December 07, 2021

How We Helped Our 8 Year Old Morkie Gain An Extra 3 Years Of Good Life

In the Fall of 2018 our beloved Morkie (Matese-Yorkie cross) named Sophie went for grooming. Shortly after she had a fainting episode where her lips and tongue went blue, she lost control of her bladder, and passed-out. We rushed her to the emergency and were told she had fluid on the lungs as a result of congestive heart failure. Sophie had been previously diagnosed with a heart murmur which had progressed from a rating of 1 to a 4.

After a night at the vet’s in oxygen, I figured rather than just standing by, I would do my best to help her. These were clues I took into consideration:

Whenever we were out walking Sophie would bury her face in leaves foliage and dirt...and get very upset when you pulled her away. This to me indicated a trace mineral deficiency.

She also was forever eating grass and chewing on greens, which made me wonder about magnesium deficiency. Given the importance of magnesium for the heart I thought it was worth a try.

Furthermore one of the things I considered was the amount of connective tissue dogs would naturally get if they were in the wild, so I supplemented her with BioCell Collagen.

Lastly, I would do what I could to support her mitochondria and energy production.

So on top of kibble, and fresh organic meat I started giving Sophie the following, keeping in mind she is about 10 lbs.

Opti-Joint Type II collagen...about a half a 500mg capsule once a day with her food

Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids...about ½ to 1 tsp once a day with food

Plaque-off….a sea vegetation supplement for trace minerals once a day with food

Fully reacted Magnesium Bisglycinate...about 1/6th of an 80mg capsule
Probiotics...about 1/3rd of a capsule
Milk thistle with artichoke and dandelion...about a third of a 250mg capsule
L-Carnitine...about ¼ of a 500mg capsule
L-Taurine...about 1/6th of a 500mg capsule
Coenzyme Q10...about ¼ of a 120mg capsule (ubiquinone)
Micro-PQQ...about ¼ of a 20mg capsule

(The magnesium and other supplements I gave mixed with liverwurst)

I also started incorporating raw carrots, cucumber and zucchini into her meals once a day.

And over a period of about 3 months Sophie started to improve.

Even though she was also taking medications, (Fortekor, Pimobendan, Lasix and potassium), these just usually “prolong the inevitable’’. But over a 3 year period on this regime Sophie has managed to improve her heart murmur from a 4 back down to a 1.

On good days she is close to her "puppy self". She very recently had a cardiogram at the Pulse Clinic in Sherwood Park confirming the renewed state of her heart.

So at 11 years old now, Sophie has surpassed the average age of her breed, which is 10 years, and is still being our watchdog, barking when anyone comes up to or crosses in front of our house.

If I had to attribute benefit to any of the supplements, it would be the Opti-Joint, Micro-PQQ, L-carnitine, and Coenzyme Q 10 that I seem to notice the most difference with.

The rest of our family acknowledges, yes indeed after her supplements she becomes zippy, young and sassy once again. When Sophie's time comes she will have lived a good life!

If you would like further specifics, just inquire at one of our stores, and I can get them to you.

Cheers,

I wish you wellness!

John

P.S. Our Bernese Mountain Dog, Mohka also gets the supplements, though at about 1/6th the dosage, and she too is in great health at 9 years old.

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