Winter Diet
Demi
The Wire-Haired Dachshund
Demi came to us when she was a year and a half old and a breed Champion. She was a pretty little girl, but showed some odd behaviors which were difficult to pin-point. When a stranger petted her, she could be sweet and affectionate one moment and then turn around and try to bite. She was also difficult to house-train, which we attributed to having been a kennel dog. At the annual Christmas party for our students, one of them bent over to pet Demi, and she whipped around and bit. This time I saw what happened. The student had petted her on her lower back, behind the ribcage.
Off she went to the chiropractor, and sure enough her whole lumbar area was out of alignment. Since this area of the body controls the kidneys and the bladder, this misalignment of her spine disrupted the nerve pathways to those organs, causing pain in the area just below her ribcage. When touched by a stranger, she bit. It also explained our difficulties in house training her.
This was a weak area for Demi and she went regularly to the chiropractor. The biting behavior stopped and she became house trained overnight. Training went well and she obtained her CDX in high style.
Expressions of the Kidney and Bladder
The element of Winter is water, the color black, the emotions are fear and anxiety, a salty taste, a rotten smell and a groaning sound. The body’s energy is in the bladder and kidneys.
Malfunctioning of these organs will be expressed in the ears, the anus or urethra.
This Element controls the bones of the body, the bone marrow and the brain.
The health of the kidney and bladder is reflected by the hair on the head.
The kidneys are responsible for growth, development of the skeleton, all reproductive functions, and control the fluids of the body.
Interpretation
Trying to determine what caused Demi’s behavior was not easy. It was obvious
from the difficulty with house training, that something was not right with her bladder,
even though bladder infections had been ruled out.
What was more difficult to understand was that her back was hurting her,
on the vertebrae above her tuck-up and also where her tail joined her body.
When someone other than ourselves petted her, she became anxious and
fearful, and then bit.
So it was watching her emotions, which gave us the first clue.
The other clue was that the behavior occurred in the winter, and bladder and
kidney conditions are made worse by the cold.
Conditions associated with the Kidney and Bladder
- deafness or sound sensitivity
- black discharges in the ears and corner of the eyes
- anxiety, fear, can’t stay still
- too much or too little fluid in the following areas -- lymph nodes, blood (anemia or hemorrhaging), saliva (drooling or dry mouth), reproductive disorders, too much or too little milk, edema, and the inability to urinate or urinating too much.
- pain in the lower back, middle of thigh, weakness in the hind legs.
- diseases of the bone marrow.
- brittle bones, fractures, arthritis, aches and pains.
- chronic cystitis, bladder or kidney stones.
- incontinence, especially in old dogs.
- stomach aches, dryness and thirst, inability to digest food.
- conditions of the genitals, urethra and anus.
- bags under the eyes.
- diseases of the mouth, gums and teeth including crooked teeth, under or over shot jaws, badly tartared teeth.
Behavioral manifestations can be anxiety and panic attacks, an inability to retain learning, shying away from hand close to ears or lower back, shaking head or rubbing side of face on carpet, excessive rolling on back, scratching ears slowly with a lot of groaning, separation anxiety, aggression when touched on lower back, and skin flinching or twitching on lower back.
21-day cleansing and balancing diet for a 50-pound dog.
Feed twice a day and adjust according to weight.
1/3rd diet
- use one at a time
- beef, chicken, fish, lamb, cottage cheese, yogurt, or cooked 5-minute eggs with shell
1/3rd diet
- use oats singly, or combine half and half
- 1/2 oats with either brown rice, millet or buckwheat groats
1/3rd diet
- use one at a time, rotating the vegetables, or combine some together (lightly steam, or put through food processor)
- parsnips, beets, broccoli, leeks, kale, mustard greens, carrots, green beans, lettuce, radishes, celery, cucumbers
1 teaspoon dried
- use two or three together and rotate
- golden rod, nettles, parsley, uva ursi, dandelion, marshmallow
1/4 to 1/2 of a small watermelon can be fed instead of one meal. Use skin and seeds, as well as fruit. Must be fed at least 2 hours before or after other food. Flushes and cleanses kidneys.
use in both a.m. and p.m. meals
- 1/2 teaspoon Transfer Factor Plus”
- 1/2 teaspoon Digestive Enzymes
- 1 gram Vitamin C (calcium ascorbate) -- start with 500 mg., then slowly increase to 1 gram
- 1 Vitamin B Complex
- 2 tablespoons Willard Water
- 200 IU Vitamin E. Use only in the a.m.
Renatrophin PMG. Use 1 tablet in the p.m. meal, and feed between 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Resources to order products:
Vitamin B Complex, Digestive Enzymes – www.volharddognutrition.com
Vitamin C, Vitamin E - www.bronsonvitamins.com
Willard Water – www.drwillard.com
Transfer Factor Plus - www.4life.com or www.amazon.com
Glandular – Standard Process – email Lise O’Neill lgoneilllpc@gmail.com
Watermelon, Raw local honey, and raw wheat germ – local health food or grocery store.
Herbs – www.blessedherbs.com or www.mountainroseherbs.com
Maintenance Diet
After three weeks following this diet and detoxification program, your dog can be switched over to the Natural Diet, the Natural Diet Foundation AM and PM or NDF2. Start on day 5 of the Transfer diet for the home made food, or day 3 for the Natural Diet Foundation or day 4 for NDF2.
Working with your veterinarian
Kidney disease needs to be constantly monitored by your veterinarian. You will need to get a Chemistry Screen and a CBC. If the BUN and Creatinine levels remain elevated after your initial cleansing diet, our suggestion would be to follow it for another 2-3 weeks, and have the blood work done again.
When the levels return to normal, go to the Natural Diet, either version will do.
Many undetected kidney disorders eventually lead to heart problems.
The whole body is so interconnected, that many diseases can result from poor kidney function.
Have your veterinarian do a thorough yearly physical, including blood work.