Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (71 page)

Homeopathic
—
Sepia
(cuttlefish ink) 30C: Use Homeopathic Schedule 2 (
view
). If the mother does not accept the young within a few hours, then the puppies or kittens will have to be raised with a bottle. See chapter 5 for guidance on this.

RABIES

Rabies is a serious disease that affects many different types of animals, including human beings. Once the clinical signs develop, it is usually fatal. These symptoms often include very aggressive behavior and biting, which is how the disease gets spread (via saliva). Even if untreated, however, many people or pets bitten by a rabid animal do not develop the disease. The hitch is that once the condition develops, there is no orthodox treatment to save the patient. (Just yesterday I heard of the amazing case of a young girl with rabies saved by giving her an anesthetic that saved her brain until the immune system could catch up. I have also heard occasional reports of recovery by a variety of alternative methods, including homeopathy—fortunately, I have never treated it myself.)

One of the most exciting and promising new treatments is the use of vitamin C. It sounds unbelievable, but as far back as 20 years ago research studies were finding that vitamin C injections into guinea pigs infected with rabies decreased the death rate by 50 percent. Considering how few treatments are available for rabies, this is a dramatic finding. One can only hope that such research continues.

Because of its well-known fatality rate, however, the public is justly very afraid of this disease. For that reason, local governments have adopted precautions, including a legal requirement for a periodic rabies vaccination for dogs (cats are still optional in most states, but not all).

Most of the danger to humans is not actually from dogs and cats, but from wild animals such as skunks and raccoons that are captured for sale and/or adopted as pets.
Unfortunately, rabies vaccines developed for dogs and cats may not be completely safe or effective in these species. (For example, it is not recommended that wolf hybrids be vaccinated with rabies vaccine because of the risk of infection.) Since the chance of getting rabies from wild animals is so high—in addition to the ethical and ecological considerations of wild-animal adoption—it is not wise to keep them as pets. (See chapter 11 for ways to protect yourself from the bite of a dog and what to do if you have been bitten.)

RADIATION TOXICITY

The most common sources of radiation exposure for the average animal are diagnostic x-rays and radiation therapy (I do not recommend the latter). Other possibilities are less obvious—such as leakage from a nuclear power plant or storage area. Sometimes it is the water. Strange to say, there are some parts of the country where drinking water is contaminated with radiation leaking out of storage containers. (Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington near where I live has had several reported leaks over the years, and since it is next to the Columbia River, these leaks end up in the drinking water for Portland, Oregon.)

In any case, the body must repair a lot of cellular damage using cell functions that also may be affected by the exposure. Fortunately, there are ways to enhance this healing process. Use them after any known or suspected radiation exposure. (If there is leakage from a power plant or other atmospheric leakage, it would be best to keep your animal and yourself indoors for a while.)

Nutrition is the main aid. Emphasize rolled oats as your choice of grains for several weeks. It helps counteract nausea and other side effects. Be sure to include the normal supplements of nutritional yeast, cold-pressed unsaturated vegetable oil (for vitamin F), and kelp (contains alginate, which helps to remove strontium 90 from the body and to block absorption of radioactive iodine). In addition, give rutin (bioflavonoids), which has reduced the death rate in irradiated animals by 800 percent; vitamin C, which works with rutin to strengthen the circulatory system and counteract stress; and pantothenic acid, which helps to prevent radiation injuries and has increased the survival rate in irradiated animals by 200 percent. Depending on size, give daily: 100 to 400 milligrams rutin, 250 to 2,000 milligrams vitamin C, and 5 to 20 milligrams pantothenic acid.

If your animal is more than mildly affected by radiation and needs extensive treatment, a trained homeopath can provide an individualized prescription that may be of great help.

REPRODUCTIVE ORGAN PROBLEMS

The two most common reproductive problems affect female animals—pyometra and metritis. In both cases the uterus (womb)
is the seat of the disorder, and prompt treatment is needed before the condition progresses too far. We’ll look at each of these, and then at mastitis (mammary gland infection).

Pyometra

Coming on slowly over weeks or months, pyometra first appears as irregular heat periods and a discharge of reddish mucus from the vagina between heats. If unrecognized and untreated, it progresses to the point of severe depression, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, discolored vaginal discharge (not always present), excessive water consumption, and excessive urination. The large water intake mimics kidney failure, but the other symptoms help you tell the difference, particularly if there is a vaginal discharge and the animal is an unspayed dog or cat several years old that had many heats without being bred. A probable secondary cause is a high-hormone diet (from glandular meats or meat containing hormones used to fatten cattle). Concentrated in meat meal and other commercial pet food, hormones may predispose the uterus to malfunction.

Prevention, therefore, is simple—the spay operation for the young female.

T
REATMENT

Dogs (and sometimes cats) with pyometra can suddenly develop a crisis that may require surgical removal of the uterus, which often has become quite large and distended with fluid. The process is much more serious and difficult yet basically the same as the spay operation.

Those animals not so severely affected may be helped by:

Homeopathic
—
Pulsatilla
(windflower) 30C: Use Homeopathic Schedule 2 (
view
). This remedy is best for the animal that is not very thirsty (which is unusual) and wants to be comforted (petted or held). If there is a vaginal discharge, it is usually thick and yellowish or greenish.

Homeopathic
—
Sepia
(cuttlefish ink) 30C: Use Homeopathic Schedule 2 (
view
). If there has been no improvement within 5 days of completing the
Pulsatilla
treatment above, then use this remedy. It is often sufficient.

Metritis

Right after giving birth and occasionally right after breeding, the uterus is susceptible to bacterial infection. Should infection occur, symptoms can be severe. They include fever, depression, not caring for the young, and a foul-smelling vaginal discharge.

Normal vaginal discharge following an uncomplicated delivery is dark green to brown and odorless. If all the young and all the afterbirths have come out properly, within 12 hours it becomes more like clear mucus (though possibly tinged with blood). But if a dark green to reddish-brown, thick and unusually foul-smelling discharge continues for 12 to 24 hours after the delivery, the uterus is probably infected.

T
REATMENT

Once metritis has developed, it can become severe, so you should seek professional help. However, these remedies may also help.

Homeopathic
—
Aconitum napellus
(monkshood) 30C: Use Homeopathic Schedule 2 (
view
). This remedy is indicated for the animal that has a fever and is acting very frightened or anxious. It will startle easily and be very agitated.

Homeopathic
—
Belladonna
(deadly nightshade) 30C: Use Homeopathic Schedule 2 (
view
). This remedy is an alternative to Aconitum and is needed by the animal that has a fever and feels hot (especially the head) and has dilated pupils. Sometimes there is also an excitability similar to delirium, with a tendency to bite or act aggressively.

See the section on “Pregnancy, Birth, and Care of Newborns” for information on infection from retained afterbirths.

Mastitis

The mammary glands are most susceptible to infection when they are actively secreting milk. An infected breast will be hard, sensitive, painful, and discolored (reddishpurple). There may be abscesses and drainage as well. Your veterinarian will usually prescribe antibiotics. Here are some of the successful homeopathic treatments I have used. Use Homeopathic Schedule 2, (
view
), for all of these.

Homeopathic
—
Aconitum napellus
(monks hood) 30C: For the very first signs of infection, with fever, restlessness, and anxiety.

Homeopathic
—
Belladonna
(deadly nightshade) 30C: For the dog with fever, dilated pupils, and excitability.

Homeopathic
—
Phytolacca
(poke root) 30C: For mastitis where the breast is very hard to the touch and extremely painful.

Homeopathic
—
Lachesis muta
(bushmaster snake venom) 30C: Use when a left breast is affected, especially if the skin over the area has turned bluish or black.

Homeopathic
—
Pulsatilla
(windflower) 30C: For the dog that is whining, shows no sign of thirst, and wants comfort.

RINGWORM

See “Skin Parasites.”

SINUSITIS

See “Upper Respiratory Infections.”

SKIN PARASITES

See “Ear Problems” for a discussion of ear mites.

External parasites (such as ticks and fleas) seem to be most attracted to animals in poor health. I have seen many pets with fleas on the outside, worms on the inside, and some other problem like a chronic skin disease. I’ve also observed that when an animal is placed on my natural diet and my other recommended lifestyle changes are made, the number of
fleas and other parasites often decrease markedly. They don’t completely disappear, but they no longer constitute a problem. Other measures of control, if needed, are then much easier and more effective.

When I’m trying to evaluate an animal’s overall health, I find it useful to judge the seriousness of any skin parasites that may be present. From least serious to most serious, I rank them in this order: ticks, fleas, lice, and, finally, mange mites or ringworm. By this scale I consider a cat with lice to be more seriously ill than one with fleas and a dog with mange worse off than one with ticks, and soon.

Let’s discuss each of these parasites in turn and consider ways to control them without poisonous chemicals. You must realize, however, that by themselves, neither these suggested measures nor chemical insecticides are effective in the long run. The best results occur when an animal is on a natural diet, lives in a good environment, gets enough sunlight, and is exercised and groomed regularly, as discussed elsewhere in the book.

Ticks

Ticks are not permanent residents. Rather, they attach themselves, suck some blood, and later fall off to lay eggs. The young ticks that hatch out crawl up to the ends of branches and grasses and patiently wait (for weeks, if necessary) for something warm-blooded and good tasting to come along and brush against the vegetation. Then they drop on and find a nice, cozy place to attach.

P
REVENTION

Groom your pet thoroughly before you let it run in an area likely to contain ticks, such as woods or fields. Remove loose hair and mats so access to the skin is easier, and dust the coat with an herbal flea repellent. (Commercial formulas containing eucalyptus powder are particularly useful.) Work the repellent through the hair and into the skin.

T
REATMENT

When you return home after the adventure, check for any stalwart ticks that may have made it aboard your pet despite precautions. A fine-toothed flea comb may help to locate them or even capture any that are not yet attached. This also is a good time to remove foxtails (see “Foxtails”). Look especially closely around the neck and head and under the ears.

If you find a tick already attached, remove it like this: With the nails of your thumb and forefinger (or a pair of tweezers—some are now available just for this purpose), reach around the tick and grasp it as close to the skin as possible; don’t worry, it won’t bite! You want to remove the whole thing, not just pull off the tick’s body and leave the head still embedded. Use a slow, steady pull (10 to 20 seconds) and, with a slight twist, pull out the little bugger—head, body, and all. You will have to pull strongly but not quickly. Look closely to see if you got the tick’s tiny
head; it will probably have a little shred of tissue still attached to it. Wash your hands when you are done with removal.

If the head is left behind despite your care, the area may fester for a while, much like a splinter under the skin. But this is minor and can be treated with the herbs echinacea or calendula as described under “Abscesses.”

Sometimes small ticks crawl down inside the ear. If your dog is shaking its head a lot after a trip through tick land, have your veterinarian look down the ear canal with an instrument to check for this or for a possible foxtail.

What if all natural methods fail? At this time I have no other options to offer. Minor tick infestations can be handled with the methods I describe, but horrendous attacks are overwhelming. My clients and I have tried numerous methods that have not worked. So if you are dealing with hundreds or thousands of ticks (I am not exaggerating), you will have to turn to chemical treatment to control them.