Veterinary Homeopathy

Look at My Skin

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Normally you have to make some effort to check the skin on the abdomen of a male dog. Not with George. He comes into the surgery and lies down and pulls his leg up as soon as you approach him so you can see all the 1cm round crusts that cover the red inflamed skin circles on his belly.

I initially thought it was because he was a very friendly dog, and friendly he is, but with hindsight there is likely to be an explanation within the remedy.

He is a beautiful Irish Setter, bred for showing. I saw him for the first time when he was just over 1 year old.

21/4/06 Let’s listen to the owner:

‘First the skin becomes really hot and then the eruptions break out. They break out when I cool the hot skin with a wet towel. He is not really bothered when the skin gets hot. (His father had the same rash but only in the winter). When the eruptions break out he doesn’t stop licking them and pulls out all his hair under his belly.

There is possibly a relationship with going to dog shows. It tends to get worse when he comes back from a show. He is happy and excited at going to dog shows. When he was younger he used to drink and eat during the shows, now he refuses all food and water when we are at a show. He is very relaxed at the shows, he goes to sleep even when he is in the ring and has to wait (this is unusual for dogs).

When it is his turn, he does exactly what I ask him to do, he is a good boy.

He loves the attention: everybody has to make a fuss of him, he is a very feely-touchy dog.

He was lethargic when we had him on a cheaper brand of food. That is when the rash appeared for the first time. With the new brand of better dog food he has much more energy but the eruptions did not go away.

He is very routine organised and doesn’t like it when we change the time of his dinner. He also does not want to eat inside: We have to put his bowl outside or he doesn’t eat. It can be pouring with rain and he will still go outside to eat.

He is not very brave, he thinks he is, but then soon comes to me for help. When he sees a deer on walks he comes to me. He tends to keep to the path on walks.

Sometimes he is spooked about things (we cannot find out what it is) and then he tries to be brave but in reality he is not.

When we visit a friend he has to go and say hello to all my friend’s dogs (she has 10 dogs). He fits in anywhere; he doesn’t cock his leg.

Ben, our other dog is rather grumpy and doesn’t play with him. George still tries to play with him and even opens Ben’s cage to let him out. He would even lie with Ben in Ben’s cage; George likes to be with dogs.

George will pull a blanket out of the house to lie on.

He likes to be dried with a towel when he comes in wet.

He travels well but gets upset if he has to sit on the back seat. Once he was very upset when he had to travel with two other female dogs in the car although he had played with them before that. He had to be in a different spot because of them and then he vomited because maybe he thought he was being punished. Another time, he vomited because we drove the car too fast. That happened only once.

He is very sensitive; when people shout when we are in a show, he sits there shivering, even if it has nothing to do with us.

On walks, he sometimes comes up to you with his leg up for you to have a look at it and then he dashes off again as if nothing happened.’

Sleeps very relaxed. There are no weather or thermal modalities.’

Due to his friendliness and openness to everybody, I give him three doses of Phosphorus 30.

17/05/06.

He started to eat indoors.

The crusts on the skin are much better but he licks his feet more than ever.

A few of his characteristics are further highlighted:

‘He got upset a few times when I went out without him and the show bag came out. Even when he is not shown, he likes to sit there and meet people.

He is not confident, sometimes if you put the lead on him to go out, he is excited but he is unsure whether he wants to go, you then have to encourage him.

He licks everything all the time, me, people, furniture.

Sometimes he goes to the show bag and looks at it and when we don’t go to the show he is upset.’

I make a repertorisation that expresses the following themes that I find in the two consultations:

– He lacks in confidence when they want to go for a walk and also when there are changes made in the habits (mind, aversion to change, fear of new enterprise, homesickness (= to illustrate the aversion to change))

– He licks people, wants to be patted by people, greets all dogs: (mind, embraces everybody, kissing everybody)

– although it is not obvious in the narrative, he comes over as always being very busy, having to do something all the time.

– There is some sort of obsession with the shows which I translate as: delusion is a great person:

1 MIND – CHANGE – aversion to 9
2 MIND – FEAR – new enterprise; of undertaking a 8
3 MIND – HOMESICKNESS 83
4 MIND – NEW IDEAS – aversion to 5
5 MIND – EMBRACES – everyone 10
6 MIND – KISSING – everyone 9
7 MIND – BUSY – fruitlessly 22
8 MIND – RESTLESSNESS – busy 30
9 MIND – DELUSIONS – great person, is a 30
Verat Bell Caps Lach Hyos Phos Acon Agar Aur Bar-c
1
1
1 2 4 1 1 2 1 0 2 1
2 1 1 1 1
3 2 2
1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2

It is interesting that Veratrum album comes out as first remedy.

Veratrum album will do whatever he can to be close to the protecting power.

This may explain why he wants to show his eruptions to us. He gets upset when moved to a back seat in the car, he is always close to the owner in possibly uncertain situations. He shivers when he hears people shout.

Veratrum will even cheat to get attention: ‘On walks, he sometimes comes up to you with his leg up for you to have a look at it and then he dashes off again as if nothing happened.‘ He even pretends to be spooked for attention? There is no dishonour in Veratrum, anything for the attention of those in power.

There is more proof that those in power have a significance for him: he trembles when somebody shouts in the shows.

George also gets really upset if he cannot come to the show, he likes to be recognised by everybody.

Three doses in 30C.

3/07/06

He has become more confident. He did not mind staying behind when the owner went to a show. No more biting between the feet.

There is a new outbreak of crusts but much less than usual.

He had severe dandruff a few weeks ago, ‘just like before when the first outbreaks came.’

One dose of Veratrum alb in 200.

10/07/06

The crusts did not really disappear after the last dose although he did not really touch them.

The last 2 days they increased 4 fold since he came back from a show two days ago.

One dose of Veratrum album 1M.

Up until this date (14/06/08) there have been no more eruptions and George is a normal confident dog. He still loves all the attention though. It is much easier to leave him at home now.

About the author

Edward De Beukelaer

Edward De Beukelaer, DVM mrcvs, practices classical homeopathy for animals in the UK (Wiltshire and Gloucestershire). 5 St David's Way Marlborough SN8 1DH 07786213636 c/o Riverside Veterinary Centre, Marlborough, Wiltshire, 0167205140875 Severnside Veterinary Group, Lydney, Gloucestershire, 01594 842185 Visit his websites: www.1-4-homeopathy.com and www.marlboroughvets.co.uk

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