Damn The Diagnosis: Get On With the Cure!
You’re spending way too much money on your animals.
In the name of diagnosis.
You tell me about it regularly.
And I cringe when I read your emails. How can I break it to you gently?
There’s a way to get so much more “bang for your buck” than learning the umpteenth thing that Rosie is allergic to!
But, first things first.
Let’s take a 30,000 foot view of how you can spend money on your pets.
Prevention Spending
You can (and I hope you do) spend money on prevention.
But, we live in dicey times.
While there’s truth to this old saw,
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
…it’s woefully out of date.
Here’s what I think is more fitting:
An ounce of conventional prevention could lead to multiple pounds of disease and attempted cure…
OR
An ounce of wise prevention is worth a boatload of cure.”
An analogous version is
Pay now (for wise prevention) or pay way more later (in expensive diagnostics and treatments that are non-ending).
The thing that keeps me fired up and writing and teaching is my desire to point out the undeniable fact, so clear 40+ years since my vet school days, that, unless you make wise prevention choices, it’s all too easy to:
- spend money on conventional prevention (over vaccinating, feeding “expensive junk food,” and poisoning pests), and then,
- spend much more money trying to name and undo the myriad chronic diseases that #1 created.
Of course, I want you to stop spending on #1 and instead, learn that you have far better choices for prevention spending.
That’s the entire focus of this site and every course I teach.
Smart Prevention Costs Less
Here’s what I see over and over.
- People learn about feeding raw balanced food, and their vet bills go down.
Never mind that they may get static from Dr. WhiteCoat for doing this, you do it because you know who you’re feeding. It just makes sense, and your animal gets shinier, more healthy. - And, you learn why vaccinations are the most important choice you’ll ever make, and you cut way back or eliminate them, especially in your adult animals.
More vital animal health reigns and your vet bills go down further. - And finally, you become concerned that using pesticides against fleas and heartworms can cause all sorts of problems, and you just flat stop poisoning pests.
Once again, illnesses lessen, your pets are happy, healthy, and truly Vital.
And, your vet expenses damn near evaporate.
But, let’s say, before you learned these good holistic management methods, your pet was damaged by following “old school” prevention.
The kind that causes chronic disease, like the allergic itch.
How will you spend your money most wisely now that you’ve got disease to deal with?
Damn the Diagnostics!
This post was actually inspired by Anne, who wrote me a couple of weeks ago:
In future articles I would love to see you address the issue of impossible to diagnose skin issues. My vet has run extensive tests on my other dog but remains mystified as to what is causing her skin problems. It’s heartbreaking as she is 12 + years old and I hate to see her golden years marred by this.”
Here’s money that’s truly being wasted.
Extensive tests?
To find out what’s causing her skin problems?
Even if you don’t yet buy the simple answer to what causes her skin problems (the “immune confusion” cause #1: vaccinations), here’s why spending money on diagnosing at this point is such a sad waste.
Diagnosing what allergens your dog or cat reacts to won’t cure her.
A Miraculous Aside
History speaks loudly here.
Back in the 80’s, itchy dogs in the world caught a miracle. It was called “Lamb and Rice.”
Amazingly, when their diets were switched to this combo, they stopped itching!
Joy and celebration rang throughout the land!
“We’ve found it! We’ve got the answer now! Let’s all get some sleep!!”
But, it wasn’t too long before the miracle started failing. In the same pets that did so wonderfully well at first on the new diet.
Why?
They were now allergic to lamb. Or rice (!)
Or both!!
Spend on Cure!
Rather than chasing down the ever-deeper “what’s my dog allergic to now?” rabbit hole, I advise spending your money on treatment.
Real, solid, curative treatment.
Your goal is simple: to cure the state of being allergic.
So, lamb, rice, flea saliva, grasses, pollens and all rest that show up “reactive” on those damned allergy tests are responded to appropriately.
What’s that look like?
No response at all!
Eat lamb, eat rice, eat anything a dog could eat in the food realm, and don’t react to it like it’s a virus bent on killing you, my dear furry one.
Get the occasional flea. They live here and will surely, some time or another, find your coat.
What’s a normal response to the occasional flea?
A bit of scratching. Here and there, infrequently, not to the point of denuding the coat or making your skin red and inflamed and smelly and oozing.
Ditto with the grass, the pollen, the world you live in.
Now, for the bad news. Which you likely have figured out by now, and probably Dr. WhiteCoat even realizes, deep down in his soul:
Who You Gonna Call?
Luckily, there is a system of medicine that does cure chronic disease.
It’s got 200 years of history doing exactly that, and it’s followed well laid out principles that really haven’t shifted through those two centuries. (Unlike the continuous churn of “modern medicine.”)
It’s called classical homeopathy.
This is where you should be putting your resources, if you want to really cure your animal of allergies.
Or ear infections, or arthritis, or heart disease, or epilepsy, cancer, or what ever else your pet has that just seems to linger on and on (that’s what chronic means, by the way: lingering).
And, like all things in this age, you have to do this right, or you’ll meet with mediocre results. Or no results at all.
If you’re going for cure of anything chronic, you need to hire a professional.
I’ve made a video to help you choose a qualified homeopathic vet and it appears on my YouTube channel and refers to my Recommended Resources page. Just follow the guidelines I’ve laid out and you’ll be on your way to a true cure in no time.
If you’re dealing with acute disease, by all means, DIY (do it yourself) homeopathy is great.
Just get some training, get some books, study and you’ll do amazing things.
For the much more common chronic diseases, though, it takes a professional veterinary homeopath to effect cure. It’s not easy work, even for us who’ve trained in and practiced this amazing art and science for years.
But, cure is possible with homeopathy. With a professional to guide the process.
Where to Start?
First, ditch the diagnostics. You won’t get any closer to cure by amassing a list of reactive substances, most of which are near impossible to avoid forever.
When you’ve got any kind of chronic disease lingering and bothering your animals, hire someone trained to cure it.
With the most natural, non-toxic, and deeply effective system of medicine on the planet: homeopathy.
Money spent here will give you tangible results.
More money thrown at diagnostics will not.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve been down this road: spent lots on trying to find out “why” and your animal is no better for all that spending!
Or worse: You went on to spend gobs more money on treatments that failed.
Im new to here and I’m in great need of a holistic Vet for my 2 chihuahuas..The only holistic vet I know in my area in Massachusetts still requires vaccinations. My poor male has bad scratching and needs anal glands released monthly even though his stools are firm. I believe his issues are vaccine related with all I’ve been learning lately. I do not want them to be vaccinated any longer but no vet will see them for a sick visit if they’re not vaccinated. It would be great if you have a list of vets… Ive done essential oils in the past with no luck and I do apply redox signaling molecules since he will not drink it.
Thank You! Anne
Hey Anne,
I just stopped in and updated the link to show you how to choose a qualified homeopathic vet to help you.
Scroll up to Who You Gonna Call? and hit my YouTube link.
You are right: his problems are vaccine-caused, most likely, and they will not resolve until you step away from more vaccines.
All the best,
WF
Great article! I realised several years ago that conventional medicine is not designed to cure, but to manage symptoms. I saw this with my previous two dogs for whom I did everything that the vet told me to do because I thought I was being a responsible owner. What I ended up with was two very sick dogs. After much research and reading, I finally decided to ditch the poison. I now am a firm advocate for homeopathy and my current two dogs rarely need to see a vet and, in contrast to my previous dogs, are in great health. One dog does suffer seasonal allergies from grass, pollen etc, but nothing that a good quality Quercetin can’t handle.
Excellent, Tracy. Clearly, you’ve seen in two short generations that “less is more.”
Carry on, you’ve got this.
When on the subject of vaccinations and such our integrative vet (1000 miles away from us) said to us “in my experience less is more”.
He is not homeopathic but he helped us keep our beagle with stage 4 cancer alive 10 months instead of the 3 months the oncologist gave her without expensive chemo. She was 13 and a half when she passed in March. Our current dog has not had any vaccines in 3 years, no flea tick preventives since once or twice as a puppy, this year we defeated a minor to medium size flea infestation using boric acid and neem oil, for the yard nematodes, and weekly baths for our dog. It was exhausting but worth it to not poison him. Our integrative vet will not make us do anymore rabies, we just need a local one incase of emergency, ugh. Our last local vet warned is ” Texas law says if you are one day overdue on a 3 year rabies vaccine you must go back to a 1 year vaccine”
Our boy is 6, fed Stella and Chewys Raw with raw goats milk with pumpkin in it, some Fulvic Acid from Black Oxygen Organics, Coenzyme Q10, and Hawthorne and he is thriving. That is our “prevention”
You’re doing great, Marie! I guess your vet hasn’t discovered that the 1 yr and 3 yr rabies vaccine is the same stuff!
If you need to go to an ER clinic, your words of truth, only if asked are, “He’s current.” There should be no impediment to treating someone in an emergency situation with any more info than that.
I actually found a holistic vet near me in Austin called Dr Falconer but he doesn’t take any new patients. I moved from NJ and haven’t liked the treatment for my beloved sweet maltese and was so happy to call and make an appointment but to my disappointment I will have to continue my search. In the meantime I will read what I can on these newsletters. I don’t feel confident enough to do my own holistic remedies. Hopefully I will find a vet so my beautiful baby can stop itching all the time. If anyone has a recommendation for a vet near Austin TX area please let me know.
I have a 16 month old puppy that has had no vaccines and weaned to raw… homeopathic vet and homeopathic practitioner using several different remedies and this poor puppy still has ear issues.. nothing I am doing is working. He has not eaten chicken in over 6 months. He was given 1 steroid shot for a misdiagnosed issue that the vet thought was HOD. I am at a loss while this puppy continues to shake his head every time he walks.
Chronic ear problems are frustratingly difficult, though curable with professional help. It can take several attempts at individual remedies, each carefully evaluated with your vet homeopath, to get these guys moving to cure.
A key I’ve learned: the ear, while most bothersome, like horribly itchy skin, rarely has symptoms that lead to the curative remedy. It takes looking at the “rest of the dog” to get enough clues to get proper remedies chosen by your vet. Like: odd behavior; odd estrus cycles; some symptoms around eating or elimination, etc. Look beyond the ears and keep a good log of symptoms your homeopathic vet sees as significant, and update him/her on those at each appointment. Patience and attention to details and clear communication of same wins the game here.
I’m so glad to have watched your videos. It’s such a relief to be able to learn from an enlightened vet. It’s very difficult to find one who practices homeopathy.
My 6 year old 8 pound Balinese male had to have all of his teeth removed. I feed him raw chicken, turkey and beef(and will try the game hen), but am unsure of the proper source of calcium I should be feeding him and how much. Multivitamins are an issue, since they add herbs that cats should not have. Also he has severe constipation and only moves his bowels twice a week and his stools are small and hard as a rock. I added ghee to his pureed food. Also hemp CBD and Standard Process glandular support. I’ve tried Calc Carb, but don’t see results. My reference books say Nux Vom, Graphites. Christopher Day suggests Alumina (seems to be best fit of all and will order it tomorrow), Silicea, Thuja.
Thank you I sincerely appreciate receiving your information.
Mieke van Dyk
I am wondering if any of this can help my collie with dry eye that is suddenly getting much worse. I have not done any vaccinations now for probably 5 years or so, but before this, she was vaccinated once in my care- I got her at about a year and a half old through rescue. She had the dry eye right away and has been on cyclosporine ointment for years and had been doing fine. Until about 3 months ago, then this ointment stopped working. Now the vet has prescribed Tacrolimus- I really don’t want to use this stuff. I home cook for my two collies and am careful with their environment and rarely to never use drugs or poisons. Can anything help her now?
Hi Laura,
This will be really tough to cure at this stage. The damage was done in rescue, probably, and the disease was aggressively suppressed since then, until that drug no longer worked. The odds of cure now, even with a trained and practicing homeopathic vet would be quite slim.
I usually try anyway, and just have the eyes lubed regularly with the longest lasting ointment the owner can find.
The damage is auto-inflammation against the tear ducts, just fyi. I wish I had better news for you.
Dr. Falconer,
Do you have any recommendation for feeding our 14.8 yr old JRT raw food? He has been on a home cooked liver friendly diet for the last 1.5 years along with Ursidiol, Denamarin, Marin Plus & Curcuvet. Just recently his liver values, cholesterol & platelets have increased dramatically. The vet put him on lactulose, pepsid, antibiotics & 15-20% protein (cod, tuna & turkey with rice & potatoes) even though he has no signs of HE. Within one day of these meds he refused to eat any of his food. We thought we were going to have to put him down. The last attempt was to stop all meds and add a moderate dose of Prednisolone and let him eat anything he would eat. I went and bought his old favorite raw rabbit dog food (Primal frozen) and he gobbled it up. He is now doing much better after 5-6 days on this food & steroid. A recent ultrasound shows his liver has enlarged from a year ago, along with more sludge, no masses or blockages seen. We opted over a year ago not to do a liver biopsy because of his age and lack of symptoms. If not liver disease, the vet thinks possible cancer.
I just want him to continue to eat even though all the vets think I’m crazy to feed a dog with a compromised immune system raw meat. Do you know of any raw meat diets that would be helpful to him and his liver? I was thinking of the RX Darwin liver food. Thank you.
Ps- He had been raw fed since a puppy up until about 1.5 yrs ago when switched to a home cooked very low fat liver friendly diet. He only had his puppy shots (titers later years), filtered water and no chemicals used in or outside of our home. He has always had horrible teeth.
Hi Dr. Falconer, what is your opinion on whether or not homeopathy could be used as an adjunct therapy at a humane society? I work at a humane society and we have an animal trauma center dedicated to homeless animals, they even have animal EMTs that rescue injured, sick and abused/neglected animals. While many do survive there are quite a few who don’t, parvo puppies, abuse, neglect, hit by car etc. These animals are amazingly resilient despite the horrific conditions they endure. These vets do everything they can with the limited resources i.e. conventional medicine.
A little background: I am a Classical Homeopath, I am working towards a Vet Tech certification and a certification in veterinary homeopathy. I have this crazy vision of homeopathy being used by these conventional vets and seeing the recovery time of their patients cut in half. I would like to see the EMTs use the homeopathy in the field as well. However, I see a two-fold problem, 1. The majority of the vets have never heard of homeopathy. 2. The agency is non-profit and their donors have a right to know what their money is being spent on, (drugs), and who knows if they would be open to a more gentler, non-suppressive, more affordable medicine that works! I have a feeling they would, I think the problem would be with the conventional vets and Big Pharm.
Of course the benefits would be limitless, the difficult part would be convincing even one vet..or would it?
Impossible??
Having this information brought to the light really makes me think about my own dog’s situation. She was a rescue with unknown history other than being an ex mill dog. The month after I brought her home, she came down with severe pneumonia and had to be hospitalized. Thoughts were that it was due to brachycephalic syndrome and that surgery was needed to shorten palate, remove tonsils and saccules.
All surgeries were executed but her pneumonia continues. She has had bouts of it about every other month for over two years now. Antibiotic therapy has been the protocol along with steroids to help her breath better. Kind of a catch twenty two. Now I am learning she has the symptoms of pulmonary intertitial fibrosis with a possibility of pulmonary hypertension. I am supposed to be scheduling tests to confirm both of these. Add to this she has had mast cell tumors, one was high grade removed with not clear margins, the second was low grade clear margins. All tumors were removed and so far not returned. Ooh..and if that isnt enough, she has allergies to boot. I am at my wits end and dont know which fire to put out first as I am sure they are all related somehow. Do you have any insight for me? She is the sweetest soul who has been thru so much in her lifetime. I just want a normal life for her. Thank you for your time.
Almost forgot a few details…the majority of her pneumonias have been aspirate pneumonia. So again no clear answers as to what is going on. Now she has also been put on metoclopramide to stop the regurgitation and hopefully stop her aspiration pneumonia.
Thanks again
i too have found your Vital Animal News terrific!
i had a dog who i believe died sooner than he should of cause he was on apoquel. he developed many lumps and tumors and one went to his brain.
my other dog was on apoquel as well. shortly after my Basil died i went to your homeopathic vet page and found a homeo one about an hour away who also does phone consultations.
i began seeing him in February, tapered off on the apoquel and today he is still very itchy and red. i have used several homeopathics and nothing yet.
it is very disturbing but i know i don’t want apoquel. and like you said in this past newsletter i don’t think its any food he is eating, so no allergy tests! i feed raw.
i have used sulpur, psor, and phos—i believe they are all skin homeo’s, nothing has worked. i seem to stop for whatever reason (he tells me to). i think some things need more time. i would think he would know. i will talk to him thursday. i am losing faith here (as well as money!).
you have any thoughts for us? keep up the faith?
in the beginning he said it would take several months but i thought it would be spent on one homeo. i’m thinking that perhaps since my dog was on apoquel for over a year it takes a long time to repair his immune system as well as “cure” the initial problem.
thanks for all the information….tina
Hey Tina,
You’re in a tough place, and I’ve been here with my own itchy patients in the past.
The problem is, it’s very hard to find the best, most suitable remedy after an animal has been through lots of drug therapy first. And, unfortunately, far too many come late to the homeopathic vet.
We depend on clear and better, “characteristic” symptoms, and these often disappear after suppressive treatment. We’re left with common symptoms: itchiness, redness, etc.
The best advice I can give you now is to think of those non-skin issues this dog has shown you. They can even be from his past, but they should be recurring symptoms, noticeable, bothersome perhaps, but from some other part of the body.
For example, last year I had a very long running skin case that all my best prescribing barely touched. Not much improvement. Finally, about 3-4 months in, the owner remembered this little gal had very abnormal heats. BOOM, that knowledge sent me looking for remedies that had both itchy skin problems and repro abnormalities (and likely a few other significant symptoms I can’t recall), and I found a remedy that started turning the little dog around on her itch.
So, hang in there, but if you hit 6 months without any discernible progress, write me and I’ll see I can suggest someone for you.
Been there….done that…..lessons learned the hard way. Last summer we caught 5 raccoon and a bunch of possum inside our fenced yard. A few showed signs of possible rabies, and 1 was definitely advanced. We decided that our 3 yr old dog, Tucker, needed ‘just one rabies shot’. Within 2 weeks the itch/chew/scratch cycle had become firmly established. Tucker had been raw fed since 12 weeks, no other vaccines, treats were single ingredient dehydrated meat, and we don’t use chemicals in the house or yard. So I naturally expected to quickly cure this problem with the usual holistic remedies and homeopathy I use for all our people and pets. Didn’t happen. He’d get better for a week, then worsen. Since you weren’t accepting new patients at the time I found one on the list and have been so pleased with her. There was an immediate slight improvement and within a month his symptoms had reduced about 70%! It took about 2 months to clear everything, and Tucker has been a very happy fella with NO undue itching since then. Dr Pat also helped my 18 yr old kitty, Baby, to overcome 10 yrs of conventional suppressive treatments for skin/kidney issues. We could have taken a nice Hawaiian vacation for what we spent on trying to help Baby thru the years. Knowing that she isn’t suffering any longer is the best feeling! Your work in educating us is far more valuable then you will ever know – countless lives have been changed for the better because we have been given options! Thanks, doc!
Oh, good for you, Pamela! I’m so glad you’ve experienced the power inherent in carefully prescribed homeopathy. Imagine the boatload you could have spent asking, “Now, what should we test you for, to see why you are so itchy?”
You knew, you acted, and boom. Back to healthy, thanks to investing in a professional homeopath.
In Sept 2015, our 9 yr old beagle had a possible seizure like “episode”. Another in Feb 2016, April 2016 and May 2016. The first two “episodes”, I treated with Rescue Remedy and Frankincense essential oil (doTerra). The last two “episodes”, I treated with Rescue Remedy, Frankincense and Cocculus 30c. Took her to our conventional vet for diagnostic blood work, x-rays, urine, etc to rule out tumors, kidney failure, etc. All tests negative.Even home tested her urine PH levels, which were in normal range.
Contacted our homeopathic/holistic vet, Dr. Pat Bradley (a colleague of Dr. Will’s) and began treatment. April 2015, I changed from a kibble based diet to Darwin’s raw, and Zignature canned. After further research, I stopped ALL canned and beginning Feb 2016, now feed ONLY a raw diet. Our beagle has NOT had ANY further “episodes” since beginning treatment. She does, however, have a chronic ear problem, which we are continuing to deal with, homeopathically.
We have 3 dogs and all are undergoing homeopathic treatment for the vaccines and surgeries (spays and dental extractions) from previous years. They each have their own problems from vaccinosis and high quality, bad diet (kibble). We stopped ALL vaccinations in May 2012 on our older two. Our latest rescue just turned 3 yrs and we’ve never vaccinated him, however, he was 4.5 mons old when we found him and shows signs of rabies vaccinosis. He had a severe case of Demodex mange and over 20 severely infected puncture wounds (septic) all over his body (which were NOT animal bites). He was only fed kibble for a year and has been on raw the last 2 yrs. He has NOT been neutered, nor do we have any plans of doing so.
It is a S L O W process to treat homeopathically but amazing to watch them go through different stages of detox and healing on their way to better health.
Words can not and do not express my feelings toward Dr. Will and Dr. Pat. I know they are doing the absolute best for our pets. These two are truly a God-send. I believe that ALL animals are Angels that are placed here for us to take care of and having these two amazing vets to help us along our journeys is more than I could hope for. Thank you both for everything. ♥♥♥♥
I’m totally on board with holistic care for myself and my animals (organic, raw food, titres instead of shots, essential oils for flea/tick prevention etc.) and it’s worked well for all. Just last year a vet who claimed he’d never had side effects from giving vaccinations had to be called back to the barn after 3 horses showed side effects – one horse was losing balance in it’s hind end! Expensive denial for those owners.
I think animal owners agree to regular tests and treatment out of a desire for a quick fix and anxiety over their pet’s condition. In my experience with homeopathy, most times the right remedy will work immediately but I’m wondering if some conditions just take time. My holistic horse vet told me that over vaccinating caused a rescue horse I had to lose lots of hair in patches and that it would take time for a new coat to grow in which it did with her suggestions. She said better that toxins come out to the skin than stay inside.
Now I have a rescue dog who was found in a pipe 2 years ago and had toxic interventions (flea treatment, rabies shot) within a short period of time before I got him shortly thereafter. He’s been healthy and happy until a few weeks ago when he got a small cut on his paw that became inflamed. I’m working with a holistic vet who did lymph treatments and gave me a topical spray and Heel Mix 5 drops, plus an oral curcumin/ boswellia blend. It’s better and not as sore but still not back to normal.
I know a regular vet would give me antibiotics and steroids and I can’t bring myself to use them. I’m holding out for a cure and not suppression.
Hey Naomi,
In general, time is related to how long the condition has been present. We often see that it takes about half the amount of time to cure a chronic condition as the time it’s been noticed in the animal (or human).
In an acute injury or inflammation, the proper remedy will work amazingly fast. In the long standing conditions, you can get a pretty good sense by charting out how long ago you first saw symptoms show up.
100% with you on the antibiotics and steroids. If I took those away from Dr. WhiteCoat, he’d have little left to practice with, and yes, largely suppressive, at best palliative in the stronger individuals.
I applaud you’re holding out for cure.
I am so glad for the information on your site–I never did find a local homeopath, but I found rubrics and cell salts and a couple of online stores that sell remedies with instructions. A big part of my little cat’s recovery has been DIET. I am a total believer that food is the secret. I have loaded her up with minerals and cancer fighting substances. A well chosen remedy and a great diet…makes for a real CURE. Not just cheaper than endless tests, better in every way!
I was looking at Pookie’s tail where there was a black spot near the end, and feared she was developing a fungus. With a pair of high magnification glasses I looked closely…the black spot was a crop of silky dark tail hair beginning to grow in! She’s been an old gray girl for years, her dark coat had largely disappeared. Exciting, huh!
The tooth issues have resolved as well on ORMUS and raw food. The pulp was showing in four teeth and they bled each time I brushed in the back, no matter how gently I went with the brush. Dr. Whitecoat has been demanding I yank five teeth, and I flatly refused, hoping to save them. I made her some home-made ORMUS toothpaste to rebuild the teeth. I can see the enamel is closing and the bleeding has stopped. The teeth are less painful and she’s eating bigger meals now, gaining weight. When the teeth are healed, the cancer will be gone, but I’m carrying on with the raw diet and supplements. I may try her toothpaste on my own broken tooth, minus the “fish flavor”.
The weird, curled claws are normal now after giving the remedy Silica for a few months. I tried others, but Silica was the one that worked. It was freaky–her claws curled around and grew into her toe pads, cutting into the flesh, and because they were so curved, it looked like she was holding a quarter between each of her toes. She fell off of things because she couldn’t grasp with them. Now they look normal and they retract! Name any drug that could do that!
Thank you for being you, Doc.
Wow, Nora, nice work! And you’re right: no drug could do what that remedy did!
What is ORMUS?
I am so glad to get your newsletter. You have a way of cutting through all the confusion we are faced with when trying to determine a course of action to help our beloved pup. We are about to have our 11 yr. old Aussie x-rayed for suspected laryngeal paralysis – tomorrow. He has been panting increasingly heavily and coughing – a dry hack with nothing coming up. It finally became too much to watch without doing something. Took him to a hospital for small animals. They did an x-ray without sedation and found his lungs to be fine.
From my reading, I believe this is a result of rabies vaccination. He has had 4 in his lifetime. How I wish we had realized the dangers long ago. There is more to the story, but I hope I can find a homeopathic remedy to help him. Any suggestions?
Hey Marilyn,
Yes, I think the rabies vaccine influence is likely to blame here. I posted about why in this article.
But, and this is a big but: this is chronic disease. It lingers, it’s already grown since you discovered it, and until it’s cured, it will continue to grow.
So, the odds of there being “a homeopathic remedy” that cures this chronic disease is extremely remote.
Far more likely is that it will take careful management by a trained professional, using first one remedy, evaluating his response over some time, then giving another, with suitable evaluation, etc, until he’s cured.
That’s true of all the common diseases of our day, by the way, as, just like in our own populace, chronic disease is now the rule. Acute, short lived disease is nearly unheard of, except for parvo, distemper, and injury, sudden diarrhea from “dumpster diving,” etc.
So, my top suggestion, whenever I hear of something chronic, is to visit my Resources page, scroll down to the AVH link (or IAVH, if you’re outside No. America), and search out a homeopathic vet who’s trained in curing chronic disease. I typically recommend the special search function, where you can enter two parameters:
1. Practices 75-100% homeopathy, and
2. Offers telephone consulting
Odds are, you may not have a qualified individual in your town, depending on where you live. Good luck and keep up your good work!