How We Fight Disease in Our Dog | Pet Nutrition | What Our Golden Retriever Eats for Breakfast

We have a senior pup that we absolutely adore. You may have already known that from my previous writings or the multitude of pictures (and videos) but what you may not know is what we do to combat the diseases trying to take over her body.

You may find yourself in this place too - your sweet fur-baby needs more than a couple scoops of food tossed in a bowl a couple times a day or maybe you're already cooking or providing an alternative feeding (instead of kibble/pellets) and you may not want to just pop her a pill - as common as it may be for society and even for our pets. There are other options.

Earlier this year, our 11 (almost 12) year old Golden was diagnosed with Cushing's Disease and arthritis. At almost twelve (in two weeks as of this writing), we've dealt with many illnesses, lumps/growths, and much more. We are very blessed to have thus far dodged the horrific malady that usually takes a Golden out (cancer). We did not dodge it with Ginnie (see my video "Senior Dogs RAWK") so we are very much involved in the research process on how to treat Libby's current challenges but to do so without the "cure" being worse than the sickness - as many believe the traditional treatment for Cushing's Disease dogs, is. Now, I know not everyone feels that way but you do have to be very vigilant with the medication as it can shift the dog's adrenals in the opposite direction quickly; from too high cortisol to dangerously low (Addison's crisis). With no tumor on her abdominal ultrasound, no ravenous hunger, thirst or panting (all key CD symptoms), we chose to go the alternative & holistic route for now while still keeping the traditional as we balance it all (or try) out. I like to say, my girl is truly my girl; like her pet-momma, she's got a team of medical (veterinary) pro's to help navigate the spaghetti plate of issues. They're connected - they touch each other - but unlike the pasta, the individual strands all need to be addressed, not just lumped onto the plate. Having a wonderful traditional/holistic/rehabilitation vet team, Libby gets all of her pieces addressed and all options explored - from surgical to Chinese medicine and anywhere in between.  We began with nutrition.

In this video, you'll get a taste of Libby's breakfast 🙂 Most holistic veterinarians and a growing number of traditional doctors as well, believe in health starting with nutrition & supplementing; especially if your pet eats mainly kibble.

I do want to share that we actually did try to transition Libby over to the CrockPet diet - ground turkey with all kinds of veggies & legumes slow cooked and blended to perfection by yours truly every 7 days - even made enough for that ill-fated trip to IA that ended in Gatlinburg, but after 4 weeks, she just stopped eating it - right as we hit the 50/50 dry kibble / home cooked. We were left with returning completely to the kibble (which, by the way, is a high quality brand by a 5-generation Wisconsin pet-food company) so the next best thing we can do at this stage, is supplement for Libby's specific needs, so we do.

Libby's menu items are listed below (and shown in the video). In the future, I will also bring you a dinner/evening snack, and some clips from her alternative treatment as well. Please feel free to ask questions or comment and if we don't have the response you need, we'll certainly do our best to point you in the right direction.

The breakfast menu:

- Fromm Large Breed Weight Management Gold: Wisconsin (balanced for overweight dogs; Libby has lost 4 pounds on this food and is not hungry which CD dogs typically are the opposite) http://www.frommfamily.com/

- Select homeopathic remedies from her holistic veterinarian (Chinese traditional medicine)

- FortiFlora probiotics: I also like Dr. Mercola’s (pet) Complete Probiotics but I can’t complain about how Libby’s body loves the Fortiflora too - (surprisingly so) https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets/dp/50000

- Dasuquin Advanced joint supplements:
https://www.dasuquin.com/dasuquin-advanced-soft-chews/

- Dr. Mercola pets supplements:
- Ubiquinol spray (for cellular energy/heart/organ health) https://www.mercolamarket.com/product/2994/1/ubiquinol-liquid-pump-for-cats-dogs-1-45-fl-oz-1-bottle
- Eye Health (for treatment of cataracts & Horner's syndrome = third eyelid lifting) https://www.mercolamarket.com/product/1145/1/eye-support-for-pets-180g-per-bottle-3-pack

Thanks for watching! If you were able to find this helpful, please consider liking and subscribing so that YouTube can get this info out to others who may benefit from it as well.

Karah

You can read more stories/chronicles about me, Jay & Libby at my blog: www.JournalofaWarriorsJourney.com

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#dogfood #petnutrition #seniordogcare #alternativepetcare #goldenretriever