14 Month Old Zoey's Itching & Vomiting - Her Case

[JodyLT]

UPDATE ON ZOEY-4/16/21 - Hi everyone - it's been awhile since I last posted about Zoey here. I've been talking to @Dr. Jeff and @Dr. Christina offline but wanted to update the community, as well, so you can follow along if you'd like.

Zoey is a stubborn case. Her right ear infection cleared pretty quickly with, first, apple cider vinegar/filtered water mixture followed by mullein garlic oil. That left one, though, is a stubborn one. Still inflamed but not red. Still itching itching, as well as on her belly and neck. We tried Sulphur, then Sepia, then Sulphur and now, after talking with Dr. Jeff about a small handful of remedies, I chose Pulsatilla. Just before this for a few days, Zoey presented with diarrhea and vomiting, but chronic conditions from over the last year, with the diarrhea including blood in the last couple of poops.

She fasted Zoey for 24 hours, then started her on bone broth when the vomiting and diarrhea passed. After a day on bone broth, she graduated to boiled white meat chicken with the broth and then, as Zoey was doing so well, slowly introduced her raw beef and then veggies back in. As of today, she is eating her normal diet.

Today her mom sent me photos of her stool (LOL) encased in a layer of mucous, which sometimes happens with my dogs although hasn't in a while. I think it means there's some inflammation in the digestive tract; @Dr. Jeff please confirm this.

She started on the Pulsatilla in 6C for 3 doses on Tuesday night and then 2 doses Wednesday.

Mom reported that Zoey seemed so calm after her first dose of the remedy and wanted to lie down on mom's lap, not really something Zoey's regularly does. She said Zoey seemed sedated.

Wednesday Zoey had soft stools, I think from the change in diet to the broth, chicken before bringing her back onto her food. No blood.

Thursday morning, Zoey's cough, which had resolved about a month ago, came back; she was coughing quite a bit. Wondering if this is an aggravation and a good one or not. Again, @Dr. Jeff, if you wouldn't mind weighing in; would appreciate.

After the third dose of Pulsatilla, we're waiting the 3-5 days. Third does was mid day on Wednesday.

If that doesn't work, I'm concerned mom will have lost faith as this ear and Zoey's other symptoms (but especially her left ear), has been very stubborn. I don't want to see her go the antibiotic route.

I'll keep you posted.

Jody

Yes @Dr. Jeff, as I suspected, mom has lost faith. She said today if the Pulsatilla doesn't start working by Monday, she is going to the vet; that Zoey has been suffering for a month and she doesn't think homeopathy can help Zoey. It's sad for Zoey. And frustrating for me. If I could've gotten her ear infection under control, I think mom would've stayed the course. It's hard for her to really understand that it takes time and experimentation to trigger the body to start healing a chronic issue. And, we'd had movement. This must be the frustration you sometimes feel in your practice in the past years, Dr. Jeff.

 

[JodyLT]

I think I may have brought mom back, @ChristineL ! I do want advice from @Dr. Jeff because if the Pulsatilla is slowly working (6C; 3 doses then stopped and waited 3-5 days), we will continue to wait, a much tougher road for mom. My thought is that Zoey's cough, which went away after the Sulphur, returned the very next morning after the first dose of Pulsatilla. It then went away again within a day. Still gone and its been 2 days. While it seems the Pulsatilla brought the cough back up, it has not, as yet, had any effect on Zoey's left ear infection and her incessant scratching, the key symptom so upsetting for mom and dad. So, I'm not sure if this is an exciting return of an older symptom or not. @Dr. Jeff @Dr. Christina @GinnyW ?

I was going to go a different route now that mom seems to want to give homeopathy one more chance. I was going to suggest based on her key symptom and was looking at Mezereum. It is a suggested remedy for eczema and dermatitis with itching worse at night and from touch, better in open air, which fits Zoey. I think this will be my last opportunity so I want it to be a good one.

Feedback from anyone is welcomed. Thanks! Jody

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Oy, I'm so sorry to hear this Jody.

Yes, I feel your pain and have had similar frustrations.

Ear inflammations may be among the most frustrating conditions to work with.

Do you think Zoey's vital force will respond quickly to palliation/suppression by the meds? Why (or why not)?

What implications does this have for future ear flare-ups and other health challenges?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Cool! Your positive post just popped up (after I wrote the previous reply).

I'll go back over the thread in order to answer your questions Jody, later.

In the meantime, I'd love you ponder my questions.

 

[JodyLT]

Cool! Your positive post just popped up (after I wrote the previous reply).

I'll go back over the thread in order to answer your questions Jody, later.

In the meantime, I'd love you ponder my questions.

Hi Dr. Jeff - Your questions. And yes, oy. Do I think her Vital Force will respond quickly to palliation or suppression? Maybe. It's hard to know. She was zapped several times when she was a pup with vaccines and antibiotics. She's had chronic itching, that cough, intermittent vomiting and diarrhea for awhile. She's young, which is in her favor. And, her BEAM has been consistently good, also in her favor. But its very difficult for anyone to know if this disappearance again of the cough, after returning just after the first dose of Pulsatilla, was palliation or suppression and ends up returning again and again or, in the case of suppression, as something else.
I came across this quote that I loved on a homeopathy site: Pema Chödrön – “The truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together then they fall apart. They come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that.”

Whether to wait some more (something mom and definitely dad may not want to do) to see if the Pulsatilla continues to create movement in Zoey's VF to heal is the nuance of homeopathy, right? The inflamed left ear remains the same and THAT is the big issue to mom and dad, since they see her scratching scratching and they look and see an inflamed ear and think, "This must be hurting her; she's suffering; will this be dangerous to her if it continues as Jody tries to work this out." So....I thought let's look at Mezereum, since it is one remedy that comes up specifically for eczema and dermatitis with itching, worse at night and from touch, both which fit the Zoester.

And, I don't want to make a rookie mistake and leave a remedy too soon. Lisa and you, respectively, taught me to milk a remedy at a specific potency for all its worth and also to wait.

So, here we are. That's the guidance I'd so appreciate. I want to do my best for Zoey. I've been doing that, with partial success (her diarrhea and vomiting have passed, her cough is, at least for now, passed). Those could be good signs...maybe. LOL

Look forward to hearing back from you and anyone else with a knowledgeable opinion on the platform.

Thanks!

Jody

 

[Dr. Jeff]

If you think the remedy is right, and they don't want to wait, sometimes a higher potency (30c vs. the 6c) can act faster and deeper...

 

[JodyLT]

If you think the remedy is right, and they don't want to wait, sometimes a higher potency (30c vs. the 6c) can act faster and deeper...

I’m not sure if the remedy is right. I relayed what happened in that there was movement, good, bad or indifferent, Re the cough with pulsatilla. But no movement Re the ear.

 

[GinnyW]

It has often been noted that symptoms of the skin - and this would include ears - often are the first signs of chronic derangement to appear, and also the last to resolve. The skin is the body's largest organ of elimination, and thus handles a lot of the disease energy affecting us. I tend to be grateful for skin symptoms, as they provide valuable information without necessarily involving deeper systems. This is to say that although nasty ears can look terrible and seem to cause pain, they may be less serious than an invisible deep organic disorder. I'd be glad for the ebb and flow of info about her vital force, and not overly worried about little changes here. See, perhaps, if you can find a way to convey this idea to Dad and Mom, telling them how superficial the ear stuff really is, and yet how important for it to play out for everyone's benefit And my feeling is that she has a lot more to do with Pulsatilla yet. The quick fixes of conventional meds are not fixes, just paint and wallpaper over the authentic issues...

 

[JodyLT]

It has often been noted that symptoms of the skin - and this would include ears - often are the first signs of chronic derangement to appear, and also the last to resolve. The skin is the body's largest organ of elimination, and thus handles a lot of the disease energy affecting us. I tend to be grateful for skin symptoms, as they provide valuable information without necessarily involving deeper systems. This is to say that although nasty ears can look terrible and seem to cause pain, they may be less serious than an invisible deep organic disorder. I'd be glad for the ebb and flow of info about her vital force, and not overly worried about little changes here. See, perhaps, if you can find a way to convey this idea to Dad and Mom, telling them how superficial the ear stuff really is, and yet how important for it to play out for everyone's benefit And my feeling is that she has a lot more to do with Pulsatilla yet. The quick fixes of conventional meds are not fixes, just paint and wallpaper over the authentic issues...

Thanks so much, @GinnyW ! So appreciate the feedback. I will see if they’ll relax into giving her 30C Pulsatilla. How many doses would you think to see if it’ll move things further along?

 

[GinnyW]

Oh, I can't say that! Educated guess? Nope; educated enough not to. We might know of other cases, histories, etc. But this is HER disease, and her body will do what it can, when it can. We are just, hopefully, giving a little shove and lighting the way. Perspicacious patience will provide an answer. You know, it strikes me as a bit like watching a plant grow - you never know where it's going, or what delightful shape it will take....

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Perspicacious patience will provide an answer. You know, it strikes me as a bit like watching a plant grow - you never know where it's going, or what delightful shape it will take...

What wonderful words! Thanks for sharing your wisdom Ginny.

 

[JodyLT]

What wonderful words! Thanks for sharing your wisdom Ginny.

Thanks @GinnyW . @Dr. Jeff mom was told since zoeys ear swollen inside that if they let it go on, Zoey could lose her hearing. Is there any truth to this?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Great question Jody!

This brings up such an important question. Are chronic ear (or other) problems caused by the symptoms or are they correlated with them.

There is indeed a correlation between deafness and chronic (using calcifying) ear symptoms.

Did the vet do a thorough ear flush and examine the eardrum?

 

[JodyLT]

Great question Jody!

This brings up such an important question. Are chronic ear (or other) problems caused by the symptoms or are they correlated with them.

There is indeed a correlation between deafness and chronic (using calcifying) ear symptoms.

Did the vet do a thorough ear flush and examine the eardrum?

Yes the vet did an ear flush, both ears. I've asked mom if they examined Zoey's eardrum. If she doesnt know, I've asked her to call the vet and find out and tell me. If there is a chance of this, I do not want to mess with this. I am not a vet and not experienced enough as a practitioner to get involved where something like this could happen. I would never forgive myself if waiting caused Zoey to lose her hearing.

 

[JodyLT]

Yes the vet did an ear flush, both ears. I've asked mom if they examined Zoey's eardrum. If she doesnt know, I've asked her to call the vet and find out and tell me. If there is a chance of this, I do not want to mess with this. I am not a vet and not experienced enough as a practitioner to get involved where something like this could happen. I would never forgive myself if waiting caused Zoey to lose her hearing.

OK mom came back. When she took her back on March 22, vet did examine eardrum too and said Zoey has an external ear infection called otitis and her eardrum was ok. Her ear wasn't as inflamed back then as is now. She hasn't had it rechecked since then. Recommendations at this point? Thanks!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

How's her BEAM?

At this point, is her ear mainly red/inflamed/swollen, or is there lots of discharge as well?

 

[JodyLT]

How's her BEAM?

At this point, is her ear mainly red/inflamed/swollen, or is there lots of discharge as well?

Her BEAM has been good all along. Not lots of discharge. Mostly inflamed/swollen in left ear. I don't think red now but I will ask mom to send photo from today and share.