As an almost 5 year old, Hurley the Weimaraner has suffered with a number of congenital health concerns and digestive issues that severely affected his usual fun and loving personality. That was until his pupper parent, Cheryl, made the switch to fresh dog food.
Hear how Lyka’s fresh, minimally processed food has helped with Hurley’s colitis and get him back to being a happy and playful pupper
Meet Hurley!
After a few years with no puppers in their family, Cheryl made the decision to welcome Hurley to their pack and fill the enormous pupper-shaped hole in their lives.
“Hurley was our third Weimaraner, as we really love the breed, and this dear little fella did not disappoint.”
— Cheryl, Hurley's fur mama
Health concerns
But whilst Cheryl and her family were so excited by Hurley’s arrival and to have another Weimaraner in their pack, sadly it didn’t take long for some congenital health concerns to come to light, which meant that poor Hurley had to undergo surgery. This procedure unfortunately left him with a very sensitive tummy and ongoing digestive issues.
For a few years, Cheryl continued feeding Hurley vet-prescribed food. That was until early 2021, where his health issues seemingly got worse.
Hurley’s struggle with colitis
In May of 2021, Hurley was diagnosed with chronic colitis – an inflammation of the large intestine, causing soft stools, blood and mucus, weight loss and lack of appetite. Poor Hurley was seriously unwell, and this was extremely evident for Cheryl, who found herself regularly cleaning up diarrhoea, mucus and fresh blood as a result.
“The clean-up was pretty confronting if I’m honest, and let’s not talk about the smell! Hurley couldn’t continue on like this.”
— Cheryl, Hurley's fur mama
In a bid to treat his colitis, a heath concern that Cheryl hadn’t experienced with a Weimaraner previously, Hurley was prescribed a range of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication and steroids to calm his gut and intestines. He was also put on a very bland diet, which involved fasting. This worked for a period of time, but sadly its success was short lived.
“We all know our dogs’ poop can tell us a lot about their health and going off the state of Hurley’s poop, he was one very sick and unhappy pup.”
— Cheryl, Hurley's fur mama
Discovering Lyka
At the peak of her worry, Cheryl heard about Lyka at her local pet store when she was looking for human-grade, fresh food for Hurley, having discovered that fresh may be the way to go.
“I loved the look and feel of the website, its endearing use of images, video and language – it felt like the people at Lyka just got me. I loved how easy the website was to use and was so impressed with the level of professionalism, attention to detail and customer service I received. Lyka was clearly a company that really cared about and genuinely loved what they were doing!“
— Cheryl, Hurley's fur mama
Lyka to the rescue
Delivery day was an exciting one for Cheryl’s household.
“When Hurley’s order arrived, the quality of the environmentally friendly packaging, level of communication and the personal touches truly made me feel like we’d joined something special. The meal pouch was so easy to open, and I loved the inclusion of the probiotic to help with Hurley’s transition. We were so excited to watch him wolf down his new food for the first time!”
— Cheryl, Hurley's fur mama
And Cheryl couldn’t believe the difference she was seeing in Hurley since he started chowing down on Lyka. Slowly but surely, his poop started improving, his stomach stopped gurgling, he was getting his playful puppy energy back, and his new whole food diet began helping to heal his gut.
“I was hoping that Lyka could help Hurley, but having tried so many different diets, I didn’t actually expect it to heal him. It has been 6 months now and we haven’t looked back. Lyka changed everything and we have our beautiful dog back. He makes us laugh every day and brings so much joy, and to see him happy, it means the absolute world.”
— Cheryl, Hurley's fur mama
Living his best Lyka life
Since transitioning onto Lyka, Hurley has been so much happier and healthier, and his life (not just his bowl!) is packed full of the good stuff – just how it should be for a gorgeous, much loved pupper.
“Not only has the colitis completely disappeared, but we’ve also noticed improvements to his skin, coat and breath as well. Hurley’s days are now only filled with runs on the beach chasing his ball, tearing through the house playing chasey, lazing in the sun or in front of the fire, cuddles on the couch, lots of love and now, delicious and nutritious food. I know we’re giving Hurley the best possible pupper life and nothing could make us happier!”
— Cheryl, Hurley's fur mama
Lyka: fresh, human grade ingredients for your dog's gut health
Lyka’s recipes are vet-approved by our co-founder and Integrative Vet, Dr. Matthew Muir, and crafted alongside Veterinary Nutritionists to ensure they are complete and balanced for all life stages. We are proud to use only the highest quality, human-grade ingredients in each of our recipes. We include many gut-friendly ingredients such as chicken, turkey, blue grenadier, kelp, psyllium seed husk, shiitake mushrooms and turmeric, and with our low-GI content, Lyka is a safe option for most puppers with conditions such as gut inflammation or colitis. Please always consult with your trusted vet before making any dietary changes.
