Vital Animal News: February 9, 2025
Free Rabies Masterclass / 20 Dogs Euthanized. For Parvo / Homeopathy Docu / Car Sick No Mo! / and MORE
One Fascinating Disease: Rabies!
Culling Dogs to Control Parvo?
Free Homeopathy Intro Movie
Leave the Cows Alone!
Tasty Tips: Car Sick?
Along the Natural Path
Rabies Masterclass Starts Wed.
Rabies is a fascinating disease.
The stuff that horror movies are made of, but also, to anyone interested in biology, a wild scheme of natural transmission with an ancient history.
I studied it in depth in the late 80’s, when the State of Hawaii hired me to study their quarantine system, aimed entirely at keeping rabies out of the islands.
What a rabbit hole I found myself tunneling down!
And all pre-internet, so I was consulting experts’ writings in journals and textbooks.
A story in itself, but I very nearly went to press saying “nothing broken here” about their 80 year old system of lockups for every dog and cat entering the state.
Every innocent pet spent four months in the clink, owners had visiting hours, barking dogs were nearly non-stop… and I actually lived on the site with my family for six months during the study.
At the 11th hour, I had a change of heart, realizing simple vaccination and titer testing could very adequately get those mainland, low threat pets into their Hawaiian homes far sooner.
My paper helped radically change the State’s rabies protection system, though I was no longer there to hear any laudatory remarks, as I was busy growing my homeopathic practice in Austin.
A Disease to Be Wise About
The more you know about rabies, the wiser your choices will be around protection.
Protection that keeps your pets free from the disease and, by extension, keeps you safe.
The rabies prevention program in the West is grossly over applied, and that’s where my holistic knowledge coupled with my background in research spurred me to teach about it.
While vaccination may not be a “one size fits all,” it does have a place.
And, as we discussed in the last issue (Rage Syndrome), vaccination can also cause a myriad of unwanted effects, including but rarely limited to aggression.
Free Rabies Masterclass
In preparation for my deep dive course called Rabies: Knowledge is Power, I’ll be opening a 4 part video masterclass this Wednesday, 12 Feb.
We’ll be exploring the disease, it’s prevention, and a critical question (that you should be able to answer by the end of the series):
“Does my animal need a rabies vaccination?”
There’ll be plenty of chances to comment and interact after every episode, and I warmly invite you to take part.
Here’s where to sign up for your free admission:
Euthanasia? For Parvo??
This article really caught me off guard.
Headlined, “Utah animal shelter euthanizes 20 dogs with parvo,” the AVMA Smart Brief begged a click. You can read it on the TV website here.
It was even more lame than the headline promised.
And their apologetic post on FacePalm drew nothing but lame support from sleepy, weepy readers.
Not one even questioning their decision to put 20 dogs with a positive parvo to death.
The animal shelter is required to follow the procedures of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Unfortunately, we had to euthanize the 18 dogs who contracted the virus to follow the necessary steps for disease control and prevention.
There were two additional dogs on our watch list that we were monitoring closely in quarantine. Unfortunately, these dogs also tested positive for parvo and had to be euthanized.”
All Were Vaccinated…
Interestingly, the animals had all received the usual vaccines for parvo.
Apparently, they had a disastrous immunization rate (always remember: immunization is the goal, but vaccination may or may not result in that hoped for end point).
No news here, we’ve know of that vaccine’s failure to immunize for a very long time.
But Wait: Test Positive = Euthanasia??
Even more deplorable, they somehow got it in their minds that a positive test for parvo meant those so tested had only one outcome: fatal injection.
No mention of treatment attempts, only wild over reaching “control” measures, in this case culling those testing positive.
And, I seriously doubt this would be an AVMA recommendation…
Most conventional veterinarians treat parvo, and even they must save most of their cases.
The Treatment Option that Works
Homeopathy does far better in experienced hands.
When I barely had begun my studies in veterinary homeopathy with Dr. Pitcairn, I took on a case of parvo, long distance.
I lived on Maui, the pups on the Big Island, so through careful sorting of symptoms by telephone, I prescribed two different remedies for four pups (because they didn’t all have the same symptoms).
The owner had to get the remedies locally, probably at a health food store, as time was of the essence. These youngsters were in danger of dying, some with diarrhea, some vomiting, some with blood coming out of one end or the other.
To my great joy, within a day, all of them turned the corner after getting their prescribed remedies. None died of this potentially fatal viral disease.
I interviewed a homeopathic colleague for my Vital Animal Podcast who was so successful in both preventing the disease and treating parvo, that local vets sent him all their cases!
He utilized the parvo nosode preventatively in his puppy population, as do many of you with our nosode kit, and he cured the sick ones with common homeopathic remedies.
Use What (Really) Works
There’s a lot of hero worship around rescue work. Some (many?) are in it as virtue signalers, from my observations, but whether it’s a small operation from home or an establishment with an edifice and a battery of cages, it would behoove the rescuers to have a working relationship with a homeopathic vet.
Many of my colleagues do this work long distance.
Not only would you learn a lot of useful treatments but you’d save more animals from foolishness like this outfit just went through.
BrightHaven is a shelter founded by Gail Pope who used homeopathy and other holistic methods as the main treatment options.
Shirley Casey does wildlife rescue with homeopathic medicine and teaches how to use it.
And while lots of treatments “work,” in some fashion, it’s worth knowing what “works” actually means. Food for thought explored on this post, Just Gimme What Works!
Putting animals to death who are suffering an acute (sudden onset, short duration) illness is short sighted and inexcusable when homeopathy can surely prevent and often cure these poor animals.
Free Showing: Introducing Homeopathy
For those wanting to know more about the amazing 200 year old medical system of homeopathy, Children’s Health Defense will be hosting a free showing of a professionally produced movie soon, called Introducing Homeopathy.
From their email:
“Introducing Homeopathy” is a groundbreaking, feature-length documentary that aims to bring this transformative healing modality into every household and healthcare system globally.
Through interviews with medical doctors, professional homeopaths, scientific researchers, and Nobel laureates, this film provides a comprehensive look at the principles, science, and clinical applications of homeopathy while exploring its transformative impact on the lives of real individuals.”
I plan to watch this, as I only had a chance to listen to Dr. Pitcairn’s part on his amazing journey into this art/science, first with his own flu and later with many, many animal cases.
His part alone is truly inspiring, and animal people will love it.
Here’s the deets:
“Introducing Homeopathy” Online Premiere
Monday, February 17, 2025
10 a.m. ET & 6 p.m. ET
And here’s the sign up link for your free viewing: SIGN UP TO WATCH
Homeopathy: there’s nothing as effective and safe that I’m aware of.
But don’t just take my word for it.
Grab this opportunity to hear from the people putting it to work for years in patients furred and unfurred!
Leave the Cows Alone!
Thanks to Children’s Health Defense for also bringing this to light. (When you see a chance to get on their email list, take it. Good stuff, including the heroic work of lawyer Aaron Siri)
It seems “scientists” just can’t leave Nature alone, even though she’s been doing things right by us for uncountable time.
Hey! I know, we can make polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) “protected” from the cow’s digestive flora so they pass right on by and show up in the milk. And meat.
These drugs have experimentally pushed the beneficial saturated fats (SFA for saturated fatty acids) concentration down by some 20%.
And replaced it by the oils that are easily oxidized (can you say “rancid?”) and come from seeds like the ever present soybean, canola, and cottonseed.
Bleh!
And, in case you’ve not been aware, there is zero research that supports the idea that heart disease is caused by saturated fats, nor is there any convincing evidence that cholesterol is increased by ingesting SFAs.
(Nor is there a shred of evidence that statins, one of Big Pharma’s richest sources of income, help health. The opposite is actually true, please search that out if you’re on any statin drugs).
Earlier, we saw efforts on two fronts to stop cows from making methane, you know, cow farts.
A vaccine proposal from philanthropath Bill Gates (hat tip to Jenna McCarthy for that brilliant title)
Feed additives from several competing European companies.
Never mind that cows work magic in their four stomachs, changing green grass to white milk and yellow butter.
(My vet physiology prof told us the cow actually “eats” her rumen flora, i.e. she turns everything she consumes into that teaming mass of zillions of digestive microbes and digestion of that is what feeds and keeps her alive!)
And all the while, man’s cars and heavy industries belch out more CO2 than cows could possibly muster.
Here’s a radical idea:
Industrial ag: Stop Screwing with Mother Nature!
Drop the hubris that makes you think you can do better.
She truly has got this. Back off and leave the cows alone.
Tasty Tips: Car Sickness
A recent article on giving drugs to reduce car sickness in dogs got me remembering the natural fixes that have long existed.
Homeopathy, herbs, and just plain positioning in the vehicle can easily making drugging a joke.
#1 Fix: Where am I??
Perhaps the most obvious, and the one that I advised to any clients who had dogs afflicted with nausea and stress on car rides:
Allow them to see the road ahead!
I probably learned this from being crammed in the rear of some overcrowded vehicles in my youth.
It’s a given that if you can’t anticipate a turn coming and you only feel it while it’s happening, your vestibular apparatus, that inner ear balance magician, will be thrown into great confusion. And the stomach soon follows.
This is common in dogs who “load up!” by jumping into the back of an SUV.
But once they are belted in (doggy seat belts are a thing) in such a way that they can easily see the road and the next curve, most car sickness will become a distant bad dream.
This includes cats in carriers: face the opening forward, even if it’s too low for a visual of the road.
Try this first. It’s probably going to fix 70% of those suffering this disorienting disease.
Herbs, Age Old Fix
Ginger in some form will often fix this motion induced nausea as well.
For a dog, maybe some home made ginger biscuits?
Probably some commercial ones are available at way more cost and questionable ingredients.
Simpler still: ginger tea with a bit of honey. Most dogs would be happy to drink that, I’ll bet. Boil some grated ginger root or use the dried powder. Cool, sweeten a bit and see if Sadie thinks that’s a lovely treat before your next journey.
Homeopathic Remedies
As my practice was filled with chronically sick animals, acute things like car sickness never presented itself. Or, if it was mentioned, the positional fix above was all that was needed.
So, I put it to my Vital Animal Alpha members to see if any had real world experiences with acute remedies.
Robin brought a first hand experience with a remedy called cocculus, successfully using this remedy to beat her own car sickness.
Linda’s standard poodle did best with the remedy tabacum, whereas cocculus failed to help.
A third member is still searching for the best fit, as cocculus also failed to help her car sick dog.
One pet responded to Bach Rescue Remedy and another to a different flower remedy called Angelica from Flower Essence Services.
Robin shared a useful post from a British homeopathic school that will give you several possible remedies to try.
Suffice it to say, none of these natural fixes will have side effects, unlike the drugs.
And the one you land on that works can be used as needed. On a long car trip, a repeat dose may be in order if the departure dose works but Sadie’s response later falls off at mile 59.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve got a fix that’s worked for you or your animals!
Along the Natural Path
We’ve had a very whacky late January/early Feb here in Uttar Pradesh. I’ve been here for probably 8-9 winters, and have never seen 80’s for highs like we did recently.
This winter in general was milder than any years past, measured solely by my personal wool underwear quotient. Usually by Feb, I’m in long sleeved wool + long johns. The former never happened this year, and the latter went back in the drawer a few weeks back. Very unusual.
But, as the pic above attests, Spring is in evidence, as our mango grove is beginning to explode with flowers. Talk about an amazing tree. When ripe, each tree is literally a mass of hanging fruits, and the boys who don’t want to wait can’t miss, throwing stones to knock them down.
I can no longer eat them, much as my tongue thinks they are pure bliss. Too much fructose, a bad trigger for my insulin resistance.
When amrudh (guava) came ripe early January, I relearned that lesson the hard way. No glucose monitor on, I went with a vague remembrance of this fruit being “low glycemic,” and, loving the semi-sweet flesh, I went overboard. The smell of them in my kitchen overcame my better judgement, and it wasn’t unusual to have a few globes a day.
Then, the tiredness set in. Sleeping more, sluggishness, lacking motivation. An extended carby perior two years earlier should have clued me in, as I’d been in this state before.
But it was an ultrasound in our free hospital that told the tale: grade one fatty liver, aka non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Very common, by the way, as is insulin resistance.
Screech! Stop the fruit, get out the choline, inositol, and liver support herbs. And, thankfully I’m almost past it now, after a month of diligent dosing.
I’m gonna miss those fruits, but maybe next time they come to our street market, I can have one or two a week. The vendors will look askance at me, as they prefer to sell a kilo, but oh well…
More signs of Spring:
The mustard is full bore yellow, and some of the early bird farmers have even got pods in place of flowers now. When harvested at full ripeness, it’ll mostly be a cash crop, its tiny black seeds ground for their oil.
This coincides with the celebration of Vasant Panchmi, a Hindu festival of early Spring when people dress in yellow and look forward to the season to come.
And the farm kids across the fence from me have been kite flying on the regular. Small outfits, no tails like we used to tie on in my day, but just as fun.
The only animal pic I have this time was nicked off the internet, and probably is a wise message for us all from time to time:
You’ll know when enough is enough and it’s time to get out into Nature for a reset, some sunshine and deep breaths of fresh cool air.
Go for it, well before your eyes start to bug out from the next unbelievable thing that’s posted by some well meaning person.
As always, keep on making wise decisions for those innocents in your care who’ll take what ever you allow.
Till next time, have at it in the comments,
Will Falconer, DVM
Thank you Dr. Will. I’m sharing your wonderful post with many.
God bless you. 🙏🙏🙏
I never understood why one of my dogs was so skittish about her water bowl...unfortuneatly she was vaxed....