Holistic Dog Health Q & A – Part 2

Raw Food Diet

For nearly 6 months straight my dog became violently ill with terrible episodes of diarrhea anytime he ate his meals. We tried feeding him all types of dog food and eventually came to the understanding that he was allergic to every type of protein he was eating. Is there any thing that I can do to get my dog the necessary nutrients it needs without resorting to commercial dog food?

While it appears that all hope is lost for getting your dog back on track with a nutritional plan that will not make him sick, the good news is that you have tried every option except for the most important one: all natural raw foods.

Consider feeding your dog raw protein from now on. Totally raw, whole food diets, are the natural way our pets were meant to eat. It has only been the increased commercialism from pet food companies that has caused dog and cat owners to believe that their animals must eat food that comes in a can or large plastic bag. This could not be further from the truth!

Be sure to start a raw food diet in small portions. In addition to clean raw meats, consider raw fish, lamb, wheat, dairy, and yeast. These types of ingredients can be found in most whole food recipes. Calcium would be a supplement to consider as well, especially if the raw food you are feeding your dog does not have “crushed bone” or any other source of calcium in it. A vitamin/mineral supplement and fish oil are also recommended.

Dog Cough

I have a German Shepherd that is going to be seven years old come this Christmas and he has had a seasonal cough his entire life. After taking him to the vet year after year, I was instructed to give the dog Robitussin. This cough syrup did not seem to help and he eventually started coughing the entire winter season. Specialists after specialist had me give my dog antibiotics, diarrhea pills  which were supposed to help, Cipro, and even theophylline. Nothing seems to help.

Veterinarians that prefer to take a more holistic approach to dog care generally disapprove of trying to suppress a dog’s cough unless it is absolutely mandatory. There has been a lot of success with treating these types of coughing conditions with homeopathics and herbal remedies.

If you have not began such treatments then consider researching some of these all-natural products that are on the market today, such as Astragalus 16 and Pinellia 16. These products are only recommendations so please do your research and find one that you feel comfortable with.