What Our Clients Are Saying . . .
SEIZURES: We have a standard poodle, Loki, with intermittent seizures, who was clearly in worsening health. Dull wool, tense through the back, anxious, etc.. Aside from the seizures, and very minor overnight incontinence, there were very very few symptoms of anything “test-able”. In the absence of any clear clinical indicators, it was so difficult to know how to bring back our happy, playful poodle boy. We worked with a naturopathic vet, Dr. Beltran, using homeopathy and with Cat Lane on the diet and supplement side of the health care equation. Cat’s careful formulation of Loki’s diet, and her breadth of knowledge treating particular canine health issues was invaluable to us as we fine tuned Loki’s diet. Cat’s enthusiasm and extensive knowledge was very encouraging for someone just starting out on the home-cooked food route. Within months of switching to home-cooked, Loki’s coat improved, his kidneys became stronger, and his zest for just about everything in life came back! With Cat’s help, we put our girl poodle, Kiera on home-cooked as well, and she is in great health. They both LOVE their food!
Thanks Cat, for helping us back to health!
GENERAL GASTRIC DISTRESS: Bernese Mountain Dogs are immune challenged and it is not unusual for them to have gastric issues. Since she was 6 months old, Crystal would have episodes when she would be panicked and would beg to go outside to eat grass; these episodes would occur around midnight, would last for up to 2 hours, and would occur 2 or 3 times a month. We in the breed call these episodes the “gulps”; oddly, there is little to nothing written about them in Vet medical manuals and, sadly, gulps can but not necessarily evolve into bloat. I hoovered around 4 chat groups trying to figure out how to feed her, have half a dozen books on nutrition, and have read multiple sites on the internet: none of them agreed and I found that the more I learned, the less I knew. Approaching her 4th year, Crystal finally ended up in emergency: fortunately, it was not bloat but it was time that I become proactive.
Cat had been a guest for a weekend on my chat group Natural Berners: she was bright, engaging, and enthusiastic about nutrition. I signed up for a consultation. Crystal has been on Cat’s diet for 5 months now: her eyes twinkle, her coat is glossy, and she has a bounce in her step. She has not had a case of the gulps nor a trip back to emergency in that time. Nutrition is not just about a single vitamin or a mineral or a panacea herb; they all work synergistically and adding, subtracting, or altering one affects the others. Cat told me when she made Crystal’s diet that Crystal would be covered from A-Zinc. The cost of the consultation is nominal compared to the money I have spent and could have spent on vet bills. Home cooking was a bit daunting for me as I am not much of a cook; and, while home cooking is more expensive for a 90 lb dog than kibble and is certainly more time consuming, I am so glad that I perservered: I have a healthy, happy dog. The icing on the cake: I have peace of mind.
IDIOPATHIC EPILEPSY: I am the owner of a four year old siberian husky who has epilepsy, her name is Spirit. Spirit started having the seizures when she was two years old and it was an awful thing to watch. In doing some research on my own I found that a lot of the food that we feed these guys can trigger the seizures, so that is when I was so fortunate to find Catherine. She helped me get Spirit on a great diet, and not only the diet but proper vitamins and the proper amount for Spirit. And I am so happy to report that Spirit has gone 13months without a seizure. Spirit is on such a low dose of Phenobarbital that my vet said that all data says she should be on a higher dose , but because it is working we will not raise the dose. He agrees with me that her diet has a lot to do with this. Catherine is not only extremely knowledgeable in this field she is truly a caring person. She has checked on Spirit many times and is always there to answer questions. It is truly a pleasure to find someone that cares about what they are doing !
Spirit and I are truly grateful we found her!
LYMPHOMA: In September of 2007, Charlie was diagnosed with multicentric Lymphoma. He was 4 years old. We were referred to a vet oncology center and they felt that Charlie would be a good candidate for chemo. We began chemo immediately. I always felt that diet would play an important part in helping Charlie to deal with the chemo, and in his long term outlook. I wanted to feed a whole foods diet so instead of guessing which foods would be best, I consulted with Catherine Lane.
Charlie has been on Catherines diets for a year now and still is in complete remission. Charlie is doing so well that we were able to continue with agility training and resume trialing in AKC events! Our oncologist told us 6 – 9 months remission would be typical. So far, Charlie is 13 months in remission!
FOOD ALLERGY: It was with great excitement that we finally got our first West Highland Terrier, Elsie. I knew Westies were prone to allergies but when Elsie started chewing her legs and licking her paws constantly I knew we had to do something. We tried many brands of high quality grain-free kibble but that didn’t seem to help, Elsie’s allergies got worse. She developed an ear infection/chewed all the fur off her front legs and licked her paws until it drove us crazy. Then, without warning, she developed anal gland issues resulting in an abscess and had to undergo emergency surgery. After this episode I changed her kibble again, thinking another brand might give us better results, but she continued to have issues with her glands. When the tainted dog food scandal hit, that was a wake up call. My immediate reaction was to start cooking for Elsie but I quickly came to realize I needed help, my intensions where good but I had no idea what I was really doing and it was overwhelming….enter Catherine Lane.
Catherine came highly recommended by our local pet food store and I can see why. Cat took a full history of Elsie and went to work recommending a diet and supplements specific for her. We worked very closely together over the next few months adjusting and tweaking things as needed. It was a lot to take in but now a year and half later, it is the best thing we could have done. Elsie no longer suffers from allergies and has not had any issue with her anal glands in months. Many people we come across comment on how white and healthy Elsie looks. Without a doubt Cat’s home-cooked protocol has a lot to do with this. She has been a great support and a wealth of information. Don’t hesitate in contacting Cat, you won’t regret it! She’s very dedicated and truly cares about the dogs she meets and treats – we are lucky to have found her.
RETIRED GREYHOUND WITH MULTIPLE DEFICIENCIES: Zena, my warrior princess, came to our home after living and working for 3 years at a Florida racetrack. My poor greyhound’s body was riddled with scars and old injuries. Her back legs and stomach were completely bald. The rest of her fur was lifeless and slowly falling out. She constantly bit her paws and sometimes refused to eat. Our veterinarian prescribed thyroid medication and recommended a special kibble. The medication helped but instead of kibble I asked my vet for the name of a canine nutritionist so that I could cook Zena a homemade diet. The only nutritionist she knew worked for a commercial dog company and she told me to stay away from a home cooked diet.
Well, I refused to sentence my loving girl to a lifetime of kibble. So I bought a few books on home-cooked diets and did a lot of research on the Internet. Instead of helping me, the information and different opinions overwhelmed and confused me. I did not want to play a guessing game with my dog’s health. That’s when luck was on my side, because I came across “The Possible Canine”, Catherine’s website. I e-mailed her immediately and embarked on an incredible journey of discovery. Her knowledge and compassion were so evident from our conversations and also from the testimonials on her website. My journey began with an in depth questionnaire about Zena, her health, her activity level etc. From there, Cat tailored several different recipes for Zena and supported us every step of the way through the transition. Thankfully Cat was always there to answer my many questions and to solve some allergies Zena ended up having with chicken. Now, people often comment on how glossy and full Zena’s fur is (Including my vet and her technicians). Zena’s blood work shows her to be extremely healthy and her energy level is up. When I am getting her dinner ready, Zena is on her blanket licking her lips and wagging her tail. As soon as the yogurt is spooned into her bowl she’s up and bouncing right beside me. She doesn’t refuse her food anymore but instead licks the bowl clean (Along with the wall if a few specks of food land on it). I think if my husband reacted that way to my cooking I’d actually cook more often!
I am thrilled that Zena is healthy but even more important, she loves her food, REAL food! Thank you so much Cat for everything. I hope you realize that the service and understanding you offer us and our pets are simply priceless.
SEVERELY ELEVATED ALT/GERIATRIC BORDER COLLIE: My dog Ellie is a Border Collie mix and she’s close to 16 years old. She has had a good life with over 20 acres of land to romp around on. She has eaten everything in nature, but I never gave her table scraps.
But, like me I never really fed her the best food, either because I didn’t care, or my financial situation didn’t allow it. I use to buy the cheapest dog food available at of all places Giant Tiger.
In the past few years she has shown signs of aging of course with the removal of a lump around her neck, her dew claw (cancer), and she has a bad spine, terrible legs, and she is deaf. But, she still is a puppy with loads of energy and a spark in her eye. Despite her failing legs, she still runs when excited.
In mid April of this year (2008) she stopped eating for 4 days. During that 4 day period, she also had diarrhea. After the first round of blood tests, we were preparing to put her down that week, and even took some final pictures with her.
After consulting with Catherine, she prepared an emergency diet for 2 weeks and we ran more blood tests. Everyone, including her veterinarian, was stunned regarding the profound changes just after 2 weeks of this diet.
With new numbers in hand, another custom diet was created to deal with the organs involved, specifically the pancreas, and liver. As of October, she is still eating well, her blood results have stabilized, and she continues to defy the odds. The results from the new diet have been profound and longlasting. Please don’t hesitate to contact Catherine if you require a specialized diet for your dog.
ORAL CANCER: Cat Lane has been a godsend to me and to my beloved canine friend Mystic. My conventional vet delivered the shocking cancer diagnosis in April 2007. I was told that Mystic would quite likely only live two weeks and that I should feed him whatever he would eat (regardless of food quality) as his appetite would quickly diminish. Determined to give him the best possible quality of life, I turned to a holistic approach and by divine intervention found Catherine Lane.
In my first conversation with Cat I found hope and a multitude of ideas and foods to get Mystic eating again. I had been taught for years that I should only feed Mystic dog food and by this time had exhausted almost every kind of food on the market. He refused to eat any of it. Much to my surprise and joy, Mystic would eat the recipes that Cat offered. Weeks went by and Mystic’s appetite steadily increased. It has been six months since that dreadful diagnosis was made and Mystic is healthier, stronger and livelier than he has been in some years. We have hit some bumpy patches along the way when his interest in food waned and Cat would always find a solution – usually something that I would never have thought of on my own. Cat continues to advise me on the foods and supplements that Mystic needs and even reminds me what’s missing when I’ve let things slide myself.
Cat gives way more of herself than anyone I’ve met and offers a unique and essential service. Cat, I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for what you have done for Mystic and I. I am quite certain that he would not be here to share my life today had we not been blessed with your great skill, your generosity and your absolute dedication to the animals that come to you for help.
CHRONIC COLITIS, MALABSORPTION: “My heartfelt appreciation and admiration to Catherine Lane for all the help and guidance I have received, while restoring my beloved collie Bella to health. Bella has always eaten a home-prepared diet put together from simple guidelines provided by her breeder, generic recipes and probably a lot of luck with the help of a very basic knowledge of human nutrition.
She has generally been healthy and has won several blue ribbons, both in shows and other dog activities. She has, however, had numerous episodes of gastro-intestinal problems that have required antibiotics and has always been more or less high strung. As she grew older, she began to change, became more withdrawn, sensitive and nervous, refused her food often, had a general lack of energy and less desire for the things she had always loved to do. She just didn’t feel good.
On the internet, I found the idea of feeding a raw-food diet in order to perk her up so I decided to try. Initially, the change was quite dramatic in all respects, physically and emotionally, so I was convinced that raw food á la BARF was the panacea for all her ills. However, after this initial “honeymoon” improvement, even though she loved the food, her health again took a turn for the worse. She became very thirsty, restless and very easily upset and/or excitable, was constantly panting and paced around at night. Needless to say, neither of us slept well. I could get no concrete guidelines from the internet lists I was on, my vet at the time just wanted her on cortisone because of possible “allergy”, which I refused. I was at my wits end with a 9 yr old dog who was not thriving and getting worse. This is when I happened upon Catherine’s list. It did not take me long to realize, that here was a lady who knew what she was doing and who was giving trustworthy information, backed up with knowledge and documentation. She was genuinely concerned and helpful and not afraid to challenge the ideas that I had bought into. I hired Catherine to do a full protocol and I am sure she saved my dogs life and sanity, as well as my own. During the 3 months that we worked together intensively, my Bella made a dramatic improvement, calmed down and regained her appetite and has become calmer than at any other time of her life.
Bella, now 10½, is a healthy and active collie, although retired from public life. Since she is totally dependant on me to make intelligent decisions about her diet, I have gradually become more proficient in preparing nutritious and varied meals for her and in my understanding of how important good nutrition is. In fact, there is nothing really more important to a dogs health than providing a healthy and balanced diet. I can highly recommend Catherine’s competent and knowledgeable guidance for achieving this noble goal.”
DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, HYPERLIPIDEMIA: My veterinarian referred me to Catherine Lane early this winter. I strongly believe in home cooking and the health benefits of good nutrition. My 9-year-old dog was diagnosed with diabetes in the summer, this diagnosis added to the list of health concerns he has, a heart murmur, hyper lipidimia and a tendency to have pancreas troubles. I was told to give special commercial dog food for diabetes. Unfortunately he did not like this food at all and having him eat was a challenge. Having a dog eat at regular intervals and the proper amount is crucial when dealing with diabetes and insulin injections. I phone Catherine who helped me right away, she took all of his health concerns into account and began her research, and she worked closely with me and with my vet. Catherine has created menus that were easy for me to make and that is a challenge given my crazy shift work schedule and limited cooking ability. Catherine has also helped adapt the same menus to work for my other dog who does not have the same health concens. Zeus loves his meals and eats with gusto the proper nutrition at regular intervals. He has not had any pancreas type issues since being on the diet and his blood sugar levels have improved.
Catherine has helped me with supplements, questions and more questions. She had given me great information and has taught me a great deal. I am very grateful to my vet for introducing me to her. I intend to have Catherine help me with all the dogs to come in my life from healthy puppy to my next geriatric dog. I highly recommend her to anyone with a dog.
PROACTIVE : Catherine Lane has more energy than any two people I know and has pursued both formal and informal education so that she is knowledgeable in many areas, including nutrition and the use of herbs and other supplements, TTouch, and energy work, along with impressive familiarity in a variety of diseases in dogs…. I am especially impressed with her proven ability to deal with serious disease from a nutritional standpoint and respect her willingness to use traditional allopathic medicine when necessary.
Most recently, she described at ThePossibleCanine why she places such emphasis on purity of ingredients in supplements and I found myself learning more than I had expected and coming to understand and value the depth of her expertise and her commitment to excellence. Working with Cat I have come to better understand more what holistic means and how integral balance is to that discipline.
BILE-DUCT CARCINOMA: “Connor was truly an olympic-athlete of dogs. Healthy, intense and extremely physically fit, his diagnosis at 9 years of age of incurable, inoperable liver cancer was a enormous and unexpected blow. Initially, he was given barely a couple of weeks to live. In the end, he outsurvived people with similar cancer, even without converting his “extra” time to dog years. Catherine was literally a lifeline for Connor. From initial veterinary consultation, through the long stages of “holding” (never technically identified as remission) and into the final stages of palliative care, Catherine provided the research, analysis and emotional support that I believe directly contributed to his well-being.
Make no mistake: until the very last days, this was a dog experiencing an excellent quality of life overall. Just a few months before he died, people at beaches across Canada asked me how old my puppy was (he was 12 going on 13 at that point). He had boundless energy, enjoyed his play and got over whatever short-lived malaise he experienced from time to time. Thank you Catherine. I know Connor thanked you too — your compassion reached through to his quiet soul and he felt a sense of connection with you, something he graced few people with.”