Liver Cleansing Diet for Liver Disease In Dogs

Heal Your Dog’s Liver Disease with Fresh Homemade Dog Food

Are you a pet parent whose pup has been diagnosed with liver disease? Don’t give up hope just yet; while this diagnosis can be scary, the Dr. Dodds Liver Cleansing Diet is one of 10 recipes in the book that may help your pup to manage their condition—and even make some progress toward reversing it!

Let’s explore what exactly makes the Dr. Dodds Liver Cleansing Diet so special and how it can bring immense benefits to you and your pup’s health and well-being. Read on for more helpful details about this natural diet that could change both of your lives for the better!

Nourish Your Dog From the Inside Out With Dr. Dodd’s Liver Cleansing Diet

The liver cleansing diet by Dr. Dodds is a homemade diet that is intended to help ‘cleanse and heal’ the liver during ongoing illnesses. It consists of a mix of white potatoes and sweet potatoes with a white fish such as cod, halibut, mackerel, smelt or snapper. The ratio is 75% of potato vegetable mix with 25% fish.

The diet works by providing a low-fat, low-protein and low-salt food that reduces the stress on the liver and helps remove excess fluid from the body. The diet also provides antioxidants and vitamins that support the liver function and improve blood circulation.

As the dog acclimates to the diet, you can add cooked chopped carrots, yellow squash, green beans, kale, celery, spinach and scrambled eggs, if these are tolerated. You should also give your dog a liquid or powdered multivitamin or supplement such as Missing Link. Additionally, you can add herbs such as milk thistle and SAMe to help cleanse the liver.

Feed Your Furry Friend the Nutrients Needed to Help Restore Liver Health

The liver cleansing diet by Dr. Dodds is designed to help the liver function better and remove toxins from the body. It does not literally clean the liver of the dog that eats it, but it may improve the liver health and reduce the symptoms of liver disease. However, this diet is not a cure for liver disease and it may not work for every dog.

Please note that this diet is not a substitute for veterinary care and you should always consult your vet before trying any new treatment for your dog.

Liver Cleansing Diet for Liver Disease by Dr. Dodds

W. Jean Dodds recommends a formula of 2 cups of pollack, cod or any other low fat white fish fillet to 6 cups of veggies and potatoes, or 25% pollack, cod or any other low fat white fish fillet to 75% veggies and potatoes. Turkey, duck or pork can be substituted or added, if the dog will not eat fish or has an intolerance to fish. This recipe is for a 15-18 pound dog and to be fed over approximately one week; please adjust according to the weight of your pet.
Author: Dr. Jean Dodds

Ingredients

  • 1 and 1/2 cups moist white cooking potatoes
  • 1 and 1/2 cups sweet potatoes
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of zucchini
  • 1 and 1/2 cup green beans (kale, celery, summer squash, chopped carrots, spinach, green beans or yellow squash and scrambled eggs, if these are tolerated)
  • 2 cups pollack (cod or any other low fat white fish fillet)

Instructions

  • Scrub the potatoes well and cut them up crosswise into 2″ pieces so the skin circles the potatoes. OR, you can peel the potatoes before you cook them and cook until they are soft. When cooled, remove the skins.
  • Wash the vegetables steam or cook until very tender.
  • 2 cups pollack, cod or any other low fat white fish fillet, baked or poached in a frying pan with water until fish is white and flaky.
  • Mix all ingredients together until it is well blended. For flavor you can add a pinch of garlic powder and a little Italian Seasoning to each meal.

Notes

Add a multivitamin or supplement.
Feed three to four meals per day.
Add the herbs, milk thistle (silymarin) and S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) to help cleanse the liver.

All-Natural Home-Cooked Meals for a Healthy Liver and Happier Dog

Quote from Dr. Dodds: “When the liver is damaged, it can’t efficiently process protein or metabolize an assimilate foods, so there is the danger that urea and ammonia, toxic byproducts of protein metabolism, can build up and affect the brain. If your dog presents with liver disease, you do not want to feed a raw diet. Raw meat can contain bacteria such as Salmonella and E.coli, which will likely pass through a healthy animal without causing harm. However, since the liver is responsible for filtering bacteria, dogs with liver disease are at increased risk of food-borne infection. In addition, red meat is high in aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan), which dogs with liver disease do not tolerate well. Instead, a diet rich in proteins derived from dairy products (preferably from goat and sheep sources) is recommended over meat-based sources. Studies show that dogs with liver disease live longer and have less severe clinical signs when fed dairy-based protein diets than those containing meat-based proteins.”

References
Dodds, W. Jean & Laverdure, Diana R. Canine Nutrigenomics: The New Science of Feeding Your Dog for Optimal Health, DogWise Publishing, Wenatchee , WA, 2015.

Cleansing Diets | Hemopet

Disclaimer: This treatment does not work for every dog or every type of liver related illnesses. It’s not the answer to all of your dog’s needs. It does not replace the need of a qualified Veterinarian. Please read the full Disclaimer and Word of Caution