View allAll Photos Tagged probiotic
3 crepes:
2 bananas
1/2 mango (the second 1/2 to decorate + freeze-dried fruit)
1/2 apple
1/2 lemon (juice)
+blender
+dehydrator
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
yoghurt:
1-2 young coconut
homemade elderberry syrup (xylitol, lemon, elderberry flowers, sunlight)
+blender
probiotics (+fermentation time)
iceberg lettuce
cherry tomatoes
red peppers ramiro
young radish (microgreens)
fresh basil
unrefined sea salt
balsamico
olive oil
black olives
red onion (carmen)
macadam "feta" (soaked macadamia nuts, yacon syrup, sea salt, smoked paprika, chilli, lactobacilli, dried garlic, apple vinegar)
+ blender & dehydrator for "cheese"
Positive bacteria and the hero bacteria 'Biosporinus' done for a TV commercial about probiotic 'Biosporin' by a Ukrainian creative advertisement agency FEDORIV.
Thanks for watching and check out the TV ad animation here:
www.behance.net/gallery/30090613/BIOSPORIN
:-)
This is not an advert. I am sharing this picture from my mobile phone to show my latest go to to help a little this clears my throat wonderfully well. I am not trying to promote it into your life, rather showing you what I enjoying in mine and that I like this image too. The label to me evokes cures and tonics as of old. I have no idea of any benefits. The vinegar is a strong shot for my throat and here I have the label ready for my curious memory.
© PHH Sykes 2024
phhsykes@gmail.com
WILLY’S ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
LIVE Organic APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Probiotic Farming & Fermenting
www.willysacv.com/shop/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwmr...
Apple cider vinegar
Just pure health medications, from probiotic pills all the way to multivitamin pills. The older you get the more you need to take care of things that you take for granted when younger.
Evening atmosphere on the north coast. View towards the sea and the setting sun from Karimalis winery in Pigí, up in the hills southwest of Evdilos. Photo taken by my brother. Ikaria island, Greece, June 2018.
Ikaria/Ικαρία - Probiotic ikarian olives - George Karimalis/Γιώργος Καρίμαλης | Greece/Ελλάδα
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUmOy_urSDU
More information about the winery and the farm of George and Eléni Karimalis and agrotourism you will find here:
CHEESE:
pumpkin seed
lactobacilli
yacon syrup
unrefined sea salt
basil
dried tomatoes
balsamico
+ fermentation time
---
SALAD:
tearing lettuce
lamb's lettuce
dandelion leaves
kale flowers
pumpkin seed oil
lemon juice
mint leaves
This is not an advert. I am sharing this picture from my mobile phone to show my latest go to to help a little this clears my throat wonderfully well. I am not trying to promote it into your life, rather showing you what I enjoying in mine and that I like this image too. The label to me evokes cures and tonics as of old. I have no idea of any benefits. The vinegar is a strong shot for my throat and here I have the label ready for my curious memory.
© PHH Sykes 2024
phhsykes@gmail.com
WILLY’S ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
LIVE Organic APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Probiotic Farming & Fermenting
www.willysacv.com/shop/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwmr...
Apple cider vinegar
I was seriously busy this weekend baking a birthday cake..making Venison doggie treats and some natural probiotics... sauerkraut...tomorrow canning pears...This was a shoot from a few weeks back..eleven days old and already the princess in her parents lives and all of those who knew her...the perfect model sleeping most of the time..wishing one and all a blessed week ahead..
Headache? Take a pill. Back Ache? Take a pill. Stomach Ache? Take a pill. (Caution: may cause stomach upset.) Don't eat right? Take a pill. Need to lose weight? Take a pill. High Blood Pressure? Take a pill. Want better skin? Take a pill. Need good bacteria? Take a pill. Can't sleep? Take a pill. Need to laugh, love, be kind to people, don't kill, love animals, smile, find magic (for Torrie), be creative, love yourself, find your place.....those things are all within you. No pill needed.
Rabette (Bassist):
Rabette is a devoted animal rights activist, a Virgo, NOT a morning person and can only fall asleep to the soundtrack of 'Too Wong Foo'. Her favorite way to wind down after a show is to devour marshmallow sandwiches while watching reruns of Mork & Mindy. Rabette collects velvet paintings & vintage Macaroni art & the first concert she ever attended was The Sugarcubes in '88. Her heros are Bjork and Betty White.
Baby (Lead Vocalist):
Baby may be small but her voice sure packs a whallop! Before a big show she will gargle a mixture of honey, Paprika and Listerine. When she is not on stage, you can find Baby chilling in the tour bus nerding out playing Sudoku or Tetris. The first band she ever saw live was Weezer. Despite being perfectly geeky & an honorary member of Mensa, Mathew Broderick movies are the only flicks Baby will give the time of day.
Darla (Rhythm Guitar):
Darla is all about groove and feel. She never feels the need to wank out with sweep licks or blistering solos, but instead would rather rip your head off with crushing power chords. During her formative years, Darla followed the on-tour exploits of Pantera & Slayer, honing her own skills with them as their first female roadie. Darla collects Pez dispensers and swears by Probiotic yogurt. She has a little tattoo of William Shatner on her bum.
Percy (Drums):
Percy suffers greatly from Omphalophobia & was recently released into the custody of her band mates following a 90 Day stint in a minimum security prison where she served time for a DUI offence. Percy is 72 days sober and has a new lease on life. Her dream should the band not get signed is to be a pilates instructor in Maui. Percy's first concert was The Fuzzy Pinks back in the late 90's.
Weeel Frozen Yogurt is born on the basis of the moment. The moment of eating a Weeel translates into a positive feeling, which results from the satisfaction of enjoying a balanced frozen yogurt, made with natural yogurt and skimmed milk and with a huge variety of delicious toppings, which spread smiles.
What distinguishes Weeel frozen yogurt from a traditional ice cream?
• Weeel is not an ice cream, but a yogurt. As it is done the moment it is consumed, it maintains the benefits of yogurt: it is probiotic, a source of calcium and protein. For this reason, Weeel stores are yogurt shops and not ice cream shops. Yogurt is our star product.
Health issues? Wanna know more? Visit us at www.uber-nutra.com #ubernutra #life #health #healthy #supplements #nutrition #nutrients #food #facts #foodporn #lifestyle #healthylife #probiotics #vitamins #minerals
A rather anxious looking Joey sits upright at the corner of his cage, just before we left after spending with him for an hour.
He was discharged the following day as the vet felt that Joey would recuperate faster at home rather than at the hospital. Like her fellow veterinarian peers, she's probably burdened with other new animal patients and there's not much she could do to make Joey recover any faster.
He's already spent almost a week on IV fluids, some anti-emetics to stop him vomiting and antibiotics for his bladder inflammation. And Rotibac probiotics to promote the healing of his damaged kidney nephrons.
While this animal hospital takes in both dogs and cats, I noted that dogs outnumber cats. Their humans send their loved furry ones here when their regular vets recommended their their pets be taken here if they needed specialized scanning equipment like MRI, ultrasound and X-Ray.
Beautiful and peaceful evening sky (with planet Venus) over the aegean sea and the vineyards of the winery Karimalis in Pigi on the north coast. Ikaria island, Greece, end of June 2018. (PMZ8997)
Ikaria/Ικαρία - Probiotic ikarian olives - George Karimalis/Γιώργος Καρίμαλης | Greece/Ελλάδα
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUmOy_urSDU
More information about the winery and the farm of George and Eléni Karimalis and agrotourism you will find here:
It's a hard walk up but well worth it, his tongue isn't usually that colour, evidence of a little snack of sheep muck, canine probiotic yoghurt.
There is a superhighway between the brain and GI system that holds great sway over humans
"There is a muscle that encircles the gut like a lasso when we are sitting… creating a kink in the tube," Giulia Enders explains in Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ. She calls the mechanism "an extra insurance policy, in addition to our old friends, the sphincters" (you have two sphincters – keep reading) and cites studies showing that squatters, with their unkinked guts, are less susceptible to haemorrhoids and constipation.Enders, a 25-year-old student at the Institute for Microbiology in Frankfurt, inside an underground public lavatory in central London. "Is there a toilet in this toilet?" she asks when she arrives. There is not, a barista tells her. The Victorian urinals, abandoned in the 1960s, have been converted into cafe with booths and stools, and no room for anything else.After a dash to a pub loo above ground, Enders talks with infectious energy about the wonder of the gut. She has been delighted to discover how many people share her fascination with a subject that can suffer for being taboo. "Even today in the taxi, I told the driver what I was doing and within about two minutes he was telling me about his constipation," she says in perfect English, which she owes to a year of study in the US. "And it's not just him. It's ladies with chic hair at big gala dinners, too. Everyone wants to talk about it."Enders first got noticed after a self-assured turn at a science slam in Berlin three years ago. Her 10-minute lecture went viral on YouTube, and now, weeks after completing her final exams as a doctoral student, she is a publishing sensation. Her book, called Darm Mit Charme ("Charming Bowels") in Germany, has sold more than 1.3 million copies since it came out last year. Rights have been sold to dozens of countries.
Her way into the gut is a lightness that some reviewers have found too childish or lacking in scientific rigour to be taken seriously. But there is something compelling and refreshing about her curiosity and popular approach. "When I read the research, I think, why don't people know about this – why am I reading about it in some paper or specialist magazine? It's ridiculous because everyone has to deal with it on a daily basis." After she explains the inspiration for her fixation (the suicide of an acquaintance who had had severe halitosis, and her own teenage skin condition, which turned out to have been caused by a wheat intolerance) Enders starts at the end of the digestive tract with what she calls the "masterly performance" that is defecation. "There is so much about the anus that we don't know," she says, reaching for a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. "The first surprise is the sophistication of our sphincters… you know about the outer one because you can control it, but the inner one nobody knows about."
This inner opening is beyond our conscious control, releasing waste material into a sort of anal vestibule where, in Enders words, "a small taster" hits sensor cells that tell the body what it's dealing with and how to respond using the outer sphincter. This opening, and our mouths, are the recognisable and controllable ends of a system that, stretched out, would be almost as long as a bus. But it's the bits in between, and their link with the rest of our bodies, including our brains and emotions, that really interest Enders.
"Medical diagrams show the small intestine as a sausage thing chaotically going through our belly," she says. "But it is an extraordinary work of architecture that moves so harmonically when you see it during surgery. It's clean and smooth, like soft fabric, and moves like this." She performs a wavy, pulsating motion with her hands. Enders believes that if we could think differently about the gut, we might more readily understand its role beyond basic digestion – and be kinder to it. The great extent to which the gut can influence health and mood is a growing field in medicine. We speak of it all the time, whether we describe "gut feelings", "butterflies in our stomachs", or "pooing our pants" in fear, but popular understanding of this gut-brain axis remains low.
A primal connection exists between our brain and our gut. We often talk about a “gut feeling” when we meet someone for the first time. We’re told to “trust our gut instinct” when making a difficult decision or that it’s “gut check time” when faced with a situation that tests our nerve and determination. This mind-gut connection is not just metaphorical. Our brain and gut are connected by an extensive network of neurons and a highway of chemicals and hormones that constantly provide feedback about how hungry we are, whether or not we’re experiencing stress, or if we’ve ingested a disease-causing microbe. This information superhighway is called the brain-gut axis and it provides constant updates on the state of affairs at your two ends. That sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach after looking at your postholiday credit card bill is a vivid example of the brain-gut connection at work. You’re stressed and your gut knows it—immediately.
The enteric nervous system is often referred to as our body’s second brain. There are hundreds of million of neurons connecting the brain to the enteric nervous system, the part of the nervous system that is tasked with controlling the gastrointestinal system. This vast web of connections monitors the entire digestive tract from the esophagus to the anus. The enteric nervous system is so extensive that it can operate as an independent entity without input from our central nervous system, although they are in regular communication. While our “second” brain cannot compose a symphony or paint a masterpiece the way the brain in our skull can, it does perform an important role in managing the workings of our inner tube. The network of neurons in the gut is as plentiful and complex as the network of neurons in our spinal cord, which may seem overly complex just to keep track of digestion. Why is our gut the only organ in our body that needs its own “brain”? Is it just to manage the process of digestion? Or could it be that one job of our second brain is to listen in on the trillions of microbes residing in the gut?
Operations of the enteric nervous system are overseen by the brain and central nervous system. The central nervous system is in communication with the gut via the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system, the involuntary arm of the nervous system that controls heart rate, breathing, and digestion. The autonomic nervous system is tasked with the job of regulating the speed at which food transits through the gut, the secretion of acid in our stomach, and the production of mucus on the intestinal lining. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA axis, is another mechanism by which the brain can communicate with the gut to help control digestion through the action of hormones.
This circuitry of neurons, hormones, and chemical neurotransmitters not only sends messages to the brain about the status of our gut, it allows for the brain to directly impact the gut environment. The rate at which food is being moved and how much mucus is lining the gut—both of which can be controlled by the central nervous system—have a direct impact on the environmental conditions the microbiota experiences.
Like any ecosystem inhabited by competing species, the environment within the gut dictates which inhabitants thrive. Just as creatures adapted to a moist rain forest would struggle in the desert, microbes relying on the mucus layer will struggle in a gut where mucus is exceedingly sparse and thin. Bulk up the mucus, and the mucus-adapted microbes can stage a comeback. The nervous system, through its ability to affect gut transit time and mucus secretion, can help dictate which microbes inhabit the gut. In this case, even if the decisions are not conscious, it’s mind over microbes.
What about the microbial side? When the microbiota adjusts to a change in diet or to a stress-induced decrease in gut transit time, is the brain made aware of this modification? Does the brain-gut axis run in one direction only, with all signals going from brain to gut, or are some signals going the other way? Is that voice in your head that is asking for a snack coming from your mind or is it emanating from the insatiable masses in your bowels? Recent evidence indicates that not only is our brain “aware” of our gut microbes, but these bacteria can influence our perception of the world and alter our behavior. It is becoming clear that the influence of our microbiota reaches far beyond the gut to affect an aspect of our biology few would have predicted—our mind.
For example, the gut microbiota influences the body’s level of the potent neurotransmitter serotonin, which regulates feelings of happiness. Some of the most prescribed drugs in the U.S. for treating anxiety and depression, like Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil, work by modulating levels of serotonin. And serotonin is likely just one of a numerous biochemical messengers dictating our mood and behavior that the microbiota impacts.
Most of us can relate to the experience of having butterflies in our stomach, or to a visceral gut-wrenching feeling, and how often are we told not to ignore our “gut-instinct” or “gut-feeling” when making a decision.
Even from our simple slang, it’s clear just how symbolically connected the gut is to our emotions. Now, there’s tangible proof to support these popular metaphors.
We all have a microbiome, and they are as unique as our neural pathways
Research has shown that the body is actually composed of more bacteria than cells. We are more bug than human! Collectively, these trillions of bacteria are called the microbiome. Most of those bacteria reside in our gut, sometimes referred to as the gut microbiota, and they play multiple roles in our overall health.
The gut is no longer seen as an entity with the sole purpose of helping with all aspects of digestion. It’s also being considered as a key player in regulating inflammation and immunity.
A healthy gut consists of different iterations of bacteria for different people, and this diversity maintains wellness. A shift away from “normal” gut microbiota diversity is called dysbiosis, and dysbiosis may contribute to disease. In light of this, the microbiome has become the focus of much research attention as a new way of understanding autoimmune, gastrointestinal, and even brain disorders.
The benefit of a healthy gut is illustrated most effectively during early development. Research has indicated just how sensitive a fetus is to any changes in a mother’s microbiotic makeup, so much so that it can alter the way a baby’s brain develops. If a baby is born via cesarean section, it misses an opportunity to ingest the mother’s bacteria as it travels down the vaginal canal. Studies show that those born via c-section have to work to regain the same diversity in their microbiome as those born vaginally. Throughout our lives, our microbiome continues to be a vulnerable entity, and as we are exposed to stress, toxins, chemicals, certain diets, and even exercise, our microbiome fluctuates for better or worse.
The gut as second brain
Our gut microbiota play a vital role in our physical and psychological health via its own neural network: the enteric nervous system (ENS), a complex system of about 100 million nerves found in the lining of the gut.
The ENS is sometimes called the “second brain,” and it actually arises from the same tissues as our central nervous system (CNS) during fetal development. Therefore, it has many structural and chemical parallels to the brain.
Our ENS doesn’t wax philosophical or make executive decisions like the gray shiny mound in our skulls. Yet, in a miraculously orchestrated symphony of hormones, neurotransmitters, and electrical impulses through a pathway of nerves, both “brains” communicate back and forth. These pathways include and involve endocrine, immune, and neural pathways.
At this point in time, even though the research is inchoate and complex, it is clear that the brain and gut are so intimately connected that it sometimes seems like one system, not two.
Our emotions play a big role in functional gastrointestinal disorders
Given how closely the gut and brain interact, it has become clear that emotional and psychosocial factors can trigger symptoms in the gut. This is especially true in cases when the gut is acting up and there’s no obvious physical cause.
The functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are a group of more than 20 chronic and hard to treat medical conditions of the gastrointestinal tract that constitute a large proportion of the presenting problems seen in clinical gastroenterology.
While FGID’s were once thought to be partly “in one’s head,” a more precise conceptualization of these difficulties posits that psychosocial factors influence the actual physiology of the gut, as well as the modulation of symptoms. In other words, psychological factors can literally impact upon physical factors, like the movement and contractions of the GI tract, causing, inflammation, pain, and other bowel symptoms.
Mental health impacts gut wellness
In light of this new understanding, it might be impossible to heal FGID’s without considering the impact of stress and emotion. Studies have shown that patients who tried psychologically based approaches had greater improvement in their symptoms compared with patients who received conventional medical treatment.
Along those lines, a new pilot study from Harvard University affiliates Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that meditation could have a significant impact for those with irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Forty-eight patients with either IBS or IBD took a 9-week session that included meditation training, and the results showed reduced pain, improved symptoms, stress reduction, and the change in expression of genes that contribute to inflammation.
Poor gut health can lead to neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders
Vice-versa, poor gut health has been implicated in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Disturbances in gut health have been linked to multiple sclerosis, autistic spectrum disorders, and Parkinson’s disease. This is potentially related to pro-inflammatory states elicited by gut dysbiosis-microbial imbalance on or inside the body. Additional connections between age-related gut changes and Alzheimer’s disease have also been made.
Further, there is now research that is dubbing depression as an inflammatory disorder mediated by poor gut health. In fact, multiple animal studies have shown that manipulating the gut microbiota in some way can produce behaviors related to anxiety and depression. (Maes, Kubera, Leunis, Berk, J. Affective Disorders, 2012 and Berk, Williams, Jacka, BMC Med, 2013).
Our brain’s health, which will be discussed in more depth in a later blog post, is dependent on many lifestyle choices that mediate gut health; including most notably diet (i.e., reduction of excess sugar and refined carbohydrates) and pre and probiotic intake.
The brain-gut connection has treatment implications
We are now faced with the possibility of both prevention and treatment of neurological/neuropsychiatric difficulties via proper gut health. On the flip side, stress-reduction and other psychological treatments can help prevent and treat gastrointestinal disorders. This discovery can potentially lead to reduced morbidity, impairment, and chronic dependency on health care resources.
The most empowering aspect to the gut-brain connection is the understanding that many of our daily lifestyle choices play a role in mediating our overall wellness. This whole-body approach to healthcare and wellness continues to show its value in our longevity, well-being, and quality of life: that both physical and mental health go hand-in-hand.
homemade coconut yoghurt
(young coconut, lactobacilli, yacon syrup)
homemade almond milk
(almonds, water, vanilla)
homemade almond-coconut cereal
(almonds crumb, dried shredded coconut, yacon syrup, cinnamon)
fresh raspberries
copyright © Mim Eisenberg/mimbrava studio. All rights reserved.
This photo was taken in July, so it doesn't reflect how rough these last few months have been. As you know, Zoe Bear's back went out last August, and the pain killer (Torbutrol, a narcotic) she got at the vet set off a bad gastrointestinal attack that took weeks to abate. Then last month she had three loose teeth pulled (following by several months my own expensive dental work) and a week later was given Torbutrol again (apparently the only drug available to stop a persistent, hacking cough due to the anesthesia tube), and again it precipitated a GI attack, even though it was not given to her orally either time. In the last week, my hard drive crashed (it was reformatted, and I reinstalled all programs and data, so it was just time consuming, not a disaster), my furnace went on the fritz, my garage door opener stopped working, and a toilet got clogged (but thankfully did not overflow). All these problems have been taken care of, but last night Zoe Bear started limping again, and this morning she's in a great deal of pain. She was able to eat breakfast and drink some water, but the only position in which she is in less pain is on her side. I'm hoping that rest and my carrying her around will help her heal, but I really would appreciate another round of healing thoughts for her. Many thanks, Flickr friends.
Please forgive me if I don't return your visits right away. The computer crash and all these distractions have interrupted my ability to work, so that must be my first priority. As always, know how much I value your visits and that I will return the favor as soon as I can. Hugs to you.
UPDATE, 6 pm--Although she ate dinner (her normal amount of kibble but hand fed one at a time) and drank enough water that I don't have to worry that she'll need sub-Q hydration, she's still in pain enough to whimper when she moves and tremble when she's lying down. This is likely to be a slow healing process, so do please keep sending her your healing energies. She really needs it. Thank you.
UPDATE, 12/7, 8 am--She slept well through the night, and did not flinch when I gently lifted her off the bed onto the carpet this morning. She comfortably did her business outside, then came in and, without slipping, ate her breakfast while standing on the linoleum kitchen floor. (She wasn't able to do that yesterday.) She is still walking very gingerly and stiffly, but, heck, so am I in the mornings! I will still be very vigilant and not let her do stupid stuff, but I'm pretty sure your tons of healing vibes have helped immensely, and I am very grateful to you. More updates, hopefully also positive ones, will follow.
I'll visit you later. Meanwhile, I send you big hugs. And, of course, Zoe Bear sends everybody tons of licky-lick kisses as she heals.
UPDATE, 12/7, 9:30 am--I'm afraid I spoke too soon. We're back on the bed as I read the newspaper, and she's trembling and looking sad. As I originally thought, the healing will take longer than I'd like. I'll just try to keep her as comfortable as possible. I'm just happy she hasn't lost her appetite.
UPDATE, 12/8, 11 am--Either she's improving or she's masking her discomfort more. She seems to be limping a little less, but when she won't jump down from the bed herself (even if I were to let her), I know she's still hurting. Her limp is not, I don't think, as severe as it's been. Fingers are crossed that she's healing. Another good sign: She has recovered her bark. Things have been oddly quiet around here since Monday. Not that I like barky dogs, but in this case it makes me happy. Again, as always, many thanks for caring and for your prayers and healing thoughts.
UPDATE, 12/8, 9:30 pm--She's had a setback. Someone came to the door this afternoon, and in her exuberance, Zoe Bear reinjured what was starting to heal, and it's been a very painful evening for her. I think we're back to square one, but she WILL get better.
UPDATE, 12/9, 8:45 am--She slept through the night but as soon as she moved upon awakening she cried out in pain. She's in great distress this morning, and I have a 2:30 appointment with the vet.
UPDATE, 12/9, 5:15 pm--About an hour before the vet visit, Zoe Bear got up from lying down, did a hearty shake, and her pain went away! I'm thinking it shook off a pinched nerve or a pinched muscle or something. But I still took her to the vet for his opinion about what's going on with her. Because she was asymptomatic, he's not sure but agrees that it might be arthritis. According to the dog-age-and-weight chart, right now Zoe Bear and I are EXACTLY the same age! And I sure have arthritis, and it can be excruciatingly debilitating when it flares up.
He recommended I give her a veterinary glucosamine condroitin formulation, and he'll be bringing in a sample for me tomorrow.
Meanwhile, a dear Flickr friend has suggested I try a homeopathic remedy for ailing joints, which I have ordered and which I'll start giving her when it arrives.
Again, I am extremely grateful to you all for your caring thoughts and good wishes.
UPDATE, 12/10, 11 am--Not a good start to the morning. She woke up limping and when I picked her up to take her off the bed, she cried out and whimpered. I think I've narrowed down the problem area to her right shoulder, but I'm not sure. I'll see what the samples of Dasuquin will do for her once I pick them up after noon.
UPDATE, 12/11, 10:45 am--A much better morning. She started on Dasuquin yesterday, a glucosamine-chondroitin formulation the vet strongly recommended and which has fabulous reviews on Amazon (yeah, great science there, huh?). We'll see. Meanwhile, she slept well through the night and is only limping a little bit this morning and is not in the severe pain she'd been experiencing. I'm not attributing the improvement to the medicine; it's far too soon for it to take effect. I'm just glad she's feeling better. Fingers are crossed that she'll continue to improve and react well to the medicine, which, if it works, she'll probably have to take from now on.
I don't know if it's arthritis, and if it is, it might be in her right shoulder. However, that would not cause her left hind leg to twitch while she's asleep, the same kind of reflex as when one touches dogs on their bellies in a particular spot. She is usually not sensitive to such a touch, but has been recently, leading me to suppose it might be a nerve-related problem. Dunno.
UPDATE, 12/12, 11 am--Zoe Bear slept through the night well and started off the morning sort of okay, but after she ate she started to limp again. While I read the newspaper, I had her on the bed again with the heating pad, as she trembled beneath it. She even produced tears. At least she is not having a bad reaction to the Dasuquin, so perhaps if it is an arthritic condition, it will eventually start helping her. Keep your fingers crossed that that will happen sooner rather than later. Right now, in my office, she's lying on the carpet, her legs occasionally twitching. She's not whimpering or crying out, but she's not wholly comfortable.
UPDATE, 12/12, 5:30 pm--She's had a better afternoon, which I reported to the vet when he called. At Michael's (budderman's) suggestion, I asked about a cortisone-novocaine shot, and he said he would use cortisone only as a last resort, especially on her. He'd prefer something like Metacam, an NSAID.
UPDATE, 12/13, 10:55 am--Knock wood, she's been almost completely her normal self this morning. She's had good moments before since the 6th, though. Let's hope this time there's no relapse.
4:15 pm--She was a bit gimpy when she got up from lying down, but she then moved okay and doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable.
UPDATE, 12/14, 8:45 am--She seems to be almost healed, but she still seems to be getting up from lying down with some caution. It's far too soon for the Dasuquin to be the reason for the improvement, but I'll continue it anyway. I'm still treating her very gingerly and not letting her jump onto or off of the bed and twirl around in excitement as she is wont to do. So far so good. Hugs to all who care about her for helping her get better.
UPDATE: 12/15, 8:45 am--I can't tell you how grateful I am to each and every one of you for caring so much about my Zoe Bear and helping her heal. She's now back to about as normal as an almost-13-year-old dog can be. Before I could stop her, she even jumped off the bed this morning. Zoe Bear seems a mindful dog and knows what her body can and can't do. But I will try very hard not to let that happen again.
UPDATE: 12/21 6 pm--Zoe Bear started limping again, so I took her to a new vet today, and I like her a lot and will probably stay with her. It was worth $342 to confirm that she (channeling me) has arthritis in her neck and calcification in her spine. But a surprise discovery was gas in her intestines, which may very well be the cause of her severe recent pain. I'm switching diets from one holistic food to one without vegies and grains, and will start giving her probiotics. It would be so great if that would help at least for one source of her pain. As for her neck, I'm not sure Dasuquin will address it, and if I have to stop giving it to her mashed up in frozen yogurt (the vet things there might also be a lactose intolerant issue), then she may not take it at all.
UPDATE, 12/29, 8:45 am--Thanks for your continuing concern about Zoe Bear. She has some very bad moments during the day, inexplicably feeling pain and trembling and whimpering, but seems to be feeling better, or at least as good as she can with arthritis and intestinal gas. She's tolerating ery well her new diet with the probiotics supplement, and is getting Metacam for the pain and Dasuquin to help lubricate her joints. The vet is also giving her four FREE laser treatments to see if they will additionally help. She had one yesterday, and it didn't seem to do much good, but we'll see.
UPDATE, 1/4/12, 10:15 p.m. With her new diet, new probiotics, new Dasaquin, and four free laser treatments, she's MUCH better, though still not 100%. But she's going to be 13 next month, so I wouldn't expect her to be 100%!
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Yes, That's It is a probiotic bar, and there was a booth near the giant inflatable apple where two young women handed out free samples. I decided on the banana flavored one.
Waiting patiently for his Bene-Bac. After I weigh Lightning I give him his probiotic and he's grown to enjoy the process. I was trying to get a photo of him gripping the syringe with both paws like a bottle - because that's what he does everyday (he's such a little glutton for the stuff) but the auto focus didn't catch it.
Lightning has gained 6 grams in the past 24 hours.
He's the most adorable chinchilla in the world.
...with a banana sandwich (no butter) and a probiotic yoghurt. Best not to dive straight back into curry and beer I guess :-)
I know it's a belated anniversary but I've been quite busy since January - taking care of Joey and being in the neighborhood watch committee.
Joey came to our humble home back in January 29th, 2011 - and this was taken about a week after settling down in our house. He had always been a very sweet boy, very clean with no fleas or ticks.
Today Joey appears to be healthy and alert. He seems to be even healthier than he was in 2015, way before he was first diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease.
Last year was very bad for both of us, with his hospitalization and multiple blood work done. He is now on minimal Sub-Q fluid treatments at home (maintenance dose, just in case).
We threw everything at Joey and finally nursed him back to health. The ongoing acupuncture treatment seems to be effective and we give him probiotics and chicken essence daily, with red krill oil capsules three times a week (as per the holistic vet's recommendation).
Unless our conventional vet advises otherwise, Joey still eats Royal Canin Renal prescription kibble to this day. He's gotten used to its taste. I'm afraid to switch to another brand of kibble that may contain potentially high phosphorous content.
I'm still keeping an eye on him though, in case he gets a relapse like what had happened to him last November 5th.
Sauerkraut on the way! Real probiotics! Surprisingly easy to do. Sandor Katz is an excellent resource. He has a book - "Wild Fermentation" and many videos on YouTube.
I found a shady spot, opened up the wrapper, and this is what I found. Fortunately, it didn't taste like what it looked like, but it didn't exactly taste like banana either.
Am trying to regrow the flora in my gut. Some nice probiotics and fresh anti oxidants. Strawberries, bananas, blueberries and yogurt. This is after five days straight tequila to kill the flora in the first place.
Magnus is entirely back to his old self, stealing the dogs bed and causing general chaos wherever he goes! Hopefully we have got to the bottom of the problem now (he seems to be sensitive to the "wrong" bacteria in his gut... and sugars/starches in crap cat food seem to help this bacteria grow which makes him sick... at least this is the theory).
He is on some suppliments - fibre and probiotics - to try and rebalance everything.
Who knew that purple cabbage turns into magenta pink sauerkraut?
(crisp and crunchy and nowhere near the eye-watering sourness of the canned sauerkraut we got when growing up!) Gorgeous, probiotic rich and tasty to boot ... I am so pleased my second batch has turned out as well as did the first 'green' batch.
For 15 months our hearts were breaking. It was like watching Bruno die in slow motion. Two regular vets, two internal medicine specialists, ultrasounds, endless blood work, two different antibiotics, probiotics, extremely expensive prescription food, all with nearly no improvement as he continued to waste away. For the doctors, the next (and only) alternative was invasive surgery to collect biopsies of Bruno's intestinal tract, which terrified us. Feeling there was nothing to lose we decided to try transitioning Bruno to a raw diet. It was the one thing all the doctors never seemed willing to suggest.
I'll cut to the chase.
35 days ago we started by giving him a raw turkey neck in addition to the ground beef and oatmeal the second specialist had him on. Under close supervision, he knew exactly how to eat it, mashing it up very well before swallowing. The same on day 2, but this time he was not so interested in the ground beef/oatmeal. This was very surprising because he loved it. On day 3, he would not eat the ground beef/oatmeal. We were shocked. What we had planned to be a slow transition over several weeks was over in three days. His condition has improved dramatically almost overnight. He has not had blood and mucous in his stool, he has stopped vomiting and has gained three pounds. We're fine tuning the diet to get it well balanced nutritionally, but this is not difficult as dogs' bodies are able to get nearly everything they need from meat, fat and bone.
I know he's not completely out of the woods, but this turn around has given us great hope and tears of joy.