Testimonial Interview #7: Laurel Hatch & Lola
About
Name: : Laurel Hatch
Dog: Lola, 15 years old
Breed: Miniature Dachshund
Currently Eating: Nature's Premium Bison Meatballs and Healthy Paws Turkey
Testimonial
The owners and staff at North Haven are second to none. They take the time to ask about your pet, make recommendations and carry your order out to your vehicle. As some brands of food and treats are discontinued, I have relied HEAVILY on their expertise. Lola has some significant allergies and so I have to be very careful what I give to her. She is 15 years old and looks 5. Everyone comments on her shiny coat and bright eyes! The amazing support, food, treats and advice I get from North Haven Tail Blazers is one of the many reasons that she looks so amazing. Thank you!
Read below for Lola's full story:
Interview
1. Tell me about Lola. What are some of Lola’s favourite activities?
Lola is a smooth haired gal. She is very food motivated and loves her treats. She is very spoiled with a heated bed! She loves blankets and cuddles. She is an affectionate little lady and loves her toys but definitely food and mommy are most important. She loves anything with a squeaker.
2. What led to her being diagnosed with allergies?
At around 1.5 years old, she started getting red, angry rashes all over. She was very itchy, dealing with hair loss but otherwise healthy, so we went to the vet. They said 'it looks like you're coping with allergies'. It can be tricky to figure out what to do with that. We talked about medication options and in my travels, I came across a holistic vet. She does three types of treatments - traditional, Chinese and holistic. She treats with a perspective of all three types. She recommended the homeopathic remedies primarily and that we start with a raw food diet. After some elimination diets, we determined some safe proteins for Lola were turkey and bison. We also started with Vanectyl-P, a traditional allergy management pill. The worry there was that long-term use can impact the kidneys. Our new vet was mindful of that and said to be careful with that, so Lola is on a low dose of that with the homeopathic remedies. We didn't go the allergy testing route because we didn’t want to poke and prod her. We’re pretty lucky we found the vet that we did because we likely would've gone the route of injections.
3. When did you visit Tail Blazers North Haven?
We stumbled upon Tail Blazers when shopping for raw when she was about 2 years old. They have a whole bunch of knowledge and had many options with those proteins. They [Tail Blazers North Haven] come at it with a very holistic approach, once they find out what you're dealing with - in Lola’s case it was allergies. They would recommend a supplement or an oil, which you typically don't get from a regular vet. Plus, everything that was recommended by the vet is supplied at the store. We were on Carnivora for many years but the product was discontinued or no longer available (Carnivora Turkey) so the lady [employee] spent a lot of time with me going through alternatives and going through the ingredients. They're very well versed of what's available, where it's made and what's in it. Lola is currently on Nature's Premium Bison Meatballs and Healthy Paws Turkey. She's done remarkably with raw food and those supportive measures. No more rashes! Her rashes disappeared and fur grew back. She is super lucky to have such a well-versed vet, but we've been Tail Blazers customers for 14 years and that’s why she's doing so well at 15. It’s moments like that when you really start to think about what's in their food.
4. What medications/supplements is she now taking?
Half a pill of Vanectyl-P. She's also on a whole list of goodies: probiotic every morning by Aventi VI, slippery elm to help regulate her digestive system, D-mannose for UTI prevention, Osteoguard for her little joints, plant digestive enzymes, System Saver and 2 Chinese herbs, Bu Gan Tang and Qing Ying Tang (every day) plus intermittent remedies.
5. Anything else you want to share?
She [Tail Blazers North Haven] carries my box out to my car every time I'm there, insists because I come with my young kids. One time I was rushing from work to get there and she said next time to just call and she'll wait. Sometimes she has her dog in there and watching her interact with her dog is amazing. I have gone to some educational sessions they hosted in store too. It's just an amazing store that has looked at Lola’s health super holistically and they always have recommendations and suggestions of what to try. She knows me by name even though I'm not there too often, but she still remembers me and our restrictions.
Send your stories on how we have helped your pet to info@tailblazerspets.com