First, going to put on flame resistant clothing, because to disagree with Gonto is an invitation to flame torches being sent your way.
Next, I am going to beg you to please contact Pam Hamilton with Camp Basenji.
I think that Gonto is an angel for all he tried to do for the breed. But he is not a vet, he is not a nutritionist, and no actual research has been done on his protocol. It used to be the only option, and was sure better than nothing. But having personally seen dogs dying on the protocol who were turned around and living healthy long lives with Pam, please, at least talk to her.
http://www.campbasenji.org/fanconi/
She has a great brochure also. I see far too many dogs under Gonto dead and people just accepting that they can't live long normal lives. Neither are doctors, and I am not bashing Gonto. But I do have issues that a treatment is given, followed almost fanatically, yet has never had rigorous testing and the many who don't do well, who so have major problems, are brushed off as "to be expected." So please, at least talk to her about the changes she made in the protocol that has turned around and given quality life to affected dogs.
Because of the almost worship of Gonto, people just accept that his is the only option. Yet, since he developed the protocol, only ONE minor study, 2004, evaluated if it worked and sadly, not much came out of it. Yet sites still say "The Gonto protocol is currently being studied and validated for the veterinary literature by Jennifer Yearley. ".. No, it didn't validate it and no, not still studying it. They used only his protocol, no others, and no control group, so zero proof his protocol did anything, or if the excessive bicarbonates may have contributed to the "high percentage of neurological abnormalities." (With people, which his work is based on >>side effects associated with sodium bicarbonate therapy include hypercapnia, hypokalemia, ionized hypocalcemia, and QTc interval prolongation. The potential impact of regular sodium bicarbonate therapy on worsening vascular calcifications in patients with chronic kidney disease has been insufficiently investigated.<<
http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2004.225.377
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggest that expected lifespan for dogs with idiopathic Fanconi syndrome was not substantially reduced, compared with expected lifespan for unaffected dogs, and that affected dogs generally had a good to excellent quality of life, as subjectively assessed by their owners. What effect the treatment regimen had on survival time or lifespan could not be determined, given the small number of dogs managed with other methods. The high percentage of dogs with neurologic abnormalities was a concern, but whether this was related to Fanconi syndrome or represented a breed-related predisposition to neurologic disease could not be determined. ( J Am Vet Med Assoc 2004;225:377–383)
