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More On Snow Nose & DietAuthor: Judy Huston, AWSA Health
& Genetic Chairperson More on "Snow-Nose" and Diet plus an Excerpt from Fred Lanting, Mr. GSD In last month's column, I talked about snow-nose and the relationship of the dog's diet to this condition. I mentioned that I'd include a diet given to participants at the Wendy Volhard Healthy Dog Seminar last October in this issue. Please don't think I'm saying that if you don't feed your dogs Wendy's Natural Diet (which is all raw), or this one I'm including in this article (which is the one she recommends people use if they don't feed raw) that you are not feeding your dog(s) properly. Remember that like you I'm only interested in the health and well-being of our beautiful dogs. Like you, I do the best I know how to do to keep them healthy. In my lifetime I will not have the knowledge, time, or resources to do what Wendy has already done, so I'm observing the results she and her followers have already had. Personally, I have become convinced that Wendy knows what she is talking about because of her years of research and testing. If your dog(s) experience snow-nose and if you believe diet is implicated (along with a lack of sun), and if you have been looking for a different or better diet for your dogs, then you may want to try this. The other experienced group of people will be the long-time breeders. They may already have found the answer to this problem, so don't hesitate to talk to them. The diet follows: Diet For A Healthy Dog Designed for a 50-pound adult dog; adjust according to weight. Feed twice a day. Performance Dog Food (start out with PHD or use one that has two animal proteins in first three ingredients,) 1 gram (1,000 mg) Vitamin C (Calcium Ascorbate from PHD is best)* 2 x day Vitamin B-Complex* Bronson, 2 x day Amino Acid Complex, 1 Mega Amino * (Nature's Most) 1 tablet 1 x day 1/8 teaspoon Digestive Enzymes (PHD Unleash) 2 x day 1/4 teaspoon PHD Wellness Vit/min mix. ** 1 x day l large egg cooked with shell for 5 minutes. 4 x week Rotate one of the following animal proteins daily 1/2 cup 2 x day of the following: Fresh raw meat (hamburger, 85% fat free) Fresh raw beef, calves or lamb liver (once a week only) Cottage Cheese Fresh unflavored yogurt that contains Acidophillus White Fish (lighly cooked) Raw bones once a week Add daily: 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped vegetables, herbs in season and 2 Tablespoons fresh or dried fruits Treats: Carrot sticks, dried liver, broccoli, raisins, parsnips,lettuce,cucumbers, bananas, prunes, apples, pears, any fruit in season, or any vegetables for which your dog shows a preference. ** Wellness should only be used for the first three weeks to bring dog into balance. Use only when needed or when dog is under stress. Prolonged use of medicinal herbs is not advised. Ref: "The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog", Wendy Volhard and Kerry Brown, DVM ( Howell Book House, 1995) All the items listed above have been veterinary tested for balance. PHD products can be ordered directly: 1 800 743-1502 From Fred Lanting about Snow Nose A paragraph from Fred Lanting's new edition, "The Total German Shepherd Dog": Snow nose and other pigment problems - A condition frequently found in white dogs is a somewhat temporary loss of black pigment from the bulb of the nose, usually in a center strip. It has been blamed on mild frostbite, but I am convinced this is not the cause. I suspect that this so-called snow nose may be a hormone-related reaction to sunlight, similar to the way length of days affects a female's estrus cycle. But it is something that only happens in dogs that are genetically predisposed to vitiligo (lack of pigmentation). I have seen it mostly in lighter-colored dogs, dogs with liver genes whether heterozygous or homozygous, in white Shepherds, and in other breeds. It has even been reported linked to allergic reaction to certain plastic food dishes. Dogs will frequently develop vitiligo in skin or hair where they have been bitten, burned, vaccinated, or otherwise traumatized. In these instances, the ability of the dermal tissue to multiply melanocytes that produce melanin pigment has been compromised. You can get notice of the publication date of this important and even necessary addition to your library, by connecting with www.hoflin.com where an announcement will be made soon. The book has extensive and fair treatment of the white Shepherd Dog. Fred Lanting, Canine Consulting. [email protected] Next Month Next month's column will include information from Catherine O'Driscoll who wrote Who Killed The Darling Buds Of May, a book about some of the terrible effects of vaccines on our dogs. A question she addresses is "Why are our dogs ill and dying?" She (and others) say the reasons come from the following -- not necessarily in this order, but these are some topics we will touch on in future issues.
Until next month..... |
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