The Westie Diet™

I emailed you about two or three months ago regarding my westie McGruff. Since starting the diet he has been doing so much better! Thank you so much for all your help.

Love always, McGruff Hall

My West Highland White Terrier had long term skin problems – itching, skin infections, loss of hair, etc. This is a common problem for the breed and why some ultimately need to be rescued. Vet bills can become pretty high, and all the vet did was prescribe steroids (temporary results and not healthy for the dog) and allergy shots – no results. I asked two vets about vitamins or change in diet, and they just gave me a blank look, although we tried the prescription allergy vet-sold food for several months, long enough to see it did not help at all.

I turned to the internet and found all kinds of dog/Westie diets. Some were just too daunting or not convincing. I live in Texas, but I came across the California Westie Rescue website. Under "Westie diet" was a diet I could easily give to my dog. There were letters from Westie owners whose dogs had similar conditions to mine, saying this diet works. I was skeptical, because I had tried sprays and different foods, etc. Since this organization does not even sell the products, I decided to try it.

Missing Link was included in the diet, of course, as well as Dream Coat, Barley Dog, Vitamin E, Halo’s x-tra C – vitamin C for dogs. Anyway, within two weeks, my poor dog was no longer scratching and miserable, and her hair started growing back in. I still am in shock that it helped her so quickly, and continues to help almost a year later.

Needless to say, I don’t know which products in the diet are helping the most, since there are omega’s and vitamins, etc. But I give the diet 10 stars!

McDuff has had allergies for the past 4 years, and was on Cyclosporine off and on during that whole time. Since moving to California in June (2009) she was on Cyclosporine steadily until October when I found The Westie Diet while snooping through your site. After starting the diet, it took 3 months for McDuff's skin to clear up entirely and for the bare patches to fill in with hair. No more barfing that yucky yellow stuff and condition of her poop is consistently good - no more semi-diahrrea. Seeing the good shape McDuff's skin is in now, I no longer begrudge the time it takes to mix her food.

Judy and McDuff, Burbank, CA

We worked with the owner to develop a specific regimen just for her. And what do ya think? VOILA…it worked…a happy ending!

We have a 6 year old male Westie, named General.

We have tried everything to help relieve his itching. We took him to a allergist for testing. The test came back showing 29 allergies. So, for two years we had been giving him allergy shots and the medication Atopica.

Even with all of this he was still brown on his legs and around his face, licking his paws constantly. The Atopica upset his stomach, so it was always a gamble if he would get sick or not. The vet even had us giving him a pill to coat his stomach five minutes before we gave him the Atopica. Sometimes it would help sometimes it wouldn't. It just made you miserable to watch him.

One day I was looking online for anything that might help and ran across the WESTIE DIET on your web site. We have been feeding him the diet for four weeks now and I am happy to say that he hasn't had a allergy shot or Atopica pill for three weeks.

When I first read the diet I was really excited, but I almost didn't try it when I found out I had to order the 'special' ingredients. We have already had spent so much on Veterinarians, medications and special shampoos. But my husband was the one giving the shots and he was ready to try anything! We saw improvement so quick, it was amazing!

Thank you so much. Belinda, Brent & General

My westie Missy (14 months old) has had a problem with severe itching since she was about 6 moths old. Her little feet were blood red and she had lost all the hair on her legs, chest, and stomach. I have always feed her good kibble - no wheat, corn or soy. I tried her on Atopica, but she kept vomiting it up. We tried for 3 months to use it, but her stomach was just too delicate. In desperation, I got on the web and found your site. I found your Westie diet and figured that she could not get much worse, so I ordered all of the products that you recommend. We started feeding her the diet three weeks ago. My baby stopped eating her feet in 7 days and is now re-growing the hair on her legs, chest and stomach. My family is amazed at the thick hair that she is growing now. Between her toes is no longer beet red. Her hair has started growing the way it is supposed to. I am just wowed. She has had no more vomiting. She has had some diarrhea, but I expected that because I read that may happen as she stabilizes on the Dream Coat. I would recommend ANYONE with an itchy westie try this diet. I will definitely keep Missy on it for life! Thank you SO MUCH for publishing this diet! If it is ok, I am enclosing a picture of Missy in her fine looking coat…and getting finer every week!

UPDATE—

Hi, just wanted to give you an update. Missy (on your Westie Diet Page) has been on the Westie Diet since March 18, 2005. She looks so good today. Her coat is full; she has no places on her feet or chest that do not have hair. She will even let you handle her paws, which in the past hurt/itched so bad, she would politely take it back from your touch. She has just done wonderfully on the diet. I am enclosing a picture that I took last weekend on a camping trip where she enjoyed play hunting squirrels, lizards, ducks, and chipmunks.

To all of you at this website and to those people asking about the Westie Diet. At our wit's end, after five vets, and a miserable Westie, I found this website. We were ready to give in to all the medical allergy testing which I really did not want my dog to go through when I found the Westie Diet. You so graciously actually answered my email questions. My Spike was started on the diet over a year ago. He was at the point where he was having to wear four-legged jammies to keep him calm and to keep him from scratching himself bloody.

Between the diet and vigilant coat care, we started seeing results within about 2 weeks. It was gradual but he loved the food (my Shih-tzu eats it, too), no more throwing up that yellow bile, diarrhea, constant scratching and licking; AND he finally had grown his back so thick and long that he could actually be groomed. I have been through these problems with three dogs and for anyone who doubts this diet works, I would encourage you to do this for your dog. It has worked so well for Spike I've been tempted to do it for myself.! The expense that you feel will be involved is more than offset by vet bills and subjecting your precious Westies to constant medical testing.

Thank you for your help, your research and support of current Westie owners as well as those beautiful orphans needing homes.

B. Mahan, Farmington, NM