Is your dog’s tail pocket causing you problems and you can’t find a fix? Vets want to give meds, but antibiotics not doing anything and wipes are not helping?

Did you know a piece of fresh garlic on a thick piece of string, nestled up in the tail pocket area pulls out infection! Yep, it’s true! Has a vet ever told you to try that? Then again, they’d never tell you to try charcoal baths or paw dips either! If it’s natural, what do you have to lose? Grab a fresh clove of garlic, some upholstery thread and an upholstery type needle. Thread the needle/string through clove; make a loop so you can pull out after about half hour or so. I’d say do it when your dog is in a calm state so it can stay in place.

Jump Starting Your Dog’s Health

Is your dog itchy, scratchy, losing hair, scratching at the ears, anxious, tummy troubles – you know something is up!

What do you do? Run to the vet who will tell you to give antibiotics, steroid, meds, but not what you truly need to know. Or, you’ll just change to a grain free or hypoallergenic kibble – that doesn’t help! Think healthy!

Nine Things to Jump Start Your Dog’s Health:

1. Heal Leaky Gut Syndrome
2. Feed Raw
3. Cut Out Unnecessary Vaccines
4. Add in Anti-Oxidants
5. Use Homeopathy for Natural Healing
6. Detox the Entire Body
7. Forget Chemical Flea and Tick Meds
8. Understand Your Dog’s Allergies
9. Switch out the Fish Oil

Giving your dog a healthy life is a choice!

For the full article and details, go to https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/9-ways-to-jump-start-dog-health.

We addressed all the items on the list in getting Tyson healthy. If you’ve followed our journey – you saw it for yourself!

We all do it and look at it – or do you?

When Tyson was on kibble and had his allergy issues, he also had these things going on that we thought were bulldog issues – or were they?

Tyson’s Issue – Can You Relate?

1. His gas could clear a room
2. His poop was large and hard
3. His fur was always greasy and thick feeling, even after a bath
4. He smelled like Frito’s corn chips
5. His breath was bad
6. His ears were always filled with wax
7. His hair was thinning in places

Is this you, too?

Since quitting kibble and changing Tyson’s diet to homemade raw, premade raw, or lightly cooked, the change was dramatic.

1. No more farting
2. Regular poops like clockwork after meals
3. His fur was shiny and thick and he was no longer greasy feeling
4. He didn’t smell like Frito’s because we addressed the yeast issue he was having
5. He no longer had bad breath
6. His ear issues cleared up
7. His hair grew in thicker than before
8. He was able to shed a few pounds making it less strenuous on his joints and allowing him to be more mobile

Do you really know what processed pet food AKA kibble is really?

Kibble is made up of processed, sterilized and denatured foods. Made with a ton of carbohydrates, rejected materials processed into foods for pets, meat byproducts, bone meal, meat meal, rancid or moldy grains, rice flour, brewers rice, hydrolyzed hair, dehydrated garbage, manure, euthanized pets, antibiotics, growth promoting drugs and hormones, pesticides, insecticides, radiation, toxic heavy metals and chemicals to preserve shelf life. Can you believe our pets eat this?

I’ve said it a million times…

If your pet is…
Constantly thirsty; licking chewing gnawing at their paws; itchy ears; watery eyes; dirty folds; smelly nose rope; belly bumps; paw cysts; diarrhea, colitis, pancreatitis; constant body smell; greasy fur and skin –think about what you’re feeding!

Diet changes can work wonders for your dog’s health. Raw, lightly cooked, premade foods are available and can make all the difference in the world. Research your options, join some groups, and ask questions. Ask dogs that are raw fed how often they’re sick or how often they go to the vet. Look at them, feel them and pay attention to how they act when they see their food. Raw/Real Food fed dogs are all generally in better health than a kibble fed dog.

When mammals are born, their mothers produce a special milk that contains colostrum. The main role of it is to jump start a newborn’s immune system and provide vital nutrients, but researchers are finding that these immune boosting properties are good for dogs, too.

Did you know it was commonly used to treat infections and other issues before antibiotics were discovered?

Benefits of Colostrum for Dogs:

• It helps with canine allergies
• It helps with leaky gut
• It helps find and destroy cancer cells
• It is 3 times more effective that the flu vaccine in preventing the flu
• It helps with wound healing such as dermatitis, gingivitis, ear infections, cysts, abscesses and insect bites

Don’t worry. We didn’t know either, but now we both do!

How do I give my dog colostrum?
You can give in capsules or powder. It’s best to feed on an empty stomach, but you can give it with a small amount of yogurt or broth.

Follow the instruction on the label for feeding amounts. Gloria Dodd, DVM, recommends the following amounts: 1/3 tsp. powdered form per 25 lbs. body weight given twice daily or small dogs/cats, 1 capsule twice daily, medium/large dogs, 2 capsules twice daily (recommended dosage for 1 month minimum, then give as needed.

Changing to a raw, cooked or premade diet? What’s the next step?
First of all, congratulations on taking the next steps in giving your pet a healthier and better quality of life. Many opinions vary on changing over, so I say, as a pet parent, review your options and do what is comfortable for you.

Transitioning Your Pet to Raw
When making the change, you have options. Mix kibble with raw or cooked and slowly wean out the kibble, lessening the amount with each meal.

Example: 75% kibble to 25% raw, Day 1–2
65% kibble to 35% raw, Day 3–4
50% kibble to 50% raw, Day 4–5
35% kibble to 65% raw, Day 6–7
25% kibble to 75% raw, Day 8–9
By the 10th day, you’re on a complete raw, cooked or premade diet!

Tip when transitioning – If transitioning with kibble, soak the kibble in bone broth as it helps with an upset tummy, helps boost joint and immune health and makes it easier to digest while pumping natural, fresh nutrients into their system.

How We Did It – Tyson’s Story
COLD TURKEY
Tyson had been on every kibble imaginable, from grain free to salmon to Royal Canine prescribed by the vet. Our last shot was Honest Kitchen Whitefish that we were on when we made the switch. We didn’t even think twice about making a change or even how to transition. For us, it was do or die! If this didn’t work, nothing would. Allergies were out of control and the Calcinosis Cutis was taking over his body and our life.

For the record, we like Honest Kitchen, so it would have been one we chose to stay on if raw didn’t work out, as some dogs don’t do well on it for various reasons we’ll discuss later.

There are things to look out for when switching to real food. Some dogs detox when making the switch. This means that the chemicals, carbs and crap in kibble are being expelled through the body. Some things you may notice would be:

• Loose stools (keep organic pumpkin on hand)
• Mucus filled diarrhea
• Itching ears
• Scratching skin and fur
• Goopy eyes

Know that all of this is normal! It means the toxins are being expelled from the body so it can therefore properly absorb the nutrients from the real food diet. None of it happened with Tyson, but all dogs are different. A probiotic and digestive enzyme will help too if you wanted to add that along with the new meal plan. We have some favorites.

Our Starter Diet
We started with a diet of whitefish (Tilapia, Halibut, etc.). It is best for itchy, yeasty dogs with staph. It is the most non-reactive meat source.

We cooked it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350˚ F until golden brown. We steamed/boiled green veggies in bone broth (use 2-3 varieties such as kale, zucchini, green beans, broccoli, spinach, celery, etc.). We used zucchini, green beans and spinach. We did 80% fish to 20% veggies. We did this for a month. Tyson lost weight, which was okay, because overweight bulldogs are not healthy bulldogs and the extra weight isn’t good for their joints. Kibble contains tons of carbs and filler whereas real food is a healthier option. We also added a digestive enzyme, Golden Paste, Goat Milk/kefir, a probiotic, Garlic, Colostrum and Ultra Oil (Omega 3’s).

We feed twice a dog. For dogs with major immune issues, or a lot of suppression with drugs, we suggest adding Transfactor (classic human kind). Golden Paste was added into both meals. After a month, and when he was doing well, we started giving little small chunks or real raw beef. He loved it and nearly took a finger off when it got close to his mouth. Once we knew he was okay on beef with no reactions, we started feeding beef with the green veggies, then after a few weeks, tried pork, then lamb, then duck and rotated so he got used to various proteins. Organs, green tripe, raw bones, marrow are other options for feeding we’ll talk about later on.

What’s all the hype?

What is Goat Milk and why should you give it to your pets? Goat Milk is the most consumed milk in the world. It’s a better choice over Cow Milk because it’s more easily digested that Cow Milk. Cow Milk contains proteins, which are more likely to cause allergies whereas Goat Milk contains very low to no amounts of the same protein. Goat Milk is more easily tolerated because of its smaller fat globules, higher concentration of fatty acids, in addition to looser curd formation, allowing it to be digested more quickly with much less effort.

Fermented Goat Milk Promotes Good Health
Goat’s milk contains vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, trace elements, enzymes, protein and fatty acids. The body can digest it in 20 minutes. Even for those with digestive issues! Raw Goat Milk is a source of easily digested probiotics that can help with many chronic diseases including: Liver Disease, Heavy Metal Poisoning, Malnutrition, Kidney Disease, Diabetes, GI Disease, Poor Disease, Diarrhea

Check out Answers Pet Food for Food, Milk Products and Treats or where to buy in your area, as well as Dogs Naturally Magazine for more research information.

What Does It Mean and How Does It Affect My Pets?
You hear me say detoxify a lot. Detoxification means to rid of poisons or the effects of poisons. Poison is defined as any substance that has an inherent tendency to destroy life or impair health. Pesticides, chemicals, devitalized food and vaccination all set up toxic situations in the body.

The body must rid itself of these toxins/poisons.

Symptoms of detoxification:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Bad Breath
• Itchy Skin
• Draining Eyes
• Draining Ears
• Cysts
• Tumors

Just to name a few…

After your pets start eating fresh foods, their bodies will detoxify because they now have the nutrients to build healthy systems and no longer need to suppress disease. Some pets are more noticeable with detox than others. Detoxification can start immediately or take days, weeks, months before the body is healthy enough to detoxify.

The body usually detoxifies through the diseased areas (example: if your dog is having skin issues, they’ll detoxify through the skin). The itching and body odors will get worse before it gets better because the system initially heals and releases toxins/poisons through the skin.

It’s hard to say how long it will take because each system is different. Dogs on a fresh food system get better as each day progresses. Pets on antibiotics, antihistamines, hormones or cortisone appear not to have problems for a while because the drugs suppress the disease.

The issues come back worse. It goes to show the side effects can be deadlier that the disease itself, as in our case.

Aloe Vera, bee pollen, garlic and many other natural foods can be given to help with detox. Give constant baths if its skin issues. Being hot, sweaty and itchy is a form of detoxification. Bacteria build up in the skin and causes itchiness. Some need a bath every few days. Just know it does get easier with time. But also, be prepared for it to get worse before it gets better.

Tyson’s Detox Story
We took Tyson off all meds cold turkey, changed his diet to the whitefish diet, added supplements, started charcoal baths, paw wraps and poultices as well as detoxed from seven years of vaccinating all at once. We had to be aggressive if it was going to work. Our detox photos are all what we went through and not meant to scare you or make you think this would be the same with your pet. They will all detox differently. Tyson was pumped with meds, steroids, Apoquel, Atopica, vaccines and kibble for seven years, but see how he survived and got through it!

If we can do it, you can do it!

How It Can Help with Tummy Troubles

Did you know that pumpkin has many great health benefits? If your pet is having tummy troubles such as diarrhea, constipation or loose stools, a couple of spoons of pumpkin alone or added to a meal will help. Pumpkin has soluble fiber, which will help absorb the excess water, resulting in a firmer stool. The fiber fermentation provides beneficial fatty acids that supply energy to cells, stimulates intestinal sodium and water absorption and lowers the PH levels of the large intestines. It also contains important vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, C, E, potassium and iron.

Pumpkin also helps with constipation. Make sure you are using canned or fresh pumpkin. We prefer the canned because it offers more fiber than fresh and fresh has higher water content.

DO NOT USE CANNED PUMPKIN PIE. It has Xylitol (artificial sweetener), which is toxic to dogs.

Use 1 – 4 teaspoons per meal until issues subside. If very runny diarrhea longer than 3 days, it might be time to see your vet.

We always keep a can of pumpkin on hand for emergencies. If you don’t have or can’t get canned or fresh pumpkin, another option is Firm Up, which is a digestive supplement you can add to food. You can easily get it from Amazon.

Your pet won’t eat, won’t go near his food, not feeling good or you switched from kibble but he won’t eat…now what?

Here are some foods that are tempting. They’re generally high in fat and make them more scrumptious for your pet to want to eat.

You can give as a treat or mixed in with the regular meal, as they’ll enhance the meal. You should only use these for a few days.

Appetite Inducing Foods for Your Pets:

• Eggs lightly scrambled in butter with some yogurt or cream cheese
• Liver sautéed in butter
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Cooked or boiled ground beef mixed with grated parmesan cheese
• Baby foods such as pureed meats
• Homemade chicken soup with noodles
• Canned salmon or sardines
• Minced beef or sausage (not spicy though)
• Plain yogurt with pureed liver (mix well)
• Bites from your own plate, but avoid spicy foods

Tyson’s Story

Tyson was always a good eater and we had very little problem with him not eating unless it was kibble. Some of what we always did with the meals were cooking the veggies in bone broth or adding bone broth to the meat if cooking it. Adding a splash of goat’s milk, or adding a couple spoons of the liquid from a can of sardines. His food was always flavorful and he would have licked the bowl if he could have. Best decision we made was going to a real food diet.

Do not vaccinate every year – it is simply not needed! If you do need to vaccinate, know that you should never ever vaccinate if your pet is not well. From paw cysts, ear infection, fever, cough, diarrhea, etc. – don’t let a vet convince you they’re needed or required, especially when an ongoing issue is occurring. Any medical concern is a pet not being well.

FACT ONE
Any medical issue and your dog is considered “NOT A WELL PET” which allows your dog a “medical exemption” from the mandated rabies vaccination.

A cancer diagnosis is a medical issue because now they have a compromised immune system and the vaccination may endanger your dog’s life. All your vet needs to do is write a waiver to the county in which you live.

Tyson’s Story
Tyson’s vet was a “Bulldog Specialist” many in Michigan see. Yet taking an oath to care for and treat animals was the furthest thing from his mind. Tyson would go in for an ear infection and they’d remind me he needed a vaccination so he got it. Next year was a paw cyst, another vaccination. It seemed he only got vaccination when he WAS sick, and vets should know better. Learn to say no and why for the health of your pets.

FACT TWO
If your pet is “due” for a vaccine, request a titer. What is a titer?