Lena
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Lena
KeymasterHi Ayse,
That all sounds like good supplements he is on. I would highly recommend finding a holistic vet in your area who can advise you on if there are better options out there.
If you haven’t seen it here is an article with links to finding a holistic vet in your area
http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2011/12/11/how-to-find-a-good-holistic-vet-to-work-with/
best wishes,
Lena
KeymasterIf you haven’t I would recommend reading through this thread http://pathwithpaws.com/forums/topic/article-on-dementia and also check out the article on dementia and the comments that follow it
http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2010/02/01/dementia-and-anxiety-in-your-older-dog-what-to-do/
KeymasterHi Michelle,
I’m not a huge fan of bone biopsies because of the complications and because you can usually tell from a X-ray. If you haven’t had the X-ray sent to a radiologist that would be a good option. A lot of times if there is uncertainty another option is to repeat the X-ray in a month to see if the lesion has gotten worse or not. If it is cancer usually it is worse then. I think getting a second opinion is an excellent idea.
Hopefully it is not cancer.
You may have already read this but here is my article on diet for cancer.
KeymasterWei Qi Booster and XFZYT are both not great for damp heat and can make it worse potentially because it is an excess condition and they are both tonics. It sounds like Joxer has moved into blood deficiency which XFZYT can be good for if there is not a strong damp heat component still present. There are also formulas that can treat blood deficiency and damp heat depending on presentation. However the vet you are working with is going to have a much better read of that then I can. Also herbs can take some time to work – often a month or more to see changes start to happen so make sure to stick with something for awhile esp if it seems to be helping.
Many good herb companies will only sell to practitioners. This is because Chinese herbs can be dangerous if used incorrectly and if animals or humans get sick or die from taking the wrong herb or taking too much the FDA may come in and ban the herbs for everyone. Wei Qi Booster was developed as a veterinary formula and so is not traditional. Most of the traditional formulas can be bought by anyone since so many companies make them. I believe Wei Qi is only made by one company.
KeymasterSome vets are also having success with high dosages of vit A/D. However the dosages used are high enough that they need to be given under the supervision of a veterinarian because of the risk of toxicity. However can be a fairly inexpensive treatment since the cost of vit A is low.
KeymasterI’m so sorry Leesa. It sounds like it was the right decision for Simon but it is still hard to let them go.
KeymasterI’ve used artemisinin many times with other herbs and chemo. However that needs to be a decision between you and your vet.
I often have folks that come to me as clients with animals on other supplements that I don’t use myself that they have found online. I often explain that it isn’t that those supplements are bad or wrong but that I have their dog or cat in front of me and am able to pick supplements or herbs that I feel like fit the best for that animal. Usually we end up stopping what they are already on so I can use herbals/supplements I have seen work well and fit their animal well. It may be the same with your holistic vet – we all have tools that work well in our hands and I respect that. He knows you dog after all and may feel he has better tools then the artemisinin. I almost always use it because I feel like the dogs I treat for cancer do better on it but I have holistic veterinarians I am close to who treat cancer well with other herbals/supplements. There are many ways to work with cancer.
KeymasterEuphrasia is the proper name for eyebright.
KeymasterI’m also not a fan of the anti-viral eye drops. Sometimes eyebright can help these guys. Animal Apawthecary sells an eye and nose drop that contains it. It can be used as a tincture given orally or the homeopathic form can be used as well. Lysine is very hit or miss – I’ve seen it help some. Lowering stress can also help so if a little rescue remedy in the water can go a long way with these guys.
Sometimes it just takes time for the eyes to clear also. One of my cats is chronic herpes and I don’t usually give her anything unless she is really bad which is not very often luckily. Most of the time her eyes clear on their own.
This is other of those quite hard to treat diseases.
KeymasterSkin is one of the most difficult things to treat. I often joke that it is harder to treat then cancer and more frustrating. The other thing I have found is that it can take a long time and a lot of ups and downs in the difficult cases. If it is a long term issue I find it will often take a year of careful herbal adjustments to make things better.
If there is a severe flea allergy I turn to the western drugs such as Advantage. I just have found that the natural stuff doesn’t cut it in the dogs where one flea bite sends them over the edge.
Some things to talk to your vet about if you haven’t tried them yet.
-raw diets can sometimes help more than a cooked or canned meal
-Nettles at high dosages of alcohol based tincture can help both long term and in many dogs have an immediate reduction of itch. I dose my dogs on nettles at 0.4ml per 10lb per dose given four times a day, this is much higher than many vets use.
-There is a neat little formula called Qing Ying Tang that I almost always start with for dogs that are severely itchy. It has to fit the case so this would be something to ask your vet about. Usually there is a lot of heat in the pulse/tongue and the dogs that need this formula can not go more than a minute or less without itching.
-If these guys are severely itchy I often will put them on a low dose steroid while we are working with natural therapies and then wean them off as they become less itchy. There is not anything strong enough herbally to stop the itch and some of these guys really need that relief.
Jox sounds like he is a chronic damp heat dog with blood deficiency which has become more pronounced as he has aged, but hard to judge that from a distance.
KeymasterI dose all animals under 25lb at 50mg twice a day including cats. I have found artemisinin to be very safe and have not had any animal have negative side effects from it (with the exception of that it is not safe with radiation therapy). However that needs to be a decision between you and your vet if you should start it or not.
KeymasterHi Poppy,
You should definitely consult with your vet about all this since they have all the records and know what is going on. You could also find a holistic vet to work with. If you haven’t found it you are welcome to read through my cancer articles http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/cancer-care/. These may be the most helpful for you and should answer your questions. Hopefully it is not lymphoma.
http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2011/03/26/artemisinin-when-cancer-cells-kill-themselves/
http://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2011/12/11/how-to-find-a-good-holistic-vet-to-work-with/
KeymasterHi Katy,
It is always hard to look back and wonder. I think we all do the best we can at the time. I also sometimes think back to my dog Jake who had dementia and wonder if I had taken different paths if it would have been easier. However I think in the end he would have ended up in the same place. Even with everything I have seen help it seems like in the end it reaches a point where nothing works.
As far as sublingual melatonin I’m not sure they have anything other then the pills and I those needs to stay under the tongue awhile to absorb so I am not sure if that would work well. If there is a liquid form that may be a good option, although even with a liquid you would need to to be under the tongue a certain amount of time.
The problem with injectible valium is that it really needs to be given IV into a vein to work well. It does not work to give it sub-Q. So unless they had a port in it would not be very useful. It also clears pretty fast after being given IV, oral lasts a lot longer.
KeymasterLeesa,
I don’t know if there is one right answer to knowing when it is time. There has been a few discussions on the forums about this for different animals. Many times you just know – there is often something that shifts. Usually I look for things like if they are eating, if they still want attention, how many good days there are compared to bad ones, if they are withdrawing from the family. With tumors in the mouth usually I find it is eating that is what ends up being the issue in the end.
We went through squamous cell with one of our cats – I knew it was time when he wanted to eat but couldn’t. He would try to and just could not work his mouth to swallow the food anymore. It was horrible to watch. He was already wanting to find places under the bushes to hide in and not seeking attention as much. It was pretty clear.
Don’t underestimate the value of pain meds, they can make living much easier.
I have also worked a lot with a shaman/animal communicator/healer Rose DeDan when it comes to end of life issues. She has been there to help me with my animals when I think we are getting close and I have found her work very helpful. http://reikishamanic.com/sessions/ She does do phone sessions. There may also be someone in your area who does similar work. I always recommend getting a recommendation from someone you know before working with a communicator. There are very good ones and ones who are unfortunately not good.
Remember too that they are attached to us and sometimes are not ready to leave us even if they are having difficulties. It is helpful to let him know that you understand that he may need to go and that it is ok for him to leave if he needs to.
If he is still enjoying life and eating, even if sometimes he is not happy, most likely he is not ready to go yet. But you know him better than anyone else so also follow your heart. There is not a wrong decision about this once they are hospice. Hopefully he will make it clear to you when he is ready.
KeymasterYes, the shots should help slow things down. Try some really soft wet food with him and ask your vet about pain meds if he still is not eating well.
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