Teek's Story

This is a hard one to write.

My heart is heavy today as I tell you about Teek, a beautiful American Alsatian from Lois Schwarz’s line, who was taken far too soon.

He was only seven years old.

Still in the prime of his life.

Teek didn’t die from old age, or even from the disease that first brought him into the veterinary clinic.

He died from an overdose of a common medication.

Because his vet didn’t know the correct maximum dose for a dog his size.

Let that sink in.

He died due to human error.

So heartbreaking.

Here’s what happened…

Earlier this year, Teek was diagnosed with Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, an auto-immune condition where the body attacks its own platelets.

The first line of treatment is steroids to suppress the immune system.

Unfortunately, Teek’s vet prescribed him a staggering 120 mg of Prednisone a day!

That’s more than a grown man would ever be prescribed, yet Teek was only 145 lbs.

For an entire week, Teek received this dangerous overdose before the error was caught.

By then, his liver was already failing.

Even with specialized care at Texas A&M, it was too late.

His body could not recover.

His owner fought tooth and nail for him.

She researched, asked questions, and passed on vital information about his known genetic liver condition to every vet who touched his case.

But again and again, the system failed them.

And in the end, she had to make that gut-wrenching choice no dog owner ever wants to make.

Unfortunately, the story doesn’t quite end there.

This is not the first time this owner’s dogs were overdosed by veterinarians.

It happened with Teek’s brother Draco, too.

Pack, I tell you this not to instill fear, but to awaken your resolve.

Your dog has only one voice in this world:

Yours!

And you must be willing to use it.

Vets are fallible.

They are human.

And, of course, they make mistakes.

Most of them are overworked in a very emotionally stressful job.

Some are bound by corporate policies.

And some, let’s be blunt, are motivated by profit.

Blindly trusting your veterinarian is falling prey to the logical fallacy of “appeal to authority.”

Just because someone wears a white coat does not make that person infallible.

You have the right to ask questions.

You have the right to demand evidence.

And you absolutely have the right to walk out of a clinic with your dog at any moment if you feel pressured or unsure.

You do not have to:

• Buy overpriced “medicated” kibble.
  
  
• Vaccinate every year (science shows most vaccines last far longer).
  
  
• Dose your dog monthly with costly pharmaceuticals like Heartgard® because there is a much cheaper option. (And depending on where you live, you may not need to give your dog heartworm medication at all.)

These are all marketing tactics.

Some of them are fear-based, while some of them are pure profit.

Don’t fall into the emotional trap.

Instead, arm yourself with knowledge.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do for the health of your dog is to feed your dog as nature intended.

A whole prey model raw diet

No excuses.

It’s both the healthiest by far

and, in the long run, the cheapest option.

And because you belong to the Dire Wolf Project’s Inner Circle, I want to give you the exact steps to guide you toward a long and healthy life with minimal vet intervention for your dog.

• Start here where Dr. Eric Berg explains why this kibble is the worst you can feed your dog:

The Worst Dog Food in the World

• Then, head over to “Paws of Prey” to watch:

Before you buy puppy food, WATCH THIS!

• After that, follow the YouTube channel “Veterinary Secrets” for practical home canine health care guidance:

Veterinary Secrets

As our breed founder, Lois Schwarz, always says:

“Education is the key to knowledge,

and knowledge is the key to the universe.”

Dawn’s deepest hope is that Teek’s story can save other dogs.

Let’s honor Teek by making sure his loss was not in vain.

For Teek.

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P.S. If your gut tells you something isn’t right, trust it. Speak up. Ask again. Seek a second opinion. Your dog’s life may depend on it.

P.P.S. I wrote an entire tome on canine nutrition. If you want to be a fully informed owner and get THE scoop on canine nutrition… you can find it all in “The Informed Dog Owner’s Guide to Canine Nutrition.”

https://shop.direwolfproject.com/products/the-informed-dog-owners-guide-to-canine-nutrition

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Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project™, founder of the DireWolf Guardians™ American Dirus™ Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito™. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus™ dogs.