Stories

I bought my first German Shepherd Dog in 1983. He was Lowliet King Cass otherwise known as Bo. He was fed mainly Harpers dry food and occasionally, liver, bones and beef. Much of the beef came from a knackery and I gave no thought to the fact that dead and dying stock are often treated with all manner of medication. If the cattle in question were fortunate enough to die from old age they were most likely left out in the paddock for anything up to a day before collection. Thus the flesh was full of toxins and uric acid.

Consequently, Bo had skin problems even as a ten-week-old pup. He was very sensitive to fleas and I was constantly treating him with chemical sprays and flea rinses. In hindsight, he obviously possessed a very strong constitution to contend with this constant assault on his system. I managed to keep his itches and sores reasonably under control with cortisonse tablets and numerous ointments until he reached about 7 years. At this point, the cumulative effect of the chemicals, toxins and inadequate diet caused him to develop numerous hot spots. He chewed the fur off his tale and sores appeared on his croup. Self mutilation led to weeping fungal infection. This was checked by higher doses of cortisone and weekly baths in anti-fungal, insecticidal rinses until he reached the age of ten. At this point, the itches and sores refused to respond to conventional treatment and medication.

In desperation I rang a naturopath whom I’d heard of through friends in the German Shepherd Dog Club. Bo was consequently put on a course of herbs, homeopathics and vitamins. His diet was also changed.

At first I was inclined to argue when told dry food should be excluded from my dog’s diet, but I decided to give it a go. Bo was put on a very similar diet to the current Bozeeb Diet Chart. Within two weeks there was a dramatic improvement and his skin began to heal. He became happier and more energetic and lived to the age of 14!

Although I had changed Bo’s diet I was not thoroughly convinced dry food was all that bad. I assumed it had been mainly the acidity and toxicity of the beef that caused his problems.

I decided to try out one of the more expensive brands on my (then three-year-old) bitch Foxy. Within a week the insides of her ears turned red as if they had been dipped in a pot of boiling water. The skin peeled off in patches and a watery fluid exuded from these areas. My vet had no idea what it was and prescribed cortisone. I didn’t want to go down that road again so I took her to the Naturopath who diagnosed eczema.

He enquired whether I had fed her anything different lately. The only thing was the dry food. When I stopped feeding it the redness disappeared from the ears. It took a month of herbs and homeopathics get her body get back to correct balance.

I must add I carefully read what was on the packet of dry food before deciding to feed it to her. It claimed wondrous things such as added yeast and kelp, the correct calcium balance and no preservatives. There was a list as long as your arm of all the vitamins and minerals that had been added to the product.

After that experience you would think I would have learned my lesson. However, six months later, I was offered chicken mince at 50c a kilogram. My dogs were on it for six months when they began to develop skin problems. In particular, the coats looked dull and heavier than usual hair loss occurred at time of malting. Foxy began having problems with her seasons. She came in, failed to ovulate and came in again a month later. Although, six months on, the following “season” appeared normal she produced two pups one of them stillborn.

After that frustrating episode, I changed her diet to the All Raw and Natural (See Bozeeb Diet Chart) and put her on a special course of appropriate vitamins and herbs six weeks before her next season and, without drama, she presented nine healthy pups.

Since then, I’ve adhered to that routine. I haven’t fed dry food nor have I used any other suspect or inappropriate food source. I now spend very little time or money at the vet and my dogs are healthy, happy and energetic. My bitches give birth easily producing, on the whole, large litters. There has been no need for caesarean section or any other dramas in relation to bitches giving birth.

Another thing I learned from my experience with Foxy was never use an unknown food source. If you don’t make it yourself you have no way of knowing what goes into it. I have very strong suspicions the chicken mince in question contained preservatives. I now recall how my friend transported it in 20 kg. Polythene bags in an open trailer often exposed to sunlight and yet it showed no signs of decay. This was surprising considering it was two hours in transit! And overall, the mince probably spent longer than that in the trailer because of the necessity to stop at other delivery points.

My name is Gale Sansone and I live in a cloud forest on the Big Island of Hawaii on 10.5 enclosed acres with my husband and five dogs. We are at the 3300 foot elevation on Hualaii Mountain so the temperatures are cool ranging from 50 degrees to 72 degrees. On any given day we have rain, clouds, mist and sun. It is the perfect weather for people and dogs. We have no ticks or fleas up here.

In the best interest of my dogs I have always prided myself in

feeding them what I thought was the best dog food I could find and usually the most expensive. (Just because it’s expensive does not mean it’s nutritious) I also added raw meat and some supplements. I started doing my research on dog foods when my German Shepherds started having health problems. The problems that I saw in my dogs are as follows:

My intact male GSD BJ at the age of 5 years developed an enlarged prostate, thyroid problems, triple phosphate crystals in his urine (the largest my vet has seen), blood in his urine, problems lifting his leg and urinating and a very dull coat. At the recommendation of our vet we had him neutered and put him on antibiotics. The vet wanted to put him on thyroid medication as his thyroid was at a very low number and we needed to monitor him monthly. We choose to work on his thyroid naturally with Standard Process Supplements. (Standard Process is an all organic nutritional supplement program available to Doctors and Vets). To the amazement of the vet we had his Thyroid completely stabilized in less than two months and his thyroid remained stabilized for the next 4 ½ years when he passed on. His urinary tract problem, however, continued to get worse and the rounds of antibiotics continued for 3 years with no improvement. I went to vet after vet with no results. At the age of 8 years, we were making emergency visits to the vet to have a catheter used to drain his bladder. It was not looking good and one of our vets told me that he was an old dog and I should get used to the idea of letting him go. Since this vet was so opposed to any kind of nutritional therapy, I never went back to him. A new vet came to town and she had been an allopathic vet for 25 years and since had become a vet acupuncturist and homeopathic vet. I immediately called her. She immediately took BJ off all commercial food replacing it with a natural diet of raw veggies, raw meats, cooked grains and natural supplements. She also treated him with acupuncture and homeopathic remedies. It was amazing the changes that took place over a short period of time. Once after a treatment he had a problem and could not urinate. I immediately called her and she prescribed one dose of a homeopathic remedy and he was urinating without a problem. This was so much better than taking him in and having a catheter inserted like we had to do previously. Over the next year and a half, he thrived. His coat became nice and shiny; he could lift his leg and never had problems with urinating. He was able to run up and down our hills, wrestle, and play with our wild 3-year-old GS. The morning of his passing, he was a wild guy, rough housing with the pup and having a great time. He died of something totally unrelated to anything else that we dealt with. He died of a disk fragment embolism which as I understand it is common in large dogs. Within a half hour he was totally paralyzed but in no pain. He died in my arms on our land. He lived a great life and he died well. BUT, HE DIED PREMATURELY at 9 ½.

I got my female GS, Sadie, (currently 6 ½ yrs old) when she was 5 weeks old. Too soon but I had to take her then because of some circumstances revolving around the breeder. She was full of parasites and worms and took many medications to get rid of them. As a result of this Sadie at age five never had a solid stool. She was always having trouble digesting any food and thus not absorbing the nutrients. My vets could not help her. Then I had our new vet treat her with homeopathic remedies and two acupuncture treatments and the problem was taken care of. Prior to this I could not give her any natural foods without her having massive diarrhea. She is now on a natural food diet (NO COMMERCIAL FOOD), and supplements and has none of those previous problems. She has received her CD and CDX and currently working on her UD Title.

I got my next female GS, Hanna, (currently 3 yrs old) at 8 weeks old from a reputable breeder. This breeder however, feeds her dogs a so-called good dry kibble and supplements. I believe that each generation of dogs fed like this reduces the health of the next generation. Hanna had so many skin allergies that at one point she lost most of her fur,

and went into shock and I though she was going to die in my arms on the way to the vet. The vet diagnosed her with not only skin allergies but also a very very low thyroid. She was put on antibiotics, cortisone and the vet recommended thyroid medication. We declined the thyroid meds and used the Standard Process Products with the same results that we had with BJ. However, the skin allergies continued and if you have ever had to deal with skin allergies, you know how frustrating it can be.

Under the supervision of my new vet, we used homeopathic remedies, acupuncture, removal of all commercial food and a very basic diet for three months then began adding new foods. I have found that I can feed her raw chicken necks from free-range chicken that are hormone free without a problem. But, if I give her chicken from farms that use hormones and antibiotics, she will have an allergic reaction. Therefore, my dogs get only free-range chickens, rabbits, beef that are hormone and antibiotic free. Organic raw and steamed veggies and organic cooked grains. The cooked grains are overcooked to make them more digestible and to duplicate an animal in the wild that would have been prey. Hanna has overcome her allergies and her coat is looking shiny, her fur is almost all grown back and as thickened up. This was a very long process. She has completed her CD and working on her CDX Title.

In summary, I would just like to say that all my future dogs will never know what commercial pet food is. I feel so good feeding my best friends a healthy and nutritious diet and I know that they really appreciate it as well. It shows not only in their physical appearance but in their attitude as well. Once you get into the routine, it is not a difficult task and it is not that much more expensive especially when you consider the vet bills that you will save.

I brought Hanna home at the age of 8 weeks. The first day home she climbed up her kennel and broke her back leg. This resulted in weekly trips to the vet to change the cast and since she was so wild she would have to be sedated. So, along with her vaccinations she also received many other drugs. I mention this background as I feel that all this set the stage for an immune disease. At approx. two years of age she came down with severe skin allergies. Her tummy was full of white and green pustules and she pulled her fur out on her tummy, her paws and her feathers. She had

a rash and blisters on her nose, mouth, chin, between her paws. The allopathic vets that treated her prescribed antibiotics, cortisone and prednisone. They also recommended treated baths and a special dry food diet. Things only got worse and then one day I came home and her face and legs were so swollen she couldn’t walk. The only thing I could think of was to quickly get an antihistimine in her and rush her to the vet. I thought she was going to die on the trip to the vet. She was treated as an emergency and survived.

I started my research and was very fortunate to find a vet that practiced as an allopathic vet for 25 years and then turned to homeopathy and acupuncture. We immediately started treatment and changed her food to all raw foods right from Ian Billinghursts’s “B.A.R.F. Diet”. We saw immediate improvement although it would only last for 4 -6 weeks and then she would have another breakout. Again we would treat her homeopathically. Her case was quite a challenge as we were treating her for something called pemphigus foliaceus which is normally fatal.

This disease causes the dog’s immune system to think that it’s skin is an enemy and works to defend the body from it. This is a rare disease referred to as the pemphigus complex. In the veterinary literature, pemphigus vulgaris appears to be a severe disease that is often fatal and , even with treatment, many animals fail to respond and are euthanized. This disease can be benign disorders or drug induced. I think that in Hanna’s case it was drug induced along with a great deal of stress.

Hanna is now almost 4 years old and free of all of those problems. She has a beautiful full coat and a perfect weight. Her disposition has changed dramatically as she is feeling good. She is now a very sweet dog. Hanna has completed her CD Title and now working on her CDX title and we are considering competing with her in Agility. She is a very quick learner and

shows very well in the ring and on the field.

I cannot stress diet and good nutrition enough. I believe that Hanna would never have regained her health if I had continued with the so called special dry food diet and all the drugs that are used to treat her disease. I must also add that Hanna does NOT get any grains at all. Grains I have noticed is what triggers her outbreaks.

I have 5 big dogs and they are all on the B.A.R.F. Diet. I am an organized person and can make up their raw food diets (enough for 5 dogs 3 meals) in 20 minutes. Their meals include fresh raw veggies (carrots, parsley, broccoli, celery and whatever I have in the house). Since we juice I also include the pulp from carrots, beets, wheat grass etc. I also add some spirulina. After I have minced the veggies I then mince the fresh raw beef liver and add that along with some ground lean beef. A couple times a week I add organ meat. At feeding time I add raw chicken necks some healthy mix and 1 T. of cod liver oil. Several times a week they get treated with fresh raw beef bones or beef shanks with lots of meat. For training snacks I bake slices of liver and then cut them in small pieces.

I feel so good when I look at the health of my dogs. They are so happy, healthy and beautiful.

In 1987 I changed direction in life. I wanted to help people re-align their bodies, ease physical pain and revitalize energy. In the beginning, my only skill was the energy from my hands. It was not a tangible and (I thought) not a reliable method. I enrolled for a Diploma Course in Shiatsu – a good down-to-earth practical method of healing. Meantime I often appealed to the “Universe” for a sign that my “energy” method was actually doing some good. People said so, but I wanted proof. Proof did manifest and I was forced to re-evaluate my scientific approach.

In 1999, an adorable German Shepherd puppy called Panzer joined our family. He had strength of character and potential in both obedience and showing. At 14 months he was not moving freely and showing signs of stress when gaiting. Panzer attended a specialist Vet for X-rays and adjustment. I remember the shock of being told that he had a fractured pelvis; he would be in constant pain; perhaps we should seriously consider having him put down; nothing could be done. There were more traumas in Panzer’s life before I realized that I could do something for him. The intuitive part of me dared to hope, but the scientific part said “dogs are different!”

Since I changed my attitude Panzer has gone on to gain his Endurance Title, his CD title, passed his Tracking Qualification Test and is currently working towards his TD (Tracking Dog). He got his A stamp for hips (an impressive score of 2:2) and his Z stamp for elbows (0:0). He passed Breed Survey gaining a Class 2 and has been awarded two Excellent Medallions in the specialist show ring.

In the spring of 2003, Chyna (Panzer’s full sister), gave birth to 14 puppies. Puppy number 12 was less than half the size of her siblings. Despite 18 years of experience, my sister’s efforts to revive the pup and establish normal breathing had failed. The pup lay limp; lungs strained for air as her mouth opened and closed involuntarily. I held her in my hands, hoping she would feel warm and protected as she took the final breath. Energy flowed from my head to my hands and into the tiny black form, cold, but still alive. An hour or more passed, and nothing seemed to have changed, but when I dared to look, the breathing was no longer laboured. Dead? No – she was a little warmer and her breathing had stabilized. Honey and water was offered and her tiny tongue licked keenly. Another hour of healing and we dared to hope. Bach puppy rescue remedy was given and half an hour later she quickly drank two droppers of milk formula. I held her gently for the next hour. When energy flow to my hands began to wane I knew it was time to give her back to her mother. Chyna licked her thoroughly creating emotional bonding and physical stimulation. Her energy sufficiently stirred, puppy number twelve eagerly sought and found a teat to feed from.

I am grateful to Minna. She reminded me that in essence, a dog is no different from the human species. The dog spirit knows how to accept love, kindness and help with his/her healing process. The dog spirit also knows how to give love, and it does so unconditionally.

As you massage your furry friend, have confidence in your ability to comfort and heal. May the bond between you grow into the realization that you are truly kindred spirits.

“Miracles do not happen in contradiction to nature, but only in contradiction to that which is known to us in nature”

Minna weighed just 6oz. at birth and her 13 litter mates were between a pound and a pound-and-quarter. She was the size of a large newborn kitten! At the time, I truly believed it would be impossible for such a tiny puppy to survive in this incredibly large litter without supplementation and special attention! Despite her smallness the only time she received rescue remedy and milk supplement was during the first 4 hours of her life. Within 2 hours of joining her litter mates she had latched onto a teat and never looked back. She possessed incredible physical stamina, keen natural instincts and remarkable mental strength which enabled her to develop crucial survival skills. Quite out of sight and snug, she often lay in the channel between her mother’s teats. The moment a pup sucked less vigorously or nodded off she would quickly emerge from her hiding place and push it off the teat. Once there, not even the biggest pup could dislodge her. If not sleeping in the aforementioned favourite spot she would be somewhere beneath the pack, but incredibly she always had a teat. By the time she was two weeks old my only fear was that she would be carried out of the whelping box when her mother vacated the den. She had such a tight grip on the teat and hung on longer than the others.

At 6 weeks of age the litter was having chicken wingettes for breakfast. At first I separated Minna from them at feed times but she refused to eat alone. So reluctantly, I put her in with them where, true to form, she honed up her survival skills. She would wait till one of the pups had softened the wingette by chewing on it. Then, in one quick movement, she would dive underneath the pup from behind, snatch the morsel and dash away to a secluded corner or into the kennel to eat it.

The next thing that concerned me was the possibility of her being injured by her much larger litter mates. Initially she became the target of rough play but learned very quickly how to defend herself. She gave as good as she got and pretty soon, even the largest puppy knew not to pick on her. Her strategy was to, where possible, avoid confrontation but once her tolerance level was exceeded her determination, skill and fighting ability was impressive!

The trip to the Vet for vaccinations and general health check was the next hurdle and caused me a degree of anxiety. I mentally prepared myself for the worst considering the strong possibility that her small build may be due to a heart problem, possibly a hole in the heart. And I hadn’t ruled out that her condition may be due to some form of dwarfism! But none of these fears came to fruition. She was as healthy, if not healthier

than her litter mates. In fact, none of them had a problem; no hernias; no retained testicles or any other minor imperfection!
However despite a clear bill of health, Minna was still so small when it came time for the pups to go to their new homes that nobody wanted her. And at 7 weeks, her ears were too small to tattoo. So I ran her on with my pick bitch called Risky. I still had both of them at 5 months of age when Risky decided showing was not for her. She just didn’t have the attitude and was a lazy dog in the show ring. Although she had a better fore-quarter than Minna and potentially better reach she couldn’t be bothered using it. Minna on the other hand, was not quite as well put together yet she moved much better. The difference was in attitude! Minna has loads of enthusiasm; she loves to run and uses everything she has to full advantage. And, of course, stamina is her other great asset along with a strong will and temperament. Not that Risky had any problem with character or temperament. She just didn’t have the fire or the necessary willingness to run.

Remarkably, at 5 months of age Minna was only a couple of inches shorter

than her sister. She had certainly done some rapid growing and had developed incredibly good bone and a strong head. She was no longer the “weed” of the litter! She is now ideal medium size and standing at around 58 centimeters at the wither.

Her Mum (Bozeeb Mystic Belle “Chyna”) has always been fed an All Raw (BARF Diet) and Minna was weaned on the Bozeeb Puppy Diet which is based on the BARF principle. No doubt this, and her strong constitution and spirit, is one of the factors that enabled her to survive.

The method my sister (Lyn McAlpine) used on Minna shortly after birth is called Reiki! It doesn’t involve anything that one could call tangible or physical or even logical! It is a method of heat and energy transfer which relies on a high degree of mental focus, meditation and concentration combined with a hands on approach. All I can say is it worked because, had it been any other pup on any other day it would have died!

Panzer (Bozeeb My Panzer) is a full brother to Chyna (Bozeeb Mystic Belle) who's the matriarch of Bozeeb Kennels.

At the 29 th National German Shepherd Dog Show (Victoria 2001) Panzer was called out in 10 th place in Intermediate Class by SV judge Herr Rudiger Mai. It was a very large class of 30 dogs, but after extended gaiting he became lame and dropped to 13 th position.

The injury was old. We suspect it occurred at about 4 months of age when Chyna knocked him off his feet causing him to fall heavily against a concrete edging. He lay winded and for a few moments we thought he was dead. Then he got up, shook himself and walked away as if nothing had happened. On inspection he had a graze below his ribs but no other visible signs of injury.

He was in Baby Puppy Class at a local All Breeds show the following week when it was noticed he had become lame. We took him to a local canine manipulator (a greyhound man) who made adjustments to his back, croup and shoulders. After that he seemed okay, but every couple of months he required further treatment and the issue was ongoing. He always looked loose and ungainly when he gaited and sometimes fell heavily on the forehand. At the time, I thought it was normal puppy looseness and he would grow out of it. He was a very big boy with large bones and a well-developed chest for his age.

So, after the 29 th National Show, Lyn was devastated when the Vet (an acknowledged expert on bone development) showed her the X-ray plates. The pelvis was so badly mis-aligned because of the fracture he believed there was no way Panzer could gain a pass for hips. He was of the opinion the injury was so serious the lameness would get progressively worse and Panzer would become temperamental and unpredictable because of the pain. He should not be allowed to go up and down steps and a walk around the block once or twice a week would be more than sufficient. She couldn’t even do obedience work with him. She was therefore advised putting him down might be the best option!

But there was worse to come. The Vet prescribed anti-inflammatory tablets to which Panzer had a severe reaction. Within 24 hours he started vomiting and bleeding from the bowel and was placed on a drip at the local Vet. It was touch and go as to whether he would make it through the night! After five days he finally came home.

Then she rallied and took Panzer to a “doggy” Naturopath who had an entirely different view of the situation and put Panzer on a course of herbal mixtures and tablets. She also took him regularly to a local qualified canine Chiropractor who did some excellent work.

Panzer achieved his A-Stamp with flying colours: a reading of 2:2 on hips and 0:0 on elbows.

Then he amazed and bemused everyone by gaining his ET title (Endurance Test) on June 29 th 2002.

No doubt this is his greatest achievement. To qualify for the title he was required to gait at an average speed of 11 kilometers per hour to complete the 20 kilometer course. Vet checks were made for each dog at the completion of each section of the circuit.

In August of 2002 he got his Breed Survey Class 11. At times, he was still affected by the injury and inclined to pace. And, unfortunately, the day of the Survey he did not present himself well in movement. The Breed Surveyor recommended that we re-present him if the gait improved at some point in the future.

His next amazing achievement was in November of the same year. He was Graded Excellent by Hans-Jurgen Bieger at the Working Dog Club of Victoria Championship Show and received his medallion.

Then, on August 2 nd, 2003 he gained his CD (Companion Dog) Title. On the same day, his sister Chyna qualified for hers too.

Unfortunately, in the All Breeds ring, he was unable to attain his Australian Championship. He did get three Challenges and two Best of Breeds. Many All Breeds judges are prejudiced when they observe a more curvaceous topline on a German Shepherd Dog. This, perception is unjustified because overline is only ONE aspect of the dog. Other breeds exhibit various styles of topline and get their Championships with relative ease. And, for this reason Panzer’s sister, Chyna, is still chasing 7 points at the ripe old age of 8!

Panzer has always been fed an All Natural diet (BARF – Bones And Raw Food) and no dry food at all. Since 18 months of age he had been given Naturopathic remedies to assist the healing process and to strengthen muscle and ligaments.

I am firmly convinced had he been on a commercial (dry food) diet he would have developed arthritic changes and the damage would have been irreversible. The good quality natural foods and the correct balance of minerals and vitamins the body extracts from them effectively protected his bones from deterioration even after serious physical injury. And, no doubt, the chiropractic work assisted this process.

Full credit must go to my sister, Lyn McAlpine, for having the determination and foresight not to give up even when faced with insurmountable odds.

But, the positive side is he was with us for 5 years longer than predicted by Vets and other so-called experts! And, during that time, he achieved a lot. He also sired one litter and currently has a number of Grand-children.

Of course, I have to ask the question as to why he succumbed to cancer when on such a good diet. There has to be a reason for everything and I do have some theories.

The cancer involved his spleen and digestive tract. The latter was severely damaged by the anti-inflammatory tablets and it could well have been this trauma that was the instigator.

Also, at one point in time (under the age of 2 years) Panzer was over-vaccinated having been given a 12 monthly injection for heart-worm. Maybe this, combined with his normal yearly inoculations, could have set the stage for cancer.

As for my sister, she now has Panzer’s niece Bozeeb Tessabelle “TESSA” who was born on August 24 th 2007. But no dog can really replace Panzer!