You don't know the value of your dog's health until there's a health scare. 

One year ago my 5 year old Maltese baby Daisy had a health scare. Her abdomen was bloated beyond belief and the solutions on-island were not able to fulfill what we needed. While there are a number of vets on St. Barts (located in the Caribbean, French West Indies) not every case has been witnessed or diagnosed, nor is there excess equipment beyond the basics. This led Sadie (my 13 year old Morkie), Daisy and I to island hop for vet support until we could get the support we needed. 

Thank you to the incredible vet from Trinidad who was visiting the clinic we went to in St Maarten (Dutch side). This doctor and the clinic's team played calming Celine Dion and Mariah Carey while treating Daisy, and of course Sadie had her paw on her sister the entire time for support. After a full blood panel and urinalysis, the conclusion was Daisy's liver was not functioning as best could be, and hence not absorbing the protein which collected in her abdomen. 

The immediate fix was 1) draining the fluid from her tummy, 2) switching food to be ultra clean and lean, and 3) adding in Adored Beast Liver Tonic until the bottle was complete. If you're looking for a resource on home feeding, Dr. Karen Becker's book is a great resource.

The mystery to solving this health condition journey has continued in Miami one year later to finally arrive at a best educated through trial, error and testing, conclusion. 

Without getting into the details too deep, we were sharing a villa with a friend and Daisy would munch on the other dog's high quality kibble. Albeit totally fine for the dog whose food it was, it was not okay for Daisy. What works for one, does not necessarily work for another. 

Living in Canada, my dogs ate Primal freeze dried raw and always had Now Fresh lamb kibble as the snack that got left out. We switched to feeding raw 3 years prior to moving to St. Barts, and while living in St. Barts, we ate clean dog food, but it was still processed (minimally) but I just knew it wasn't the best compared to what I'd been feeding before. After Daisy's health scare and us still living on the island, I made food from scratch - protein, carbs and a fruit and vegetable blend. This helped the situation immediately, and - the girls (Sadie and Daisy) could not get enough of the homemade fresh food.

Fast forward one year, now in Miami, and having been making food from scratch, we did another round of blood testing. Some levels were higher than before, some had improved. Conclusion? A lower molecule protein would be more ideal. We've now switched to feedback fresh food from a Miami based company and we couldn't be happier. Blood work has come back after a few weeks of being on this food, and we are holding stable (Daisy's levels, that is). 

Did you know that dog's can develop food allergies many years after the fact? And, often the allergy is to a protein? I had no idea until recently. Candice knew; she's a nutrition pro. This was simply new news to me. 

My point: be solution oriented and proactive so that you aren't in fix it or repair mode, whether that's the food you feed your dog or the shampoo you bathe your dog with. 

In our case, we were "doing our best until we knew better", and the became solution oriented and course corrected, gratefully. 

Groomer And George is free-of toxins, chemicals, preservatives and anything that would disrupt your furry babies endocrine system. We are 100% organic ingredients, cruelty-free, naturally fragranced from source and have a 24-month shelf life once opened. Shop all of our best sellers and bundles here! And, never hesitate to reach out to us with any questions! Sending big love for best health, and to living high quality lives with our best friends. Yes, the furry ones. X

For those who may need a vet in the Caribbean, the clinic in St. Maarten is www.sxmvetclinic.com. The clinic in St. Barts is Clinique vétérinaire du rond point de l'oasis in Lorient with Dr. Pierre, who is a friend of mine. Both clinics are exceptional.