Yorkshire terriers are just one small breed prone to hepatic microvascular dysplasia.
Hepatic microvascular dysplasia is a condition where the smallest blood vessels in a dog's liver are abnormally small or are missing. The liver shrinks and is not as effective as a normal liver at filtering toxins and making the many enzymes and proteins a normal liver produces. This condition is not an illness in itself, but it can be the result of a birth defect or can be caused by a range of liver diseases. It usually affects small and toy breeds, such as Yorkshire and Cairn terriers.
When dogs suffer from hepatic microvascular dysplasia, veterinarians usually recommend a diet low in protein. Here are recipes from "Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats" by Richard H. Pitcairn, DVM, PhD, that yield about 22 percent protein.
Start by making your own nutritional supplement, Healthy Powder. Next you'll make a vegetarian dish similar to tamale pie. This recipe makes 17 to 18 cups of food. Refrigerate enough for three days and freeze the rest in portion-size servings.
Instructions
Prepare the Healthy Powder
1. Prepare the Healthy Powder. Mix 2 cups nutritional or brewer's yeast, 1 cup lecithin granules, 1/4 cup kelp powder, 4 tbsp. KAL brand bone meal and 1,000 milligrams vitamin C crystals thoroughly. Store in a quart-size container in the refrigerator.
2. Store the Healthy Powder in the quart-sized container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
3. Add the powder blend as directed to recipes and to you dog's individual meals as follows:
Toy and small dogs: 1-2 tsp. a day
Medium dogs: 2-3 tsp. a day
Large dogs: 3-4 tsp. a day
Giant dogs: 4-5 tsp. per day
Prepare the beans
4. Rinse the beans and clean them, discarding any small stones or other debris that might have made it into the package. Soak them overnight. Rinse again.
5. Bring the beans to a boil in a large pot with 8 to 10 cups of water. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours until the beans are tender but hold their shape.
6. Drain the cooking liquid from the beans and refrigerate them until cool.
Prepare the cornmeal topping
7. Combine the milk, olive oil and water in the sauce pan and bring to a gentle simmer.
8. Gradually pour in the cornmeal as you stir constantly with a whisk or fork. Cook for 10 minutes on low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
9. Stir in the cheese and eggs. Refrigerate until cool.
Putting it all together
10. Combine the cooled beans with the cooked mixed vegetables in a large bowl.
11. Stir in the Healthy Powder, vitamin A and E, and the iron supplement.
12. Top with the cheesy cornmeal mixture and serve, using the portion recommended in Step 4.
13. Feed your dog the amount that's right for him.
Toy dogs: 1/2 to 1 1/4 cups
Small dogs: 2 1/2 cups
Medium dogs: 4 cups
Large dogs: 5 to 6 cups
Giant dogs: 6 or more cups
Tags: Healthy Powder, , Giant dogs, hepatic microvascular, Large dogs, Medium dogs, microvascular dysplasia