Expert: Kaza - 12/21/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi there

I have a 9 month old Bichon Firse, both his salivery glands are swollen and can range from the sizr of a pea to the siza of a 'small' grape.  I have had this tested at the vets and they say he 'may' have a condition called GI so now i have him on a royal canine prescription diet for sensitive stomachs.  I guess I really wanted help withb two things

1 - Do you have any experience of these lumps? If so what do you think they could be?
2 - Diet, is there anything you think i should be feeding him.

I guess its important to say he has had these lumps for 4 months now, he has no obvious pain and is happy and playful with no signs of illness??

I am stumped!?

Thanks very much

ANSWER: Hi Yes I have experience of these lumps, they are also associated with infection. I would not feed any Bichon Royal Canin its known to lose coat and condition and in some cases it may lose all coat.
Suggest feeding a 100% natural diet , there is no dried diet that is as good as one nature made and frankly any vet who thinks otherwise needs to understand more about digestion in canines.

Here is what I would do

Breakfast

choose from 2 of the meal mixes  this list
meal 1 to be mixed together.

minced lamb cooked 50g
oatmeal ground 20g
1 tsp cranberry jelly or sauce
20 g cooked or tinned baby carrots

Breakfast meal 2

30g ground oatmeal
50g cooked salmon or tinned salmon drained
20g garden peas tinned
1tbspoon olive oil or flax seed oil or sunflower oil


Lunch

4 slices of a sweet apple
5 slices cucumber
1 raw carrot baton
1 slice brown bread with butter NOT margarine
The brown bread should be pumpkin bread or granary bread


Lunch meal 2

1 meaty bone warmed through
2 apple slices
or
1/4 tinned pear


Final meal of the day

mashed potatoes can be dried and made up like smash 50g
cooked salmon 50g OR
cooked shredded duck 50g OR
cooked shredded pork 50g
20g carrot tinned
20g garden peas tinned
1tbspoon olive oil


Lamb hearts, chicken fillet, Steak fillet, salmon fillet, mackeral, cod , haddock turkey and pork are what I would advise using daily in the allowances given.

Carrots, peas, green beans, cooked potatoes can be used daily. DONOT USE RICE OR PASTA.

tomatoes, spinach use only once per week small amounts as they can irritate bone disorders.
Apple pear can and should be used often , apple soothes the gastric tract internally.

Ground oatmeal or ready brek can be used daily for energy. So can soaked porrdige oats.

Goats milk yoghurt can be used weekly as can goats milk cheese and milk. Try to buy long life like delamere products who do a doggy one that also contains glucosamine and chondartin a much needed supplement for all toy dogs.

If you need more help please also look at our website

www.eurobichons.com


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

QUESTION: Hi Kaza

Firstly I would like to thank you for this detailed responce.  Obviously my dog's health is extremely important to me and something i take very seriously and I would be over the moon to follow the menu planner you gave me.  I have just spoken to a firned and she advised me to check that the diet has all the vitamins and nutrients harry need to be healthy as she is a vet nurse and said they have had problems with dogs on these diets before.  also can i just clarify the list you gave me should i just alternate between the 2 breakfasts and the evening meals? I hope you dont mind me asking you further about this, I think this is an amazing resource and would hate to come across as un convinced, but I am sure you can imagine my dogs health is so important to me.

Thanks

Answer
You can advise your vet nurse that a natural diet is what all animals should be on and this diet has more vitamins and minerals than ALL dried food. Dogs using a dried diet are more prone to require veterinary intervention than those using a natural diet. If you look at how we humans fed ourselves in the 1960's (TV dinners, McDonalds etc) then you will see were I am coming from. I have had over 35 years experience with dogs , diet, whelping, grooming, health as such the information I impart to everyone is 100% accurate and scientific.The unfortunate truth is that pet food is not as scientifically formulated as most would like to think. For the most part, Fido's food is made with convenience and cost of manufacturing in mind more than science. Yes, the first few ingredients look appetizing enough and there are essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals added to the mix. But are these ingredients natural for the pet and are they readily available for absorption and use by their body? Here in lies the crux of the matter.The wake-up call comes when one realizes that once the meat source is removed from the diet, the remaining ingredients are mostly unnatural for the pet. If we exclude the beef, poultry, fish, and lamb, the remaining calorie sources are mostly wheat, barley, corn, rice, and oats, all of which are man-raised crops that the dog and cat would never consume in the wild. I love to inquire of my clients "How would a pet get rice? Swim to Viet Nam?"
But what is the problem with these complex carbohydrates being in the diet? Humans consume these with every meal and they are doing just fine, aren't they? Ahhhh. Are we??? If we were thriving on these things, those reading this article would be doing something else right now, wouldn't they? The problem is that the grains listed above cause some universal problems among humans and pets alike, as do a number of other problem foods and food additives that eclipse even the grains in their contribution to health issues.
To digress for just a moment, I have been a veterinarian for 28 years. However, seven years ago I had something come along that changed my entire life-professionally, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. I finally found, for the better part of my life, that I have been suffering from celiac disease, otherwise known as gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity. For forty-something years, I suffered like most other celiacs from a myriad of symptoms, including allergies, heart burn and intestinal problems, depression/chronic fatigue, insomnia, memory and balance difficulties, joint pain, and even fibromyalgia. I was taking at least four prescription drugs daily, was caffeine addicted, and was quite frankly not having any fun anymore.
Within four days of eliminating all wheat from my diet, the recovery began…and it was dramatic. On day four, I felt like I did not need coffee for the first time in twenty years. By the end of the first week, my long-term heartburn was gone and my IBS symptoms were coming to a screeching halt. By the end of the month, my fibromyalgia, back pain, insomnia, and chronic fatigue were well on their way to being nothing more than a bad dream. I was shocked and amazed at the results of simply eliminating this "staple" of my diet and this incredible recovery led me into seven years of intensive, broad-based medical research.Man and Animals vs. Gluten, Casein, Soy, and Corn
J.B. Symes
Beltline Animal Hospital, PC Mobile, AL, USA.

To clarify you choose one breakfast , lunch does not change  final meal you choose from the choices available it is either fish based or meat based but MUST utilise the mashed potatoes.

Canine obesity has risen which correlates with the use of dried commercial dog foods as has cancer, allergies and so much more.

I wish you well and hope you have enough trust in me and who I am to commence this diet over 3 weeks removing what feed the dog is on now, once the 3 week elimination reduction is complete then you simply use the diet for a 12 week period and then add or remove other fresh foods that you wish, clearly understanding that certain foods should be avoided like anything from grapes including raisins sultanas etc, onion,too high level of garlic, avocado, cherries. For a more comprehensive list feel free to use my website which has a comprehensive list from leading poison experts.

Also if you wish to chat with others using this diet and others very similar please log into my website. obviously the choice of what to feed your pet is essentially yours, but I would not impart any advice that wasnt based in fact as I have a responsibility to thousands of animals that I come into contact with on a daily basis.
Regards