How to Make a Homemade Diet for Dogs With Hepatic Microvascular Dysplasia

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.

Things You'll Need

• For the healthy powder: 2 cups nutritional or brewer's yeast 1 cup lecithin granules 1/4 cup kelp powder 4 tbsp. KAL brand bone meal 1,000 milligrams vitamin C crystals For the food: 4 cups dry pinto beans 2 cups whole milk 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 1/4 cups water 1 cup yellow cornmeal 2 cups grated cheddar cheese 3 large eggs 2 cups cooked mixed vegetables (such as green beans) 1/4 cup Healthy Powder (recipe follows) 5 teaspoons KAL brand bone meal 10,000 IU vitamin A 200-400 IU vitamin E 20 milligrams iron supplement Large pot with lid Sauce pan Whisk or fork Measuring cups Measuring spoons Quart-sized plastic storage container with tight-fitting lid Freezer-safe storage containers 4-quart mixing bowl

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

1. 

   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.

2. 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.

3. 

   Drain the cooking liquid from the beans and refrigerate them until cool.

Prepare the cornmeal topping

1. Combine the milk, olive oil and water in the sauce pan and bring to a gentle simmer.

2. 

   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.

3. Stir in the cheese and eggs. Refrigerate until cool.

Putting it all together

1. Combine the cooled beans with the cooked mixed vegetables in a large bowl.

2. Stir in the Healthy Powder, vitamin A and E, and the iron supplement.

3. Top with the cheesy cornmeal mixture and serve, using the portion recommended in Step 4.

4. 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

Tips & Warnings

• The simplest way to measure the supplements is to use gelatin capsules for the vitamins A and E and tablets for the iron supplement. Consult the package to locate the number of units in each capsule or tablet. Vitamin A is generally sold in 10,000 IU and 25,000 IU capsules. Vitamin E is generally sold is 400 IU capsules. Cut off the tips and squeeze the oil directly into the cornmeal mixture. Iron supplements are sold in 65 milligram tablets. Finely crush about 1/3 of a tablet and stir into the cornmeal mixture. Dogs love garlic. There are conflicting studies in whether garlic helps or harms animals. If your veterinarian approves, your dog will appreciate a clove of fresh garlic crushed in the cooked beans. Plan ahead. You can make preparing your homemade dog food simpler by making some ingredients in advance and freezing them in recipe-size quantities. Beans, for instance, can be made ahead in large amounts. Beans can be pressure-cooked for fast use, with the excess going into the freezer. You can also double this recipe and freeze it in individual portions. To serve frozen food, heat in the microwave to thaw and bring to room temperature.

• Discuss changes to your dog's diet with your veterinarian. Many veterinarians are opposed to homemade food, so come prepared with your recipes, including the Healthy Powder. It's not that veterinarians have any special affection for pet food companies; most want what's best for your dog. However, until recently, animal nutrition and its role in health and disease received very little attention in veterinary training programs, and you might have to gently educate your veterinarian. Be firm and ask for an explanation if your veterinarian is adamant that commercial food be fed. Research by Cornell University presented at Waltham International Symposium on Pet Nutrition and Health in the 21st Century indicates that low-protein diets for dogs suffering from liver disease might leave them malnourished. If your doctor recommends more protein in your dog's diet, you can increase the number of eggs to four, eliminate the water and increase the milk to 3 cups. This will increase the protein yield to 24 percent.

Resources

• How much protein is needed?
• American College of Veterinary Surgeons - Hepatic microvascular dysplasia