Hindi (Years ago, I had done a series of these animal images & quotes
to raise money for AWN)
*
I met Hindi in 1999. She was a ratty little pup, sitting on the steps of the Temple in the Sea, wagging her tail at me and saying "What took you so long?" She then proceeded to follow me as I walked around the Temple, wagging her tail, gazing up at me and claiming me as hers. I named her Hindi and, because it was Independence Day, the day became: "Hindipendence Day."
In the above shot, she was about five years old. These days she is eleven - i.e. approximately 77 in 'human' years (according to whoever decided that you multiply a dog's age by 7 to get the human equivalent).
In her later years she developed an allergy, resulting in thinning hair and severe itching and scratching (also causing little patches of bleeding skin).
Many things recommended by the vet were tried unsuccessfully: soaps, shampoos, creams, change of dog food. The only thing that ever "worked" was when the vet put her on a short course of steroids - but this only masks everything. As soon as the dog is off the steroids, the symptoms flare back up.
Lately I've taken her completely off of commercial dog food and have been preparing her meals from scratch. She gets a mix of of pearl barley (sometimes potato, sometimes yam), with sardines and finely grated, sometimes slightly boiled vegetables (like carrot or pumpkin). Sometimes I will also add a cooked egg. She loves her new 5-star meals and goes wild with excitement when it's time to eat - leaping, twirling, barking and wagging her tail non-stop. Her hair and skin have improved and the itching appears to have stopped.
In the course of changing her over to completely home-made food the vet prescribed a short course of steroids, to quell the itching while she adjusts. Now that the steroids are done, I will see if the cooked food is actually responsible for her improvement - and that the allergy won't flare back up.
Then, just a few days ago when I was wishing we had holistic vets and holistic dog food here, I unexpectedly met a man who is a distributor for a new holistic dog food (!) called Earthborn (the Ocean Fusion variety). Its basic ingredients are white fish, sweet potato and barley or rye. He said he will deliver to the vet this week - and both he and the vet agreed that the brand would be ideal for Hindi. The ingredients are about the same as those I use in the food I prepare for her now. I wonder if she'll like it as much.
In the above shot, she was about five years old. These days she is eleven - i.e. approximately 77 in 'human' years (according to whoever decided that you multiply a dog's age by 7 to get the human equivalent).
In her later years she developed an allergy, resulting in thinning hair and severe itching and scratching (also causing little patches of bleeding skin).
Many things recommended by the vet were tried unsuccessfully: soaps, shampoos, creams, change of dog food. The only thing that ever "worked" was when the vet put her on a short course of steroids - but this only masks everything. As soon as the dog is off the steroids, the symptoms flare back up.
Lately I've taken her completely off of commercial dog food and have been preparing her meals from scratch. She gets a mix of of pearl barley (sometimes potato, sometimes yam), with sardines and finely grated, sometimes slightly boiled vegetables (like carrot or pumpkin). Sometimes I will also add a cooked egg. She loves her new 5-star meals and goes wild with excitement when it's time to eat - leaping, twirling, barking and wagging her tail non-stop. Her hair and skin have improved and the itching appears to have stopped.
In the course of changing her over to completely home-made food the vet prescribed a short course of steroids, to quell the itching while she adjusts. Now that the steroids are done, I will see if the cooked food is actually responsible for her improvement - and that the allergy won't flare back up.
Then, just a few days ago when I was wishing we had holistic vets and holistic dog food here, I unexpectedly met a man who is a distributor for a new holistic dog food (!) called Earthborn (the Ocean Fusion variety). Its basic ingredients are white fish, sweet potato and barley or rye. He said he will deliver to the vet this week - and both he and the vet agreed that the brand would be ideal for Hindi. The ingredients are about the same as those I use in the food I prepare for her now. I wonder if she'll like it as much.
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4 comments:
This is wonderful. I read a book once by a holistic vet and thereafter could not give my pets anything but organic, holistic food. My rats certainly did live longer than the average pet rat does.
I'm going to check out the food...see if they have it in the states. Glad Hindi is on the mend. hope it continues. she's beautiful.
So who's Pippa's dad?
All of a sudden I can't recall his name. He was the neighbour's dog (now deceased) -- a small brown, fluffysh pompek kind of dog. Much shorter than Hindi. I don't know how they managed to mate (twice). He fathered her two litters. Was very persistent until she gave in.
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