When to call it quits? | Coughing pup

[ChristineL]

Hello All I'm new here. I'm very thankful that I am finally able to join this community. I'm fairly new to homeopathy. My dog is 13 years old with Mitral Valve Degeneration. He was diagnosed about three years ago. I started him on homeopathy treatment late last year but it didn't work out (vet was difficult to work with) then again by another wonderful homeopath vet early this year until now. During the course of second treatment, we saw improvements while adjusting his allopathic meds (Pimobendan and Lasix) and we were able to complete take him off of hydrocodone (he only took it when his coughing was very severe)...however, he was rushed to ER last Friday and stayed overnight due to rapid and labored breathing..he was going into congestive heart failure and they caught it in time and pulled him out of it. Now, he's on more allopathic meds (his cardiologist increased the dosage of both heart meds). I just feel awful and am still crying (as I'm typing this)..I feel like I've failed him...the second homeopath vet (just a wonderful person!) realized she could not cure him but can palliate him....now I"m seeking the help of third homeopath vet...is there still hope? When do we call it quits in seeking a cure? Has anyone seen or heard of dogs with CHF being cured?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Good morning and welcome! We're glad to have you join our supportive community.

Great question!

Curability of any lesion is directly related to the degree of structural changes.

For example, based on the echo report that I just reviewed, your pup has some severe heart changes including total rupture of the little strands of heart muscle that keep the heart valve working properly.

However we know that "where there's life there's hope" and there's just no way to now for sure until we work with your pups body using homeopathy.

Since you've already been doing this with two excellent vet homeopaths, the odds of a cure are less.

Better quality of life and slowing down of the progression of the heart dis-ease might be more realistic goals at this time.

I'll also share your question with Dr. Larry who discussed heart dis-ease and pimobendan during the heart course last year.

Let's see what he says.

 

[ChristineL]

Thanks Dr. Jeff for your response. I loved what you said "where there's life, there's hope." I've learned from other posts that it may take much longer for an animal with chronic disease to reach a cure, if that's possible. One of the testimonies in another post was a cat being cured after 1-3 years of treatment. [Please note that I also recognized that there are instances where chronic diseases were cured in short amount of time in some animals.] With that being said, my pup and I had only worked with the first homeopath vet for less than two months (the reason was...my pup has collapsed trachea and was in such distress due to coughing but when I reached out to him about this issue, he yelled at me and said "we're treating the heart first....lock him in the bathroom with hot water running"...so that's the end of us working with him. His response brought me such confusion about homeopathy, as I thought the way homeopathy works was not treating specific symptoms directly but, via the remedy, the vital force is being activated in the body to ultimately overpower the disease in the animal??).
Anyhow, we worked with the second homeopath vet for 4 months...so would you say that the total duration of treatment for my pup is considered short? Can we not count the treatment by the first vet? The first vet prescribed Catcus Grandiflora LM1,2,3,4,5 in the two months we worked together. The second vet prescribed Puls LM1, 2, 3 then Sulf LM1.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

You're welcome!

Oy, I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with your first homeopath.

You are exactly correct about how homeopathy works!

Yes, 6 months is a relatively short time to see resolution of tissue pathology.

However, you absolutely should have seen BEAM improvements by then.

 

[ChristineL]

Thanks, Dr. Jeff. Yes, there were noticeable BEAM (now I know how to call them!) improvements during those two courses of treatment I look forward to learning more here!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Great (improvements in BEAM)!

That means your pup is moving towards cure!!

 

[ChristineL]

CURE!!!?????!!!! YES!

 

[Dr. Christina]

You have already absorbed so much information. Yes, cures are possible regardless of the condition, and not every animal can be cured.

You may want to read Homeopathy: What to expect, by Dr. Ed Debeukelaer. He has 101 cured cases (by several different homeopaths). One was an old dog who suddenly developed heart disease. Two doses of a low potency of a homeopathic completely resolved his symptoms. Other cases in the book (different illnesses) took years of treatment.

The 5 main responses any individual can have to any kind of treatment are cure, moving towards a cure, palliation, suppression, no apparent effect.
As long as the BEAM and other quality of life symptoms are improving, your dog is moving towards a cure, even if symptoms are present and even if some symptoms worsen or new ones appear.

To address your earlier question - when is it time to quit? That is, of course, very different for different people. One of our faculty members, Gail Pope, does a lot of wonderful holistic hospice work and has several booklets on this topic.

For me, when animal is not responding much, is having very little joy (could be sleeping 18 hours a day, yet has great joy when awake for 5 and 10 minutes at a time), has a lot of discomfort that nothing is helping or the family (me) has reaching their limit (could be for many reasons).

Dr. Chambreau

 

[SaraF]

Great (improvements in BEAM)!

That means your pup is moving towards cure!!

My 5 month old German Shepherd is showing signs of collapsed trachea. He gags/coughs if I pick him up around that area or if his collar pulls on that area. He also sounds hoarse when he whimpers or cries (this is because he doesn't love his kennel yet.) Everything online has made this sound uncurable. I'm feeling very discouraged. Is there something I can give him to strengthen his trachea before it progresses?
My other dog is a patient of Dr. Judy. I'd be happy to reach out to her if I need a prescribed medication.
Thank you Dr. Jeff
@Dr. Jeff

 

[Dr. Christina]

Definitely reach out to Dr. Judy, Sara.

Even if it is collapsing trachea (rarely accurately diagnosed), it is treatable. The internet gives very inaccurate information which is one reason we work to have lots of reliable info for you here at HA.

Rather than thinking of a need for one specific medication for one symptom (coughing when pressing on trachea), have your HMDM goal be to fully restore the energy balance so no symptoms are present, including any of the Early Warning signs of internal imbalance and there is great BEAM.

Anytime there is a symptom that does not resolve in a few days or weeks, it is time to consult your homeopath (or other holistic vet others are working with). The longer one waits, the more difficult it can be to resolve. By using internal treatments to balance the vital force, there is less chance of any other ailments developing!

I would also suggest keeping the Healthy Dog Journal so you can keep your 5 month old puppy on the healthy track, Sara.

Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Sara, how's your hoarse pup's BEAM?

Has he had any exposure to other dogs (such as a kennel, groomer, vet office, etc.) in the past 2 weeks?

Collapsing trachea in a young G. Shep is super unlikely.

I bet his own body and Dr. Judy will fix him up.

 

[SaraF]

He has been doing to Pup Scouts, basic training, with other dogs. But I've noticed this since we brought him home. I guess I just chalked up up to being a puppy, growing, growing pains and that he'd outgrow it. Hoping that is still possible! Your words give me hope! I've been obsessed for 24 hours now Googling "puppy coughs when picked up" and "hoarse cough" and all signs point to something I don't want to hear. His beam is great! His behavior is amazing! He's a happy, fun loving puppy. He runs, plays ball, chases and wrestles with his 4 year old husky sister. His appetite is over the top, as he is very food motivated! I've been giving him Honest Kitchen dehydrated puppy food. Along with fruit/vegetable smoothies. But, I spent most of today on this site and headed to the store. I picked up some grass fed beef and some marrow bones. He just finished his first marrow bone. I follow Anthony William, Medical Medium lifestyle. He has a pet health page where he lists what he does for his dogs and it aligns with what you do for your dogs here. He's also who I heard of you and this amazing community from. Luca is, in my eyes, basically the picture perfect idea of what you'd think a GSD puppy would be right now. Other than he coughs when you pick him up, he coughs if you walk him on a collar without a harness, basically any pressure to that area. Once in awhile he will cough if he drinks to quickly or is wrestling too hard with his sister. However, his cough is NOT 'goose honking' like they claim it normally is. It's more of a hoarse gag sound. I should mention he hates his kennel and cries, barks, howls in there for a long time before he settles down. I wondered if that was the cause. But, I think I noticed it before I even started putting him in his kennel. And he only goes in there about 6 hours a week, as I work mostly from home. Sorry this is so long, I just feel defeated. I believe in prayer and have been praying all day for him.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

He'll be fine thanks to his natural healing ability which will be optimized by your harnessing the awe-some healing power of prayer and love.

Luca's one lucky pup to have you as his mom! ???

 

[GinnyW]

And please use only a harness on him; no collar. There are many styles available which would not be overly confining, but would not impinge on his throat.

My breed has, it seems, a hereditary predilection for laryngeal paralysis. Sometimes this is a killer of entire litters; sometimes just an irritation as you have, sometimes worse with age. So that's the first thing of which I think...

 

[SaraF]

And please use only a harness on him; no collar. There are many styles available which would not be overly confining, but would not impinge on his throat.



My breed has, it seems, a hereditary predilection for laryngeal paralysis. Sometimes this is a killer of entire litters; sometimes just an irritation as you have, sometimes worse with age. So that's the first thing of which I think...

 

[SaraF]

Thank you. I only use a harness on him. He's not on a leash often, as we have a fairly large, fenced in yard. But when he is, we do use a harness .