K
kelley
Last Friday, my brother in CA called me about King, their 10 year old German Shepard Mix whom they rescued five years ago. King had been dumped somewhere in LA, and finally made it to my brother's neighborhood, very skinny, very thirsty, but otherwise seemingly unscathed. He rebounded and became a fit, athletic, healthy and happy dog. Two years ago the family moved to the Anderson Valley in northern CA. Two months ago they moved to a new house--its been a very hectic, stressful time for them for other reasons than the move.
King seemed unwell for the last couple of weeks but in an unspecific way. The family chalked it up to stress. He seemed to be gaining weight while being somewhat inappetent. Then last Thursday night, they realized that it wasn't weight but swelling along with trouble breathing. They thought there might be a blockage (the dog apparently likes to eat cat toys), and took King to the vet who did a battery of blood tests, all normal. However, through exam and x-ray what was found was a large amount of fluid in the abdomen and thorax, so much so that it made difficult any clear view of internal organs. Their recommendation was to take King to a cardiologist.
When my brother called me and described the symptoms-- fluid buildup, great thirst, anxiety, discomfort-- the first thing I thought of was Arsenicum which, of course, is a prominent heart remedy. What I actually thought was that King sounded poisoned. A couple of more questions revealed that King had received Bravecto, the flea/tick systemic about two weeks ago, which seemed to coincide with the onset of illness. My brother, who normally eschews such things, started giving it to King last year fearing Lyme disease--ticks are a big problem in the area. This was the fourth dose he had received.
I may have made the mistake of not fully repertorizing, but I suggested Ars. 30C. I'd been recently reading about the death of the young King Edward VI in the 16th C. He suffered from TB, but historians believe that his uncle hired an adept poisoner who used arsenic to attenuate his illness--putting off death long enough for his uncle to organize the succession to Lady Jane Grey--arsenic poisoning having the unique characteristic of both slowing death AND causing it. The physicians, who were unaware of the poison, recorded in great detail the intense sufferings of the patient including his being swollen nearly beyond recognition with fluid which they attempted repeatedly to drain.
Anyway...
After the first dose on Friday, King seemed slightly better, slightly less swollen--but I suspect this could be wishful thinking by my brother and his wife. I asked them to repeat the dose, a little stronger this time, late today. After the dose, he vomited a large amount of yellow stomach fluid which may or not have anything to do with the remedy. He doesn't seem to be as improved as I would think he would be if Arsenicum was the correct choice. Studying further, Apocynum is a good match to his symptoms. Have never used that remedy and am wondering about it.
Thanks for any thoughts!
King seemed unwell for the last couple of weeks but in an unspecific way. The family chalked it up to stress. He seemed to be gaining weight while being somewhat inappetent. Then last Thursday night, they realized that it wasn't weight but swelling along with trouble breathing. They thought there might be a blockage (the dog apparently likes to eat cat toys), and took King to the vet who did a battery of blood tests, all normal. However, through exam and x-ray what was found was a large amount of fluid in the abdomen and thorax, so much so that it made difficult any clear view of internal organs. Their recommendation was to take King to a cardiologist.
When my brother called me and described the symptoms-- fluid buildup, great thirst, anxiety, discomfort-- the first thing I thought of was Arsenicum which, of course, is a prominent heart remedy. What I actually thought was that King sounded poisoned. A couple of more questions revealed that King had received Bravecto, the flea/tick systemic about two weeks ago, which seemed to coincide with the onset of illness. My brother, who normally eschews such things, started giving it to King last year fearing Lyme disease--ticks are a big problem in the area. This was the fourth dose he had received.
I may have made the mistake of not fully repertorizing, but I suggested Ars. 30C. I'd been recently reading about the death of the young King Edward VI in the 16th C. He suffered from TB, but historians believe that his uncle hired an adept poisoner who used arsenic to attenuate his illness--putting off death long enough for his uncle to organize the succession to Lady Jane Grey--arsenic poisoning having the unique characteristic of both slowing death AND causing it. The physicians, who were unaware of the poison, recorded in great detail the intense sufferings of the patient including his being swollen nearly beyond recognition with fluid which they attempted repeatedly to drain.
Anyway...
After the first dose on Friday, King seemed slightly better, slightly less swollen--but I suspect this could be wishful thinking by my brother and his wife. I asked them to repeat the dose, a little stronger this time, late today. After the dose, he vomited a large amount of yellow stomach fluid which may or not have anything to do with the remedy. He doesn't seem to be as improved as I would think he would be if Arsenicum was the correct choice. Studying further, Apocynum is a good match to his symptoms. Have never used that remedy and am wondering about it.
Thanks for any thoughts!
