Answers Dog Food Question

[kristen_acri]

Anyone feeding Answers Detailed Formula dog food?

I've been feeding Answers to Reyah, my 40-pound Springer Spaniel, the last few days to see if she tolerates it. My pet sitter will be feeding it to Reyah while I'm on vacation. The recommended amount doesn't seem like much when compared to how much fresh, raw food I typically feed her. They recommend 10-12 ounces daily. I've been giving her 3/4 cup twice a day and also adding some quinoa, beets, and blueberry/kale smoothie. Her fresh raw feedings are approximately 10 ounces each feeding, twice a day, before adding the quinoa and blueberry/kale smoothie.

Thanks for any insights or opinions from anyone!

Kristen

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Kristen-

Is she any hungrier than usual when eating the Answers (+ other goodies)?

 

[Dr. Christina]

Dr. Jeff's answer is perfect, Kristen. Since the "density and digestibility of any food is unique, there is no right amount to feed. In addition to being hungrier on that amount of answers, is there any other BEAM or EWS changes? If not, or only good ones (increased energy), then it is fine.

How long will you be gone?

Dr. Christina

 

[kristen_acri]

@Dr. Christina and @Dr. Jeff -- thank you both! I returned 12:45 a.m. today from a retreat in warm, sunny Mexico. I was away 9 days.

Reyah tolerated the Answers very well. I believe she is like Archie from what Dr. Jeff has said about him. She would eat a meal every time I walk into the kitchen if I gave one to her. Seems insatiable -- a symptom? Or...maybe not hungry, but always wants to eat. This may be a better description.

She doesn't look like she's lost weight while I was away. Her pet sitter described her as doing great, 'playing like a puppy.' This is typical for her. No BM yesterday but right on schedule this morning.

Her tumor looks larger to me--she kind of looks like a Holstein.

Her BEAM stays pretty consistent with minor ups and downs here and there. There are EWS that I've been tracking -- dandruff, attractive to fleas but they are decreasing in number. She had a very small amount of white goop in one or both eyes for about a month and then it stopped. As soon as I think there's a change or something persists long enough to consider it a symptom, it goes away!

I'm considering surgery so am researching vets in my general area (Harrisburg, PA), as far as an hour away. Her conventional vet, Melissa McFarland, is still out on maternity I believe.

Thanks again!

Kristen

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Fantastic to hear about Reyah, and welcome back Kristin!

Yes, Answer's makes some great food.

Reyah's appetite definitely sounds like Archie's.

Has she always been "insatiable" ( STOMACH - APPETITE, - insatiable : (20)), or has her appetite increased over time?

I fully understand about wanting to get rid of the big mammary tumor.

Is it markedly decreasing her range of motion or quality of life?

If not, I'd personally leave the tumor alone.

It may be a very important outlet for her internal imbalance.

Removing it could permanently decrease her quality of life.

On the other hand, there is a known correlation between the size of the tumor and metastasis.

Early removal is recommended by >99% of the vet specialists (oncologists).

The bottom line is that you need to do what feels right to you.

And that may be removal.

And that's 100% fine.

Or you might choose to leave it.

Also 100% fine.

Please keep us updated no matter what you decide..

 

[jsqueglia]

Good Morning,
Question about rubrics and context.

Has she always been "insatiable" ( STOMACH - APPETITE, - insatiable : (20)), or has her appetite increased over time?

Another rubric I have found is :

Modalities: Ameliorations: Eating (32) taken from Boericke's MM

Our dog will also eat constantly, steal food and in general at times is just plain obsessed by food. Always has been. He is an anxious dog. So this rubric resonated to me as a possibility.

I take the context of this rubric to be indicated for things like Stress eating or Boredom eating. Or the belly feels a little icky(maybe from anxiety) and eating makes it feel better.

The rubric above I read "insatiable" as meaning Always hungry and appetite can not be satisfied.

Am I differentiating these 2 rubrics correctly?

I can see the Insatiable one pertaining to Reyah. But perhaps the Amelirorations: Eating one more correct for Archie and Tux(my dog).
Just looking for clarification.

Reyah is one lucky dog to have you Kristen. No doubt in my mind, you will make the right decisions moving forward.

Have a great day!

Jackie

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks for your great questions Jackie.

Does eating relieve Tux's anxiety?

Also, a bit of the bigger context about repertories.

This is directly relevant to our helping sick pets, people, etc.

Many of us know that homeopathy is safer, more gentle and more effective than quick-acting drugs (often "antis").

Partially because of more reliable tools.

Reliably proven homeopathic medicines, reliable books of symptoms, thousands (millions?) of documented cases, and reliable indices to those books.

Boericke's is considered more of a repertory based on his experience rather than an index to the materia medica.

That's why the rubrics have fewer homeopathic medicines in them.

The most reliable repertory is considered to be the Therapeutic Pocket Book (Dimitriadias translation) by Clemens von Boenninghausen.

This is the only repertory that is based on proven symptoms.

The rubric from Boericke's that you mentioned is based on Boericke's application in practice of von B's conception of generalizing modalities.

For von B, if a modality was seen one specific part e.g. stomach pain > pressure, he considered it applicable to the patient in general.

After all, it's not the stomach that's sick, this just happens to be the location where the imbalance is manifesting.

Back to your rubric question, my answer is yes, Boericke's rubric could apply.

Perhaps just use it as part of your analysis along with the insatiable rubric or ones like: STOMACH - APPETITE - ravenous - eating - after eating - soon after: (42), the insatiable rubric etc.

I agree that Reyah and Kristin are lucky to have each other!

 

[lizkunz]

@Dr. Christina and @Dr. Jeff -- thank you both! I returned 12:45 a.m. today from a retreat in warm, sunny Mexico. I was away 9 days.

Reyah tolerated the Answers very well. I believe she is like Archie from what Dr. Jeff has said about him. She would eat a meal every time I walk into the kitchen if I gave one to her. Seems insatiable -- a symptom? Or...maybe not hungry, but always wants to eat. This may be a better description.

She doesn't look like she's lost weight while I was away. Her pet sitter described her as doing great, 'playing like a puppy.' This is typical for her. No BM yesterday but right on schedule this morning.

Her tumor looks larger to me--she kind of looks like a Holstein.

Her BEAM stays pretty consistent with minor ups and downs here and there. There are EWS that I've been tracking -- dandruff, attractive to fleas but they are decreasing in number. She had a very small amount of white goop in one or both eyes for about a month and then it stopped. As soon as I think there's a change or something persists long enough to consider it a symptom, it goes away!

I'm considering surgery so am researching vets in my general area (Harrisburg, PA), as far as an hour away. Her conventional vet, Melissa McFarland, is still out on maternity I believe.

Thanks again!

Kristen

 

[lizkunz]

Dear Kristen, I saw this Answers thread and since you are in the Harrisburg area do you know Doglicious in Hummelstown? They have a great selection of Answers products as well as other resources. You are lucky to live near there. Doglicious Spa & Wellness Center - About Us. Good luck with Reyah. She is really fortunate to have you for her Mom. Liz

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks for sharing this great resource Liz!

 

[kristen_acri]

Thank you so much for this extra information! My responses are below:

Fantastic to hear about Reyah, and welcome back Kristin!

Yes, Answer's makes some great food.

Reyah's appetite definitely sounds like Archie's.

Has she always been "insatiable" ( STOMACH - APPETITE, - insatiable : (20)), or has her appetite increased over time? Yes, I bought her a slow-feed bowl immediately.

I fully understand about wanting to get rid of the big mammary tumor.

Is it markedly decreasing her range of motion or quality of life? Not markedly, but somewhat. She fell up the steps on Friday in her excitement about something outside. I only heard her fall, didn't see it. I notice that she's taking steps slower now. Not sure if she hit the tumor when she fell or if it's just the fall that slowed her down. We do a lot of stairs in a day's time. It's also harder for her to get in a good position to scratch!

If not, I'd personally leave the tumor alone.

It may be a very important outlet for her internal imbalance. I like looking at the tumor in this way. Surgery would definitely impact her BEAM in a negative way and quality of life if recovery would be anything like her first surgery.

Removing it could permanently decrease her quality of life.

On the other hand, there is a known correlation between the size of the tumor and metastasis. Her January 2019 x-rays were unchanged from those of May 2018. Worthwhile repeating images and labs?

Early removal is recommended by >99% of the vet specialists (oncologists). Are there any holistic vet oncologists? If so, do they recommend the same?

The bottom line is that you need to do what feels right to you.

And that may be removal.

And that's 100% fine.

Or you might choose to leave it.

Also 100% fine.

Please keep us updated no matter what you decide..

Thank you again! Now back in waiting and watching mode. I feel like a I need to make a plan in case the tumor ulcerates.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

You're welcome Kristin.

To answer your questions:

1. There's not much downside (except expense) to doing non-invasive diagnostic tests.

However, since you just ran some, I'd wait to repeat them until late Spring-Summer.

That way you can look further for internal symptoms by trending the results.

Ask your vet for the trended blood test results. Most vet labs are happy to comply.

You can retest sooner if she has any concerning changes before then.

2. I'm not aware of a holistically-oriented vet oncologist (and I've looked!).

Perhaps @Dr. Christina knows of one.

 

[jsqueglia]

There is an Integrative Veterinary Oncologist speaking at the Healthy Dog Expo in Albany, NY April 6th.
www.healthydogexpo.com

Her name is Dr Kendra Pope and she is a board certified veterinary oncologist and she specializes in Integrative care for cancer patients as well as integrative/Holistic care for wellness. She is in Red Bank, NJ Dr Kendra Pope

Hope this helps.

I am headed to the Expo on the 6th of April and look forward to hearing Dr Pope speak as well as Dr Jean Dodd's and Suzanne Clothier - Trainer/behaviorist ,Billy Hoekman from Answers Dog Food, Dr Torraca- TotoFit and Wizard of Paws and a raw food blogger and enthusiast Kimberly Gautier. Not sure if I missed someone but the line up is excellent! So far about 15 vendors as well.

Jackie

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Jackie-

Please let us know if you think that Dr. Pope is truly holistic.

I have spoken with many other vets and oncologists who call themselves holistic primarily because they integrate "holistic" supplements.

Especially a supplement called Apocaps that oncologist Dr. Sue Ettinger is involved with and discusses in
https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Cancer-Survival-Guide-Treatments-ebook/dp/B005F5HPXU

Another useful book with an even more holistic view on pets with cancer is "Pointing The Bone At Cancer" by Ian Billinghurst (of BARF fame). https://www.drianbillinghurst.com/product/pointing-the-bone-at-cancer/

Also, here is an important and useful exercise from Dr. Dresssler's book about holistic approaches to pets with cancer. He is the formulator of Apocaps and co-wrote the book with Dr. Ettinger.

 

[jsqueglia]

Hi Dr Jeff,
I will most certainly report back on my experiences with the speakers in general as well as Dr Pope.

After thoroughly reading her website, it is my "gut feeling" that she is the real deal. She requires all her patients to have a primary veterinarian who she will work with to come up with holistic treatment solutions for your pets. From the website I get the feeling that there is not a whole lot of conventional medicine happening but I certainly could be wrong.

It seems she has a strong interest in TCVM and Western Herbal medicine. As well as Ayurvedic medicine, Flower Essences, Essential Oils etc..... plus Reiki and Tui-na and therapeutic massage. Her only mention of supplements was to say that Dietary supplements are meant to fill gaps in nutrition like Fish Oils, Vit D, Melatonin and Probiotics.

She also creates diets specific to the individuals needs and quotes Hippocrates "Let food be thy medicine and Medicine be thy food" ....

She describes her Reiki sessions as Mindful Meditation done with your pet.

She has 2 research studies running at the moment. One involving an Herbal Protocol for dogs w/splenic hemangiosarcoma and another on Acupuncture for Chemotherapy side effects.

I understand your hesitation. I am forever the skeptic with human Doctors as well. I will report back after 4/6.
Jackie

 

[Dr. Christina]

Dr. Pope has written for the Integrative Veterinary Care Journal and she is very holistic. She is mostly trained in Chinese medicine approach.

The best veterinary homeopaths are, in my opinion, the best chance to manage or completely resolve cancer, along with maybe ozone, MBRT (fecal transplant) and all the diet/TLC you are already doing.

So glad you went to Mexico. Taking care of the caretaker is critically important.
Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks Jackie!

I hope you're right Dr. Christina and am looking forward to Jackie's report since I had considered approaching Dr. Pope for a study of cancer patients and BEAM, but chose not to do so.

I'd love to get her involved with evaluating VBS in cancer care.

 

[kristen_acri]

Thanks everyone for wealth of good info and resources in this thread -- @Dr. Jeff , @Dr. Christina , @lizkunz , and @jsqueglia

Liz -- I follow Doglicious on Facebook but have never been there! They're closer to me since they've moved but there are closer resources -- Abrams & Weakley and Bennie's Pet Depot. Are you in the Harrisburg area?

I feel totally at ease with how I'm proceeding with Reyah. I have an appointment with Dr. Jeff next week and I'm sure we'll tweak what's needed. The conference Jackie talks about sounds interesting and I look forward to hearing her impressions. I wanted to clarify if the >99% number included holistic vets or if they were all conventional. Got that answer!!!

I am most grateful for knowing about BEAM. It puts all of the answers to the questions you always asked me @Dr. Christina into a framework that forces me to think about them every day. BEAM is really helping to guide me.

Thanks again!

Kristen

 

[kristen_acri]

Forgot something -- @Dr. Christina , @Dr. Jeff , or anyone...

Looking at Kent -- STOMACH, APPETITE, wanting -- this is how I described Reyah close to the beginning of this thread, always wanting to eat. How is wanting different than insatiable and/or ravenous? She has never stolen food from a counter and she doesn't beg for food.

Thanks!

 

[lizkunz]

Hi Kristin, I'm in Hershey every couple of months or so! I stock up on Answers when I'm there. Doglicious doesn't carry too many traditional items. But they have a huge refrigerator/freezer area with most Answers products as well as Raw Milk, etc. On my last visit I saw that Billy Hoekman was scheduled for a talk. I return home to CT with a cooler full of Answers products!

Have you thought about mushroom supplements for Reyah? I remember that the Empower Hour with Dr. Basko made a huge impression on me. And Dr. Jeff, what about CBC oil?