!7: Canned Corned Beef Recall Best: December 2011

!±8± 98 Year Old Labrador Still Going Strong - Out on Date With Poodle!

Alive at 14 years - My Miracle Tumor Cures... two operations and a change of diet

A True Life story be told by Jack the Labrador... Canine interview by Portia Poodlette of Playdog Magazine

Portia: I hate to ask, but exactly how old are you?

Please tell the truth as your muzzle is very white... your body is quite muscular, however.

Jack: In human years nearly 14, but in dog years probably 98 or something... and no, I don't take Pet-Iagra DGH - Doggie Growth Hormone and I do just fine with my female friends, thanks. It's all about lifestyle and diet as I will reveal to you in this interview.

Portia: Jack, how did you reach this ripe rage of almost 14 yrs.... most dogs your size are in the grave or are in doggie heaven by 9 - have terrible cataracts and arthritis? You look good and very spry with those clear, sparkling brown eyes.

Jack: Well, my master is "dog gone" smart, well let's say he's a "real digger" for information on almost everything. Mr. P. is an inventor, holds patents and has manufactured all types of things from pooper scoopers to bagels and software. Basically, I was lucky that I was born into the safety and care of someone who did not totally believe everything the vet or clerk at the pet store promised or claimed about a product.

Portia: Did your master have any relationships with other dogs prior to getting together with you? Why do you think he picked you, a Black Lab?

Jack: First of all, Black Labs are cool dudes. We pretty much mind our business and love everyone from babies to seniors. They use us for blind and handicapped situations as well as search missions - why not a Lab?

Portia: OK... excuse me for asking. Let's get on to his other relationships.

Jack: My master had told me loving stories about his previous dog. One stood out by the name of Beauregard. His 7 year old terrier mix died from liver failure after using a shampoo product for fleas and ticks. That well-known- branded product was later taken off the shelf along with others same branded flea and tick plastic collars that were making pets severely ill. Beauregard also had some dangerous issues with choking on those green, hard rubbery things that got lodged in pets intestines (and they are still selling them after the lawsuit). This gave my master the clue that too many pet food / treat manufacturers don't do any (neither are they required) testing as pet products and are not FDA regulated. Look, the human FDA group has trouble with even human food! We get tainted food from China all the time. There have been instances where organic snacks supposedly from America contain nuts and fruits from China - and I don't believe for one minute that CHINA even knows what organic means! Just remember, all dogs should and could have a life of 20 years if they are fed a high grade food diet with proper exercise and care. Portia, you would be shocked at what dog food manufacturers put in our dog food - I used to have night mares that I tasted pet parts in my food - and I was right!

Portia: YUK! Can you tell us about your most recent trials with diarrhea, your operations for your tumors, your flea and tick issues. How you have been avoiding poisonous flea and tick meds and collars, ointments, etc.

Jack: Let's start from the beginning. My story has a wonderful and happy ending after two needless surgeries. I will tell you about how my master discovered some simple, bite sized bits of information that will basically "blow the woof" off of your mind. I've been on this new, tasty diet nearly two years now with obvious and unbelievable success. I feel great. I look great and walk for mile or two daily. I even catch a Frisbee or two when I feel real great and that's cool for 98 years!

Portia, I forgive my master for putting me through those operations and making me eat that foul Vetinarian food, but c'mon, we all make mistakes. I must have pooped and sprayed his rug with waste for years, chewed on the furniture and ruined the seats in the family car - got yelled at but always got tons of love everyday!

Portia: Can you get on with your diarrhea problems, tumors and the operations. I have to get to "Le Grande Georgeffe Groomers" for my weekly shave on my tail and legs. Got to look suave for the upcoming dog show in the Poodle Park every Monday.

Jack: Rather pushy aren't you. Of course, I wouldn't expect any less from your breed.

My master spent thousands of dollars buying worthless dog supplements - that made me gag, countless visits to vets and two final operations that nearly killed me. I am going to tell you the following information which should be used for dogs only after the puppy stage. Puppies are a lot more sensitive to changes and should be treated with more care as they are like babies.

Portia, unfortunately for me, my master took me to a doctor through a referral of a friend...big mistake. If he only could have heard all the other dogs complaining in the waiting room and after they came out of the exam room - horror stories! You should have seen all the tails tucked between their legs...a red flag signal for all us dogs.

I tell you Portia, finding a doctor is not the same as telling another dog about a great fire hydrant to pee on...or a great bush to sniff. Everyone has a different opinion when it comes to a great pee or doggie dodo. But when you choose a doctor, the biggest bad and most common mistake is that you chose them because you liked them - they have a good bedside manner. My master was fooled by her personality and he should have known that she was a bit "iffy" when she insisted on giving me medications for pain, cancer and putting me on a special and very costly "Vetinary Food Diet" available in her office. That food gave me diarrhea for days and I almost passed out from being dehydrated!

Jack's Tip and First lesson: Check out vets thoroughly along with the products they sell in their "VET STORE". You can find out a lot about dog food on forums on the internet, etc. More and more doctors are looking like pet stores with shelves stocked with their own "special vet" products and treats which make you feel that the products are better for your dog. We found GREENIES, the product that plugged dogs intestines still on their shelf after the first recall

View your dog as you would see your child or spouse - check out the doctor and research any type of drug or procedure they suggest with other doctors and perhaps get a second opinion if you can. Doctors and especially vets are not "god " although some think they are. Some doctors have a program (like chiropractors - another great article) and want you to come back for more treatments and more of "their special vet pet " foods. Some of these foods are just as bad as off the normal cheap off -the-shelf food with nice packaging. After the scare about the ingredients used by major pet food manufacturers that come from CHINA, why should we trust dog food makers anymore. They can claim they changed, but at what cost to them? They placate the public which often forgets after a couple of months. For the record, even human food additives and flavors put in human energy bars are coming from CHINA (we called several of these nutritional bar companies who were very hesitant to admit the flavorings came from CHINA who I would question whether they give a darn about Americans let alone their own people). Bags of ORGANIC trail mixes found in health food stores are full of CHINA products. Read the packaging carefully and you will notice that some nuts and fruits are coming from CHINA. Do you think they abide by the strict organic guidelines. Why would dog food makers have strict guidelines if normal food companies can't be honest with us. Here's a recent fact, we still get thousands of toys from CHINA that contain lead after numerous recalls - and these are toys distribute by well known household name companies!!

Portia: I don't want to get personal, but can you tell me a little more about what you did about your darn diarrhea. I too often get a case of the spurts as my own master likes to give me cooked steak, fish and other table foods that are just so scrumptious - I know that they are bad for me but my diarrhea disasters just don't mix with my white fur coat!

Jack: Well, since my master did not want the meds approach for my tumor, he chose the conservative diet approach with the doctors vet food. This was obviously a feeling of obligation since he disagreed with the cancer and pain treatment therapy. Portia, to tell you the truth, I wasn't in that much pain... we all get a little arthritis when we get older, but a lot is due to that crummy dog food they feed us - basically a common problem is too much salt in dog food!

It's sad to see how so many people in the doctors waiting area fall for the "you should care for your dog and buy our vet approved food and treats" type of guilt trip. All those other masters feel so obligated to buy something when they leave because the office employees are trained to sell, sell, sell stuff. Take control and just say no thanks, maybe next time.

Portia: Ok.. so let's get back on track with the diarrhea and what you did about it?

Jack: After two days of eating the vet food, I suffered severe diarrhea and got weaker and weaker each day. I heard my master call the doctor and was told to mix the vet food with my previous organic food (which had too much salt and made me thirsty which previously led the doctor to run tests on diabetes - it was horrible!). My master was instructed to slowly back off the previous food until I was totally on the vet food. Wrong! If I had continued to eat that vet food, all the carpets in the house would have oceans of my diarrhea. My neighbor Dash Dachshund told me that the vet should have requested us either to come in or stop the food. Lucky for me that my master asked Dash's owner what to do and immediately put me on pumpkin - yes, plain, unsweetened pumpkin and it worked. A couple of tablespoons and like magic, the poop river stopped.

Jack:(handing a sheet of paper to the poodle) Portia, here's some great some important pieces of information to include in your article:

Second Lesson: If the diarrhea has come on suddenly,consider if you have made any changes to diet. Big point to remember is that cheaper brand dog foods often cause diarrhea as can a sudden change in diet. Feed your dog a good high quality diet - therefore feed your dog the best possible food that you can afford. Cheap dog foods are filled with cheap vegetables, carbohydrates, high levels of salt which pass straight through your dog. Bottom line: If you put in rubbish, rubbish will come out. Very important is that diarrhea can also be caused by dairy intake in dogs due to lactose intolerance. Dogs and puppies should not be given milk to drink - when you see dogs licking or eating ice cream, this is not a good idea. Try to steer away from people food. They say that a good, high quality diet can keep any dog alive for at least 20 years - so it's just like a human being. Good food, exercise and diet can improve one's life and extend it too! Pumpkin for Diarrhea and Constipation..It's quite strange that canned pureed pumpkin 100% natural UNSWEETENED canned pumpkin) can work wonders for both the occasional bout of diarrhea and will also cure the opposite, constipation in dogs. I've used it over the last two years with great success it firms up dog's loose stools or diarrhea within a few hours. When diarrhea first begins, stop feeding all foods immediately - keep water nearby. Depending on the size of the dog, a couple of teaspoons of pumpkin for a small dog or a couple of tablespoons for a larger dog. Make sure that there is FRESH water always available - purified is the best - NOT BOTTLED or tap if possible. If your dog will not eat it the pumpkin, add some brown rice with a small amount of finely shredded chicken breast for flavor and scent. If your dog has chronic diarrhea seek medical help as it can be life threatening.

Portia: This is great information Jack! Maybe we can go out on a date sometime?

Jack: Thanks! I never dated a Poodle, but there is always a first time. What would our kids look like - Labradoodles? Haha! Well, I got the diarrhea under control without visiting the vet. But I was completely worried about the tumors that were growing on the left and right side of my rib cage. I went back to eating another brand of organic dog food, taking enzyme supplements and rubbing tea tree oil on the tumors hoping they would at least stop growing. My master should have changed vets on my next visit to check on my tumors - the doctor laughed about the pumpkin and declared she never heard of this but was glad it worked. During my exam, the vet took some fluid from each tumor to discover that at least they were not cancerous. But she warned they would probably continue to grow and might attach to my muscles or turn cancerous which would impede my movement - oh no! All I saw was my leg being removed - the one I lift up when I pee. NO WAY... let's go for the operation.

Portia: So did you go for the big "O"?

Jack: What in the heck is the big "O"?

Portia: It's the cool way of saying "operation" without being rude.

Jack: Oh you Poodles have so much protocol. No wonder you walk and look that way.

Portia: Look and walk what way?

Jack: Never mind. I got the larger tumor removed and it was hell. I looked like Frankenstein as my stitches were the ugliest hack job I ever saw. The other dogs nearly fainted when I left the office that day with all those horrendous stitches! It looked like some puppy had sewn

up a blanket with their eyes closed! I cold barely walk for days but I was determined to live for my master who loved me so much. I saw the tears in his eyes as he could barely look at my shaven, stitched up bald side.

Portia: How about the other tumor? Did it get larger?

Jack: Yes, unfortunately it did start to grow very fast and a third was appearing next to the first operation! So here's the low down as I have to get to my Frisbee game at the Kennel Country Club.

My master went for the next operation (I forgive him as that one nearly put me down) with the same vet who should basically have her surgical license suspended due to lack of even being able to stitch me up with some grace. I guess he went with her as the previous operation several months previous did somewhat work - but the cause of the tumors was not yet established.

I survived that operation and I was out of commission for several months - a harder recovery as it was closer to my leg muscle. I could barely stand up and I was thirsty all the time, again, from that organic dog food. Tests were run on my urine to see if I became diabetic since I was so listless and eating tons without any exercise. The third tumor was starting to grow and I heard my master talking to Anna, his wife who was always talking about how he should become a vegetarian since the beef and chicken in human food was being tainted with so many anti-biotic, tons of pesticide laden corn that was fed to almost all livestock to make them grow fast and fat.

Anna, his wife insisted that if human food was becoming such a tragedy why would dog food be that much safer. After all, dogs and cats can't talk. If we get sick, diagnosis is so difficult since we can't say how we feel or express that maybe that food we just ate tasted like junk and made our stomach upset. Too many times, humans think we have stomach aches because of something we ate during a walk or when they were not looking. Little do they know that our dog food is making us sick!

Portia: So Jack, did you convert and become a vegan?

Jack: Very funny! You could use some of this information and maybe get that belly of yours tightened without any liposuction.

Portia: How dare you refer to my svelte, sleek tummy as being a belly. Are you telling me that I am chubby?

Jack: Give me a break. That's what's wrong with all you upper class dogs. You think that it's all about attitude and expensive food and treats. You are wrong. Take a look at me, am I proof that a change in diet makes all the difference in the world?

Portia: OK already. Get on with it. I want to know this secret to longevity and that gorgeous body you now have.

Jack: Anna, my master's wife had cancer in her family who existed on a terrible diet of Dr. Pepper, red meat, bread and almost no veggies except for canned peas. She insisted that my master look up information on vegan dogs and perhaps a vegan diet for my to stop any further tumors. There is no way I could have endured a third surgery and my master knew that. And that I why I sat patiently by him late at nights while he read about health, cancers, tumors and dogs. He finally jumped up one night with a small article that made sense. He put this information together with all the other research he had been doing about humans, cancer and pets and felt strongly that he had an approach to my third tumor. I listened to him while he told Anna about this great diet of brown rice, raw organic eggs and organic peas. He was so excited about his findings and was filled with hope that this could cure me of all my ails and mostly my energy and that slowly growing third tumor.

Portia: OK... what's the secret.

Jack: I just told you. It was so simple that you completely missed it - it went right past that pink bow on your ear! My master started the next day on giving me a mixture of the following:

1/ 4 cup organic peas

2 cups well cooked brown rice

one raw organic egg mixed to this along with a crushed vitamin ESTER 500 mg.

one 500 ESTER C - must be ESTER C and not regular or cheap vitamin C

filtered water - he even bought a water filter just for me that filtered out any chlorine, etc. that would inhibit my road to recovery.

Pet Flex - a supplement mixture of glucosomine and other stuff for my arthritis. He previously used human glucosomine - it gave me diarrhea. Don't use human form.

Any treats would be carrots, bananas or apples. Absolutely no other fruits or treats.

It was that simple.

My tumor shrunk to a size that was nearly hard to find - doctor was amazed, we changed doctors by the way since then.

My breath was far better due to the organic carrot treat I would get 3x daily.

My fur coat was the nicest in the entire community (everyone always commented on it).

I didn't get ear infections (wheat products in treats caused that).

My arthritis didn't get worse and I could catch a Frisbee again and go for two mile walks.

My vision is better as I can see in darkness and catch my masters shoe in the dark!

Third Lesson: Nutritional value of Eggs. Eggs are a great source of nutrient rich, vitamins, minerals to a healthy diet. Eggs contain the highest quality source of protein available but they also contain almost every essential vitamin and mineral needed - just does not provide vitamin C. Egg protein is used as the standard by which other proteins are compared. Eggs are the best protein money can buy, and it has all those other valuable vitamins and minerals too.

Protein:Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Egg protein is of high biological value as it contains all the essential amino acids for life. Eggs complement other food proteins of lower biological value by providing the amino acids that are in short supply in those foods. 12.5% of the weight of the egg is protein and it is found in both the yolk and the albumen.

Vitamins:The egg is a good source of all the B vitamins, plus the fat-soluble vitamin A. It also provides useful amounts of vitamin D, as well as some vitamin E.

Minerals:Eggs are an excellent source of iodine, required to make the thyroid hormone, and phosphorus, required for bone health. The egg provides significant amounts of zinc, important for wound healing, growth and fighting infection; selenium, an important antioxidant; and calcium, needed for bone and growth structure and nervous function. Eggs also contain significant amounts of iron, the vital ingredient of red blood cells. Eggs contain only traces of carbohydrate and no dietary fiber. 10.8% of the egg content is fat. The fat of an egg is found almost entirely in the yolk; there is less than 0.05% in the albumen. Approximately 11% of an egg's fatty acids are polyunsaturated, 44% monounsaturated and only 29% saturated.

Cholesterol and Lecithin are fat-like substances and are essential to the structure and function of all cells in the body. Cholesterol helps to maintain the flexibility and permeability of cell membranes and is also a raw material for the fatty lubricants that help to keep the skin supple. Cholesterol is essential for the production of sex hormones, cortisol, vitamin D and bile salts. Lecithin is involved in general lipid transportation in the blood and in the metabolism of cholesterol.

Portia: That was an amazing story. You did drool a lot... but I guess that is due to your breed, right?

Jack: No, it was due to your glowing beauty! I knew that somewhere along the way you would make fun of me to get back at my comment on your belly! In close, just let me leave with these important facts for us older dogs. Make sure you add only ESTER C to your diet.... at least 500 mg Daily. Make sure to drink, if possible, very fresh water that should be filtered for best results, raw eggs should be organic but not necessary. If you are uncomfortable with raw, then you can poach them. Snacks should only be carrots, pumpkin, apples or bananas. All other fruits might be observed with caution. Do not use white rice. Brown rice, organic green peas are the best combination with the egg.

I use a product called SHOOTAG a non chemical, proven safe way to prevent from getting fleas and ticks instead of the chemical causes skin problems, etc. I go for short and several walks to keep me limber and entertained. I get lots of hugs and love and attention.

Portia: Thanks for the interview Jack. Do you have some time for a short walk in the park with me. I would love to find a fire hydrant we can both share.

Jack: Before we do that, have you had all your shots?

The writer hereby indemnifies himself and holds himself harmless from any results that might differ from his. Outcomes may vary from dog to dog. The items of information provided are purely suggestions and it is up to the reader to do further research on their own and make his/her own decision to take action on the information above with their own pet.