New pet owners = responsibility

I am new to this forum and my first posting. I read with interest and sadness the blacklisting of owners who "ordered" dogs over the phone and flew them home only to be disappointed because the animals died of virusses and dehydration, etc.

21-months ago a cross 14 year old Labrador crossed my path, it was the most wisest, gracious, intelligent dog I have ever had in 39 years. Three months ago he was eunthanased. Up until the time he walked into the vet's surgery, he knew it was time. 1 week in advance I sat him down and told him that at the age of 14 years, he could not walk properly (due to arthritis), was defacating and urinating in the house and it was time to be euthanased. I walked him into the vet's surgey. We both sat down, went in the vet's room and he simply lay down with his head on his paws. The vet shaved his front paw where the needle was to go in, she bent down and injected him. He turned his head around, looked at me, and put his head on his paws very graciously and went into a long sleep. His name was SASKO. A beautiful spirit. For my act of good in rescuing this amazing animal, I was given another animal, LOLA, she is a cross Alsation/Greyhound...

With SASKO, i took a risk in adopting this animal, i knew he was old, yet one can usually sense, when an animal is special, they are all special.

My next adoption was different. She is now 2 years. And having been in a similar predicament with a dog like the owners whose pets died of virusses and dehydration, I insisted on the following before taking ownership of the dog:

1. try and take ownership of any pet within 48 hours of all major vaccinations, blood tests and check-ups - this also avoids possible contraction of any illnesses and disease and virusses within the check-up period;

2. insist on a full blood count on the animal to rule out that the animal mysteriusly drops dead from virusses and/or bacterias within a week or month - if the owner does not want to do this look for another dog owner;

3. inist on vaccination certificate from the vet before taking ownership of the pet;

4. insist on a vet's certificate that the pet visited him in the last 48 hours and that the vet deemed the animal health and fit to travel, etc - insist on this from the owner;

5. also insist on a stool sample and urine sample to rule out any kidney stones (or protein in the urine - leading to diabetes) and to make sure the dog does not have any major digestive diseases, causing bloatedness, worms or dehydration;

6. when air travelling the dog, DO NOT DRUG the animal, rather give the animal homeopathy, e.g. RESCUE REMEDY and ARNICA-D6 for calmness and fear of flying, inisist that the owner give the pet this 24 hours in advance every 4 hours

7. also ask the owner what (s)he was feeding the dog before taking ownership. Make sure you have the brand of dog food, research the brand on the internet to make sure there are no side-effects to that particular dog food in that it is a good quality

8. an off course remember to tell the airport staff to write on the Captain manifest that there is animal on board so that the temperature in the cargo hold is not minus degrees and your pet freezes to death..

 Therefore as a would be pet owner, insist on the above, and if the previous owner can't conform to the above, then find another person whom you can buy a pet from. Make sure that there is a clause that indicates that if something "goes wrong" with the animal within 21 days that the person selling you the animal is held liable - tis clause I had in a contract with my pet owner i bought my LOLA from.

I am forensic pathologist, who has taken my expertise in forensic testing, using hair, feathers as a screening tool in animals and humans. Using hair and feathers, it gives me a bio-cheimcal fingerprint of the human or animal for the past 90 days to ascertain what is happening with the body at a cellular level. Blood merely transports nutrients, but hair maintains a balance of nutrients and toxins for 90 days. From this history can one ascertain the immune system, pancreas functioning, thyroid, skin diseases, heart and lungs, moods of pets and human, even depressions, etc., therefore it is a very health screening tool. It is accurate, reliable, provides information quickly and is non-invasive, unlike blood testing when one has to stick a needle into the animal or human. Based on the results, will I advise brands, type of food, wether raw meat of pellets, types of water - salted, or unsalted or with colloidal silver, or accupuncture, of cranio therapy, etc...

Good luck pet owners.

Mark B. Zuhrbrigghen

(Ortho-molecular Nutritionist-Ph.D.)