Check out our March newsletter!
Pets First Monthly
March 2021
How Healthy Eating Transformed My Life Hello friends! March is National Nutrition Month. Last month, I chatted with you all about how my grandmother’s cherry pie had immeasurably improved my life. This month, I thought I’d talk about how eating well has drastically improved my life!
I’ll be honest with you. I lived most of my life — about 45 years of it —without eating a lot of veggies. That’s fairly common, unfortunately: According to the CDC, fewer than 1 in 10 U.S. adults and adolescents eat enough fruits and vegetables.
But, three to four years ago, my wife Stacey and I started to change that.
As it turns out, good nutrition can help prevent type 2 diabetes and heart disease and put you at a much lower risk for obesity and even certain cancers. Obesity is a very expensive condition to have and is linked to over 13 types of cancers that make up about 40% of all cancers diagnosed. It’s not easy to get started on good nutrition, of course. The first big challenge for me was learning to eat veggies since I simply didn’t enjoy a majority of them. However, they can go a long way in keeping you satiated and nourished. I started by finding ones I liked, then putting them in our meal rotation more and more often. I’ll give you an example of one meal. For breakfast, I’ll typically have a handful of raw carrots, at least three celery sticks, five strawberries, a banana, raspberries, maybe a protein like sugar-free bacon or sausage, and pancakes or toast with raw maple syrup (no added sugars or high fructose corn syrup). You may be wondering — sugar-free bacon? What in the world is that? Well, the second-biggest change in my diet was cutting back on sugar. I have a big sweet tooth, and it’s pretty hard to avoid sugar, as it turns out. Sugar is much more addictive and insidious in our food than you think. Researchers from the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse were the first to discover that sugar tends to stimulate and activate the same regions in our brain that are stimulated in people addicted to cocaine and alcohol.
possible. I used to be a huge bread eater, so it was tough cutting down on my bread consumption.
Was it worth it, though? Absolutely. There will always be those rare treats like cherry pie that’ll hold a special place in my heart, but these overall healthy changes have made a huge difference to my life. I’ve found that by eating better, I have far more energy, my brain isn’t in a fog, and I’m generally in a better mood, improving my relationships with my wife, family, friends, and co-workers. I only wish I had made the transition sooner, but it’s never too late to start. Focusing on a plant-based and whole grain diet has helped me tremendously, and during this National Nutrition Month, I hope it helps you too. Thanks so much for reading, everyone —we’ll chat again soon.
That’s why food companies tend to pump it into everything we eat, including, yes, bacon. Now, Stacey and I check the sugar content of everything we buy at the store.
In the same vein, the third-biggest challenge was avoiding bread. It’s important to buy whole grain bread if you do, but don’t eat too much bread. It breaks down into sugars in your body and can raise your insulin, which you want to keep as low as
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Border Collie Corner Don’t Let the Clock Keep Ticking – Prevent Ticks Today!
Hi newsletter buddies!
As ticks come out of hibernation this spring (yes, they do that), I think we can all agree: Ticks are the worst! It’s no fun to be itchy all the time. Worse yet, having Lyme disease! It’s one of the most prominent diseases in dogs, and symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, reduced energy, lameness (can be shifting, intermittent, and recurring),
Meet Kailey and Valerie!
Petersen Staff Fun Facts
generalized stiffness, discomfort or pain, or even swelling of joints. Lyme disease is transmissible to people as well! As you can imagine, it makes even the best of owners or pups very miserable. Although there are other diseases you
At Petersen Pet Hospital, we’re always super excited when we learn new facts about our family of skilled, talented staffmembers. This month, we thought we’d spotlight a few fun facts about our staff that expand beyond their bios available online! Kailey Baxter, Veterinary Assistant Not only does she love animals, but she also loves expressing her creativity— in big ways! She loves writing fiction and singing opera as well as musical theater. She even designs home blueprints, just for fun. We love chatting with Kailey because of her curious mind. She’s big into traveling— although she’s been busy with school and following the pandemic restrictions as of late, she loved her last visit to London in 2019. Kailey’s other
hobbies include playing board games, hiking (or spending any time outdoors), and spending time with friends and family. Valerie Henry, Kennel Assistant Many of our staffmembers are superheroes in their own way! But Valerie has superpowers— that is, she has a superhuman ability to remember where things are. Whenever her family loses something, they ask Valerie where it is. You can always count onValerie to find wherever the lost things are!
Beyond her love for animals, we love her passion for plants and painting. As a pescatarian, Valerie also loves to cook and learn how to prepare new, meatless meals. One of her favorite recipes is veggie wraps with peppers, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, andmushrooms. It’d definitely be a recipe worth stealing fromher sometime!
Your Cat’s New Favorite Meatballs
If you see them around, don’t hesitate to say hi! They’re wonderful people to talk to, and we think you’ll appreciate them as much as we do.
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As we age, we’re told to wear sunscreen, eat more vegetables, take vitamins, and even walk more — all in hope that our internal clocks will slow down and we will age better. But something as simple as laughter could actually be one of the easiest ways to slow the ticking clock of aging. Scientists have long known that laughter can be therapeutic and help us live longer. It has been shown to reduce wear and tear on our bodies and improve our relationships. A Norwegian study found that those who prioritized humor were more likely to live past 70 than those who didn’t laugh often. At a biological level, laughter can reduce tension in your muscles and activate a powerful stress-relief response from your brain by releasing dopamine. Just one chuckle may even improve your breathing and heart function! In fact, laughing can work wonders for the heart. One study showed that laughter therapy helped reduce the blood pressure and cholesterol levels of its participants. Their blood circulation improved, too. Studies have also found that regular laughter can help strengthen your immune system, and it has long-term benefits for those with respiratory conditions. In addition to your body, laughter is also good for your social life. (And we don’t mean that people will want to spend time with you if you have all the good jokes!) Throughout history, laughter has been an evolutionary sign of understanding. When there are language barriers, laughing together can create camaraderie and a tighter bond between people of different cultures. The dopamine release that comes with laughter aids in stress relief and creates powerful memories that can improve your mood and strengthen friendships. Of course, laughter has its downfalls, too. Laughing at someone else’s expense is detrimental to their health and can harm your relationships. So, stick to light jokes and actively seek shows, cartoons, or people who make you laugh. You’ll feel good, and your body will be pretty happy, too. Laugh More, Age Less Why Laughter Is Good for You
can pick up from ticks (mainly from transmitted bacteria like Ehrlichia and Anaplasma), all of them can cause fever and similar symptoms to Lyme disease, overall making your dog very, very sick. That’s why it’s so important to regularly check for ticks in your pets’ hair, especially in the thin-skinned areas like around the ears, armpits, groin, and around their neck. Here are four main culprit fleas and ticks responsible for the spread of these diseases in Iowa:
First, the American dog tick has a dark brown body, and females tend to have an off-white shield while adult males look more mottled.
Second, the Lone Star tick hasn’t become popular in Iowa yet, but it’s certainly making its way up north. It has a reddish-brown color, and females are identifiable by the lone white dot or “star” on their back. Third, the deer tick is easily identifiable by its reddish-orange body, black shield, and dark black legs. It’s most commonly responsible for spreading Lyme disease.
Fourth, the brown dog tick is reddish-brown and tends to be narrower than other ticks.
By recognizing your tick, you can help get specialized advice from your veterinarian and help your pet recover faster! However, the best way to fight ticks is to ensure they never bite at all with tick preventatives your veterinarian recommends. Please contact your veterinarian to find out the best treatment for your pet! It’ll make them really happy campers for many years to come.
Thanks so much for reading friends! See you next time!!
March 9 is National Meatball Day, and you know someone who would love to celebrate it: your cat! This month, spend a few minutes on this easy chicken meatball recipe and reap your reward in purrs. (P.S. Dogs will happily snack on these, too!) INGREDIENTS • 1/4 cup ground chicken
•
1/4 cup rice, cooked
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1/2 egg, lightly beaten
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1 tbsp parsley, chopped small
DIRECTIONS 1.
Preheat oven to 420 F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients with a spoon or by hand.
3.
Roll the mixture into balls, roughly 1 tbsp per ball.
4. On a parchment-lined baking tray, bake the meatballs for 15 minutes.
5. Let the meatballs cool and serve them to the fuzzy ruler of the roost!
Inspired by Petsy on YouTube
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Inside This Issue
How Healthy Eating Transformed My Life
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PRIMARY
Meet Kailey and Valerie!
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Border Collie Corner
Your Cat’s New Favorite Meatballs
SECONDARY
The Easiest Anti-Aging Tactic? Laughter
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PMS292 Meet This Life-Saving Rat From Cambodia PMS5635 PMS1215
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An African Rat Receives Prestigious Gold Medal for Saving Lives
A metal detector can take anywhere from 1–4 days to detect land mines in the war-torn landscapes of Cambodia. However, a Gambian pouched rat named Magawa can detect them in 20 minutes. Magawa’s ability to sniff land mines has been lauded as “truly unique,” as he potentially saves hundreds of lives every day. Yet, he weighs a mere 2.75 pounds and is only 28 inches long. While that’s larger than your average rodent, Magawa is still light enough to safely step over land mines without setting them off. That’s been amazing news for Cambodians. The land mine problem began during the civil wars of the ‘70s and ‘80s, causing over 64,000 casualties and creating 25,000 amputees since 1979. But where did Magawa come from? A Belgium- registered charity named Apopo trained Magawa in Tanzania as part of the program HeroRATs
where after a year of training, the animals become certified. This program has been around since the 1990s, teaching animals how to detect land mines and tuberculosis. Magawa only works for a half-hour during the day, but as he nears retirement age at 7 years old, Magawa has sniffed out 39 land mines and 28 unexploded munitions in his career. His tremendous work has now been recognized worldwide. In 2020, the U.K. veterinary charity PDSA has given Magawa its gold medal for “life-saving devotion to duty, in the location and clearance of deadly land mines in Cambodia.”Over 30 animals have received this award so far, but Magawa is the first rat. “To receive this medal is really an honour for us,” Apopo’s chief executive, Christophe Cox, told the Press Association news agency. “But also, it is big for
the people in Cambodia, and all the people around the world who are suffering from land mines.”
Now that’s a real hero if we’ve ever seen one. Thank you, Magawa, for all your hard work, and we hope you have a long and happy retirement ahead of you!
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