Maggie’s GI and Allergies

[Bethpatella]

Hi, All,

I’m hoping you can help us discern the next steps in Maggie’s healing...!

Maggie is a 4yr old rescue, cattle dog, terrier, beagle, lab mix! From the very night she came home at 10 weeks old, she was vomiting. Throughout her first year, I worked very hard to learn and change my whole approach in my care for Maggie. I left kibble and feed only a raw, fresh food diet plus herbs and supplements. Maggie’s stomach seemed to heal, and she’s been great with a few summer allergies where I eliminated chicken and beef during the warm months.

Now, this past March, Maggie has had bouts (about once a week) with diarrhea and no appetite. This lasts for about 24 hours. I can ONLY feed her cooked chicken. Any introduction back to raw or any other protein or vegetable makes the diarrhea worse!

Her BEAM has been great (aside from her lack of appetite for 24 hours.)

Then, came the itching and rashes.

I went to the wonderful HA! Seminar last weekend and gave her 30c of Arsenicum this past Wednesday (5/8.) There is still some intermittent diarrhea, but no driving her out of bed at 5:00am - so this is good!

But now...

Her itching is SO much worse! Itch, itch itch! Scratch, scratch, scratch! Naw, nibble, naw!

Thinking this is the body excreting?

What should I do since the diareah is still not completely gone and the itching is enormous!? Wait? Give another dose?

Thank you for your help!!

 

[Dr. Christina]

Great prescribing, Beth.
There are several possibilities:
1. Ars was a close remedy and helped the diarrhea. Repeating it may make the itching worse.
2. Ars is the best remedy right now and the dis-ease has moved from the internal (diarrhea) to the external. I know itching is very hard to watch but it is never life threatening like diarrhea can be.

You will not hurt (although maybe worse itching) if you repeat the arsenicum.

However, it would be helpful to know more about Maggie. Remember we are helping Maggie, not merely her diarrhea and skin problems.

How is her BEAM?
Does she have any of the Early Warning Signs?
What else changed as the diarrhea stopped and the itching worsened?
Did you try other proteins?
When is the itching worse? Does it stop on a walk, at night, during eating, when being petted, etc?

You can try some temporary help for the itching as you explore your next steps (wait longer or give another dose of the Arsenicum or consult with a veterinary homeopath):
Bathing (try hot and cold water)
Rescue Remedy
Reiki
Tellington T-Touch anxiety wrap

Because these issues have been going on a long time (since a puppy) with some palliative help (diet and herbs) you may need to consult with a homeopath.

Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks for the seminar kudos, and welcome Beth.

Fantastic that you gave her Arsenicum!

As Dr. Christina mentioned, there are two overall possibilities.

I'd also add a 3rd possibility that is rarely discussed.

That is, an over-response associated with the dosing method.

Size of the Medication Dose Matters. A lot! - Holistic Actions!

www.holisticactions.com

Did you use 1 pellet in her mouth?

Regardless, my first question to help you decide what to do right now would be regarding her prior drug treatment history?

For example, how often have anti-biotics or anti-inflammatories like metronidazole (which is both) been used for diarrhea,skin, ear, or other GI symptoms?

Drug use history will alter the interpretation of her itchiness.

You can also try any of the gentle supportive approaches which Dr. Christina mentioned while you are deciding what to do.

Also, my clinical experience is that for the future, and with most hyper-sensitive (aka allergic) pups, a 6c potency in water acts gentlest.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Also Beth, it would be awe-some if you post an introduction at:

Introduce Yourself

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your pets. Any community is based on getting to know other community members better and sharing problems and successes. This forum community is no different.

www.holisticactions.com

And perhaps a description of sound healing (for people and/or pets) and your contact info. at:

Holistic Practitioners & Pet Services

Share your experience with different holistic practitioners or find one in your area. Also, discuss any details related to pet services.

www.holisticactions.com

 

[Bethpatella]

Hi, Dr. Christina and Dr. Jeff!

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly!

In answer to your questions...

Maggie’s BEAM remains good despite the itching.

Her itching seems constant. During a walk, lying down, at night, etc.

I did try a bath but had no change in itchiness.

Maggie has had no allopathic medications in about 3 1/2 yrs. As a puppy, I did do metronidazole for a week until seeing it made her worse.

This morning, the itching is still intense and we’re back to an upset tummy again! She dove out of bed at 5:30am with her gurgling stomach and did have diarrhea.

I’m trying to decide if I should take her into conventional vet first to do some basic bloodwork? But I’m not sure if anything will show up?

Thank you for your help!!

Ps: I will definitely add more of my info about me and Sound Healing!

 

[Bethpatella]

And, yes, I used one pellet in Goat’s Milk.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Beth-

Great news about Maggie's drug history (or lack of one)!

How Persistent (one of the 4 Ps that describe the most important symptoms) is the
early am urgent diarrhea?

1. Persistent
2. Prominent
3. Problematic
4. Peculiar
   
   Does she tend to have diarrhea throughout the day as well?

Depending on the details, this rubric could be useful:

RECTUM - DIARRHEA - morning - waking with urging:

It contains 17 medicines and is most applicable if her stool is fine throughout the day.

Did she eat anything different yesterday?

Since you've found that eliminating chicken and beef in the warmer months is helpful, perhaps transitioning to lightly boiled white meat turkey + canned pumpkin would decrease her allergic itching.

Baseline, blood-urine-stool tests are great to have. However I agree that the chance of finding abnormalities on any of them is low for Maggie.

Did she have any parasites as a pup?

Also, let's see how her stools are today, and take a look at the article linked above (which includes the 6 Ps) to see if you can discern any other important symptoms.

The bottom line is that both her itching and gastrointestinal/stool symptoms are manifestations of the same chronic internal imbalance which may not resolve with acute homeopathy.

Chronic prescribing by a professional homeopath will definitely help.

In the meantime, you might want to pick up some Ars. 6c pellets...

 

[Bethpatella]

Hi Beth-

Great news about Maggie's drug history (or lack of one)!

How Persistent (one of the 4 Ps that describe the most important symptoms) is the
early am urgent diarrhea?

1. Persistent
2. Prominent
3. Problematic
4. Peculiar
   
   Does she tend to have diarrhea throughout the day as well?

Depending on the details, this rubric could be useful:

RECTUM - DIARRHEA - morning - waking with urging:

It contains 17 medicines and is most applicable if her stool is fine throughout the day.

Did she eat anything different yesterday?

Since you've found that eliminating chicken and beef in the warmer months is helpful, perhaps transitioning to lightly boiled white meat turkey + canned pumpkin would decrease her allergic itching.

Baseline, blood-urine-stool tests are great to have. However I agree that the chance of finding abnormalities on any of them is low for Maggie.

Did she have any parasites as a pup?

Also, let's see how her stools are today, and take a look at the article linked above (which includes the 6 Ps) to see if you can discern any other important symptoms.

The bottom line is that both her itching and gastrointestinal/stool symptoms are manifestations of the same chronic internal imbalance which may not resolve with acute homeopathy.

Chronic prescribing by a professional homeopath will definitely help.

In the meantime, you might want to pick up some Ars. 6c pellets...

 

[Bethpatella]

Maggie’s diarrhea continued through the morning. In waking, it’s pudding then turns to much more of a watery consistency until it seems there’s nothing left in her tummy - it’s like a purge.

Throughout this morning/afternoon bout, she has no appetite - not even for goat’s milk!

Then, by the evening, her appetite comes back and she’s hungry. I give her goat’s milk, a few pieces of chicken and her probiotics/digestive enzymes.

The itching continues.

For the “P’s”, it is persistent and prominent. Diarrhea occurs at least once a week and itching is continuous.

I did try turkey a few weeks ago, but that gave her diarrhea, too!

She did have parasites as a pup but has been free of them ever since.

I absolutely agree with you that this is all the same imbalance coming out in a myriad of ways!

I will make an appointment!

Thank you so much for all of this wonderful support!

 

[mhassine]

Three possible ideas:
- I'd try Benadryl, starting with 1/2 a pill in a meal to check how her response is. My dog Cassie has seasonal allergies and Benadryl stops her itching.
- I just started experimenting with diatomaceous earth, food grade on me and my dog. Works wonderfully to get germs, heavy metals, and finish bugs off. It is likely Maggy may have some form of parasite that may thrive on sugar (in lactose). A little milk is okay, but then that little milk is enough to reignite intestinal parasites.
- raw food remains raw if you freeze it and unfreeze it. In the process, it gets rid of any salmonella. I systematically freeze all raw meats and fish before thawing them. My dog never gets anything straight from the store. All raw meats are covered in thin layers of contaminated material.

Let us know!

Good luck!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks for your great input Michelle!

Yes, Benadryl and other anti-histamines can be effective palliatives.

1/4 of a children's chewable 12.5mg Benadryl is a nice low dose to start if you'd like to try it Beth.

Skin Soother flower essence can also be quite effective and safe.

Skin Soother

If your cat struggles with skin issues, Jackson Galaxy may have the solution. Factors such as food, inhalant, and environmental allergies can lead many animals to believe that they are under attack from their own skin. This solution helps address the energetic imbalances in our animals that can...

www.jacksongalaxy.com

DE (diatomaceous earth) is also great to try Beth. Both topical and oral.

Freezing can reduce bacteria, but the effectiveness depends on the temperature of the freezer and amount of time that the food remains frozen.

Beth, if you purchased Ars 6c, you can dissolve 1 pellet in 1 cup of bottled/distilled water, dip a Q-Tip in the solution and touch it to Maggie's gums.

Save the rest of the cup.

Thanks for sending Maggie's info. I'll review it and call you for a quick chat to discuss individualizing her treatment further.

 

[Bethpatella]

Thank you both for the info!

Is there a “mail order company” where I can get 6c? My health food store only has 30c.

Thanks!

 

[lizkunz]

Dr. Jeff do you remember Doggy Goo? You recommended it many years ago. What do you think about it now? Doggy GOO

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Yes, and yes (Beth and Liz).

Beth, you can order reliable remedies from:

Txoptions.com

www.txoptions.com

Great suggestion Liz about oral hypo-sensitization for Maggie.

Beth, let's first chat a bit tomorrow (5/15) to decide what to do.

 

[Bethpatella]

Hi, Dr. Jeff and Liz,

Thank you for these wonderful suggestions and information!

Dr. Jeff: I very much look forward to taking with you today!

Thanks so much!

Beth and Maggie