How Vital Essentials Saved One Dog's Life and Stopped Seizures

For many of us, our dogs are our heroes, and they save us every day. Yet sometimes, it's our faithful pups who need saving -- as Jayme Miller discovered when her beloved Pomeranian began suffering from unexplained seizures, leading Jayme on a heart-wrenching journey to save her best furiend's life.

Like many teenagers, 18-year-old Jayme had always dreamed of a dog of her own.

She had her heart set on a Golden Retriever, huge and lovable. So when Jayme saw some available puppies at the mall one day — including the Golden Retriever of her dreams — she just had to introduce herself.

Jayme played with the cute Golden, but somehow she kept getting distracted by another puppy: a tiny Pomeranian, no more than an adorable ball of fluff.

As soon as Jayme held that little fluff ball in her arms, she knew it was meant to be. Jayme brought the tiny Pomeranian home and named her Fendi.

That fluff ball quickly grew into a sweet, beautiful, happy dog — one who spins in tight circles when she literally can’t contain her excitement, and who offers love freely to all she meets.

It’s hard to put into words the combination of fluff and love that is Fendi, but Jayme says it best: “Fendi might just be the world’s best dog.”

Fendi’s naturally cheerful personality helped her become a licensed therapy dog through the Good Dog Foundation. Together with Jayme, Fendi began visiting nursing homes. The little Pom brought immediate joy to the residents with her sunny smile and adorable antics. Fendi soaked up the attention, and was happy to lend a sympathetic paw to those who needed one.



Fendi’s skills as a comforting companion were even required close to home, when Jayme’s grandfather passed. Fendi lived with Jayme’s grandmother for a few months afterwards, providing the unconditional love and silent understanding that only a dog truly can.

Fendi stayed by Jayme’s side through thick and thin, through all the ups and downs of life. Then, as the little Pomeranian approached her golden years, she suddenly began having recurring seizures.

The exact cause of the seizures was a mystery to Jayme and to her veterinarian. X-rays and a seemingly unending series of blood tests could not pinpoint a medical condition that would cause them. 

Jayme was devastated watching her happy, loving dog endure the seizures. Fendi was put on phenobarbital to reduce them, but the strong medication affected the little Pom as well. As Jayme put it, “Fendi had no quality of life on the medicine, and no quality of life off the medicine.”

Determined to find the cause of her best furiend’s suffering, Jayme poured over the journal her veterinarian recommended. Her research led her to believe that Fendi’s seizures were food related.

There’s reason to believe that dog foods high in glutamate — which is found in grains and legumes — may trigger or exacerbate seizures. Many other unnecessary filler ingredients common in commercial dog foods, such as artificial preservatives or food dyes, are also potential culprits. These harmful ingredients are excluded from a healthy grain free diet based on fresh, high quality protein.

With this in mind, Jayme transitioned Fendi to a raw diet and began feeding her a popular raw dog food brand. It did help, as Fendi’s seizures were triggered less frequently — but they didn’t go away completely.

That wasn’t good enough for Jayme. If there was any way to eliminate Fendi’s seizures once and for all, she was going to find it. It was the least she could do for the dog who had been by her side for her entire adult life.

Jayme turned to fellow dog parents for advice, posting in a Facebook group specifically for owners of Pomeranians and Poodles. The other dog parents in the group recommended that Jayme try Vital Essentials.

At their encouragement, Jayme researched Vital Essentials for herself. She was immediately impressed by the high praise and good reviews VE has received. She was also relieved to see that Vital Essentials offers complete and balanced raw dog food with no mixing, recipes or complicated preparation required.

“I didn’t have to worry about making sure I was adding everything correctly for her,” Jayme realized. “I didn’t have to do anything except open the bag and put it in her bowl.”

After trying for so long to get Fendi’s seizures under control, Jayme was at the point where she was willing to try just about anything. She felt she had nothing left to lose. So, she bought her first bag of Vital Essentials.

But would the new food pass Fendi’s inspection? It did — with flying colors! From the very first time Jayme put a bowl of Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Beef Mini Nibs in front of the little Pom, Fendi was hooked. “She didn’t leave a crumb!” Jayme remembers.



Fendi enjoyed that first bowl of Vital Essentials in July 2021. By early August, when Jayme realized that Fendi hadn’t had a seizure in a whole week, she knew that she’d found something special. Finally, Fendi’s life seemed to be looking up.

Now, one year later, Jayme is proud to say that Fendi has been seizure free since August 2021! Fendi was even able to come off the meds entirely, and is her happy, loving, energetic self. She runs and plays like a dog half her age, and she’s back to spinning in circles before walks and mealtime (ESPECIALLY mealtime!).


Those who didn’t know Jayme over all those years can’t believe that Fendi will be seventeen in October! That little fluff ball from the mall is now almost as old as Jayme was on the day they met.

There’s no doubt in Jayme’s mind that the high quality nutrition of Vital Essentials is responsible for Fendi’s transformation. “I have my dog back,” she says.

Stories just like Jayme’s are why we do what we do here at Vital Essentials. After all, Fendi’s not just any old pup — she’s the World’s Best Dog.

(And so is yours).

For more information on Vital Essentials and our full product line, follow us on TikTok and Instagram. And if you have any questions, be sure to check out our FAQ page for answers. Together, we can ensure your pet gets the proper nutrition they deserve.