Update on My Dear Bobby--83 year old recovering from Complications Due to Open Heart Surgery

I just want to express my sincerest thanks to all of you--the wonderful friends of Ask Ariel Your Pet Nutritionist and Ariel Rescue whose prayers and kindness have helped my dear Bobby to survive. I sincerely apologize I haven't been able to keep up with the blog but my time had been stretched very thin attending to his care. As you know, I am passionate about holistic care and my staff and I are deeply concerned about each one of your pets. We always try to present you with all of your options in treating your pet's condition--whether it be conventional veterinary care as well as holistic veterinary alternatives. It has been so frustrating with the care of Bob, who has suffered terribly as a result of overmedication, that the doctors were not at all receptive to any type of holistic care. I will never forgot how stunned I was that the doctor REFUSED to give him Vitamin B but authorized morphine and opiate drugs. The overmedication and oversedation of the elderly is rampant because many times the doctors, hospitals and nurses will authorize medications that a young person might be able to tolerate but an older person might not be able to process and clear through their kidneys and liver. This is exactly what happened to Bobby. Now his heart is running ok but he has a lot of problems related to his "hospitalization".

I am sure there are many of you who have elderly parents who have undergone similar experiences and if you would like to share them, please feel free to post them here. It might be therapeutic for all of us to know that we are not alone and that someone else has experienced a similar situation.

In any case, I am happy to report that by the sheer will to survive, Bobby is now in a nursing/rehab center and after 6 long weeks of Critical Care, is breathing pretty well on his own. Prior to his surgery, he was taking care of my Mom (she has Alzheimers and MS) and they were traveling and having fun. He was driving, cooking and leading a pretty normal life. Now, he is bedridden and still after 2 months, does not have the strength to move himself in the bed or to stand up. He is getting intense physical therapy and each day shows a little more progress. My dream is that he will eventually be able to walk again with a walker and spend the rest of his days at home with Mom. Right now though, he lost his ability to swallow (this is common with older folks but in his case, it occured because he was overmedicated and had to stay on a breathing machine too long which damaged the muscles) and is on a feeding tube. Yesterday, was his first day being dressed when I took him for his doctor's appointment. This was a great move in the right direction. Thanks again for all your care and concern. You will never know how much it has meant to me.

Cat with Chronic Renal Failure (cat kidney disease) is Feeling Better with Natural Kidney Support Supplements

Dear Ask Ariel staff,

This is just an update on Ranger, my 14 year old kitty with kidney disease (CRF). I ordered the following supplements from Ask Ariel (Kidney Terrain, Renelix, Rehmannia 8, Protease and Purozyme) for Ranger on Friday Jan 29th. To my great surprise, they arrived here in Upstate NY on Monday Feb 1st! Which was great as Ranger was near death on Feb 1st and 2nd. She hid to sleep constantly. Usually they hide to die! She was in REALLY REALLY REALLY bad shape. I've had one cat die of Liver disease and two others of Renal Failure. Ranger is the 3rd I've had with Chronic Renal Failure (kidney disease) so I know how they act before they die. (I'm so disappointed that I didn't know about your company back in 2003... perhaps my other three kitties could have lived a couple more years). Oh well.

Anyway, Ranger was near death on Feb 1st when the supplements arrived. I gave them to her but assumed she was probably too far gone by this time and I was kicking myself for having waited too long. However after three to four days she started eating more (although she still won't eat a lot), was more alert, less sleeping and got her "motor mouth" back! Since then she has had only TWO BAD DAYS... and although I truly wish she would eat more, she does eat though! I know she isn't cured... but these meds are giving her MORE TIME and MORE QUALITY TIME with me. And for that I am truly grateful! I just love this little girl so much. She will be 14 sometime this Spring. Anytime Feb to April as I don't know her exact birthday. But she's 14 and I can possibly see that if she stays the same as now, she may be around awhile more. THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Daniel Lafler NY email: kittypup@frontier.net

Please Say A Prayer For Bobby

Pictured above is Robert Weinstein and Selma Koletsky--two beloved "friends" of Ask Ariel Your Pet Nutritionist. Bobby is making the fight of his life right now at 82 years of age. For about 15 years, Bobby has been struggling to breathe due to some problems with his lungs but he took his supplements faithfully and has been doing so well. He and Selma were taking regular trips to Vegas and having the time of their lives. A few weeks ago, Bobby knew something was wrong. He couldn't breathe and the medications and supplements were no longer helping. He was rushed to the emergency three times over the past few weeks and then had open heart surgery this week. Everything was going fine and he was showing a little improvement each day and then last night around midnight, he had a setback. He was struggling to breathe and an infection was in his lungs. He is now heavily sedated with a breathing tube as the doctors fight to save him. It is amazing how complex that open heart surgery is and all that is involved. If he didn't have the surgery though, he wouldn't have a chance because his artery was completely blocked.

I am so sorry that I haven't been keeping up with the blog as I usually do but these last few weeks have been so terribly stressful. My pets seem to know Mom is upset and have been worrying too. I know the power of prayer can be amazing and hope if you read this, you can send some well wishes for my dear Bobby. With gratitude, Susan Blake Davis

Golden Retriever Had UTIs and Yeast and is Now Better!

"Bella is our fourth and most sensitive Golden Retriever. She developed chronic UTI's and yeast on her skin. We have always fed Bella premium dog food since she was a puppy. After many expensive tests, medications and possible surgery to correct her problems , we found Susan Davis. We have had nothing but good results. Susan directed us to better health and happiness for Bella with her knowledge and expertise. As my husband so simply put it "she's fixed"!!!!! Thank you Susan." Steve and Valarie Bick

Cat with advanced chronic renal failure CRF--Can holistic supplements help?

Q: Hello,I have a 4yr old domestic short hair calico. She has advanced stage crf.I am giving her sub-Qs with vitamins(200ml per day) Amphogel(2ml),Enacard(2.5mg)Clavamox(62.5mg),and anti-nausea meds and I switched her to a raw diet according to Anita Frazier's Natural Cat.She isn't eating and seems to be anemic.Is there any product that you offer that will make any difference at this point in the game? I have also looked into kidney transplant and discovered that it is out of our financial range. Please answer as soon as you can if you think that there is something I can still do to save her.

A: So very sorry your kitty is so sick. And....especially at such a young age. Most of the cats with advanced chronic renal failure (CRF) are elderly cats. It is very common for cats to have some degree of renal insufficiency as they age but having a young kitty be diagnosed with this condition must have been devastating for you.

Cats with kidney disease need a reduced protein, reduced phosphorous diet. Without reviewing your cat's specific laboratory tests and history, it would be very difficult for me to assess what your cat's prognosis is. However, what I would say is that I have seen some miracles using the holistic plan for CRF kitties that Dr. Gordon and I provide. Many clients come to us with cats near death and we have had some success. It requires a complete holistic plan using our fluid recommendations, supplements, diet plan, acupuncture, etc.

In terms of products, for anemia, you can try Renelix and Marrow Plus (there are additional conventional veterinary treatments available as well). The Kidney Terrain, Kidney Health and Purrfect Pet CoQ10 are the most commonly ordered products for cats. Recently, we had a young rescue kitty that had been abused (from a horrible "hoarding" environment with little access to water) who suffered with advanced CRF. Pierre's laboratory tests (BUN, phosphorous, Creatinine) were extremely high and the prognosis was poor. The owner was considering putting Pierre down and then scheduled a combination appointment with Dr. Gordon and I via telephone. Here is a recent email we received 6 months following our consultation:

"Hate to bother you on a Sunday, but I just wanted to tell you Pierre is acting as he did before he was sick!! This morning he is up and about, not hiding anywhere, following me everywhere, and up in the window watching outside and getting excited when he sees the doves come to the feeder outside the window. I have been hydrating him every day, and keeping on track with my schedule of supplements & meds. You just don’t know how happy it makes us to see him acting so normal today, he acts as if he feels really good.

Thanks you so much, everyday shows improvement."

While we wish all of our clients' cats could fare as well as Pierre, by doing all you can to help your kitty, at least you know you tried. Many pet owners feel dismayed after their pet's pass that they could have done more so it is important to try, even when the odds may not seem in your favor. We have seen pets turn for the better substantially after following our holistic protocols..

Head Tremors--Holistic Pet Care Helped!

Pictured above is my boy Bleu, a 6 year old Siberian husky who is full of energy. Today is the 3 month anniversary of Bleu's last head tremor which is truly amazing and a testimonial to the power of holistic pet care!!! A canine head tremor is very frightening to witness, especially the first time. It is very common in certain breeds such as Doberman Pinschers and Bulldogs but can occur in any breed. Essentially, the dog has involuntary bobbing of his head and it shakes uncontrollably--very upsetting for the dog and owner.

It is essential to use K9 Digestive Enzymes for your pet to make him or her feel better. K9 Digestive Enzymes are critical for the proper absorption of nutrients and for maintaining pet health.

In June, during a busy time of year, Bleu walked over to me after a long day and his head was bobbing. At first, I thought he was just anxious or nervous. But as the head tremor continued, I quickly realized he had no control--his head would not stop bobbing. He looked just like one of those bobbing dog toys. What was also odd was that he was completely conscious, looking straight at me and yet it was as though his head had a mind of its own. It went away, to my relief after a few minutes and I thought it was just all the stress--after all, we just had a slab leak following a houseful of guests for my stepdaughter's graduation.

Three weeks later, it happened again. This time, no stress in the household. Then, the intervals started getting shorter. I researched online, had lots of tests done--nothing. I found out that this involuntary head tremor might be somehow related to either abnormal calcium fluctuations or low blood sugar--both conditions that can give a dog or person "the shakes" or tremors. In my initial attempts to control the situation, we saw a slight improvement in that the tremors, which had been coming more frequently were stabilizing, but they were still coming. However, as time progressed and I stuck religiously to his supplement and diet regimen, the tremors stopped. We did not use medication (there is no medication for this) but consistently using calcium, parathyroid support, a hypoallergenic diet and K9 Digestive Enzymes.  When one night I didn't give him his K9 Digestive Enzymes,  he had a tremor the next morning. What this told me was that consistency was everything. This is the same with treating pets that have diabetes or epilepsy--timing and consistency in giving food and supplements is critical.

It also shows that even when there is no hope, there are answers in holistic veterinary care that might not occur with conventional veterinary care. My understanding is that many pet owners who have pets with this condition have spent thousands of dollars on testing and just like in our case, the tests find nothing. What I can say in Bleu's case, is that the results speak for themselves. If anyone you know ever encounters this head tremors or head bobbing or even other neurological conditions such as epilepsy, please encourage them to schedule a telephone appointment with the nutritionist, Susan Davis.  I will be happy to help.

Cat With Oxalate Stones and Chronic UTIs

Q: About this topic, I am having a similar problem with my 8 year old male cat, but he had oxalate stones earlier this year, and surgery to remove them, and is now on Hills C/D and has had chronic UTI's only since being on this food. I want to switch him off to a grain free quality food (like Wellness) but am concerned if this would cause new oxalate stones to form. The effectiveness of Hills C/D has not been proven to me yet - although he has not had additional oxalate stones. Any advice?

A: Diet is an extremely important factor when a pet is developing stones or chronic UTIs. Grains and food allergies can greatly contribute. Once a pet has required surgery for stones however, this is a very serious matter that should be handled by a veterinary professional. Most likely it is the corn and grains contained in the Hills C/D that is causing your kitty to get the UTIs and I would highly recommend ordering our PET UTI Prevention Kit for starters. In addition, we have had proven success using Renelix to help pets with crystals and stones. Many clients with crystals use our diet protocols along with Renelix and retest with the crystals no longer present. As far as diet, I would need to work with you in the context of a telephone or inperson appointment to help you develop the appropriate diet for your kitty. To help you select the best diet, a comprehensive discussion regarding his medical history, food preferences and laboratory tests would need to be done so that you could be sure the diet selected is the right one for your kitty.