Me with my nice vet, Dr Seung Ho...
Do you remember a few months ago, I was looking for a new vet here in Brisbane and couldn’t find a nice one we could trust? I had to try so many before I found my nice vet at last! 
Dr Dr Seung Ho at the Central New Farm Veterinary Clinic.
But before I found him, my human, Hsin-Yi, took me to try Another Vet who was quite nice and gave me lots of treats and pats before checking me over…
…BUT the only thing my human didn’t like was that this Other Vet kept scaring her by telling her what a “senior” doggie I am now and making her feel guilty for not feeding me lots of special medicines called “Supplements”.
He even said I should go back to him and have injections in my bones every week – for 6 weeks! 
- because he said this will stop me getting the arthritis sickie.
Well, Hsin-Yi didn’t like the idea of injecting lots of chemicals and medicines into my body and she also thought maybe it was a trick to get more money paper – so she didn’t just do what he said. Instead, she came home and asked Paul to do some research.
You know Paul is a Human Vet so he can go into a special library on the Internet and look up all the experiments that people have done on medicines to see if they work. Well, he found that it was all rubbish! It is true that AFTER you get the arthritis sickie, then Supplements will help you feel better, move more easily and with less ouchies – so it IS good to have the Supplements AFTER you have been diagnosed with arthritis….
…but there is NO PROOF that they can protect you BEFORE you get arthritis. The Scientist Humans did lots of tests and followed people who had taken the Supplements and those who had only taken a sweetie called a “placebo” and they found that the supplements hardly made any difference.
(here is more information about the experiments, if you’re interested: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0813/is_8_36/ai_n39242487/)
So Supplements won’t stop doggies or kitties or humans from getting arthritis. (Hsin-Yi says they have “no prophylactic effect”) – they don’t prevent or slow down the arthritis sickie, no matter what the shiny papers or bottles say. Paul says it is just a way to make more money paper because many people are very scared of getting old and getting the arthritis sickie and so they will eat anything that promises to protect them – and they don’t realise that the promises are fake ones.
Well, of course my humans would be happy to give me any medicines which would help me, no matter how much money paper it would cost, but they don’t like doing something that comes from a fake promise! (Hsin-Yi says it’s important to always ask questions and look for more information yourself, rather than just believing everything it says on a shiny, pretty paper.)
Anyway, at the moment, I am not showing any signs of arthritis at all. My nice vet, Dr Seung Ho, gave me a really big check-up, pinching and prodding me (and even sticking sharp things into me to test my reaction!) - and he said I was really agile and flexible for my age. He thought this might be because I’m such an active doggie all my life, doing lots of different things, and that practising my dance moves actually helps to keep me flexible!
(in fact, if any of you missed my last post, do go and watch the video of highlights from my RallyO & Tricks class - you can see just how bouncy and twisty I can be and how fast I can run! 
)
My humans were not surprised because I never show any problems getting up or lying down or climbing stairs or jumping over things and never walk stiffly or whatever – and I can bounce out of bed really quickly (and as anyone knows, it’s not easy to bounce out of a beanbag! 
)
So my humans have decided not to give me any Supplements or injections until I really have the arthritis sickie.
But some people say you should still give Supplements even if there is no proof that they have any powers because it’s just “covering all your bases” – you know, “just in case”. But Hsin-Yi still didn’t like the idea of giving me medicines which are made in a factory – it would still be a kind of chemical that my liver and kidneys would have to clean out of my body…
…then Hsin-Yi had a great idea! First of all, she had read before that doggies on Raw Diets seem to have less arthritis problems because they eat a lot of joints and cartilage naturally in their diet.
...
See, everytime I eat my chicken wings or chicken necks, am eating lots of joints and cartilage, which have the important ‘glucosamine‘ and ‘chondroitin‘ that can help arthritis sickies.
Well, then Hsin-Yi read that chicken feet are a really good natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin!
In fact, the Chinese people have used it for thousands of years in Chinese Medicine – they make soups and jellies from chicken feet for their old people to drink.
So Hsin-Yi thought: here was a great way to give me a “supplement” – to “cover all bases” – but still do it in a natural way!
This way, if it DID have some special protective powers, I was getting it – and if it DIDN’T have any special powers, it wouldn’t be hurting me either ‘coz it’s all natural anyway.
And best of all – it’s YUMMY!!
Yeah, I know they look a bit weird and creepy but they are actually really CRRRRRUNCHY and delicious! I loved them immediately and gobbled them all up!
They’re like natural doggie chips – hee! hee!
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Look – watch me eating them and see how crunchy they are?
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So now I get chicken feet three times a week – with my two lamb meals and my offal meal. Sometimes I also get it on my ’fish’ day, with my mackerel (which has lots of good oils). On the other days, I get chicken wings anyway so I’m already getting joints & cartilage.
My humans get the chicken feet from an Asian butcher in Chinatown (they are very cheap! Just $3 for 1 kg) The usual ‘Western’ butchers don’t sell them but Asian butchers always do because Chinese people love chicken feet and eat lots of them in their cooking. They call them “Phoenix Claws”. (Hsin-Yi says if any of your humans go out to eat “dim sum” – also called “yum cha” - then you will often see them steamed in those little round bamboo pots. Hsin-Yi doesn’t like them herself but her mummy loves them!).
When she came back from the Chinese butcher the first time, Hsin-Yi also brought me back a special yummy. She said it was a fresh pig’s ear!
Well, I had never seen a fresh pig’s ear before…
…I’d only tried the roasted dry ones from supermarkets before…this one looked so strange and pink and soft and flappy…I was a bit scared of it!
But then Hsin-Yi held it for me (like she holds my Scary Bowl Monster sometimes) and I felt much braver and decided I could try it after all…and it was quite yummy actually!
Honey you look like you really like those chicken feet. I have had them once and they were like eating jelly with a bone it it, GROSS
Your parents are smart cookies and will do anything to make sure you are healthy and happy, very clever of your mom to think of chicken feet!
The only supplement that I’m taking now is salmon oil in capsule. The Missus read it somewhere and her vet in Singapore also suggested feeding Salmon Oil for my skin and coat. She didn’t buy the salmon capsule in any pet shop, instead she got them from human pharmacy.
As for the chicken feet…pardon my ignorance, is it not necessary to remove the toe nails before you eat them? I know you are going to hate me for saying this -- the chicken feet reminds Missus of a tiny kids hand!
Having live in China, Korea and Singapore, chicken feet is consider to be a Chinese delicacy. Nope, the Missus has not try it and she never will. It’s a too exotic for her. That applies the same for durians, she hates them, she hates the pungent smell…URGH….and she thinks it’s like eating an ice-cream in the toilet. That’s her 2 cents worth.
Anyway, we are glad you are do fine! Your vet looks quite cute. Awwww…
Love,
Homer
lots of exercise. thats the way you stay healthy. just like people. mommy takes chicken feet, cleans them real good, paints their toenails red, glues on some feathers, and ties a string to the tendon so when you pull it the toes curl up. she gives them to the kids who come knocking on halloween night looking for treats. they think she is nuts but all the kids love their chicken feet treats. the parents -- not so much. maybe she will let me eat one of those chicken feet this year. wanna see some really cute dane puppies? these were my neighbor danes when we lived in delaware.i wish mommy would let me get one of these puppies for my birthday (I’m 3!!!)but she doesnt want to clean up any more poop. http://www.kelsosgr8danes.com/litterbox.htm
Wow! You are Very Brave! Those chicken feet look a little scary to me! I’m glad your humans do the appropriate research. My mom is a doctor (but not that kind of doctor -- she’s one of those ‘book doctors’) but she is big on the research thing, and totally agrees with checking up on any new suggestions. I’m glad that your parents are taking such good care of you!
*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Mutant Puppy
Honey,
Hsin-Yi is so smart giving you chicken feets instead of those supplements or injections! Your humans take good care of you! I’ve never tryed that, though. Glad you like it.
Thor xx
oh man, i wish i fed raw like you. it’s gonna be harder in CH cuz we don’t have a big freezer. we may have to buy one and put it in the basement. i’d love to do chicken necks and feet…
Mom is slakhking on the giving me some yummy stuffs like that!
We have some turkey drumstikhks in the freezer -- I am going to demand she get one out fur me -
Did woo evFUR have a pig snooter? Mom sees them at the store -- maybe she’ll have to get me one of those yummy ears now!
Hugz&Khysse,
Khyra
Hsin-Yi is very smart to insist on all that research before deciding on those supplements. I’m glad she found something all natural that you enjoy so much and will likely produce the same effects.
My father told me once that when he was a child, he used to go over to a relative’s home for dinner every Sunday. I think it was an aunt but it could’ve been a grandmother. Anyways, he said that every week they’d have gravy with chicken feet floating around in it. I asked him if he ever tried the chicken feet and he said no, no one ate them.
Thanks for that raw feeding tip, Honey. My mum is going to look into adding the chicken feet to my diet, if she can butter-up the nice man at our chicken shop. She’s not going to get the fresh pig’s ears though. She said touching that would creep her out.
Kisses, Sparta XX
Hi Honey,
Goodness, those chicken’s feet DO sound crunchy, we’d LOVE to munch on some. We’re gonna ask FH to look out for them, what a great idea your human has.
Our FH gets so fed up with these big industries trying to guilt people into parting with their money, she says it’s a form of fraud. You should hear her when some female beauty product is being advertised with some ridiculous claim like ‘inspired by the science of genes….’ or some such meaningless waffle, written to sound scientific yet totally empty of any fact.
Anyhoo, you sure a poster pin-up for a raw food diet!
Oh, and we loved your previous post, you are so flexible, you’re constantly inspiring us. We can’t wait to see you carrying Hsin-Yi’s handbag for her, SO cool!
Finally, thanks for wanting to take part in our auction to help Shelby. If you have a look at the auction site there is a Q&A section which you might find helpful. We’ve had a very positive response about it all, we hope it’s going to be sucessful.
Schnauzer snuggles -- JD and Max.
I’m with you on the ridiculous claims of various supplements and medicines, it’s hard to know what to do sometimes. Thanks for having Paul do this research because I was looking into supplements for Brina recently. My prior dog suffered from painful arthritis and allergies in his later years and I want to do everything I can to minimize the risk for Brina.
I started the raw diet several years ago after an ethnic market opened up right near my house. The grocery stores here in the US don’t carry much in the way of good food for raw feeding but this market is awesome. Chicken necks and backs, beef heart and kidneys, all very affordable. I kept looking at the chicken feet when I was there but was never sure if I should give them or not. I’m getting some today!
Thanks for the great information.
Honey -- why wasn’ there a disclaimer on this post warning about the graphic photos of gross raw meat -- especially those chicken feet and that pig’s ear?!!! LOL! I didn’t mind and think all your foods look yummy but mom is the one having a problem! She made a note never to go to a Chinese butcher --
Hi, Honey!
Sure is important to investigate before giving us supplements. Our humans would do everything for us but it is true that not all that is offered is good in fact.
I loved your “crucnchy” video! Those feets look yummy. Here where I live you can find them at every supermarket!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza
Thanks Dr. Seung Ho for taking such a good care of my dear friend Honey.
Please read my message in your previous post ” all about my humans” Honey!
I love “chicken shoes”, that the fancy name for chicken feet in Dim Sum menu. My mom is scared of giving us bones but after reading this post, she decides to give it a try, may be she should chops it real fine then feeds us.
Cheers!
Honey! Those crunchy chicken feet make my mouth water. My owner says she is going to try and find me some. It is great that you found a good vet!
I believe in doing research. But I thought the research with horses showed improvement with their joints with glucosimine and chrondrin. I know that its hasnt helps in humans but it did help horses. Diana
Good on you for researching it, those vets are god at their money making schemes unfortunately! We have just found a Natural Pet Treat company here in Auckland that has all natural treats and foods, and one of the things they have is dried venison ears (just like pigs ears, but smaller and whiter) -- which have lots of natural chondroitin in them too. Snoopy and Arrow get a venison ear every couple of days and they love them. With Arrow having been a racing dog, we feel it is important to make sure his joints stay extra healthy
Honey, you are just so lucky to have such smart and caring humans to look after you.
Those chicken feet sure do sound crunchy -- wish we could try them too.
Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara
oh yum yum honey, chicken feet sound devine.. my mumsie is heading off to the shops shortly so ill get her to get me some.
we are about the same age and i think were doing wonderfully for our age, mummy dosent like giving me chemical stuffz either, but she does give me green lipped muscle capsules from the health food store that help with joint mobility.
mummy says to thank your mummy for the congrats on the human baby shes having too, i cant wait to give it big dane kisses
I would take exception to being called a “senior doggie!”
I take the glucosamine and chondritin supplements. Of course, I’m older than you. I also take fish oil capsules, because the vet told my humans this would stop me from getting lumps of liquid under my skin. Since both of these arrive in peanut butter sandwiches, almost always on home made bread, they’re a great thing for a mastiff!
Drools,
Thor
Crunch, crunch, crunch… that was hysterical listening to you eat the chicken feet!
Fascinating that they are a source glucosamine/chondrontin. I’m not sure where I would buy them around here, but thank you for sharing the information.
Those feet are just creepy! I’d try them, but my mum said she couldn’t even look at those photos (she loves animals so much that anything that still looks like an animal shouldn’t be classed as food).
For now I’m not on any shop sold supplements, but I do get extras to my kibble, like cooked eggs (for my coat) and certain vegetables (as she read an article about vegetables and cancer prevention in dogs and it made sense to her as vegetables are also recommended for human cancer prevention). Mum does know vegetables are totally the opposite of your all meat diet, and that dogs in the wild didn’t eat things like broccoli, but the cooked and raw vegetables also bulk out my meal so (without lots of extra calories) so I’m not so hungry as us golden retrievers would eat all day if we could!
Woofs,
Riley
Oh no, Riley -- I think you got it wrong -- am not on an “all meat diet” at all!
Am on a Raw Diet which means most of what I eat is fresh (or fresh-frozen) or natural and not manufactured and processed in a factory -- that’s all. And it is not grain-based -- which means I eat primarily raw meaty bones, with a bit of grain added (eg, cooked rice or oats) as opposed to kibble which is mainly grain (eg. corn, soy, wheat) with a bit of meat meal added. I do have vegetables with my meals sometimes -- just any leftovers from my humans -- so I do have things like broccoli and carrots & cabbage, etc. And I do get “supplements” in the form of an oily fish meal once a week or fresh raw eggs or honey or apple cider vinegar…it’s just that my supplements don’t come from a store in the form of pills -- they come in their natural form.
Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane
Hi Honey,
My a-paw-logies for getting it wrong and confusing you with other dogs I’ve heard of that just have meat. Thanks for educating me on what you eat.
Woofs,
Riley
Hello Honey! We always wanted to come by your blog… finally our mom helped us to do so tonight! We were scrolling up and down and we just got caught up everything that we’ve missed.
Ahh.. we admire your pup photos.
Honey, you look like you’re Dr Ho’s assistant on the first photo. We’re glad you and your humans found a pawfect vet in a new place.
Thanks so much for stopping by our blog. We were very upset when we learnt that someone spit your lovely human. This is NOT acceptable. Tonight we enjoyed learning about your two great humans around you. (Our dad is familiar with Oxford area.) That human who did terrible thing to Hsin-Yi is a sad pawson who is also called an ignorant. HA!
Your friends,
Momo & Pinot
Honey, you should have held out for just a bit and made her try a bite first.
We are experimenting with some raw feeding as well. It’s certainly different!
ohh..those “glucosamine” and “chondroitin” look yummy! I have to tell my mom about it. She loves giving anything that is good for me. Mom said she likes chicken feets at Dim Sum..but the raw ones scare her.
I love it when you do the food post cuz I always find something new and yummier in my dinner bowl a few days later…hee hee..
wags,
Preston
Ive tried to give Darwin chicken necks and she won’t eat them… Im tempted to try wings, but its such a waste if she doesnt eat them!
Wow YUM! (Sorry, that was my human. She used to eat chicken feet in soup when she was little and living in Romania. She thinks they’re delicious but now she’s a vegetarian so she doesn’t eat them. She didn’t even know you can buy chicken feet in Australia!)
I think I would be a bit worried about eating that pig’s ear too. It looks huge! It would probably take me a month to chew it all.
Love, Oscar and the gang
Wow- I had no idea they would be that crunchy sounding! I expected them the be all soft and bendy! They are pretty icky looking though! I think I have seen them in grocery stores where I live maybe because of the haitian and or cuban population… Not sure but of all the hard for me to find raw diet ingredients this might not be a problem!
Glad you enjoyed them and the ear. I just keep picturing the look on Moose’s face if I were to give him whole animal parts… that would be a happy boy!