Jazz' miracle # is 44!
Smokie's move in the right direction without another transfusion is Awesome! It was through the Chi institute and Billy's mom that we found this TCVM vet.
re: diet: We talked for over two hours. I will try to be brief - for what it's worth with a side note that she stated eating, whether or not it's nutritional value is optimal is crucial (ie a perfect diet that they refuse is of no use) and all new foods must be introduced very slowly (no abrupt changes):
Raw diet: not recommended for a dog facing immune challenges b/c there is an increased risk of bacterial contamination and their weakened immune systems can't handle this risk in the same way a non-compromised dog would
Quality prepared foods often contain ingredients meant to boost the immune system, so they may not be optimal where we are trying to suppress the immune system
No mushrooms, garlic, onions, chives, grapes, kelp, seaweed.
Meat - encourage duck, duck eggs, egg whites, rabbit, white fish, turkey, beef, beef liver, bison, pork, pork liver, pork kidney, salmon, trout, tuna (others listed but not common foods). Give some: beef heart. Interestingly, no lamb, beef kidney chicken or shellfish.
Vegetables (steamed and mashed) and fruit (mashed): alfalfa, apple (limit), amaranth, apricot(some), asparagus, banana, blueberry, broccoli, cabbage, celery, cauliflower, cucumber, Chinese cabbage, dates(some), eggplant, ginkgo, kiwi, mango, orange, pear, sweet potato and yam (careful not too much b/c high fiber can cause diarrhea), watermelon, white radish, pumpkin (same high fiber warning), parsley (some), carrot (some)
Grains/beans (slightly overcooked): Barley, barley sprouts, brown rice, buck wheat, flax seed oil, green tea, millet, mung bean, sesame seed, tofu, black bean, black sesame, broad bean, green bean, green peas, kidney bean, red bean, string beans, adzuki bean, soy bean.
This is extremely condensed, but more common foods than the rest on my list.
Finally, we added omega3 and probiotics based on Jazz's evaluation.
I hope this helps!
Amsten