March 1, 2010
Today marks the beginning of Casey’s last week at Hoofstock and I am pleased with the progress he has made in the quest to regain health and happiness.
This past weekend, Casey was strong enough to climb UP the two steps from the back porch deck. Almost as important, he wanted to make the effort to be self sufficient. He is actively engaging again in life which is a large component of his healing.
This morning, as he was playing around in the kitchen, he “rarfed” at me for attention. Then he snout-nudged my hand, put his head under my hand and rolled onto his back. I was in demand for a puppy rub. I scratched and rubbed and he wiggled around like an upside down turtle. He rolled over, got up, scampered off — and came right back for more.
Casey weighed in this morning at 21.4 lbs – which, as expected, is slowing down as toxins are released – we may have hit a weight loss plateau – and provided he continues to lose weight – and not relapse – he is on the right path to health.
Casey’s owners have called to check on him every 2-3 days and are excited with his progress. At first, they did stop in but were hesitant to disrupt his schedule or upset his emotional balance so there have been no personal visits.
The owners feel terrible guilt that they did this to him and they have taken not only full responsibility for his present condition but are determined to do whatever it takes to keep him healthy once he goes home. Part of the reason that Casey has been “hospitalized” for the month was because of the emotional turmoil his owners were experiencing due to guilt. Each time Casey would have a small setback – the guilt came back full force and his mom was afraid Casey was going to die. By bringing Casey here for a month, we gave him time to heal, go through his ups and downs, and skip the emotional turmoil at his home.
The Hoofstock staff and I have spent countless hours in educating owners on nutrition. I feel confident that Casey’s owners are feeling even more confident about food now that we’ve had several enlightening discussions. They do love Casey, and that will keep his health a priority now that they know the consequence that too much bad food will cause.
Dr. Cathy Alinovi DVM
As a practicing veterinarian, Dr. Cathy treated 80% of what walked in the door — not with expensive prescriptions — but with adequate nutrition. Now retired from private practice, her commitment to pets hasn’t waned and she looks forward to impacting many more pet parents through her books, research, speaking and consulting work. Learn more at drcathyvet.com
