Expert: Herbs, NuVet Plus Supplements, Dog/Cat Food Recipes; ( Marie) - 10/3/2009

Question
QUESTION: Dear Marie,
Our 10 year old male weimaraner underwent an emergency operation for bloat, 4 days later he had again to be intervened to remove the spleen as the veterinary detected a large tumor.
This was 3 weeks ago. He is well recovered now, it seems, yet he is severely underweight. I do not trust the nutrional advice of our vet who put the dog in a hepatic diet, since he also detected some failure in the liver. Our dog is taking Waltham Hepatic, but their formula has mainly corn and a very low dosage of animal protein and fat.
I want to supplement his diet, mainly with Fish Oil. I understand the liver concerns, yet I prefer him to keep a good weight and be self-sufficient and endure whatever he must, than to have him under fed and weak. He used to be a healthy muscular strong dog who is now literally in bones.
Can you please advice me on how to supplement his diet to make him gain weight without compromising his system. We live in mexico and I would like to have natural remedies and no commercial or pre-prepared formulas.
He also is very thirsty, drooling, yet we have tested him for diabeted or cushings disease and found nothing.

Additionally, since the surgery he seems to have an eye infection, only in his left eye, with a greenish/white secretion.
Thank you for your help!
Patricia

ANSWER: BLOAT dog food recipe:  did you try the recipes?  How is your dog doing?
Hi - Well, living in Mexico your options are minimal.  You can cook for your boy.... Here are some recipes to try:
Make sure you show your vet -
Also, for the eye- you can give some Ester C 500 mg per day - it does help with healing. ( the Ester C is easy to digest)

Ok, here is a Hepatic recipe to try:
Make sure you soak the food for 5-10 minutes before you serve...

For a fifty pound dog, a sample diet would look like this:
Hepatic ( Liver) diagnosis:

- 4 ounces low fat cottage cheese
- 4 ounces cooked chicken
- One egg
- 6 ounces (3/4 cup) of cooked oatmeal
- 4 ounces canned pumpkin

Using the ingredients listed above, this diet could be varied. Variety is important not only for nutrients, but for the interest of the dog as well.
Here are some additional examples:
- 4 ounces cooked Cod
- 4 ounces low fat yogurt
- One egg
- 6 ounces (3/4 cup) of cooked oatmeal
- 4 ounces steamed or cooked broccoli, cauliflower or sweet potato
Another variation would be:
- 4 ounces drained and rinsed canned or cooked Salmon
- 3 scrambled eggs
- 6 ounces cooked barley
- 2 slices of whole wheat bread

Please note the metabolism of dogs can vary. Watch your dog’s weight carefully. If the dog starts to look thin, serve more food. Conversely, if the dog gains weight, reduce the quantity. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them by observing the dog. It can also be helpful to serve small frequent meals daily than to serve one or two larger ones. Home cooked diets are naturally low in salt, so this can help prevent acsites (fluid retention) in some forms of liver disease. Do not add extra salt to the diet, and be sure to drain and rinse canned fish thoroughly.
The second part of this diet includes supplements. Since this diet is devoid in calcium, save the eggshells and dry them overnight. Grind them in a coffee bean grinder and add them back at 1/2 teaspoon per pound of food served. I would also add Berte’s Green Blend for trace minerals.
Dogs with liver disease also need help in producing vitamin K. You can add this vitamin,

Many of my clients use the NuVET vitamin:
**NuVET Plus is a great supplement ( sorry, not available in Mexico)

Everyone else - see here:
NuVET Plus - powder or wafers
Tell them Pet Nurse Marie referred you:
http://www.nuvet.com/81098
Call in for fast shipping :
1-800-474-7044
use order code 81098 from Pet Nurse Marie Peppers



Good Luck -
Just offer 3-4 small meals per day ..

Marie Peppers LPN MA

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Marie,
My dog is doing great! I am sorry for not keeping you updated but I did not know how to, since your replz expired. My dog is great, the recipes worked, though we also modified them a bit with the protein and vegetables available. It took us 3 weeks of close care, meals every 3 hours and tons of water to help him recover. he really was in the verge of dying, he even agonised and temporarily lost some brain capacity (he did not recognised us!)...but now he is back to normal. He has lymphome but he is  not in pain and recovered some weight. Given that his hepatic tests showed high levels of protein am trying to move to a "raw food whole foods vegan diet": based on a paté of nuts, vegetables, olive oil, flax seeds, and garlic along with less rice and animal protein, as well as fish oil. But this we are doing slowly. What are your thoughts?

Answer
Glad you have good news!  Glad my recipes helped...
Wow - you did a great job giving him life again!
Your new diet looks great... I don't see how it can hurt him. only help.
Make sure you do use some supplement on his diet plan.
NuVET is the one I refer to most of the time...
http://www.nuvet.com/81098
Tell them pet Nurse Marie is working with you.

Ingredients of NuVET Plus:
Alfalfa
Alpha Amylase
Beta Carotene
Blue Green Algae
Brewers Yeast
Cats Claw (Uno de Gato)
Desiccated Liver
Evening Primrose Oil
L Methionine
Oyster Shell
Papain
Pine Bark (Proanthocyanidid)
Potassium
Selenium
Shark Cartilage
Taurine
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Whey Protein
Zinc


Significantly reduce the risk or eliminate
many health problems that strike your pet.

Scratching
Itching
Hot Spots
Allergies
Arthritis
Premature Aging
Low Energy Levels
Cataracts
Digestive Problems
Heart Disease
Tumors

Keep me posted at my private e-mail:

mtnmom@gci.net
I would like to know how the diet works?

Marie Peppers LPN MA