Death: A Blessing for a Friend to All

July 31, 2012 By

I’ve been blessed yet again. 

My patient Amante came to see me this morning, before he was going to be put to sleep. What an amazing dog.

You see, Amante got a diagnosis, back in November of last year, that he had a tumor in his nasal passage. He’d begun sneezing, then finally sneezed out a piece of tumor, and it was analyzed and found to be a malignancy.

His loving owners were given two options:

  1. Take him to A&M for a month’s worth of radiation for $11,000, or
  2. Three rounds of chemo to see if the tumor would shrink

They opted to do neither. And his “dad” is an MD. That should tell you something about the perceived value of conventional cancer treatment from an expert who lives in that world.

Luckily, I got to be his doctor. Until today. I’m welling up with tears as I think of where he’s been from then till now.

Amante is this bigger than life white German Shepherd, weighing in around 128 pounds. With a heart as big as any I’ve ever met. Always came in with tail wagging, looking for petting, putting his head right in my chest.

He was given a two month death sentence last November. I wasn’t able to work any real miracles with him under homeopathic care, other than bringing a bony hard nasal tumor to soft, spongy, and discharging some. That’s when we got pretty hopeful that he was dissolving this mass, and might  just beat it.

But it wasn’t to be. He had ups and downs, discharging and closing the opening, and the tumor slowly, steadily grew. Until today, when I got to see him and help make the decision about euthanasia.

Friend to all

Amante loomed large in his family. He helped raise four kids, and got to be part of a third generation once a couple of grand kids came into his world. He loved to swim, go for walks, hated thunderstorms, and kept his work-from-home mom constant company. He was friends to the neighborhood dogs and their people. Everyone who knew him was fond of him.

And I got to be his doctor.

But today was inevitable. When the door opened, Amante strode right in and parked his head in my chest as I stroked him and welcomed him once more. His nose and forehead were misshaped by the tumor. He was breathing with a sort of snorting, choking sound at most every breath. But his tail was still fully wagging. Happy, bright soul, loving Amante (means “lover” in Spanish).

Bobbi told me his tumor had broken through the roof of his mouth. And came to see if I’d agree that he should be put to sleep now. Before he really suffered.

As I bent to examine him, I hoped I wouldn’t have to pry his mouth open and upset him by this act. He complied. He raised his head as I caressed him, and panted with his mouth open, showing me clearly, for as long as I needed, the ulcerated tumor on his hard palate.

What a difficult call!

But I had to agree. His parents had decided it was time to call it the end for Amante. I concurred. He was still eating, drinking, wagging, walking, even swimming. But we could see where this was going. And none of us wanted him to suffer.

Although I no longer offer this service, I recommended euthanasia. It would be a blessing to end his life while he still felt good. No need to prolong this till he couldn’t eat, started bleeding, or lost his love of life.

Amante’s family knew a house call veterinarian who would come. Come to where he was on familiar ground. Where he could leave this body that was failing him behind, without the fear of a strange place filled with stainless steel and odors of strange chemicals. Perfect. A blessing.

I only added some arsenicum album, a homeopathic remedy known to help the death process.

Adieu

So, Amante, you larger than life dog. Fare thee well. You’ll leave us, and we’ll miss you and all your hugeness, your benevolence, your deep lovingness for all you came in contact with. We’ll mourn your passing.

And I got to be your doctor. A truly great fortune.

Filed Under: Amazing Animals, Cases from homeopathic practice Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Curiouser and Curiouser.

July 26, 2012 By

Oh wait. It’s About Money over Health Again.

There’s been a bit of a storm raging about an upcoming AVMA proposed policy against raw diets for pets, due to be voted on at their House of Delegates meeting in San Diego next week. This is, of course, the veterinary analog of the AMA. Yawn.

At first, I pretty much ignored it, as one after another of my colleagues posted about it on our homeopathic email lists. After all, what can a policy recommendation do? It has no force of law.

But, as has been pointed out, it could pave the way for legal denials of raw pet food manufacture, once a body of professionals (who must know the True Scientific Facts) takes a stand against raw feeding.

And, (not that this carries much weight in my mind) it’ll give conventional vets more grist for their “Now, Don’t Feed Raw Food!” mill. But then, most who are feeding raw are probably also not buying into the conventional recommendations like repeated vaccinations, topical poisons for flea control, internal poisons for heart worm prevention and the like.

So, why would an AVMA policy decision saying “Tsk, tsk, raw food can carry pathogenic bacteria” be of concern to someone dedicated to understanding true health and feeding appropriately wild diets? Dedicated raw feeders will always find a way.

Let’s Choose our Facts Carefully!

And it’s pretty likely the AVMA will keep their collective head in the sand about the following truth:

All the recalls of pet food over the last few years have been commercially prepared, cooked dry food and treats. NOT RAW.

Whoa. Ermm. Ahem.

And, if you want to find bacteria in raw meat, just check your local supermarket. Bring your swab and petri dish. I wrote earlier about handling the stuff carefully when you are making raw food for Spot and Puff.

Wait. A Money Trail? Ah.

But then, the plot thickened, and I feel this deeper twist must be brought to light. As is usually the case, we need only “follow the money” to find the real answers.

And boy, is there a lot of money in pet food! Think billions per year spent on it. The statistics include close to $20 billion on pet food in 2011 in the US, and roughly $24 billion for the EU. Nothing to sneeze at, eh?

So, imagine my lack of surprise when it came to light that, behind the push to come down on raw pet food is an organization who’s been against raw feeding for at least a couple of years. Who does otherwise neat things, like getting animals into hospitals to help sick people: The Delta Society.

But, here’s the money path: on the executive committee of the Delta Society is one Brenda Bax, who, <cough> is also, umm, well, just the Marketing Director of Purina. You know, that big checker boarded outfit that makes dry kibble in St. Louis and is like a household word?

Probably not in Purina’s best interest if folks are jumping ship from the contaminated kibble and heading into Awesome Raw Feeding, right?

You got it. They’ll get a bigger bite of the dog food dish if they get the AVMA to come out again those nasty raw foods out there.

 Damn Raw Food! Wait. What?

You know the foods. They make dogs’ coats shine, breath fresh, shedding stop, cure the diabetics, the inflammatory bowel disease sufferers, and take away my business. (Seriously. Raw fed pets are rarely coming to me for chronic illness. But that’s great. I don’t mind at all.)

So, if you want to add your voice to the hew and cry, there’s an open comment area at the AVMA’s blog (I know, right?). And probably a petition or two floating around if you Google those initials. I don’t have much faith that’ll do any good. Not when we’re talking a piece of a multi-billion dollar bone. But it can’t hurt, either. If you have the time and inclination, head on over.

How about you? Feeding some raw food, are you? Concerned? Let’s hear about your take in the comments.

Filed Under: Current/hot, ILLogic

Don’t Mess with Mother Nature!

July 15, 2012 By

Ever hear this one?

There’s a high white blood cell count (or fever)! This animal needs antibiotics!

This often comes from Dr. Whitecoat, and is repeated by animal owners who heard it while under conventional medical care. I maintain it’s patently false. And dangerous to accept as truth.

Let’s examine it critically.

White Blood Cells: Good Guys or Not?

The white blood cells are part of the immune system, and when they are elevated on a blood test, what does that mean? It merely means this animal is seeing the need for a good fight against some invader (barring a more rare, complicated diagnosis, like bone marrow cancer). It might be a bacteria, maybe a virus, a yeast, maybe even a chronic parasitic infestation.

Fight!

So, the fight is on! The immune system is engaged, doing what it was designed to do, to take on the invaders and stop them from taking over the body and wreaking havoc. Why would antibiotics be needed in this situation?

Antibiotics do one thing, and one thing only.

They kill bacteria, and often quite indiscriminately, the good with the “bad.”

The good bacteria are those in the lower intestinal tract, a population thought to be ten times larger than the number of cells we have that are our own!¹

These “friendly bacteria” (and fewer yeasts) are working for us, and our animals, by producing vitamins, out-competing harmful bacteria, helping immunity, and even producing beneficial hormones. It’s common knowledge that giving antibiotics kills these good species and leads to the overgrowth of yeasts in the body, the commonest being Candida species, which can lead to problems of their own.

I Got the Fever!

Fever is another part of a healthy immune response to invaders. When a fever is mounted, the body’s temperature elevates to make reproduction of pathogens more difficult.

Wait. That sounds useful, right?

You bet it is. And why would antibiotics help this battle, going on efficiently and concertedly, with the intelligence of countless years of evolution behind it?

That’s exactly what I ask, every time I hear this ILLogic.

Get Outta the Way!

Almost always we do not need to step in and “treat a high white count” or “treat a fever.” (Mom always gave me aspirin when I had one. Luckily, antibiotics weren’t so popular when I was a kid.)

Most of the time (98% probably), the incredibly well tuned vital force, that part of us all that keeps us well, is doing a great job, flexing the immune response “muscle”, killing invaders, walling them off, digesting their remains, and eliminating their toxic waste products. We just need to trust that, and let it happen.

But, I Want to Help! 

If you want to be part of the solution, to help the immune response, don’t kill the good guys in the gut or turn down the internal thermostat.

Instead, add some well studied immune support. Maybe echinacea, goldenseal, vitamin C, or my favorite, Transfer Factor. For dogs, TF Canine Complete; for cats, Feline Complete. And for kids, TF Chewable. And everyone can use TF Plus. That’s what I take, and I haven’t had a flu or cold in so long I can’t remember.

Transfer Factors both increase the immune response and balance it, far better than anything they’ve been compared to.

Do No Harm! 

Help is not indiscriminate killing of bacteria, or giving anti-fever drugs. Work with the amazing response that the immune system is waging. You’ll have a happier ending for all concerned.

¹http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_microbiome#cite_note-Sears-19

Filed Under: ILLogic

Sometimes, It Just Hurts

July 8, 2012 By

Name’s Jeeter. Pleased to meetcha.

I’ve had the good fortune to be able to work with a band of horses owned by Travaasa Austin, an upscale resort in the Texas Hill Country, not too far from where I live. These horses, besides the usual trail riding work, also help people to connect with horses in a manner that many, especially city folks, have not had the opportunity to partake in.

It pretty quickly becomes apparent when you spend some time around these big brutes, that they are very sensitive creatures. While they are big enough to run you over and cause untold mayhem if panicked, they are also very respectful and kind.

One of the reasons I became a veterinarian, in fact, was early teen experiences I had with a herd of horses. And later, when my crazy brother who was my role model for some years, got a hankering to own Clydesdales, and I got to interact with these giants, I really was in awe of how responsive the horse can be. Walking into a narrow slip stall next to a huge 2200 pound Clyde and seeing her step out of my way with the gentlest of urging, sold me: I want to work with these guys!

When there’s not much to tell but, “I hurt!”

Jeeter is a quarter horse, one of the band at Travaasa, who was presented for treatment a month ago when I made a farm call there. He was described to me as “just uncomfortable,” and “unpredictable,” especially when he was asked to do anything more than just walk. Even with no one on his back, no lines and no saddle on, Jeeter really objected to being asked to run in the round pen, and he told everyone this by pinning his ears back. Ouch. He hurt!

His rear legs were deemed slow, dragging, compared to the other horses. Jeeter’s discomfort made it impossible to use him for trail rides. The wranglers could ride him, but had to be prepared for him to buck. Something just didn’t feel good, and it sounded like his spine was involved. A common place for discomfort in this species, as man is often sitting on this spine, perhaps on an ill-fitting saddle!

Digging Deeper for Clues

When a homeopathic vet treats a patient, it’s important to find out who this individual is, what makes him stand out. The name of the game is to find the patterns of how this particular individual shows his illness, as well as his unique nature.

So, Jeeter hurt, probably in his back. And, it was made worse by exertion, by bending, “gathering himself,” as horse folks say, meaning the digging in, flexing the body to run, getting his feet under him to propel himself forward. This is asking more of his anatomy than just walking around easily did.

But what else? It’d be very hard to prescribe accurately on one symptom, in any patient. I had to hear more.

Luckily, I had three wranglers present, all of whom knew Jeeter’s temperament and habits. And I valued all of their input, and took notes.

Here’s what else I learned:

    • Jeeter had an intermittent cough
    • He loved the company of people
    • He loved being brushed
    • He was pretty low in the pecking order of his herd
    • I felt the glands under his chin, and they were swollen
    • While being brushed, he was the only one who “dropped his penis” — meaning his penis relaxed and fell passively out of his sheath.

A Swing and a Miss

Okay, and, like way too many of my patients, Jeeter had had plenty of vaccinations in his history. So, as is not uncommon is patients with some degree of discomfort and a history of vaccinations, he got a dose of a vaccinosis remedy: Thuja 10M.

I had a second remedy in mind, but wanted to start here, as I’ve seen how much pathology the vaccines can cause.

Three weeks later, I talked to Keith, the head of the horse program. “No better. Still can’t use him for riding.”

Okay, so he didn’t have enough in common with this vaccinosis remedy to get repair moving in his body. Time for a more constitutional remedy.

I had very little to work with, and some of it was assumption:

    • A sore spine (it might have been his hips, but just tightening his cinch made him pin his ears, so I figured it was his back hurting him).
    • An intermittent cough (none of the others in the herd had this, so it sounded characteristic for Jeeter).
    • Jeeter loved brushing and being with people.
    • He was a “sensitive guy” — just brushing him got him so relaxed his penis dropped.
    • Jeeter got worse when he exerted, especially when he ran.

A Fitting Remedy?

I saw that the remedy Phosphorus fit all of this quite well. The individual needing phosphorus is often quite sensitive. For example, a lot of them hate thunderstorms, as it’s just too much for their senses to take.

Phosphorus centers on the spine quite well, as well as the lungs. Respiratory disease is not uncommon in the person or animal needing this remedy.

Jeeter, like a lot of “phosphorus patients,” loved stroking, brushing, etc. In the old books of homeopathy, this is often referred to as “magnetism” or “mesmerism,” after the popular practice long ago of passing one’s hands over someone’s body to aid their healing.

So, I sent Jeeter a single dose of phosphorus 1M. Keith was to put the granules on a slice of apple and feed it to him.

A Home Run!

We talked the other day to check in on the horses I’d treated a few weeks back. Jeeter was now able to be ridden without any pain! Bucking was a thing of the past. He was now a full fledged part of the herd and able to be part of the riding program instead of just being part of the “horse experience” as before!

So, sometimes a veterinary homeopath has to reach, make some assumptions,  try and try again, but when the right remedy is found, boom. The whole animal responds.

If he’d have been a person, I could have asked him lots of questions and had an easier time of arriving at his remedy. “What does it feel like?” “Does it get worse in any kind of weather?” “How do you feel about being in this group?” “Anything scare you?”

But Jeeter is a horse. So, I had to work with what I could glean from his observant caretakers, the wranglers there at the resort. Luckily, they provided enough clues that I could find a remedy that fit the Whole Horse, and he’s a world better for that.

“Now, who wants to brush me?” Jeeter wonders. “I’ll follow you anywhere if you do!”

(for a heartfelt account of one guest’s experience with Jeeter, read about it in her blog, here.)

Filed Under: Cases from homeopathic practice Tagged With: , , , , , ,