Hebe, my dear old Springer Spaniel, had been fed mainly raw food together with a little Flax Farm cold-pressed flaxseed oil for about six years. I originally gave him the oil to help with stiffness in his spine and joints, and it certainly improved him.He was still charging around on long ten-mile walks at sixteen and would come out working at seventeen. At 18 he began to slow down  a bit and developed several growths, at least one of which I did not like the look of.

The vet agreed that, at his advanced age, if the growths were not bothering him, there was little point in operating and didn’tthink drugs would be fair at his age because one can never know whether an animal is suffering unpleasant side effects.  The vet agreed.

Why I Chose the Budwig Diet

The Budwig Diet was developed by Dr Johanna Budwig in the 1950s. It remains popular as a holistic nutritional approach because it aims to support the whole body rather than simply address individual symptoms.

I had seen encouraging results in people who followed the Budwig Diet and had used it myself. I knew it was both practical and enjoyable, which gave me confidence in its principles.

Although Dr Budwig did not develop a version specifically for dogs, several of my customers had adapted it successfully for their own dogs. That, together with my own experience, convinced me it was the right approach for Hebe.

The human Budwig Diet is vegetarian and includes vegetable juices, salads and green tea. I did not feel that the full human version was appropriate for an elderly dog. Instead, I adapted it while keeping as closely as possible to Dr Budwig’s core principles.

Principles of the Budwig Diet for Dogs

• Plenty of omega-3 from flaxseed oil, thoroughly blended with dairy rich in sulphur-containing amino acids.
• One or two portions of the Budwig mixture each day.
• Stable blood sugar by avoiding refined carbs and using high-fibre ground flaxseed.
• Plenty of antioxidants.
• Adequate vitamins and minerals.
• Support for gut health and a healthy microbiome.
• Exclusion of all processed foods
• Reduced stress.
• Appropriate daily exercise.

Hebe’s Version of the Budwig Diet

To try to slow the development of the tumours, I decided to put Hebe on a dog-friendly version of the Budwig diet. He was eighteen when he started.

Within days, it was like changing his batteries. Other people noticed the difference too. At nineteen years and three months, only nine months short of twenty, he was still looking good, went most places at a smart trot, loved retrieving and could still do that at a canter.

His coat looked good. He had always been extremely active and demanding, following me from room to room and getting under my feet, and I was pleased to say that he remained mischievous, energetic and very much himself.

When I took him to the vet for a check-up at nineteen, she was amazed that a dog with such a massive heart murmur still had good colour in his gums and a strong, slow, steady heartbeat. His blood tests showed normal kidney function, liver function and blood sugar levels.

 

Postscript

Hebe went on to reach twenty. He remained bright, active and very much the mischievous Hebe until the end.

Then a gastric bug spread through the local dogs. The younger dogs recovered after a few days, but it took too much out of Hebe. When life was no longer enjoyable for him, I made the heartbreaking decision to let him go.

I had owned him for eighteen and a half years. He had been a true friend and was completely irreplaceable.

 

 

Further Reading

• Nikki’s Story: A Healing Journey is an account by a dog owner describing how the Budwig diet was used as part of a dog’s cancer care.  Read Nikki’s Story: A Healing Journey.
• Budwig Diet for Dogs with detailed diet information.