Dr. Cynthia Maro
Recent chemical contamination from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment site has made many area residents aware of possible pet and livestock exposures to toxic chemicals in the air, water and ground.
Regardless of where you live and when pets and farm animals experience medical or behavioral changes, including symptoms associated with potential toxins, owners should seek veterinary care. Documentation of physical findings, performance of blood tests and detailed owner reports are key to diagnosing and treating illnesses. Detailed veterinary records are needed for cases involving potential future litigation.
For pet and livestock owners who are currently inquiring how to get animals tested for vinyl chloride, unfortunately, there is currently no blood or tissue test available, according to Dr. Stephen Hoosier, veterinary toxicology specialist of the Department of Agriculture, Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Indiana.
Hoosier advises veterinarians to perform basic testing and supportive care for sick animals and to create excellent documentation of all animals treated.
He also recommends storing abnormal eggs from sick chickens and birds, as future testing may become available.
If animals die as a result of chemical exposure, ask your veterinarian to write paperwork for you to obtain post-mortem testing through the Ohio Department of Agriculture, ADDL in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Owners will need to take deceased animals to the lab facility, after their veterinarian signs off on the paperwork.
The long-term effects of chemical release may not be known immediately, so it is important to keep records and pictures of all sick and dead animals.
For those pet owners who have seen no ill effects or aren’t certain if their pets are affected by the chemical release, preventive care and monitoring health through medical testing are wise.
Many pet owners have been asking how they can protect themselves and their pets. Though I cannot give humans advisem*nt for their own health and protection, I can speak to ways to improve pet health using many of the integrative methods for maintaining a healthy body and optimizing the natural protection the skin and lymphatics provide. Optimizing the function of internal digestive organs, including the large intestine and liver can and do help your pet rid the body of toxins.
We are all exposed to toxic substances in the environment on a regular basis, and our bodies produce toxins through digestion and cellular metabolism. Through good nutrition, and healthy intestinal flora (the microscopic organisms in the gastrointestinal tract), humans and animals usually rid their bodies of “bad chemicals.” When a large chemical load, such as ingesting a poisonous plant or drug or inhalation of toxic fumes occurs, the body may not be able to handle the toxic overload and organ failure may result.
If you notice your pet becoming lethargic, refusing to eat, having abdominal distress (vomiting or diarrhea) or breathing heavily, be sure to seek veterinary intervention as soon as possible.
Furthermore, if you have concerns about your water quality, be sure to use bottled water for your pets. Get your water tested for chemical contaminants, especially if you have well water.
Follow these tips to decrease all chemical exposures:
1.Use a foot bath for pets when they come into the home from outdoors. I suggest a boot tray with distilled water (change it daily). Pets can walk through this tray and owners should wipe their feet dry with a clean, dry towel.
2.Wipe pets’ fur with a damp towel after they’ve been outdoors to remove chemicals and pollens. This will also reduce allergic skin problems.
3.Bathe pets weekly and brush them daily to increase lymphatic drainage. Massaging pets will help improve circulation and the removal of toxins. Provide plenty of water to aid this removal.
4.Be sure all humans leave their shoes/footwear in the garage and don’t wear shoes in the home.
5.Only use filtered or bottled water.
6.Help your pets maintain better gut health. Intelligence of Nature makes Gut Ion Health for Pets which can help protect against chemical toxins. I recommend only ordering from the manufacturer, directly.
7.Good probiotics help protect the GI tract. Commercially prepared yogurt made from pasteurized milk IS NOT a good probiotic. Raw milk-prepared yogurt and fermented vegetables are better choices for healthy probiotics. You can also use high-quality probiotics made for pets.
8.Liver detoxification herbs, like Chinese herbs and milk thistle, are also important oral sources of glutathione. There are several brands I recommend to pet owners, based on the age and species of pets.
9.Oral N-acetyl cysteine or NAC is great for assisting in detoxification.
10.Addition of dietary fiber and use of organic detox foods, like cilantro
Additional steps I employ, at my clinic, for handling toxic exposures:
1.Injections of glutathione and Vitamin C, IV or intramuscular, along with other vitamins, amino acids and detoxifying nutraceuticals, which need to be administered by a veterinarian
2.IV and rectal infusions of ozone therapy, to increase oxygenation of tissues and improve the function of cellular mitochondria (this helps prevent cancer and organ damage)
3.Specific treatments based on blood test abnormalities, after appropriate blood work is performed
4.TCVM herbs made for removing toxins.In my practice, these may include using nanoparticle herbs infused rectally, topical treatments in the form of foot and body soaks, and oral nanoparticle herbs administered as liquids or capsules with food.
5.Acupuncture and massage therapy along with IV and subcutaneous electrolyte fluid therapy
6.Healthy lipids to displace the toxins stored in stagnant fats and lymphatic tissues
Remember, if you have sick animals, please get them veterinary care.
My hope for all area residents is that human and animal health are restored and preserved, and any losses are recovered through ethical actions.
Dr. Cynthia Maro is a veterinarian at the Ellwood Animal Hospital in Ellwood City and the Chippewa Animal Hospital in Chippewa Township. She writes a biweekly column on pet care and health issues. If you have a topic you’d like to have addressed, email ellwoodvet@msn.com.
