I had no intention of making our dog my client.  But it’s difficult to not pay attention when the signs present themselves.  You see JoJo is a lab, German Shepherd mix (we think).  We adopted her over 12 years ago.  She is an energetic dog with seemingly endless stamina: chasing bears, keeping coyotes away from our area and chasing pinecones.  In the past year we began to see the signs of aging:  a light coating over her eye which our Vet quickly identified as a cataract, slower movements, less interest in exercising for long periods of time and even hesitation when entering a lake or river.   This was not our young lady anymore; she had matured.  

Maturity I could accept but even though these signs are ‘common’ the symptoms certainly weren’t ‘normal’ (not for her!).  So I began to sit back and think about all I know about JoJo.  She’s a medium-sized dog, water lover, smart and a possessed a keen assessment of dangerous animals (bears and coyotes but never batted an eye at a horse).  My husband and I always referred to her as ‘part-wild’.  It was then that we began feeding her like she was part-wild: lamb bones, leftover organic cooked chicken, steak, burger, chicken sausages and more.  We increased her straight meat intake by 4 to 6 days per week.  Within 3 months we noticed her cataract had disappeared and she appeared to be more energetic. The meat you see had provided her with carnitine, an amino acid, that has been recognized in stopping the growth of cataracts.  She has remained cataract free for 6 months.

 Then approximately six weeks ago I noticed that shedding season seemed to linger longer than the typical season.  Clumps of her hair were found all throughout the house and she began itching excessively throughout the day and night.  It occurred to me that she was presenting with fatty acid deficiency: dry skin, losing clumps of hair, along with aging.  I began adding EPA/DHA fish oil to her food. 

After two weeks of adding fish oil to her food, the itching has ceased and her coat is shiny and soft.  The shedding is reduced to a minimum.  She is back to smiling.   And so am I. 

Be well,

Lynn