Hello all,

I'm Naomi, SAH-HM to four going on five kids. As a result of my interest in childbirth, I have come to also have an interest in Homeopathy and am currently taking an online Introductory course.

I have a 2.3 yr old, unspayed, mostly unvacced, mixed breed dog (we know her mom was a Rott/ Bull Mastif mix) who has a real sensitivity to fleas. Last yr (before Homeopathy) I used Advantage to keep the fleas off her and we managed to do ok, but this yr that didn't work. She had her last dose of Advantage about 2 months ago. She is now very itchy, with bald places on her belly, in her groin area, and going up her back from her tail. The skin doesn't look red or blistered, and she isn't scratching so much as to break the skin, but she is scratching constantly and losing hair. It seems to be more related to getting fleas (although I've found very few on her), because she was scrtching BEFORE the Advantage, when I found the first flea. Her mental state seems to be fine, she eats and drinks normally, and in general is a very normal, loveable dog except that she itches terribly. She is somewhat aggressive to strangers, mostly men. I have had her since she was five weeks old. I can't think of anything else that would be pertinent to this situation. Can someone lead me to a really good book or website to help me find a remedy for her? I am looking for a homeo vet in my area, but haven't actually gone to one yet.
Thanks for any help you may be able to give me
Naomi

Please check out the following website: http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/F...ut-Poisons.htm

The main ingredient in Advantage is Imidacloprid, its relatively new and therefore less info is available on it, however more importantly it is not know what the 2ndary ingredients are (companies are not required to list -we are to trust them that they are safe). Traditionally in pesticides, these 2ndary ingredients are very often known carcinogenics.

Although I sympathize with your problem, long term use is particularily dangerous because its totally unknown. Typically the studies and trials on these products are carried out for no more than 2 years. Lifelong exposure to pesticides (with what we know about them) is just not safe.

It's been a while since I first asked this question, and during that time I have researched continuosly and am still without much information.

Here's what going on, I know that vaccines, and other allopathic medicines (including flea products) are toxic. I stopped doing all that, for my family and my pets, a long time ago. The fleas aren't even the problem anymore (she may still have a couple, but never had very many at all), it's my dog's reaction to them. I stopped the Advantage earlier this yr when I first started learning about homeopathy, and haven't vaccinated her in probably a yr and a half. My problem now is I KNOW that I need to get her on a real food diet and not the store bought kibble she is on, and I KNOW that I need to find the homeopathic remedy to help her, but I'm not finding the information to help me do that. I have searched website after website and have found plenty of articles giving the benefits of raw food or other homemade diets and homeopathics, but nothing telling me how to transition her to that and what to use. I've looked for a local homeopathic vet, and have had no luck, and don't want to spend the money on a phone consultation when I can't first interview the vet. So, does anyone have any useful info to help me change my dog to a better, more natural diet, and to find the right homeopathic remedy to help her itching. She is now showing other symptoms, and I'm worried that she is getting worse.

Thanks and Merry Christmas
Naomi

Hi there

there a bunch of good websites on raw feeding. My dog is on a raw food diet. There is no transition period. Just start feeding him raw. if you go slowly then that can actually cause more trouble becuase the time it takes to digest the kibble food is so much slower it keeps the raw meat in his system too long, making him sick.

Of course, there may be some digestive upset and you can counteract this with homeopathy, look into the common remedies for gastroenteritis, vomiting and diarrhea so you are familar with them should the need arise.

Hi everybody !

Although modern conventional treatments for both the dog itself and for the surroundings are available, which are effective and safe nowadays,homeopathic treatment is also very well possible ! Herbal repellents are also available.

Flea bites may cause skin irritation varying from slight to severe. Biting, rubbing, scratching of the affected areas may lead to (patches of) eczema or dermatitis with loss of hair and often presence of black coal-dust-like flea droppings.

I often prescribe Sulphur for this (flea) situation.

This remedy has the reputation for making the skin less attractive to fleas and in that way deterring them from living on the dog/animal.

To maintain the right degree of acidity (= pH value) give 1 dose of Sulphur 30x once a week for 6-8 weeks approx.(longer if necessary) and it will chase away all kinds of skin parasites !

One dose is 1 tablet or 3 coarse pellets/granules (nr. 35) for small dogs and 2 tablets or 4-5 coarse pellets/granules (nr.35) for big(ger) dogs.

At times of high risk or in case of severe complaints, it`s possible to give Sulphur 200c or 200k, dose 3 times weekly (same dose as mentioned above) till distinct improvement.
An animal that is suffering because of (too) many flea bites should also be given :

Ctenocephalum 30x, 1 dose, once or twice daily till amel. (= improvement). This remedy is not very well known among homeopaths yet and is made of flea saliva. It will prevent further aggravation/irritation.

Or give : Pulex irritans (flea) (also for people !) in same potency and dosing.

To prevent itching/scratching/biting, it`s also possible to give Ledum 30x and Ctenocephalum 30x, one daily dose of each to prevent damaging of the skin/coat.

Don`t touch pellets/granules etc. with your hands, because the remedy is sprayed on the outside of them ! Give them straight from the cap from the bottle/container or from a clean spoon.

Good luck with the treatment. Kind regards, Wim.(William)

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Wim

Thanks for all the info William. As soon as I got your message I went looking in my (admittedly limited) materia medicas. My problem with Sulphur is that she doesn't have fleas any more, and certainly no flea dirt that I can find. The rest of the description of Sulphur didn't really sound like her case either. I looked at Ledum, but again, it just doesn't sound like her. In doing some more research (I just bought the book Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs by Don Hamilton) I'm thinking that I may be putting to much of an emphasis on the itching, since this is basically a common symptom of most allergies. Am I understanding right in that when looking at the overall case it is more telling to look at the more individualized symptoms and then find a remedy that matches that and still takes into account the common symptoms? Here is what I am coming up with so far on Maxi's symptoms.

Skin and ears:
lots of itching with no apparent breakouts, loss of hair (though not severe), slight flaking of skin (like dandruff), smells more "doggy", not an overwhelming smell, but definitely noticeable
ears have no smell or buildup, very clean
Now that I think about it, the itching seems to bother me more then it bothers her, she stops when I tell her to (it is quite annoying to me).

Mouth, Gums, and Teeth:
all look normal, teeth are clean, breath smells normal, gums and tongue are nice and pink (though her tongue looked a little dark, maybe)

Digestive System:
all seems normal here as well, she is on a kibble diet which I'm getting ready to change to raw food, she has had ocassional really rotten gas

Respiratory System, Nose, and Sinuses:
everything seems normal, I've not noticed any change at all in this area

Eyes:
bright and clear, no problems that I can see

Nervous System:
trembles when anxious and cold (I had never seen this dog shiver before, no matter how cold)
twitches in her sleep (both are new symptoms within the last month)

Mental/Emotional:
She's very excitable, she's always been playful but now it is almost extreme, with her taking the slightest clue of anything as an invitation to play wildly. She still listens and responds very well to her training, and does what she is told, but does seem to need more affection, which could be in part because of what she is going through and in part because I am currently eight months pregnant. She is much more vocal then normal, especially during play, barking more and doing the play growl much more (it has no menacing notes in it that I can hear, though someone who didn't know her would probably think she was tearing us apart..lol). This isn't a new symptom, but it has always taken her a long time to warm up to most men, and one friend of my husband's she absolutely hates, has no tolerance to him at all and will bark and growl the whole time he is here.

That's everything I can think of. As for her history, she is 2 yrs old with two rounds of vaccines, both administered by me with no immediate adverse reactions. She has also had approximately 4-6 doses of Advantage in the past two yrs, also with no immediate reactions (though I know what she is experiencing now could be delayed reaction to both the vaccines and the Advantage). She has been on a kibble diet all her life excpet for about 6 months of a homemade cooked food diet, then a switch back to kibble. I've had her since she was 5 weeks old. She hasn't had any trauma in her life that I can remember, though we did move states about six months ago and that whole period of time (which lasted about 2 months) was pretty stressful on all of us, I can only imagine the stress she possibly went through though I tried to make it as easy as possible on her.

Anyway, I didn't start this reply in an attempt to write a book....lol. If you, or anyone else, has some insight I would very much appreciate it. I'm thinking from what I have read and researched so far that the switch to a raw food diet alone may help tremendously with the itching, do you think it would have an impact on the rest of her symptoms?
Thanks so much!
Naomi



William wrote:
"Although modern conventional treatments for both the dog itself and for the surroundings are available, which are effective and safe nowadays,homeopathic treatment is also very well possible ! Herbal repellents are also available.

Flea bites may cause skin irritation varying from slight to severe. Biting, rubbing, scratching of the affected areas may lead to (patches of) eczema or dermatitis with loss of hair and often presence of black coal-dust-like flea droppings.

I often prescribe Sulphur for this (flea) situation.

This remedy has the reputation for making the skin less attractive to fleas and in that way deterring them from living on the dog/animal."

Hello Naomi,

Because of the combination loss of hair + dandruff + itch + smell, I advise you to give Sulphur 3c or 6c, one dose (see for dosage + administration my flea post) twice a day for the 6c potency and 3 times a day for the 3c potency for 2-3 weeks till distinct improvement.

Good luck with the treatment ! Wim (William)

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Wim

Really?! Will this help take care of the other symptoms as well? I have to admit to being a bit surprised because the Sulphur characteristics didn't seem to fit, but admittedly I am quite new to studying all this. I'll give it a try. Thanks
Naomi

Please keep us posted ! W.

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Wim

Brought back from the archives for new members/students.

Wim

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Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)