Bridger’s Miracle Rescue Story: How Fresh Food & Love Transformed His Life

[00:20 - 01:09:]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: Hey, welcome. I'm Dr. Ruth Roberts. Welcome to this episode of Healing Tails, where I am thrilled to introduce to you Sandy Reynolds, one of our certified holistic pet health coaches. And this has been such an interesting journey for her coming into the holistic pet world because you left a really stressful career and found your new calling in helping pets thrive through fresh food and holistic care. And now you've gone through this transition to bringing a new rescue into your home, Bridger. And watching him transition from starving, bony, skinny, skin all beat up, terrible, awful looking, to thriving, beautiful, handsome, and dapper. So welcome. So glad you're here with us today. 

[01:10 - 01:11:] 

Sandy Reynolds: Thank you for having me, Dr. Ruth. 

[01:12 - 01:28]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: It is really a pleasure. So you recently adopted Bridger. Let's talk about him a little bit. He was really just a mess when you found him and really heartbreaking. So talk about what things were going on, how he was looking, and what was going on.

[01:29 - 02:11]

Sandy Reynolds: Yeah. I try not to troll too many rescue sites or I have a tendency to want to bring a lot of animals home and help them. But this little guy just called out to my heart. The picture that they shared with him initially didn't even look like him. I drove to go and see him and take my other dog to meet him. And when I got there, he was just literally a bag of bones. I mean he had been on the street. They found him feral. He had, well, I shouldn't say feral, but they don't know how long he was on his own. He did not have a microchip or a collar and he appears to be a purebred boxer. So a very sweet, good temperament demeanor.

[02:13 - 02:35]

Sandy Reynolds: And he got along really well with my other boxer. So we went ahead and adopted him. Now, because I live in a county next to them, they wouldn't let me bring him home until he was neutered. So I had to wait five more days before I could bring him home. And I weighed him on the way home. He weighed 48 pounds as a full grown two-year-old boxer.

02:36 - 02:56]

Sandy Reynolds: And I mean, just seeing in the sides of his ribs and around his tail was just sunk. He was so skinny. I felt the pain just trying to pet him because everywhere you touched was just skin and bones. And I had never rescued anything that emaciated before.

[02:57 - 03:48]

Sandy Reynolds: And obviously, when he came into the house, I had just cooked his crock-pet meal that day, so it would be fresh. And it smelled so good. He was sniffing everywhere, all over the house. And he obviously knew from the beginning, right? This is where the good stuff is at. So from there, just starting slow with his diet and transitioning him and trying to get him to gain weight. But you have to be so cautious not to go too fast. You need to watch the stool, make sure you don't have a lot of bad GI stuff that starts because if you do too much at once, it was definitely a trial type situation. But I'm thankful he's very healthy, or at least appears to be, the vet says he is. And we didn't have any issues like that. But I don't know what he ate before.

[03:48 - 04:04]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: He's living high on the hog now. But I think that's a really important part. Because obviously, in the rescue group, they're going to be feeding him some sort of kibble. So how long did it take you to transition him from kibble to fully cooked, full fresh food?

[04:05 -04:37]

Sandy Reynolds: Well, don't do it like I did. But I fed him straight the good stuff from the minute we got home. I don't want to make it and I didn't go buy any. And I don't tell my clients to do that really. But he was so hungry. And it killed me for those five days to know that he was just in there getting the cup of kibble, whatever was donated or that was purchased for them. And I just thought, "I'm going to go for it." We didn't have any diarrhea. So my other boxer has a cast iron stomach. And I think that he does too.

[04:38 -05:01]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: Sounds like you got the good guys. So for most people, what would you suggest that they do? If they're bringing in a new dog from a rescue, they've been eating really, maybe low quality kibble or God only knows what. I had a friend who adopted a dog who had only ever eaten scattered, smothered and covered hash brown potatoes from Wash Waffle House.

[05:01 - 05:02]

Sandy Reynolds: Oh my goodness.

[05:05 - 05:46]

Sandy Reynolds: No. When you typically start out, you want to do 75% kibble or whatever that food is. And then just gently and slowly start adding 25% of either your top or CrockPet diet or whatever you're going to do on top of that. You need to make sure that they're not going to have upset GI issues or vomiting, diarrhea, that kind of stuff. So it is definitely recommended to go a little bit slower. I obviously did not do that. But in my head, I was thinking, "What kibble would I buy?" And there's none that I really want to buy. So I didn't.

[05:47 - 05:48]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: Sweet.

[05:49 - 06:04]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: So, I mean, aside from Bridger and your other pup, you were such a strong advocate for the power of nutrition in terms of transforming health. Why do you think diet is such a critical piece of the puzzle, especially for these rescue guys like Bridger?

[06:05 - 06:16]

Sandy Reynolds: Well, in his case, he was so deficient in everything, really. His coat felt terrible. I mean, to touch him, it was just like a scratchy, awful brush.

[06:17 - 06:57]

Sandy Reynolds: He had goop coming out of his eyes. He didn't really seem to be too awfully itchy or anything other places. But he needed a bath and he needed some good nutrients. Obviously, eating kibble when he was in the shelter and being dehydrated from having such a dry food and not enough moisture, that's one thing we really need to watch out for. But not knowing... I mean, he was probably eating garbage off of the street. He loves plastic grocery bags. That is one of the things with him I have to make sure is always put in the recycling immediately because he'll pack it around in his mouth and suck and chew on it. And I'm petrified that he's going to eat it.

[06:58 - 07:11]

Sandy Reynolds: So just making sure that you get them on a balanced diet to nourish and feed their whole body. They need mental stimulation. They need the food and nutrients to do that.

[07:12 - 07:20]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: Right on. And I think that's so critical. If they've been depleted of nutrients for so long, it's going to take quite a while for them to regain that.

[07:22 - 07:35]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: But really, Bridger transformed very quickly for you. So from the time you got him, I mean, you showed me some pictures of how he's looking now. He is looking buff and handsome. How long did that transition take?

[07:36 - 07:56]

Sandy Reynolds: You know, it initially took about the first three weeks before we saw the ribs filling in and that kind of thing. He was so gaunt underneath that he was just hollow. So that kind of started to fill in first. But once we hit that three-week mark, it went really rather quickly.

[07:57 - 08:45]

Sandy Reynolds:
He has gained... He weighs 64 pounds right now. And we've just slowly done that with The Crockpet Diet, Holistic Total Body Support. He takes Omega Pawz and I work in his probiotics. So it hasn't been a lot that I've done. I started out real slow and I'm getting ready to just start his mushroom supplement for his immune system. But I'm just keeping it simple. And at the moment, I really don't think he needs to gain any more weight. It's been three and a half months. So really, I feel like that transition happens so fast. When I look back on it, while I was going through it, I felt like it was taking forever because obviously, I walk the dogs twice a day. I have people going by all the time.

[08:46 - 08:53]

Sandy Reynolds: And I was petrified. Somebody was going to turn me in for abusing my poor dog because he looked so rough. You know.

[08:54 - 09:16]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: And that's it. But it sounds like aside from the nutrition supplements, that kind of stuff to support him, you just started walking him into a normal lifestyle. And I think that helps tremendously too. So did he feel kind of unsecure about where he was to start with or was he just like, "Whoa, I have hit the jackpot."

[09:16 - 09:55]

Sandy Reynolds: You know what? I think he knew he hit the jackpot. Four girls brought him out to my truck when I was bringing him home from the rescue. They all wanted to say goodbye to him. He didn't even care about saying goodbye. He literally hopped in the truck and laid down a little bed on the floor. And that's where he was. When I brought him home, we came in. Obviously, I told you he smelled the food. So I fed him immediately because they had neutered him that day and told me not to feed him until the next day. You cannot look at a starving dog and tell them they cannot eat when they smell that and they've gone already all day. So I fed him just a little bit to make sure his stomach was okay.

[09:56: - 10:58]

Sandy Reynolds: He inhaled. That took a few seconds. And then I just went and sat on the couch and I wanted to see what he did. Is he going to explore the house? Is he going to feel comfortable to lay down somewhere? I have dog beds out. The couch is already covered in blankets from my other dog. So wherever he wants to go. So I sat down and I don't even think I was fully in the seated position yet. He was on my lap and he was laying on my chest, full body weight. And he was there for about an hour and a half. And that we didn't move. We just sat there. My husband came in from work and he took a picture. I didn't even see it for about three or four days. And he had the biggest smile on his face. So right there that just told me he was cool with us and that's where he was going to be. But I even mentioned walking him a couple of times a day with our other dog. That's just our routine. It took probably five weeks before he even walked in a normal case. We just went real slow. He wasn't in a hurry. I don't think he had the energy. He was tired and depleted.

[10:59 - 11:20]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: And that's so important to recognize too, because many times when folks will adopt, they don't give the dog or the cat enough time to acclimate to where they are and sort of regain energy, regain stability. And that's so critical that you gave him the space and let him tell you what he could and couldn't do. I think that's a critical step.

[11:21 - 12:33]

Sandy Reynolds: I don't know if a lot of people have heard of this, but there are rules for adopting a pet. Give them three days to really decompress because you're excited to have them at your home. You can't wait to love on them. But if you think about everything this pet may have been through, you don't have any idea sometimes. So they're walking into a strange place. It does not smell familiar. It doesn't feel familiar. They don't know what your routine is. So it's a really good idea to give them those three days to just kinda figure out where the heck they are and what's going on. And it will take roughly three weeks for them to adapt to these new environments, get used to that routine. And then overall, it's going to take at least three months for them to really bond and build trust with you. Some dogs or cats may go quicker or take longer. But just if people keep that in mind and be cognizant of the fact that for them, they may have just been through a lot of traumatic things, especially even if they had to go to a shelter or a pound and they were in a situation that it's noisy and it smells different and they don't know what is going to happen when.

[12:34 - 12:59]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: And that's such a wise approach because we're so accustomed to moving fast. And for an animal that's come out of a situation that's unsettling or traumatic, they can't. So a reasonable thing to do is to kind of shut down and observe and decide, is this safe or is it not safe? Can I engage safely? So giving them the space to do that, I think, is critical.

[13:00 - 13:34]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: I don't even remember who the ad was for, but there was a great ad some years ago where a lady brings home a new dog and she's got all these toys for it and balls and this and that and the other. And she's trying to get the dog to play and the dog's like, ah, I don't know about that. And so finally she just stops and then eventually the dog picks the ball up and comes to her. But I think that's it is that we have to recognize that in situations, we don't even know what they were in many cases or we know what they were and they were very traumatic. So wise words for sure.

[13:34 - 13:48]

Sandy Reynolds: Yeah, because it's people. How do we adapt? I mean, if something traumatic happens to us, we're not just going to snap out of it either. And I think you're trying to bring them into your world and you're not considering that they might need a beat for that. You know.

[13:49 - 14:14]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: Right on, right on. Maybe they've adopted a new dog or a cat or they're due to holistic health and nutrition. They want to make a different next pet to be healthy, to not go through the pain and suffering that previous pets did. So what are some really simple first steps that a pet parent can take to improve their pet's diet and their overall well-being?

[14:15 - 15:26]

Sandy Reynolds: Yeah. So obviously, as I said before, don't do as I did, transition slowly. You can even do something as easy as doing some steamed veggies on top of their food and just seeing how they react to that and giving them the opportunity to eat it and try it. You don't have to go full gangbusters and go raw or gently cooked right off the get-go. But I think that once pet parents that I work with see how much their pets really do enjoy good, healthy whole foods, that they speed up that transition and they're all in. Because seeing the enjoyment from the pet is one thing. But when you start to see their energy level change, their coat changes, and for some dogs, eating a better quality food helps their temperament, maybe calms them down a little bit. Obviously, as holistic pet health coaches, that's what we specialize in. We know which foods are warming, cooling, neutrals, different things like that. And that's how we build a diet. Not everybody knows that, but just starting with the basics can make a huge difference.

[15:26 - 15:38]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: I think that's really critical. So how is it that you can start to empower a pet parent to take control of their pet's well-being?

[15:39 - 16:08]

Sandy Reynolds: Well, for me, that starts when I speak with a pet parent. A lot of times people come to me and they'll be a little bit afraid because their veterinarian has told them, "Oh, don't feed your dog food. Just keep giving him kibble or whatever." So they kind of already feel like they've been a little bit tamped down from that aspect. But explaining the benefits, not just short term, but long term for the health of that pet.

[16:10 - 16:32]

Sandy Reynolds: Because joint issues, health problems, or heart problems, so many different things can crop up that diet is so important for. Also, mental, giving them the right foods, the omegas, all of these things that will help build their longevity and create that better health.

[16:34 - 17:24]

Sandy Reynolds: If we just talk them through what they're going to see, what they can anticipate, and then when they start to see those things really happen, it's like the light bulb goes on. And they feel so much better and excited because they did it. Not because their vet told them to or not to, but because they took the chance and they have the empowerment and sense of that because they did it by themselves. And I love to see when that happens because that just spurs them onto, "What's next? What else can I do?" And that pet is benefiting so much from them having that positive experience. And then they tell other people. And so hopefully, through word of mouth, we can just keep passing along the power of helping with better nutrition.

[17:24 - 17:44]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: Right on. And I think that is super critical because whether it's the human medical system or veterinary medicine, both of those systems have taken away the power of the pet parent or the person to make medical choices and to understand what the options are thoroughly.

[17:45 - 18:07]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: So having that power come back, I think, is really been a big change for a lot of pet parents. They realize that, "Yeah, I really do know my dog best and I can make those better decisions for them." So that's part of what you're doing in your practice, which I think is just so critical.

[18:09 - 18:41]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: Now, it can feel super overwhelming when you're starting to, you know, you've got a new dog, you want to try something different, or you're a totally new pet parent when you start thinking about what to do with nutrition. So when it comes to that, then you're helping basically guide that pet parent into the better set of options. And do you find that there are times when you have to pivot and correct course, or how does that go for most folks?

[18:42 - 20:01]

Sandy Reynolds: Most of the time, especially if a pet is coming to me with some kind of sensitivities, itching, ear infections, a lot of the typical things that we see, we start out with dealing their Glacier Peak Test. Just because that can cut to the chase, we want to eliminate as many intolerances as possible from the beginning so that we can get that gut to healing. So sometimes we do start out a diet. The test may say one thing, but we may notice that itching occurs or diarrhea gets worse or something does happen. So you do have to be open to the idea that this isn't concrete. We may have to eliminate something, try it out, do a little bit of different work here, ultimately to get them to the right spot where we need them. Same thing with supplements. Sometimes as a coach, we can recommend something and we anticipate that it's going to do one thing or help in a certain way. But maybe that pet doesn't respond as well as we thought. Maybe we need to switch to a different brand or maybe we need to go with a different Omega 3 source. Those are all things that we need to just be open and cognizant and look at your pet because you're going to notice those changes before your coach or anybody else who's helping you is.

[00:20:03 - 00:20:12]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: Right on. I think that's critical is to believe what you're seeing and trust what you... the intuition that you're getting about things as well.

[20:13 - 20:23]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: I think it's frustrating too. Have you had the experience where a client comes to you and they've got their pet on literally 17 different supplements and then you're like, "Ah, what do I do with this?" 

[20:23 - 20:24]

Sandy Reynolds: Absolutely.

[20:25 - 21:14]

Sandy Reynolds: Well, because you know what? The internet is such a great source for people. They go on and they look at all these different things, read this stuff, they go on Facebook, they find something else. The problem is that they buy it all and they give it all to the pet and not necessarily maybe all on the same week or month, but they don't remove anything. They just keep adding things. I'm more of a less is more kind of person. I would prefer to start from scratch. Let's work with the diet. Let's get the gut settled down and go from there and then only add what we need as we see fit. And at the same time, as we were just talking about, you got to keep in mind something that maybe worked in the past might not work for a while or it might not be working the same. So always be open to the fact that we may have to change plans.

[21:16 - 21:26]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: I think that's really well said because everything changes and sometimes something that we've done for years and years, all of a sudden it's not helping the pet anymore.

[21:27 - 21:38]

Sandy Reynolds: That's kind of like, in the whole changing the mind about what you're feeding because a lot of people will get a kibble or a bag of food and that's what you just feed the dog for its whole life.

[21:39 - 22:31]

Sandy Reynolds: A lot of times people never change. We see all of these intolerances coming in, especially to protein. But if that pet has been fed salmon or pork or whatever that kibble was based with, how would you feel if you ate the same meal every single day for years and years in your life? Something's going to probably pop up. So being able to rotate and give them those fresh foods and changing it up so that they don't get those intolerances is such a huge benefit. And a lot of people don't even think of that a lot of the times. Because when people come to me and they're like, "Oh, they've been on this food for the last four years, but this dog has all these itching problems and a bunch of other stuff," they have probably more than likely built up intolerances to something that is in that bag of kibble.

[22:32 - 22:47]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: Well said.

So one of the other things that you talk about often is building a team for your pet's health. So what does that mean and how does that work and how does that benefit the pet and the pet parent?

[22:48 - 23:18]

Sandy Reynolds: Well, as humans, we don't just have one doctor usually. People can't be experts in every single one. So the same should go for your pet. One instance I like to talk about is when I had a hound dog that I noticed when she was coming down the stairs, something happened. And she lost a lot of mobility and movement in one of her back legs. That obviously made me think of, "Well, maybe something happened with her spine and in her back and I took her to the chiropractor."

[23:19 - 23:58]

Sandy Reynolds: That change was everything to her. By the time we were leaving, she was able to walk out, had full mobility, range of motion, and felt so much better. Now, every time I took her back, we didn't get to go to the waiting room. She literally pulled me right back to his office door. So they started booking us at the end of the day because they knew that when she came in, she wasn't waiting her turn. She was next. And it was quite comical. But just looking outside the box that your pets have issues sometimes like you do. Maybe they need acupressure or acupuncture or a different type of service. 

[23:58 - 24:28]

Sandy Reynolds: And being open to what might help your pet and what you can do for them makes a big difference. So in picking your team for your pet, it's always great to find the veterinarian of your choice so that you're an established patient because with these days, having such a shortage of veterinarians, you don't want to wait until an emergency situation. And then you call around and it may take a week or two to get in somewhere. Always go and have them checked out and become a patient of record.

[24:29 - 25:22]

Sandy Reynolds: And then if you anticipate or see things coming up, we don't all think that we may need a veterinarian that's an ophthalmologist or specializes in something like that. I recently went through that with one of my daughter's dogs and she ended up having to see the ophthalmologist. We were both panicking, searching around for who was recommended and who we thought we should go to. So now we have that on our books and I'm really happy that we found her. So just don't hesitate to put in your phone your veterinarian of record if there is an emergency hospital or somewhere that your veterinarian recommends or somewhere that you've been before. Have that on speed dial because in those emergency situations, it's not the time to be looking for where you would prefer to go and maybe not get the place that you would rather go.

[25:23 - 26:02]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: And I think that's really critical, right? Because we tend to not want to take any action until it really is an emergency situation. And then it's like, "Ah, what do I do?" And that's not fun because your anxiety level is already high enough if your baby is sick and they're not feeling well and then you're like, "Ah, and that doesn't help anybody." So I think that's a critical tool as well. Now, are there specific tools or resources that you recommend for pet parents who want to learn more about holistic care and nutrition for their new pets, their adopted pets, their existing pets?

[26:05 - 26:27]

Sandy Reynolds: Absolutely. There is the Facebook group with us coaches. You can go to your website (drruthroberts.com) and find a coach. There are so many of us out there now that are willing to help walk you through that process and introduce you to maybe a different diet or maybe nailing down the right supplement that your dog is lacking or needing.

[26:27 - 27:12]

Sandy Reynolds: The majority of what I see is really itchy dogs. And that all boils down to the gut and what you're feeding. So don't be afraid to step up and say, "Hey, I need some advice. How can you help me?" Because that's what we're here for. And we absolutely love it. Every single pet is something new and different. And it just brings me a lot of joy to hear and see pictures of the results because they can't talk to us. They can itch and scratch and tell us something's wrong, but they can't say, "My stomach hurts," or, "I need you to do this for me." It doesn't work that way. So working with someone in the holistic community who can help you decipher and figure that out, there's no better way.

[27:13 - 27:39]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: That is so true. And I think there are so many resources out there. So this has been just a ball and an incredibly inspiring conversation. We'll have to dig up some pictures of Bridger, some before and after photos and add those in. But before we wrap up, how can our listeners connect with you and learn more about Enlightened Mutt, your business, and the amazing work you're doing? 

[27:39 - 27:50]

Sandy Reynolds: Well, I'm online. enlightenedmutt.com. You can email me at sandy@enlightenmutt.com. And I will be happy to get right back to you and help you the best I can.

[27:51 - 28:03]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: That's super.

So last question for you. What's the one message you want to leave our listeners with about the transformational power of adoption and a good diet? 

[28:04 - 28:52]

Sandy Reynolds: I want people to come away with this not being afraid to maybe adopt or rescue a pet that has had some challenges health-wise or diet. Because the difference that it makes when you introduce that and you help bring health and vitality back to them, it brings tears to your eyes. And it's such an amazing experience because people can do that themselves too. I think that we don't think of it that way sometimes, but I have sometimes people who will say, "Oh my gosh, my dog just lost six pounds. Do you think if I ate better, I could do that too?" And it absolutely. If you give them the opportunity and the tools that they need, they will show it to you physically, emotionally, and mentally.

[28:54 - 29:00]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: Sandy, thank you so much for spending time with us today. I really appreciate it. The story about Bridger is amazing.

[29:01 - 29:18]

Dr. Ruth Roberts: And you were able to transform him into a happy, healthy dog using such simple tools. For those of you listening to Happy Tails the first time, come back. We'll have more episodes downloading soon. And until then, take good care and give all your pups a kiss. 

[29:19 - 29:36]

Outro

Dr Ruth Roberts:

Thanks for listening to Healing Tails where pet parents become healers, one tail wag at a time. Want more tools and support? Head to DrRuthRoberts.com. Until next time, trust your gut, question the noise, and keep showing up for your pet.