Vegas - An Overmedicated Dog!

Vegas was my daughter's dog. He was named Vegas because he was born in Las Vegas. He was given to my daughter by a friend. He was so tiny, he must have been taken from his mother much too soon. My daughter came to live with me when Vegas was a year old. He would get into everything! I put up a gate to keep him in the kitchen when he couldn't be supervised and he would knock it down. I would come home and find his "mass of destruction" throughout the house. I finally had to install a gate that screwed into the wall to keep him confined. It took many years, but evenually he stopped getting into everything, and I was able to take the gate down. He still had times of getting into things that he shouldn't have. There was the bag of Hershey kisses, his poop was very "festive" for a few days and the time he got into Jake's Rimadyl and had to have his stomach pumped! For a small dog, it was amazing how big his reach was when it came to food (table and counter).

Cocker Spaniels are known for ear infections, and Vegas was no exception. Once or twice a year Vegas would get an ear infection and he also had "skin problems". The vet said he had "allergies". The protocol was steriods, antibiotics, antihistamines, anti-inflammatories, ear drops and ear washes. The cost was always $300.00 or more. He would clear up for a few months and then the same symptoms would start again. This cycle went on for years. (The problem was the poor quality food, filled with grains, that he was allergic to! Vets don't seem to know this.)

When Vegas was eleven years old, he was taken to the vet for his usual "spring allergy symptoms". His ears and skin were a mess. This time the vet detected a mass in his abdomen. The vet took x-rays and then 2 needle biopsies. The results were non-cancer, but inconclusive. The vet had no idea what the growth was, but it was massive. He didn't know if Vegas would survive the surgery or if the mass was even operable. Vegas did not act sick, he was playful, into things as usual, and had a great appetite.

I already had my degree in nutrition and had known about Dr. Pitcairn's book. I bought it, and not to my surprise, dogs and cats are no different than humans. You feed them good quality food, avoid environment toxins and they will be healthy. Proper nutrition can change health and even reverse disease in humans and animals. I learned that vets treat the symptoms with medicines and the problem is not resolved, it just gets worse. (Human problems are treated the same way.)

I did not give Vegas any of the medications prescribed this time and started him on a natural raw diet. I treated his skin with natural remedies like aloe vera and Vitamin E oil. I flushed his ears with organic apple cider vinegar, diluted (1/2 cup water to 1 tsp. vinegar). The vinegar kills bacteria and fungus. In a couple of months his skin was clear and he never had another ear infection.

Vegas lived for a full year after the mass was found. It did not get any bigger and he never had any symptoms. He seemed to be in great health , he had alot of energy and loved his new diet.
One evening he was walking down the hall and collapsed and died. It was very sudden and we were all in shock. The vet said his heart just stopped. I believe, through my studies, that the cause of his mass and his heart stopping, was a result of years of poor quality food and massive doses of medications, especially steriods. These drugs stay in the body and result is long term health problems. I was able to see through Vegas, how a change of diet can have dramatic results in the improvement of health.