Angel was advertised as being five years old. I had just lost my Am Bulldog mix, Macy, at eight years old due to brain cancer. Upon inspection of Angel's vet records, it appears that she was five years old three years ago. That made her eight years old and at the lower end So here I was with another dog similarly-aged with some health issues with which I had no experience. Her muzzle is gray with age. She was not in good health. No vigor. She didn't look happy. Her front feet were so swollen, infected (staph) and bloody, that walking was difficult. She purportedly had grain allergies and and grass allergies which were the cause of her problems. Though she was on a grain-free diet, I'm unclear why her problems were still so acute.
Angel walked so painfully, I could not tell if it was due to her sore feet or a structural issue. She did not really interact with me--stoic is how I would describe her. She just walked carefully outside, clearly in pain. For about 30 seconds, I wondered if I could take her in. Thankfully that thought passed quickly.
I was candid with the agency. I would not be spending thousands of dollars on this dog. I don't wish for this to sound harsh, but I've seen solicitations for expensive surgery and treatments ($4-$5 thousand) for dogs that were at the end of their natural life expectancy. I don't believe in prolonging the suffering of animals, nor do I believe in breaking the bank that one does not have to care for an animal with no good prognosis. Further, those funds could be better used to care for more treatable conditions. In a world of finite resources, some difficult decisions need to be made.
Nevertheless, I assured them that I would love her, feed her grain free, and ensure that received adequate veterinary care. They understood (some agencies do not). They waived the adoption fee and would not accept my $100 donation. They wanted me to spend the resources on Angel. I loaded her up and took her home. She road quietly. I took her to the vet and had her xrayed to ensure that she did not have in structural issues. She was put on antibiotics and steroids to care for her feet. She responded well to the medications.
Integrating Angel into the household was somewhat easy for her....she is a dominant dog. (I was also assured that she was not dominant!). Oh well.... Ella and Daisey are used to Am. Bulldogs' ways, so everyone fell in line. We all switched to grain free, not a diet we had ever used before. While she was better, she was not thriving, still have episodes of her feet eruption. She had the odor of an old sponge. She received an allergy pill daily.
Dexter came into the mix a few months later. He recharged Angel's batteries. Put a lilt in her step and had her bringing out her Spice Girl moves. All in all, it took her a good 5 months to truly settle in and reveal her personality, which is quite gentle and sweet unless she is reminding Ella and Daisey of status or moving rattlesnake-fast to get a piece of food that has fallen. I've had many dogs in my life, it I've never had one take so long to reveal themselves. I'm not sure how long she was in foster care, but Am. Bulldog's are very owner-centered, so being separated from their family would be stressful. I feel that within the last month, she has truly understood that this is her permanent home. She really is a joy to have (particularly since she engages with Dexter). She is very food motivated. To assert her dominance, she does this through positioning of her imposing body. She does not bite them (as Macy used to do).
My researching her condition led me to explore RAW feeding on 09/14/14, exactly 4 months after getting Angel, as a means to make her asymptomatic. Given that we have four dogs, we had to do a one for all and all for one approach. As I write this, we have been feeding a homemade diet for 90 days. Though Daisey was an initial holdout, and I fully expected that, she is now very enthusiastic for her food. Angel's paws are clear, and she no longer smells like an old sponge. Her energy level has improved dramatically.
I realize that Angel's story is specific, and it is easy to overgeneralize. But I have introduced grains into her homemade diet 1 with no untoward results. My hope is that any who have wandered here facing health challenges, will explore homemade diet options for his/her dogs. It can be a daunting process at first, but with but a little education, you can transform the health of your dogs.
P. S. I had to euthanize Angel in 2019. Her homemade diet gave her freedom from her food allergies. We gave her a loving home for four years, and she lived to her full life expectancy.
1 Dr. Pitcairn believes that adding grains lessens the toxicity endemic to meat. Also, Dr. Strombeck states that while there is no need for carbohydrates in a dog's diet, that balancing proteins and carbs offers wholesomeness and digestibility to homemade diets. Both Dr. Pitcairn and Dr. Strombeck use grains in their diets. Dr. Pitcairn uses raw meat (as I do), and Dr. Strombeck uses cooked meats. Both veternarians advocate the use of fresh vegetables. Leisa says: my dogs liked their diet before, and THEY LOVE their diet with the addition of carbs.
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