkill retrieved by local government agencies. Dogs and cats are carnivores designed by nature to consume a raw, whole prey diet. Animals fed a whole prey diet will be happier and healthier, have smaller stools, cleaner teeth, and fewer diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and kidney disease. Keep reading - we have a list of links and 2 great videos on the next page. List of links to the articles we talked about; Canine Nutrition , Dr. Kimberly Parker Switching to Raw, Susan Johnson Holistic products for dogs and cats. Raw Fed Cats More about Raw Fed Cats What's really in pet food Cancer prevention for pets. "Prey" for your pets. Dr. Billinghurst's Biologically Appropriate Raw Food Diet More about what is really in pet food. Raw Meaty Bones How pet food is tested. 8 subjects, only 6 must pass! Videos. What's REALLY in Your Pet's Food!! Nick and Sheila dine on raw chicken. (Download Video) Jon and Cathy Payne no 31:03