[Lori H]

Hi Tanya,

You might want to look at the following website. My dog Buddy (long hair Chihuahua, Dachshund and Pomeranian) has been through a lot, much like your dog. He had so many medical issues including calcium oxalate bladder stones which he had surgery for to remove. He is now 11 and during his life he has had surgery on his spleen, surgery for the bladder stones, been diagnosed with Diabetes, my vet thought he had Cushings and I was also told by my vet that he was suffering from liver failure and was preparing me for the fact that Buddy was going to die. The liver failure diagnosis was over two years and today, he is healthy, happy, looks amazing and has so much energy. He is happy and the most healthy he has ever been in his life! It has been an amazing turnaround so I know how you feel. I basically had to get him healthy myself. My vet did not support my decision to do what I did, but he is healthy and that is all that matters!

Rick helped me and Buddy is now healthier than he has ever been. If anything, read what Rick has to say on his website. It sounds like you are open to something that might not be traditional medicine through your vet. The change in Buddy’s food as well as the supplements, changed his life.

http://www.doglivershunt.com/bladder-stones.html

I now believe wholeheartedly that most vets know nothing about nutrition. They are told to carry a line of food in their offices by one of the large pharma/dog food companies because most of these companies go out and recruit at the vet universities across the United States when vets are in school and provide them with a kickback when the sell either Science Diet or Royal Canin in their clinics, up to 40%. My vet wanted me to have Buddy on Hills Science Diet for the rest of his life, like you, I looked at the ingredients and thought to myself, there has to be something better out there. There was not one thing on there that was considered a whole food or ingredient that comes from the natural world! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my vet, I just don’t believe he knows much of anything about nutrition. He has been great to me, my dog Buddy and my three cats. He is good at what he does, diagnose and perform much needed surgeries and procedures. He did Buddy’s bladder stone surgery which had the possibility for complications.

I was at my wits end as well and thought that I was going to lose Buddy, but I was not willing to give up so I did a Google search and found an amazing person who brought Buddy back to the healthy dog he is.

Buddy is on a very special diet and he has made huge strides in the last 10+ months. He is a very healthy dog to what he was 6 months ago.

If you choose to go with his program, it is not cheap, but I believe that over time, I will save money by not taking Buddy to the vet time and time again because I don’t know what is wrong and having a battery of tests run and racking up bills in the thousands, I have been there!

He was slowly weened off of his processed food Science Diet U/D and placed on a diet of fresh veggies and meat based on a very slow transition to follow with Rick’s help.

Buddy’s diet is a balance of ¾ veggies to ¼ meats. Dogs with liver issues do not need as much protein as you would expect. He gets lots of yellow veggies (squash, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, celery, carrots, Brussel sprouts, snap peas, etc.) along with hemp oil and nori blended with goat yogurt into almost a smoothie consistency. I then add meats, liver is great as it helps to detoxify the liver (funny that you feed liver to a dog with liver issuesJ) and then he gets a variety of supplements. He receives three gut supplements in the morning (Acidophilus, Bifudus and a Spectrabiotic) along with an Enzyme and something called Whole Body. In the evenings he gets the Enzyme, Whole Body and a Mushroom supplement. The process to make his food is not that time consuming and if you are at your wits end like I was, I was ready to do anything.

He also gets to have as much goat yogurt as he wants with coconut oil. He also gets sweet potato chews and coconut slices.

He is also allowed to eat fruits, not during his morning and evening meals since they digest differently than veggies, but he has not yet warmed up to them yet. I don’t know if he ever will.

He is doing great! He has so much energy and the numbers don’t lie! I got a glucose meter and I am going to start checking his levels daily. I would really like to get him off the insulin if I can. I believe the medicine is what causes the blindness, not the actual diabetes, my vet believes otherwise. I would loved to have found Rick earlier, I am guessing I could have prevented a lot of the other issues Buddy has had earlier in life as well as the very hefty vet bills!

My vet has not said much of anything. I explained I was taking him off the prescription food and putting him on this program and he never responded. When I took him in the last time for blood work, I think he was surprised Buddy was doing so well, but did not ask me further about what I was doing. He is a pretty straight and narrow vet and I don’t think he looks outside the box. If Buddy’s glucose numbers continue to decline, I will take him back and back off on the number of units he is given. Now it is just maintenance and keeping a spreadsheet and monitoring how he is doing.

I suggest reaching out. I think Rick saved Buddy’s life. I took him to the vet in October to have blood work done and he is perfectly healthy! The bladder stones HAVE NOT returned.

Good luck on your search for information and I hope you find a solution. Buddy is 11, but has a new lease on life. I can’t imagine being just under two as a dog and dealing with this.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to talk to you. I have helped two others with their dogs and I truly believe Rick knows what he is talking about. I put my trust in him and I now have a healthy, happy dog. Lori

[shamrockmommy]

If Atlas is doing well on Natural Balance L.I.D., I’d trynot to fix what ain’t broke, so to speak. By the time you switch to some other “better” food for him, then play around with this supplement ($$$) and that supplement ($$$) you’ll probably have spent more overall by messing around, and then caused belly misery while you’re trying to find something “better.” (Been there, done that, awfully sorry to my dogs for doing that to them!)

Also, having 2 sensitive stomach dogs, and a chicken allergy with one of those dogs, feeding a “2 star” food for her (Natural Balance sweet potato/fish) has been an absolute MIRACLE. She’s no longer miserable. No more diarrhea or inconsistent stool, no more wicked itching and scratching, rubbing face on the carpet, rolling around on the carpet, moaning and groaning the whole time…

I tried a lot of the 4-5 star foods because ‘everyone’ says they’re so much better, but they weren’t for her. Simple is better. Good luck with your pup.

[mo a]

Most dogs receive a complete and balanced diet – including necessary vitamins and minerals from commercially processed dog food, according to the FDA. Dogs fed a homemade diet may need supplements. “It’s absolutely critical, but it should be done to match the diet, You can’t just create a meal and give your dog a vitamin.” Check with a veterinarian or nutritionist for help in determining what, if anything, is needed.
See these articles based on research about feed dog with supplement
https://dogfoodreviewz.com

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by mo a.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Sara B:
Your Vet is helping your dog IMO. If you are not comfortable with his advice I would get a second opinion.

Increasing H2O intake is very important along with frequent bathroom breaks. Some OTC supplements can exacerbate the condition. I never used any for that reason alone.

Honest Kitchen recipes are created by a person with an agriculture degree in equine studies. She has no education or credentials in small animal nutrition. To my knowledge she does not employ anyone full or part time with credentials in small animal nutrition. Lots of things can go wrong with a dog’s health when a diet is not formulated properly.

I unfortunately have had a few experiences with UTI’s & stones in my pets over the years. One involved emergency surgery with a positive outcome the other involved a reoccurrence that I blame myself for. I only fed the Rx food for a week or two because I made an executive decision he was doing well and didn’t need it. 🙁

Here’s a site I refer to for up to date info. Your Vet may have even sent your dog’s sample to U of M.
https://www.vetmed.umn.edu/centers-programs/minnesota-urolith-center/recommendations

Good synopsis:

Dietary treatment of bladder stones

For a home made diet option check out Balance IT.com. Your Vet would have to contact the Vet’s there to discuss the lab results so they could formulate a balanced diet that is best for her condition. I have used their OTC vitamins and recipes in the past for my dog, he really enjoys and does well on it. The meals are super easy to make and you can find most if not all ingredients from your local grocery store.

I hope your pup is feeling better, good luck!!

Here’s some more info that you may find helpful:

Why you shouldn’t judge a pet food by its ingredient list

Questions You Should Be Asking About Your Pet’s Food

Much Ado About Therapeutic Diets

http://vet.tufts.edu/wp-content/uploads/DecipheringFactFromFictionIngredients.pdf

[haleycookie]

According to The study they’re doing on this whole dcm thing the issue is that there are too many peas in most grain free foods and that’s whats causing the low taurine. Dogs (if on an appropriate meat rich diet) don’t need supplemented taurine and that’s the issue I’m having with this whole thing. Proplan isn’t meat (where taurine comes from naturally) rich. The grain free is a plant based food full of pea ingredients just like any other mediocre grain free food. If it was as easy as just supplementing taurine into the diet with a pill or something of the sort this would all be a lot easier but that’s not how it works so I would ignore what you vet suggested as they don’t seem to be very up to speed on what is actually being found with this study.
Stay with Orijen or another meat based food you trust and add fresh meat and canned food into the mix and you’ll be just fine.

[Susan]

Hi,
Join this facebook group
“Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD – Raw Feeding & Holistic Support”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/292537937935806/
Heaps of help for raw feeding, a few people in this group feed “Answers” Fermentable Raw & Answers Goats milk to dogs https://www.answerspetfood.com/

You write
“raw or cooked? which would be easier on a delicate gut?”

its raw, a raw diet is easier to digest then cooked diet… Raw meat has enzymes that helps dog digest the raw food, raw vegetables & fruit also have enzymes but a dogs pancreas does not secrete cellulase, so you will need to blend your fruit & vegetables, make sure you peel, de-seed apples etc, remove all seeds, cut up peeled fruit & veggies & put thru a blender & blend into a pulp, or stop blending veggies just before the vegetables/fruit becomes a liquid pulp, then I use to put the blended broccoli, celery, apple, kale & parsley in ice cube tray, add 1 spoon of your blended veggies & fruit into ice cube tray, I cover with cling wrap & freeze then I take out the frozen veggies & fruit & put in those re-sealable clip lock snack/sandwich bags…
I buy Bone Broth from Pet Shop & I freeze in ice trays & I take out 1-2 frozen ice cube bone broth cube & let it thaw then I mix with Patches Dehydrated Raw or today Patch just drank his bone broth he loves it…
A raw diet is so much easier to make & prepare then Cooking meals, cooking is more work, I was freezing 1 cup portions of raw Kangaroo mince & 1/2 a cup of cut up chicken breast in those separate in re-sealable snack bags, & the green veggies & fruit in ice cube trays, cut in 1/2 chicken wings, etc, then I was taking out what I needed the day before, put in fridge to thaw for the next day…
Chicken bone is the softest & easiest bone to digest…
Fresh & Easy & not that expensive.. All Meals dont need to all be balanced “as long” as diet is balanced over the week…
You can balance diet naturally or use supplements like “Balance It” https://secure.balanceit.com/index.php

Join a few raw feeding groups….

[haleycookie]

So are you trying to do a raw diet or a home cooked diet?
For raw you follow a simple plan 80% muscle meat (muscle meat, heart), 10% bones(you want no weight bearing bones, chicken wings or legs are good options. Same with other types of birds. For red meat animals it’s typically ribs, tails) then 5% liver, and 5% excretory organs (kidneys, lungs, skin). Some stick to this other add other things like fruits and veggies high in vitamins (blue berries, kale, turmeric, etc). I’ve also seen bone broth used and raw goats milk.

As far as cooked diets with no bones. Those can be more complicated. Many on this site will suggest balance it, a website where you can buy supplements and recipes for cooked diets.

[… .]

Hello,

I have a 6 lb chihuahua/min pin mix and she has allergy issues when eating regular kibble. She also has a delicate gut in general. I want to start feeding her a completely homemade diet, because I feel she’d be a lot healthier.

I’m pretty clueless about homemade dog diets, especially when it comes to adding all the needed supplements. I’ve been researching online, but it seems pretty complicated and I don’t want to do anything wrong.

What supplements do I need to buy for her exactly? Also, if anyone has any good homemade recipes to at least help get me started… That’d be awesome.

Thanks, any help is greatly appreciated 🙂

[Patricia A]

I generally feed freeze dried Primal and Stella’s with rotation of proteins to my two younger Chihuahuas with home cooked in between. My 16 year old will now only eat scrambled eggs(hit and miss), steak when i have it, boiled shredded chicken. She loves watermelon and french fries. At her age I indulge her when other two aren’t looking. lol However I was worried that she wasn’t get proper nutrition. She will eat canned Health Extensions chicken flavor hit and miss also. But I’m very relieved to say that several weeks ago I tried out a sample bag of Bixbi Rawbbles Chicken n Salmon and Hannah Belle is now eating this freeze dried enthusiastically. So now I’m going to try their canned also as a rotation. Ingredients are below and to me all the proteins look great. No peas OR potatoes. Just wanted to share.
Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Agar-Agar, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Dandelions, Salt, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Proteinate, Sunflower Oil, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salmon Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid.

[Linda K]

Thank you, Amelia W! I am feeding my boy Resl Meat Air Dried Turkey Recipe Dog Food. The vet at the university told me to get him off grain-free food. Because of his history of GI disturbance, I have been weaning him VERY slowly. I started the process on 9/8, and he’s almost completely on the new food. With taurine supplementation and a good probiotic, as well as four small meals daily, he is pooping normally and not vomiting AND Mr Persnickety eats, licks his chops and doesn’t thriow up. Color me elated! Thank you for the tip, and for takinh the time to post. I prefer not to “rock the boat.”

[Susan]

@ Atlas
You make up your own mind up whats best for Atlas.. you have enough advice from DFA posters….
all I know is when I kept mentioning the low taurine in dogs after they ate these newer grain free food brands when I asked Australian vets, Patches American vet, our Australian Dog Food Advisor (Pet Food Reviews- Australia) he would NOT post the FDA link, I asked him why are you not warning people about feeding these high legumes g/f diets on his f/b site, when I spoke with pet food companies, I spoke with Hills vet nutritionist & R/C vet nutritionist whoever I could discuss taurine being blocked & get some answers, some people told me, there is NOT enough proof, some people wanted me to show a link with evidence that Legume & Potatoes are blocking the taurine & causing heart problems, I couldnt find any research as it hasnt been done yet, all I found was 1 vet an older vet, said do not feed no more then 20% legumes in a dog diet…
This is when I thought to myself hey I’m the only Nut that seems to think there’s a problem here & if Patches both vets are telling me to continue feeding him his Grain Free Wellness Core Large Breed food that has Potatoes in it then I’m listening to them, they’d know more then me, it wasnt one person I’ve had these disscussions with..

Just remember Atlas has Intestinal problems but Atlas probably isn’t as bad as Patch yet, Patch was a rescue who I rescued on his 4th birthday, the damage was already done with Patch, I thought I could fix Patches IBD but it was too late for him he was probably feed a diet that keep making his poos sloppy/diarrhea….

Atlas may not do great on a grain diet unless you can find a dry food that has grains & potatoes or sweet potatoes further down the ingredient list maybe that will work for Atlas?..
I tried this with Patch, “Canidae All Life Stages Platinum” formula & Patch was doing BIG sloppy yellow cow patties, I tried Purina Pro Plan OptiDerma formula, it helped his itchy skin but made IBD worse…. Canidae & Purina both refunded money or offered to give a voucher…

When you do find a cheaper medium priced dry food that agrees with Atlas then you’ll have another dry food you can rotate with..
Try to not irritate Atlas bowel, you do not want your dog diagnosed with IBD when he’s around 4yrs old…. IBD isnt a nice disease, once the damage is done there’s no going back..
Thickening of the bowel, the cause – the dog continues doing sloppy poos & owner continues to feed food that is irritating the stomach/bowel..
You can not reverse thickening of the bowel with a probiotic, pumkin or other supplements..
Atlas is young & hopefully his bowel has healed & he still has a healthy bowel, i’d feed him dry foods he has done best on…& see a good vet yearly….

[Deb M]

The company that tests and the Clean Label Project rated Ol’ Roy Dog Food as 5 stars. If that does not give one pause at the legitimacy of the lawsuit, I do not innerstand why.

My dog, a 6 yr. old Pomeranian, gets Orijen on the side of her home-cooked wet food, along with excellent vitamin, mineral and other supplements. The only issues she has is when our chickens get fleas and her reaction if we do not get the chickens sprayed down with neem and their yard dusted with D.E. in time. She is very allergic to the flea bites (who isn’t?) and she gets bacterial infections.

ALL of our food is contaminated. All of it, even organic gmo-free, which is all I use in our house. We also use filtered and distilled water. Do people realize what is in their tap water may where the contamination may be coming from and what is making our pets and ourselves sick?

We do the best we can for ourselves and our pets. It is all we can do. Make your decisions based on all the data you can and go from there. Remember to check out those accusing others of nefarious deeds to see if they are chronic “suers”, too. That is how some places make their money.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Atlas-
In my opinion, your instincts are correct. You should be avoiding legumes and potatoes at least until the research is over. Here is the FDA’s second bulletin:
https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/ucm616279.htm

The link that Susan provided is not by a veterinarian nutritionist and is also the founder of a bogus $300 allergy test. I wouldn’t pay attention to it.

Join the Taurine-Deficient Cardiomyopathy FB group for more information. It is supported by 4 or 5 vets, including Joshua Stern. He is the UCDavis cardiologist who is leading the investigation.

They are recommending to feed food from a large company who employs full time veterinary nutritionists, who regularly tests their food, does research and feeding trials. Some of the companies that fit most of the criteria that Ive found so far are: Royal Canin, Eukanuba, Iams, Purina, Hills, Annamaet, and Farmina.

I have switched my dogs to Purina Pro Plan. Their stools were soft at first, but are getting better and better. I’d rather have soft stools than an enlarged heart. However, my dogs are Golden and Lab mix, two breeds that seem to be more affected by this issue. But, other breeds are starting to show up too.

There are supplements that you can buy that may help with the anal gland issue. They usually contain probiotics and fiber. You may want to talk to your vet about using one until your dog’s system gets used to the different type of fiber in food with grain. We use Forti Flora probiotic. It is awesome! Hope this helps. Good luck!

[anonymous]

Omeprazole is an over the counter medication for humans, not intended for veterinary use except when prescribed (off label) by a veterinarian who has examined and diagnosed the dog.

Self diagnosing the dog by owner or by listening to internet folks and administering meds not prescribed for your dog could cause an adverse reaction.
That goes for all medications and supplements intended for humans.
Some over the counter meds interfere with the absorption of prescription meds.

Best to check with the vet that knows the dog.

[Tyrionthebiscuit]

Omeprazole is not a supplement. It is very often recommended by vets. Do you not read other posts anon?

I’ve personally had great success with using this with my small terrier who has had acid reflux issues and a lot of burping. Susan will probably have a better response as she’s more versed in acid reflux dogs.

[anonymous]

No. I would not give over the counter meds or supplements, especially those that are not approved for veterinary use, unless prescribed by a veterinarian that has examined the dog.

Find a new vet and get another opinion. That’s what I would do.

[CockalierMom]

I agree with you that 4 Health is high in potato and peas, and definitely not limited ingredient, but it is kind of a middle ground with what you are currently feeding. Fish meal is in a lot of foods now, so fish is only novel if your dog has neve been exposed to any form of it. To me, the bigger concern about fish is the number of containments it has. After you get Atlas onto another food, then try other proteins.
A lot of people have good success with ProPlan and that is why I am considering it. The Focus Sensitive Skin and Stomach (I think that is the one you are referring to) is basically fish and grains, so it is more of a limited ingredient food than 4 Health. You are correct, it has prebiotics and no probiotics. If you go with ProPlan buy a probiotic to supplement with. I prefer the ones that come in powder form rather than capsules.

[Tanya K]

Lori H,

Wow. First of all, I’m sorry Buddy went through all that and worse. I am glad for you though, that he is now thriving! The diet you have him on though sounds super expensive and I don’t know if I’d be able to swing that or all the supplements.

I may try to get a nutritionist so I can make her meals for her.

I do understand the ignorance of vets and dog food. They have been fed the same spew from the cog that is the dog food industry. I did a lot of research about dog food myself and know all the little tricks the manufacturers do to sell their crap.

I actually ended up in a debate with my vet over Purina. Apparently they make urinary prescription food as well. I was like, “My dogs are on Earthborn. They have never had a recall.”

He said, “They will.”

I said, “Maybe, but for the last eight years they haven’t.”

He paused. Thought about it and said, “They will.”

lol And it’s true they may inevitably have a recall, but purina is absolute garbage.

I mean, I don’t want her to get the stones again. Clearly. I love her. I want her around for as long as possible. She’s 10, and she had that bladder stone emergency — I had to bring her to an ER vet nearly two hours away from me. They had to wake the surgeon up. It cost $1,000 just for the emergency surgeon. The entire thing ended up costing $4,900 by the end of it. I am thankful that I was able to swing that and I really don’t want her to have to go through it again. It has nothing to do with the money, but yeah, that doesn’t help either.

I appreciate all your advice and they time you took in responding to me, Lori.

Thank you,

Tanya

[Lori H]

Hi Tanya,

You might want to look at the following website. My dog Buddy (long hair Chihuahua, Dachshund and Pomeranian) has been through a lot, much like your dog. He had so many medical issues including calcium oxalate bladder stones which he had surgery for to remove. He is now 11 and during his life he has had surgery on his spleen, surgery for the bladder stones, been diagnosed with Diabetes and I was told by my vet that he was suffering from liver failure and was preparing me for the fact that Buddy was going to die. The liver failure diagnosis was over two years and today, he is healthy, happy, looks amazing and has so much energy. He is happy and the most healthy he has ever been in his life! It has been an amazing turnaround so I know how you feel. I basically had to get him healthy myself. My vet did not support my decision to do what I did, but he is healthy and that is all that matters!

Rick helped me and Buddy is now healthier than he has ever been. If anything, read what Rick has to say on his website. It sounds like you are open to something that might not be traditional medicine through your vet. The change in Buddy’s food as well as the supplements, changed his life.

http://www.doglivershunt.com/bladder-stones.html

I now believe wholeheartedly that most vets know nothing about nutrition. They are told to carry a line of food in their offices by one of the large pharma/dog food companies because most of these companies go out and recruit at the vet universities across the United States when vets are in school and provide them with a kickback when the sell either Science Diet or Royal Canin in their clinics, up to 40%. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my vet, I just don’t believe he knows much of anything about nutrition. He has been great to me, my dog Buddy and my three cats. He is good at what he does, diagnose and perform much needed surgeries and procedures. He did Buddy’s bladder stone surgery which has complications.

I was at my wits end as well and thought that I was going to lose Buddy, but I was not willing to give up so I did a Google search and found an amazing person who brought Buddy back to the healthy dog he is.

Buddy is on a very special diet and he has made huge strides in the last 10+ months. He is a very healthy dog to what he was 6 months ago.

If you choose to go with his program, it is not cheap, but I believe that over time, I will save money by not taking Buddy to the vet time and time again because I don’t know what is wrong and having a battery of tests run and racking up bills in the thousands, I have been there!

He was slowly weened off of his processed food Science Diet U/D and placed on a diet of fresh veggies and meat based on a very slow transition to follow with Rick’s help.

Buddy’s diet is a balance of ¾ veggies to ¼ meats. Dogs with liver issues do not need as much protein as you would expect. He gets lots of yellow veggies (squash, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, celery, carrots, Brussel sprouts, snap peas, etc.) along with hemp oil and nori blended with goat yogurt into almost a smoothie consistency. I then add meats, liver is great as it helps to detoxify the liver (funny that you feed liver to a dog with liver issuesJ) and then he gets a variety of supplements. He receives three gut supplements in the morning (Acidophilus, Bifudus and a Spectrabiotic) along with an Enzyme and something called Whole Body. In the evenings he gets the Enzyme, Whole Body and a Mushroom supplement. The process to make his food is not that time consuming and if you are at your wits end like I was, I was ready to do anything.

He also gets to have as much goat yogurt as he wants with coconut oil. He also gets sweet potato chews and coconut slices.

He is also allowed to eat fruits, not during his morning and evening meals since they digest differently than veggies, but he has not yet warmed up to them yet. I don’t know if he ever will.

He is doing great! He has so much energy and the numbers don’t lie! I got a glucose meter and I am going to start checking his levels daily. I would really like to get him off the insulin if I can. I believe the medicine is what causes the blindness, not the actual diabetes, my vet believes otherwise.

My vet has not said much of anything. I explained I was taking him off the prescription food and putting him on this program and he never responded. When I took him in the last time for blood work, I think he was surprised Buddy was doing so well, but did not ask me further about what I was doing. He is a pretty straight and narrow vet and I don’t think he looks outside the box. If Buddy’s glucose numbers continue to decline, I will take him back and back off on the number of units he is given. Now it is just maintenance and keeping a spreadsheet and monitoring how he is doing.

I suggest reaching out. I think Rick saved Buddy’s life. I took him to the vet in October to have blood work done and he is perfectly healthy! The bladder stones HAVE NOT returned.

Good luck on your search for information and I hope you find a solution. Buddy is 11, but has a new lease on life. I can’t imagine being just under two as a dog and dealing with this.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to talk to you. I have helped two others with their dogs and I truly believe Rick knows what he is talking about. I put my trust in him and I now have a healthy, happy dog.

Lori ([email protected])

[Susan]

Hi Tanya,

if she is throwing up I would take the vet food back to vet office for a refund or exchange, tell receptionist what is happening & can you try a different brand WET vet diet, the receptionist will go & see vet & ask him, you shouldn’t have to pay again for another vet visit..
ask can you try the Hill i/d™ Low Fat Canine Rice, Vegetable & Chicken formula,
it Reduces risk of urinary stone formation, has OK ingredients & is LOW in fat, Shih Tzu are prone to pancreatitis, I wouldnt be feeding a 10 yr old a high fat diet maybe the vet diet she is eating is high in fat or she could be vomiting cause she has only ever been fed the one food her whole life, I always recommend to rotate between a few different brands so immune system strengthens, plus some dry dog foods are high in toxins, heavy metals & contaminates especially the fish dry foods..
Here’s the Hill I/d vet diet to try just till you work out what your doing & stop her vomiting.
https://www.hillspet.com.au/dog-food/pd-id-low-fat-canine-rice-vegetable-and-chicken-stew-canned#accordion-content-400284275-0

Which vet diet was she put on
Royal Canine S/O Urinary wet & dry or
Hills C/d Multicare wet & dry formula’s?

She should be on a wet vet diet not a dry vet diet…

I’d be contacting a Vet Nutrionist & ask about making a home made balanced wet diet, or you can contact “Balance It” they have nutritionist who prepare special diets & you add Balance it powder to balance diet.
https://secure.balanceit.com/index.php?rotator=Front

also are you adding Vitamin C Powder to diet?

Vitamin C for Prevention of Chronic Urinary Tract Infections in Dogs

Have a look at “D-Mannose” Pure Powder alot of people say its really good you also add cranberry powder aswell.
https://www.nowfoods.com/supplements/d-mannose-powder

Here’s a good link explaining how low protein isnt needed.
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_4/features/Detecting-Urinary-Stones-Dogs_16215-1.html

Here’s a good face book group to join you dont have to feed raw or cooked but will get some good advise, “Raw & Holistic Cat & Dog Support Group”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1411906099101822/

Also follow “Dr Judy Morgan”
look thru her video’s link below,
I’m pretty sure her 17 yr old dog has urinary problems & she cooks for him, her recipes are very easy. Even if you feed 1/2 cooked diet & another food…
https://www.facebook.com/pg/JudyMorganDVM/videos/?ref=page_internal

also here’s “Just For Dogs” special diets
https://www.justfoodfordogs.com/

[Tanya K]

Hello. I’m new to this forum but I have a question right off the bat. I have a 10 year old Shih Tzu/Poodle Mix. She had emergency surgery earlier this year to remove a calcium oxalate stone that was stuck in her urinary tract. She also had struvite stones. My vet put her on one food (then urinalysis) but her ph was too low. So, he prescribed her another supplement to raise the PH. Her PH is still too low. He had to discuss with another vet and both are seemingly mystified as to why they can’t get her PH higher. Basically, they are at a loss with what to do. So now she is on a new prescription food (and more urinalysis — omg, so many urinalysis tests!) So, his advice is to stay on the prescription food and do x-rays every so often to make sure she’s not getting stones again.

I hate the thought of her being on this food forever. For one thing, I pride myself on having dogs who throw up next to never. She was previously on Earthborn Holistic but now she’s on one of the prescription diets and she’s constantly throwing up as is my other pooch (who the vet said was okay to eat that food as well.)

Basically, I feel like if I have to get her x-rays every once in a while then why not feed her what she was already on? She’s eaten Earthborn for nearly her entire life. The only difference in diet before she got the stones were some Etta Says chews — those were the only things that were given that were different to what she normally had within the time frame it takes to develop stones.

I am wondering if anyone else has done this … going against the vet’s counsel? I trust him as a vet, but I just figure wtf — this food is making her ill. It’s making my other dog ill. If they can’t get her PH to a happy medium then why not give her what she was eating before? Thoughts? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tanya

[CockalierMom]

The full name for FOS is fructooligosaccharides which is what AJ identifies it by. Other common ingredients that are prebiotics are inulin (chicory root) and beet pulp. Some dogs with gut issues seem to do better with FOS than inulin or beet pulp and that is why I asked about the other foods you tried.
When you see an ingredient that ends in “fermentation product” it is a probiotic. Whatever proceeds that is the particular strain of bacteria. Some foods might have 1 strain whereas others may have 5 or 6 or more. The different strains of bacteria have separate functions in the gut. Right now Atlas only has the strains of bacteria in his gut to handle what he is eating and when you add the new food that is why his poo gets soft.
I think it would help to supplement with a probiotic that contains prebiotics when you start adding new food, but not while Atlas is just eating the NB. I don’t remember if I mentioned this before or not, but when I was feeding my girls NB, one was getting probiotics everyday along with her food, but when NB discontinued the formula I was feeding, I could not add 4 kibbles of a new food without it giving her diarrhea. I ended up putting her on kefir and some fresh food in addition to the probiotic. My other girl I had to add a prebioitic/probiotic combination in addition to the new kibble with probiotics. Neither one of the girls had trouble transitioning to new foods prior to feeding the NB for several months. This is why I said that I don’t think it has the right components to build a healthy gut.

I’ll go through some ingredient lists and get back with you on the brands. I don’t know that any of the limited ingredients foods are going to be any cheaper, but I do think you need to add another food to help build his gut bacteria.

[Atlas T]

Thanks, all, for your recommendations of things to try.

Cockaliermom, thanks for remembering us and thinking about us 🙂 I looked at the American Journey ingredients list and don’t see FOS listed. Do they use a different name for them? Or, what should I look for on the labels of other foods to see if they have pre/probiotics? And what are those other brands that have FOS that aren’t AJ (preferably limited ingredient ones)? I’m also open to supplementing pre and probiotics if you think that may work better?

Thanks!

[Calico J]

Adding another food I’m considering: https://firstmate.com/product/cage-free-chicken-meal-oats-formula/

FirstMate Chicken Meal & Oats formula Ingredients: Chicken Meal Oatmeal Brown Rice Chicken Fat (Mixed Tocopherols) Tomato Pomace Potassium Chloride Choline Chloride Calcium Propionate Blueberries Raspberries Cranberries Minerals (Zinc Proteinate Iron Proteinate Calcium Carbonate Manganese Proteinate Copper Proteinate Selenium Yeast Calcium Iodate) Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement Niacin Thiamine mononitrate D-pantothenic Acid Vitamin A Supplement Riboflavin Pyridoxine Hydrochloride Biotin Vitamin B12 Supplement Vitamin D3 Supplement Folic Acid ) Glucosamine Hydrochloride

<b>This one has a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2.2%/1.4%.</b>

[Patricia A]

I have Chihuahuas’ also. Sixteen year old is now on Stella Chewy’s Raw coated kibble small breed with a topper. My four year old and eight year old are both on Stella’s kibble as a small base and get Freeze Dried Stella’s as a topper. Flavors are revieved as five star and they are Chicken, Rabbit, Venison. I also rotate with Primal Freeze Dried Turkey/Sardine and Duck.Both reviews as 5 stars. The only freeze dried topper my 16 year old eats is Bixbi Rawbble in Chicken/Salmon. They not found at Petco but my Pet Supply Store. Very easy to use. Just crumble and add a little warm water. I mix it with the kibble. The Bixbi Chicken/Salmon I just give dry. They are crunchy and almost like a treat to them. All these are high in meat with low carbs.
This is an example of ingredients in Bixbi Beef.
Ingredients: Beef, beef liver, beef kidney, beef bone, pumpkin, coconut oil, salmon oil, selenium yeast, vitamin E supplement, manganese proteinate, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, d-calcium pantothenate, mixed tocopherols (a preservative), rosemary extract.
My three are doing great with all the Freeze Dried recipes . I introduced them slowly with each brand and protein. Now I can rotate out. Good luck with your Chi.
This is the Primal duck recipe
INGREDIENTS:
Duck, Duck Necks, Duck Wings, Organic Kale, Duck Hearts, Duck Gizzards, Organic Carrots, Organic Squash, Duck Livers, Organic Broccoli, Organic Apples, Blueberries, Cranberries, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Montmorillonite Clay, Organic Parsley, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Salmon Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Quinoa Sprout Powder, Dried Organic Kelp, Alfalfa, Vitamin E Supplement, Mixed Tocopherols (natural preservative).

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by Patricia A.

[Calico J]

Hello! I’m currently looking for a legume and fish-free dog food for my 2-year-old lab (I’m eliminating allergies and legumes seem to be the only culprit). Single protein, preferably chicken. High quality. Good manufacturer. Basic chicken and rice, you know?

My dog is quite active, so a food with high protein and a fair amount of fat is also important.

Anyway, one of the foods that came up in my search was Wysong Fundamentals: https://www.wysong.net/fundamentals

Dry Matter Analysis: http://www.wysong.net/WysongPetProductsAnalyticalInfo

Protein: 42.1%
Fat: 15.8%
Fiber: 4.0%
Ash: 10.5%
Calcium: 2.2%
Phosphorus: 1.2%
Magnesium: 0.1%
Sodium: 0.4%
Taurine: 0.3%
Cabohydrates: 24.4%
Kcals (as fed/cup): 435/cup
Calorie content/kg: 3,480kg

INGREDIENTS: Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Organic Chicken, Chicken Fat, Natural Chicken Flavor, Taurine, Calcium Propionate, Choline Chloride, Citric Acid, Yeast Extract, Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Chicory Root, Yeast Culture, Minerals (Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate), Calcium Carbonate, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid [source of Vitamin C], Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus lactis Fermentation Product.

My dog turned 2 in July, so he’s full grown. Very much a field/working lab in physique. Muscular, but long and lean. Very agile. 60lbs.

It’s just… I’ve never seen calcium and phosphorus this high in a dog food, so I wanted to ask if it was safe to feed to my pup.

Thank you for the help!

P.S. I’m also considering Nature’s Select High Protein: https://naturesselectpetfood.com/products/dog-food/select-high-protein
Calcium: 1.4%
Phosphorus: 1.0%

[Tara M]

Hello all. I have an 8 year old spayed female pitbull with consistent recurrent UTI’s. X-rays are always negative. She’s on cranberry supplements as well as multiple immune support supplements. She eats Taste of the Wild Grain-Free Salmon recipe dog food (she also has allergies and salmon was recommended for thi). A friend who is very into the dog show world mentioned today that she thinks the fish-based dog food is what is causing my dog’s UTI’s and that I should change it to one of the more novel proteins such as kangaroo. Has anyone else heard of fish-based dog foods causing UTI issues? I can’t find anything about it anywhere online but she says that everyone in the breeding/dog show world will NOT feed their dogs primarily fish-based diets for this reason.

[Spy Car]

@ Patty R, starting my (now 4.5 year-old) Vizsla as an 8-week old puppy eating a balanced PMR diet from day one is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Like anyone who is conscientious, I had read a great deal of conflicting information, including the scare tactics on such disreputable websites as “SkeptVet.” I made a deal with my wife that we would proceed, but would abandon the raw diet if there were any problems.

Instead, both our highest expectations have been surpassed. Our dog has thrived. His teeth are still pearly white, he’s super lean and very well muscled, and has both great energy and endurance, but is also calm when he’s not working and winds down in the house. His coat is soft, his eyes are clear, the amount of stool is scant, and I’m frequently told he “looks like a supermodel.”

Our vet (very traditional) has breed knowledge (she actually owns my dog’s grand-sire) and she is extremely happy with both his condition and his bloodwork.

I’ve owned may great canine athletes in my long years owning and training dogs. I only wish I’d know about PMR style raw feeding sooner, I have some feelings of guilt that I fed my dogs such crap in my former ignorance of optimal canine nutrition.

There is no comparison between the condition achieved with feeding a dog what their species was shaped by evolution to thrive on vs the unnatural cereal-based products that are supplemented with plant proteins and rendered meats. The differences are not subtle. When I meet a raw fed dog I know it without a word form its owner. I’ve had other raw feeders (complete strangers) come up and say “I see you raw feed.” It is that obvious a difference.

Feeding a balanced raw diet is the best thing one can do for their canine companions.

Bill

[Terry K]

I have a 9 year old Australian Shepherd and he got Silica bladder stones over 2 years ago. I made myself crazy researching dog food and nutrition! The sad part was is that there was not really a starting place. I too spoke to Minnesota every nutritionist across the United States. Minnesota told me that unfortunately because there are so few cases the research is very limited
Soooo off I went Looking for what?? Sooo longer story cut short I have been feeding
NULO it is a kibble out of Texas.
Every6 months I have X-ray/ultrasounds done and so far so good.
Really encourage a good water intake, One of my dogs favorite things to do was drink out of the hose so I bought him a big dog fountain so it’s running water all the time and he drinks it out of the spout which encourages the water intake. I give him distilled water only make sure if you’re giving them a supplements that it does not contain silicon dioxide so since my guy is nine he gets Xhosa Quinn caplets I pulled them apart and sprinkle it on his food because if you give them anything in a Tablet form it will contain silicon dioxide. His pH was off the charts before we started the Nulo Dog Food and his specific gravity was off the charts since we have started the Nulo Dog Food and have the water fountain he has been consistently stable I hope this helps you

[anonymous]

You can believe Science Based Veterinary Medicine.
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=raw+diet

Nothing is being sold at the above site. No membership fees. No supplements No books. Nothing.

[Mary G]

Hello! We rescued and adopted a little beagle who had a lot of health issues, one of them being bloody diahrrea every other day. After tests, ghere was no medical reason for it. Aside from that she had bladder stones which made it worse as far as food choices. I did some research as vets were not finding anything and found a fb group for natural food called K9 nutrition who is ran by Lew Olson. I asked for help and she suggested I give Lola probiotics and supplement her witb L-Glutamine. I could not find a formula for dogs here in Mexico but found it at GNC. Nowadays I give her a crushed tablet in her dry food and mix in kefir. It has been a slow process but she has improved dramatically. Lew has written a book on natural food for pets. You might want to look into that. I was out of my mind worrying about her bit thankfully she is much better. Another suggestion would be to get a referral for a nutritionist who might give you a list of ingredients to feed natural home-cooked meals which will help. I hope this info helps!!

[crazy4cats]

I only know of petdiets.com and balanceit.com that are supported by vets with PhDs in animal nutrition.

I have formulated a few recipes using balanceit’s program supplemented by their own supplement. The dogs love when I actually make them one!

[Gina M]

How do you know how much to feed your dog when switching to homemade food and has anyone ever heard of this dinovite supplement?

[joanne l]

Sure it does not disagreeing with you there. But grain free boosts it up more so, b/c legumes have a much higher protein content. So in a nut Schell of course meat is better, however dog food companies need to put some binders in it weather beneficial or not. So if I had to choose between grain free or grain in I would choose the grain in, that is the best of the worst. Also supplementing with some fresh meat with dry food is beneficial as well. Not all people can afford a all meat diet, including myself, so I give him some fresh meat along with his dry food. Even so corn meal is not the best, however I did see better results with it.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by joanne l.

[Spy Car]

Linda, great to read about the beneficial effects on your old girl. Reducing carbs and increasing fat and protein is the dietary means of increasing energy and muscle building.

I’m not a bit surprised you are seeing benefits.

I have one quibble with the raw feeding approach you are using thus far. Too much bone. Way too much bone. The target percentage should be about 10%. You are probably pushing 28-30%. No done harm in the short term, that that much calcium to phosphorus will cause a mineral imbalance. You need to add more meat to this mix. Preferably that would include some red meat (beef heart is very nutritious and often inexpensive) and some fatty (cheap) pork (like leg or butt).

I’d also add beef kidney at 5% of total diet. The organs provide the vitamins. Supplements are unnecessary, but organs are critical.

If you make these adjustments you could stop the kibble.

I hope your dog feels better and better.

Bill

[LINDA F]

Hi! Okay, here is my story and do not take this as informed or a professional opinion. I have kept 3 dogs in my home for most of my adult life and I am now 75! All dogs are seen by my vet several times a year including a full “WELLNESS” check up once a year. I currently have a 12 year old rescued pit bill that is so sweet and a joy to have around. On her last check up, her liver values were very high. So my trusted vet of 20 yrs told me it could be a mass in her belly, Cushings Disease or liver disease. I asked what can I do. His first recommendation was to do a liver ultra scan which did not show anything out of the normal except it looked that it might have “sludge”. His next step was to advise a liver biopsy which due to her age and need for anesthesia, could be fatal, plus it is costly. Or we could do a stomach exploration but the same warnings were in effect and again very costly. So I asked a simple question, what treatment would be employed should it be a stomach mass or Cushings? He said he would not really change what he was already we were already doing. I then told him that since the tests were so expensive, I did not need to know the name of the exact malady that was killing her if it would not treated differently. I then asked him would he do if it were his dog? His reply was due to her advanced age and the very large risk anesthetic posed to her, that if it were his dog, he would not chance it. Twelve years is a respectful old age for a dog and he would just try to make her comfortable and happy for her remaining time with us. Now she did not appear to be in any discomfort but of course with a dog, you cannot always tell that. It’s not like they can tell you “My tummy hurts”. However I did notice that her energy levels and appetite were dropping and she began to lose weight and muscle mass. I have a friend who is a certified dog trainer. I was whining to him about feeling useless to help my dear old companion and he suggested that I try a raw diet. I told him at 75, I am really not up to weighing meat to combine with a list of dog supplements that have to be purchased and are sometimes hard to find, then measure all those to mix with steamed vegetables to go along with the raw chicken parts. So I just made this diet up. I feed her one can of a premium wet food for breakfast around 6am. She sometimes eats all of it and sometimes just nibbles at it. Around noon, I feed her one raw drumstick, one raw thigh, and one raw chicken wing, all with bones. I buy the same chicken as I feed my family so I am hoping they are safe for her! I also buy a package of hearts and gizzards and a package of raw chicken livers. I add to the raw chicken a couple of gizzards and hearts. I read from a raw diet blog that you should not feed raw livers every day but 2-3 times a week. I can manage that! She eats every scrap left in the bowl and then licks it to make sure she got every morsel! Then at night I give her a cup or two of Zignature kibble. Again sometimes her bowl is licked clean in the morning, sometimes it is just nibbled on but over all, she mostly eats everything I put in her bowl! Wonders of wonders! She has put back the weight she had lost and is building muscle mass! No, she is no where near gaining enough weight to make her fat but her energy levels are up, her coat is shiny and she once again seems to be really enjoying her life. I figured if all these premium diets touted that they have all the proper amount of supplements a dog needs and she usually eats almost everythingl, that perhaps I don’t have to kill my own old silly self trying to keep her alive and happy! Just to make sure you do not misunderstand me, if she were my one and only dog, I would probably be able to do all the searching for supplements and weighing etc but I also have a year old Morkie and an 8 month old Rottweiler that I feed twice a day. I do not feed the other two dogs a raw diet. As a treat once or twice a week, I will feed the Morkie a chicken liver or a heart or a gizzard but since the Rotty is a large breed dog and still growing, she does not get any raw chicken parts. The other two dogs have no problems eating wet dog/kibble each day and are thriving so no reason to rock the boat for them by changing their diet! I don’t know if I am doing the right thing with my old pit bull. All I know is that for the last two months, since I began the diet above, my old pit bull seems eager to eat. She looks forward to her early morning walks once more, is alert and even goes out to play with the two young pups. Now, she does not chase them as she would have when she was younger, but she seems to enjoy trotting a few yards as they streak by her while she is wagging her tail and barking! I may be doing all the wrong things and hastening her death but my conscious is clear since she appears to be enjoying her life now and before she just looked and acted old and feeble. Again, this is just my own solution and it has NOT been approved by any professional. Please no hate mail but I would welcome any comments or suggestions that do not require a large amount of my own decreasing energy levels. Oh yeah, at first I tried adding the freeze dried raw food by Stella (?) to their Zignature kibble but none of my dogs really cared for it.
Thanks for reading this long email but I think it’s an old age thing! LOL!!!
Sincerely,
Linda

[anonymous]

Regarding the author of that “Dogs Naturally” article (link in an above post) Dr. Deva Khalsa, a popular alternative veterinarian

Garlic for Pets- What’s it Good for?

8. Garlic is an effective flea control method.
Doubtful. There are, of course, plenty of anecdotes from people saying that garlic drove the fleas away from their pets like magic. There are just as many that say garlic didn’t help at all. There is absolutely no research evidence showing garlic supplements to be an effective form of flea control. It is often given with Brewer’s yeast, which has been shown to be ineffective as a flea repellant. So for all the confidence with which this claim is made, it is simply made up.

More here http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2015/09/naet-a-cure-for-allergies-not/

[anonymous]

@ 2doodlemom

Another informative article. Hope this helps https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_multi_Weight_Loss_and_Cachexia?page=show (excerpt below)

When should your dog’s weight loss concern you? The standard is when the loss exceeds ten percent of normal body weight (and when it is not due to fluid loss). There are many things that can cause weight loss, including chronic disease. It is important to understand this because the dog’s entire body will probably be affected by the weight loss, and it ultimately depends on the cause and severity of the underlying medical condition.

Causes

Insufficient calorie intake
Poor quality of food
Taste (palatability) of food
Spoiled food/deterioration from prolonged storage
Reduced appetite (anorexia)
Inflammatory bowel disease
Chronic protein-losing intestinal disorder
Intestinal worms (parasites)
Chronic infections of the bowel
Tumors of the intestine
Blockages in stomach/gut (gastrointestinal obstructions)
Surgical removal (resection) of segments of bowel
Disease of the pancreas
Liver or gall bladder disease
Organ failure (heart, liver, kidney)
Addison’s disease
Diabetes
Hyperthyroidism
Chronic blood loss (hemorrhaging)
Skin lesions that ooze and cause loss of protein
Disorders of the central nervous system that interfere with eating or appetite
Paralysis of the esophagus
Neurologic disorders that make it difficult to pick up or swallow food
Increased physical activity
Prolonged exposure to cold
Pregnancy or nursing
Fever or inflammation
Cancer
Bacterial infections
Viral infections
Fungal infections

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will begin with a variety of diagnostic tests to find the underlying cause for the weight loss. After an initial health assessment, the following are some tests that might be recommended for your pet:

Fecal studies to look for chronic intestinal parasites
Complete blood count (CBC) to look for infection, inflammation, leukemia, anemia, and other blood disorders
A biochemical profile that will evaluate kidney, liver, and pancreas function, and the status of blood proteins, blood sugar, and electrolytes
Urinalysis to determine kidney function, to look for infections/protein loss from the kidneys, and to determine hydration status
Chest and abdominal x-rays to observe heart, lungs, and abdominal organs
Tests to evaluate the condition of the pancreas
Ultrasound of the abdomen
Bile acids test to evaluate liver function
Hormone assays to look for endocrine disorders
Using a scope to view the intestines (endoscopy) and biopsy
Exploratory surgery (laparotomy)

Treatment

At times your veterinarian may recommend treating your pet’s symptoms, especially if they are severe. This is not a substitute, however, for treating the underlying cause of the weight loss.

Once the appropriate treatment has been assigned, make sure a high-quality diet for your pet is provided. It may be necessary to force-feed, with nutrients given intravenously as necessary. The diet must be supplemented with vitamins and minerals. Appetite stimulants are also used occasionally to get the animal to start eating again.

Living and Management

A proper medical follow-up is vital, especially if the animal does not show improvement quickly. Monitoring during this period is also critical. The underlying cause of the weight loss will determine the appropriate course for home care. This includes frequent weigh-ins for the animal. Follow your veterinarian’s recommendations for treatment. And if your pet does not respond to the treatment, contact your vet right away.

[anonymous]

@ 2doodlemom
I hope you will continue to work closely with your vet and I urge you to get the abdominal ultrasound done asap. As recommended by the examining vet.
Ask your vet what she suspects. What does she need to rule out. It may be cost-effective in the long run.
Trying various supplements, over the counter meds, and changing the diet frequently could end you and your dog up at the emergency vet $$$ Meanwhile the diagnosis and the medical treatment that the dog may need is delayed.
If finances are a concern
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

Sincerely, best of luck

Ultrasounds for Dogs http://www.tuftsyourdog.com/issues/19_6/features/For-Your-Dog-X-ray-Ultrasound-CT-Scan-MRI-or-Nuclear-Medicine-250-1.html (excerpt below)
Best for seeing: most body tissues and their architecture, including the heart, abdominal organs, and musculoskeletal system (muscles and tendons).
How it works: Sound waves are transmitted into the patient and reflected back from tissue based on the architecture and acoustic properties of that specific tissue. (Ultrasound is not good for looking at bone or gas-filled lungs, both of which do not allow the transmission of sound waves.)
Sedation necessary? Not usually (which helps keep down cost). Exceptions include anxious or boisterous dogs or those in pain.
Cost: (roughly) $300-$400.
With an ultrasound, unlike an x-ray, you can “discriminate between different things going on in one organ,” Dr. Sutherland-Smith says. “It won’t be just all one shade of gray.” For instance, if you’re looking at the liver and there’s a tumor nodule, the sound waves will reflect that differently, and it will come across as a different color and therefore get picked up.
An ultrasound also looks at the workings of tissue in real time. It’s not just a snapshot of a single moment. For instance, you can see blood flowing through the chambers of the heart. You can see if any of the valves don’t close properly when blood goes through them and thus cause some blood to flow backward instead of forward, like it should.
You can even see differences in fluid types you’re zeroing in on, Dr. Sutherland-Smith says. For instance, if you’re looking at the bladder, abnormal urine (perhaps containing blood or crystals) will be more reflective than normal, and it will come across as a white or gray dot in a sea of black. You could also see “cellular debris if there were an infection in the bladder, like cystitis,” Dr. Sutherland-Smith explains.
Ninety percent of ultrasounds performed on dogs is for imaging of structures in the abdominal cavity or for looking at the heart, Dr. Sutherland-Smith points out. Occasionally, he says, ultrasounds will also be used to look at musculoskeletal issues — tendons and ligaments around the joints — or abnormal structures within the thoracic cavity.
The dog does not usually have to be sedated unless she is particularly excitable or nervous. On the day we visited the ultrasound unit on the radiology floor of Tufts’s Foster Hospital for Small Animals, a dog was lying on her back, gel smeared across her belly, for a look with an ultrasound probe to see if her mast cell cancer had metastasized to any body organs. The dog was as comfortable as could be, with several technicians at her side to help her feel secure.
One difference between abdominal ultrasounds for people and those for dogs is that with dogs, the medical team will generally look at all of the organ systems at one time rather than just in one location. “If the owner is spending a lot of money, we want to make sure he or she is not missing something else that will change the treatment plan,” Dr. Sutherland-Smith says. “By the time we perform an abdominal ultrasound, an older pet can often have more than one disease, and some of the illnesses may not have any outward signs for the owner or veterinarian to notice.”
Note: Sometimes, whether to order an abdominal ultrasound or an x-ray is a judgment call. “If it’s not urgent,” Dr. Sutherland-Smith says, meaning the dog is stable and not in acute pain, “most people will wait to do an ultrasound” as the procedure cannot generally be performed on the spur of the moment. But if the dog is in bad shape, an x-ray might be ordered to see if something has ruptured, torn, or broken, or if there’s a life-threatening blockage in the G.I. tract that needs immediate surgery.

[Melanie B]

Dear Tamara,

I know exactly how you are feeling. 4 years ago, our Sheltie,

Cooper, was diagnosed with Idiopathic Chylothorax. I had never heard of this before. We did opt to have the plural ports surgically inserted, because his lungs were so diminished. We pulled fluid from his chest for approx. one year. I also did a lot of reading about this disease. Because of the fluid buildup in the chest, the chest can become inflamed. So, we started him on 3000 mg of Rutin daily (1000 mg 3 x’s daily). Also, started him on Raw Unfiltered Honey, and sprinkled Ceylon Cinnamon on top (the only cinnamon dogs can have), this is for the inflammation. About 1 Tablespoon of honey with a good sprinkling of cinnamon on top of the meals.. breakfast and dinner. I found Nutro dog food to have the lowest fat count. My dog would not eat the food the Dr recommended.. it was really dry. This was and still is our regimen. Fast forward, our Cooper is now 9. We no longer have to pull fluid, his lungs are again in great condition. You would never know he had ever been sick. I know this is not the case for all dogs diagnosed. But, I wanted you to know this is not necessarily a death sentence, as I had thought. So, we followed the above regimen, along with lots and lots of prayers, and our boy is doing wonderful.

I wish you the absolute best with your baby!!!!!

Sincerely,

Melanie

Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

——– Original message ——–

From: Dog Food Advisor <[email protected]>

Date: 9/16/18 5:51 PM (GMT-06:00)

To: [email protected]

Subject: [Dog Food Advisor] Low-fat healthy diet needed

Tamera S wrote:

Been reading through all these posts and could find any recent from Nancy M. I was wondering how things turned out for her baby. Any of these babies really. We are heartbroken, as our 3 & 1/2 year old Sheltie has just been diagnosed with Idiopathic Chylothorax. The specialist I took him to terrified me, and he will not be going back to them even if we decide on surgery. When I told them we wanted to try least invasive options like Rutin and a low fat diet first, she wouldn’t be listen. Then came back telling me they nicked Scout’s lung when draining fluid so now his chest was filling with air! They wanted to keep him overnight, I refused to let them, he is fine, no symptoms they said he would have because of their incompetence. I feel they where just a surgery factory. My regular vet closed her practice and moved out of country on the Friday before this all happened. We are $2000 in. No surgery, just drain and diagnostic. No answers. I have talked to a Holistic doctor and he recommended supplements to ssupport his urinary tract as well. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We love our baby and want to do the best we can to give him the full and active life he deserves.
TIA
Tamera

Post Link: /forums/topic/low-fat-healthy-diet-needed/#post-121737

———–

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to a forum topic.

Login and visit the topic to unsubscribe from these emails.

[Tamera S]

Been reading through all these posts and could find any recent from Nancy M. I was wondering how things turned out for her baby. Any of these babies really. We are heartbroken, as our 3 & 1/2 year old Sheltie has just been diagnosed with Idiopathic Chylothorax. The specialist I took him to terrified me, and he will not be going back to them even if we decide on surgery. When I told them we wanted to try least invasive options like Rutin and a low fat diet first, she wouldn’t be listen. Then came back telling me they nicked Scout’s lung when draining fluid so now his chest was filling with air! They wanted to keep him overnight, I refused to let them, he is fine, no symptoms they said he would have because of their incompetence. I feel they where just a surgery factory. My regular vet closed her practice and moved out of country on the Friday before this all happened. We are $2000 in. No surgery, just drain and diagnostic. No answers. I have talked to a Holistic doctor and he recommended supplements to ssupport his urinary tract as well. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We love our baby and want to do the best we can to give him the full and active life he deserves.
TIA
Tamera

[pitlove]

The extra vitamins that you are supplementing are really unnecessary when feeding a high quality balanced food. I would personally d/c them at this time. I’m not saying they are related to the repro issues you are having, but they are just not doing anything but wasting your money.

When you went to a repro vet where did you go? A vet school? Or a private practice? The theirogenology department at the vet school in my state is really excellent. Maybe try a different one. Are both bitches litter mates? Could it be genetic?

[Amelia Z]

Hey Linda
You should of asked me about which taurine to use instead of going nuts. Anyway, I use Now Foods powdered taurine.
https://www.nowfoods.com/supplements/taurine-pure-powder
I only chose the powdered because I couldn’t get the dosage I wanted in a pill and it was easier to do so with the powder.
I got this list from Dr. Stern after I already starting my supplementation. So I guess I did good since he recommends Now Foods also. But he does not recommend supplements unless your dog has DCM. But I see your cardiologist is recommending it for your boy. I stopped supplementing Kodi, although his taurine was low, I think it should be better now due to diet change.
This is from Dr. Stern:
Choosing a taurine or l-carnitine supplement:
Selecting supplements should be performed based upon those that match their stated contents and are readily available for absorption. Luckily a previous publication tested multiple taurine and lcarnitine supplements. Based upon this publication our laboratory recommends the following supplements as those meeting our quality criteria. (Bragg et al. 2009 J Am Vet Med Assoc; 234(2))
Tested taurine supplements that test within 5% of stated contents and if applicable disintegrated within 30 minutes
• Mega taurine caps by Twinlab (1000 capsule)
• Taurine by Swanson Health Products (500mg capsule)
• Taurine by NOW foods (500mg capsule)
• Taurine 500 by GNC (500mg tablet)
Tested L-carnitine supplements that test within 5% of stated contents and if applicable disintegrated within 30 minutes
• L-carnitine 500 by Jarrow Formulas (500mg capsule)
• L-carnitine caps by Country Life (500mg capsule)
• Maxi L-carnitine by Solgar Vitamin and Herb (500mg tablet)
• L-carnitine by Puritan’s Pride (500mg tablet)
The Stern lab does not recommend the empirical supplementation of taurine or l-carnitine to dogs without evidence of DCM and/or significant deficiency. If DCM is diagnosed we typically recommend dogs over 50lbs receive 1000mg of taurine every 12hrs and dogs under 50lbs receive 500mg of taurine every 12hours. We recommend L-carnitine at a dose of ~50mg/kg orally with food every 8hrs. Your veterinary cardiologist or family veterinarian should be consulted for prescribing the best dose for your dog.

[anonymous]

Quote “I am trying slippery Elm right now mixed into his food, but so far not helping. And have tried several pumpkin foods and sweet patato. And giving his pepto bismal.”

I hope you will speak to your vet about dispensing supplements and over the counter meds before continuing. Especially meds not intended for veterinary use unless prescribed by a veterinarian that has examined the dog (off label use).

Not all supplements and over the counter meds are benign, some have side effects, some interfere with the absorption of prescription meds. They can also throw off blood work and other diagnostic tests..

“Slippery elm may interfere with the absorption of other drugs, so give the supplement at another time. Slippery Elm can be used for sustained periods, but not long-term. Never give your dogs any herb or other supplement — or change the dogs’ diet in any way — without consulting your vet first”. (excerpt https://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/side-effects-slippery-elm-root-dogs-7609.html)

Possible Side Effects of Pepto Bismol (https://www.vetinfo.com/dog-pepto-bismol.html) excerpt:
Side effects are rare but they can occur. Potential changes include:
A darkening in color of the tongue
A darkening of the stools, which may become grey, black or a green color
An interference with readings of abdominal X-Rays
Inaccuracies in urine test results
Like every medication, it is possible to overdose on Pepto-Bismol. If you think this has happened, it is important to contact a vet immediately. Keep observing your dog closely and watching for changes in his temperature. Other potential effects include changes in the dog’s blood, seizures and liver and kidney damage.
Pepto Bismol is useful for soothing stomach upsets that can make your dog sick. However, it is a good idea to get a vet’s advice before giving the medication to your dog. That way, you can try and rule out any other, more serious, causes of stomach problems first.

Ps: Be careful about using too many medications and supplements including homeopathic remedies. It can become difficult to distinguish side effects from true symptoms.
Polypharmacy is the simultaneous use of multiple drugs to treat a single ailment or condition.

[Linda K]

Hi Amelia,
Thank you for sharing the links to all you shared! I’ll look at them tomorrow. I have spent most of today trying to find a taurine supplement that meets the specifications of the cardiologist. It can contain no artificial sugars, no additional supplements and no minerals. Well, OK, except the truth is, such an animal does not exist. I have gone to every pharmacy within 50 miles and searched the shelves. Many didn’t have taurine of any kind. But if they had it, there were certain ingredients in every one, including magnesium stearate and Vitamin B6. Well, magnesium is a mineral, B6 is a supplement. However, magnesium, by popular consensus among polled pharmacists, in stearate form is “a filler and not to be construed as a mineral.” B-6 is indeed a supplement. I called the cardiologist, and she called me back finally. And guess what she said. “Oh, gosh, the Vitamin Shoppe brand you’ve been using is fine. You aren’t going to find anything purer than that one is.” Soooo, I held my tongue and resisted the urge to yell at her and tell her that she could have indicated that in her notes. I had to take the bottles in with us yesterday so they could check the dosages and ingredients! It’s been a fun fun day!

Thank you for the compliment about my boy. If we ever get each other’s email addresses, I’ll send you a picture. I’d like to see Auggie and Kodi too.

I have no idea where my vet got those numbers for normal taurine blood values. But I can’t figure out a lot about that guy.

I’d like to hear why you’re annoyed with the cardiologist. You said it’s a long story. I love to read your emails, so do tell. Unless it’s too annoying and too long or you don’t want to re-visit it.

I’m tired. I’ll look for more from you tomorrow and post after I check out your links. Doc Pierce still seems to love the new food, keep it down, and poop it perfectly. My great sunt used to talk about her poop color, consistency and texture, and I thought that was so odd. I talk about my dog’s! How odd is THAT?😏

[Susan]

Hi,
you have a very smart dog, he knows what foods cause pain, nausea etc & now will not eat, my boxer was the same with dry kibbles & raw Kangaroo, if it smelt weird & caused any stomach/bowel problems she wouldnt eat it ever again, where Patch he keeps eating & eating foods that cause gas/farts, nausea, sloppy poos etc, I have to be a mind reader & work out what is causing his pain his acid reflux etc but when I first rescued him he didnt want any thing to do with dry kibble, when I offered it to him he’d just walk off, he liked cooked food, loaf rolls, raw meaty bones & wet can foods….

Slipery Elm has to be made into a slurry/paste, pull up into a syringe about 5ml =1 teaspoon & you give 20mins before a meal not with the meal…

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) Deficiency, has your dog B-12 been tested?
When Vitamin B12 is injected, the vitamin is readily absorbed by the blood and can get to work immediately. If your dog doesn’t have any problems with cobalamin malabsorption or there is no vitamin B12 deficiency, you can give oral supplements available in 100-, 250-, 500-, 1000-, and 5000-microgram tablets.
Ask your vet about him not having any apetite & can you do the weekly B-12 injection for 1 minth & see if there’s an improvement in his appetite a lot of ogs who have IBD EPI who have low appetites are givenB-12 weekly injections to make them want to eat….

Have you tried wet can foods or those good premium loaf rolls?? I know vet diets are expensive but next time you see vet get 1 can of Hills I/d Digestive Care Chicken & Vegetable stew. I have the I/d cans in the cupboard & the Royal Canine Intestinal Low Fat wet cans in the cupboard. https://www.hillspet.com/dog-food/pd-id-canine-chicken-and-vegetable-stew-canned
I rotate foods, I dont feed the same food for all of Patches 5 meals a day..
Are you feeding more then 2 meals a day? I know he isnt much of a eater but smaller meals of a few different foods thru the day he might want to eat them? a dry dog biscuit offered a few times a day, break biscuit in 1/2, we have a cat & as soon as Patch hear’s Indy getting something to eat he comes running to see if he can have some aswell & normaly he cant thats why the cat is getting the food cause Patch cant eat it.. she/cat is my garbage disposel bin..

I feed the Wellness Core Large Breed Adult dry for breakfast, Patch finally gained weight eating the Wellness Core & the cat keeps stealing Patches Wellness kibbles so they must taste good as she doesnt pinch any of Patches other dry kibbles, for lunch Patch use to get a small can of the Hills I/D chicken Rice & Vegetables wet food or 1/3 of the can of the Royal Canine Intestinal wet food but he kept getting his acid reflux on & off after eating the wet can vet diets & they’re low in fat so Id say its all the Omega oils, they are very high in Omega Oils so now Patch gets 2 big Dog Biscuits, My Boxer use to just look at food & gain weight she where Patch has problems keeping on his weight, I remember Angies vet asking me, what is she eating she’s over weight, she needed to lose 4kgs, she use to eat 1/2 of what Patch eats, she was bigger & he is smaller, I told vet she eats cooked meal, what we eat, & sometimes she eats some dry kibble but not much & she gets a dry dog biscuit maybe twice a day, the vet said do you know 1 of those dry dog biscuits is = to 1 Hamburger for a dog, I said what a Hamburger he said YES start halving her biscuit, so she is just getting 1 dog biscuit a day or completely stop these dru dog biscuits as they are high in fat, so now Im giving Patch 2 big dog biscuits for lunch everyday he loves them, I either feed the Purina Lucky Dog Biscuit Bones, Canidae dry Biscuits or you can get Hills Ideal balance Treats they’re smaller or Hills Vet Diet Hypoallergenic Biscuit treats.. https://www.hillspet.com/dog-food/ib-soft-baked-naturals-with-chicken-and-carrots-dog-treats..
If you dont want to feed a wet can vet diet then look at Hills “Ideal Balance” Chicken & Zucchini slow cooked wet can food.. https://www.hillspet.com/dog-food/ib-slow-cooked-chicken-and-zucchini-stew-adult-dog-food-canned#accordion-content-054167331-2
or look at Costcos Kirklands Signature Turkey & Pea Stew wet can food its very popular. Just make sure any wet can foods are 4% in fat not any higher, wet can foods fat protein fiber % havent been converted to dry matter yet so when you convert say 5% fat thats around 20%min to 26% max fat, so 4% min is around 12% fat min best to emal the pet food companies & ask them for max fat concerted to dry matter, they will give the exact max % you dont want to feed him foods that cause pain in stomach or wind pain in bowel then he will become more fussy….lean limited ingredient foods..
http://www.kirklandsignaturepetsupplies.com/natures-domain-brand

All Hills Science Diet wet & dry formula’s are very palatable if your dog refuses to eat then return to pet shop for a refund if you have bought a carton of wet can food, rotate, 1 day feed the Hills Ideal Balance for Dinner then the next day for Dinner he eats a different wet can food or try FreshPet Roll, Stew, Cooked Roasted meals?
https://freshpet.com/dog/freshpet-select

Still feed his Farmina dry food, Farmina is a good food, are you feeding him the LAMB DIGESTION N&D Quinoa Functional Canine formula & the N&D Quinoa Skin & Coat Venison formula
https://www.farmina.com/us/eshop/dog-food/n&d-quinoa-functional-canine/429-digestion-lamb.html
its isnt rich or too dense like the other Farmina formula’s, my Patch gets his stomach pain as soon as a dry food is over 370Kcals per cup he whinges & wants me to rub his stomach/pancreas area…

What vet diet did he eat? maybe put him back on the vet diet & feed the matching wet can food rotate in his diet so he gains some weight & feed 4-5 smaller meals a day & give a few dry dog biscuits thru the day aswell as treats or as a dry dog bisciut as a snack before bed, eating then going to sleep gains weight…

I always ask Patch “Which One (kibble) do you want to eat” & I show him 2 different dry kibble brands in their air tight containers with their lids off, he sniffs the containers then he licks the side of the container that he wants to eat or I get out 1 kibble from 1 container & another kibble from the other container, I have 1 kibble in one hand & the another kibble in my other hand & I let him sniff them & ask him “which One”& he takes teh kibble he wants to eat, thru the day he eats about 3 different brands of foods… If I just feed him the same dry kibble day in day out he starts to react & gets his IBD stomach pain & starts whinging & lifts his right paw & wants me to rub his stomach area I thought he had Pancreatitis when I first rescued him, he has all the symptoms but now 5 yrs later Patches vets says he has Stomach pain its cause of his IBD…

If you join the “Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD – Raw Feeding & Holistic Support” F/B group, go to their “Files” scroll down 11th pdf & click on “Digestive Sensitivity and Dog Size.pdf”
it’s research done on small breed dogs & large Breed dogs, what happens when these dogs eats the same dry kibble, how both breeds digest the same kibble different, now I know why Patch does heaps better with his IBD when he eats a Large Breed dry kibble the Large Breed kibbles have fibers formulated for large breed Intestinal tract so the dog doesn’t get bloat, the Large Breed dry formula’s seem to agree with Patch the best…..

[Sue H]

Hoping Jax will be ok. Thanks for the good wishes for Crystal.

Prednisone is a good medicine and inexpensive, but can cause a host of issues in dogs as well. I have been on prednisone myself and can not take Advil or any ibuprofen products, as it may cause serious GI problems for me. I imagine there may be a similar issue with dogs. Ask a pharmacist, my sister was a pharmacist before she passed away and explained much of this to me.

With my Crystal, before we started her on Galliprant, her back legs were starting to waste away and her walking was really poor. On Galliprant, she runs and plays, but yes, has diarrhea, and I watch her closely for any GI issues. GI issues can come on suddenly, so if she began to vomit, off to the emergency vet she will go. Luckily, she is eating well (she will not eat the prescription food for dogs with renal issues), but will eat her regular dry and canned foods, so we are using supplements when we can, and monitoring her lab values. This all becomes a balancing act for our vet to figure out what will make her comfortable. I use plain canned pumpkin in her diet daily, as well as fortiflora. Fortunately, she loves fruit, so apples and other fruits help, too. Sadly, there is no magic medicine to help our dogs with arthritis that has no side effects.

Hoping everyone who has a dog can find the best combination of medicine and supplements to help them heal and enjoy their lives. It is not easy trying to determine what to try for them, but hoping things will work for them.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Sue H.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Sue H.

[Linda K]

zcRiley, after many calls to my vet’s office with many earnest question and pleadings, many answers (and non-answers) that brought me much dismay, etc. I decided to call the nearby university to see how soon my boy could get an appointment with one of their cardiologists. To my amazement, there had been a cancellation, and I got an appointment the next day. That was today. My boy got a “complete cardiac evaluation.” It took almost all day, but the result is that he has no cardiac enlargement. She increased the taurine supplementation and wants to re-evaluate in six months. Of course she wants him to start on NOT grain-free food. I started that a week ago, and I’m very slowly weaning him onto it. How are your pit bulls doing on the Vetr-Science? Are the supplements chewable? The taurine supplement I give my boy is in capsule form, so I have to open the capsules and sprinkle it on food. He loves yogurt, so that’s what I mix the taurine with. I just read that you should only give your dog lactose free yogurt. I mentioned that to the cardiologist. She said I could give him small amounts (I use a tablespoon) of “regular” yogurt as long as it has no xylitol in it. I hope your pit bulls are doing very well. Incidentally, the cardiologist mentioned that my boy “was a little naughty” during the echo. I was thinking he pottied on the table, or, worse yet, launched himself off the table (he’s a 1 year and 1 day old puppy after all), or tried to make friends with the dog on the next cart. Nope, he “was squirmy.” I resisted the urge to ask how many times a dog getting an echocardiogram lies motionless….

[Michelle T]

Melissa T,
I have no clue what that is. Kali is taking phenobarbital (9 years), Keppra (3 weeks) and Galliprant (3 months). Plus she’s taking supplements to help with her arthritis.

[Linda K]

The results are in! THERE IS NO ENLARGEMENT OF MY BOY’S HEART! The cardiologist increased the taurine supplement to 1000 mgs twice daily from 500 mgs once daily, because he has a tiny bit of systolic dysfunction (normal is >25% and my boy’s is 23%). Because of this and his extremely low taurine, she wants to increase supplementation for six months and then re-test taurine. Systolic dysfunction affects the ability of the heart to pump blood through the rest of the body, but the degree of the dysfunction is not a concern at this time. I asked about carnitine supplementation as well as taurine. She said she “doesn’t think that is indicated.” She also recommends that he be “switched to a food that is NOT grain free” (Duh!) and “this should be done slowly to reduce the risk of GI upset.” (She was talking to The Village Idiot apparently).

So sound the trumpets! Beat the drums! Clang the cymbals! Ring the bells! And activate the alerts! My boy’s heart is in good shape!