Next Dates for Titre Testing for dogs in the Wirral / Chester area

Dogs Diner, Moreton on the Wirral

Saturday 23rd November 2024

Dogs Diner, Warren Way, Moreton, Wirral

Cost £40.00

Give them a ring to make an appointment 0151 678 2588

https://www.dogsdiner.co.uk/vaccicheck

We visit about every 3 months to do a vaccicheck clinic on the Wirral her in Moreton. I am also able to see clients there for holistic consultions – contact me for those by email first

The staff at the Dogs Diner are very knowledgeable about raw and real food diet, natural methods of parasite control call in and see their amazing stock of raw foods, supplements including their own kefir & bone broth and much more.

Imperial Pets, Chester

26th October 2024 we are seeing a few folk JOIN US ring Claire

We can do these for 1 or 2 folk Late October early November ring and speak to Claire or pop in to buy food or browse the other stock.

If you would like to have a titre test done in Chester then contact Claire we can arrange to meet there and get your pet sampled and examined. This is my nearest raw and natural feeding store and is worth a visit for advice and selection of foods.

When we get enough to hold a clinic we shall arrange one but I can meet you there for the odd couple of pets as well

Cost £45.00 for < 3 pets >3 is £40

For further information, please call us 01244 880470 or Claire on 07930 051368 or book on line at

https://www.imperial-pets.com/

More Information

You can read more about what vaccicheck is on the blog here or in the old website here but basically we take a drop of blood from your pet, and test is for levels of antibody to Distemper Parvovirus and Adenovirus so you can be reassured your companion does not need vaccinating again

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In the UK we have the annual firework displays soon approaching in early Novemeber, these will be repeated for new year. ~Many many dogs and some cats never mind wild animals are terrified of these bangs and flashes. How can we reduce the fear?

Every year dogs are sacred tiles, run away in fear I have had a dog run over and killed by a train, very year the are road traffic accidents brought in to Vet'sNow and other out of hours providers many have life changing injuries or die. We try to limit firework use, persuasion just does not seem to help irresponsible or ignorant individuals will continue to use fireworks and to be honest do you remember being trilled by them as a child. We just have to put up with them and mitigate the affects as best we can.

More too follow

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I have a little old dog who has CCD (Canine Cognitive Dysfunction) as I am sure do many of you. (see below) This gradual onset disease is seen commonly in older dogs and shows in a number of ways. It described in between 14 and 35% of dogs over 8 years old with various factors increasing its prevalence for example Neutered dog more than bitches and yes can and does come on gradually from quite an early age.

This is Lexi, a Patterdale x Poodle we adopted 4 years ago she suffered from mild cognitive dysfunction when we adopted her but it improved with a better diet, MCT oil (Medium Chain Triglycerides such as coconut oil) good food and exercise. Later I did add some herbs

Here she is enjoying a dip in the Afon Seiont near Caernarfon, loving life we think.

Degenerative signs can be seen on a MRI scan

Analogous to Alzheimer's in humans

• Neurodegenerative changes

• Vascular damage in the brain

• Free radical accumulation ->oxidative brain injury

• B-amyloid accumulation - extracellular

• Tau protein - intracellular and extracellular

• Neuroinflammation

• Mitochondrial dysfunction

• Neurotransmitter imbalance

• Brain atrophy

JAVMA 261, 11; 10.460/javma.23.02.0095

The Gut Brain Axis - recent research into the Microbiome

Recent studies have demonstrated the link between the Gut microbiome and indeed the mouth's microbiome. In simple terms if the gut is healthy and the also the mouth the individual whether human, dog or rodent (on which many of these studies are based) is less likely to develop.

there is a study in which the micro-organisms in the gut of a human with alzheimers where transfers to healthy rats. They developed cognitive disease. Dogs with severe periodontal disease have worse cognition score.

So we aim to 1. keep our gut as healthy as possible with diet. 2. Keep the mouth healthy All with diet of course

Sodium oligomannate therapeutically remodels gut microbiota and suppresses gut bacterial amino acids-shaped neuroinflammation to inhibit Alzheimer’s disease progression.Wang, X., Sun, G., Feng, T. et al. 2019. Cell Res

Periodontal disease is associated with cognitive dysfunction in aging dogs: A blinded prospective comparison of visualperiodontal and cognitive questionnairescores)”. Dewey and Rishniw, 2021. (Open Veterinary Journal

The Oral-Gut-Brain AXIS: The Influence of Microbes in Alzheimer’s Disease”
Narengaowa et al, 2021. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience

Clinical Signs

What do we see in our pets?

Signs can be very variable from one individual to the next but basically we see a gradual reduction in cognitive ability.

“PET DOG MINDS” a nemonic for the main signs below Amy Watson MA VetMB MRCVS GDVCHM ACVCHM CVA CCRT (personal comm. 2024)
• Pacing
• Engagement with others have changed
• Toileting in the house/changes in toileting
• Disorientation
• Owner/others recognition problems
• Grumpy/Irritable
• Memory Loss learned bahaviours such as toileting
• Insomnia/Changes in sleep patterns
• Navigation issues
• Disregarded Training
• Staring into Space

How you can slow progression in dogs, cats and yourself

My Suggestions to Help

1. Diet - we need to try to improve the Microbiome and so should feed a natural home prepared, good quality diet of meats, fish, eggs fruit and vegetables. Raw or cooked? There is some anecdotal evidence that light cooking can be better for some CCD patients but if you cook cook lightly, Give some raw vegetables, raw fruits including blueberries, apples, mushrooms and brassicas such as kale or similar. Juicing is great. You can read more in our nutrition pages. But basically a fresh diet will do so much.
2. Healthy fats MCT oils There is evidence that Medium Chain Triglycerides such as those found in coconut oils can reduce the number of seizures seen in epileptic dogs. It provides fuel in a healthy form for the brain and may reduce the severity of signs seen. As age cerebral glucose metabolism becomes impaired and MCTs can provide energy to the brain. Epileptic dogs are shown to be more likely to develop CCD - Dosage: 9% of ME requirements per day JIVT See a good quality brand on Amazon https://amzn.to/3WY99xi

You can add to this

3. Omega 3 fatty acids - fish and flax oils

3. Omega 3 fatty acids - fish and flax oils. These supplements are great for brain health, they have neuro-protective properties and reduce inflammation. Omegas 3s also help skin, heart and kidney function. Give oily fish or fish oils such as in nutramega and nutramind but many other places

4. B vitamins - hese also are very important in brain and nerve function as well as anti-oxidant support. No need for expensive supplements you can give yeasts such as in Marmite, other product include include Nutramind from Nutravet with omega 3s and B vitamins

5. Medicinal Mushrooms such as Lions mane, Cordyceps and Reshi All the medicinal mushrooms and indeed normal button mushrooms have good levels of B vitamins, are neuroprotective. Lions mane increases Nerve Growth factor. Now this may contraindicate is use if your pet is having Librella - ask your vet.

https://myconutri.com/ is where I recommend clients look for these

6. Herbs There are two branches of herbal medicine Traditional Chinese and Western. The Western herbs include Ginko biloba as in Nutramind, also Ashwaganda, Panax Ginseng and Valerian. HThe prescription we give may vary depending on the patient for example if he is very nervous adding Valerian as a Chamomile porridge at bed time. Ideally speak to your herbal vet. We look for herbs called nervines which affect nerve function are Antioxidants, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-apoptotic and Increase Nerve Growth Factor and more

The more Traditional Chinese Medicine I have found useful is a Rehmannia and Panax combination modified by our colleague Dr Steve Marsden HALSCION Read more about it in its page here Halscion Again iff you can find someone then a vet trained in TVCM can add or alter this to suit the individual but I do recommend this as a great place to start.

7. Acupuncture Not something you can DIY in most cases! but this is a great help, improving blood flow to the brain look out for an experience vet.

8. CBD cannabinols may help. It is great at reducing anxiety, inflammation and pain, there are some mouse studies showing improved memory when on CBD/CBDA full spectrum products but not really much evidence in dogs or humans yet. We cannot sell this to you without a prescription any longer and you would have to book an appointment apologies.

Other Things

Now as is shown in studies with and recommend to humans there are also so many other factors without drugs, or expense

Exercise

Mental Stimulation & Interest use the brain or lose the brain

I know Lexi cannot get far nowadays as she is older but I should take her out, let her paddle in that river, hear the birds - no she’s deaf I forget! Going the same way- See the birds; sniff and sniff again.

Perhaps another dog in the house or take her to see one, doggy day care or exercise classes play ball. Over to you. Lets hear your ideas and stories

Read more in the book Forever Dog by Rodney Habib & Dr Karen Becker

This is a great book full of wise advice for these Canadian / American based veterinary authors they also provde may tasty recipes for your dogs

•.

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I read a fascinating article today in the Guardian Newspaper which has set me thinking about the pet food industry, how it operates and most interesting of all perhaps the preferences our pets have for foods.

You should read the article ideally when you have time The Guardian is a premium newspaper in the UK and this is today's Long read. The journalist Vivian Ho has visited both Mars facility in the Midlands (Waltham) and also Honeys raw feeding facility and manufacturing plant, also in England, where she spoke to Jonathon Self.

If you want to read more of Jonathon's feeding recommendations you can buy his Natural Feeding Handbook on our site.

The things I find particularly interesting about the article and I thought I would comment on:

Some aspects of the pet food industry I am very concerned about are touched on in the article. The 'research' carried out at Mars Petfood's facility been going on for years, they are very used to visitors and selling them the wonderful processes. I remember well my visit as a veterinary student in about 1980 there and we were all wined and dined- a first start in the indoctrination process, perhaps or valuable nutrition training?? All through my career we have been 'educated' in nutrition by one Pet Food Company after another. Mars own Pedigree, Wiskas Royal Canin vet specific range of pet foods but also own Banfield Hospitals in the USA and Linnaeus vet groups in the UK and elsewhere and more see Mars Veterinary Site. Ms Ho touches on this and got the response from Linnaeus "In addition to producing food, companies such as Mars fund a number of veterinary schools and clinics, which, raw food advocates claim, push the companies’ products on trainee vets and pet owners, regardless of pet health. (“When any of our veterinary professionals provide nutrition advice, they have the freedom to recommend the best product for that pet, regardless of brand,” said a spokesperson for Linnaeus, a veterinary group that’s part of Mars Veterinary Health."

Today I also got an email from "The Purina Institute"

Who owns Purina? The second largest pet food Co here in the UK. Another sweetie corporation based in the US although of Swiss origin: Nestle see wikipedia, they want to invite me to learn about nutrition - Purina Institute Microbiome Forum Round Table 2024 - Changing Paradigms in DIARRHEA (sic) Management Have a read of the Institute website perhaps you will see what I mean I hope. Unbiased education in pet nutrition is rare in the veterinary industry if there is a vacuum someone fills it. 

So that is two of the major Pet Food Companies, there is a third the third largest in the UK is not a Confectionary company no Colgate Palmolive "Colgate-Palmolive Company is an yet another American multinational consumer products company headquartered in New York City. The company specialises in the production, distribution, and provision of household, health care, personal care, and vet products" Wikipedia . They own HILLS Pet Nutrition. So many of our nursing staff have qualified in Nutrition through Hills Pet Nutrition and have medals and certificates to prove it. This company more than any other trained many vets and pet owners about nutrition in pet, brought out "prescription diet" as a term. You do not of course need a prescription but we can charge more. 

I remember visiting veterinary educational conferences in the UK, USA and Europe. The massive marketing budgets, advertising displays and gifts to veterinarians of these three corporations never failed to impress - larger than big Pharma at times but its is the way they educate my profession that disturbs me the most with these institutions. 

Of course you need a research department to stop the rickets, and vitamin deficiencies which as is in the article were common in 60's puppies fed unbalanced commercial dog foods. After all to get adequate nutrition from ultra heat processed, dried foods made from by meat industry by-products and cheap cereals is a skilled process. To avoid to many scandals such as these on Hills wiki page:

One Prescription Diet line and five products of the Science Diet line were involved in the 2007 pet food recalls for their inclusion of melamine tainted wheat gluten received from China.

On January 31, 2019, Hill's recalled 25 varieties of its canned dog food, because of elevated levels of vitamin D, due to a supplier error. Vitamin D overdose in animals can cause irreversible kidney damage and eventually death.^[17] On February 12, 2019, San Francisco law firm Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against Hill's on behalf of affected owners for distributing dog food which contained potentially toxic levels of vitamin D.

To be fair these problems are very rare I must say and can occur with all food companies from large corporations to the take away cafe up your road. If you use cheap ingredients from all over the world these things happen. In particular trying to feed a carnivore on a diet containing a large proportion of vegetable derived diet is a challenging enterprise which is IMO why these companies spend so much on R&D. It is so much easier to feed real meaty foods that are not ultra heat treated and get a healthy pet. 

Cooking Good or Bad?

If one wants to feed humans or our pet carnivores on a diet rich in vegetables the it must be cooked for us to be able to digest it. Raw squash, cereals or potatoes will be very poorly converted into energy.

Now cooking gets you more calories in a shorter time from starchy foods greatly benefiting humankind's ability to survive in the world but it does reduce some micronutrients, enzymes and vitamins in the food in particular in the Ultra high temperatures needed to produce a kibble. Raw food is comparatively easy to get a balanced healthy diet from because of this. Not what the 'educators' above would have you believe who tell pet parents and veterinarians how hard it is to balance a home produced diet, how likely it to get imbalances in vitamins, proteins, minerals. Of course is possible but so much less likely than in a mucked about with commercial pet food IMO.

Excessive heat treatment is needed if a dry kibble is going to keep without freezing.

Ms Ho has also briefly touched something so important in how we feed our pets. Our perception of what they desire ..

A person can let you know directly what food they like, and why; not so a cat. Florence (her cat) cannot tell me that she prefers to graze rather than eat big meals – something I only realised somewhere between the second and third wet food brands we tried. Nor can she tell me that she actually enjoys the feel of the kibble on her gums – a theory I’ve been running with for the past few months. So we’ve gone back to kibble, though in the morning I give her a bowl of hand-shredded boiled chicken as well. She’d be happy with just kibble – I know this now. Even so, every morning I carefully shred another chicken breast – just in case.

She felt Florence actually preferred kibble "enjoys the feel of the kibble on her gums " and did not feed raw or even home prepared foods even after talking to Jonathon Self at Honeys Real Pet food. Actually it does seem very difficult to persuade a cat, in particular, that raw is preferable to kibble if they have been fed kibble a long time. 

I found this article interesting

• That the pet parent's perception is so important and can make advocates of raw efforts futile
• Cooked foods are often more palatable to pets (and us)
• The Waltham Institute is still using the same arguments as they were 40+ years ago.
• Are are persuasive still to an open minded reporter or is pleasing our companion whether a human child or pet more important?

Environmental Issues Climate Crisis 

The other thing I worry about and is touched on here. Because of environmental issues, food animal welfare and the climate crisis we should be eating and rearing less meat we are told and it makes sense. If land is limited we can produce perhaps 10 times the calories growing grains such as wheat or rice per hectare of land we are told.

Now Mars are claiming that the "meaty" protein parts of their foods are produced from the human meat industries' by products or waste. Do I believe them are they telling some truth!! Of course they are correct to an extent nutritious meats like lungs, hearts and even livers would otherwise be wasted so all good. (It the excessive processing holistic vets do not like) but does this argument really wash. 

Should we not be using fully vegan diets were possible? 

or keeping only herbivores as pets. Now there is something to ponder? lets hear your comments

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Pancreatitis

Read more at Nutrition expert Dr Conor Brady’s website

www.dogsfirst.ie

If your companion has been diagnosed with pancreatitis then this would be my advice. However you should always consider the professional who has seen your dogs advice

1. Feed little and often

Fasting was once recommended for pancreatitis in dogs. This is no longer the case. When your dog is recovering from acute pancreatitis, it is best to feed smaller, easily digestible meals, little and often throughout the day. While still recovering, you will want to keep the fat reasonably low. The following proteins (if tolerated by the dog) would be recommended for this period, organic where possible –

• Lean meats such as turkey and chicken
• Wild game such as venison, rabbit and pheasant – highly digestible
• Cottage cheese
• Bone broth – with fat removed, is highly nutritious and delicious!

Consider feeding “DIY” for a while – this way, you know exactly what you are feeding, and there are no “hidden” fats that there may be in cheaper

Once the dog has fully recovered from acute pancreatitis, you can start introducing “fattier” meats – remember,it’s carbs, NOT fat, that causes pancreatitis – yes, fat will cause issues during acute pancreatitis. There will always need to be some vigilance; monitoring your dog is essential, but they do not necessarily have to stay on a low or no-fat diet forever.

2. Remove all aggravating / inflammatory factors

Now that your dog has fully recovered, don’t rattle the cage – you need to address all the causes that may drive inflammation in your dog. The list is long….

• Ultra Processed dry and canned food – This must be the first thing you remove – studies show that dry-fed dogs undergo TEN TIMES more inflammation than dogs fed raw food.
• Avoid treats full of sugars, derivatives, wheat and, glycerine, etc, usually the cheap ones found in supermarkets – 100% meat – always check where the meat was sourced from, even better – make your own
• Ditch the chemicals – this includes unnecessary flea/worm/tick treatments, kennel cough vaccines and most certainly those annual boosters after one year of age. NSAIDs – While your dog is in extreme pain with acute pancreatitis, of course, pain relief is vital. However, these are not drugs that you want your dog to take long-term.Use paracetamol short term Boswellia and other herbs longer term
• Maintain good dental health – when your dog has periodontal disease, bacteria make their way into the body via the capillary-rich gum line; this fuels inflammation and is a constant threat to the immune system – which can aggravate and inflame the pancreas. To achieve a healthy smile naturally, I recommend raw meaty bones OF COURSE

Additions For Pancreatitis In Dogs

1. Pancreas IN small amounts, perhaps 5% of the diet of fresh pancreas could be beneficial IF YOUR BUTCHER can source it You can get freeze dried but at the moment I do not have a brand I could recommend

There are lots of things that you can include on top of this diet that is sure to help them at this point. As your vet is unlikely to stock most of them, you can try the local health store for some, but I think most are easiest found on Amazon;

2. Digestive Enzymes

I strongly recommend a digestive enzyme mix of lipase, tripase and amylase for a dog with pancreatitis. I recommend Pet Plus certainly perhaps Lypex https://amzn.to/3se5huK

These are particularly important if your dog is suffering from exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), as they will give the pancreas less work to do and the brand. Dose him according to size, and sprinkle on food. If feeding some fresh pancreas, you will not need digestive enzymes.

3. Probiotics

I recommend you include some probiotics in their diet for at least a month while we get him right. They will help reset their digestive system, which will be in disarray. A healthy gut microbiome is a healthy animal, and it’s not to be forgotten.

Full-fat probiotic yoghurt or kefir are good additions, aiding the digestive process, but we’re unsure just how much gets through the dog’s strong digestive acids. Fidospore if really acute attack. Natural probiotics are found in healthy organic soils (teaspoon daily) on surface of grasses - let him chew a bit when out

4. Omega 3

Omega 3 fatty acids are excellent at reducing inflammation. The ACVN recommend a therapeutic dose of 700mg of combined EPA and DHA per 10kg of dog to help alleviate some of the more painful symptoms of pancreatitis, I would keep it going in to help avoid its occurrence in the future. Fish and flax oils perhaps but.

Algal oil is a a great choice and much more sustainable. Once they are recovered from the acute bout of pancreatitis – feed fresh oily fish like sardines and sprat; they don’t need a lot, and as little as 100g a week for a 15kg dog would be a start.

5. Herbs

Dr Steve Marsden's has developed a herbal combination ADOPTREX which we are proud to be the UK distributor for This should in my opinion be used as well as the recommendations above 

FAQ

1. Is chicken and rice suitable for dogs with pancreatitis?

The short answer to this is chicken – yes, rice – absolutely not! Remember, we are avoiding carbohydrates, so rice is a very bad idea for all dogs, especially for dogs with an already inflamed pancreas!

2. Can raw dog food cause pancreatitis?

As discussed above, your dog needs to come off the carbs and eat a fresh diet; I highly recommend this diet. However, not all raw dog food is created equally. Higher fat content in some cheaper pre mades may be an issue.

Also, it is essential to be aware of any intolerances your dog may have to certain proteins. This can cause inflammation which will put the pancreas under pressure. Remain vigilant with your dog and any sign of itching, soft stools, vomiting, diarrhoea etc; an elimination diet may be needed here.

3. Will my dog recover from pancreatitis?

Yes, they absolutely can and do, providing you take evasive action now. Our experience shows that the gross amount of pancreatitis dogs and cats are mysteriously suffering today is entirely localised in the dry-fed community.

The issue evaporates once fed an appropriate fresh diet, and all chemical products are eliminated. Enzyme readings return to normal after a few months. The pancreas is expected to recover, and clients have these dogs back eating all the usual foods a normal healthy dog will. So hang in there; you’re giving them the best fighting chance.

More reading:

https://www.bellaandduke.com/learn/dog-health/pancreatitis-in-dogs/

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/manage-pancreatitis-in-dogs/

https://www.dogsfirst.ie/dr-conor-brady-blog/

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