Can a great dog food cure a physical ailment that the top vets have not been able to solve? Seems unlikely, but this is a follow up to the story of the medical woes of Oscar – who was also a DOG TALK® Dog of the Month.
It’s been a while and I want to take a minute to update you about Oscar. As you may recall, we took Oscar to Tufts this past summer, hoping that we would finally hear something that would give us some hope. However, the final recommendations did not suggest a positive prognosis. In fact, one of the recommendations was to amputate Oscar’s leg. We couldn’t do that. We put him on anti-inflammatory meds and pain meds for a while, but, on your recommendation, started him on Halo dog food. Well, guess what! Oscar’s leg has healed! He limped so badly for over two years that we could never walk very far. When he ate, he would hold up the affected leg. He couldn’t get up any stairs. His paws were two different sizes, one very small, the other long and broad. Well, you get the picture.
In the past month or so, however, Oscar suddenly began to stop limping altogether. He stopped favoring the leg to the point that now we are able to take long long walks in the woods behind our home. We walk all the way to the farm where his donkey friends look forward to his visits (along with the carrots/apples I bring along). It feels like a miracle, Tracie. I wonder if it was the Halo, supplanted with real meat/turkey. I think it had a lot to do with it and I just want to thank you for recommending it. Initially, we were appalled to discover the price of the product, but the results are unmistakable. So, at nine and a half, Oscar is whole again and sends you his very best. We wonder at his outcome if we hadn’t started him on Halo. I am a fan now, of you and of Halo.
So I wrote to Dr. Donna Spector, the Official Vet of HALO Purely for Pets, and here was her reply:
It sounds like Oscar developed severe arthritis after ligament injury and subsequent infection of the joint. Tracie, I do believe that the recommendations you made for Oscar were helpful to his healing process. While the high quality proteins, natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatories found in Halo products can improve immune function and cellular organ function, to “heal” a targeted leg lesion would be unlikely. Although I do believe that proper nutrition can reverse many problems, I have to say I am a bit doubtful that Oscar’s story was a miraculous Halo turnaround. The omega 3 fatty acids together with the profile of Halo food likely helped improve inflammation in this painful joint. I think it is totally acceptable to highlight Oscar as the poster child for “natural ways to improve arthritis”…emphasizing fatty acids and the importance of a high quality natural diet. The higher nutritional plane achieved by using Halo could have helped the healing process — the injury gradually healed over time — but the food likely was not fully responsible. Great story. Thanks for sharing.
So Judith concluded:
The food that we had fed Oscar and had been giving our Shepherds for years was Nutre. The last two lived to be 13 and 14, so the food did pretty well for them. Of course, good breeding helps. We changed to Halo when you suggested, stopped all of the drugs, and supplemented his twice daily feedings with meat, turkey, bison, chicken and fish. I never was able to get him to eat the platinum despite numerous offerings; the food was always left when platinum was included. I do give him fish oil supplements by capsule. He walks daily for long periods of time to visit the donkeys, and I think this has helped him. Despite the fact that he doesn’t limp anymore, he still struggles with getting up and we think this will probably worsen in the months/years to come. He does have arthritis.
He even plays with me now and this hasn’t happened in a very long time. He is definitely happier.
When I asked for more photos to post on my website of Oscar playing with his donkey friend (his only fun activity for along time) Judith described how charming their interaction is:
Unfortunately, the three donkeys are sequestered behind fences in the winter and it is difficult to show the relationship that exists other than to see oscar stick his neck between two slats of the fence. Maggie’s offspring, Jigs, especially loves Oscar now. He’s almost three, and full of the dickens, but when Oscar would visit before the winter, the farmer who owns him would lower the electric fence so Oscar could get close to Jigs. Oscar would, at some point, lie down in front of this donkey, and Jigs would nuzzle him and actually groom him, licking his back as Oscar lay there. The farmer was amazed, I was amazed as donkeys don’t especially have a fondness for canines. Oscar just relaxed at Jigs’ feet and enjoyed the visit. We go over every day now to feed the donkeys carrots, and Jigs and Maggie will still run along their fence side by side with Oscar. Now that he has stopped limping, this activity is more fun for Oscar.
Again, we thank you for being so on board with us this past year. I’m certain that you have a lot on your plate in general, and the fact that you took/ take the time to correspond and support us is significant. I tell everyone about you and I’m sure that your listening audience has widened through our efforts. Your book has been loaned to other dog owner friends more than once and has resulted in the sale of yet more copies. We wish you continued success in your efforts to educate/inform pet owners everywhere. You are doing such a good thing.
Our best,
Judy and Thomas
The Dog Bible
