SENIOR PETS CAN STRUGGLE IN WINTER

Eggplant on the heat vent, her favorite spot

Some pets have "Yin Deficiency" and show signs of excess heat in their body by panting, drinking excessively, and having a dry coat, nose and pads. But other pets may have the opposite problem - they are cold. Since "Yang" means warm, pets who are cold have a "Yang Deficiency". This is seen commonly in older animals, animals with short gray coats (they usually have a "Metal" personality, which is a winter personality - cold weather, likes order and routine), and in thin animals.

Yang supplies warmth and energy, so many times these animals have difficulty getting going. They may lie down a lot, have weak hindquarters (with or without arthritis), and move slowly with the hind end lower, almost crouched. These pets rarely pant (unless stressed) and have a pale, wet tongue. They may have a drippy nose.

Eggplant is one of our kitties. She is middle aged and her favorite place to sit or sleep is on the heat vent. She finds every sunny spot in the house and loves to lie on the lounge chairs by the pool on 90-degree summer days in full sun. Our older dog Freckles wears a coat all year long. She has weak hindquarters and leaks urine. When fed meals that are warm (temperature) and warming from the interior (Yang tonics), her urine leakage is much less. If we feed her "Yin tonics", or cooling foods, she leaks huge puddles of urine and has more hind end weakness.

Sleeping on a blanket in her coat

Foods that can help warm pets (and us) from within include venison, lamb, chicken, goat, pheasant, kangaroo, kidney, oats, white rice, ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin, garlic, hawthorn, sweet potato, and turmeric. By feeding a diet using a warming protein base, we can contribute more energy to these pets by warming from within.