Thanks so much for “Fine Tuning” in your September issue. As usual, you covered topics I’m coping with every day. My one-year-old Golden, Midas, might as well be “Hannah” in disguise: he gets aroused by exactly the same things. Now I don’t feel so bad, knowing even Editor Nancy Kerns needed Pat Miller’s tips!
I urgently want to warn readers, though, about the CoQ10 you recommend in the article in the same issue about eye health (“Seeing Is Believing”). My mixed breed, who usually seems to have an iron stomach, got extremely nauseated from CoQ10. Unfortunately, that’s what I remembered that when I tried it myself; I’d gotten severe gas pains.
I looked online (and not at sites that sell the supplement) and in my books, but found sources that recommend it almost never give side effects – your publication included. I’d like them given, if known, for every herb suggested, even if they’re only known for humans. I keep thinking we could’ve gone to the vet and even gotten treated for a problem that’s really a side effect.
Thank you for your inspiring, reassuring articles; my dogs’ lives are much improved as I slowly smarten up. I’m sure I’m learning the things they’ve been wanting to tell me all along!
-Joan Carney
Harpswell, ME
Joan, thanks so much for your letter. You’ve raised an excellent point about the potential side effects of supplements, herbs, and other complementary remedies. We’ll make sure we do a better job of including this important information in all of our articles.
A look at my reference books does indeed confirm that some people have reported that CoQ10 can cause headache, heartburn, fatigue, and increased involuntary movements at high doses. Mild diarrhea and skin reactions have also been reported.
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I love how you guys talk about raw diet all the time! Kudos, and isn’t it great that more people are becoming aware of actually paying attention to the health of their dogs and cats. BUT! Although I know you weren’t comprehensive in your listings due to probably space constraints, you left off two important big sources for the raw world.
One is the book Switching to Raw by Sue Johnson. I sell raw diets in my store, and I sell books to help educate the people who buy the raw diet options. Switching to Raw is one of our best sellers. It is clear, concise, simple, easy to follow, and formatted in a way that makes a new person really feel comfortable sitting down and reading it. It is one of the most highly recommended books by people on the Internet.
The other important omission is the prepared raw diet called Bravo Raw Diet. Of all the diets to miss! This one is one of the very best. Not only do they pay close and strict attention to quality but they are one of the few companies that offers certified organic options for people like myself who chose by quality, not cost. They keep the costs as reasonable as they can by offering bulk purchase prices. They offer complete raw frozen diets as well as the constituent parts, just like the other sources you listed.
-Judy Asarkof
www.especiallyforpets.com
We had more people write in and mention Switching to Raw than I could count. The book is available from its author, Susan Johnson, at www.switchingtoraw.com or by sending $13.95 plus $1.50 shipping/handling per book to Birchrun Basics, PO Box 215, Lavon, TX 75166. Bravo Raw Diet can be purchased by calling (866) 922-9222 or see www.bravorawdiet.com.
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First of all, I want to tell you how much I enjoy WDJ, which I have been subscribing to for several years now. Not wanting to miss anything, I even bought all the back issues, and I’m happy I did! The “ Mixing It Up” article (July 2004) was a good way of addressing those of us who want to feed a raw diet to our dogs, but like the convenience of a product that is easy to use.
Unfortunately, you omitted what I feel is one of the best products of this type, the Wendy Volhard NDF (Natural Diet Foundation ) available from PHD Products. As you mentioned in your “Choosing a Raw Food Guru” article (June 2001), NDF (which Volhard developed in recent years) is a dehydrated version of the original Volhard Natural Diet, which has been around for more than 30 years.
My 10-year-old Golden Retriever, Bda Ch OTCh Can OTCh Newcoast’s Wynton of Bermuda Am CDX, has been fed exclusively on this diet for many years after a kibble and raw diet.
As a supposedly geriatric dog at his age, Wynton is still successfully competing at a high level in obedience and just started doing agility! People cannot believe he is 10 years old. He certainly acts like a dog many years younger and still has a great deal of vitality. Aside from rabies, which is required for travel, he hasn’t been vaccinated in many years, and his blood work is still very good.
I attribute this state of health directly to the Volhard N DF diet and Wendy’s holistic approach to dog care. While it is very sad to see so many of our wonderful Golden breed dying young, I’m still looking forward to several more quality years together with my beloved companion!
For those readers interested, information about the NDF diet can be found at www.phdproducts.com (800-PHD-1502) or www.volhard.com.
-Carl Shechtman
Pembroke, Bermuda
