[bett]

seems to always have a high eosinophil count which means one of two things. parasites. doesnt have them.or an "allergy" (their word, not mine) to something.

keep in mind, i got her, after 2 puppy raisers and a blind recipient had her. she's a slim 60 lbs as guiding eyes wants her to be.
she was taken from the first puppy raiser, fat. and untrained. (not potty, manners). the second puppy raiser is a seasoned one, and said, she was fat, and stole stuff in the house but other than that, fine. goes to blind recipient, finally around 60 lbs (was porked up to 85 and she's a little girl, not like my others, at 75 and 79). after a bit of time, they are both brought back for more training. about 6 weeks worth. i dont know all those dirty details but be sure it wasnt good. then they go home, where the blind recipient doesnt use the harness, keeps her on a leash where she goes into stores, stealing little stuffed animals (how cute) and god knows what else because she then porked up to 85 lbs. seems they pay a home visit and say "we're taking the dog from you". ok $45 grand down the drain. they keep her until she's about 64 lbs and i get the call that they have a dog for me. ok, first female but race there , and pay the fee, and now she's ours, on the condition, that i get her down, another 3-4 lbs. no problem.
she's adorable, sweet, begged for food from the table for about 3 days. we put her in a down position, with the others , while we ate dinner, and she got the point. and she lost the weight and now is a perfect 60lbs. we had her about a 15 months and she develops spay incontinence. ok, she wasnt spayed till she was 2, her vulva isnt recessed, and i guess we just got lucky.
i wont do DES and PPA isnt on the list either so i research until my eyeballs pop out of my head, and she's on chinese herbs and cornsilk drops, and marshmallow drops and i'd say about 95% of the time, she's dry.
every so often she vomits. not monthly but more than the other two and without rhyme or reason. doesnt eat garbage , doesnt scavenge, isnt left alone in the yard in case a squirrel brought in a tidbit. seems that's the high eosinophil count.
i'm not a food bouncer but i try and figure out her intolerance. we think chicken as she was chewing her feet , not yeast, not to blood, not OCD like, but chewing away.
i find a food that has no chicken or chicken fat, or chicken carcass. wellness core ocean. no grains, no wheat, no soy, and for the length of time to finish a small bag, no barfing.
great, i order another bag, still a small one just in case, and guess what. in 8 days, barfed 2x. she doesnt eat like a lab, doesnt attack the food, circles the bowl and if she hesitates, ive realized those are the days she barfs. so.. .i tell nick, who does breakfast with the dogs, if she hesitates, take the food away. the next meal , she's hungry and fine. usually.
i had a great week cleaning wool aztec print area rugs. 3 times with the big machine and still a couple of stains. GOD BLESS DAWN LIQUID. stains out.
vangie eating white rice, and hardboiled egg. stays down. 3 days. ok, enough.
now, i know from home cooking for rex (liver support diet) what supplements are needed. she's only been getting her incontinence stuff and a cranberry capsule.

go to the vet to check jakes wound(whole other story) and it's better, goodbye.

talk about rex getting a blood test, since the deramaxx last month screwed his perfect liver levels and now, i'm working on getting it back to normal.
then i bring up vangie, armed with all the ingredients of the crap prescription food that he thinks he's going to talk me into >NOT> i told him no way, jose, and know how to supplement and i will figure out, which protein agrees with her or the other way around. we banter back and forth, i give him guiding eyes vet's fax number because now they are involved, and today at 4, after a 10 hour fast, rex and vangie are having bloods done.

tonight, i 'm gonna be brave and give her wild salmon, asparagus blanched, blanched celery and organic steamed sweet potatoes, with all the needed supplements. this is rex's meal too for today.
i'm gonna now study the god damn book on small intestine upset and the percentages of what she needs as opposed to a liver diet and see where we go. i already bought the veggies appropriate (can you imagine cabbage? tho i bought brussel sprouts) and we will take it from there.

did anyone hear of, or use, or have stories about dr jean dodd and her nutriscan test for intolerances / allergies?

i'm hoping because i posted in this part of the board i get some responses from folks who believe as i do, in a more homeopathic way than "science diet working because they know what they are doing".

thanks in advance and feel free if need be to pm me and i'll give you my private email.

 

[SpinRetrievers]

I would listen to the vet. It is better to have a dog on prescription food than not have one at all or one that suffers as a result of the owner's ego and untrained, unprofessional opinion.

Dogs rely on people for good care and compassion, not ego. I think your ego stands in the way of comfort for this dog.

If you think about your responsibility to the dog in those terms, perhaps the vet knows better.

It would sicken me to know I was doing something to harm the animal due to my belligerence.

 

[July11]

SpinRetrievers: If you only listen to the vet and have no interest or faith in natural care, why are you reading and posting negative posts in this forum ?????

 

[bett]

I would listen to the vet. It is better to have a dog on prescription food than not have one at all or one that suffers as a result of the owner's ego and untrained, unprofessional opinion.

Dogs rely on people for good care and compassion, not ego. I think your ego stands in the way of comfort for this dog.

If you think about your responsibility to the dog in those terms, perhaps the vet knows better.

It would sicken me to know I was doing something to harm the animal due to my belligerence.

i was sort of hoping not to have a response from you as i realize you and i think entirely differently regarding dog food.
since i wrote this, i have had contact with the vet from guiding eyes, and have discussed the poor quality ingredients in the prescription foods i refer to. and the vet actually listened to how and what i have done with rex, with home cooking rather than prescription foods. and has given me the "ok" to do the home cooking diet for a dog with "allergies" (i called them intolerances but in fact, they are allergies, with constant high eosinophil counts). the trick, of course, is the elimination of the protein, to figure out, what the dog is currently (as that can change, like all allergies) allergic to.
so while you nicely explain that my ego and untrained , unprofessional opinion will do damage to my dog, rather than trust the crap in the prescription food, i think you can not give it a second thought about my responsibility to my dog(s).
please, dont be sickened, thinking that i would do anything to harm my animals, due to what you nicely call my belligerence.

i will work closely with both vets, and perhaps even call in a holistic vet (i know your feelings on that as well).
if you choose, when i get results, i will post and you can then read and comment nicely.

so not to worry, i will listen to the trained vets, that i am dealing with . in addition, you also need not worry about my ego, training or professionalism.

 

[bett]

SpinRetrievers: If you only listen to the vet and have no interest or faith in natural care, why are you reading and posting negative posts in this forum ?????

as i thought, even tho i hoped , he would stay in the section he likes best.
but, alas, it may be his ego that brings him to this section.
i thank you july11, for your post.

 

[FBarnes]

I agree that Science Diet is not a good food. I don't think it's a good food for ANY dog. I bought some once because a vet pressured me into it by basically telling me if I didn't I was a horrible dog owner but when I got it home and looked carefully at the ingredients I just couldn't feed it to my dog. And this was before I knew much about dog food at all. Oh well, I guess he made his profit.

I hope you find the answer in home cooking. I know it's complicated, and hard to balance - I'm not sure I could do it for any length of time but I know people who do it successfully. I do know that dogs who have allergies to cooked protein often don't have the allergies to the same protein in raw form.

 

[bett]

I agree that Science Diet is not a good food. I don't think it's a good food for ANY dog. I bought some once because a vet pressured me into it by basically telling me if I didn't I was a horrible dog owner but when I got it home and looked carefully at the ingredients I just couldn't feed it to my dog. And this was before I knew much about dog food at all. Oh well, I guess he made his profit.

I hope you find the answer in home cooking. I know it's complicated, and hard to balance - I'm not sure I could do it for any length of time but I know people who do it successfully. I do know that dogs who have allergies to cooked protein often don't have the allergies to the same protein in raw form.

i'm already home cooking for rex (my liver compromised boy) so i sort of have it down to a science. i'm aware of who gets what supplements and why, so that's good.
luckily, nick is a butcher and gets fish as well, so that helps (sort of ).
the neat trick will be to figure out, what her allergies are and hope they dont change too often, which is another joy, in this whole scenario.
poor jake-he gets to eat gf fromm while the others are getting home cooked food.
i really spend one morning, about 2 hours , cooking for rex for about 8 days. so....some stuff i'll double up on, and thank goodness i have 2 big ovens. right now, my sub zero is nearly packed, and the freezer (top of a fridge) is packed with the organic frozen veggies. it's a juggling act for sure, but , worth it.

i actually brought the copies of the prescription foods to the vet , and showed him the list of ingredients. i do know him a long time, long enough that he admits he knows zilch about dog nutrition.
and the other vets seem to be on board so.....i guess my husband will have to eat out.

 

[SpinRetrievers]

Prescription foods are like prescription drugs, they have their place in compassionate treatment and care. You can do much more damage to an animal by trying to home treat than you can by using a prescription food. Many dogs living substantially longer and better lives as a result of these diets.

If the dog has a better life, that is all that matters, not how a human perceives the ingredients.

In reading that diatribe it is obvious to me that objectivity is not a priority. Someone has to prove she is right, no matter the cost.

I think we all want to go into the pantry or the farmers' market and find solutions, but it is not realistic nor is it compassionate when you have a really sick animal.

 

[bett]

Prescription foods are like prescription drugs, they have their place in compassionate treatment and care. You can do much more damage to an animal by trying to home treat than you can by using a prescription food. Many dogs living substantially longer and better lives as a result of these diets.

If the dog has a better life, that is all that matters, not how a human perceives the ingredients.

In reading that diatribe it is obvious to me that objectivity is not a priority. Someone has to prove she is right, no matter the cost.

I think we all want to go into the pantry or the farmers' market and find solutions, but it is not realistic nor is it compassionate when you have a really sick animal.

and if it was as easy, like you say, as going to the farmer's market or into the pantry, me thinks in terms of ease, pouring out a cup of kibble (if it can be called that) or opening a can, is easier than all the home cooking preparation and supplement additions.
what is realistic, is what I am willing to do, to have my dog (not really considered a really sick animal, btw) thrive.



then spin, when your dogs get sick, god forbid, feed them that crap. your tiny ego wont get in the way , i'm sure. i remember you once advising to use a "dab" of that ivermectin rather than the prescription stuff the vets recommend. it was easier and so much cheaper. forget that everyone's dab is a different measure, so i wonder, why didnt YOU listen to the vet? i'm guessing because you felt you knew better than your own vet. certainly, cost wasnt the factor.

i have no trouble home cooking to get a better product, even if you feel it isnt better.
thank god, it's for my dog, not yours.

you who seem to know so much about dog food, perhaps should give the label a look at. and then let's see how you perceive the ingredients.

now, why not go to the area you feel expert in, and leave me to take care of my own dogs. it has little to being proven right. it has to do with doing the right thing by my dogs.

and while you're at it, my post was hardly a diatribe.

 

[FBarnes]

Honestly, SpinRetrievers patronizing harangue isn't even worth a response. You know you are doing what's best, Bett, and that's all that matters.

 

[NewfieAussie]

bett, I want to take a step back from the medical problems your dogs are having and look at their environment.

Could there be toxins in your environment?

Could there be black mold in your home? Mycotoxins?

Did Hurricane Sandy affect where you live?

Just something to think about. Environment and exposure to things plays such a huge part in health IMO.

 

[bett]

bett, I want to take a step back from the medical problems your dogs are having and look at their environment.

Could there be toxins in your environment?

Could there be black mold in your home? Mycotoxins?

Did Hurricane Sandy affect where you live?

Just something to think about. Environment and exposure to things plays such a huge part in health IMO.

Each dog, has completely different stuff going on. Rex, was caught up in the diamond fiasco, last spring, and his liver, was affected.while the internist ,after an ultrasound, announced he was in liver failure, and had little time left. I started to home cook, a liver support diet, added sam-e, milk thistle, chinese herbs, and acupuncture. His levels went from 4x normal, to completely normal . We did start out, using traditional meds first, as per the internist, weaning him off the prednisone, as well as the other drugs. Every 5-6 weeks, we blood tested, and by thanksgiving ( started in may/june) his levels were normal. Just about 7 weeks ago, he had a disk issue, and deramaxx was prescribed, again helping his neck but doubling his alt. we did 5 sessions of acupuncture, and continued the chinese herbs. He had a blood test today, so im curious to see the results. It's a year since the episode with liver, so i figure, we're ahead of the game.

Jake had a lipoma, which was aspirated in 2 seperate spots, but it felt too hard and there was some concern, so we had it removed, while he had a dental. Turns out, it was a lipoma surrounded by muscle.this was jake's second surgery and he will be 11 in oct. his skin, during the first surgery, tore away from the staples, about a week after the surgery so they restiched the incision ( that wasnt a lipoma but a non cancerous small, hard tumor) and sort of cross stictched it, so it would stay closed. This time they stitched, rather than stapled and again, about a week later,his skin tore away from the stitches.not pretty but it's now maybe the size of a quarter and not deep. That was on his hind, near his tush.

Vangie had high eosinophil count from the minute we got her, at two but never tested for any parasites and barfed a few times, that first year.nothing terribly alarming.recently i suspected a chicken intolerance( they call it an allergy once high eosinophils are present) because she began licking her feet. No yeast, non OCD behavior, not red, just too much licking.she also, out of no where developed spay incontinence.she was spayed at 2, and her vulva is normal.rather than use des or ppa, i chose to try a homeopathic route using chinese herbs, corn silk drops and marshmallow drops. It is probably 98per cent effective, so im ok with that.

So, while we do live close to canals, we lost 2 cars but no water entered our house and we have no mold from the storm.lost a few trees but that's it.

We use an arborist who is organic so no toxins there.( releasing ladybugs, stuff like that).
Im asthmatic and if there was mold in the house, id know before anyone else.
Each dog's issues are totally non related.rex was 11 in feb, vangie was 4 in oct. i too, believe our environment plays a role, but.... Not in these cases. The closest, was rex, who was damaged by toxic food. In the end, diamond paid nearly 4 grand in bills, as each dog became ill, tho differently.rex presented with blood clots attached to his stool.he was the last one.jake had severe diarrhea, and vangie, who circled the food, not wanting to eat, threw up like crazy.

By the time the third dog, rex, got sick, my vet finally believed it was the food. I never said they got salmonella but i did say they got sick from tainted food. After many calls, emails etc, they finally did include that batch and closed two plants.

So, no, hurricane sandy didnt do anything to sicken my dogs.