This past week proved to be a bit of an interesting time with my dog, Spiffy, which (surprisingly) culminated in a reminder about health.
If you aren’t familiar with me and my family just yet, Spiffy is our French Bulldog. Based on the strange snorts and grumble-whine noises he manages to produce from his chunky, stubby legged body, I’ve identified him as part alien. He’s an adorable, quirky, pain in the ass and I absolutely love him.
Spiffy is “special.” He had what seemed like issue after issue after he joined our family a year and a half ago. We’ve gone through several food brands, trying to find one that doesn’t make us plug our noses on a regular basis, and after much trial and error our vet recommended a brand specifically designed for sensitive digestion. It’s also $$$. Spiffy had been doing well on this food, I think my husband and I took for granted what we’d gone through with some of the other brands that came before. See also, the longer time passes between negative experiences, the easier it is to forget they occurred.
Oops
A couple of weeks ago, we went to the pet store because Spiffy was running low on his food. We decided to try a different brand this time. It was made for sensitive stomachs and in the research, I (briefly) did, I found this specific food came highly recommended for Frenchies. It was still a bit pricey, but not as expensive as his current food. The main ingredient (salmon) was different from his current food (chicken), but salmon is great for French Bulldogs, so off to the register we went.
We combined the new and old food until the old food completely ran out. This was to transition him to the new food and prevent a smelly stomach. Several days after Spiffy started eating his new food, he developed some little welts in his armpit. While a bit odd, I had taken him on a walk on a new-to-him trail the day before. I assumed he’d gotten into some brush that didn’t agree with him. A couple of days after that, I noticed a few more welts, this time on his stomach area. He’d been out in the yard a lot that day. Maybe he got into ants? I saw he was scratching himself, which was also unusual behavior.
I know you can see where this story is going and you’re going to think I’m an idiot for what came next. I kept feeding him the new food.
Two days after Spiffy fully transitioned to his new food, he developed nasty, large red welts all over his underbelly. He’d been scratching so much that some of his armpit welts were scabby. For whatever reason, it took me seeing him this bad for it to hit me. He was allergic to his new food!
I know! I know! I should have realized what was happening almost immediately, and if not immediately, certainly during his slow decline into scratch city. But I didn’t. There was always something else I could deflect to. And his normal response to not agreeing with food wasn’t present. He hadn’t farted in so long!
As soon as I realized what was actually happening, I took myself back to the pet store and re-purchased his old food. I started him on his old food that same day and began consistently applying ointment to his wounds.
After just one day off the salmon, his spots began to heal! He wasn’t scratching every few minutes. He wasn’t twitching his head like something was irritating his ears. We were getting normal Spiffy back.
An important Lesson
Spiffy’s experience struck me with a great reminder.
When we feed our ourselves foods that aren’t good for us, our bodies let us know. Sometimes there is an immediate and visceral reaction where it’s impossible to mistake what caused our problem. But more often than not, it’s a slower build up. There’s discomfort and signs that something isn’t right, but we don’t pin it on the food. The stomach discomfort after a large pasta meal. The achy back after a night of indulgent dessert. The jittery, uneasiness delivered after too much caffeine. The signs are always there, but because they are more subtle, they’re easy to dismiss. We accept that it as “normal.” Then one day, our body has had too much and explodes in a myriad of trouble which we clearly know is not normal, and we’re left wondering, how did this happen?
But when we remove the food(s) causing the problem and give our bodies the opportunity to experience relief, an incredible thing happens. Our bodies innately begin to heal. Remove the source of the pain and the pain disappears. I know this to be true, but seeing how quickly Spiffy began to bounce back seemed like a miracle. And in a way it is.
Our bodies are highly intelligent and capable of miraculous healing. All it takes is paying enough attention to recognizing what is driving the trouble and remove the agitator. It’s simple, maybe not easy, but simple.
So let Spiffy be your reminder to pay attention to how you are feeling. Take note of your discomforts and take action to heal them. And you too can be feeling better in no time.
