Becky Has Passed Away - Anyone know anything about holistic dog care?

by Lynette Crase

Posted: 14 years ago 24 replies

OFF TOPIC

Becky has passed away updated below
http://www.warriorforum.com/off-topi...ml#post2600147

Hi Warriors

I was wondering if anyone here knows anything about holistic or natural dog care. My little Chihuahua (the one over there in my picture with me) is quite sick at the moment.

There are a couple of things going on with her. She has a heart condition which we have known about for 2-1/2 years. She takes two types of medication a day for this condition. She has these fainting/fit types spells, usually after a coughing fit that is most often times triggered by drinking water.

The vet hasn't been able to diagnose these spells completely but he thinks it is because the oxygen is getting cut off to her brain while coughing. He thought it might have been epilepsy so I took some video of her while she was having one and he said that it wasn't epilepsy, he didn't know what it was. He was going to send the video to the university in the city to see if anyone there knows what it is.

She used to get these spells every now and then, not all the time, but since April they have escalated to the point where she is getting one or two a day.

There is also a problem with her bladder/bowel area. The vet thought she may have bladder stones so he did a couple of x-rays and she was clear of stones but he said there was some thickening of her bladder wall which could be either an infection or bladder tumor/s. He put her on antibiotics to see if she improved. She hasn't, in fact in the last two days she has got worse. She has lost weight and although she still seems interested in eating, she can't eat a lot. It seems as though when she eats anything it makes her feel sick, or that is the impression I am getting from her as she can't tell me.

We are back to the vet again in about an hour but I am not real confident that he will be able to do much more for her. If it is tumors then I don't know what he will suggest because she isn't a candidate for surgery because of her heart condition.

I'm not about to give up on her. I have been doing some reading about holistic pet care but I just don't know enough and I don't know whether the information I'm getting is correct. I have emailed a few places but they haven't bothered to email back which makes me think their only purpose is to sell the stuff they are promoting on their sites.

If anyone here knows about this stuff or knows where I can find out about it from a reputable source I would be really grateful. Sorry for the long post, I got a bit carried away.

KenThompson 14 years ago

I believe Sal (HeySal) is the person to speak with on this subject. I'm
sure she'll be in soon, if not tomorrow.

Good luck.

Ken
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NatureElf 14 years ago

I would be cautious about adding any supplements or herbal remedies to her diet without making sure there will not be any reactions, given the medications she is currently on.
Also,it could be the antibiotic that is making her not want to eat. Some animals react to antibiotics. Let the vet know of this, he/she may be able to give her a different one.
Let us know what happens after this next visit.
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HeySal 14 years ago

Thank you, Ken.

Lynette - first off, antibiotics do the same to a dog's digestion that they do to humans - kill the beneficial bacteria. You need to get her some organic yogurt ASAP. Get only yogurt that says "Live bacteria and or enzymes" on the carton. Add to that some flax seed - grind them yourself. Note - giving a lot of dairy will interfer with the effectiveness of anti-biotics, so don't feed her a lot of it at a time if she's still eating the antibiotics, but get her some, and when she's done with those, give her some good healthy size bowls of the yogurt with ground flax in it.

Ricky is around 50 - 60 pounds - and the link I am putting here is to a thread in which I give the layout of how I am curing his bone cancer. Finally winning. It took some time to start to see results. Note - I am not using anything that can't be used with pharms except for capsaisin (cayenne) and I only give that twice a week - you don't want to use that with drugs but if she's not on drugs, still only twice a week. The link will explain it all. This isn't total heart support, but it sill fill in some missing links to heart health as well as shrink tumors. I am extremely careful not to use items with toxic possibilities. Capsaisin is the only one, and that, as I said, I won't give more than twice in one week. That's good for heart, too, in infrequent doses - never more than one capsule if your little sweetie is smaller than 50-60 pounds, you might want to take some out of a capsule. You don't want to try to make her swallow that stuff un-capped.

http://www.warriorforum.com/off-topi...-go-again.html

For heart she needs you to make sure she is getting enough potassium.

Brewers yeast and multi-enzymes will also help her. If her digestive system isn't right her immune system will tank, so get that right first.

Also - get her some milk thistle capsules and give her those a couple times a day for 5 days or so. That will clean out her liver (and possibly help the kidneys) which will help her all over health.
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Audrey Harvey 14 years ago

Lynette, have a read at this link - Vasovagal response - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coughing can cause increased pressure in the chest which can trigger the vagovasal response and lead to fainting. Happens in dogs. Might be worth investigating?
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Lynette Crase 14 years ago

Thank you Sal for the great information. I am going to read the other thread right now. I am not going to give up on her.

Thank you also Audrey for the link. We may be onto something with this.

Update for Becky: We had our visit to the vet this afternoon and the news is not so good. It would appear that she has bladder tumor/s as the antibiotics didn't show any improvement in her. The next step is a visit to a canine oncologist. The only problem is that he is in the city over 400kms away and I'm not sure Becky would survive such a long trip, she gets fairly distressed on a half hour trip. Also the prognosis would be surgery which she would most likely not survive because of her heart condition.

I got the young female vet today who has been on holidays and hasn't seen Becky for about three weeks, she was shocked to see how much weight she has lost. She has prescribed another medication for Becky's heart condition/fainting spells, to be taken twice a day along with the other two medications that she is already on.

She's pretty wiped out after her trip to the vet, she absolutely hates going there, and she is peacefully asleep next to me on the couch at the moment.
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HeySal 14 years ago

That is one extremely sick pup you have and it's hard to say how advanced her problems are already. You have two very strong conditions that are each hard to deal with on their own. Even if you overcome or lessen one, you still have another working against her, so this is not going to be an easy thing. The elements I have listed will make her a bit stronger if nothing else.

If that cough is wet (water in lungs) you might want to give her a cayenne capsule and ginger capsule at the same time - it helps clear bronchial tubes - just make sure you don't give her the whole capsule of cayenne if she is small - as I mentioned Ricky gets one and he is 50 - 60 pounds - so figure it from there. Resist the temptation to give her that too often - once every 3 days at the most without a natureopathic vet telling specifically telling you more often. If you've been giving her aspirin at all, that can cause water in the lungs -- heart will cause water in the lungs, too. IF they gave you a diuretic, you need to supplement her potassium as diuretics draw it from the system and they need it for their hearts. A good supplement for a dog with heart and wet lungs is parsley - lots of vitamins and minerals and also diuretic properties. Fuorosimide (sp?) can cause it's own problems as it draws out vital minerals for her health and parsley is a good way to replace them. If you are giving her pharmaceutical diuretics, watch to make sure that you don't dehydrate her if giving her parsley, but she needs that support.

You are in my thoughts and, while I don't pray as most think of prayer, I am sending my best energies to you. There's a special place for people who care for the little innocents.
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- waterotter 14 years ago
  
  Be sure to keep your ground flax seed refrigerated.
  
  If you can get "Rescue Remedy", that would help Becky to relax during your visits to the vet or any long distance road trips. You would find it in Health Food Stores. It's a "Bach Flower Remedy" consisting of five flower essences in a brandy base. It can be used for an immediate calming effect in any stressful situation. Many vets here use it to calm animals during their vet visits.
  
  Sure hope Becky is feeling better soon. We are all watching over her. Please keep us posted.
  
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NatureElf 14 years ago

Rescue Remedy is the best! We give it to our older dog every 4th of July. It keeps him calm during the fireworks. We also used this when our kitty had urinary issues.
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- lilmechante01 14 years ago
  
  When one of our dogs had puppies, all 9 of them came down with Parvo. I gave them Chamomile tea and sometimes a little Peppermint tea to help with their tummies. Also, with the sickest one, I gave it some Goldenseal/Echinacea tea. (Tea allowed me to reduce the strength of the herbs).
  
  I would definitely check with the vet though before adding any type of herbs on top of the meds just to make sure.
  
  If you're interested, here's a link to acupressure info for dogs: Dog Acupressure (not Acupuncture) Resources - Lucky Dog Health
  
  Blessings to you and your Chihuahua
  
  BJ
  
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HeySal 14 years ago

I might not have mentioned that and don't feel like reading over to see if I did. The only thing on my list that reacts with pharms is the cayenne. It can knock out NSAID drugs. Aslo - the cottage cheese can nullify antibiotic action, as can all dairy. However- if you are giving anti-biotics it is imperative that the gut fluora be replaced very often. So you will either have to buy probiotics from your vet or give the dog an organic yogurt which says that it has LIVE bacteria right on the label. If it doesn't say so, it's not going to work.

If you can't find the turmeric extract capsules with pepper already included you will have to give the dog a pepper corn with it - you won't want to give her loads of pepper - too much might cause illness, just as it would in a human.

Other than that everything I use in the list I gave you is completely safe to use with pharms and has no known toxicity either.
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- Kay King 14 years ago
  
  I would advise telling your vet what you are administering. There is no point in giving pet meds if something else you are administering yourself might be reducing the effectiveness.
  
  Just to be certain, keep your vet informed.
  
  kay
  
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HeySal 14 years ago

LOL - Kay, I did that. The vet was clueless about most of what I told her - but did admit its working. They are also AMA trained.

Go to a natureopathic vet. If the vet advocates testing for immunity before giving a vaccine, they are the right ones to talk to. Otherwise - you're getting meds. Period. When Munch was sick and I had to put him on fourosimide (sp) the doctor couldn't even tell me what elements the drug effected - like the postassium drain. I had to do a week of very intense research to find out what the effects of the drugs may be and how to combat them.

Problem - there aren't many natureopathic vets. Look until you find one.
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- Kay King 14 years ago
  
  Sal -
  
  I knew you would do that! Amazing what people take sometimes themselves without mentioning it to their doctor - same is true when treating your pets as you know.
  
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Lynette Crase 14 years ago

Just a bit of an update to let you know that Becky passed away last evening(tuesday). She had been doing not too badly and even had a great day last Friday, almost like her usual self, but over the weekend she seemed to be sleeping a lot and Monday night things went downhill very quickly. She stopped being able to pass urine and we had to have an emergency vet visit at 2am tuesday morning to drain her bladder. The vet said to see how she was when she got up in the morning but the situation was no better and got worse throughout the day.

I called the vet and we discussed what was best for her and we agreed that euthanasia was probably the kindest course to take. The vet said she could do it after 5pm or the following morning(today) at 9am. I spent the whole day agonising about when to do it but by 4pm Becky was in so much discomfort and pain that I called the vet to come and do it when she finished up her appointments for the day.

The two vets and a trainee were very good and came to my house to do it. I asked for her to be sedated before they actually adminstered the final drug. They sedated her on my lap and it was terrible when she went all limp, I just couldn't stay in the room for the rest of it. I left the room and collapsed in a heap. I couldn't sleep last night because she wasn't on the bed with me, even after not sleeping at all the night before.

This is by far the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my entire almost 50 years on this planet. But even if I had known how it was going to end when I got her I would have still gone through this pain to have the almost twelve absolutely wonderful years together that we had.
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- Tina Golden 14 years ago
  
  I'm so very sorry for your loss, Lynette. I agree that you did the right thing but it doesn't make it hurt any less.
  
  Tina
  
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  Kay King 14 years ago
  
  Twelve years of a good home is more than so many dogs ever have. I'm so sorry for your loss.
  
  I hope you'll find, as I have, that after a time you can remember the love and companionship you shared with Becky and smile at the memories. She knew she was loved and I'm sure she was devoted to you.
  
  Dogs don't live long enough - but that's OK because they give us so much while they're with us. You did everything you could and that alone should make you feel better after a while.
  
  We can't always fix what's wrong - but knowing when to let her go is the ultimate kindness.
  
  kay
  
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Lynette Crase 14 years ago

Thanks Tina. Yeah, I keep telling myself I did the right thing. She would keep looking at me with her gorgeous brown eyes yesterday, and she looked so scared, like she didn't know what was happening to her.

I've been trying to do some work this afternoon but it's hopeless, I can hardly see the screen as I keep tearing up, especially when I look at the empty spot where she always slept while I worked.
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KenThompson 14 years ago

Hi Lynette,

I'm sorry, but it was best to end the suffering. I have three cats all of
whom feel like my children, and I love them a lot. Two are about 6, and
the third is 16. I've had him all his life, and we've been to hell and back
together. So the bond is really strong.

I wish there was something I could say to ease the hurt, and I'm sorry
but you know there isn't anything anyone can say.

So, we're with you in spirit.

Take care.

Ken
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Audrey Harvey 14 years ago

So very very sorry for your loss, Lynette. That's one of the most painful decisions anyone ever has to make, and kudos for easing Becky's pain, even though it makes yours worse. I've given my own dogs that final injection four times now, and it hurts like hell.

I have a favourite poem that helps when I have to make the hard call, but just a heads up - it will bring you to tears again. It always does to me.

A dog poem - If it should be
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Patrician 14 years ago

I am sorry for your loss, Lynette but glad Becky is out of her suffering.

It will take a while, but eventually all you will have is the good memories of the years you had with her.
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OrganicSeoGuru 14 years ago

I hope you pup is doing better, my pup nearly passed two weeks ago. My thoughts are with you
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- waterotter 14 years ago
  
  Lynette, I'm so sorry to hear about Becky....grief is the price we pay for love.
  
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- Lynette Crase 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by OrganicSeoGuru
  
  I hope you pup is doing better, my pup nearly passed two weeks ago. My thoughts are with you
  
  Becky passed away on Tuesday evening.
  
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HeySal 14 years ago

I'm so sorry Lynette. She sounded like she had a few too many issues to be able to do much for her. I think you did all that was left for her. Remember - there are other little ones out there now that she is gone that really need someone who will them as much as you did your little Becky. When you get over the shock and the grief, you will find someone waiting and hoping for you.
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Becky Has Passed Away - Anyone know anything about holistic dog care?

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