Old dog appears 4 years younger after switching to raw
Posted by Thomas Sandberg | Oct 7, 2016 | Health issues resolved, Mix of Raw | 0 |
Jule (13) is a German Shepherd from Florida that started on a raw food diet 12 years old.
Owner’s comment:
“We started raw feeding very late in her life, but she began to show signs of hip pain which were partially arthritis. She had also undergone a decrease in exercise when we moved. It was a rough start. She had a hard detox period after having been on kibble her whole life. After about 6 weeks her bowls finally regulated. She never had any real health issues, but we did have trouble keeping her weight down.
After about 4 weeks on raw even though she had not fully adjusted I was amazed by the changes we saw. She began to play with toys again. She kept a steady pace on walks. She was jumping up and down to greet us. Her teeth looked so much cleaner. She had on and off issues with yeasty feet and red itchy ears. All of this stopped and have not returned. I am convinced that she has reduced her physical age by 4 years. This is the best thing I could have done for her.”
Thomas Sandberg
Once again we see dramatic evidence that it is never too late to switch a dog (or cat) to a raw food diet. Older dogs that have been on kibble all their life will have a lot of ‘junk’ to eliminate; toxins, chemicals, and metals. The gut’s bacterial flora balance is most likely off (good/bad) and needs to be restored. The immune system’s condition will be a big factor when it comes to the severity and the length of the detox reactions. This is a very important to understand since many that switch to a raw food diet is not aware of these reactions. When the immune system becomes more effective its ability to remove ‘waste’ also increases. The elimination system’s normal pathways in these situations often become over loaded and seek to utilize all possible ways to eliminate the waste. Skin, ears, eyes, feet and nose, are typical pathways used. The skin gets itchy, ears gunky, eyes runny, feet itchy (can cause excessive licking) and a runny nose. Yeast infections are common.
The important thing to understand is:
Such conditions are symptoms, not causes. No medication or drug will ‘cure’ this, only nature can. The difficult thing is to be patient and ride this process out. What is happening is in fact very positive. It shows that the body is functioning and have started the process of getting back to homeostasis. That can take time and it varies from animal to animal. Some do this in a few weeks other take up to 6 months, this process also goes in waves, some days are better than others. I’ve even seen a dog appear done with the detox and act normal, then suddenly have a period when all symptoms re-appear for a few weeks. The temptation to run to the vet and start with antibiotics and steroids are for some hard to resist, which is understandable since we do not like to see our pets suffer. In most cases, we suffer more that our pet. Yes, antibiotics and steroids will give some temporary relief from the symptoms but not from the cause. We need to address the cause! Then we will see permanent results.
I urge you to ride this process out like the owner of Jule did. Let the body do its work and these symptoms will disappear.
If you need help please contact me.