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[This Just In]

ANIMAL MAGNETISM
Relieving pet peeves

BY NINA WILLDORF

These days, alternative living has almost gone mainstream. More and more, people are popping ginkgo biloba tablets, brightening up the day with St. John’s wort, and unblocking qi with acupuncture. Returning home from, say, a reiki appointment, a pet owner may find her dog’s tail hanging limply and her cat meowing — and feel compelled to share the wealth of health.

To serve the needs of alternative-health-conscious — some would say vicariously hypochondriac — pet owners, Mars Pet Food Company announced last week that it may have the elixir to reduce pet cancer rates, as well as incidence of " doggie Alzheimer’s. " A British company called the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition, which is the research arm of the food company, recently released research showing that dogs fed a particular blend of antioxidants for two months had a 26 percent reduction in damage to their DNA, which could potentially lower rates of cancer. Call it functional pet food. Having proven a link between the antioxidant formula and reduced rates of DNA damage in both dogs and cats, scientists must now select which chows and nibbles to lace with it.

But diagnosing our little friends with — and hoping to cure — " doggie Alzheimer’s? " " It’s a layman’s term for a veterinary condition: canine cognitive-dysfunction syndrome, " explains a spokesperson for Waltham. " It’s a bit similar to dementia or Alzheimer’s in humans. Dogs can fail to recognize their owners. It can be very upsetting — and more so for the owner. "

Serving every (suspected) whim of a pet is nothing new. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 10 percent of dog owners pop vitamins into their dogs’ mouths. Thirty percent lather up their canine companions with cosmetic liquid shampoo, and six percent spritz doggie breath with Binaca. All in all, Americans shelled out $28.5 billion this year on accouterments for their at-home animal companions. There’s big money in keeping your cat purring and your dog’s tail wagging.

Locally, Katz and Dogz, a Boston massage-therapy business for humans and pets, charges $60 for a 45-minute session. They’ll even make house calls to service both you and your four-legged pal — for $150 an hour.

" Dogs are just like humans, " argues Mike Barrington, an assistant manager at Petco, a pet store in Cambridge. " They just age a lot quicker. They have thyroid problems, cancer. A lot of the medication for humans works in a dog form. " Barrington ticks off a list of popular alternative health-care products for pets: glucosamine tablets for bones and joints, tea-tree oil for coats, pet-wellness tonic with vitamins A and C to boost the immune system. But the most popular pet-health-care product, he notes, is a natural-ingredient compound called Pet Sedate for hyperactive dogs. " It helps calm him down, " he explains.

Then again, with all that animal angst it sounds as if Fido could also benefit from a vigorous deep-tissue massage or a shot of wheat-grass-infused dog chow.

Issue Date: August 9 - 16, 2001