[Lena]

My guess is that if she didn’t have an issue when she was younger that it was related more to dementia issues, also makes me wonder if there was a brain tumor possibility. Definitely if it did not happen when she was younger it was not a training issue or did it have anything to do with how you raised her.

[Lena]

Hi Grace,
Unfortunately I had the forms down for about six months because I could not control the spam. I recently got them back up but there isn’t very many people on them. Here is an article I wrote on lymphoma, hope it is helpful http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2011/06/07/lymphoma-dogs-and-cats-integrative-medicine-chemotherapy-acupuncture/ . My largest successes have been when we mix chemo and holistic medicine.
best wishes,
Lena

[Lena]

Hi Grace,
You have probably have already seen the cancer book on PWP but if you have n’t here it is http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/cancer-care/ . It really depends what you are doing as far as treatment and also what type of detox you are doing. I would avoid very strong detox treatments during cancer unless you are working with a holistic vet as you don’t want to do a full detox if they are very deficient. Acupuncture can be a very safe way to detox the body during cancer treatments. I also sell a cancer detox support formula through my etsy store http://www.etsy.com/listing/125443935/100g-cancer-detox-support? although I would not use this in a dog who runs very cold without direction of a holistic vet. If at all possible I would find a holistic vet to help you along your path.
best wishes,
Lena

[Lena]

Michelle,
That sounds very difficult but please do not blame yourself. I don’t know what her history was before you got her but it sounds like she was maybe separated from her mother and siblings early and never learned proper bite inhibition. Or if she was with them long enough it may have been that genetically something was not quite right. I work with a little dog similar to her, little llasa. He was rescued but he is a big bitter and often it comes out of the blue for no reason. He has lovely people who care for him and do not abuse him. If it happen later in her life it was probably related to dementia issues and she just was not completely there in her head. Most dogs even with spoiling do not bite like what you describe and I have many little dogs I work with who are seriously spoiled and do not bite. There are certain breeds of dogs that have rage issues, i.e. Springer Ragehttp://www.essfta.org/english-springers/health-genetics-and-research-faq/springer-rage-syndrome/ , it may also have been that she had a similar issue. I’m sorry for your lost, it sounds like you loved her and did a lot to make her life with you as good as you could.
best wishes,
Lena

[Lena]

I don’t really have a good answer as I don’t live in rattlesnake country and didn’t even know there was a vaccine for it. I would see if there is a holistic vet in your area who has had experience.

[Lena]

Hi Betsy,
There is more info on protein and kidney failure in cats which are more prone to it. http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2011/03/04/kidney-failure-in-cats-how-chinese-medicine-and-diet-can-help/
The bottom line is that I believe and have seen that high quality protein doesn’t hurt the kidneys. Early kidney disease should be treated with high protein food IMO.
When I am testing for early kidney disease I look at two main things
-urine specific gravity which they would have tested when doing the urinalysis. If it is above 1.025 it is not kidney disease. If it is below then it may or may not be kidney disease.
-creatinine If this is raised it is either kidney disease or dehyration (If creatinine is raised BUN will be also)
BUN alone to me doesn’t mean a lot, however if creatinine is very high end normal, BUN is high and USG is lower than 1.025 you may be in very early kidney disease. And raw diets can sometimes raise BUN slightly.
Amylase being high usually indicates some pancreatic inflammation but can also be linked to the kidneys.
CK could be from muscle issues related to arthritis and usually being slightly elevated doesn’t concern me too much.
If the leaks no more is helping her with incontinence then I would continue it.
I use the mantis as part of a formula, not alone. I have one main formula I use for young dogs that contains it and one for old dogs. The main formula I use for older dogs is based on a formula called Liu Wei Di huang Wan to which I add mantis and 2-3 other herbs. It also helps support the kidneys into older age and treats early kidney disease so it may be a good formula for her all around if the Leaks No More ever is not enough.
I now have an etsy store where I sell my formulas. I don’t have that one up but if you ever want it just special request “old dog incontinence formula” and I will make it for you. http://www.etsy.com/shop/Kingdomofbasil?ref=si_shop

I had not heard of the LNM before, sounds like it is a good product. Thanks for mentioning it.

best wishes,
Lena

[Lena]

When I did shelter work I found the nasal vaccines did not always protect again panleuk as well as the injectible so I do recommend either a nasal and a titer after to confirm protection or just to use the injectible which we know works well. I use homeopathic Thuja after rabies vaccine as do most holistic vets. Allergies are going to get worse after vaccination so you may want to work with a holistic vet to do some acupuncture afterwards or use a clearing herbal formulas. Animal Apawthecary has a detox formula that is a mild western detox with burdock and other cooling, clearing herbs. There are stronger Chinese formulas but I recommend working with a holistic vet if you use them.

[Lena]

Thank you for sharing your experiences ettaariane. It is one of the most difficult things to go through with a loved dog. I’m glad the diazepam is giving you both some relief and I hope that good sleep continues.

[Lena]

Hi Diane,

I tend to use Artemisinin in almost all the animals I treat with cancer. It does seem to slow things down and also is very safe if used without radiation. I am not a fan of Neoplasene and am a little afraid to use it however I know vets who used it and have good success. Xiao Chai Hu Tang sometimes can enhance the effecs of XFZYT so that may also be a consideration esp since it is good for stomach upset and dogs with sensitive tummies. I would check in with the holistic vet you are working with and see if she thinks any of these would be good for Brandy. I really wish I could say I had more experience with the nerve sheath tumors, I just really don’t.

best wishes,

Lena

[Lena]

Hi Junie,

Allergies are one of the most frustrating problems to work with. If she is that bad with open sores and bleeding I would highly encourage you to talk to your vet about adding in some western drugs if you are not already. I often times have animals on antihistamines and/or steroids while we are treating them with herbals.

Herbals are difficult because you do sometimes get symptoms coming back up as you “peel away the layers of the onion” and it can feel like things are getting worse. The very severe animals I have worked with successfully with herbs, it usually takes us about a year to get them to a fairly stable place (just occasional flare ups that we can control easily) That being said I have also had a few animals that any herbal I put them on made them severely worse and the only thing I could figure is that they were allergic to the herbs also and we just needed to go back to the standard of western medicine. It could be that is the case with her.

Hoxsey can be very damp and heat clearing but does not provide any digestive support. It sounds like she has an underlying digestive issue (aka leaky gut). Clearly if it is causing vomiting, diarrhea and trembling it does not sound like the best herbal for her. And as much as I like all my itchy animals on raw, if she is having diarrhea she may need to be on a good home cooked or canned grain free until her gut is more healed.

The animals I treat successfully I feel like I need to see every 2-3 weeks for the first few months to check pulse and tongue and check in with their people and make sure we are going in the right direction. We switch and change dosages of herbs often. Sometimes things get worse and if it for a few days I usually let it go and it gets better after that, if it is longer than we change herbs based on tongue and pulse. Usually in cats have found Qing Ying Tang is the most successful for severe itch and is much more gentle on the gut then Hoxsey. I have had some cats that just needed Qing Ying Tang. I don’t know your cat so it may not be the right herbal for her.

What you need is a very good herbalist who you feel comfortable with and can have lots of communication with. I would recommend using western drugs to make her more comfortable in the process. It will take awhile but the animals that I have good communication with their people, compliance of giving medications, and a willingness to work with me for 6-12 months I can get to a good quality of life about 85% of the time. And yes many of these are hairless and bleeding.

How do you find someone?

See if there is anyone on this list in your area. It is going to be much better if you can find someone in your area.http://www.vbma.org/US%20members.html

If you absolutely can not find anyone in your area you might want to consider Dr. Basko

http://www.drbasko.com/site/ . He is a great herbalist and nutritionist and does phone consultations.

Best of luck

Lena

http://www.vbma.org/US%20members.html

[Lena]

I’ve seen esp in older dogs that seizure meds can sometimes make things worse. I actually find in the older guys that seizures are a little easier to work with holistically. You may want to see if you can find a holistic vet in your area since it sounds like she has quite a lot going on.

Here is an article with some links to find a good holistic vet

http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2011/12/11/how-to-find-a-good-holistic-vet-to-work-with/

You may also be able to find something to help with the her anxiety in this article

http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2010/02/01/dementia-and-anxiety-in-your-older-dog-what-to-do/ and by looking through the thread on dementia and anxiety in these forums. http://pathwithpaws.com/forums/topic/article-on-dementia When you post in that thread on dementia it emails some of the folks who have posted in the past and they can be good at offering advice also so you may want to repost there as well.

It is hard when they guys get old. There is often not one magically solution but finding the right balance to help them as much as we can.

[Lena]

I’ve never used it before.

[Lena]

My thoughts on artemisinin have changed over the years. I used to say to give it with iron and I used to be concerned about antioxidants with it. Now I don’t worry about the iron or the antioxidants. Some of the studies on chemo which they also say shouldn’t be given with antioxidants have shown that animals/people actually do better on antioxidants even with agents that rely on free radical formation and cell damage. The antioxidants seem to preserve healthy cells but do not help cancer cells. So now I often use it with herbals that have high antioxidant action. I always give it with food and always have.

Not sure what Butryex is?

[Lena]

Hi Betsy,

Here is the protocol that I recommend for my clients. http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2009/01/27/to-vaccinate-or-not-to-vaccinate-that-is-the-question-part-1-cats/ I’m with Dr. Dodd on the minimal vaccination. If you think the chance of them being exposed to panleukopenia is very slim, I would wait until they are better, at least until the sneezing is very minimal to vaccinate. If you are involved in other shelter or rescue work and could come in contact with cats with panleuk I would go ahead and give them one vaccine at this point, if you can get something with just panleuk that is best but if not give the three way WITHOUT calici. Since they were bottle babies you should not have maternal antibody at this point. If you vaccinate with a modified live vaccine you can give up more at 16 weeks and call it good.

[Lena]

I find my cushings dogs do fine with a little organ meat. If you don’t have the ground bone you need another source of calcium, most of the dog foods use the ground bone because it is the easiest. In dogs I haven’t seen an issue with it.

[Author]

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