Q: I found your website years ago, but I’ve finally decided to take the leap into the real holistic dog food world. The main reason I am switching is because I found out my other dog food I was serving my girl has been adding by-products (guess it’s cheaper for them).

But anyhow, I believe Halo will help my dog’s system to be healthier. My question is, have you ever had any clients’ dogs that were diagnosed with Cushings Disease and noticed feeding Halo helped the dog?

I’m asking because my vet told me my dog may have Cushings, and they want to run a few tests, which I can’t afford right now. So, I was hoping that by changing my dog’s food to a better food, it may change the overages in her blood and urine levels over the next few months, and I will get her blood/urine rechecked at her next annual appointment. I’d appreciate your take on this if you have any info to share.

A: We are thrilled to hear you are getting your girl on a natural holistic dog food — hopefully you will notice many positive changes in her! Sounds like your dog has some blood and urine abnormalities that is making your vet think about Cushings Disease. There are many things (other than Cushings) that can cause elevations of liver values and other abnormalities. Getting her on an excellent natural dog food is a great start to improving her general health.

If she is overweight, make sure to get her on a program to starting losing that weight. It is possible you may see improvements in her blood and urine values at her next check-up. If she is ultimately diagnosed with Cushings Disease, click here to read more about proper nutrition for a dog with Cushings.

Pets can suffer from high cholesterol just like people. Cholesterol and triglycerides are the fats (lipids) in the blood stream and elevations of these levels is called hyperlipidemia. Hyperlipidemia can cause severe heart-related and other problems in people and 500,000 Americans die from this condition each year.

Hyperlipidemia is most common in dogs and has been overlooked as a cause of dog health problems until fairly recently. Hyperlipidemia is a risk factor for pet obesity, gastrointestinal upset, vision problems and even more life threatening problems like canine pancreatitis and seizures.

Hyperlipidemia is easily diagnosed by basic blood work and can usually be effectively treated with a low fat diet and fatty acid pet supplements.

Click here to read more about identifying and managing hyperlipidemia in dogs.

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Exercise is a great way to have fun with your dog while keeping pet obesity under control. Those tired of playing the same old game of fetch, however, may be interested in checking out competitive dog sports as an exciting way to bond with your dog and keep his weight under control. There are courses all over the world that specialize in dog training for these events, and there are many sports that are open to all breeds, including the following:

Flyball: These races involve teams of four dogs competing in relay fashion to complete a 51-foot long course. The course consists of a series of jumps, which lead to an automatic tennis ball launcher that the dogs must trigger and then retrieve the ball. There are over 375 active flyball clubs registered in North America, so there is likely to be a local team that your dog can compete with.

Agility: A good way to promote both dog health and obedience, agility is a sport that involves completing a timed obstacle course. Dog agility courses are commonly made up of hurdles, ramps, tunnels, see-saws, and tire jumps.

Canine Freestyle: Does your dog have a flair for musical interpretation? If so, canine freestyle might be right for your dancing dogs. In this competition, training and teamwork are emphasized as dog and handler work together in a choreographed performance set to music.

Disc Dog: If your dog enjoys playing frisbee, disc dog is likely to be an enjoyable event for him. Events include distance catching, which is your basic game of toss and fetch, as well as freestyle catching, where dogs are rewarded for canine athleticism and showmanship.

Rally: In this sport, dogs and their handlers complete a 10-20 station course. Instructions are placed at each station explaining the skill that must be performed. Although similar to obedience courses, canine rally is a good choice for beginners, as it is not scored as strictly as traditional obedience competition.

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Now you can get expert pet advice delivered straight to your iPod! In an effort to continually bring you the best information on pet health and natural pet care, Halo is introducing a podcast. Upcoming episodes will focus on topics that are important to those interested in the growing world of holistic pet care.

Download the first episode: Improving Your Pet’s Health: How to Eliminate Pet Obesity

Q: Hi, I am looking for some names of doctors that treat both pets and people with obesity. Any information that you have on this subject would be amazing.

A: Your best bet is a university-based nutritionist that deals with both human and pet obesity. Most universities have comparative medicine departments and nutrition departments and an on-line search can get you the contact number for these departments. I have recently met the following individual that specializes in this field:

Roschelle Heuberger, Ph.D., R.D., Associate Professor of Foods and Nutrition, Graduate Program Director, Department of Human Environmental Studies, Central Michigan University. 117 Wright Hall, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, Office (989) 774-3571, Fax (989) 774-2434, heube1ra@cmich.edu.

Do you need vet advice? Post a comment with your veterinary questions and we will send them to Dr. Donna Spector to be answered in a future column.

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