I have a 7 lb. toy poodle, his windpipe is collapsing a little which causes him to cough and hack when he gets excited. He is presently on aminophylline 50 mg once a day and I would like to get him on something natural if it will do what this does.
His liver readings were a little high (32) and the vet suggested giving him this purina dog food for liver. I am wondering if the Hepagen-C would help correct that problem. I make my own dog food – cooked chicken or deer meat, with broccoli and cauliflower, brown rice, 4 eggs with the shells ground up and scrambled and put that in large freezer bags and flatten and freeze. I mix this with the Purina nf kidney function. So what I’m asking is would Hepagen-C and the food that I make work ok without the Purina. The poodle is a male about 7-8 years old, 7 lbs and otherwise in good condition.
Hello,
Thank you for your inquiry to Holistic Pet Info. Aminophylline is a bronchodilator and you may try AmazaPet by PetAlive as an alternative. It improves respiratory function for asthma but it also relaxes bronchioles and decreases bronchospasms. A collapsing trachea is a functional disease so it is difficult to treat with medication. Often a calming herb to keep the dog from getting too excited works better than bronchomodulating treatments.
The liver values are elevated but not extremely high. Hepagen-C does help support the liver and detoxifies, and frequently, liver values do decrease with supplementation of Milk Thistle. After your dog has been on it for 2 months have the liver values rechecked.
The homemade diet appears to be well rounded but please be sure all vitamins and minerals are included. You may want to add a multivitamin to the meals at serving time. Canine Geriatric Basics is a great supplement that also contains herbs to support the aging immune system.
I’m not sure why you are offering the Purina NF but I recommend continuing with the home cooked diet and discontinuing the dry food. The Purina is not adding much to the diet except more carbohydrates, preservatives and a poor quality protein. Best of luck.
Regards,
Colleen Smith DVM, CVA, CVCP