Dog Helped My Dog Survive! by Amanda Tattersall

Amanda rescued Skye the Westie in February 2019 at the age of 10. Not knowing what she had been fed previously, she was given the same well known, fairly expensive, brand of grain-free wet dog food that her other Westies had eaten without any issue. Fairly quickly, Skye developed diarrhoea.

Skye was frequently at the vets

Over the coming weeks and months, Skye had continual problems with colitis resulting in frequent trips to the vet. She was given anti-inflammatory injections, antibiotics and pain killers. Amanda tried all sorts of what she viewed as ‘good’ dog food. The rescue centre contacted her previous owner who said he had fed her cheap supermarket dog food which Amanda tried in an effort to get her digestion back to ‘normal’. She was OK on all of the foods for a few days but then the diarrhoea would start again, particularly once the antibiotics were finished.

A hypoallergenic diet did not help

The next step was to start her on a hypoallergenic diet as recommended by the vet. She hated the kibble and it was a constant effort to find something to tempt her appetite. She wanted to eat but when food was put down, she would look at it and walk away. There were times when she did not eat for days. She had also started to vomit what she did eat.

Blood tests revealed abnormalities

After yet another trip to the vet with colitis, Skye had blood tests which showed some abnormalities, possibly of gall bladder or liver, which warranted further investigation. She had an ultrasound scan to see what was going on. Thankfully this proved to be normal although her colon could not be visualised.

Amanda started to investigate a raw diet for Skye…

The vet encouraged Amanda to persist with feeding Skye the hypoallergenic diet but the diarrhoea and vomiting continued. Not knowing what to do, Amanda happened to mention it to the dog groomer who said she fed her dogs raw. The search was once again on to find alternatives. Amanda had always said she would not feed raw, expecting it to be messy and having concerns about Bacteria.

…and discovered Voxxdigital

During her search, Amanda found the Voxxdigital and began to search through and read all of the information on there, which was sensible and to the point. She contacted us to ask about Skye’s problems and Heidi, one of our raw feeding experts, came straight back answering all of her questions.

Skye began her ProDog journey

After ordering a sample pack, she started Skye on raw on 30 July. Heidi also recommended goat’s milk, Kefir as a probiotic and slippery elm to help with the diarrhoea as Skye’s digestive system was very fragile.

Amanda’s own words

• “To say it has changed both our lives is no exaggeration. Skye has had a few bouts of diarrhoea but mainly related to each change in protein source but overall, it has made such a difference to her. She has only had two trips to the vet and she is fit, healthy, happy and looks good. Friends have commented on how well she looks. We did have a bit of shaky start with the raw as she had become very picky but she really enjoys it now and doesn’t turn her nose up at feeding time. I feed her the complete and it looks really nice and smells good. It doesn’t cost me as much to feed her as she is eating what I am buying rather than having to throw it away. She also enjoys the odd carrot and piece of broccoli and, of course, a raw egg from time to time. We are still taking things slowly as it will take time for her digestive system to recover but we are on the right track.

Heidi has been an incredible support, has answered my hundreds of questions and given me reassurance when things have not gone as I thought they should. Both Skye and I have benefitted from her eating raw and I am most definitely a convert. I’m looking forward to telling my vet when I eventually get to see her!”

Why we do what we do

Skye’s story is why we do what we do here at Voxxdigital and we are absolutely thrilled, if not a little emotional, to hear such positive feedback about Skye’s journey. Our mission is to ensure that every dog gets the absolute best when it comes to nutrition and we work tirelessly to ensure that this happens. That is why we are delighted to be able to share Skye and Amanda’s story with you. If you would like any help and advice when it comes to your canine companions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.