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Sweet Feed - Yuck!
One of the biggest culprits in dis-ease in horses is manufactured feeds. Not to put too fine a point on it but the great majority of horse grains and pet foods are made up of agri-waste. Most of the "grain" (and I use this term loosely) in your standard sweet feed is what was left over after making other products for humans.
Except for the "Pet-Free" environment it looks like we will fit right in to this segment of the Bed and Breakfast market. Jeff and I have used vinegar and Amazon Clean and Grean to clean with for years. With hard-wood floors, windows that open and unscented everything Rainbow's End is perfect for people with non-animal related allergies.
American Chronicle: Allergy Free B&Bs Offer Green Travel.
With an increasing focus on environmental sensitivities, innkeepers are going au natural. Move over ultra-beds and tanning butlers, the newest trend in hospitality is green. For those with allergies and asthma conditions, multiple chemical sensitivity or environmental illnesses, travel is pleasurable again, as BedandBreakfast.com innkeepers come through with low-allergen lodging. It’s back to basics with everything from cleaning with vinegar to line-drying sheets for these B&Bs, offering an ideal respite for travelers with sensitivities and allergies. There’s no additional cost or surcharge for going green at these B&Bs where au natural means anything but clothing-optional. Best of all, count on a healthy and hearty breakfast, prepared by innkeepers who take dietary restrictions and healthy living seriously, and of course, smoke-free environments.
AHVMA - American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
What is Holistic Veterinary Medicine?
Holistic medicine, by its very nature, is humane to the core. The wholeness of its scope will set up a lifestyle for the animal that is most appropriate. The techniques used in holistic medicine are gentle, minimally invasive, and incorporate patient well-being and stress reduction. Holistic thinking is centered on love, empathy and respect.
This mixture of healing arts and skills is as natural as life itself. At the core of this issue lies the very essence of the word "(w)holistic". It means taking in the whole picture of the patient—the environment, the disease pattern, the relationship of pet with owner—and developing a treatment protocol using a wide range of therapies for healing the patient.
The holistic practitioner is interested in genetics, nutrition, family relationships, hygiene, and stress factors. Many patients present in a state of "dis-ease." At this point the holistic challenge lies in the question "why?" By a series of analytic observations and appropriate testing the goal becomes finding the true root source of the pathology. A simple-appearing symptom may have several layers of causation. Only when the true cause of the ailment has been found is there the possibility for a lasting recovery.
It is at this point that the most efficacious, least invasive, least expensive, and least harmful path to cure is selected.
In many acute situations, treatment may involve aspects of surgery and drug therapy from conventional western technology, along with alternative techniques to provide a complementary whole. This form of treatment has great value for severe trauma and certain infections. It often outperforms other methodologies. It is also at this time that other treatment plans such as those listed below are brought into use. Once the symptoms have been treated, the task is not complete until the underlying disease patterns have been redirected. The patient, as well as the client, will be guided to a new level of health.
The primary focus for the health of our animal guests is NUTRITION! In my opinion, a holistic approach to animal nutrition means looking at what Mother Nature, in her infinite wisdom, fed an animal. Then looking at how stress and caloric need changes affect their overall health and using foods naturally found in their diet to keep the body in balance.
First - horses GRAZE. They are not designed to eat concentrated calories in short bursts. In fact, concentrated feeds such as hay pellets & cubes and pelleted grains can lead to sand colic, teeth problems and overall poor nutrient assimilation. Here in Arizona grass pasture is rare and expensive. And it is less expensive to grow a low-water legume like Alfalfa than it is grass. But feeding alfalfa is to save money is short sighted and can get very expensive in future veterinary bills. Click here for a more complete article on Why Not to Feed Alfalfa.
The most common questions that I am being asked about our plans involve a more complete picture of what we mean by "holistic" boarding. One large consideration is flys... How do you keep the fly population down without poision? First - we use (and resell) fly biological fly elimiators:
Just when you think you have a handle on a task - you find out how little you really know. For instance:
I welcome your input and ideas - anything you might have to offer about running a small bed and breakfast will help.
We use BioScan Photopuncture to stimulate healing and cleansing for many of the issues we see in animals. This is a very informative article about light therapy:
Bioscan - The Leading Name in Light Healing Technology.
Light therapy has been proven in over 40 years of independent research worldwide to deliver powerful therapeutic benefits to living tissues and organisms. Both visible red and infrared light have been shown to effect at least 24 different positive changes at a cellular level. Visible red light, at a wavelength of 660 nanometers (nm – 1 nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter), penetrates tissue to a depth of about 8-10mm. This lower strength light is very beneficial in treating problems close to the surface such as wounds, cuts, scars, trigger and acupuncture points, and is particularly effective in treating infections. Infrared light (904nm) penetrates to a depth of about 30-40mm which makes it more effective for treating ailments of bones, joints, and deep muscle tissue.
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