Riley at age six, recovering from lipoma-removal surgery

Because of our concern over the lipomas that have plagued our little toy Poodle for years, we thought we would try changing his diet, and we did, rather dramatically. He was eating a presumably well-balanced and top-rated diet as it was, meant for little dogs in their elder years, and with glucosamine added to aid with joint problems. We'd had him on it for quite a few years. We were aware that the veterinarian who tends to little Riley advised us before we had that first surgery to remove a large lipoma under his left hip, that it isn't known why lipomas occur, but he was quite definite; it had nothing to do with diet.

That lipoma, surgically removed at quite a cost, would not return, the specializing surgeon informed us reassuringly, post-surgery. But it did, and more followed, and it seemed there was little we could do about it. We did note that some of them, after assuming prominent large size, seemed to become reabsorbed and only loose skin remained to show they'd once been there, remained. That surprised our veterinarian. And we were hoping that eventually they might all disappear, but that hasn't occurred.

The lipomas haven't up to now interfered with his locomotion or seemed to bother him. I've taken to spreading coconut oil over them lately. On one of them, the one that returned to his left hip, he has now lost all his hair where it swells, so we're trying to take additional care that when exposed to the sun, which he loves, that area is covered. Not that we don't think the sun has healing properties, but it wouldn't do to have him sunburned, either.

Yesterday morning I proceeded to put together his food for the next three weeks or more; that's how long a cooked batch of the recipe our daughter developed lasts. When it's done I just pack it into small freezer boxes with tight little lids, and extract one from the freezer each time I've finished with its predecessor, which lasts about five to six servings. The ingredients are wholesome, beginning with a small box of frozen spinach, a sweet potato, several cups of frozen broccoli, a cup of lentils, four cloves of chopped garlic. When the vegetables, to which I also added a cup of chopped cauliflower and a few small Bok Choy chopped, were well cooked, I mashed them roughly and added a package of fresh lean ground chicken, and returned the large pot to a low heat until everything was cooked through. At which point olive oil was added, about a quarter-cup, and a cup of ground flax seed, and a teaspoon of turmeric.

He is also given additional chicken to top that off, chicken thigh and leg cooked in a weekly chicken soup which we eat ourselves and leave over enough to give him as well a small bowl of with his twice-daily meals, because he doesn't tend to drink water other than on rare occasions. And he also gets an additional treat; a tiny bowl of cottage cheese, sometimes topped with plain yogurt. He hasn't gained weight on this diet he has been on for several months now, which is good, because he is not overweight, but thus far there have been no notable alterations in the lipomas.