On 10 January 2009, my partner and I welcomed Kiki into our home – a wonderful dog we adopted from the animal shelter in Horjul when he was about three months old.

For Kiki, our lifestyle meant growing up among people, mostly children, and also in the company of other dogs and animals…it meant constant communication with the environment, winter adventures in the snow and spending a lot of time in the forests and water in the summer, which he really enjoys. Already the first summer (August 2009) he ended up with otitis. Following the vet’s instructions, we had to clean daily Kiki’s ears with EPI-OTIC liquid and introduce Otonazol gel into his ear canals two to three times a day. Things were already looking promising, but when the therapy was over, the inflammation returned. We repeated the treatment that was successful…but only until the spring (April 2010), when our water-lover jumped into the lake. Even though we dried his ears, the inflammation returned. So once again we visited the vet and repeated the tiresome procedure, which Kiki reluctantly but extremely patiently endured…and again, it repeated in August 2010 as well as in the spring of 2011, when Kiki was diagnosed with chronic otitis at the vet clinic. This meant that the condition would keep repeating throughout his entire life…indeed, towards the end of August 2011 the inflammation returned…of course, by then, we knew very well that it happened because water entered his ears, but how could we stop him from happily splashing in the water just to prevent the inflammation from returning…he really enjoys water, and fortunately we both believed that there has to be a way, a solution, anything at all, for Kiki to enjoy in and by the water.

During times of inflammation, Kiki suffered indescribable agonies, because he likes to approach people so much to get petted, and most of us pet and scratch dogs on their heads and around the ears, so it really hurt our four-legged friend just to the touch…with each inflammation, the pain got worse, which we could recognise from his reactions.

In the fall 2011, the inflammation was still present and we were on a visit in Podkoren. Kiki, as always, found someone to pet him. The man hardly touched the top of Kiki’s head between the ears, when Kiki yelped loudly. He apologised, saying that he only wanted to pet him and we explained that Kiki has had chronic otitis since 2009, which is very painful for him. The man invited us into his front garden, brought us some sort of a powder in a jar and said we should give Kiki a daily dose of it as a food supplement. ‘Can I take this as well?’ was my question and his positive answer as well as the fact that it comes from a certain mushroom (Ganoderma Lucidium) convinced us to do so…Kiki and I consumed one spoon of the food supplement daily for a month and a half, even though the inflammation stopped after two weeks. Spring 2012 was on its way and during the summer, we spent a lot of time in or by the water…and up to today, 23 February 2013, the inflammation has not returned and thanks to dr. Andrej Gregori, water games are again for Kiki finally a carefree joy without unpleasant consequences.

Today, my partner and I consume various preparations from these miraculous mushrooms, since our experience taught us that a doctor’s diagnosis does NOT mean that we should just put up with inflammation or other illness, but rather to find an alternative and take preventive care, while still can.

Alja B., Bovec