Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth:
An Alternative to Chemical Dewormers and External Parasite Treatment

(One should always consult a veterinary when making changes in their animal companion’s diet. For a consultation with a veterinarian who has experience with feeding diatomaceous earth we recommend Dr. Donna Starita of A Place for Healing 503.658.0316 or info@donnastarita.com.)

There isn’t a doubt in my mind that we all want what is best for our animals. No one gives their animal a treatment or supplement and thinks, "I sure hope this makes him sick." We provide treatments and supplements for our animals with the intention of making them healthier. The problem is that not only do many “experts” disagree on what is the safest and best form of treatment when it comes to deworming and external parasite control, but also there is a financial motivation by the companies producing the products to keep us believing that we need them and that their products are what’s best for our animals. When choosing a product to give our animals, I think an important and often overlooked question is how does this affect the planet as a whole? The chemicals we put into our horses to kill their internal parasites every eight weeks end up back in our soil and watersheds, which means ultimately back into us.

The use of Diatomaceous Earth as an internal and external parasite control is not a new concept. It has been used in China for over 400 years. It is important to note that there are two types of diatomaceous earth: You should only feed food grade diatomaceous earth, as the other type is commonly used in pool filtration systems and can have all kinds of other additives in it. When purchasing DE (as it is commonly referred to) if it does not say "food grade" then assume it is not and avoid using it or putting it on your animal. Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. How it works is that the fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. The parasite basically dies as a result of the water pressure deficiency. Additionally, diatomaceous earth stimulates basic metabolism, converts feed better, keeps fly larvae from developing in manure (which helps reduce fly population), helps detox heavy metals, contains minerals, parasites can not become immune to it like they do with chemical dewormers and it is a cost-effective way to control pests,
which enhances rather than harms the planet.

One of the things that most surprised me when I first began using DE on my animals is how much softer their coat hair became. That’s saying quite a bit since many people have commented on how soft my horses and cats coats tend to be over the years. Even my mares and foal that wintered outside without blankets became silky-soft as though they had been blanketed and recently bathed. Two of my horses' coats darkened and took on a deeper, richer hue.

How much DE should you feed your pets? I found once again that everyone seem to have a different opinion on this so I would refer you back to the beginning of the article with Dr. Starita’s contact info. I will share with you my experiences, but there are definite variables which may not make it the right course for you to take with your animal companion.

I began with sprinkling DE on the raw meat my cats get twice per day and then decreasing down to once per day using a tablespoon. With the cats I just kind of eyeball it. I have six cats, all feral rescues, and only one of them has been picky about eating it. She gets it mixed in with tuna, but you can try milk, yogurt, or a favorite canned cat food. I started out small and built up the amount I gave her.

I give the dogs about a tablespoon daily for the Great Danes and half for the other smaller dogs after an initial twice a day uploading dose.

The horses, on the other hand, get a one-ounce scoop twice per day; the Welsh pony gets ½ to ¾ and the stallions get a little over a scoop. My feeling is start out small and then build from there. I have seen people recommend up to a cup a feeding for horses. I believe the amount of DE needed is influenced by the overall health of the animal, so animals receiving high quality nutritional food will not need nearly as much or as frequently as those that aren't getting the proper vitamins and minerals. I realize that having regular fecal exams can be cost prohibitive, but it is an excellent way to know for certain if you need to add more or use less in your animals diet. It is also typically recommended to feed for at least 60 days to get the full life cycle of the parasite. I continue to use it daily since I really like the benefits it provides. For the most effective parasite control it is recommended that the manure be removed off the fields and areas where the horses are.

How to find a good quality DE? There are plenty of places online selling food grade DE for various prices. If you are in the Eugene area we have a variety of sizes of sample bags available for $3 and $5 which are available at our monthly fundraisers. Our next fundraiser date is Saturday, April 23rd from 12-4.

Nicole Sulick Licensed Massage Therapist

We would like to introduce you to one of the wonderful massage therapists who is generously donating her time to assist us in our monthly fundraisers. Nicole will be available for both seated and table massage on a donation basis at our up-coming April 23rd fundraiser. Email us directly to reserve a spot with Nicole.

Nicole Sulick is a licensed massage therapist who lives and works in Oakridge, OR. She has advanced training in deep tissue massage, acupressure, Reiki, Cosmic Healing Chi Gong and Pranic Healing. She is currently in the Massage Intern Program with Three Treasures Farms, using and expanding her massage techniques to included horses. In her spare time, Nicole enjoys hiking with her family (which includes her husband, two kids and three dogs), yoga, gardening and reading. You can reach Nicole via e-mail at peacefultouch@msn.com.

Metal Art

Reino Huttula, has spent years painting in oils creating custom landscapes. Over the last few years he moved into the metal art specializing in coastal scenes and animals. He has recently added commissioned pieces and has been reproducing photos into metal art. He sells most of his pieces at the coast, and on-line. Reino donated this piece for our March fundraiser's Silent Auction. For April's Silent Auction (Saturday, April 23rd 12-4) he is offering to do a custom piece. His pieces normally sell for around $65 per piece. We are delighted to have his support and are planning a special project of our own with his work which we will display here and our Facebook Fan page once completed.

Pranic Healing on Lola

Our students have amazing stories and we like whenever possible to share them with you. Nicole is a gifted Human Massage Therapist who we have been blessed to have as part of our program. When she shared with me her experience with Lola with me I asked her if I could post the story on our blog.

March 2011

Lola is a lovely Mustang mare who is blessed to live at the Tired Dog Ranch in Westfir, OR., near my home. Recently, she was having trouble with her back right hoof. I went to Tired Dog to offer my assistance. Amy Jo (Lola’s owner) requested Pranic Healing for Lola as she planned to do some work on the hoof later that day.

Lola was reluctant to use her back right hoof- she stood without putting weight on back right but could walk. Using the parasite protocol from Miracles in Pranic Healing I worked for about 30 minutes. I chose that protocol because Amy Jo suspected a fungal infection. I did general sweeping, cleaned and energized the solar plexus, navel, and basic chakras and cleaned her ming mein. In addition I cleaned and energized the kidneys because in Chinese medicine they are in charge of the bones. Also the K1 acupoints are in the area of the hoof where Lola was having trouble.

The next day I received this e-mail from Amy Jo:

“Hi Nicole,

I want to give you an update on Lola. Your healing on Friday was wonderful as she was so calm for the medicating and bandaging I did Friday afternoon. I knew it was difficult for her to stand as my left knee started to hurt horribly - her pain, not mine. But I didn't have to cut away any more frog, and so I cleaned the bottom of her foot, sprayed the daylights out of it with iodine, poured in epsom salt, covered that with gauze, sprayed that with Banixx, put on a newborn diaper, wrapped all that in vet wrap, and then built her a boot out of Gorilla tape as I went. She stood for the whole thing without getting upset or seemingly too tired. Then when I was done, she walked off normally! It was fantastic. And the boot lasted until I removed it today. It was dry and clean inside. I really think the Pranic Healing helped her to feel the relief and find the inner strength to help her heal herself as well. She seemed so much more comfortable that afternoon (Friday) than prior to that. I think the mud makes it so difficult for her to adjust herself back into a comfortable alignment, but perhaps when the weather improves and the ground starts to dry (which it had started to do before the rain started again - argh!), some body work would probably feel so good to her. LoLa loves her body work, you know.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You are a very blessed and talented creature who shares endlessly. I appreciate you so much.”


Nicole Sulick is a Three Treasures Farms Massage Intern and has been massaging humans since 2007. She recently completed her first Pranic Healing training and is also a Certified practitioner of Cosmic Healing Chi Gong and Reiki.

Miracles Through Pranic Healing

Liza Burney has generously donated for our Silent Auction Master Choa Kok Sui's book Miracles Through Pranic Healing.

Energy Healing is an excellent complement to allopathic (Western) medicine because wellness is more than just the absence of disease; health is not just the suppression of symptoms. The symptoms themselves are merely representative of an underlying imbalance. Energy Healing goes to the source of the imbalance, and corrects it on an energetic level. As a result, the symptoms naturally resolve themselves.

At Heart to Heart Healing, my goal is to customize a treatment plan for each client to optimize their personal healing experience. My belief is that the best source of this information is the client's own energy system, and I use this information to set the priorities for the treatment.

Specialties:
1) Physical and emotional healing for people and animals;
2) Relationship and family healing;
3) Energy feng shui for home, office and garden.

Liza Burney
h: 503.892.8840
c: 503.502.5186
f: 419.781.6298

Heart-to-Heart Healing.com

Why Saddle Fundraisers?

In my many years as a rider and trainer, I had tested many brands of saddles, since so many of the horses I work with in both my massage and training practice seem to have pain issues relating to poor saddle fit. In my search, I was looking for a saddle that would support both the rider and the horse and that was nice enough for performance people, but not so cost prohibitive that only the elite could afford it. Another criterion for me was that the saddle be easy for the lay person to fit to different horses as their needs changed.

I was about to give up hope of ever finding a saddle that could do all those things until I tried the Fhoenix. In our non-profit program, we currently work with 11 different horses and ponies and I was able to find a way to make the Fhoenix fit every one I rode in it. All the horses moved better and were less sore than when I ride them bareback, which before purchasing a Fhoenix was how I had been training most of them.

After seeing the difference in support it gave to our riders and the comfort to our horses and ponies, we began selling our existing saddles in an attempt to raise funding to purchase Fhoenixes for all our equine partners. Although the Fhoenix is extremely reasonably priced for a saddle of its design and quality, it is still fairly cost prohibitive for us to re-outfit our entire program with them. We began by looking for used Fhoenixes.

I approached Shannon Olson (the Fhoenix representative for the US/ Canada) about our desire to have fundraisers to purchase used Fhoenix saddles and to seek her assistance in locating suitable ones. Shannon made us an amazing deal: she offered to sell us the previous season’s demo models she had at dramatically reduced prices. Since she needed to move the existing stock as quickly as possible, she was able to offer us an additional price reduction if we could raise the funding in a short amount of time.

To qualify for this extra discount, we need to raise enough funding to purchase one saddle per month. We will have monthly fundraisers throughout the spring and summer months to assist us in meeting our goals. We encourage people to attend the fundraisers and to take advantage of the opportunity to demo the Fhoenix saddles we have been able to purchase. Haul-ins are available for a $10 fee made payable to the stable. Please contact us directly for more information.

--Ferronato

Jazlyn's Dream Pillows

One of the things we strive to do is assist children in making their horse dreams come true. The reality of one’s dreams can sometimes feel extremely far away.

Jazlyn is a student in our Apprenticeship Program who has shown a great deal of commitment to improving her horse skills as well as working around the stable lending a hand when work needs to be done. At this time we do not have enough funding to allow for us to make all of Jazlyn’s horse dreams come true, but we have come up with a creative idea to help her gain some financial assistance in that area. Combining lavender and fabric which were donated, along with flax seed and sewing instruction from Mary, Jazlyn is able to make dream pillows.

These pillows are excellent aromatherapy tools. They can also be used to ease the tension of sore muscles by heating them up in the microwave and placing them on the body where soreness or tension exists. All the proceeds from the sales of these dream pillows go into a special fund for Jazlyn to assist her in getting proper riding clothing and the tack she needs to do the kinds of riding she desires with Konah, the Three Treasures Farms pony she has partnered with.

The dream pillows will be available for purchase at our fundraisers as well as online. The pillows are $15 each (plus shipping and handling for those purchased online and out of the area). Thank you for contributing to making our kids’ dreams come true!