Monday, August 23, 2010

To Your Dog's Health!



Jenny has started to slow down a bit. While she's still eager for walks, it takes her longer to wake up, jump off the couch, or get into the car. As the owner of a twelve-year-old boxer, Jenny, I thought it would be a good idea to learn more about nutrition for dogs. Boxers who live to see "double digits" are apparently rare. While walking Jenny in the park I've been stopped by other boxer owners who marvel at her age and inquire about her diet. She has always had Pedigree Choice Cuts in sauce, which she laps up eagerly, and some kibble (which is mostly organic) that's delivered to the house as needed.


Jenny rarely gets any table scraps, and except for a few tomatoes and avocados that she manages to "steal", she sticks to this diet and is not overfed. Recently, I took her to the vet for a physical, and her blood panel showed that she is affected by hypothyroidism. For her age, though, she's quite healthy, except for her thyroid, which is a tad sluggish. Reluctantly, I give her a tiny pink pill (levothyroxine), twice a day with her meals. (I say reluctantly because I really don't like to give her any medication, especially one that she must take for the rest of her life, but if it makes her feel better, I will.) I haven't noticed a dramatic difference in her, but she seemed fine before ever taking this med. I picked up To Your Dog's Health!: Canine Nutrition and Recent Trends Within the Pet Food Industry by Mark Poveromo to find a possible "food cure" for hypothyroidism in dogs.


“Let food be your medicine.”
~Hippocrates, the father of medicine

This book is a joy to read. It has adorable photos of dogs, and includes some recipes to treat specific canine diseases, such as kidney disease, diabetes, and cancer. Before writing To Your Dog's Health!, Mark Poveromo raised thirteen labs and opened Thomaston Feed, a store which sells nutritionally sound, holistic pet food for dogs and cats. He was inspired to write this book and share with a larger audience his knowledge about the importance of animal nutrition. I enjoyed reading this book, which is a good guide book for dog owners with an interest in optimum canine nutrition. The one thing that I wish this book had was an index. It has a table of contents, but I think an index would have come in handy as well, even though the book is short (under 100 pages). I really wanted to find out about hypothyroidism, had to search this book with a fine-toothed comb to find mention of it, and didn't discover any foods that would specifically help Jenny's condition.

Special thanks to Lisa, The Online Publicist, for sending me this book.

19 comments:

  1. Awww she's so cute!!!! Love her glasses ;). Sounds like a good informative book, one that every dog owner should read. I'll have to check it out!
    Thanks,
    Natalie :0)

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  2. Jenny is adorable! My cousin and a friend of the family both are Boxer owners and I must say they are so sweet! But I gotta know...how exactly did you get her to take such a nice picture with that book and those too cute glasses?

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book!

    XOXO~ Renee

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  3. I'd like to know how you got Jenny to pose like that! Our dog is close to 15 and I really don't realize how much she's slowed down until a young dog comes to visit. She has no chronic health problems, but she's just about deaf and has started developing cataracts. It breaks my heart to see her getting old.

    This does sound like a good book for dog owners.

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  4. I love Jenny's cute pose! This sounds like a great book. I have two dogs (Samson-Keeshond & Jack-mutt) that are both seven. Its hard for me to believe they are middle-aged now ... I hope they can stay healthy enough to make it until 12 (or beyond!).

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  5. Love Jenny!-we share our home with our 18 year old Siamese Charles-his brother passed at 16-his jumping ability is down but seems strong and is very clinging to me and my wife-

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  6. Jenny is adorable! She looks happy and healthy!
    I didn't realize that Boxers generally don't live into the double digits.

    You review of this book is great and the book sounds really helpful for dog owners.
    Thanks! And nice meeting Jenny!

    ~ Amy

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  7. OMG...Jenny is too cute, and looks so great for 12 -- great mom caring for her.

    BTW...I think I take that same PINK PILL (1X) a day, for my hypothyroidism --too funny.

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  8. Thanks Suko for the lovely comment on my blog.
    And Jenny is so CUTE~ I hope she feels better soon.

    I love the book cover, and I am sure I will be reading tis if i find it here... my parents have a Dachshund - a very spoiled Dachshund :)

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  9. Thank you all for the kind words. Jenny is a wonderful, wiggly companion!

    More comments welcomed.

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  10. Jenny is so cute, I just want to kiss her nose! I love boxers. Thanks for the good info and best to you and Jenny. Wanna Check Me Out?

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  11. Jenny is so cute in her glasses and holding the book. I hope the meds help her feel better. Our toy poodle is 10 years old, and turning into a porker, but then isn't there a saying that in time you and your dog begin to look alike. I am a little porker also. ; )

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  12. I worry about one of my dogs because she is overweight and sluggish, so maybe this is a book that I should try to read. I am not big into giving animals medications, so I would definitely appreciate the holistic methods mentioned in this book. Great review Suko! And I have to say, Jenny is gorgeous!

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  13. How adorable is Jenny. She sounds healthy enough despite having to wear glasses. Are these only for reading or does she need them all the time? Good to read of such a responsible owner, I hate to see dogs who are so overfed they can barely walk.

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  14. Awwwww....Jenny is soooo cute Suko! She's too good to pose like that!
    Glad you enjoyed To Your Dogs Health. I have it in my TBR too. Great review :)

    Have you searched online for foods that help hypothyroidism?
    I do know its rare for boxers to live into double digits...and I do know they have quite unique personalities.
    My good friend has two boxers, and they are funny :)
    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

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  15. Senora G, thanks for stopping by. You have a terrific blog!

    Gramma Ann, LOL, I love toy poodles. :)

    Zibilee, holistic care for animals makes sense. Thanks for stopping by!

    Petty, Jenny uses her "geek glasses" for reading--and when she poses for silly pictures. 8)

    Naida, that's a good idea. I will see if I can find anything online about treating canine hypothyroidism through nutrition.

    Jenny and I appreciate all the comments and compliments, and welcome more.

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  16. Love this portrait of Jenny! She's adorable!

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  17. I love this pic as well, so sweet! I'm glad to hear you take care of your pet and look into her diet and nutrition, rather then just taking it for granted. It gets hard when we have to start medicating our pets. (Stopping by from the bloghop!)

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  18. Older dogs have different nutritional requirements than young ones in order for them to stay healthy. Typically, their nutritional needs can be met by changing to a food that is made for senior pets, as the nutrient concentrations are intended for dogs in this older age range.

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