Is Vimergy Olive Leaf extract okay for dogs?

[AndrewL]

Hi there, our 9 year Vizsla has developed a couple of small lipomas and as per the Medical Mediums advice we have started adding 0.5ml of Olive Leaf extract twice a day to his raw food. I've just realised, however, that this particular supplement also contains a small amount of lemon concentrate in it and my understanding is that this is not appropriate for dogs. Should I stop giving him this particular brand and look for an Olive leaf extract that doesn't contain any lemon?

He has had it for a few days and does not appear to have had any reactions to it, thankfully but I am concerned as to whether we should continue using it. I don't want to give him anything that is not supportive.

We have been adding the Olive Leaf to his raw food in addition to the Pet Wellbeing Mushroom Immune Gold.

Would really appreciate your responses.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Andrew!

Welcome to HA! and thanks for making your first post about your pup.

contains a small amount of lemon concentrate in it and my understanding is that this is not appropriate for dogs. Should I stop giving him this particular brand and look for an Olive leaf extract that doesn't contain any lemon?

No problem using it IMO. The main problem with lemon and all citrus is that some dogs (and most cats) don't like it.

As long as the olive leaf extract does not seem to be decreasing his enjoyment of the food, you're fine to use.

In addition to the raw food you're feeding, plenty of happy activities, exercise, etc. you may want to consider a Urolithin A supplement. It will help rejvenate his mitochondria and help his body be its best:

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[AndrewL]

Hi Andrew!

Welcome to HA! and thanks for making your first post about your pup.

No problem using it IMO. The main problem with lemon and all citrus is that some dogs (and most cats) don't like it.

As long as the olive leaf extract does not seem to be decreasing his enjoyment of the food, you're fine to use.

In addition to the raw food you're feeding, plenty of happy activities, exercise, etc. you may want to consider a Urolithin A supplement. It will help rejvenate his mitochondria and help his body be its best:

Amazon.com: Timeline Mitopure Urolithin A Supplement Softgels - Clinically Proven Support for Healthy Aging and Cellular Renewal - Mitoceutical for Muscle Support and Longevity : Health & Household

Buy Timeline Mitopure Urolithin A Supplement Softgels - Clinically Proven Support for Healthy Aging and Cellular Renewal - Mitoceutical for Muscle Support and Longevity on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders

www.amazon.com

Hi Dr Jeff,

Just wanted to take the time to thank you for your quick response. It was incredibly helpful and we are really pleased to hear that we can safely continue with the olive leaf extract as it seems to be making a difference with the two small lipomas (along with everything else we're doing).

We are also really grateful to have found this community.

Many thanks,

Paula and Andrew Lawson

 

[Dr. Christina]

Lipomas can be a challenge to resolve, so please keep us posted as to how they do. Even keeping them small if they do not disappear is a big success.

How big were they to start and what changes other than the olive leaf have you done?

Dr. Christina

 

[AndrewL]

Lipomas can be a challenge to resolve, so please keep us posted as to how they do. Even keeping them small if they do not disappear is a big success.

How big were they to start and what changes other than the olive leaf have you done?

Dr. Christina

Thank you so much for replying to our message. So, to give you a little more info regarding Chester's lipomas and how we are treating them...


As I mentioned in the original post he is a 9 year old Vizsla. He developed the first lipoma on his belly about two and a half years ago. It was very small initially and barely noticeable. It measured about 1cm in diameter. Over the space of about 18 months it did grow a little to around ½ an inch in diameter and he also developed another couple of smaller lipomas, two on his torso and one on his side. The additional lipomas on the torso all measure no more than a quarter of an inch in diameter. The one on his side is the size of and shape of a pea and is a little harder in texture than the others.


It was at this point that we decided to research lipomas and see what we could do to possibly get rid of them or at least prevent them from getting any worse.

Some background info on Chester:

FOOD:

Chester has only ever eaten a raw diet. For the last 5 years he has been on a commercial raw food (complete) that is available here in the UK called Paleo Ridge. We purchase the Paleo plus range which is green lipped mussels, broccoli, kale, blueberries, blackberries, seaweed and organic hemp seed.

Treats are only fresh fruit and vegetables or dehydrated 100% meat treats. He does also get a raw marrow bone from time to time. He has on occasion had 'processed' dog treats from people but it's rare and I'm at a point now where I just say no thank you.

His drinking water is filtered via our Berkey filter as well, although he still drinks from puddles when out and about.

I've recently tried to switch Chester to an organic raw diet by a company called Honeys but he just wasn't interested in eating it at all.


EXERCISE:

Chester gets two walks a day. His first walk is between 60 and 90min and is a scent walk in our local forest. He is off lead and we often meet other dogs we know for him to have a play with.

His second walk later in the day is between 45 and 60min and this is sometimes a run with my husband or another walk including ball time which is Chester's favourite thing in the world.


VACCINES:

Chester has only ever had his initial puppy vaccines. We have never had him vaccinated since and as we are in the UK he does not require a rabies vaccine. If needed, we have simply ran a Titre test to ensure antibodies are still present.

WORMING/FLEAS& TICK TREATMENTS

Chester hasn't had any worming treatments since he was a puppy. We send off a faecal sample every 6 months for testing (this includes lungworm as well) and every test had come back clear to date.

We've also only ever done natural flea and tick treatments. For the last 8 years or so we have used Billy No Mates which is a herbal mixture we add to his food. Chester has also never had fleas and rarely gets ticks (which is a really good sign as we walk them in a forest with lots of deer about).


TOXIC EXPOSURE

We try to keep our home as toxin free as is possible and have done since Chester was a puppy. No chemicals are used for cleaning and we've only ever used a natural shampoo on him.

We are surrounded by farmers fields but 90% of the time the dogs are walked in the forest right by us to minimise exposure to anything being sprayed on the fields.

HEALTH ISSUES:

In the past 9 years Chester has had a couple of ear infections and has occasionally struggled with some mild constipation. Other than that he has always been an active and healthy dog with a generally good appetite. The one thing we have noticed in recent years is that Chester does get affected by the overall energy in the house. If either myself or especially my husband is having a stressful time, it seems to impact Chester as well.



OUR STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH THE LIPOMAS:

So initially we looked into the work of Rita Hogan and we realised that giving Chester his raw food cold may have been affecting his digestion and creating problems we were unaware of. So we began adding a little hot water to his raw food to warm it through slightly. He seemed to really enjoy this and so we have continued to do it ever since.

We also started Chester off on the 'Mushroom Immune Gold' by Pet Wellbeing as Rita mentioned this could be really helpful in preventing the lipomas from getting any bigger.

Finally we got all of the ingredients and made the lipoma balm that Rita recommends and began massaging this into the lipomas daily.

After a few months it appeared that this protocol seemed to have stopped the lipomas from growing but we really wanted to see if we could reduce them, particularly the larger one on his chest.

After contacting Pet Wellbeing UK they recommended their Detox Plus supplement. We tried adding this into Chester's routine for about two months and although, again the lipomas did not grow, we weren't seeing any shrinkage either. I do wonder if we gave this supplement enough time though?

Then a couple of months ago I went back and listened to Anthony Williams podcast for pets and he mentioned the Olive Leaf supplement. On Anthony's recommendation I also found your website and began reading the forums where lipomas had been mentioned.

So in the last few weeks we have stopped the Detox Plus and added in the Olive Leaf. I am also adding in fresh organic parsley and coriander to his raw food to help support his lymphatic system. We are also continuing with the mushroom supplement and the balm. I've also added in a very light meal of some mashed sweet potato to the middle of the day.

We have also started getting Chester some Reiki sessions which seem to have had a really positive affect on his energy levels and appetite. Literally hours after the Reiki we noticed a real energy lift in him. I'm thinking of continuing with these on a regular basis and would love to know your thoughts on this?

Although it's only been a few weeks both my husband and I seem to think the lipomas are getting smaller (although any change is so small at present it's difficult to tell for sure). Certainly the larger of the lipomas is a lot less firm compared to how it was a few months back.

The only other supplement we are still considering adding at the moment are some pro and pre-biotics. I've noticed that Chester's stomach still 'gurgles' occasionally a couple of hours after eating his raw and I'm hoping it might help with this.

I would also love to add in some wild blueberries but the only way Chester will eat them is with his raw food and again, this seems to make his tummy gurgle. Do I add them anyway for the benefit? I just don't want to create any unnecessary digestive discomfort.


We will keep you posted on how we get on with the lipomas but if anyone has any additional suggestions/advice then we are very open to listening. As we're quickly learning, lipomas are very tricky to deal with.

Much appreciation if you've taken the time to read this lengthy post.

Paula and Andrew Lawson