I don't think we've ever been to a vet where the consulting room looked more
like an office, vet sat behind a desk, and there were couches available for
some dogs to park their rear end on. We went to a holistic vet today to
have her evaluate Khan's skin/coat condition and rear end weakness, a likely
result of his Cushing's. End result is this:

Change his diet to one that is home cooked. No grains, low carb. 40 - 50%
meat or fish, 15% green leafy vegetables 20 - 30% fibrous veggies, 10% organ
meat, and 5% fruits with low glycemic index. This is more of an attempt to
make sure that there are no underlying allergy/digestability issues.

Supplement with the following:

Probiotics (encourage growth of good bacteria to keep the bad ones from
flourishing), Fish oil (liquid, with Vitamin E - good immune system and
joint support, Vitamin E for antioxidant), and something called Thyro
Complex (Iodine from Kelp, Raw Bovine Thyroid Concentrate, Raw Porcine
Adrenal Concentrate, Raw Bovine Pituitary Concentrate and Raw Porcine Spleen
Concentrate) and Glandular Stress Complex (Raw Porcine Adrenal Concentrate,
Raw Bovine Liver Concentrate, Raw Bovine Thymus Concentrate, Raw Porcine
Spleen Concentrate, and Raw Porcine Stomach Concentrate).

She would like to add more antioxidants to his regimen, but that will come
later, after we see if this stuff has any effect. She is also confident that
she can improve his hind end weakness and possibly help wean him off his
Proin (for incontinence). She wants him to drop still more weight. She
wants him thin. Not at a weight that would be good for a healthy dog (which
is where he is), but a few pounds less.

Consider me a skeptic, but I will report back on progress (or lack thereof).

Suja

Suja said in part...
Supplement with the following:
Probiotics (encourage the growth of good bacteria to keep the bad ones
from flourishing)
_______________________
Suja,
That is quite an assignment I will be very interested to hear how
things are going.
I take Probiotic Acidoophilus and of late having been giving it to
Jubal Early. It comes in capsule form. I have been attempting to treat
what I believe to be a yeast infection in his ear. In addition to
giving it to him orally I open the capsule and sprinkle the powder from
the capsule directly in his ear (after cleaning it). He has an
appointment tomorrow with the Vet but his ear looks really well. I have
no idea if that is what helped to heal him but I hold Probiotics in high
regard.
Good luck, we have a holistic Vet in the area I would like to check
her out some day.


Be Free.....Judy

"Suja" wrote in message
...
Consider me a skeptic, but I will report back on progress (or lack
thereof).


I'm a skeptic too but I hope it helps him.

In article ications,
Beth In Alaska wrote:
I'm a skeptic too but I hope it helps him.

I'm also a skeptic, but I have a friend who does the
wholistic thing with her animals and they seem to be doing a
lot better than expected given some of their health
problems.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message:

I'm also a skeptic, but I have a friend who does the
wholistic thing with her animals and they seem to be doing a
lot better than expected given some of their health
problems.

That's partly why I was open to the idea. A friend of mine has 4 dogs all
doing the holistic thing, and they're doing really really well. One is a
GSD with the worst hips I've ever seen on a dog, and he's still alive and
kicking (and being a pain in the ass), and I am convinced that he wouldn't
be, without the help he's getting currently. Two of the others had
significantly out of whack liver/kidney values and one was leaning
Addisonian, and their blood work is now within normal limits, just on diet
modification/supplementation. While I would really rather someone showed me
actual studies that show that this stuff works, I can't ignore the anecdotal
evidence, and besides, what could it hurt? If it works, it works, and
that's what's important.

I will say this, though. This holistic vet stuff is pricey. I don't know
how my friend can afford all the supplements and feed pre-prepared raw for
four dogs. I went and bought all the ingredients for Khan's diet, and even
with him being an easy keeper, it's going to be pretty pricey. I may have
to invest in a small freezer and shop at Costco for bulk meat. And even go
so far as to look at the weekend circulars to see who has sales and then
shop there. Blech!

Suja

"Suja" wrote in message:

Blech!

Oh, and let's not forget that I actually have a beef heart defrosting in the
refrigerator (I opted for it, instead of pork liver, thinking it would be
less disgusting), and I actually have to touch it in order to chop it up
into little bits. Yes, the thought of running it through the food processor
crossed my mind, but ground up heart is grosser, and I can't afford to keep
throwing away and buying new food processors.

Suja

Suja wrote:
"Suja" wrote in message:


Blech!


Oh, and let's not forget that I actually have a beef heart defrosting in the
refrigerator (I opted for it, instead of pork liver, thinking it would be
less disgusting), and I actually have to touch it in order to chop it up
into little bits. Yes, the thought of running it through the food processor
crossed my mind, but ground up heart is grosser, and I can't afford to keep
throwing away and buying new food processors.

I cooked beef heart for dog treats precisely one time.

Never, ever again. Ever.

blugghhh.

Suja wrote:



That's partly why I was open to the idea. A friend of mine has 4 dogs all
doing the holistic thing, and they're doing really really well. One is a
GSD with the worst hips I've ever seen on a dog, and he's still alive and
kicking (and being a pain in the ass), and I am convinced that he wouldn't
be, without the help he's getting currently.

I don't do "holistic" so much but I do use alternative therapies such as
acupuncture. I also have seen the miracles that arnica and calendula can
do for wounds. Viva got bad lick/pressure sores last winter. I started
wrapping her legs at night with a big coating of calendula under the
bandages. And literally overnight the inflammation was cut by more than
half. Now they are completely and totally healed, for the first time in
over a year.

One of my best friends had an old lab with lymphosarcoma. Caught with
mets already on the lungs. This dog lived for two YEARS past diagnosis
on a carefully prepared cancer diet and acupuncture treatments. And was
feeling good for most of it. It was pretty amazing.

"Suja" wrote in message
...


I will say this, though. This holistic vet stuff is pricey. I don't know
how my friend can afford all the supplements and feed pre-prepared raw for
four dogs. I went and bought all the ingredients for Khan's diet, and
even
with him being an easy keeper, it's going to be pretty pricey. I may have
to invest in a small freezer and shop at Costco for bulk meat. And even
go
so far as to look at the weekend circulars to see who has sales and then
shop there. Blech!

Suja


Cheap it ain't! The place where Atty plays manufactures raw foods and
ships - they've got a very well respected business. If you're interested,
let me know and I'll email you the information (or post it here). It might
be more palatable for you, although maybe not cost effective! I know they
ship all over the country - ship it frozen and all prepared to just defrost
and serve. They have all kinds of pieces, parts, and mixes. (That's who
does Atty's tripe!)

Sue and Atty

"Robin Nuttall" wrote in message:

I cooked beef heart for dog treats precisely one time.

Never, ever again. Ever.

blugghhh.

Well, aren't you a big help!

You're making me think that I should've got that stupid liver after all, and
that cannot be a good thing. Other options were kidneys and spleen, but
they sound far grosser.

I wish she had said chicken is okay. Gizzards and chicken heart aren't half
as gross, and more importantly, they're already in little pieces, so I don't
have to touch them.

Suja