By A.J. Llewellyn

The photo above is of the wonderful Andi Brown. I have never met Andi and she has never met me but she saved my dog’s life and for that I need to talk about her today. I know it’s my turn at the wheel of Seven Wicked Writers and this is not an especially wicked tale, but maybe I can help save somebody else’s ailing pet by telling you a little about what Andi did for me and my dog Venus.

Thirteen years ago I was driving on the 170 freeway in North Hollywood and witnessed two men tossing a bundle of blonde fur onto the freeway. I had just bought my townhouse. My cats loved it. Life was good…and then I saw this dog hit the freeway and I pulled over…cars screeched to a halt as this brave girl tried to follow the car that dumped her. Instead, she got me. I opened my back door and she got in.

I had no idea what shape she was in, how old she was, but she was a mess. I took her to the vet who suggested euthanasia. I suggested he take my money and help her. And he did. It turned out she was a puppy. A very badly neglected, abused, malnourished puppy. She had Lyme’s disease and a belly full of rocks. After emergency surgery, she rallied and I told her if she cooperated with me by getting along with my cats, I’d give her the best life ever. I told her one day we’d live at the beach and we’d hang out all day, chasing waves.

So far, only I have upheld my end of the bargain. But I digress.

I named her Venus because she is a loving, funny, feisty girl. I despaired when her injured left rear leg sometimes hurt her and her rock diet caused permanent damage. We had a six week cycle of diarrhea and discomfort…no matter what I did. In spite of what I thought was good food from the vet, mountain hikes, beach walks and a lot of love, two years ago, the vet pulled eight of her teeth, warning the rest would “probably come out next year.”

He gave me Arthritis medication for her and it made her sick.

And then, Venus’s dog food was recalled. I flew into a panic. I knew any change from her carefully-structured diet would result in bad things on my carpet. I prayed for a miracle and it happened. i have been a dedicated volunteer at my local library for three years now and that weekend, somebody donated a book for our monthly sale. “The Whole Pet Diet” by Andi Brown. The subtitle was “Eight weeks to Great Health for Dogs and Cats.”

I always tell people to volunteer. It always gives back. Boy did it give back. I read the book from cover to cover and decided I had nothing to lose. It involved buying two whole chickens per week and cooking them with fresh vegetables, barley and oats and mixing it with a special blend of omega three oils - Andi’s dream coat recipe.

I took her advice and started with the oils, blending it in Venus’s food. I had three cans of her food left and after checking on the Internet that her particular batch was safe, I started with the oils.

Andi has a recipe called “Spot’s Chicken Stew” that I now know by heart. I bought a special cooking pot and assembled the ingredients two mornings later. As a lifelong vegetarian it was hard for me to buy whole chickens but Venus is a dog and let me tell you, that dog knew, just knew, I was cooking for her. She lay by the kitchen door waiting for her food to cook. Her special stew slow cooks for a little over two hours.

I let it cool down, deboned the chicken, blending the stew in batches, per Andi’s instructions. The way my dog slurped down her first portion was amazing.

She has never stopped. Twice a week I cook for her and I see the smile on her face. The chicken guy at Gelson’s knows me and picks out the best chickens for me, saving the giblets and neck for my dog’s recipe. And I saw a dramatic change within weeks.

Venus’s breath was no longer stinky. Her left rear leg no longer requires acupuncture or baby Aspirin. She has never had diarrhea in two years and last month, she got a clean bill of health from her vet.

He could not get over what fantastic shape she is in. She did not require dental surgery. He said her fur was magnificent. He could not stop touching her. He was amazed. People stop me on the street and ask about her coat. They ask how old she is. She does not look like a 13 year old dog. She lopes down the street like a puppy. People who know dogs well know she is a…er…golden girl because her muzzle shows some white hair where there used to be black but she is in sparkling health.

Venus did get a dental cleaning and removal of a mole on her neck. I asked the vet how she got it and he said the dreaded words, Old Age. We removed the mole since her collar kept rubbing on it, but it was benign.

I like to think my love and five good long walks a day have contributed to my dog’s good health but I know for a fact it is Andi Brown who dramatically changed and saved her life. Andi helped me keep my promise to her, to give her the best life ever. Thanks to Andi Brown who has changed countless people’s lives, we pet lovers can make informed choices. I love cooking for my dog. I love knowing exactly what is going in her body.

There are no by-products, mystery “meal” additions to anything I make. I cook fresh liver for her with garlic and rosemary and chop it up as treats - another Andi recipe. Andi’s Halo Pet company markets freeze dried chicken which Venus and my cat Banjo adore.

No commerical pet food comes into this house anymore. There is nothing my animals eat that I can’t eat. In fact, I have friends who now cook this food and eat it with their pets. I love knowing that thanks to Andi Brown, I will get to fulfill my promise to Venus. She is now free to enter the Quarantine program for our move to Hawaii and soon, my nature-loving girl will live at the beach. She will be a happy, healthy dog who gets to bark at the waves every day, not just once a week.

For more about Andi Brown, please check out her site: www.thewholepetdiet.com

Aloha oe,

A.J.

PS. I am getting a lot of private emails about this post. Andi’s recipe feeds my dog (she is 60 pounds) two meals a day for three and a half days. I like to cook her food twice a week for optimum freshness. When I travel, I cook ahead and freeze her food for the dog sitter to feed her. I personally prefer her food fresh from the fridge rather than the freezer…the bigger the dog, the more soup you will use, but believe me, the results are worth it!