Chopper's Home cooked diet & meal plan

Foods that are used:
Meats: Chicken breast. Grass fed ground beef. Ground turkey. Beef Heart. Wild Salmon -- 60%+ (about 13-15 pounds)
Fruit / Vegetables: Spinach, Arugula, Broccoli, Kale, Dandelion, Parsley, Green beans -- 20% (about 11 pounds total of Veggies & Roots)
Carbs / Other: Beet roots and leaves, Turnips, Carrots -- 20%

(Portions are approximate) 4 lb. of skinless chicken breast all chopped up into small pieces (and/or ground turkey) 3 lb. of grass-fed ground beef. 5+ lbs of beef heart (cut off as much excess fat as possible) 1 -2 lbs Wild Alaskan Salmon (cooked separately)
5.5 lbs. total of root vegetables which consists of: Beetroots Turnips 2-3 Carrots (not in photo) Radish (optional) Chopped up in a food processor first. (Favoring the beet roots)
5,5 lbs. of greens and leafy vegetables which consists of: Green beans Dandelion Parsley Kale Broccoli Spinach Arugula Beet Root Leaves
In one 8 qt. crock pot, I add the mix of 13-15 lbs of meats (NO water added) In the other 8 qt. crock pot, I place the chopped root vegetables in first, then add the "greens" on top of the root veggies. I then add BOTTLED water to the vegetables, about 1/2 gallon. I pour the water across the top of the veggies until the water starts to reach the top. (after I have "poked holes" through the mixture for the water to seep into) Cook on high for approximately 4 hours. (6-8 hours on low) In the 3rd Crockpot, I cook Fresh water Alaskan Salmon on High for approx 1 1/2 hours or until done / flakey
After the meats are fully cooked, I "mix" the meats using a "whip" as a "MASHER", mashing the meats really good! Then pour meat into a strainer, getting rid of all the juice and fats. As for all the juice in the vegetables, I pour the veggies into a strainer as well, BUT, catch the water in a large bowl below. I save the water from the veggies, (freezing some), and add that water / juice to each of Chopper's meals, to help keep him hydrated, and for all the vitamins that water holds.
After the food has cooked, let cool and then I add some calcium supplement to the meats" (1 Tbl spoon per pound of meat) Then I mix the meats with the cooked Veggies (In a large 27 qt. "container" Then add he cooked Salmon
After everything is mixed together, I place the food into numerous containers, 2 goes into the refrigerator, the others go in the freezer, same with the veggie juice
When preparing each meal, I add supplements when needed (not all supplements are used at each meal) SOMETIMES I may add a little extra heart on the top of Chopper's food. After a meal, on occasion, I give Chopper 1/4 of a hard boiled egg

As for the treats I give Chopper. The ONLY treats he is given if fresh cooked liver.

After the liver is cooked, I cut it up into small bite-size pieces, place some in the refrigerator, some in the freezer.

The ONLY water Chopper is given is bottled water!!!

Chopper the Biker Dog received a message from his Internal Medicine Veterinarian with his "Cushing's / ACTH" test results on 8/14/2019..... She is "STUMPED", saying, "I do not have a good explanation for this change." Chopper’s ACTH test is normal", and this is WITHOUT being on ANY medication for 4 months!

As you all know, from all my posts and my previous post on social media, Chopper is fighting for his life, battling non-regenerative anemia. His body is KILLING his red blood cells in his bone marrow.

BUT, back in the beginning of March, you may remember, Chopper developed the bad skin lesion on the back of his neck, diagnosed as "Calcinosus Cutis", which led to Chopper being diagnosed with Cushing's disease.

TIME LINE:

March 20 - Chopper tested positive for Cushing’s
March 26 - Chopper started on Vetoryl to treat his Cushing’s (30mg/day)
April 21 - STARTED TO “SLOWLY” SWITCH CHOPPER OVER TO HOME COOKED MEALS, TAKING HIM OFF KIBBLE
April 23 - Chopper has his Vetoryl INCREASED to 40 mg/day (20mg twice a day)
May 8 - Chopper has his ACTH test for his Cushing's was SUPER LOW!! (1.1) This is when he was collapsing. Almost lost him
May 8 - CHOPPER EATING 100% HOME COOKED MEALS (Kibble completely OUT of diet)
May 10 - Chopper taken OFF Vetoryl for 2 weeks
May 22 - Chopper started back on a lower dosage of Vetoryl (10mg / 2x a day)
May 28 - CHOPPER DIAGNOSED WITH NON-REGENERATIVE ANEMIA :(***Taken off ALL Cushing medication!!***

**** Chopper has NOT and could NOT be treated for his Cushing's any longer after his diagnosis of his Anemia. ****
Chopper has NOT been on Vetoryl since the beginning of June and his Calcinosus Cutis has cleared up 100%.

August 13 - I had our Vet test Chopper's ACTH (Cushing’s) to see how HIGH his levels have gotten......... I was curious
Her response from the test results, "So interestingly, Chopper’s "ACTH stimulation test is normal". "I do not have a good explanation for this change"
"Again, I can’t explain the improvement in the stim and also the improvement (complete resolution) in his calcinosis cutis!"

So, with this being said, the ONLY change that Chopper made was taking him OFF kibble dog food and feeding him home cooked meals!!!!! I believe, home cooked meals can "help" save your dog’s life, or at least give your dog a much better "Quality of Life"!!!!

Chopper is NOT out of the woods by far, and I pray that his Cushing's stays away and not reappear..... Now to get his body to stop killing his red blood cells.

Our Vet DID state though, "There can be fluctuations in cortisol levels, so it doesn’t mean that he does not have Cushing’s (about 25% of dogs with pituitary dependent Cushing’s will have a normal ACTH Stim."