Excitotoxins & ARVC?

[Spyglass Sally]

I don’t want to hijack the ARVC thread but keep thinking about the WSU Today article posted by bruinsBoxer. This may be of interest to others as well. The article discusses the gene they found that normally codes for a adhesive protein that may be responsible for the deaths by causing a conduction problem in the heart. They wrote “Theoretically, the conduction defect is in some way responsible for a rapid, irregular heart beat that does not pump blood efficiently. When blood is not pumped efficiently, there may not be enough circulation maintained in the brain and other organs. This can lead to fainting episodes or even sudden cardiac death. [emphasis mine]”

This really jumped out at me because of reading on a related subject I have done, pertaining to sudden cardiac death in humans. Dr. Russell Blaylock is a world renown author, neurosurgeon and expert in many areas including the role of excitotoxins and sudden cardiac death in humans. You can read about this in this article published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons online or his book, Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills. Realizing the relationship between excitotoxins and various health problems including sudden cardiac death, it made me wonder if the dogs that are victims of this have excitotoxins in their food supply? There are several common excitotoxins frequently used in human food: monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and aspartame (NutraSweet). In the JPANDS article linked above he writes, “In many cases they are being added in disguised forms, such as natural flavoring, spices, yeast extract, textured protein, soy protein extract, etc. Experimentally, we know that when subtoxic levels of excitotoxins are given to animals in divided doses, they experience full toxicity, i.e., they are synergistic. [emphasis mine] Also, liquid forms of excitotoxins, as occurs in soups, gravies and diet soft drinks are more toxic than that added to solid foods. This is because they are more rapidly absorbed and reach higher blood levels.”

Wonder if anyone is looking into that with these dogs? It’s making me look at Buddy’s food twice. The Innova’s good, but those treats are not always so clean and pure. Hmmmm…

[whitedaisy]

Originally Posted by Spyglass Sally

Wonder if anyone is looking into that with these dogs? It’s making me look at Buddy’s food twice. The Innova’s good, but those treats are not always so clean and pure. Hmmmm…

I feed raw and make my own dehydrated treats. Whew. One less thing to worry about!

[bruinsBoxers]

After my one of my dogs became ill after vaccines , and a different one from flea/tick meds . I began taking a hard look at all the chemicals we pump into our pets . I found much of the info very disturbing . For the last 4 years I have fed a raw diet , that way I can control what goes into my dogs . I also follow a reduced vaccine protocol and use only all natural remedies on my dogs , as much as possible .

With all my research I found that it would take 6-7 generations of breeding only all natural fed and raised dogs to see true improved health . That does not mean that ther are no benefits seen right away but true improvement on a genetic / cellular level . Most of this research was based on cancer in dogs and the effects of all natural rearing . Cancer is the leading disease where most of the cases are thought to be environmental vs genetic . Only lymphoma ( as of right now ) is considered to be hereditary as is can easily be seen frequently certain lines .

Through the cardiac research they have found that some heart issues come up when the immune system is compromised . When the illness is cleared and the immune system is back in balance the heart problem may go away .

There are other reasons for heart problems besides genetics. And with proper screening ( and of course the $$) you are able to figure out whether the problem is truly genetic in origin or because of another underlying illness .

[daisy'smom]

I do not feed raw (yet) but for that very reason I make most of the food that the dogs eat. I do not trust most commercial dog foods. I use healthy ingredients, hormone/antibiotic free chicken or turkey (I don't use beef because I cannot afford the organic for the dogs and I do not want them to get the antibiotics and hormones in beef) good vegies and usually brown rice or sweet potatoes. I add flax meal and olive oil also. My husband says the dogs eat better than him!!

I do like the Flint River Ranch dog food and I do add some to their homemade meals.