Sigh...I always said I wouldn't go there, that I would draw the line with our dog. It is hard enough trying to feed the family as healthy, organic, and all-natural as possible. I can't be bothered with our loyal family friend Lizzie. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I purchase cheap, colored kibble. I've always bought the "best" organic brand I could find, but that was as far as I'd taken it.
Well, our high-energy, happy, bouncy doggie started to change over the last 9 months. She started to get some hot spots along her back and we soon noticed that she was chewing and licking herself almost constantly. I started to add some olive oil and aloe vera to her kibble and that seemed to alleviate it to some degree, however as soon as I stopped, it came back with a vengeance. She began to look so bad that we finally took her to the vet where we knew the inevitable would happen. Sure enough, they said she had allergy problems and put her on anti-biotics. Her problems seemed to go away for the most part, but we wondered what would happen when the medicine was gone. We soon found out. It came back worse than ever. She had new hot spots everywhere and appeared to be chewing herself alive. She spent most of her time sleeping and hiding under our bed. We were in the middle of a move and put off taking our poor miserable dog in to the vet, partly because things were so crazy and partly because we knew she'd just be put on more allergy medication.
We took her into a new vet who felt that it probably wasn't allergies, but Mange. So, we soon had an arsenal of new medication, a series of shots, and a three stage, really stinky, chemical bath to give her once a week. Once again, she began to heal. After a month however, the antibiotics were gone, the shots were over, the baths had all been given, and Lizzie started scratching again. One difference this time was that her problems areas were all under her neck and stomach. She started scratching herself til she bled and so we removed her collar. This seemed to help a little, but the problem was still there. Another troubling problem, she couldn't handle going on runs with Rob. She wouldn't run, only walk. She's always been able to out run him.
Faced with yet another trip to the vet, I decided I had to give in. It was time to learn about natural dog care. I checked out some books at the library and started carving out time to read them. I quickly came upon my favorite, called "The Whole Pet Diet."
Time to make a long story short. I now cook for Lizzie once a week. I make enough of a special chicken stew for her to last 7 days. No more kibble. I am also giving her a special oil blend, as well as parsely, and a garlic clove mixed into the stew everyday. The first week she had a healing crisis and her symptoms seemed to get worse. Now this week, slowly but surely, we are seeing some slight changes. Here are some pictures of her the day I started the new diet.
Well, our high-energy, happy, bouncy doggie started to change over the last 9 months. She started to get some hot spots along her back and we soon noticed that she was chewing and licking herself almost constantly. I started to add some olive oil and aloe vera to her kibble and that seemed to alleviate it to some degree, however as soon as I stopped, it came back with a vengeance. She began to look so bad that we finally took her to the vet where we knew the inevitable would happen. Sure enough, they said she had allergy problems and put her on anti-biotics. Her problems seemed to go away for the most part, but we wondered what would happen when the medicine was gone. We soon found out. It came back worse than ever. She had new hot spots everywhere and appeared to be chewing herself alive. She spent most of her time sleeping and hiding under our bed. We were in the middle of a move and put off taking our poor miserable dog in to the vet, partly because things were so crazy and partly because we knew she'd just be put on more allergy medication.
We took her into a new vet who felt that it probably wasn't allergies, but Mange. So, we soon had an arsenal of new medication, a series of shots, and a three stage, really stinky, chemical bath to give her once a week. Once again, she began to heal. After a month however, the antibiotics were gone, the shots were over, the baths had all been given, and Lizzie started scratching again. One difference this time was that her problems areas were all under her neck and stomach. She started scratching herself til she bled and so we removed her collar. This seemed to help a little, but the problem was still there. Another troubling problem, she couldn't handle going on runs with Rob. She wouldn't run, only walk. She's always been able to out run him.
Faced with yet another trip to the vet, I decided I had to give in. It was time to learn about natural dog care. I checked out some books at the library and started carving out time to read them. I quickly came upon my favorite, called "The Whole Pet Diet."
Time to make a long story short. I now cook for Lizzie once a week. I make enough of a special chicken stew for her to last 7 days. No more kibble. I am also giving her a special oil blend, as well as parsely, and a garlic clove mixed into the stew everyday. The first week she had a healing crisis and her symptoms seemed to get worse. Now this week, slowly but surely, we are seeing some slight changes. Here are some pictures of her the day I started the new diet.
While she is obviously displeased with the procedure, the book suggested taking before and after pictures. You can clearly see how inflamed her skin is.
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2 comments:
Poor Lizzie! I love that dog.
Traci,
You have my vote for Pet Owner of the Year.
MOM
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