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Healthy Food — Healthy Pets

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Dogs and cats deserve a wholesome raw meat diet

Day 29 — Swollen Eyes

Throughout the duration of The Sick Pet Project, Jumbo the sick Chihuahua, was fed based on my method of feeding. The primary meats fed were beef and chicken. The supplements used were EggShellent Calcium, FloraZyme LP, Pet GO, Rena GO, Thyro GO and Trace AniMinerals.

There is no doubt, Jumbo is cleansing now. Both eyes are swollen as they cleanse. The right eye is oozing some puss or something like that. Despite Jumbo's cleanse, his energy and demeanor is still good. But clearly, he is starting to have a really good detox.

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

Look at Jumbo's eye and chest.

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

Look at Jumbo's other eye. The picture above also shows his chest a little better.

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

What's nice about this picture is you can actually see Jumbo's hair growing back in and you can see the color in his hair.

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

Take a close look at Jumbo's right eye and you can see a white colored discharge.

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

Although Jumbo doesn't exactly like to pose for pictures, you can see in the above picture the swelling on his right hind knee.

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

Although the above picture doesn't show a lot that you haven't already seen, it does show how strong his cleanse is from a slightly further distance.

Day 30 — It Takes 30 Days!

It takes 30 days to generate new skin once the skin begins to regenerate. Since Jumbo's skin is very dry in many places yet oily in others, hopefully some new fresh skin will be created soon in some areas. Either way, it appears some dead skin cells are going to fall off soon.

Jumbo's hind legs are both swollen now at the knees and he is limping a little.

Up until this point, I've been feeding Jumbo meat chunks. But today I fed Jumbo ground beef. He seems to prefer ground meat right now as he ate it more happily. He obviously does not like to chew too much. This might be due to swelling around his neck. I am not sure. But what I am sure about is that the detox is really starting now.

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

Jumbo eating his ground beef with all of his sores showing quite well.

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

Although not the best picture ever taken, you can see just how rough his skin is around his neck.

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

Just look at Jumbo. My goodness, I still can't believe how he looks. What's interesting is that it actually gets worse (before it gets better).

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

Again, not the best picture in the world but if you look under his stomach you can see his hind paw with a skin lesion.

Day 32 — It Takes 30 Days!

You can really see the swelling around Jumbo's eyes and on his legs. He is walking with a definite limp now and he is still tender when touched. Today, he was quite lethargic. This indicates or suggests that his body is wanting to rest so more energy can be put into eliminating toxins. Although he was lethargic, he still had a decent appetite. I wonder if he will become extremely lethargic tomorrow? It's exciting to know that, although Jumbo is going through a rough detox, soon he will be like a puppy again!

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

Day 33 — Still Lethargic

Jumbo is still lethargic and in fact, he didn't even want to go outside in the morning, which is unusual. Not only did Jumbo not want to go outside, but he also did not want to jump up and greet his owner. His eyes are still very swollen with bloody scabs around the eyes. On his left front leg, there are some open wounds or something like this as the body is healing. His skin continues to be extremely dry and rough. He really looks in bad shape right now but it's also a good sign that his body is healing — a really weak body would not have the strength to begin the healing process.

Day 34 — Let Me Rest

Jumbo continues to be lethargic. In fact, he doesn't even want to leave the house. Jumbo would much rather stay inside and sit on the sofa or under the sofa. However, he did come outside to eat.

The skin problems are getting worse — a lot worse. There are open sores and wounds everywhere. Some wounds are looking bad. This, however, really shows just how toxic Jumbo was since the detoxification is so strong. Not only does this show just how toxic Jumbo is, but this also illustrates how powerful wholesome nutrition is.

Normally Jumbo is excited to go outside, but not today — he just wants to do nothing.

Day 35 — Big Wounds In Many Places

What were small wounds are now large wounds and in many places. In fact, I was preparing to go out and just as I was leaving, I saw the owner and so I asked how Jumbo was doing. She told me that the wounds were bigger and looking ugly. So before leaving, I took a look at Jumbo. I can remember how my jaw dropped and hit the floor when I saw how bad Jumbo looked — it was not a pretty sight.

Some of the wounds are bigger than others and while most are dry, the problem is that Jumbo scratches the wounds because they are itchy. Similar to when you are sweating and how that makes you feel itchy, Jumbo is going through a similar situation. The difference is that Jumbo is scratching himself raw.

Since Jumbo has so many open wounds, I gave the owner an iodine solution to put on the skin twice per day to help prevent an infection. The reality is that in the Philippines, the high humidity and heat can possibly cause or lead to an infection faster than in other locations around the world. Of course, I am hopeful that Jumbo won't get an infection because his body will also be working to protect itself. But this precaution is worth it because he is scratching and making the wounds worse.

Jumbo doesn't like a cone and so this is not an option. So instead of using a cone, I also gave the owner some calendula spray to help soothe and heal the wounds. In addition, I gave the owner some oil of tamanu, which is wonderful for skin problems. Both the calendula spray I provided also contains some goldenseal, which helps to fight bacteria and infections. At the same time, the oil of tamanu also has natural antibiotic properties too.

The pictures below show just how big Jumbo's wounds are getting.

Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project Jumbo — the participant in the Sick Pet Project

Day 36 — The Power of The Detox Is Directly Proportional To

The power of Jumbo's detox is directly proportional to how toxic he is and how healthy and wholesome the food he is now eating. What do I mean by this?

Well, the reality is that if the body is only slightly toxic, then of course the detox will be minor. But in Jumbo's case, because his body is obviously very toxic, his cleanse is quite powerful. At the same time, even though the body may be toxic, if poor quality and unhealthy food is fed, then the body doesn't have the nutritional strength to heal. Since Jumbo is having a strong detox, it also indicates that the quality of the wholesome foods he is eating is powerful enough to provide his body with the strength it needs to defeat the illness within his body.

Needless to say, Jumbo is still lethargic. He wants to be fed inside the house rather than outside. How much longer will jumbo be lethargic for? It's hard to say — another day or two we would suspect.

Jumbo doesn't look good on the outside, but what we cannot see is the inside? How is his body healing internally?

The body heals from inside out. That is, the body will heal the organs, etc before the skin. Since the skin is really far less important than the health of the kidneys, liver, brain, heart, etc, the body doesn't waste its energy healing the skin first. The body heals from the inside out — another lesson from Hering's Law of Healing.

In fact, Hering's Law of Healing states that things get worse before they get better, that the body heals from inside out, that the body heals from top to bottom and that the body heals in reverse order! Realizing this, we know the last major part of his body to cleanse will also be the first part of his body to get weak — again this is foreshadowing in case you missed the hint!

Since the body heals in reverse order, the last problem the body fixes will also be where the problem initially began. Of course, it's not possible to say with 100% certainty that what the original cause of the problem was — well, of course we know his diet was not healthy, but the question is, how did this bad diet affect him?

Although it's not possible to know with certainty what the initial problem was, we can get a sense of the original problem by observing what the last problem to heal is. It's not always possible to know what the initial problem was because we can only see what's on the surface, not what's happening inside.

I am hopeful that Jumbo will soon be like a puppy again — healthier than ever with beautiful skin. Since his skin is the weak part of his body, he is really detoxifying hard through the skin. His body has a lot of toxins, this is for sure, and if we hadn't started feeding Jumbo a wholesome diet then chances are jumbo would have developed cancer, kidney failure, etc in a few years.

Day 37 — More of The Same

Day 37 brings more of the same. His appetite is still good.

On day 37 Jumbo was hiding or feeling protected by sleeping in a cubbyhole. What I noticed, from day 1, is that Jumbo is actually a fearful dog. He has some fear related issues. I am not sure how his fears started or why, but I am sure part of his health problems are related to fear. I've also noticed that Jumbo uses his fears and ill health to garner sympathy from his owners. In this way, he controls his owners using sympathy as his weapon. Ultimately, we don't want to reward this behavior and ultimately, we don't want Jumbo to become addicted to his illness.

In traditional Chinese herbal medicine, it is said that fear affects the kidneys and urinary system. Worrying is said to affect the spleen and stomach. As a result, it's possible that Jumbo's fear and even worrying is a contributing factor in his health problems. Ironically, a wholesome and healthy diet helps to prevent fears and worrying, or any emotion, from controlling you simply because when the body is not healthy and/or out of balance, it allows emotions to spiral further out of control. Essentially, it's all interconnected.

Day 38 — Some Areas Are Healing, Others Are Not

On day 38, I noticed that the back of Jumbo's body, near the base of the spine and up towards his shoulders is looking real good. His chest is also looking better. The skin in these areas is starting to look healthy with a nice pinkish type of color. But around his front legs, that area is still rather raw with skin being scratched away. Saying that, the open wounds are still clean with no infections. His eyes are also less swollen which is nice to see.

Unfortunately, due to the healing process, Jumbo is having a hard time sleeping because his front legs are in a little bit of pain or discomfort from the skin being scratched away. He is also shivering quite a bit now.

Lethargy still controls him and he wants to rest. While we want to help him recover faster, the reality is, it takes time for the body to heal. While it takes the body a long time to heal, it takes the body much less time to get sick.

Jumbo still has a good appetite, which has been a constant up until this point. This actually surprises me a little because I thought for sure he was going to reject a meal or two by now. Food rejection, during the healing process, is not uncommon. The reason why the body rejects food is because digestion always takes priority. So if the body eats food, then it means it must put energy into healing. But if the body decides not to eat, then the body can put more of its energy into healing. This is why, often when people or pets are sick or healing, they vomit. When the body vomits, it's as if the body is saying Don't eat you fool, we need to focus all of our energy on healing! So the body vomits the food so it doesn't need to put any energy into digestion.

While the body often rejects foods and/or vomits food so the body can put all of its energy into healing, it's a similar reason why the body becomes lethargic — which Jumbo has been now for a while. The body becomes lethargic because again, the body doesn't want to waste energy on unnecessary things. Instead, the body just wants to put all of its energy into healing. Therefore, although Jumbo is eating quite well, he is not really eager to do much. In fact, tonight, Jumbo ate a huge meal — really good to see.

It looks like there might still be another location on his body that will soon become raw, right between the shoulder blades. Hopefully it won't happen. I would have to say that currently Jumbo is looking 50% good and 50% bad. I can only hope Jumbo's body will finish the detox soon, heal the skin and get him looking better than ever — but alas, that's not the case. There are still plenty more days of detox to come.

Day 38 finishes as probably the worst of the days thus far.

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Testimonials

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The following are testimonials shown in random order. In addition to reading these testimonials, you may also want to read The Sick Pet Project.

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What A Difference Your Diet Has Made!

2009-03-13

I just wanted to write and tell you what a difference this new diet has made in my dogs' over–all health. I am awe struck and I have only had them on it for about three weeks.

I have two Chihuahuas and a Sharpei mix. My Sharpei (Nelly) had skin problems or allergies, I think due to the dog food I was feeding her. I could run the sweeper three times a day and still have hair everywhere. I was seriously thinking of finding a new home for her. I work two jobs and have teenagers and not enough time to sweep constantly.

That's when I started searching for a new diet for the dogs. I came across this and started it right away. It doesn't really consume anymore of my time and I don't have to sweep everyday anymore! I just can't get over the difference in their coats. They are so shiny and healthy looking. Thank you so much Jesse!

I actually enjoy feeding time for them. They love it. Even the finicky Chihuahua! And another great part about this is that they don't poop near as much as they used to. I know that Nelly would go at least six times a day if not more. I have learned so much from your website. I have read a lot of books about feeding a raw diet and one would say do this and the other one say don't do that and back and forth but none of it worked out for us and none of it was as simple as this is!

I just can't thank you enough.

– Shani

In Just 6 Days

2010-06-10

Here’s our story.

We have 2 rescue Chihuahuas, one is a mix, we believe, with Jack Russell Terrier. His name is Lucky and he is approximately 8 years old. We rescued him 3 years ago. Our other little guy is Chico and he is about 2-3 years old. We rescued him November, 2008 and they said he was 2 but we think he was younger, just looked older and acted older because he was undernourished. We have been feeding NutroMax and Iams dog foods, which we believed were on the better side of commercial grade pet food.

Lucky has lost some teeth and recently developed allergies with wheezing and coughing. The vet gave us 2 medicines for him to give twice a day. On Saturday, May 29, 2010, he came to his breakfast, sniffed the food, shook and shuddered and walked away. I thought that was weird!, but when he gets hungry he will eat. Saturday night he did the same thing and also Sunday morning. By now my husband, Robert, and I are getting a little concerned. Lucky is a little chunky, but not obese, so missing a few meals probably wouldn’t hurt him as long as he was drinking his water, which he was. Well I tried giving him the canned food, which he ate for a couple of meals and then did the same thing as he did with the dry. Sniffed, shuddered and walked away. Well, for a week I tried several things, canned chicken, cut up chicken (sautéed) and then on Friday, June 4, 2010, I started searching the internet for homemade pet food. Praise the Lord! I found your website. I immediately switched both dogs to raw food on Saturday morning. I happened to have thawed a chicken breast, cut it into small pieces and they both chowed down!

Saturday I bought some ground meat, turkey and some beef (lean), and have been feeding them both raw meat mixed with some chopped frozen veggies ever since. The immediate improvement (within 6 days) in both dogs has been just short of miraculous. Lucky is not wheezing and is back to his old bouncy self. He gets the bounce from the Jack Russell side of his family. He hasn’t had his meds since he quit eating because we thought they might have been part of the problem. Chico is more relaxed and not as fearful, which is a strange benefit, but I’m loving it. We believe he was quite abused in his former life and even after being with us for 1-1/2 years still acted fearful. Both their coats are smoother already and their bowel movements are much better, still firm, but not hard. Believe it or not they are even getting along better with each other. I guess just generally feeling better overall.

I am so excited about their new diet, oops, new life style change, and am telling everyone about it and giving them your web site info and a copy of the condensed version of your book.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being there when we needed you.

God bless you and keep up the good work taking care of His creation that give us so much love. And isn’t love the key to everything?

– Hazel

Enjoying Your Method

2011-06-06

Thanks so much. I'm so enjoying making pet food via your method. It's just a breeze now and of course they are all happy. Especially the cats. The cats have always loved the raw diet though. It's night and day over feeding commercial food. I cannot think of one person that feeds commercial cat food that doesn't put up with the indifference that cats display. Having fed commercial for years, I can remember going through different types trying to find something that they wouldn't turn up their nose at. Now, I kid you not, you could get trampled feeding this crew.

– Rose