Fresh food helps Bono the Staffy x Australian Cattle dog's low blood sugar

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Fresh food helps Bono the Staffy x Australian Cattle dog's low blood sugar

When a dog goes through a traumatic experience, it can be difficult to get them back to good health, both mentally and physically. Bono’s fur mama Christina learnt this first-hand, when after being mauled by another dog, her Staffy x Australian Cattle dog Bono became suspicious of many things, including his food. When his pickiness and lack of appetite led to weight loss and dangerously low blood sugar, Christina decided to try Lyka. Now, Bono is energetic, happy and healthy, and finally has healthy blood sugar and iron levels.

Meet Christina and her Staffy x Cattle dog, Bono

Bono is a Staffy x Australian Cattle dog who loves sleeping (especially on people) and long car rides. Christina came across a photo of Bono on a rescue Instagram page, and knew he was perfect for her straight away:

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“My last dog had passed away a couple of months prior and I wasn’t coping with the loss very well. I follow a lot of different rescue pages on social media and a photo of Bono came up with his foster carer where he was laying across her lap and she was holding him like a baby. I instantly fell in love with him, so I adopted him.”

Bono’s fur mama, Christina

Although he loves being inside the car for long drives, Christina learned that he only loves the back seat:

“One day we put him on the back of the ute and strapped him in thinking as a cattle breed, he would just know how to do it. Within seconds, he jumped off and was dangling there in his harness like a pendulum wagging his tail, looking at me like MUM where are you going? We hadn’t even got into the car to go yet!”

Bono’s fur mama, Christina

Bono’s health troubles

Last April, Bono was a victim of a vicious mauling attack from another dog, and had to have surgery, which led to a long recovery period. He became distrustful of his food and of other dogs. His pickiness became severe, with Bono refusing all vegetables, and eventually not eating at all unless Christina hand-fed him mince. Visits to the vet and blood tests revealed that his iron and blood sugar levels were low, and Christina felt overwhelmed by the amount of possible causes for his health problems, which were making Bono lethargic and have very little appetite:

“The next day I researched ‘hypoglycaemia’ which is what the vet kept saying on the phone. The disease is so difficult to diagnose and manage in dogs, not to mention expensive. Feeling disheartened and not knowing whether to jump in and go ahead with more testing or not, I ended up deciding to try Lyka to see if I could help him without medications.”⁠

Bono’s fur mama, Christina

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Finding the right food

After doing some research, Christina was shocked at what she found out about the dog food industry:

“While waiting for Bono’s results, I think I spent all night one night researching every possible thing you could give your dog for a diet and the science behind it. There is so little science and statistics about dog food, it was unbelievable. Eventually I found Lyka on a Google search and read absolutely everything on the website and it looked like the best thing I had found yet so I ordered the Sensitive Chicken Bowl.”

Bono’s fur mama, Christina

The first time Bono tried the Sensitive Chicken Bowl, he loved it, but within a couple days he refused the eat even that. Christina then decided the try the other Lyka recipes, and there she finally found something that Bono loved:

“His first normal Chicken pouch he was unsure about and I had to stand with him while he ate it, but he ate most of it without me hand feeding him! Then he tried the Beef pouch… I could tell he didn’t want to like it, but he ate the whole thing and licked the bowl clean. When he tried the Lamb is when I really knew Lyka was the best decision I ever made for him. He INHALED it and then begged for more. I had never seen him beg for any food other than cheese!”

Bono’s mama, Christina

Bono’s bouncing back

Bono’s first blood test after trying Lyka came back with great results, and Christina was happy that he was finally getting healthy again. Bono has steadily gained back the weight he lost from not eating, and has more energy to get active again:

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“He enjoys his walks, even the long 5-10km ones I take him on, and no longer is sore or has to sleep for a long time after.”

Bono’s fur mama, Christina

Christina has seen a huge difference in his mood, and no longer has to hand feed him his food:

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“He eats his Lyka now every night with zero fuss on the Lamb days and little fuss on the Beef days. I rarely give him the Chicken as he just doesn’t seem to like it as much (maybe brings back memories of his old bland food). I do however rotate through the different types to keep his variety there. He also has so much more energy, wags his tail like he used to and when I look at his face, I just think he is so much happier. Even without those added personality advantages I would keep using Lyka because it means I don’t have to cook his meals and then hand feed it to him!”

Bono’s fur mama, Christina

Lyka: something for every pupper

Our variety of recipes at Lyka means that your pup is bound to find a Bowl that they love. For picky puppers, we recommend starting with as many of our recipes as you can, and letting your pup discover for themselves what they like.

While we don’t offer our Sensitive Chicken recipe anymore, we still have recipes which could be great for pickier pups like Bono. For some dogs, the simplicity of the limited ingredient range in our Turkey Bowl is a great starting point to get them to be more adventurous. For other pups like Bono, the big flavours in our Grass-Fed Beef or Lamb Bowls are what they need to start getting excited for their mealtimes. Head to our website to find out more about our recipes, and order your Starter Box today.

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A picture our range of Lyka meals

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