My Tripawd Diet

My new pal Eisen, from Colorado, is going into surgery on Friday, and will officially be a Tripawd after that. Let’s all wish him luck and send happy woofs and barks his way.

Meanwhile, his Mom asked us what kinds of foods have helped me stay strong and healthy after my cancer diagnosis. So here’s a short list of the foods I get on a regular basis. My Mom must be doing something right, because I just reached my 11 month post-surgery anniversary!

Good luck Eisen, we’ll be thinking of you.

Every Day: In the Morning

• 1 Vitamin C pill
• Glucosamine pill
  Mom sticks both pills into my mouth directly. She’s brave that way!

Dinner:

It’s important to keep a tripawd lean, so we don’t have to haul around any excess weight on three legs. Mom only feeds me once a day, but I don’t mind, because I eat far better than she does!

Every Day: My Evening Appetizer

• 1 cup of high quality Innova Evo kibble*Mixed with:
• 1 Cup cottage cheese, OR a few Tbsp. plain yogurt

And a small amount of very finely chopped or pulverized:

• “Above ground” veggie: like leaves of a dark leavy green (kale, chard, collards, or spinach), chopped fine, OR shredded zucchini or broccoli
• “Below ground” veggie, like some shredded carrots
• Fresh herbs if handy (parsley’s great!)

Mixed together with:

• 2 Tbsp. flax oil
• 1 Tbsp. Powdered Kelp*
• 1 Tbsp. Alfalfa
• 1 Fish or Salmon Oil pill*
• 1 Glucosamine pill

Every Day: My Evening Entree
I get one of the following after I eat my veggies:

• MEAT: A slab of raw, meaty chicken, beef or turkey, with bones. I’ll eat one big turkey leg, or about 2 – 3 chicken drumsticks depending on how much activity I’ve had.
• OR, chunks of cooked fish like mackerel or sardines. Mom doesn’t buy fish from China, she doesn’t trust the quality.
• OR, 1/4 Can moist food* (if Mom forgets to defrost meat, she’ll do this, and mix it up with the kibble and everything else. But it’s gotta be real, quality canned Evo meat, nothing else.

*Considerations:

• High quality, no-grain / low-carb canned meat like Natura’s Innova Evo line is best.
• Kelp, alfalfa and green foods in general, like kale are great for dogs with compromised immune systems. Kelp has many essential minerals, and binds with toxins in the gastrointestinal tract to prevent their absorption in the body.
• Fish oil has Omega3 fatty acids, which can help with arthritis, make me more flexible, and keep my cardiovascular system in top shape.
• Flax oil can be found very inexpensively at Trader Joe’s stores.

Finally, please remember that my Mom is not a vet, this is just her experience she is sharing and she can’t say if it’s scientifically guaranteed or what, but I know that I love it, and I’m far healthier because of it. But please, consult other resources if you are considering a switch to a raw foods based diet for your pup, OK?

And remember, don’t introduce any new foods all at once or your pal may hate them. I had been eating raw for a year or so before I got sick, so I was used to it, but some dogs take time. There are some great resources on this website that can tell you more about the wonderful benefits of a diet like mine, so don’t forget to check them out!