Expert: MAJO - 2/10/2004

Question
Hello,

I think my choc lab Clover may have a cold, she seems to be sneezing quite a bit.  Is this possible, can I do anything to help her get better and to prevent future occurances.

I appreciate your help in advance,
Rebecca

Answer
Rebecca,
         
It is very possible that Clover has contracted an upper respiratory infection, hence the cold like symptoms. Pets like people, can get various respiratory problems ranging from colds to pneumonia. Try giving her a vitimin C supplement which can help in clearing up the problem, by enhancing immunity. (Recommended dosage is 1500mg to 3000mg daily).
Also vitimin E is helpful in stimulating the immune response, (50 to 1000 I.U. 3 times daily).
Vitimin A also stimulates immunity and helps to counteract stress and to strengthen the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. (Use 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of cod liver oil 3 times a day, depending on her weigh).
As her symptoms improve, taper off the vitamin supplements and than look to add a daily multi supplement such as, "The Missing Link" to her daily diet.
If you find the she shows no improvement with time and/ or these supplements; than the sneezing she is exhibiting could be related to another condition or medical problem, such as an allergen or a foreign body blockage in her nasal tract. It is always best to consult her regular veterinarian, if you feel this may be the case.
I also want to address her diet as most pet owners are not aware of the ingredients being used in the commercial foods that they choose to feed their pets. Look to the main ingredients in the food you are feeding, and know that by-products consist of not only indigestible items such as; feathers, hair, hooves, fecal matter, and diseased meats, deemed inconsumable for human consumption and are usually what is scraped off the floors of slaughter houses. Listed fillers are items such as hair, peanut hulls, and even newspaper. Not only are most of these foods indigestible, but they provide inadequate nutrients.
Most likely Clover is lacking the majority of the nutrients her body needs to function on a daily basis. This can not only leave her immune system weak and vulnerable, (hence the cold like symptoms), but can lead to most of the diseases that are pets come to be plagued by.
I will offer a few food alternatives to the current food you are feeding, and can promise you will see a total change not only in her appearance, and behavior, but in her in general wellbeing. The foods I have come to recommend are the result of years of research on nutrition, and its relation to canine and feline diseases. Before I started my research I was also completely unaware of the direct relation. I came to realize that several of the breeds of dogs I own, (Mastiffs), where all developed in Europe, and it made complete sense, that they evolved eating food ingredients indigenous to that region.
Before hand my dogs my dogs suffered many ailments from allergies to the occasional onset of unexplained diarrhea. Once I started to provide them with foods made of lamb, chicken, and barley, and oatmeal, they did complete 180 turn around, and what seemed like overnight, all the existing conditions they where displaying previously disappeared.
Most commercial dog foods on the market here in America contain beef parts, (including meats full of hormones, toxins, and cancerous parts), and corn fillers. Knowing that Labrador Retrievers are  a breed that a tendency to skin problems and conditions; I recommend you look to fine-tune her food to one of the following; Innova, (California Natural), Solid Gold, (Hund-n-flocken), Neura/Old Mother Hubbard, (Wellness), Natural life, (Lambaderm), or Natures Recipe (Adult lamb and rice, or their breed specific created food for sporting breeds of dogs). Most of these food can be found at large pet supply stores and although they are more costly, she will come to eat less, (since she will be filled with nutritional foods rather than indigestible fillers), and you will need to buy less. Your dog food bill will be actually less.
Finally, I recommend you add an over the counter supplement called, "The Missing Link" (800-774-7387), to her diet, as I mentioned earlier. It is also available at most large pet supply stores. It has not only all the proper levels of nutrients, vitamins and minerals our dogs need, but also high levels of omega fatty acids that will ward off any skin problems, excessive shedding, and allergies.
I invite you to research these findings; there is much written revealing information, in addtion to a great deal of information available on the internet.
I try and inform as many of my clients and questioners of these facts as possible, and have had nothing but positive feed back. I hope this comes to offer you some insight as well, and that you will not need to find solutions for the possibility of such reoccurring conditions as the sneezing she is exhibiting now. Please feel free to get back to me for more information, or with any additional questions or concerns.
                                        Jodi