Epilepsy

Hey Jennie,
 
Thanks for posting your testimonial on the forum and explaining things about the diet. I'm glad to hear that Emma is doing so well. Getting down to three seizures a year is a good response for a pet with liver shunts**.
 
Keep in touch,
John
 
 
**As you all may know, liver shunts (portal-caval shunt anomaly) can dramatically worsen epilepsy by preventing proper filtration of blood. The liver is the main organ responsible for removing glutamate (glutamic acid) from the bloodstream and converting it to glutamine, the neurologically inactive form of this non-essential, neuroactive amino acid. Cells lining the intestinal tract also serves this function, with glutamine being a necessary component for intestinal health. However, when the "big 4" (gluten,casein, soy, and corn) damage the gut, this intestinal function is reduced and puts even more responsibility on the liver to do this conversion. When a shunt is present, it can't perform this task efficiently and this can contribute greatly to the seizures of the epileptic patient. The good news is that the elimination diet (the GARD) allows the gut to heal and is much lower in glutamate than the typical diet, both benefits leading to a dramatic reduction in seizures. It does work! []

ORIGINAL: jennie_c_d

BUT, I am about to send a letter to the Deans and heads of the Neurology and Internal Medicine departments of EVERY veterinary school and institution (including my alma mater, Angell Memorial in Boston) in the USA explaining the work I have done in the past 7 years, with epilepsy being the highlight. That should really get the ball rolling.

That's pretty awesome. I'll be soooo happy to see mainstream vets sending epileptic dogs home with bags of IVD.

Which IVD diet prevents the siezures? I was under the impression that you had to do home-cooked to reduce the gluten in diets. I guess I haven't really done the research in depth however, because I haven't dealt with any epileptic dogs yet...

I use the IVD/Royal Canin potato-based diets. They come in venison (my new favorite), duck, rabbit and fish. The one I chose is often determined by food allergy results, as many of the epileptics I see are also dealing with chronic allergy/IBS issues (which should be no surprise after reading the pathomechanisms I describe on my site).
 
There are other diets that meet the strict criteria of The G.A.R.D. (glutamate-aspartate restricted diet).They can be found in this section of my site ([linkhttp://dogtorj.tripod.com/id39.html]http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id39.html[/link]). Many epi  dogs will do well on pure rice-based diets (e.g. Nutro natural Choice Lamb and Rice), but these diets are richer in glutamate, the amino acid we are restricting to halt seizures quickly, than the potato-based diets. I have had numerous dogs do very well on these rice-based diets but I like to start them on the potato-based first for maximum response.

So basically any potato based diet works well. Excellent. Is there a reason you prefer the IVD?  I might have to go do some more reading on your site... THANKS!

I have now had people who have tried all of the potato-based foods (including the new Hill's version) volunteer to me that their pets did the best on the IVD/Royal Canin potato-based formulas (their Limited Ingredient Diets). I can only theorize why that would be. But one thing I have been told by the IVD reps is that the manufacturing plants at which they produce the IVD are dedicated facilities, meaning that they only produce the potato-based foods at these particular plants. That means no cross-contamination, which is actually a big concern in the human food industry. Once we understand the vital importance of lectins and how little of these offending proteins it takes to create problems, then we can see why this is a genuine concern (e.g. why they MUST put "this product may contain traces of peanuts or soy" on so many candy labels).
 
Please let me know if you have any questions after visiting the site.
 
John

But one thing I have been told by the IVD reps is that the manufacturing plants at which they produce the IVD are dedicated facilities, meaning that they only produce the potato-based foods at these particular plants. That means no cross-contamination, which is actually a big concern in the human food industry.

That's pretty great. Good job, Royal Canin!

Misskiwi, I used Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish with great results, for over a year. Emma started having more digestive issues, so I switched to all home prepared food (I honestly don't know WHY she had her issues, but she basically stopped breaking down the kibble, even with a healthy dose of enzymes added to it) for both of my dogs.

Another great side effect of this diet is that Emma's chronic demodex and allergies have been drastically reduced, and I no longer have to yell at vets for trying to inject her with steroids. She's at a better weight than she's been in years (she's actually NORMAL instead of emaciated), and her arthritis is way, way down. Part of that is all the omega 3 she gets, but a big part is no grain. I think *everybody* should eat GARD, LOL. We'd all be healthier, for sure. Of course, I say this after I make a huge batch of wheat-based blueberry pancakes for lunch.....

Hi,
I have changed Bo's dog food again to the Natural Balance duck and potato. I am also feeding him cabbage and cauliflower, since the potassiam bromide has made him really hungry. I hope this stops his seizures!! I found some can dog food my Wellness that is 95% meat and no grain. It does not seem to have any other ingredients other than water and flavoring. I have a recipe for treats that you just bake the dog food and give as treats. I am currently feed him carrots and dog food as treats, but would like to give him something extra special every once in a while. Do you think that this food would be ok, since on the can it says no grains and in the ingredients they are not listed.
Thanks
Mary Ann

I'd use the canned Wellness. I've used the Duck and Potato canned, and the Duck and Potato biscuits, as well. They've never bothered Emma.

Something else my girls REALLY love is cheap, canned Jack Mackeral. I add it to their food every week or two as a special treat. They LOVE it!