HOPE FOR HEALING LIVER DISEASE IN YOUR DOG

In my 20 plus years as a veterinary practitioner, I’ve treated many cases of liver disease, and I’ve followed both conventional and alternative methods of healing.  In these pages, Cyndi Smasal has compiled an excellent guide to help treat liver disease in dogs, our best friends and companions.  And, it’s in a great format that will allow readers to download it off the World Wide Web. I started working with Cyndi and Norman four months into her alternative treatment.  I’ve never met a more dedicated pet owner.  She became a student and now a teacher of alternative veterinary medicine, nutrition, supplements and homeopathic remedies.  I have personally seen Norman benefit from her loving care, homemade dog food and nutritional supplements. The concept of a special diet for liver disease is not a novel one.  But in this book, Cyndi addresses the topic from a very personal and truthful level.  She has tried everything that could possibly be helpful for her dog, much more than what she’s listed in these pages.  She’s put all the results of her research into an easy to read, concise book that fills a tremendous need in the pet-lover community. You will find her determination inspiring in addition to solid information about a complex disease.  This book is by no means the answer to all of your dog’s needs, but it provides a great start for treating your dog with liver disease in collaboration with a qualified veterinarian. This is vital information that needs to be available for every pet-lover who has a dog with liver disease.

Deb Forster, B.S., D.V.M.

8401 Ranch Rd. 12

San Marcos, TX 78666

Phone: (512) 757-4559

Email: DrDeb@hopeforhealing.com

Chapter 1 – Norman’s Story

“Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog.”

– Sydney Jeanne Seward

It was close to Christmas 2001 and something inside me kept telling me that there was something wrong with Norman.  I thought the worst.  “It must be cancer.  He’s going to die, I just know it.”  I finally decided to face my worst fears and take him in to see the Vet.  I took him to the same Vet he had been seeing for 8 years.  The symptoms I described were:  excessive drinking, accidents (overabundance of urine), vomiting, diarrhea (soft stools) and flecks of blood in the vomit.  Dr. X did a blood test, came back and told me he had liver disease.  I asked what the treatment was for liver disease and he said there really wasn’t anything he could do.  The next step was to determine how bad and how far along it was by doing an ultrasound.  Norman had also been taking Rimadyl for Arthritis pain in his hips and knees.  Dr. X. told me to stop giving it to Norman since it could be harmful to the liver.  So, I scheduled the ultrasound, stopped the Rimadyl and started feeding Norman a prescription diet food for liver disease. The next week Norman seemed to get worse.  He swelled up like a balloon weighing in at 34 pounds.  I thought he was going to pop, he was so big.  I took him in again to see if there was something that the Vet could do.  A different Vet (Dr. Y) saw him and said that the fluid should not be removed and that the body would absorb it.  The ultrasound was done while Norman was in this bloated state. The Vet who performed the ultrasound consulted with Dr. X and they decided not to do a biopsy because the liver was too small, there was too much fluid and the prognosis was not very good.  Dr. X didn’t see any point in spending more money on a dying dog. I started taking Norman in to see either Dr. X or Dr. Y every week to check