Veterinary Homeopathy

Ask the Holistic Vet Jul. 2019

veterinary
Written by Deva Khalsa

Holistic veterinarian Dr. Deva Khalsa answers questions about a cat with kidney failure, a dog with osteoarthritis and lipoma, the safety of grain free legume-rich dog diets, thunderstorms and cats and a Dachshund with congestive heart failure.

Hello Dr. Khalsa,

Can you advise me on how to proceed with my cat who has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and kidney failure? All of this began shortly after I had her teeth cleaned not quite two years ago. We estimate her age to be about 17 years and she was in robust and excellent health prior to her teeth cleaning. At the time of the teeth cleaning her vitals were all normal and the vet said she was in excellent health for any age. Anything you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Judie Maron-Friend

Dr. Deva Khalsa:

Hyperthyroidism masks kidney failure in cats.  The over active thyroid causes extra kidney perfusion.  Hyperthyroidism also comes on slowly.  Kidney failure is very common in cats for two reasons: (1) the fish in their food, euphemistically called Ocean Whitefish is actually Tilefish and is incredibly high in mercury- beating swordfish. Mercury accumulates in the kidneys. (2) Cat vaccines have feline kidney tissue in them. Don’t ask me why but it causes a long term inflammatory reaction to their kidneys.

So she likely had kidneys that were not functioning well before the dental and if they did pre dental blood work they may not have checked the thyroid and

so, when after the dental the kidney levels rose up it was just the tip of the iceberg coming out.  Kidney levels like creatinine do not elevate at all above normal until 75% of the kidneys are destroyed.

All that said, the dental may have released some bacteria into the system and she may have a kidney infection, on top of everything else. At her age, I would get her right on antibiotics with concurrent SQ fluids every day for two weeks and see what happens. I like Baytril for this.  Older animals cannot fight infection as well as younger ones, and if she has an infection you would see a significant improvement with this regime.  The only way to really assess a kidney infection in US is by a qualified veterinary radiology specialist. Even then it may not show up. You see no bacteria in the urine and no increase in white cell count.


Hello,

My dog is a 13 year old Lab mix with osteoarthritis in his rear legs which causes extreme stiffness and effects his range of movement and appears to cause him pain. His legs often go out from under him and he can’t get himself back up, and he can no longer climb up on the couch.  He also has a very sizable (softball sized) inoperable lipoma on his rear leg (pic attached).  He is still able to lay on this side. It doesn’t seem to bother him too much.  Do you have any suggestions (remedies etc.) that could help with either of these areas?

Thank you,

Jessica & Spencer the Dog     [email protected]

Dr. Deva Khalsa:

The lipoma is awfully large and these can be tricky to reduce with homeopathy. Ramaeker’s Professional Veterinary Immune tabs are available on line only at www.deservingpets.com and these may help with the lipoma over a few months. They are doctor prescribed only but I am OK’ed to carry them on my site. As far as his arthritis goes, the best product to use is Myristin for Dogs.  This product works with the worst cases and provides significant relief within a week or two of starting. All natural and safe.


Dear Dr. Khalsa,

The news about dog food this week is very disturbing. I read this today:

“University of California, Davis, veterinarians found a link between some popular grain-free, legume-rich dog diets and a type of nutritional deficiency and canine heart disease known as taurine-deficient dilated cardiomyopathy. The study was recently published in the journal PLOS ONE.”

I’m confused about what dog food is good or bad.  Is grain free okay or?  What dog food is best?  What is the best diet for dogs? Can you please shed some light on this?

Here is a link to the study.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0209112

Thank you

Grewal

Dr. Deva Khalsa:

Grain free if fine but not with legumes.  My book, Dr. Khalsa’s Natural Dog, has lots of home cooked recipes.  Farmina, from Italy, is a good brand and they do not have peas and chick peas in their products.


Hello Dr. Khalsa,

My cat is so terrified of thunderstorms that she now hides in a small space between the couch and chair any time it begins to rain. She will stay there for hours even after the storm is over.  When she’s frightened like this, she hides and just stares at the floor and won’t respond to anything.  Borax 6c and also Aconitum 30 had no effect.  She’s 11 years old.  She’s a clear Pulsatilla.  What potency and dosing would you recommend for Pulsatilla, or what other remedies might we try?

Thank you

Maria

Dr. Deva Khalsa:

I would try a Chinese herb called Shen Calmer. You give it for a month or so and they calm down and when you stop it still keeps working.  It’s very dependable. Borax is a great remedy for thunderstorms as is Lachesis. You can try Lachesis 30c once a day for 3 days.  I doubt Pulsatilla will do it but if you want to try, I would use the 200c potency, every other day.


Dear Dr. Khalsa,

Starting about 3 months ago, both my cats (ages 4 and 10) started eating much more.  They just always seem hungry and are constantly asking for food. They’re in good health.  I’m wondering if this could be parasites because they play in the yard and deep grass a couple hours a day. If it’s parasites what’s the best way to deal with that?

Thank you

Shaun

Dr. Deva Khalsa:

Fecal tests are notoriously unreliable for negative results. In other words, your cats could have worms and they do not show up. Not only that, tapeworms do not show up in routine fecal exams.  Tapeworms come from fleas and eating rodents.

You can order from 1-800 Pet Meds or Chewy.com  Droncit or Drontal will worm them for tapeworms. This is the worm that usually makes them more hungry.  If this does not work they should go in for a Thyroid test to check if they are hyperthyroid. That said, a 10 year old cat is more likely to be hyperthyroid than a 4 year old cat and the fact that they are both hungry indicates more that they may have tapeworms.


Dear Dr. Khalsa,

My neighbor’s dog (Dachshund) was coughing for a few days. He went to see the vet and found out that the dog was having breathing difficulty because of fluid in his heart and lungs. He’s now taking a diuretic and waiting to see the cardiologist. It’s a small dog, 10 years old.  Never had health problems before. I know that’s not much to go on.

Thank you

Ranjit   [email protected]

 Dr. Deva Khalsa,

It seems like your dog is in congestive heart failure or perhaps he has had a bleed in his pericardial sac.  This needs to be addressed with conventional medicine.

Visit Dr. Khalsa at her website for information and consults:

http://www.doctordeva.com/

Editor’s note: Dr. Khalsa’s new book was just released:

The Allergic Pet –Holistic Solutions to End the Allergy Epidemic in Our Dogs and Cats

Dr. Khalsa shows how to strengthen the immune systems of dogs and cats without invasive techniques or pharmaceutical drugs,

Available from: 

https://www.amazon.com/Allergic-Pet-Holistic-Solutions-Epidemic/dp/1621871827

The second edition of Dr. Khalsa’s Natural Dog is now available. It’s an exceptional book with information not offered in any similar work. I recommend it highly!

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/

About the author

Deva Khalsa

Dr. Deva Khalsa V.M.D. 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‘. Her practice includes homeopathy acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, nutrition, N.A.E.T, J.M.T. and other modalities. Her philosophy is to use whatever it takes to restore health. Dr. Khalsa’s practice is in New Zealand but she consults by internet and phone with pet owners from the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Europe and the UK. http://www.doctordeva.com

1 Comment

  • Dear Dr. Deva

    My six year old male cat seems to have some issue with his gums. I cannot get more concrete as he wont let me check his mouth.
    While eating, he seems to be painless, but his breath smells rather bad. He drools very lightly, only an occasional short but sticky thread.
    Otherwise he is rather withdrawn, lazy, and displays quite some jealousy towards the other cat
    I had given him merc sol30, without result

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