I have never written a letter like this, but what happened to my dog is so amazing that I had to share it.
I have a Border Collie, Ransom, who is almost two years old. He has had a rather large number of physical and health problems in his short life, one of which is inflammatory bowel disease requiring him to be on a regular regimen of Prednisone and Flagyl. I was able to wean him down to a pretty low dose and only had to give it to him every three days, but he was always on the verge of diarrhea and I wasnt happy having such a young dog on a long-term steroid. But, if I went more than 72 hours without giving him the medication, he would get severe diarrhea immediately.
After reading Feed Your Dog Back to Health (WDJ September 2001), I added carrot juice and raw organic liver to both my dogs diets. Almost miraculously, Ransoms inflammatory bowel disease seemed to disappear. Since he seemed better, I started testing him by going a little longer than 72 hours, then four days, then a week. Well, he hasnt had a bit of medication in over five weeks!
I suspect that its the carrot juice thats doing the trick, because I had some difficulty getting the organic liver when I ran out the first time, so there was a week or two that he didnt have the liver. However, he has had the carrot juice twice a day the whole time.
Thank you for that wonderful article!
-Lisa Basial
Mechanicsburg, PA
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I was reading the latest edition of WDJ and was excited to see the article entitled Problematic Pace? (November 2001).
I have two Australian Cattle Dogs, Tango (13 years) and Sydney (6 months). In the last couple of years, Tango has developed a strange gait. I now know that she has two discs in her spine that are fusing (discovered in a veterinary x-ray this spring) and has been in pain for some time. I have been supplementing her homemade diet with glucosamine/chondroitin for several years and she has been taking Rimadyl which seems to have reduced the pain. She still walks funny, though, and I just couldnt pinpoint what was different about her gait until I read your article.
She paces! Now I know what and why! This enables me to engage in some intensive research into hands-on care for pacers with spinal trouble.
I do give Tango gentle massages, but Im always afraid of hurting her. Im sure that I could do much more given the proper techniques. The authors success with her dog, Bogey, has really given me hope that I can help my Tango feel just a little bit better too!
Thank you so much for the informative and encouraging information that I find in every issue of WDJ!
Your friends in Big Lake, Alaska,
-Carla, Tango & Sydney Chesbro
Thanks for your letter. Once we became aware of the significance of the pacing gait, we started seeing it in dogs everywhere and often, the dogs appear to have some sort of arthritic problem or discomfort when they moved or positioned themselves a certain way.
One of the sidebars (Past WDJ Articles on Related Subjects) referenced a number of articles that may be of immediate use to you and Tango. If you (or Tango!) think that massage would be too much for her, check out Conscious Contact, in the April 1998 issue. The author, Diana Thompson, is the same person who helped Bogey, and she explains in that article how to use the very light, non-invasive touching methods she employed with him. Good luck!
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What a lovely surprise to receive the Kong Biscuit Ball in the mail today. Thank you for thinking of your subscribers. The gift is very thoughtful and of course will be put to good use by our Westies.
We at Crownview Kennels are big supporters of your magazine, and we rely on your unbiased viewpoint. We appreciate the fact that it is not only unbiased but also thoroughly researched. The minute the publication arrives, it is read from cover to cover. Then the publications are referred to over and over again. The indexing on the cover is such a plus and the pre-punched idea is so convenient.
I adore having you online also; it aids with looking up prior issues expediently.
-Frances Nicholson,
Crownview Kennels
Olalla, WA
