Back to the dogs. The oldest is Slugs, she just turned 14 years old this September. She is an old black lab that lays around the house and wakes up to eat, goes outside, then back to sleep. Prior to going gluten free, Slugs could very capably clear our house of any breathing beings simply by ‘breaking wind’. A foul odor was emitted from Slugs back side that reminded us, on the receiving end , of nothing pleasant or good. Our eyes would water and we would open windows to clear the grey-green toxic cloud from the house. But, it was a heavy stench and it tended to linger so we would bring out the fans.

We also realistically figured, ‘hey, she’s a 14 year old lab, she can’t live forever’, but she lives on and on… But she no longer drops the BOMBS on us. No kidding. A change in her diet, going gluten free, hasn’t made her completely fart-free, but it sure has made her pleasant to be around. And she is healthier, her coat is shiny and she doesn’t shed enough hair to cover another dog everyday!

The dog food I use is called Taste of the Wild. The website for the company is www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com and their phone number is 1-800-977-8797. I buy 30 lb. bags of the ‘High Prarie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison- A Grain Free Diet’ at Big B Feed and Seed in Albany, Oregon for about $43. A bag lasts roughly a month with the black lab, a small roguish mix named Ernie, Pumpkin the long-haired dachshund and our newest member Pepper, a senior rescue dachshund. Denson’s feed store here in Corvallis said they would carry it if enough people requested it. We try to keep an extra 5 lb. bag of this dog food on hand; something easy to grab in case of emergency or disaster events. Always be prepared.

The dogs all need treats when they are good, which happens at times, so I also pick up Natural Balance – Potato & Duck formula treats. They are available in small and large breed size. The website is www.naturalbalance.net and their phone number is 1-800-829-4493. I have found these products at every major pet store in the area.

The diet change for the dogs, as for people, is not a cure-all. Slugs still has a seizure once in a while, but still seems to recover to her baseline. Slugs had a check up with the vet recently and he said she is in great shape for her age. The other dogs play like puppies and are fun to have as part of our family.

Interestingly, our newest addition Pepper, came to us with a lipoma or fatty tumor on her back. My daughter was grosssed out by the lumpy bump and wanted us to have it removed. Well, it’s not completely gone, but it is less than half the size it was a few weeks ago. We are adopting the ‘wait and watch’ approach to see if it goes away completely.

I am told by my friends that have cats, the same options are available to them for gluten free cat foods. Since I don’t have cats I don’t know what the effects would be, perhaps fewer hairballs?

Keep me posted. Let me know your thoughts. What works for humans not surprisingly sometimes works for animals.