Drug class shortcuts to judge new approvals; Good fats vs antibiotics / Breast milk miracles / Do testicles make aggressive dogs? Bamboo, bulls, and MORE
I really enjoyed this mornings news. Thank you for sharing with us (especially the gorgeous photos from India). Question re MTC oils. I use it at home for us humans. Never thought about the doggies! Do you have one you recommend for our pets, aside from ensuring it is pure and does not contain fillers?
I’m not close enough to US brands to make a rec, sorry. But ingredients should be simple, ideally housed in glass, and a recognizable brand is a bonus.
A few years ago out little mixed breed rescue (so yes previous vaxxes but we did titers) started loosing his coat. Not noticeable until we moved to Florida. He had been on a good dry raw food for years and good exercise and a few supplements. After arriving in FL he started to get worse. We tried other supplements and it got so bad I had to remove black crusting from his eyes. Since we had been feeding him the same food long before this that was the only constant. We finally went to a Vet here and of course he wanted to give him Apoquel. Fortunately, we said no. The last thing we could try was a different food. We switched to a frozen raw and a month later he was back to normal. It was interesting he never got the itches and aside from looking awful he never complained. We miss him!
Thank you for this follow up about "The Itch". My 2 yr old Bernese has gotten so bad the last six months she chews sores into her skin. Poor girl. She's only had the first batch of puppy shots that the breeder gave her and no rabies vax. I don't plan on having any more done. I listened to a vet trained in Chinese medicine talk about treating the itchy dogs with diet first and then Chinese herbs. I've changed her diet a bit, absolutely no kibble, raw beef & organs and some veggies added in. I haven't started the herbal remedy yet but hoping it will be the ticket.
Just listened to a podcast with a lawyer yesterday who is filing a class action lawsuit because Librela killed his dog. He has other clients that have tragically experienced the same. I tell everyone I know, NO Librela. If anyone here wants to be part of that suit, here is his info.
Kirkland Pope joined Pope McGlamry in 2006 and practices out of Pope McGlamry’s Atlanta office.
The new Zenrelia also has me concerned. Add that to the list of worrying allergy "treatments".
Loved the breast milk article, so fascinating and yet another subject that allows us to marvel at God's magnificent creations and methods.
The bulls over here are so jabbed up and given poor quality feed full of glyphosate it is no wonder they act aggressive. What man has done to the order of nature is beyond foul.
I hear you on these drugs. I'm pretty sure I wrote about the Z one, and a colleague about Librela. There's a decent search function in Substack for those interested in learning more.
Thank you for all the information! My uncle had farm dogs... Never vaccinated.. all in tact. They all lived to ripe old ages of 18, 19.. My favorite dog Shep, an English setter lives until 21!! It's unheard of these days and it's so sad.
We clearly live in a different world since vaccine use took off. Even the old timer vets knew one vaccine was all they needed if they chose to vaccinate.
I always look forward to your newsletter and learn something new. What you do is so valuable. I breed naturally reared Schipperkes, and your podcast and newsletter are always things that I share with new puppy people.
Not quite on-topic, but I recently learned something interesting about the bloody liquid from raw meat. This liquid contains a lot of taurine, which cats don't seem to get enough of, especially those who are not raw fed. So now we save all the liquid from any meat or liver we eat for the cats, as well as giving them and the dogs any liquid from their own raw food (which I've always done but my partner has not.) This also explains why the cats lick off the moisture from their raw food first. Just thought I'd pass that along in case any raw feeders discard the liquid, or any non-vegetarians discard the liquid from their own raw meat before cooking it.
Also re: cats... one of my four cats chews and sometimes eats plastic. Since people on this substack seem to be a wealth of experience and information, if anyone knows what might cause this or how I might get him to stop, I'd love to hear your thoughts! He is almost 5 years old, and almost calico, just a couple hints of that third color in his fur, which I know doesn't bode well for a male cat's genetic health. His tongue doesn't seem to be raspy either, the tip is completely smooth when he licks my fingers. He likes to play in his water dish too, although has gotten mostly away from that since he's been with us and off cheap kibble. He is still maybe a pound or so overweight, but often leaves food in his dish.
Pica is the name of the symptom of eating strange indigestibles. Can be one of several useful symptoms found in patients with a thorough intake by a homeopathic vet. The taurine is a good call, Pottenger's cat studies found it (really found RAW) to be essential.
My two male littermates were kept intact until 2 years old to ensure proper growth. I only planned to neuter them at all if they showed any signs of aggression. Well, for some months before they turned two (I forget how many exactly) they began and escalated food and high value toy/treat aggression with each other. None with us or other dogs, but they had no close contact with other dogs except for the neighbor's older female who they'd known from puppyhood and adored. I had to feed them in separate rooms and time things so that the beta dog was back about his usual business before the alpha was done eating to avoid noisy fighting. Alpha started to hog the huge dog bed and give a little growl if beta tried to join him on it, or was on it when he wanted it. I dealt with this until they turned two only because I wanted their skeletal growth to be healthy. After they were "fixed," the testosterone faded from their systems and gradually they cuddled together on the bed indoors and in the outdoor dog house again, and I can feed them in the same room now as long as I give the alpha his bowl first. High value treats such as rawhide chews or raw meaty bones that take a little work are still fight-worthy, and the alpha will take his outside and leave it, then come back in and try to take his brother's. I end up not treating them anywhere near as often, and close the dog door between them so beta can enjoy his treat in peace.
I sometimes wonder if I had neutered them earlier, would they have never developed this aggression with each other as they grew out of puppyhood? And is it actually "aggression" or simply normal pack hierarchy behavior that just feels uncomfortable to us "civilized" humans? Perhaps if I'd only adopted one dog I'd never have known these issues, and the single male would still be intact. 🤷♀️
I got them from a casual rural "backyard breeder" who took them from their mother at 5 weeks old, but did no vetting (no shots, de-worming, tail docking or anything else usually done prior to adoption or sale.) So not only were they fed raw from 5 weeks old, but they had no vaccines or anything at all until they were a year old and I was required to have them licensed by the township (I live across the street from a twp official, so couldn't get by without having the tags on their collars, unfortunately.) When they were two years old I had to have proof of the rabies vax to get them both neutered and one of them the eyelid surgery for a rolled-in eyelid that had started irritating his eye. I found a holistic vet who gave them just the thimerosol-free 3-year rabies shot, along with a card that said they were "next due" for all the other standard shots a year later, so I could get them into surgery at the conventional animal hospital with the minimum damage to their immune systems. I also waited several weeks between the rabies shot and their surgery to give them a chance to process the shot before adding the stress of surgery and anesthesia.
I have to wonder whether we term something "aggression" that is really just normal pack behavior in the wild. Mine were only really "aggressive" with each other, but I imagine it could easily have been much worse if they had had all the shots instead of just one, and were fed cheap kibble on top of that. The alpha was more territorial and possessive once his testosterone levels picked up, and this behavior lessened after the testosterone worked out of his system after neutering, but maybe that is completely normal "dog" behavior when we don't train it out of them or surgically remove it. They looked and sounded ferocious but never drew blood that I saw. Luckily they are evenly matched in size and build.
"Fixing" animals: in Australia, cats are considered evil, the devil himself. So if I want to "rescue" at cat, I am not permitted to take it home unless it's "fixed." In the USA, I could sign an affadavit, promising to desex the animal (but waiting until a reasonable age).
This means that my boy was "fixed" at 6 weeks, the girl "fixed" at 10 weeks. I have NEVER de-sexed an animal so young. I'm wondering what problems to expect as they age. They are 5 years old, and I'm wondering if Boy is having microstrokes (how would I know, other than - he's stupider than he was last month).
I was speaking with a dog breeder - and she talked about allowing for full sexual development in the animal - allowing bones & endocrine to fully mature before "fixing." She said, that in dogs, they become lanky with weak joints. My cats are lanky - but they are also oriental moggies - long cats.
What else can this do? I am loathe to "rescue" another cat if they are going to do this to them.
Putting your comment together with one from a vet above, plus a quick online search, perhaps your Boy's apparent cognitive decline is caused by the increase in luteinizing hormone that happens after neutering (in both males and females.) Online it was stated as a possible link to cognitive decline in post-menopausal women, who are no longer producing the chemicals that keep the luteinizing hormone in check, which would correspond to a neutered animal no longer able to produce those chemicals. She mentioned an injection called Suprelorin for controlling the excess luteinizing hormone. Do some research of your own -- maybe you could find a natural alternative to that injection that might help your Boy, or a holistic vet that could help you. Or, of course, a homeopath! If you're in Australia, look up Madeleine Innocent, I think she's in Perth.
I once adopted two kittens who the rescue shelter adamantly refused to release until after they were neutered, no option to delay or do it myself later. They were still nursing, and the people took their mother away from them to be neutered herself, then returned her to them afterward to resume nursing with those drugs still circulating in her body! One no-kill place was neutering females as young as 4 weeks, absolutely ridiculous! At that age their bodies need to be growing, not fasting through surgery and recovery then having to heal all that trauma while trying to grow and develop. It's a business model, plain and simple, even for non-profits -- at least here in the US it is. The last three times I adopted pets, it was from individuals, so I could have some control over what was done to them. And if I need to travel, instead of boarding, I take my dogs with me by car and stay at pet-friendly motels/hotels to avoid (so far at least!) the proof of multiple injection and flea treatment "requirements" that most boarding facilities have these days.
Yes, the homeopathic vet examined him, did some neurological testing on him.
She said that a lot of the damage is done (neurologically), and what she prescribes is mainly for behaviour (he is insecure, and has the worst FOMO - so much so that he's a bully about it). I guess the question I have now - is it from the early neuter, or is it a vaccine injury - or both? WE WILL NEVER SHOOT THESE CATS AGAIN!
I read Will's article on to "fix" or not, and Boy already has hip dysplasia, has had this since we brought him home. The conventional vet who examined him, palpated his hips, and said they are structurally fine. But the test that the homeopathic doc did showed that he doesn't have the right reflexes in his hind legs. And he scratches his head a lot like - "how does it work?"
We're not travelling at all right now, because of their behaviour problems. We sold all our timeshares, because of this. But when we do travel, the children next door love them, and are happy to take care of them - they come and play with them for about 2 hours a day when we are gone (and it gives them a chance to earn some pocket cash!). BUT the other 22 hours is where we are having the problems with fear, spraying, etc. And even if someone stayed here, they wouldn't "hit all the marks" - these are COVID cats, and they are used to us being home all the time. It's WRONG for us to leave them, and they express this most pungently (we suspect Boy, but Girl has her anxiety problems, too, like storms).
Hi Doc. Fellow holistic Vet Corinne here. I have been studying sex hormone loss and HRT for awhile now. Interestingly, I have started having more and more anxiety surrounding “cutting” (surgery) even though I now advocate for ovary-sparing spays and vasectomies (I actually haven’t done one of these yet as I have very responsible pet guardians and we’ve just kept them intact). I also have some anxiety with injecting, so this includes testosterone and Suprelorin (which lowers the luteininizing hormone that goes unchecked when we spay and neuter). So the homeopathy intrigues me. However, I am 57yo and the thought of learning yet another modality, spending 15K, and adjusting my entire career overwhelms me. I would REALLY appreciate your guidance. 💗
One of my live Alpha meetings had a student asking about sarcodes, remedies made from organs. I never used them, but believe I’d heard some positive responses in such things as incontinent females responding to “ovary 6x” or similar. You might explore that, it’s not classical homeopathy, more trying to “add a little influence” of what’s missing.
I’ve had 2 schipperkes females in the past who became extremely aggressive toward the other dog at home when in heat. Another female schipperkes never became aggressive. I ended up spaying the aggressors (separate time periods) although I had planned on keeping intact. It worked for the aggression, but I believe it was not positive for their overall health. In the future I hope to get another female schipperkes puppy and would appreciate advice on handling hormonal aggression without spaying.
I’d start with doing a deep evaluation of rabies in your area and in how likely your dogs are to contact a rabid wild animal. If you haven’t yet, grab my free Rabies Short Course: https://vitalanimal.com/rabies-short-course/
See if there’s not a way to skip that in the next dogs you raise without significant risk of the disease.
Is carpofen another name for Rimadyl? I took my dog in for an X-ray to rule out serious bone issues for my dog's front left leg. He has been limping for awhile. Neither the vet nor I saw anything remarkable, so he gave the dog carpofen. I have not given it to my dog, because he has a history of liver issues having been on Apoquel and Cefaxolin (sp ?). The most interesting aspect of his issues, taken with a view of the whole dog is is lip licking (not the air), shifting positions and then falling back asleep between 10PM and 1:00 AM whenever it happens. This suggests to me something with a gall bladder meridian (not necessarily gall bladder) involvement which is more what Chinese medicine calls sinews. When I had access to TCM veterinarians, none would respond to my repeated attempts to reach them. Are vets that overloaded that they won't take another revenue source?
In my experience, homeopathy will go much deeper than TCM, at least in the West, and with qualified professional help. The lip licking and resettling sounds like a slight regurg going on, a symptom along with others that would help a homeopathic vet find appropriate remedies to cure the whole dog and no longer need meds of any kind after a certain point. Here’s how I’d start the search: https://youtu.be/XyEklB8W6M0
Dear Dr. Falconer, I read every one of your newsletters and greatly appreciate you. My husband and I live in Arizona which requires rabies vaccines every 3 years. We adopted our dog from a rescue when he was just under a year old (which means he had all his shots and was neutered) and he has suffered terribly from "The Itch" most of his life. We started feeding him dehydrated raw food a couple years ago and his itch lessened, so I was hopeful things were moving in the right direction. He's now eight years old and was due for another rabies vaccine a few months ago. I strongly opposed it, but vets here won't treat dogs if they aren't current on their vaccines, so my husband complied. Sure enough, our poor dog's itch has returned with a vengeance and I'm attributing it to the rabies vaccine. I refuse to give him Apoquel or Cytopoint and have been giving him antihistamines to give him a little relief. I'm hoping in time the itch will decrease, and my goal is to never give him another rabies vaccine. He is now a "senior" and I see no reason why further rabies vaccinations should be required, unfortunately, AZ State Law does not share that position (and I suspect most vets don't either). I doubt efforts to change that law would be successful, nor have I been successful finding a vet that accepts rabies titer testing. Would you have suggestions how I can find a vet in the Scottsdale, AZ area that will treat our dog without additional rabies vaccinations? Thank you very much for your tender loving care of our pets and planet, Amy
Hey Amy, So sorry to hear you’re having to deal with such insanity from your state. All too typical, I’m afraid, and the vets go along with it.
While I don’t know anyone locally, you can hire a homeopathic vet long distance to work on the itch/whole dog. Here’s where to start your search: https://youtu.be/XyEklB8W6M0
While I’m appreciative of Katie Hinde's efforts to share these details about breastmilk and the breastfeeding relationship, she ought not be credited with discovering the information (around 2008). I learned all of it in the early nineties when pregnant for the first time and I have no doubt that much of the understanding of breastmilk preceded my interest by millennia. An attuned mother knows things that won't be “discovered” in a laboratory. Much of it never put to words.
I hear you. To be fair, it matters where they live. Here in my small village, they’d let you. In a larger city, even in India, I had one come for me when trying to pet him. Whoops, people been abusing and teasing you, I see. Sorry you gotta live here, brother.
I really enjoyed this mornings news. Thank you for sharing with us (especially the gorgeous photos from India). Question re MTC oils. I use it at home for us humans. Never thought about the doggies! Do you have one you recommend for our pets, aside from ensuring it is pure and does not contain fillers?
I’m not close enough to US brands to make a rec, sorry. But ingredients should be simple, ideally housed in glass, and a recognizable brand is a bonus.
A few years ago out little mixed breed rescue (so yes previous vaxxes but we did titers) started loosing his coat. Not noticeable until we moved to Florida. He had been on a good dry raw food for years and good exercise and a few supplements. After arriving in FL he started to get worse. We tried other supplements and it got so bad I had to remove black crusting from his eyes. Since we had been feeding him the same food long before this that was the only constant. We finally went to a Vet here and of course he wanted to give him Apoquel. Fortunately, we said no. The last thing we could try was a different food. We switched to a frozen raw and a month later he was back to normal. It was interesting he never got the itches and aside from looking awful he never complained. We miss him!
He heaved a sigh of “thank you, Pop, that’s what all my ancestors ate and my wild cousins still do. On my way again.”
Thank you for this follow up about "The Itch". My 2 yr old Bernese has gotten so bad the last six months she chews sores into her skin. Poor girl. She's only had the first batch of puppy shots that the breeder gave her and no rabies vax. I don't plan on having any more done. I listened to a vet trained in Chinese medicine talk about treating the itchy dogs with diet first and then Chinese herbs. I've changed her diet a bit, absolutely no kibble, raw beef & organs and some veggies added in. I haven't started the herbal remedy yet but hoping it will be the ticket.
Sometimes a switch to raw is enough, so good start. Encouraging that you're seeing benefit so far.
Just listened to a podcast with a lawyer yesterday who is filing a class action lawsuit because Librela killed his dog. He has other clients that have tragically experienced the same. I tell everyone I know, NO Librela. If anyone here wants to be part of that suit, here is his info.
Kirkland Pope joined Pope McGlamry in 2006 and practices out of Pope McGlamry’s Atlanta office.
https://www.pmkm.com/
The new Zenrelia also has me concerned. Add that to the list of worrying allergy "treatments".
Loved the breast milk article, so fascinating and yet another subject that allows us to marvel at God's magnificent creations and methods.
The bulls over here are so jabbed up and given poor quality feed full of glyphosate it is no wonder they act aggressive. What man has done to the order of nature is beyond foul.
Thanks for another brilliant substack Dr. F!
I hear you on these drugs. I'm pretty sure I wrote about the Z one, and a colleague about Librela. There's a decent search function in Substack for those interested in learning more.
Thank you for all the information! My uncle had farm dogs... Never vaccinated.. all in tact. They all lived to ripe old ages of 18, 19.. My favorite dog Shep, an English setter lives until 21!! It's unheard of these days and it's so sad.
We clearly live in a different world since vaccine use took off. Even the old timer vets knew one vaccine was all they needed if they chose to vaccinate.
You have inspired me to do some research around MCT oil versus antibiotics for humans.
Great article with great content, as always! 🙏
I always look forward to your newsletter and learn something new. What you do is so valuable. I breed naturally reared Schipperkes, and your podcast and newsletter are always things that I share with new puppy people.
Not quite on-topic, but I recently learned something interesting about the bloody liquid from raw meat. This liquid contains a lot of taurine, which cats don't seem to get enough of, especially those who are not raw fed. So now we save all the liquid from any meat or liver we eat for the cats, as well as giving them and the dogs any liquid from their own raw food (which I've always done but my partner has not.) This also explains why the cats lick off the moisture from their raw food first. Just thought I'd pass that along in case any raw feeders discard the liquid, or any non-vegetarians discard the liquid from their own raw meat before cooking it.
Also re: cats... one of my four cats chews and sometimes eats plastic. Since people on this substack seem to be a wealth of experience and information, if anyone knows what might cause this or how I might get him to stop, I'd love to hear your thoughts! He is almost 5 years old, and almost calico, just a couple hints of that third color in his fur, which I know doesn't bode well for a male cat's genetic health. His tongue doesn't seem to be raspy either, the tip is completely smooth when he licks my fingers. He likes to play in his water dish too, although has gotten mostly away from that since he's been with us and off cheap kibble. He is still maybe a pound or so overweight, but often leaves food in his dish.
Pica is the name of the symptom of eating strange indigestibles. Can be one of several useful symptoms found in patients with a thorough intake by a homeopathic vet. The taurine is a good call, Pottenger's cat studies found it (really found RAW) to be essential.
Very cool info on breast milk!
My two male littermates were kept intact until 2 years old to ensure proper growth. I only planned to neuter them at all if they showed any signs of aggression. Well, for some months before they turned two (I forget how many exactly) they began and escalated food and high value toy/treat aggression with each other. None with us or other dogs, but they had no close contact with other dogs except for the neighbor's older female who they'd known from puppyhood and adored. I had to feed them in separate rooms and time things so that the beta dog was back about his usual business before the alpha was done eating to avoid noisy fighting. Alpha started to hog the huge dog bed and give a little growl if beta tried to join him on it, or was on it when he wanted it. I dealt with this until they turned two only because I wanted their skeletal growth to be healthy. After they were "fixed," the testosterone faded from their systems and gradually they cuddled together on the bed indoors and in the outdoor dog house again, and I can feed them in the same room now as long as I give the alpha his bowl first. High value treats such as rawhide chews or raw meaty bones that take a little work are still fight-worthy, and the alpha will take his outside and leave it, then come back in and try to take his brother's. I end up not treating them anywhere near as often, and close the dog door between them so beta can enjoy his treat in peace.
I sometimes wonder if I had neutered them earlier, would they have never developed this aggression with each other as they grew out of puppyhood? And is it actually "aggression" or simply normal pack hierarchy behavior that just feels uncomfortable to us "civilized" humans? Perhaps if I'd only adopted one dog I'd never have known these issues, and the single male would still be intact. 🤷♀️
Hard to say, but interesting that neutering calmed things down, counter to all this gathered data.
I also wonder how much rabies vaccination enters into this equation, a known provoker of aggression and several other disease related symptoms.
I got them from a casual rural "backyard breeder" who took them from their mother at 5 weeks old, but did no vetting (no shots, de-worming, tail docking or anything else usually done prior to adoption or sale.) So not only were they fed raw from 5 weeks old, but they had no vaccines or anything at all until they were a year old and I was required to have them licensed by the township (I live across the street from a twp official, so couldn't get by without having the tags on their collars, unfortunately.) When they were two years old I had to have proof of the rabies vax to get them both neutered and one of them the eyelid surgery for a rolled-in eyelid that had started irritating his eye. I found a holistic vet who gave them just the thimerosol-free 3-year rabies shot, along with a card that said they were "next due" for all the other standard shots a year later, so I could get them into surgery at the conventional animal hospital with the minimum damage to their immune systems. I also waited several weeks between the rabies shot and their surgery to give them a chance to process the shot before adding the stress of surgery and anesthesia.
I have to wonder whether we term something "aggression" that is really just normal pack behavior in the wild. Mine were only really "aggressive" with each other, but I imagine it could easily have been much worse if they had had all the shots instead of just one, and were fed cheap kibble on top of that. The alpha was more territorial and possessive once his testosterone levels picked up, and this behavior lessened after the testosterone worked out of his system after neutering, but maybe that is completely normal "dog" behavior when we don't train it out of them or surgically remove it. They looked and sounded ferocious but never drew blood that I saw. Luckily they are evenly matched in size and build.
"Fixing" animals: in Australia, cats are considered evil, the devil himself. So if I want to "rescue" at cat, I am not permitted to take it home unless it's "fixed." In the USA, I could sign an affadavit, promising to desex the animal (but waiting until a reasonable age).
This means that my boy was "fixed" at 6 weeks, the girl "fixed" at 10 weeks. I have NEVER de-sexed an animal so young. I'm wondering what problems to expect as they age. They are 5 years old, and I'm wondering if Boy is having microstrokes (how would I know, other than - he's stupider than he was last month).
I was speaking with a dog breeder - and she talked about allowing for full sexual development in the animal - allowing bones & endocrine to fully mature before "fixing." She said, that in dogs, they become lanky with weak joints. My cats are lanky - but they are also oriental moggies - long cats.
What else can this do? I am loathe to "rescue" another cat if they are going to do this to them.
You’ll want to follow the link at the end of the Aggression section. Lots of consequences are possible.
Putting your comment together with one from a vet above, plus a quick online search, perhaps your Boy's apparent cognitive decline is caused by the increase in luteinizing hormone that happens after neutering (in both males and females.) Online it was stated as a possible link to cognitive decline in post-menopausal women, who are no longer producing the chemicals that keep the luteinizing hormone in check, which would correspond to a neutered animal no longer able to produce those chemicals. She mentioned an injection called Suprelorin for controlling the excess luteinizing hormone. Do some research of your own -- maybe you could find a natural alternative to that injection that might help your Boy, or a holistic vet that could help you. Or, of course, a homeopath! If you're in Australia, look up Madeleine Innocent, I think she's in Perth.
I once adopted two kittens who the rescue shelter adamantly refused to release until after they were neutered, no option to delay or do it myself later. They were still nursing, and the people took their mother away from them to be neutered herself, then returned her to them afterward to resume nursing with those drugs still circulating in her body! One no-kill place was neutering females as young as 4 weeks, absolutely ridiculous! At that age their bodies need to be growing, not fasting through surgery and recovery then having to heal all that trauma while trying to grow and develop. It's a business model, plain and simple, even for non-profits -- at least here in the US it is. The last three times I adopted pets, it was from individuals, so I could have some control over what was done to them. And if I need to travel, instead of boarding, I take my dogs with me by car and stay at pet-friendly motels/hotels to avoid (so far at least!) the proof of multiple injection and flea treatment "requirements" that most boarding facilities have these days.
Yes, the homeopathic vet examined him, did some neurological testing on him.
She said that a lot of the damage is done (neurologically), and what she prescribes is mainly for behaviour (he is insecure, and has the worst FOMO - so much so that he's a bully about it). I guess the question I have now - is it from the early neuter, or is it a vaccine injury - or both? WE WILL NEVER SHOOT THESE CATS AGAIN!
I read Will's article on to "fix" or not, and Boy already has hip dysplasia, has had this since we brought him home. The conventional vet who examined him, palpated his hips, and said they are structurally fine. But the test that the homeopathic doc did showed that he doesn't have the right reflexes in his hind legs. And he scratches his head a lot like - "how does it work?"
We're not travelling at all right now, because of their behaviour problems. We sold all our timeshares, because of this. But when we do travel, the children next door love them, and are happy to take care of them - they come and play with them for about 2 hours a day when we are gone (and it gives them a chance to earn some pocket cash!). BUT the other 22 hours is where we are having the problems with fear, spraying, etc. And even if someone stayed here, they wouldn't "hit all the marks" - these are COVID cats, and they are used to us being home all the time. It's WRONG for us to leave them, and they express this most pungently (we suspect Boy, but Girl has her anxiety problems, too, like storms).
Hi Doc. Fellow holistic Vet Corinne here. I have been studying sex hormone loss and HRT for awhile now. Interestingly, I have started having more and more anxiety surrounding “cutting” (surgery) even though I now advocate for ovary-sparing spays and vasectomies (I actually haven’t done one of these yet as I have very responsible pet guardians and we’ve just kept them intact). I also have some anxiety with injecting, so this includes testosterone and Suprelorin (which lowers the luteininizing hormone that goes unchecked when we spay and neuter). So the homeopathy intrigues me. However, I am 57yo and the thought of learning yet another modality, spending 15K, and adjusting my entire career overwhelms me. I would REALLY appreciate your guidance. 💗
Hey Corinne,
One of my live Alpha meetings had a student asking about sarcodes, remedies made from organs. I never used them, but believe I’d heard some positive responses in such things as incontinent females responding to “ovary 6x” or similar. You might explore that, it’s not classical homeopathy, more trying to “add a little influence” of what’s missing.
I’ve had 2 schipperkes females in the past who became extremely aggressive toward the other dog at home when in heat. Another female schipperkes never became aggressive. I ended up spaying the aggressors (separate time periods) although I had planned on keeping intact. It worked for the aggression, but I believe it was not positive for their overall health. In the future I hope to get another female schipperkes puppy and would appreciate advice on handling hormonal aggression without spaying.
I’d start with doing a deep evaluation of rabies in your area and in how likely your dogs are to contact a rabid wild animal. If you haven’t yet, grab my free Rabies Short Course: https://vitalanimal.com/rabies-short-course/
See if there’s not a way to skip that in the next dogs you raise without significant risk of the disease.
No shots ever again.
Is carpofen another name for Rimadyl? I took my dog in for an X-ray to rule out serious bone issues for my dog's front left leg. He has been limping for awhile. Neither the vet nor I saw anything remarkable, so he gave the dog carpofen. I have not given it to my dog, because he has a history of liver issues having been on Apoquel and Cefaxolin (sp ?). The most interesting aspect of his issues, taken with a view of the whole dog is is lip licking (not the air), shifting positions and then falling back asleep between 10PM and 1:00 AM whenever it happens. This suggests to me something with a gall bladder meridian (not necessarily gall bladder) involvement which is more what Chinese medicine calls sinews. When I had access to TCM veterinarians, none would respond to my repeated attempts to reach them. Are vets that overloaded that they won't take another revenue source?
In my experience, homeopathy will go much deeper than TCM, at least in the West, and with qualified professional help. The lip licking and resettling sounds like a slight regurg going on, a symptom along with others that would help a homeopathic vet find appropriate remedies to cure the whole dog and no longer need meds of any kind after a certain point. Here’s how I’d start the search: https://youtu.be/XyEklB8W6M0
Yes Eileen, carprofen equates to Rimadyl.
Dear Dr. Falconer, I read every one of your newsletters and greatly appreciate you. My husband and I live in Arizona which requires rabies vaccines every 3 years. We adopted our dog from a rescue when he was just under a year old (which means he had all his shots and was neutered) and he has suffered terribly from "The Itch" most of his life. We started feeding him dehydrated raw food a couple years ago and his itch lessened, so I was hopeful things were moving in the right direction. He's now eight years old and was due for another rabies vaccine a few months ago. I strongly opposed it, but vets here won't treat dogs if they aren't current on their vaccines, so my husband complied. Sure enough, our poor dog's itch has returned with a vengeance and I'm attributing it to the rabies vaccine. I refuse to give him Apoquel or Cytopoint and have been giving him antihistamines to give him a little relief. I'm hoping in time the itch will decrease, and my goal is to never give him another rabies vaccine. He is now a "senior" and I see no reason why further rabies vaccinations should be required, unfortunately, AZ State Law does not share that position (and I suspect most vets don't either). I doubt efforts to change that law would be successful, nor have I been successful finding a vet that accepts rabies titer testing. Would you have suggestions how I can find a vet in the Scottsdale, AZ area that will treat our dog without additional rabies vaccinations? Thank you very much for your tender loving care of our pets and planet, Amy
Hey Amy, So sorry to hear you’re having to deal with such insanity from your state. All too typical, I’m afraid, and the vets go along with it.
While I don’t know anyone locally, you can hire a homeopathic vet long distance to work on the itch/whole dog. Here’s where to start your search: https://youtu.be/XyEklB8W6M0
While I’m appreciative of Katie Hinde's efforts to share these details about breastmilk and the breastfeeding relationship, she ought not be credited with discovering the information (around 2008). I learned all of it in the early nineties when pregnant for the first time and I have no doubt that much of the understanding of breastmilk preceded my interest by millennia. An attuned mother knows things that won't be “discovered” in a laboratory. Much of it never put to words.
I always wondered about the temperament of the lovely bulls/cows. I’d want so badly to pet them!
I hear you. To be fair, it matters where they live. Here in my small village, they’d let you. In a larger city, even in India, I had one come for me when trying to pet him. Whoops, people been abusing and teasing you, I see. Sorry you gotta live here, brother.