Ask The Holistic Vet – Sept 2014

Each month Dr. Deva Khalsa V.M.D. will answer selected questions on veterinary issues. Dr. Khalsa is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, a Fellow and Professor of the British Institute of Homeopathy and has lectured both nationally and internationally. She is the co-author of Healing Your Horse: Alternative Therapies and Dr. Khalsa’s Natural Dog. Send your questions to [email protected]

Dear Dr. Khalsa,
I have a cat that is 2 yrs old. He is a very affectionate cat – and with his affection comes drool. Not a little bit, but a lot! If a person is in a position where the cat can climb on their chest for cuddling he will do so and within seconds he will start drooling, everywhere. It is so annoying! At first Mercurius 200 C completely took his drooling away, but then it stopped working. Can you recommend anything to make him stop drooling? He’s a big cat. 15 lbs. He has a small head and a big body. Calc carb came to mind because of his size/shape, but I’m not confident enough in that to try it.

Thanks!
Harriet

Dr. Deva Khalsa: Hi Harriet. Many cats will do that drooling and it is just one of the things that happens when they get happy or lovey. Atropinum may help at the 6c potency but not given more than twice a day for 10 days

Dear Dr. Khalsa,

My female cat “Neffi” is 8 years old. Recently she got constipated and her stomach was as hard as stone and she refused to eat. She was dull and morose and restless in sleep. She responded well to a couple of doses of Bryonia 200. Yesterday the complaint returned and she again responded well to Bryonia 200. Almost immediately she passed loose stools with a hard lump or two. Since then she seems okay. Later she passed a profuse amount of slightly yellow urine. I want a permanent solution to the problem. I hear that this problem is quite common in cats.
Thank you
Wilma

Dr. Deva Khalsa:Hi Wilma. Baby food squash and pumpkin added to wet food will help. Additionally, make sure she drinks water. You can add some to the wet food – or if she eats only dry food- add in one wet food meal a day with extra water. The permanent solution, unless she has a problem such as megacolon, is to change the diet and add more water and more roughage. Deserving Pets Vital Vities for Cats ( available late September at www.deservingpets.com ) has dandelion and kale and lots of veggies and pumpkin which is microencapsulated and flavored so they like it.

Hi Dr. Khalsa,
I have a 7 year old spayed female Lab/Siberian Husky/Ridgeback Hound mix. She suffers from ongoing fungal irritation in her ears. I went to a traditional vet who prescribed a steroid liquid, which clears it up for a while, then it returns. She shakes her head and itches terribly from it, and in one ear the cartilage appears to be thickening. Is there a homeopathic remedy you would recommend to turn this around?

Thank you
Nancy Hamer

Dr. Khalsa: Well Nancy, I would use Zymox enzymatic ear medicine which is an enzyme which is all natural that you can use a few times a day until it clears up. I recommend you watch my video on my site to learn about malasezzia.
http://doctordeva.com/dog-ear-infections/ I also have some articles in the magazine section that may be helpful on my site.

Dear Dr. Khalsa,

My dog fractured his leg some time ago, and it has healed nicely, but he developed some muscular atrophy from not being able to walk all that time. Is there anything that will help?

Thank you
Priscilla Gonski

Dr. Khalsa: Hi Priscilla. Consider water therapy, swimming. [Editor’s note: The late Dr. H.G. Wolff stated: Wasting of muscles of the hind legs due to prolonged immobilization or advanced age is indicative of Conium.

Hi Dr. Khalsa,
Is there anything that can be done for dandruff in dogs?

William Hodson

Dr. Khalsa: Dandruff and shedding respond extremely well to Canine Everyday Essentials available through Deserving Pets: www.deservingpets.com. Also coconut oil in the food in addition to this excellent supplement. Reducing or eliminating convenience foods is also helpful.

Hi Dr. Khalsa,
My dog is 13 1/2 years old. He has a hoarse bark, gags a lot like something is stuck down his throat. He pants a lot. He cannot tolerate longer walks and there is a sound when he pants. I need advice on what to do for him naturally. Is there any natural remedy for this?
Thank you
Roda

Dr Khalsa: Roda, your dog actually needs an exam. If he is a small dog he may have collapsing trachea and that would be the best reason for his problem. Regardless, any size dog can have a heart problem like congestive heart failure or heartworms or lung cancer. He needs a full veterinary exam at this time

Feline Vaccine Dangers- Kidney Failure

Dr. Deva Khalsa

It’s important that we all know the side effects of the vaccines we give our cats. One of the most dangerous side effects of the feline distemper vaccine is that it causes kidney failure in cats.

Let’s take a look together at some plain and simple facts. The most important vaccine for cats to get is feline distemper (also called feline panleukopenia), yet only kittens get feline distemper. So if your cat has had a vaccine or two for feline distemper and is not a kitten, why get the vaccine at all? How about if your cat is an indoor cat?   How often is he or she exposed to any disease? The vaccines are effective and long lasting so why keep getting them?

But that’s not the whole story. There’s more. Because if vaccines didn’t have adverse affects on our cats health, I wouldn’t even bring this topic up. So what if cats get too many vaccines, if it doesn’t hurt them and it makes your veterinarian happy… where’s the harm? But vaccines are not harmless. They are considered a medical procedure, with risks and benefits. Are vaccines safe? That’s the first question to ask, and the answer is an emphatic NO. Vaccines not only cause immediate reactions like swelling at the site of vaccination or lethargy and fever, they also cause real life threatening health problems later on.

The virus for this vaccine is grown in a culture of feline kidney cells. There’s some frightening information concerning this vaccine made even more distressing because something like 80%-90% of cats will go into kidney failure. Colorado State University did some research which showed that the majority of kittens developed autoantibodies to their own kidney tissue after being vaccinated for panleukopenia-feline distemper. And each booster vaccine creates more antibodies in the cat to the cat’s own kidneys. Your cat’s immune system then attacks its kidneys causing a low grade inflammation and as the years pass it all adds up and kidney failure is the result. The rub is that these vaccines are long lasting and adult cats are resistant to the disease so the vaccine isn’t even needed.

Vaccinate responsibly. Adult cats do not need this vaccine at all. You can learn more about vaccines at the http://www.dogandcatvitamins.com/

I hope the information helps you to decrease your beloved cat’s risk of getting kidney disease. Pass this onto your friends so other cats can also live longer and happier lives.

Nutrients for Cats and Dogs

Using her 30 years experience treating animals holistically, Dr. Khalsa designed nutrients just for dogs and cats. VITAL VITIES contain specially selected vitamins, minerals and super-food granules in a delicious base.    Learn more about nutrition for your pet:   https://hpathy.com/veterinary-homeopathy/deserving-pets-gives-scoop-supplements/

Visit Dr. Khalsa at her website and for consults: http://doctordeva.com/

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