Animal Sniffers and Sixth Senses

We live in a houseful of sniffers. Anything new, in a different place, or that could possibly be food gets sniffed by our two cats and dog. The bird checks out the new and unusual with his calls and screeches.

As we observe how the animals who share our home carefully inspect and analyze objects with their noses, it's a reminder that we're living with a different life form -- one that doesn't approach the world as humans do.

Animals have their own ways of viewing the planet. No matter how hard we might try, we'll never experience the world as they do. We can't imagine what we'd understand if we explored life with the noses and licking tongues of dogs and cats, the ultrasound of dolphins, or the pecking of birds.

And then there is the animals' sixth sense. The mystical, spiritual, extrasensory sense that many of them seem to have in abundance. Anyone who lives with an animal and has an open mind and heart has to admit that there are just some things animals seem to know.

Early on, after we started Angel Animals Network, a reporter from our local newspaper, the MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE, came to our house. She was doing a story about this strange couple who were collecting, writing, and publishing stories about the spiritual nature of animals.

The reporter got out her tape recorder and placed it on the table in front of us. Then she proceeded to ask questions. We answered them as honestly and carefully as we could.

Our cockatiel, the yellow, orange-cheeked Sunshine, sat on his perch in the living room where the interview took place. Mostly he remained silent. Occasionally he would join in the conversation with a chirp, a song, or a string of words that were unintelligible to the reporter.

Later, in the article that appeared accompanied by a half-page photo of us walking around Lake Harriet with our yellow Lab Taylor, the reporter commented on an unusual thing she had observed in our home. Listening the tape recording of the interview had been quite a revelation for her.

Every time the reporter asked a question of a spiritual nature, Sunshine seemed to chime in with a comment. Only questions about Spirit, God, or miracles caused him to express an opinion. She was amused but also mystified by Sunshine's ability to sense when the subject matter had turned to a less mundane or more unearthly topic.

When have you noticed animals in nature or your pets displaying a sixth sense?

Allen and Linda Anderson
Angel Animals Network
www.angelanimals.net

Perhaps you saw the headline a couple days ago: “Pet cat in U.S. catches swine flu.”

I know there’s concern among pet owners as these are some of the questions and comments I’ve heard in the office: “Can my pet get the swine flu H1N1?” “I heard that there was a case of swine flu that was transmitted from sick people to their cat.” “How dangerous is swine flu in pets?” “Is it like the dog flu?”

Our mainstream media will push us into the movie sequel, “One more flu over the cuckoo’s nest.” Okay, I’m having a little fun, but you do need to remember that the flu is a tricky little virus that is a master of disguise. It changes its outer layer of clothing frequently, so it can evade our bodies’ defenses. The game of flu viruses and our defenses is like hackers vs. Norton or MacAfee anti-virus software.

Origins of the Flu Virus

These flu viruses came from areas of the world where humans, cows, pigs, ducks and chickens share a small intimate living area. In high-density livestock areas, 1000s of viruses are spread around in a particular species every day, until one day, one virus “crosses over” to another species. It becomes a problem to humans when it jumps from livestock to humans. As the names suggest, the avian flu and swine flu are the result of flu bugs jumping from birds and pigs, respectively, to humans.

Every now and then, these little flu critters decide they want to live in people instead of pigs or birds. Imagine them talking: “Remember the old days when we had to put up with the stink and crowds? Spreading was easy!” And another bug replies: “Yeah, but it’s harder to spread ourselves around in humans with all their hand washing, masks, disinfectants and vaccines.”

In reality these little viruses embrace the “change is good” philosophy. The more they move, the harder they are to identify and capture. Like international spies, they move within and between species by changing their look and passport. In time, the latest epidemic and pandemic flu viruses will become endemic, which just means they have become permanent infectious diseases in our society, such as the common cold, mumps or pneumonia. These guys do not want to kill anybody or anything because then they die and cannot spread. They really just want us sick enough that we cough and sneeze them on to other living beings, thus continuing the “domino effect.”

But What About Dog Flu?

The dog flu (H3N8) jumped from horses to dogs at a racetrack and is making dogs sick in New York, Virginia, southern Florida, and northern Colorado/southern Wyoming. There is no evidence that the virus can be transferred to people, cats, back to horses or to any other species. Meanwhile, the avian flu is still pecking away at birds and people, but it has slowed down dramatically due to mass vaccination of birds in affected (or to use the fancier term, endemic) areas. The H1N1 swine flu has been classified as a pandemic. It has been transmitted to other species, including people, birds, ferrets and now, as decried in the most recent case, cats. I should warn viruses that think they’ve found the ideal host, however, that they will not like their new cat host so much when they get coughed up in a hairball! These days, with more animals and people in the world, the spread of flu is easier than ever. And flu won’t be going away either, so take appropriate precautions. My book, Dog Dish Diet: Sensible Nutrition for Your Dog’s Health, and The Omega Diet based on the Island of Crete diet by Artemis P. Simopoulos, both advise dogs and dog owners to eat food ingredients with high doses of Omega 3 fats (e.g., olive and canola oil, fish and fish oil, and walnuts ) to keep the immune system tuned up and ready to fight. Bone Appétit!