Dog digestive problems.
Bobby had been vomiting on and off for four years, starting out at serious vomits every 6 weeks, with a loss of energy and appetite just before these episodes and has steadily vomited more frequently with these episodes every week. He was also eating large amount of grass every day.
Bobby had regular visits with the vet had an endoscopy done and a Barium Meal to find out what is going on, with six ulcers uncovered. He was started on a Proton Pump inhibitor to reduce the amount of acid in his stomach, but these come with various side effects such as vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of appetite to name a few.
Bobby had terrible diarrhoea, loss of appetite and became very lethargic on this medication and it did not subside despite being on the medication for 6 days. Bobby’s owner called me to see if I could help him as the vet said he had nothing left to offer apart from taking a larger biopsy from the stomach, and some Cortisone.
Dog nutrition and diet
Those of you who come to my clinic know my focus on diet and I soon found out that Bobby was being fed a homemade diet of fresh lamb, some cheese and occasional pieces of chicken, and Eukanuba dog kibble which he often left as he did not like this food.
The problem with this diet even though it was fresh raw meat, was it was almost exclusively protein. A homemade diet is great if it is well balance, but if not balanced can be worse than a commercial dry kibble diet with grains. This often caused Bobby to have very loose and dark stools. I was told that Bobby would not eat anything except fresh lamb and when I met Bobby he had not eaten for a couple of days and was very lethargic.
Dog ulcers
So we needed to work on the ulcers, which are often caused by bacteria in the gut, although the biopsy did not show high levels of these bacteria.
We also needed to get him onto a better balanced diet including fruit and vegetables, and supplements to coat his gut lining and restore his normal gut bacteria. We also needed to get Bobby onto 4 small meals a day instead of 2 large meals to give the acid in his stomach something to work on other than the stomach lining.
Bobby’s progress
I am pleased to say that Bobby loves his K9 Natural Food, is eating all his supplements without problems and is also a big fan of the pureed fruit and vegetables in his food. He has stopped eating grass now and his owner has to mow the lawn again, is now full of energy and has become very cheeky. His stools are nice and firm and greatly reduced on his previous stools when fed with the fresh Lamb and small amount of Eukanuba diet.
Pet Naturopath Australia. Cat and Dog Natural Remedies.
Healthy Pets Naturally was established by Patty Walcott in 2010. Patty, a pet naturopath, specialises in treating cats and dogs with natural remedies and is a recognised practitioner in NSW of the Small Animal and Equine Natural Therapy Association.
Patty’s unique background in the pharmaceutical industry, coupled with her qualifications as a biochemist, Reconnective healer and small animal naturopath, means that pet owners can receive the care of their vet for acute conditions along with Patty’s guidance regarding alternative pet remedies to achieve a healthy, balanced natural diet, herbs and homeopathy for all conditions.
Natural pet treatments also cover physical therapies for rehabilitative care such as cat and dog massage (Equissage & CMT), underwater dog treadmill, Photonic Therapy (acupuncture), and animal reconnective healing.
Be sure to visit the case studies section of our website to read about our pet natural treatments and therapies used to successfully treat a broad range of dog and cat health issues.
In 2021, Patty closed her clinic on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and moved to the Sapphire Coast (South Coast, NSW).
Update: At the end of 2022, Patty closed her books and is not offering consultations with new clients. This may change in the future and we apologise for any inconvenience. Patty is still working with existing clients.