"Whatever is unsure is possible, and life is bigger than flesh" is a line from Wendell Berry's wellknown poem Testament that struck a deep chord with me as I was looking for a name for my site. I had hoped to find a name that would express the sense of adventure and possibility I feel when it comes to the field of holistic health care for dogs. Not long after I read the poem, a friend returned a book of mine she had borrowed many years ago and had forgotten to give back - The Possible Human by Jean Houston. Written by a true pioneer in the human potential movement, and a brilliant, inspiring thinker, the title again reminded me of what I wanted most to express in my work and in my site - a vision of a healthier, longer lived, fully actualized canine who not only lives up to, but transcends what we currently think of as his species limitations.

And so, The Possible Canine was born.

What I believe is this: that the health and overall potential of dogs, like humans and other living organisms, rests on the cornerstones of nutrition, emotional wellbeing, responsible veterinary care, and a clean, toxin free living environment. Once these four are aligned we have not only a vibrant, fully realized animal, but a beginning - a framework for developing more of their abilities while at the same time we give back to them in terms of length and quality of life. The companionship of dogs, their intelligence, loyalty, service to humanity in so many capacities, even their role as guides for our spirit, if we choose to see them this way, has been invaluable to our own species for thousands of years. As we push further into uncharted territory of human health - medical advances, nutrition, mind/body medicine, answers to global environmental issues - I know we all want to bring our best friends along with us.

And to this end I dedicate my site.

To progress, balanced exploration of new ideas, canine company, and to Luke and Lila - my teachers, soulmates, bringers of daily joy, and dearest of companions.

Thank you all for visiting.

Cat Lane - May 4/2006

"Catherine Lane is a Canine Nutrition Consultant. I should correct that last statement, she's not just a Canine Nutrition Consultant, she's an exceedingly knowledgeable and experienced  Canine Nutrition Consultant. It has been my pleasure to establish a working relationship with Cat Lane. This allowed me to re-learn much of what I thought I knew about canine nutrition, which is humbling and refreshing after being a practising veterinarian for 38 years. When owners have decided to feed their dogs other than commercial foods, it is a luxury to find someone who completely understands the formulations, nutrient requirements, and supplements that my patients require.

They say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating and this certainly applies in this case. By virtue of careful and knowledgable adjustments of my patient's diets, the dogs get better, which allows confidence in the multiple aspects of diet formulation. Each formula Catherine provides is calculated to fulfil the individual's requirements, based on age, physiology, health, and activity level.

When choosing a diet to provide a healthful environment for a dog's development, one can chance it and pick a food off the shelf, being guided by that food's advertising. I would far rather people seek the expert advice Cat offers, absolutely for the good of your canine companions.

I often say to my patients that if I do not know something, I will refer them to someone who does. I use only professionals; people in whom I have total trust and have seen the benefits of their knowledge. I can wholeheartedly support Catherine. You will be advised very professionally and you will develop an admiration for her knowledge and sensitivity in this complex field."

Yours in health,
Dr. L.E.Beltran
B.Vet.Med, Ph.D, M.R.C.V.S.

For some time now I have been working to upgrade and expand the course curriculum, and we still have a way to go. However, interest has been strong; hence I have decided to leave The Basics of Canine Nutrition open to new students at any time. The programme is self paced and updated, and covers canine nutrient requirements and digestion, understanding dogfood labels, identifying food sources of various nutrients, and generally making sound nutritional choices. We discuss anatomy and digestion, various types of diets (raw, cooked and commercial) and how to use supplements with regard to a home made diet. It is a basic, introductory but very thorough course and forms the foundation of the more advanced Dietary Formulation programme.

As of January 4, I will be re-opening both the Advanced Course (Dietary Formulation) as well as the Herbs for Dogs, which is expanded to cover 30 commonly used herbs, and will now also cover popular supplements, and how to use them. We’ll look at joint support, vitamins, minerals, amino and fatty acids, green foods, probiotics, antioxidants and more. The course will now be called Supplementing for Health and Disease Prevention: Herbs and More, and will be an 18 months, asynchronous course of study, with practical assignments as well as written work.

Enrolment in this very intensive programme is limited, so please email me for a course outline or to discuss which programme best suits your needs.

For full information on course content, pre-requisites, tuition, timetables, or to register, please contact me at catlane@thepossiblecanine.com.

It’s hard to believe that Yuletide is almost upon us – short, chilly days and increasingly bitter nights. Dan needs a new coat and Tina – well, like many Ridgebacks she isn’t a fan of the cold at all. I look forward to snowshoeing with a well-bundled up Danny, his high energy level and fast metabolism mean he can handle some offleash in the cold weather. Of course, living where we do in West Quebec, there will always be days where it’s just too cold for either of us to venture out of doors. Thank goodness for woodstoves to curl up in front of – young Daniel does not like the quiet life, but we manage to get through the cold days.

One of the great pleasures, and constant learning experiences of my life has been to work with Dr. Beltran at Ottawa’s Blair Animal Hospital; first with my own dog Lila – master teacher that she was – and later, with clients who come to me for nutrition support while seeing Dr. B for his outstanding holistic veterinary care. It’s a challenge, and a deep journey into the healing power of food to develop diets that cover all nutrient requirements while following his often visionary advice about healing. Lately I’ve begun to work more with basic TCM principles, using more cooling foods in summer and building the diets around more of the yang or warming foods in cold weather. While I always emphasize the critical importance of meeting nutrient needs with wholesome foods and supplements as needed, there is so much more to diet than the requirements.

Following an early autumn visit to Dr. B with one of my own dogs , I switched the diet for a six week period to a cooling, alkalinizing programme using whitefish, mackerel, mixed starchy vegetables and quinoa. I added all the nutrients the diet lacks, and some fish oil, probiotics, liver cleansing herbs, and coconut oil. The change in Daniel was remarkable; his coat is now spectacular, he’s actually running a lower body temperature, he’s notably calmer. Now that the winter is upon us, I will return to the turkey, venison, lamb, brown rice and sardines I most often employ in his diet. Shifting seasonal ingredients just makes sense whether one accepts the TCM approach or not. I’ve recently been able to stabilize a nearly intractable case of IBD (insofar as diet can alleviate symptoms) using a modified Beltran diet. I’m so grateful to be learning all the time from such an inspirational veterinarian. Please check back soon for an article on using the Darkfield test to focus nutritional choices, as soon as I can grab Dr. B for an interview, that is.

On that note, I have finally posted the article on nutritional management of urolithiasis – possibly the most frequently asked question I receive at AllExperts, so long overdue for sharing here. I strongly recommend having a home made diet for uroliths developed by an experienced professional, but at least I can lay out some pointers and address the most commonly voiced concerns.

In seminar news, we have postponed until after Christmas. The new site and date will be announced in the January update here. There will be some amendments to the outline, so please have a look. So many people were interested who found the date or the location impossible. I’m planning to make this next one more accessible for all.
Have a wonderful autumn and Holiday Season.