Linus
About 5 years ago, I started to notice that Linus would have episodes of an upset stomach (diarrhea, regurgitation & vomiting). Being that he is a French Bulldog I assumed that these episodes could potentially relate to some typical bulldog health expectations or stress. At the time, I was working for a veterinary practice, so I checked into it and the symptoms did not turn out to be much concern. A basic antibiotic and a bland diet cleared up the issue for the moment. Over time, these episodes would make their appearance and eventually resolve. With the guidance of Linus�s veterinarian, we agreed to regularly feed a bland diet, but the nutritional value of a bland diet just did not sit well with me. The episodes of diarrhea, regurgitation and vomiting still persisted on & off. Linus had been through multiple rounds of testing and medications to manage or resolve the issue for good, but the issues never did. The problem became so severe that he was passing a lot of blood in his stool and even vomiting water. Anything that entered his stomach came right back out in one way or another. Linus was drastically losing weight and his quality of life was becoming threatened. I thought my next step would be euthanasia. Still exploring for hope I found a privately owned whole foods pet market that offered health consultations. Linus and I met with the owner and I explained his health struggle. She suggested that we stop the mainstream basic pet care along with a kibble diet (this was dehydrating him) and pursue a homeopathic/human grade approach. Clearly, his issues were stemming from his gut health and of course, what contributes to gut health other than DIET! She got us set up with a whole new care routine for Linus and sure enough I was noticing improvements, but not complete resolutions (I�ll take what I can get to see him doing better!) Overtime, this became financially invasive, but I was determined to maintain the same type of care to Linus. I realized his new diet was literally made up of everything a human could possibly consume, so why not cook for him? I cooked for him for about a year and a half. His new veterinarian was supportive of his diet, but did bring some concerns to my attention to watch for overtime. I visited another holistic pet store with a high focus on pet nutrition (Doggie Dao & Cat�s Meow). I, once again, explained Linus�s story to the owner and she suggested I try a human grade frozen or dehydrated diet with Linus. She showed my what brands her store had to offer and suggested Honest Kitchen as being one of the more flexible diets. The information on the packaging seemed doable as well as the price point. I left the store with a bunch of Honest Kitchen cups (in the highly potent fish formula). Linus couldn�t get enough of this food! I kept purchasing more cups and he kept devouring it. I started noticing months into this regimen that Linus was not experiencing diarrhea or vomiting. Linus was also able to drink water and not regurgitate it. We have now been at this for about 2 years and Linus is the healthiest 7 year old French Bulldog to probably exist! Every day, breakfast & dinner, he starts smacking his mouth & dances around the kitchen impatiently waiting for his Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Turkey dish. We also doctor it up with Stews, Bone Broths or Pour Overs because everything agrees with him!!!
