[beagleowner]

Thank you to all of you who gave advice and remarks about homemade dog food for Henry Beagle. We did, in fact, go through our Vet who approved our dog food recipe plus added vitamins. Henry tore his ACL and was recuperating well. However on Jan. 12 the something happened around 7pm. He was restless, panting and did not eat his evening meal. I stayed with him all nite and he slept a little and we rushed him to the Vet first thing in the morning. Unfortunately both sides of his heart had failed and he was dying. We lost Henry that day. Our vet said there was nothing we did or could have done to prevent this from happening. I am mourning this loss and it is so difficult but wanted to thank all of you who were so interested and helpful in your suggestions and advice.

[beagleowner]

I am so sorry to hear about Dixie. I can relate because I lost my 14 year old beagle, Henry 10 days ago. I am still grieving. Loving an animal is such a joy and they give us back so much love. Let yourself cry and mourn your loss. Perhaps we can help each other grieve this loss. If you need someone to communicate with my email is [email protected]
Would love to hear all about Dixie. I know how you feel. Henry was so very special to us. And altho they leave us physically, we carry them in our hearts. Please feel free to contact me.

[beagleowner]

I feel I have come to the acceptance that Henry is gone and as the doctor told me there was nothing I did or could have done that would have preventend this. His heart failed and he was dying. However I was not present when they euthanized him. I was so distressed and shocked that he was dying I couldn’t bear to be there . When I talked to one of my family members and they heard that I was not present for the procedure she said that pets want you there to comfort them so they know you loved them. Reading some articles on the web, many are saying the same. Now my guilt has set in and I am dwelling on this. I let him down at the last moments. While he laid on the table for an exam, I petted him, kissed him and scratched his head and told him I loved him. My husband also did the same and in fact Henry put his chin on my husbands hand. Neither of us stayed for the procedure, but I did see him after it was over and he looked so peaceful. But I can’t get the guilt out of my mind. You have all been such a comfort to me. Thank you.

[beagleowner]

Thank you for your support. I am having a difficult time with Henry’s death. Thinking it was flu or cold and finding out that it was his heart was so devastating. I know the Vet told me there was nothing I did or could have done to prevent this, but my grieving goes to all kinds of questions. Did I feed him right. We made his food and gave him vitamins. I never gave him anything that I did not clear through my vet. When he had his annual visit in early Dec. she noticed a slight heart murmur but nothing to be concerned about. He had blood tests and his liver enzymes were elevated. We took him for a fasting blood test and rather than a sonogram we decided to do a blood test every two months to keep checking. The night before he died, it never entered my mind that he was in a dangerous state. He was restless and since he was deaf and loved treats so he barked a lot. Sometimes it annoyed me. Did he know I loved him? Could I have done more. I was not present when he was euthanized. Should I had been beside him. I miss him greatly and am so distressed. I know my husband is grieving as well. He is trying to console me.

[beagleowner]

Has anyone heard of or tried Old MotherHubbard P-Nutteroven baked dog biscuits. They are stamped Made in Canada. Bought them at Tractor Supply. They are located in Tewksbury. MA and connected to the Wellpet Foundation. They sound good but wanted to make sure before feeding them to Henry Beagle.

[beagleowner]

new mom, so glad to hear you are trying the marrow bones for treats. My beagle won’t eat green beans.. I even tried to hide them in his homemade food but he could distinguish them. I see your dog had a neck injury, well Henry fell and tore his ACL. Surgery is not an option because of his age. He is on pain pills and limps around. He does sleep a lot and I put his meds in very small pieces of braunschweiger and works like a charm. Wetting is a problem. I read that the meds he is taking can cause incontinence. So we got pads for hi,. Sometimes successful, sometimes not. I did find a chew at Tractor Supply called RedBarn Naturals Joint Firmula Bully Slices. Thry last a long time and Henry had strong jaws. My Vet looked and studied them and approved them for Henry. You may want to consider these if you can find them. They are made in the USA. Website is http://www.redbarninc.com

[beagleowner]

Ok more about Henry Beagle. Filling the marrow bones was a good idea for awhile but he gets the fillers out so fast it is a quick fix. We buy the marrow bones and he goes thru them in a shirt time. His jaws are strong. I need a treat that I can feed him and keep him busy for awhile. I did buy treats at Tractor Supply that was turkey chew that kept him busy for longer. It listed ingredients as turkey and blueberries and other fruit. I will look them up again and see what you think. They were listed as made in USA and all natural.. He follows me constantly barking. The only salvation is his bedtime is 10 pm and he quiets down and goes to sleep around that time. He is like a little baby. Any good chews out there that are safe.

[beagleowner]

I got the herbs for Henry’s lipomas from Pawhealer. Holly is the herbalist that made the Dissolve and even a Custom Dissolve for Henry. His lipomas are extremely large and the Custom Dissolve did liquefy them but they did not go away. I felt that continuing that route was senseless so did more research. Found a company by the name of NuVet that has a chewable tablet with a money back guarantee if not satisfied. My Vet had heard of the company, looked at the ingredients and suggested to try it and she also researched further and suggested on two week intervals to add tumeric, milk thistle and Sam-e every 12 hours.

I started the NuVet Sept 1st and have seen the lipomas getting smaller and in fact one has disappeared. I feed home made dog food to Henry of 85/15 beef or lean turkey plus vegetables. He is improving. Since he also has weakness in his hind legs, I am considering getting he joint formula from NuVet as well. I like the NeVet better than Pawhealer because they explain and list each ingredient and Pawhealer would not do that.

Feel free to check in with me. Henry is 14 and is doing well. I do give him marrow bones and then refill them with his food or pumpkin forva nightly treat. Keep in touch.

[beagleowner]

I get soup bones at the grocery store. They do not splinter but are hard as a rock. After our beagle removes the little bit of meat on the face of the bone and any inside meat residue, I spoon out all marrow and fill it with pumpkin, freeze it and give to him as a nightly treat. He cleans them out and knows on the bone itself. We have about 5 of them and when they have been filled 4 times I toss them and then get a new bone at the store to replace it. No problems at all.

[beagleowner]

I just read about the turmeric. The vet did not suggest the kidney formula but the herbalist at Pawhealer did. I wrote to her and told her that my husband had some concerns about switching to the kidney formula and I asked for a list of ingredients to let my vet look at it before I ordered. She became very irritated and sent a nasty reply. That made me a little uncomfortable. She also told me to massage the lipomas. I asked the vet about massaging and he adamantly said no. By massaging could rupture the mass and cause severe damage. I understand the tumeric is spicy and wonder if the food will disguise that and also how much to give Henry. And educate me on cur cumin and bromelain.

thanks for the insight.

[beagleowner]

Hi Hound Dog Mom. Need some input. Still making Henry’s food. We switched to ground turkey and read that the ratio between protein and vegetables should be 2 to 1. We are mixing ground turkey, carrots, sweet potatoes, frozen peas, kale 3 eggs with shells, apples and spinach, baking it in a slow oven for 90 minutes. We make enough for 3 was and freeze weekly amounts. We do the 2 parts turkey to 1 part combined vegetables, feed 1capsule of Aller G-3 bought and suggested by our vet. It is 1000 mg fish oil, o.1moisture, 400 iu vitamin A, 100 iu vitamin D3, 4 iu Vitamin E. we feed 2 cups a day, estimating caloric intake of 750 to 800 cal/day. We also give him 2 Gkucosamine chewables a day which provides 500 mg Glucosamine, 200 mg Chondrotin Sulfate, 100 mg MSM, 50 mg Vitamin C, and 5 mg Manganese. It does have inactive ingredients Brewers dried yeast, diacalcium phosphate, glycerin,iron oxide, magnesium sterate, silicon dioxide and steric acid.

Henry has lost 3 lbs over the past 5 mos. we weigh him at the vet every month. he is now at 45 lb and the vet would like to see him close to 40.

Henry has one very large lipoma which I had mentioned in a previous post (about melon size) and another smaller (baseball) one. I discovered a site called Pawhealer out of California and their product Dissolve made with various herbs. They also on my next order created a Custom Dissolve. He got 3/4 tsp twice a day. The vet measured his lipomas when we started the herbs. When he measured them at our last visit they were slightly smaller and they are now a soft mass. The vet said that something was working, either the Dissolve, or the food, or a combination of both. He is not on Dissolve any longer because Pawhealer suggested discontinuing the Dissolve for now and suggested a kidney formula. My husband didn’t feel comfortable with this and so we did not order.

Bottom line. Henry is losing weight, and the lipomas are decreasing very gradually. But I am wondering if I should again begin the herbs. You are so very knowledgeable I wanted to get your thoughts and opinion. There are so many sites that address diet and lipomas it makes your head spin. Sorry for this looooong post but I wanted to give a full history so you could offer feedback. Thanks for all your knowledge.

[beagleowner]

Yes and so I am searching for advice on adding nutrients or vitamins. Our vet didn’t offer any suggestions other than putting him on the Hills H/d and I would rather not do that. I did read thatvCentrum can be fed to dogs. Have you heard that.

[beagleowner]

Well I was going crazy trying to find a food for my beagle. I fed him Beneful when he was a puppy and he loved it but it put on lots of weight. Have tried Hills Prescription for digestive problems from my vet, and then Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul, then Natures Variety Chicken flavor. None really agreed and he didn’t lose weight. Had trouble with his anal gland, ears and teeth were so dark but by this time he was 14 yrs old and altho he had his teeth cleaned once, his age was prohibited this time. He also had lipomas. Well after much investigation and discussing options on these forums, I arrived at the solution. I am now making homemade food for him, feeding him ground turkey and rotating with 85/15 hamburg, vegetables, eggs, pumpkin, and soup/marrow bones for snacks. I am happy to say he is losing weight, takes glucosamine and herbs for the lipomas. No more anal problems, ear problems, and his teeth are all white. He loves his bones and when they are all clean we fill and freeze them with pumpkin. It is no more expensive than kibble but I do admit it is a lot of work, but the results are worth it. My 14 year old best friend looks great. The lipomas are getting smaller as well.

[beagleowner]

I feel so smug. Got a soup marrow bone for Henry. He loved it and it was gone in one long evening of gnawing. Then a light dawned. I filled each end of the bone where he had eaten out the marrow, filled the holes at each end with ground chicken hearts and gizzards. Then the next night did some peanut butter. Didn’t need much cause the smell stayed on and on. Made my own homemade kong and outsmarted that old Beagle. I am going to stuff the bone again and freeze it. Sure keeps him busy. He is happy. When Henry is happy, I am happy!

[beagleowner]

4dogmom: Am I reading you right the eggs come out to 54 eggs in your cooking. Like your contents and examples of your servings. The eggs seemed like a lot so thought I would double check. Henry is 48 lb and needs to lose weight. Thanks for the info. I haven’t tried broccoli, zucchini or spinach or lentils. Never thought of it. Where do you get flax seed meal.

[beagleowner]

Incidentally how do you post a picture on the forum. Would like to post one of Henry

[beagleowner]

Henry is doing better. Eating chicken breast and vegetables and loves it. He has lost a little weight. For a treat we got a soup marrow bone and gave it to him raw. He has been busy all evening. Hopefully this will all agree with him. Also bought chicken hearts and livers. Don’t know how I will feed them–raw or cooked or use as treats. Welcome comments and suggestions. We take walks each evening and he is doing great on them. Thanks for your suggestions and support.

[beagleowner]

No interest in toys. Thought about getting him something to chew on. He can’t have grains and seems the knuckle bones that the vet suggested didn’t keep him interested. He tore meet off of them just left them. Am scared of rawhide

[beagleowner]

Thanks HDM. He is a heavy chewer with those strong beagle jaws. The kongsickles sound like something that would keep him busy after dinner and stop ‘bugging” me. I have him sooooo spoiled! The raw meaty bones sound good. Don’t I have to be afraid of splintering since he has strong jaws and a ripping method with bones. We got knuckle bones and par boiled them at the advice if our vet. No luck. He pulled at them and knawed. When the meat was cleaned off, he wasn’t interested. Didn’t take long. He doesn’t seem to like raw meat. We tried the bones before par boiling and just got one of those beagle disgusted looks.

[beagleowner]

I don’t have a solution only a question. . I have 14 year old Henry Besgle. He is on herbs for his lipomas and the herbs have liquified them and we are hopeful that they will dissolve. However the main instruction is fresh food only. The food is going great BUT he is a beagle. I need to keep him busy at night. He barks for treats, and more treats. Are there any suggestions for treats to keep him busy at night that will fit in with fresh.

[beagleowner]

Thanks for the suggestion. I will look into it. Now feeding Natures Variety Instinct. Where did you purchase it? Do they have a site online?

[beagleowner]

I am going to include the egg shekels. We have a food processor and so it makes it quite easy. The eggs are commercial eggs. I can add fish oil. How much would you suggest? We use store bought green string beans. Henry weighs 48 lbs but I need to feed him so he can lose at least a pound a week. I need to get him to around 42 lbs. however his lipomas are large and probably add 3 lbs to his weight. We are giving him Chinese herbs that are to help dissolve the lipomas. The very good news is that we joined an organic farm program and will be getting produce, herbs, fruits soon. I can include those in his diet as well as our own. We want to do the best for Henry. There are so many recipes out there it is hard to determine what to make for him. The Nature Variety Instinct is rated 5 stars on Food Advisor so I had hoped I could use the kibble as a base and add the turkey, vegetables, eggs to it.

[beagleowner]

Hey thanks James D. I appreciate the info. These suggestions are such a big help. My life will be easier and Henry will not be so frustrated. Thanks again!

[beagleowner]

Thanks HDM. Henry is a strong chewer. Our vet had told us to get knuckle bones and par boil them and give those to him. But he chewed so hard that I was afraid he would break a tooth. Didn’t take him long to lose interest. What kind of raw bones do you feed? I thought of the kongs but didn’t know what to fill them with. I will try your suggestion. Also will look for the natural chews. The chicken chews I made in the oven were no task for Henry they are gone in a flash. I spoiled him rotten with treats and now he “hunts” me down every night. It is hysterical that a grown woman would hide from him til he decides to lay down. However that Beagle nose tracks me down most of the time. Thanks again for the great information.

[beagleowner]

Made chicken jerky for Henry and he loved it. Cut chicken breast into 8″ strips and baked for 2 hours at 200 degrees. They were still chewy. Think next time I will bake 1 hr on one side and turn them over for the second hour. I had hoped they would occupy Henry for a little bit but he ate them really fast. Need to find something to keep him busy in the evening. I know that rawhide can be dangerous. Any suggestions. Thanks for all your help. I am so frustrated by his constant barking because he wants treats. It is a “monster” I created. Hope there is a good solution.

[beagleowner]

Thanks for all the great replies. I will check on the suggestions and will sur keep you in the loop. I am in the process of making chicken jerky and msybe can ward off another night of barking.

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