SEIZURES: We have a standard poodle, Loki, with intermittent seizures, who was clearly in worsening health. Dull wool, tense through the back, anxious, etc.. Aside from the seizures, and very minor overnight incontinence, there were very very few symptoms of anything “test-able”. In the absence of any clear clinical indicators, it was so difficult to know how to bring back our happy, playful poodle boy. We worked with a naturopathic vet, Dr. Beltran, using homeopathy and with Cat Lane on the diet and supplement side of the health care equation. Cat’s careful formulation of Loki’s diet, and her breadth of knowledge treating particular canine health issues was invaluable to us as we fine tuned Loki’s diet. Cat’s enthusiasm and extensive knowledge was very encouraging for someone just starting out on the home-cooked food route. Within months of switching to home-cooked, Loki’s coat improved, his kidneys became stronger, and his zest for just about everything in life came back! With Cat’s help, we put our girl poodle, Kiera on home-cooked as well, and she is in great health. They both LOVE their food!

Thanks Cat, for helping us back to health!

GENERAL GASTRIC DISTRESS: Bernese Mountain Dogs are immune challenged and it is not unusual for them to have gastric issues. Since she was 6 months old, Crystal would have episodes when she would be panicked and would beg to go outside to eat grass; these episodes would occur around midnight, would last for up to 2 hours, and would occur 2 or 3 times a month. We in the breed call these episodes the “gulps”; oddly, there is little to nothing written about them in Vet medical manuals and, sadly, gulps can but not necessarily evolve into bloat. I hoovered around 4 chat groups trying to figure out how to feed her, have half a dozen books on nutrition, and have read multiple sites on the internet: none of them agreed and I found that the more I learned, the less I knew. Approaching her 4th year, Crystal finally ended up in emergency: fortunately, it was not bloat but it was time that I become proactive.

Cat had been a guest for a weekend on my chat group Natural Berners: she was bright, engaging, and enthusiastic about nutrition. I signed up for a consultation. Crystal has been on Cat’s diet for 5 months now: her eyes twinkle, her coat is glossy, and she has a bounce in her step. She has not had a case of the gulps nor a trip back to emergency in that time. Nutrition is not just about a single vitamin or a mineral or a panacea herb; they all work synergistically and adding, subtracting, or altering one affects the others. Cat told me when she made Crystal’s diet that Crystal would be covered from A-Zinc. The cost of the consultation is nominal compared to the money I have spent and could have spent on vet bills. Home cooking was a bit daunting for me as I am not much of a cook; and, while home cooking is more expensive for a 90 lb dog than kibble and is certainly more time consuming, I am so glad that I perservered: I have a healthy, happy dog. The icing on the cake: I have peace of mind.

If you are concerned about your dog eating only commercially-prepared foods and are committed to preparing fresh food, Catherine will make sure that the food you prepare is right for your dog’s needs. It was rewarding for me to see the improvement in the health of my dogs as a result of adding fresh food to their diets.

MULTIPLE FOOD INTOLERANCES:After years of health, digestive problems and switching my dog from one kind of kibble to the next I finally was referred to Cat. I was excited at the possibility that my dog was finally going to be on a diet that he was going to eat but at the same time nervous that it was going to be like all the other diets that we have tried. After speaking to Cat for the first time and realizing how much she knew about dogs and their nutritional needs I just had to give it a try. He has been on the diet for 4 months now and we have not been to the vet since starting the diet, previously going every 6-8 weeks. All of the health and digestive problems he was suffering from have now been fixed. He has also lost all of the extra weight he put on from the last diet that had not been successful. I have to thank Cat everyday for what she did for us because it was a battle that we had been fighting since we got our dog at 8 weeks old. He just turned 3 this past week and is healthier now than he ever has been. Thank you Cat!

OBESITY/SKIN INFECTIONS: Cat Lane’s recipes have had a tremendous impact. After years on a standard reduced calorie commercial dog food, he was slowly gaining weight. After a week on a personalized recipe, his acute skin inflammations disappeared, his dry skin got better, and he was no longer looking for crumbs on the floor. After 2 months, he’s lost nearly 10 pounds, and is jumping into the car more easily. His health and happiness makes the extra bit of work completely worth it.”

IDIOPATHIC EPILEPSY: I am the owner of a four year old siberian husky who has epilepsy, her name is Spirit. Spirit started having the seizures when she was two years old and it was an awful thing to watch. In doing some research on my own I found that a lot of the food that we feed these guys can trigger the seizures, so that is when I was so fortunate to find Catherine. She helped me get Spirit on a great diet, and not only the diet but proper vitamins and the proper amount for Spirit. And I am so happy to report that Spirit has gone 13months without a seizure. Spirit is on such a low dose of Phenobarbital that my vet said that all data says she should be on a higher dose , but because it is working we will not raise the dose. He agrees with me that her diet has a lot to do with this. Catherine is not only extremely knowledgeable in this field she is truly a caring person. She has checked on Spirit many times and is always there to answer questions. It is truly a pleasure to find someone that cares about what they are doing ! Spirit and I are truly grateful we found her!
Spirit and I are truly grateful we found her!

PROACTIVE: I had become concerned about the quality of commercial dog foods. The lack of any government regulations meant that there was no way for me to know exactly what my dogs were eating. My dogs are like my children so I wanted to provide them with a healthy and nutritious diet made from all natural, quality ingredients. This can be a scary endeavor so I turned to Catherine Lane so I could be satisfied knowing that they are getting a balanced diet formulated for their needs. There is a tremendous sense of satisfaction when I feed my dogs meals that I cooked from all natural ingredients. Seeing Sophie and Charm enthusiastically lick their bowls clean tells me they are even happier about their diets than I am. The greatest benefit comes from having two strong and healthy dogs. Since switching to a home-cooked diet they do not get skin or ear infections, which Sophie used to be prone to. They have beautiful, soft and shiny coats and more than enough energy to support their active lifestyles.

GALL BLADDER DISEASE, SEVERE GASTRITIS AND LIVER DISTRESS: This past summer LuLu, my four year old Leonberger, underwent an emergency cholecystoenterostomy to remove her ruptured gall bladder. For several weeks following her release from the hospital she experienced tremendous gastric upset, requiring ongoing antibiotic treatment. Bloodwork also revealed that her liver enzyme levels were dangerously elevated. It was obvious that dietary intervention was required. I contacted Cat and she quickly put a diet plan together for my girl. Within just two days on the new diet we started seeing improvement. The real proof, however, came a week later when we redid LuLu’s bloodwork. I’m pleased to report that her alkaline phosphatase values had come down by 50% and her ALT values were almost normal. Needless to say, my vet and I were very happy with this news. It is now one month since LuLu has been on her new diet and she continues to do well. Her energy levels are terrific, and she hasn’t had any major gastric upsets either. She is due for more bloodwork later this week and I feel very confident that her liver enzyme values will be down even more, if not altogether normal. I have Cat to thank for this. Her professionalism, expertise and compassion are second to none, and I am so grateful to her for all that she has done for us.

FOOD ALLERGY: It was with great excitement that we finally got our first West Highland Terrier, Elsie. I knew Westies were prone to allergies but when Elsie started chewing her legs and licking her paws constantly I knew we had to do something. We tried many brands of high quality grain-free kibble but that didn’t seem to help, Elsie’s allergies got worse. She developed an ear infection/chewed all the fur off her front legs and licked her paws until it drove us crazy. Then, without warning, she developed anal gland issues resulting in an abscess and had to undergo emergency surgery. After this episode I changed her kibble again, thinking another brand might give us better results, but she continued to have issues with her glands. When the tainted dog food scandal hit, that was a wake up call. My immediate reaction was to start cooking for Elsie but I quickly came to realize I needed help, my intensions where good but I had no idea what I was really doing and it was overwhelming….enter Catherine Lane.

Catherine came highly recommended by our local pet food store and I can see why. Cat took a full history of Elsie and went to work recommending a diet and supplements specific for her. We worked very closely together over the next few months adjusting and tweaking things as needed. It was a lot to take in but now a year and half later, it is the best thing we could have done. Elsie no longer suffers from allergies and has not had any issue with her anal glands in months. Many people we come across comment on how white and healthy Elsie looks. Without a doubt Cat’s home-cooked protocol has a lot to do with this. She has been a great support and a wealth of information. Don’t hesitate in contacting Cat, you won’t regret it! She’s very dedicated and truly cares about the dogs she meets and treats – we are lucky to have found her.

RETIRED GREYHOUND WITH MULTIPLE DEFICIENCIES: Zena, my warrior princess, came to our home after living and working for 3 years at a Florida racetrack. My poor greyhound’s body was riddled with scars and old injuries. Her back legs and stomach were completely bald. The rest of her fur was lifeless and slowly falling out. She constantly bit her paws and sometimes refused to eat. Our veterinarian prescribed thyroid medication and recommended a special kibble. The medication helped but instead of kibble I asked my vet for the name of a canine nutritionist so that I could cook Zena a homemade diet. The only nutritionist she knew worked for a commercial dog company and she told me to stay away from a home cooked diet.

Well, I refused to sentence my loving girl to a lifetime of kibble. So I bought a few books on home-cooked diets and did a lot of research on the Internet. Instead of helping me, the information and different opinions overwhelmed and confused me. I did not want to play a guessing game with my dog’s health. That’s when luck was on my side, because I came across “The Possible Canine”, Catherine’s website. I e-mailed her immediately and embarked on an incredible journey of discovery. Her knowledge and compassion were so evident from our conversations and also from the testimonials on her website. My journey began with an in depth questionnaire about Zena, her health, her activity level etc. From there, Cat tailored several different recipes for Zena and supported us every step of the way through the transition. Thankfully Cat was always there to answer my many questions and to solve some allergies Zena ended up having with chicken.
Now, people often comment on how glossy and full Zena’s fur is (Including my vet and her technicians). Zena’s blood work shows her to be extremely healthy and her energy level is up. When I am getting her dinner ready, Zena is on her blanket licking her lips and wagging her tail. As soon as the yogurt is spooned into her bowl she’s up and bouncing right beside me. She doesn’t refuse her food anymore but instead licks the bowl clean (Along with the wall if a few specks of food land on it). I think if my husband reacted that way to my cooking I’d actually cook more often!

I am thrilled that Zena is healthy but even more important, she loves her food, REAL food! Thank you so much Cat for everything. I hope you realize that the service and understanding you offer us and our pets are simply priceless.

SEVERELY ELEVATED ALT/GERIATRIC BORDER COLLIE: My dog Ellie is a Border Collie mix and she’s close to 16 years old. She has had a good life with over 20 acres of land to romp around on. She has eaten everything in nature, but I never gave her table scraps.

But, like me I never really fed her the best food, either because I didn’t care, or my financial situation didn’t allow it. I use to buy the cheapest dog food available at of all places Giant Tiger.

In the past few years she has shown signs of aging of course with the removal of a lump around her neck, her dew claw (cancer), and she has a bad spine, terrible legs, and she is deaf. But, she still is a puppy with loads of energy and a spark in her eye. Despite her failing legs, she still runs when excited.

In mid April of this year (2008) she stopped eating for 4 days. During that 4 day period, she also had diarrhea. After the first round of blood tests, we were preparing to put her down that week, and even took some final pictures with her.

After consulting with Catherine, she prepared an emergency diet for 2 weeks and we ran more blood tests.

Everyone,including her veterinarian, was stunned regarding the profound changes just after 2 weeks of this diet.

With new numbers in hand, another custom diet was created to deal with the organs involved, specifically the pancreas, and liver. As of October, she is still eating well, her blood results have stabilized, and she continues to defy the odds. The results from the new diet have been profound and longlasting.
Please don’t hesitate to contact Catherine if you require a specialized diet for your dog.

PICA: I found Cat Lane through The Possible Canine about two years ago, never expecting to have to use her professional services. I have an 8 year old St. Bernard named Bailey, who has a compulsive foraging problem and has had to undergo several bowel surgeries. In December of 2006, she was also diagnosed with a mast cell tumor on her ear. The vet did not want to amputate her ear and took the tumor off alone and I decided to use a home prepared diet as well as supplementation to help her through. Cat helped enormously by supplying me with all the information I needed as well as many recipes, tweaking them along the way to Bailey’s needs. Without her help I may have given up on Bailey, but a miracle has occurred. The foraging is now very minimal and food related when and if it occurs, and the mast cell cancer is gone. Bailey owes her life to Cat, and she has my utmost respect and appreciation for her knowledge and dedication.

MAST CELL TUMOUR: When my beautiful chocolate lab was diagnosed with mast cell cancer in September of 2004, I couldn’t accept it. I wasn’t going to give her up without a fight. She was only seven years old and a hard bodied athlete. She was up for a fight, too. We scheduled surgery for her two tumors. One could not be completely removed. She was given a year to live. I was on the computer night after night trying to find a way to save her. Time after time I would run into “cancer diets”. Diets that were suppose to help your cancer dog live longer. The diets would have some ingredients the same but differ in others. I couldn’t add everything to her meals that I read about. I needed a canine nutritionist to help me sort it all out. Armed with what I had gained in knowledge, I started looking at nutritionists. Janie didn’t have the time and I didn’t have the money to waste on making the wrong choice. I settled on Catherine Lane. Cat didn’t make suggestions on what I should do for Janie without backing it up with links to research done on supplements and current articles on canine nutrition. The food and supplements she suggested were chosen specifically for Janie’s problems. Not just the type of cancer but arthritis and allergy issues, too. Not long after she started her new regime, she started feeling better and her fur grew thicker and shiner. She has gone from bad bouts with allergies three times a year down to once a year, and that isn’t nearly as severe as it used to be. It is three years now after her original diagnosis. Janie has had a few rough spots, but Cat has always been there to make changes to her diet and supplements. She always rebounds. I KNOW we owe these precious three more years with Janie to Cat.

ELBOW DYSPLASIA: My 11 month old yellow lab was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia and bilateral osteoarthritis. She was on 25 kg of metacam per day and if she missed a day she would limp. I went to a talk on nutrition and that’s where I met Catherine. I was so impressed that I approached her afterwards and the rest as they say is history. I started homefeeding Stella in mid April and we also introduced supplements. The first thing I did notice was her level of energy, it was amazing. I started to ween her off the Metacam(slowly) and she is now Metacam free for 2months. There is no limping and her energy level is just getting better and better. Catherine is a remarkable woman and I am so grateful to her for what she has done for us.

CHRONIC COLITIS, MALABSORPTION: “My heartfelt appreciation and admiration to Catherine Lane for all the help and guidance I have received, while restoring my beloved collie Bella to health. Bella has always eaten a home-prepared diet put together from simple guidelines provided by her breeder, generic recipes and probably a lot of luck with the help of a very basic knowledge of human nutrition.
She has generally been healthy and has won several blue ribbons, both in shows and other dog activities. She has, however, had numerous episodes of gastro-intestinal problems that have required antibiotics and has always been more or less high strung. As she grew older, she began to change, became more withdrawn, sensitive and nervous, refused her food often, had a general lack of energy and less desire for the things she had always loved to do. She just didn’t feel good.

On the internet, I found the idea of feeding a raw-food diet in order to perk her up so I decided to try. Initially, the change was quite dramatic in all respects, physically and emotionally, so I was convinced that raw food á la BARF was the panacea for all her ills. However, after this initial “honeymoon” improvement, even though she loved the food, her health again took a turn for the worse. She became very thirsty, restless and very easily upset and/or excitable, was constantly panting and paced around at night. Needless to say, neither of us slept well. I could get no concrete guidelines from the internet lists I was on, my vet at the time just wanted her on cortisone because of possible “allergy”, which I refused. I was at my wits end with a 9 yr old dog who was not thriving and getting worse.
This is when I happened upon Catherine’s list. It did not take me long to realize, that here was a lady who knew what she was doing and who was giving trustworthy information, backed up with knowledge and documentation. She was genuinely concerned and helpful and not afraid to challenge the ideas that I had bought into. I hired Catherine to do a full protocol and I am sure she saved my dogs life and sanity, as well as my own. During the 3 months that we worked together intensively, my Bella made a dramatic improvement, calmed down and regained her appetite and has become calmer than at any other time of her life.

Bella, now 10½, is a healthy and active collie, although retired from public life. Since she is totally dependant on me to make intelligent decisions about her diet, I have gradually become more proficient in preparing nutritious and varied meals for her and in my understanding of how important good nutrition is. In fact, there is nothing really more important to a dogs health than providing a healthy and balanced diet. I can highly recommend Catherine’s competent and knowledgeable guidance for achieving this noble goal.”

DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, HYPERLIPIDEMIA: My veterinarian referred me to Catherine Lane early this winter. I strongly believe in home cooking and the health benefits of good nutrition.
My 9-year-old dog was diagnosed with diabetes in the summer, this diagnosis added to the list of health concerns he has, a heart murmur, hyper lipidimia and a tendency to have pancreas troubles. I was told to give special commercial dog food for diabetes. Unfortunately he did not like this food at all and having him eat was a challenge. Having a dog eat at regular intervals and the proper amount is crucial when dealing with diabetes and insulin injections. I phone Catherine who helped me right away, she took all of his health concerns into account and began her research, and she worked closely with me and with my vet. Catherine has created menus that were easy for me to make and that is a challenge given my crazy shift work schedule and limited cooking ability. Catherine has also helped adapt the same menus to work for my other dog who does not have the same health concens. Zeus loves his meals and eats with gusto the proper nutrition at regular intervals. He has not had any pancreas type issues since being on the diet and his blood sugar levels have improved.

Catherine has helped me with supplements, questions and more questions. She had given me great information and has taught me a great deal. I am very grateful to my vet for introducing me to her. I intend to have Catherine help me with all the dogs to come in my life from healthy puppy to my next geriatric dog. I highly recommend her to anyone with a dog.

IMMUNE-MEDIATED POLYARTHRITIS: “Catherine Lane helped us through a very rough time with our Lab/Dal Cori, who was finally diagnosed with an auto-immune disease after 7 months of working with a traditional vet. During the time we had not one clue what was going on with Cori, Catherine was very helpful in suggesting foods, supplements and modalities to make her more comfortable.
TTouch relieved Cori’s pain from arthritis and her difficulty in moving. A variety of herbs and supplements allowed her to eat, not lose weight, and to help her feel better. And during all those months Catherine’s understanding and sympathy helped me to deal with the anxiety and fear I was feeling. I highly recommend Catherine as a nutritionist; she has a wide breadth of knowledge and experience, knows a wide range of people to contact for further support and information, and is tireless in helping pets (and their humans). That energy is what sets her apart from others who may have knowledge of holistic practices. Contact her, use her; you and your pets will be helped in so many ways!”

PROACTIVE : “Catherine Lane has more energy than any two people I know and has pursued both formal and informal education so that she is knowledgeable in many areas, including nutrition and the use of herbs and other supplements, TTouch, and energy work, along with impressive familiarity in a variety of diseases in dogs…. I am especially impressed with her proven ability to deal with serious disease from a nutritional standpoint and respect her willingness to use traditional allopathic medicine when necessary.
Most recently, she described at ThePossibleCanine why she places such emphasis on purity of ingredients in supplements and I found myself learning more than I had expected and coming to understand and value the depth of her expertise and her commitment to excellence. Working with Cat I have come to better understand more what holistic means and how integral balance is to that discipline. ” Frances Qualls Milwaukee

ALLERGY: “Catherine was enormously helpful when I was dealing with severe allergies with my Golden Retriever Emma. She introduced me to the world of natural health and feeding and we enjoyed great improvement in Emma’s condition as time went by. I would highly recommend Catherine to anyone with a dog!”