NATURAL MEDICINE: THE SKINNY ON SUPPLEMENTS
by BJ ANDREWS
DO YOU USE SUPPLEMENTS FOR YOURSELF OR YOUR DOGS? DO YOU TAKE PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE OR HAVE A PET ON VETERI- NARY MEDICATIONS? DO YOU TAKE FLU SHOTS OR IMMUNIZE YOUR DOGS ON A REGULAR BASIS? O kay, I heard that. Two out of three people answered “Yes”. Okay, let’s agree there are life-saving drugs such as heart and diabetes medications, but holistic practitioners say there are better, cheaper and safer ways to control such ailments and strengthen the immune system. I know you’re skeptical but I won’t bore you with statistics. Instead let’s look at real-life examples in dogs and people. I have over 60 years of trial and error experience. I’m pretty healthy for someone pushing 80 and the only pre- scription medicine I’m on is puffers for what’s called COPD. I take only half a dose but my breathing gets better every year instead of progressively worse as my pulmonologist said would happen. COPD is a catch-all term. In my case, I caught a bug at WKC in 2007 that turned into a lung abscess which less than 50% of (young) people survive. Two lung surgeries and six weeks touch-and-go hospitalization put me on the right side of those statistics. Therefore I equate
SO WHAT’S THE POINT? IF YOU HAVEN’T FIGURED IT OUT, I HAVE SOME BRAIN FOOD SUPPLEMENTS I’LL SHARE WITH YOU. First, I’ve proven that vibrant good health is critical to winning Groups and BIS. If your campaign dog is well-fed, well-conditioned, happy and well-pre- sented, he will win on type, soundness and breed character. He will natu- rally sparkle as he says, ‘I’m the best!’ I know. Been there, done that. So the only thing I’m selling is some- thing you can’t buy. It’s called common sense and experience. What goes in comes out and mani- fests in vibrant good health, glossy coat and vim and vigor that doesn’t come from a bottle. We all want that extra edge to take into the ring along with a great dog and the special bait that is like a lucky charm to us. Hey, some people actually do take a lucky charm on their belt, wrist or in their pocket. Here’s an example: sitting in our van in sweltering heat at an outdoor show in Georgia, Carlos Rojas confided in us that his Doberman glowed and was full of energy from bee pollen! At first we were amazed, but then I realized there was truth to that. My daddy was a bee- keeper and so I know a lot about honey and pollen. Carlos said he used a prod- uct marketed for race horses. Devil D, Dino and other truly great Dobermans
prescription inhalers to having leg sur- gery for a broken leg. Stuff happens. I take a lot of supplements, which are natural ingredients derived from plants and animals. I have eaten fresh foods and meat since long before any- one ever heard of organic foods. I’m lucky enough to have been raised by a father who hunted, fished and grew fruits and vegetables for the table. When I was growing up, there were no fast-food places and life moved at a lei- surely pace. My biggest indulgence was a cherry coke and a bag of chips. Most of you grew up on packaged foods, homogenized milk, margarine and sweet treats galore. Glad I wasn’t born 20 years later. But here’s the thing, like most people who show and breed, I learned how to condition my dogs and horses. Some of you will remember that in the 50s and 60s, we didn’t have much in the way of doggy vitamins or shelves crammed with packaged dog-food. I raised a lot of all-time top winners, sires and dams on a diet of meat, eggs, fish, veggies and commercial dry food, in that order. My seven Toy Fox Terriers get exactly the same diet today. Five of them have never seen a veterinarian except to get a rabies shot and certificate. I stipulate that the only booster shots they get are a mid-life rabies shot and a DHLP boost- er for my girls to boost immunity for their puppies.
62 • T op N otch T oys , O ctober 2016
Powered by FlippingBook