Der er gået henved et år siden Darwin blev akut syg og måtte hastes til dyrlæge. Hans mave var meget dårlig og udspillet og han trak vejret i ryk på grund af smerter.
Dyrlægen valgte at bedøve Darwin, for det var helt umuligt at undersøge hans mave så udspillet var han. Her blev der via røntgen opdaget at han havde flere betændelses former i kroppen – det var også i hans lunger – samt hans mave/tarm system, og hans øjne. Dyrlægen troede i første omgang at Darwin havde fået hjerte/lunge orm – men symptomerne passede ikke på det – men vi skulle være opmærksom på ham efterfølgende.
Pludselig gik det op for mig at Darwin havde haft et lignede tilfælde tilbage i maj 2022 – hvor han netop opførte sig som om han havde meget ondt i maven. Dette passerede dog efter 1 times tid og efterfølgende var han igen normal. Men sådan var det ikke denne gang. Dyrlægen ordinerede noget antibiotika og så måtte vi følge situationen.
I dagene efter var jeg ikke længere i tvivl om at det var kost relateret. Darwin har op gennem tiden haft “mærkelige” mave tilfælde og hvor jeg havde prøvet forskellige løsninger via kosten og så gik det i en periode, indtil han fik nogle nye “mærkelige” mave tilfælde.
Jeg begyndte at læse frem og tilbage på internettet og faldt så over en mulig årsag. Vores beagler har op gennem tiden fået en del mad med kylling og her kunne jeg så læse hvilke symptomer intolerance mod kylling kunne gøre – og samtlige symptomer passede på Darwin.
Vores beagler har gennem årerne fået hjemmelavet mad – primært med kylling/kalkun og tolereret det fint. Men det jeg læste her gjorde mig ked af det – rigtig ked af det – for her havde jeg jo i en god mening købt og givet mine beagler det allerbedste kylling der kunne købes her i Danmark. Udover det havde de også fået supplement af div. tør foder typer af den bedste kvalitet.
Nu stod jeg ved en skillevej og skulle træffe en hurtig beslutning. 2 måneder tidligere (2022) havde vi miste vores Oscar, så det var “kun” Darwin der skulle have akut hjælp.
Jeg besluttede at lave udelukkelses diæt til Darwin og kom ham over på kalvekød – noget han ikke havde fået tidligere.
Der gik nu nogen tid hvor jeg prøvede frem og tilbage, for at se hvordan Darwin reagerede. Han fik det bedre – men stadig ikke godt nok. Sådan noget TAGER MEGET LANG TID. Darwin fik løbene øjendråber hos dyrlægen fordi han øjne blev ved med at være røde og betændte – i sær det højre øje var slemt. Udover det gik det i hans ører, som svulmede op i det ydre øre, som jeg måtte behandle med kortison creme, for at fik ro for kløe. Det var alt andet end sjovt, og det gjorde ondt på mig at jeg skulle se at min elskede Darwin havde det sådan.
Hen på sommeren 2023 erkendte jeg at kalvekød ikke duede til Darwin – han fik kødet med kartoffelmos, da jeg også havde taget ris fra ham. Han havde det meget bedre – men stadigvæk med tilbagefald, derfor besluttede jeg at finde en anden kødkilde. Den havde jeg lige i min fryser – hakket hjortekød.
Darwin begyndte nu at få hjortekød med kartoffelmos – udover det fik han tilført bone broth lavet på elgs dyr. Jeg købte en speciel kødpølse lavet af ren kanin kød som han fik som supplement – alt tørfoder røg ud og det får han ikke mere. Godbidder består af tørret rugbrød, som jeg laver i min air fryer. Den seneste 1½ måneds tid er der også kommer en lever pate på tube ind i billedet, som Darwin får af ind i mellem – i sær når han skal have sin medicin, som han får for sin skjoldbrusk kirtel.
Status er nu at Darwins ører stort set er symptomfri – ligesom betændelsen i højre øje næsten er væk. Han får ikke længere øjendråber – men jeg renser øjet med saltvand ind i mellem – ligesom jeg også renser det ydre ører med nogle servietter beregnet til ører.
Darwin elsker sit hjortekød og hvis han fik lov til det, ville han hellere drikke elgs dyr bone broth – end han ville drikke vand.
Jeg tilbereder hans hjorte kød i min crock pot 1200 gram af gangen – tilsat 150 ml bone broth og 2 spsk æblecider eddike – nogle gange kommer der lidt revet squash eller 2 kugler hakket spinat i – jeg tilsætter også 1-2 tsk tørret persille. Kødet får ca 2½ time på lav varme. Darwin får en speciel instant kartoffelmos som bare skal blødes op i lun vand – han får i alt 100 gram kød af gangen med ca 45-50 gram opblødt kartoffelmos. Det får han 2 gange om dagen – resten af tiden er det kanin pølsen han får.
Da Darwin har lavt stofskifte og får medicin for det skal man passe på jod indholdet i maden. æble cider eddike og persille er meget til at rense tung metaller ud af kroppen. Bone broth giver en massen kollagen som beskytter sener, muskler og knogler.
Al det her, har været svært at nå frem til og vi skal stadig passe på, hvad vi giver ham – men det lysner og Darwin er mere aktiv nu end tidligere, så han har klart fået det bedre.
and in english
It has been almost a year since Darwin became acutely ill and had to be rushed to the vet. His stomach was very bad and distended and he was breathing in jerks due to pain.
The vet chose to anesthetize Darwin, because it was completely impossible to examine his stomach, he was so distended. Here it was discovered via X-ray that he had several forms of inflammation in his body – it was also in his lungs – as well as his stomach/intestinal system and his eyes. The vet initially thought Darwin had heart/lung worm – but the symptoms didn’t match that – but we had to pay attention to him afterwards.
Suddenly it dawned on me that Darwin had had a similar case back in May 2022 – where he just behaved as if he had a very bad stomach ache. However, this passed after 1 hour and afterwards he was back to normal. But it wasn’t like that this time. The vet prescribed some antibiotics and then we had to monitor the situation.
In the days that followed, I no longer had any doubts that it was diet related. Darwin has over time had “strange” stomach cases and where I had tried different solutions via the diet and then it went on for a period until he had some new “strange” stomach cases.
I started reading back and forth on the internet and then stumbled upon a possible cause. Over time, our beagle has had a lot of food with chicken and here I was able to read what symptoms intolerance to chicken could cause – and all the symptoms suited Darwin.
Over the years, our beagles have had home-cooked food – mainly with chicken/turkey and tolerated it just fine. But what I read here made me sad – really sad – because here I had, in a good sense, bought and given my beagles the very best chicken that could be bought here in Denmark. In addition to that, they had also received supplements from various dry fodder types of the best quality.
Now I was at a crossroads and had to make a quick decision. 2 months earlier (2022) we had lost our Oscar, so it was “only” Darwin who needed emergency help.
I decided to do an elimination diet for Darwin and put him on veal – something he hadn’t had before.
Some time now passed as I tried back and forth to see how Darwin reacted. He got better – but still not well enough. Something like that TAKES A VERY LONG TIME. Darwin was given eye drops at the vet because his eyes continued to be red and inflamed – especially the right eye was bad. In addition to that, it went into his ears, which swelled up in the outer ear, which I had to treat with cortisone cream to get relief from itching. It was anything but fun, and it hurt me to see my beloved Darwin feel this way.
By the summer of 2023, I recognized that veal was not suitable for Darwin – he got the meat with mashed potatoes, as I had also taken rice from him. He was much better – but still relapsed, so I decided to find another meat source. I just had it in my freezer – minced venison.
Darwin now started getting venison with mashed potatoes – in addition to that, he was given bone broth made from elk animals. I bought a special meat sausage made from pure rabbit meat which he got as a supplement – all the dry food ran out and he doesn’t get that anymore. Treats consist of dried rye bread, which I make in my air fryer. In the past 1½ months, a liver pate on a tube has also come into the picture, which Darwin gets off every now and then – especially when he has to take his medicine, which he gets for his thyroid gland.
The status is now that Darwin’s ears are largely symptom-free – just as the inflammation in the right eye is almost gone. He no longer gets eye drops – but I clean the eye with salt water in between – just as I also clean the outer ears with some wipes intended for ears.
Darwin loves his venison and if he was allowed to, he would rather drink moose’s expensive bone broth – than he would drink water.
I cook his venison in my crock pot 1200 grams at a time – adding 150 ml of bone broth and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar – sometimes I add some grated squash or 2 balls of chopped spinach – I also add 1-2 teaspoons of dried parsley. The meat gets about 2½ hours on a low heat. Darwin gets a special instant mashed potato that just needs to be softened in warm water – he gets a total of 100 grams of meat at a time with approx. 45-50 grams of softened mashed potatoes. He gets that twice a day – the rest of the time he gets the rabbit sausage.
Since Darwin has a low metabolism and is given medication for it, you have to watch out for the iodine content in the food. Apple cider vinegar and parsley are great for cleaning heavy metals out of the body. Bone broth provides a mass of collagen which protects tendons, muscles and bones.
All this has been difficult to achieve and we still have to be careful what we give him – but it is getting brighter and Darwin is more active now than before, so he has clearly gotten better.
