On the evening of September 29, 2016 I rushed my 10 year old Lab to the emergency hospital with What I thought was "bloat". I had not expected to hear even worse news: Zachary had cancer, and it was bleeding into his belly. His treatment would have cost close to $10,000 and may have extended his life another 6 months. There had been no symptoms, other than he was slowing down, and sleeping more. "He is getting old", I would think to myself. He passed away that night peacefully with my arms around him, thanking him for loving us, for keeping order in my pack of dogs, for laying by my grand baby's crib when she was born, for resting his head on my lap when I was crying. My heart was broken, and he will always have a piece of it. I miss him deeply.
Zachary came into my life in 2005, before I started breeding dogs, and just before the financial crisis hit me too; I lost a substantial amount of my income and it was all I could do to keep the roof over my dogs' heads. My pets were fed supermarket kibble because it was all I could afford. I once met someone who adopted a puppy from me at the supermarket with a bag of Purina puppy food in her cart. She said, "things are tight this month". He wasn't my dog anymore. It was out of my control, as much as I wanted to slap some sense into her. Poor diets turn on cancer genes.
I write this blog because I am a breeder, with a focus on producing dogs capable of becoming certified therapy and service dogs. We breed so they will be long lived healthy dogs, but their owners have been passed the torch of responsibility once they leave here. Even if you are not in need of a service dog, life is such that we ALL need emotional support from our pets at times. Your vet may be able to "fix" what has gone wrong, but you must accept a role in preventing it in the first place. Cancer in dogs is at epidemic proportions, and they are dying before their time. I have had great concern over this, as I never recall it once growing up, in my dogs, or anyone else's. They simply passed away from accidents or old age back then. What is going on?
Zachary was a "canary in the mine", the first to give his life so others may be saved. We hope that his life and death will inspire you to make different decisions with your own dog. I have posted an article about waiting until your pup is at least a year old before you neuter him, and there are many articles and studies on the subject. That is one factor, and diet is the other. Stay away from the supermarket when buying your dog's food, unless you are buying organic ingredients and will be home cooking it for him (the best choice). If you need the convenience of kibble, get on the dogfoodadvisor.com and join! Study the foods, and choose one rated a 4-5. You will automatically be notified should your brand ever be recalled. Add some raw food to his diet, the more the better, because the enzymes and nutrition are all intact and can be utilized by the body. We love sojos or Bravo brand. If you must feed kibble, some brands add raw bits in, like Merrick Back Country (rated a 5), or Instinct brand.
Yes, they are expensive, while supermarket dog food brands are cheap TOXIC waste. Let me repeat, TOXIC WASTE PRODUCTS that kill! The manufactures' are laughing all the way to the bank while you cradle your dog in his final moments because you trusted them. It's not just about corn and wheat, it's about rancid restaurant grease being called "fat" (highly cancerous), meat which is from euthanized cats, dogs, and zoo animals, artificial flavor so your dog will eat it, and some sort of unnatural vitamin sprayed on top. That's not food! It's not fit for consumption and people feed it to their dogs everyday, besieged by yummy marketing campaigns. Beneful has the best marketing on TV, and it is the worst product out there, as is Purina dog chow and puppy chow. Zachary ate Purina One for most of his life. Unaware of what was really in this stuff, I foolishly trusted Purina.
Today, the dog food is a top priority here. They may not get a cushy dog bed, or I may have to give up my Starbucks coffee if money is tight, but the sacrifice will never again be on them. That's shameful. It really is.
I hope that you will allow my beloved Zachary to be your "canary in the mine shaft" too, and that his death will not be in vain.
Blessings to all the puppies and their owners. May you be better advised than I was, and have your buddy pass at an old ripe age when it is his time, and not a day earlier.
--Sonja
Zachary came into my life in 2005, before I started breeding dogs, and just before the financial crisis hit me too; I lost a substantial amount of my income and it was all I could do to keep the roof over my dogs' heads. My pets were fed supermarket kibble because it was all I could afford. I once met someone who adopted a puppy from me at the supermarket with a bag of Purina puppy food in her cart. She said, "things are tight this month". He wasn't my dog anymore. It was out of my control, as much as I wanted to slap some sense into her. Poor diets turn on cancer genes.
I write this blog because I am a breeder, with a focus on producing dogs capable of becoming certified therapy and service dogs. We breed so they will be long lived healthy dogs, but their owners have been passed the torch of responsibility once they leave here. Even if you are not in need of a service dog, life is such that we ALL need emotional support from our pets at times. Your vet may be able to "fix" what has gone wrong, but you must accept a role in preventing it in the first place. Cancer in dogs is at epidemic proportions, and they are dying before their time. I have had great concern over this, as I never recall it once growing up, in my dogs, or anyone else's. They simply passed away from accidents or old age back then. What is going on?
Zachary was a "canary in the mine", the first to give his life so others may be saved. We hope that his life and death will inspire you to make different decisions with your own dog. I have posted an article about waiting until your pup is at least a year old before you neuter him, and there are many articles and studies on the subject. That is one factor, and diet is the other. Stay away from the supermarket when buying your dog's food, unless you are buying organic ingredients and will be home cooking it for him (the best choice). If you need the convenience of kibble, get on the dogfoodadvisor.com and join! Study the foods, and choose one rated a 4-5. You will automatically be notified should your brand ever be recalled. Add some raw food to his diet, the more the better, because the enzymes and nutrition are all intact and can be utilized by the body. We love sojos or Bravo brand. If you must feed kibble, some brands add raw bits in, like Merrick Back Country (rated a 5), or Instinct brand.
Yes, they are expensive, while supermarket dog food brands are cheap TOXIC waste. Let me repeat, TOXIC WASTE PRODUCTS that kill! The manufactures' are laughing all the way to the bank while you cradle your dog in his final moments because you trusted them. It's not just about corn and wheat, it's about rancid restaurant grease being called "fat" (highly cancerous), meat which is from euthanized cats, dogs, and zoo animals, artificial flavor so your dog will eat it, and some sort of unnatural vitamin sprayed on top. That's not food! It's not fit for consumption and people feed it to their dogs everyday, besieged by yummy marketing campaigns. Beneful has the best marketing on TV, and it is the worst product out there, as is Purina dog chow and puppy chow. Zachary ate Purina One for most of his life. Unaware of what was really in this stuff, I foolishly trusted Purina.
Today, the dog food is a top priority here. They may not get a cushy dog bed, or I may have to give up my Starbucks coffee if money is tight, but the sacrifice will never again be on them. That's shameful. It really is.
I hope that you will allow my beloved Zachary to be your "canary in the mine shaft" too, and that his death will not be in vain.
Blessings to all the puppies and their owners. May you be better advised than I was, and have your buddy pass at an old ripe age when it is his time, and not a day earlier.
--Sonja