Feline Stomatitis, Gaak!
The Difficulty Apoquel Throws to Homeopathic Vets
The Hunt for an NR Breeder
Homeopathy Short Course Sale
Feed Less Often, Win Big Prizes!
Along the Natural Path
When Puff’s Mouth HURTS
Marie asked if I’d speak to this disease. A fair name for it: “mouth on fire.”
You were once my homeopathic vet when I lived in Austin back in the late 1990’s. I have a cat with stomatitis and it’s heartbreaking to see him in pain when he eats. I give him pate type food with enough water to make a slurry. Our vet is traditional and his only solution is steroid shots. 😢
What’s Stomatitis?
Stoma: mouth, orifice, and you know the -itis word, so common in any number of places today: inflammation.
I saw a fair amount of this nasty mouth disease in my cat patients. The early warning symptoms were often a fine red line where the gum meets the tooth.
This can progress to a fire engine red, painful, foul smelling mouth that can cause cats to cry out on eating or back away from food after the first painful bite.
It’s really pretty heart breaking, as Marie’s experience attests.
If you raise your cat’s upper lip and pull it back without opening the mouth, you can see redness in excess of the normal background uniform pink in the gums.
If you have a largely black cat, the gums may follow suit, so you have to look for other signs, like:
Pain on eating, dropping food around the bowl
Horrible bad breath
Swollen gums
Drooling, often thick and foul
If you see a fine red line at the gum margin, your cat is in the early, more easily treated group. This symptom is so common in practice, vet homeopaths gave it an abbreviation: rgl (red gum line) for ease of note taking.
Luckily, many stop at this stage and don’t go on to the whole mouth inflammation this disease is known for.
Why Do Cats Get This?
Causation is a tiny bit murky, with “bad genes” sometimes getting the blame in conventional medicine.
Meh. I see that as code for “Let’s bail, we’re can’t take the blame.”
The bottom line: cats living in natural settings (think: bobcat, lion, lynx) don’t get this disease.
It’s yet another man-made chronic disease.
There’s clearly “immune dysregulation” at play.
And where is that coming from?
Well, think with me for a moment. What sets out to stimulate the immune system but often goes awry, instead creating allergies or worse, autoimmune disease, where that well honed protective system turns on its own host?
Why, it’s vaccinations, of course.
And, unless they reside in a zoo, obviously no one is vaccinating the big cats and wild cousins. So, it shouldn’t be any great leap to assume this is yet another man-made disease.
And autoimmunity is indeed the operant diagnosis here: Fluff’s immune system has turned against her own teeth!
The plaque and the proteins and ligaments supporting her teeth are now viewed as foreign by the mistuned immune system! Attack! Attack!
Steroids? Toothlessness? Do Better!
The use of steroids (or its newer cousins like cyclosporine, etc.) are employed to hammer Fluff’s out of control immune system into a quieter state.
And, while brilliant in the short term, long term use quickly creates greater problems.
Full mouth tooth extractions (!) are often another answer, and seem to “work” for a fair number of cats. (Remember the surgeon’s motto? “A chance to cut is a chance to cure!”)
Their logic: “We’ll just remove those structures that are the focus of the attack! Fluff can get along without her teeth.”
Difficult, but Treatable with Homeopathy
I had some prolonged cases of at least palliation (as long as we kept giving remedies, we got relief and the ability to eat without pain). Maybe a couple went on to cure, it’s too long ago to recall.
Likely, as we constitutionally treated a cat, those with merely rgl (red gum lines) cleared up, or at least never advanced to full on stomatitis.
This is, once again, the work of treating the “whole cat,” which takes a serious homeopathic vet whose practice is mostly or only focused on homeopathy and perhaps nutrition.
This video helps you sort out the smaller group of vet homeopaths who are worth interviewing to see if they might be a good fit for you and your cat.
And even though it’s autoimmune disease, support with transfer factors makes good sense, as we recall what my immunologist friend said years ago:
A stimulated immune system is a balanced immune system.”
In short, turning up the immune system with transfer factors and medicinal mushrooms isn’t going to increase self attack, a concern I had way back when I climbed aboard the TF train.
So, to recap, this is a nasty, man made disease that can be cured with carefully prescribed homeopathy, focused on your individual cat and how he’s showing his challenges. It’ll be a process, like all things chronic, and you’ll want to hire a qualified homeopathic vet that you can work well with for months.
In my experience, the teeth needn’t come out nor did we depend on drugs. At all.
Apoquel: A Wrench in the Works
When homeopathic vets see a serious impediment to cure in the form of a drug, I’m all ears.
Even though I’m retired to teaching and not taking new patients, I keep an eye on homeopathic practice, and help my Alpha students evaluate how their homeopath is doing.
A recent thread on an Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy discussion group caught my eye.
Its OP was a Certified Veterinary Homeopath in homeopathic practice since training in 2002.
[Ed. note: While I’m biased, I think homeopathy offers the deepest healing possibilities when practiced by dedicated, well trained, experienced homeopaths, so I take none of this lightly. Everyone weighing in on this discussion is doing serious work in different parts of the world.]
She opened with this quandary:
Does anybody else have difficulty making a dent in patients who have been given Apoquel and the newer version Zenrelia?
These drugs seem to derange the immune system so thoroughly that it can’t recover. The dogs cannot tolerate any fresh food. Supplements and remedies seem to hit a brick wall. Any suggestions for how to break through?” —JL
As I left practice shortly after that first immune suppressor came out, I wrote extensively about it here and here, but never saw patients who’d been on it, coming to me for treatment. When Zenrelia came out, I wrote about it here:
The responses from fellow homeopathic vets were interesting.
Many seemed to concur:
“I have also had a lot of problems when dogs have been on apoquel for an extended period. I always warn the client about the difficulty of treating the dog if they have been on it for a year or more. I have had success when the dog has been on it for only a few months and occasionally for longer, but from my experience I see it really wreaks havoc on their immune system.
I always wean them off of it. I’ve seen horrendous side effects from the drug that ultimately killed a few dogs.
So you are not alone!” —MF
A colleague and good friend I refer to, at homeopathy longer than I:
“Yes!! It’s really been an eye-opener to see that my toughest cases have Apoquel in their history.
Right now I have one of those, responded well to a test dose of the best-fitting remedy at 30c. When that went well I gave a 1M and the case exploded. So now I’m sticking with the 30c, repeating as necessary. (This dog has very high vitality, and a strong vital force; Apoquel didn’t touch the symptoms but it sure did something to the dog.) We’ll see how it goes….” —-JD
But a few others expressed “no problem” if the remedy is right and its method of administration is sound:
“Can’t say that I have. Never had a dog on Zenrelia yet - although I’ve heard that there are FDA safety concerns about administering vaccinations while the dog is getting this drug.
I don’t like Apoquel, Librela or the likes and I don’t prescribe them, but I haven’t had problems treating patients homeopathically alongside.
That being said, I have used the tautode more than once. :)” —BM
[Note: a tautode is a homeopathic remedy made from a drug or vaccine. Best used under a veterinary homeopath’s supervision.]
Another who’s making headway:
“I absolutely share the experience B. has stated.
The better the Constitutional remedy fits the patient, the less are influences of allopathic drugs. A Simillimum [Ed: the closest matching remedy to the patient’s disease state] does its job, even if a Cortisone cannot be stopped before.
I normally use daily dosing of Q-potencies in these cases. When the remedy starts working fine i start sliding out the allopathic drugs like Apoquel.” —SK
What to Expect with Homeopathy
As always, each case is treated as an individual when homeopathy is marshaled to cure anything chronic. There’s not an “Apoquel remedy” just as there’s never an “Itch remedy.”
A good homeopathic vet typically spends a good hour on a first visit, getting all the details about how YOUR dog (cat, horse, goat, etc.) is showing her response to a disease challenge, and prescribes based on those all important symptoms of the “battle” going on.
So, I wanted to share this mainly to add to what I hope is your concern over accepting this drug (or Zenrelia) as a benign and effective answer to The Itch.
It’s often the first answer pushed in conventional veterinary clinics, and the chief side effect showing up in my most commented on article appears to be cancer.
Gulp.
So, if homeopathic vets are struggling with this drug’s impact on health, you can well imagine allopathic drugs aren’t going to do any better. Adding Apoquel to an itchy dog’s disease is like using gasoline to put out a fire.
The Hunt for an NR Breeder
Part One
What’s natural rearing?
The term originated with Juliette de Bairacli Levy, an amazing herbalist, animal healer, author and teacher. To her, NR encompassed:
Raw, unprocessed diets
Sunlight and outdoor life
Earth/grass runs rather than concrete
Herbs and fasting instead of routine vaccines and symptom‑suppressing drugs
And avoidance of pesticides in all their many forms
Recently, one of my original Alpha members (from a decade ago!) was hot to find an NR (naturally reared) pup. Joyce had helped me immensely back then by screening many who claimed to be NR. When they passed muster, they were graded before building our list.
How We Judged Breeders
Key points that were awarded and used to choose breeders for that earlier 2019 list:
No vaccines in the breeding animals; ideally multiple generations of non-vaccinated animals before the parents of your pup are tying up
No puppy vaccines before rehoming
Raw fed animals, from puppyhood to rehoming, ditto all breeding stock
Who chooses when to wean? Mom or breeder? And when?
We gave bonus points for those who worked constitutionally with a homeopathic vet for their breeding stock. Clearing their chronic disease adds immensely to the health of pups coming from those parents.
What’s Still a Caution
As when she interviewed breeders for our listing so many years ago, Joyce found that not all is as straight forward as it would seem.
Like “holistic vet,” the label “NR breeder” is self assigned. And how seriously someone takes that label is entirely up to the individual.
If the idea of “fauxlistic” vets is a new one to you, you should take a gander at this post:
This time, Joyce searched online and found a no longer maintained NR breeder list, originally put together by a now deceased vet, if I recall correctly.
Flexibly “NR”?
Joyce found a breeder for her fave breed, the German Shepherd, from that out of date list I won’t publish, as it’s a mishmash with serious trust issues.
The breeder was once NR, apparently, but when it came down to it, she found it either too difficult to maintain or not attractive enough to sell her pups (which I question: a genuine NR pup should command a higher price. Look at all the work it takes to bring them into the world!).
A pup was chosen, and the breeder informed Joyce they’d be vaccinating the litter soon for one disease: Parvo.
Joyce, who’s taken every course I’ve ever offered, was wise to the potential of vaccines to damage her precious newbie. She asked the breeder to spare her pup of that vaccine and the breeder, to her credit, agreed.
Then the Plot Thickened
In Part Two, we’ll be covering the next chapter in this saga: the breeder suggested shipping Joyce’s pup with a littermate who would be parvo vaccinated.
Whoa.
What about vaccine shedding? Parvo is a modified live virus vaccine, after all.
I weighed in as did my homeopathic vet colleague who’ll be overseeing this pup’s life long health.
Watch for our 31 May issue of Vital Animal News for the wrap up. You never know, you might be in this situation one day as well…
Bonus Time!
And, in the meantime, my lovely paid subscribers are getting a bonus today.
This is our original version of the well researched NR Breeders Special Report, in case you want to explore this avenue one day for your next pup.
Just note that we haven’t updated the list, as it’s not been a priority in our work flow these days. So, if you opt to contact a breeder or two, it’s best to ask the hard questions we did and verify if they are still practicing all the good principles they were when we compiled this.
Paid subscribers: my heartfelt thanks to you for supporting my work!
Vital Animal Alpha Opening Soon
Speaking of NR principles, we talk about these in the context of learning acute veterinary homeopathy in our exclusive monthly membership group called Vital Animal Alpha. I’m going to open enrollment shortly for you, so you can add this amazing modality to your doctor’s bag.
Get astute at acute veterinary homeopathic prescribing and homeopathic principles that apply to ALL species. From a homeopathic vet of 30+ years.
We are a very engaged group and I’m more interactive there on a daily basis with members than anywhere else these days.
But first:
A Sweet Sale: Homeopathy Short Course
This is a great course to deepen your understanding of what homeopathy is (and isn’t), how remedies are made and where they work, and some great acute remedies and cases to get you started appreciating this 200+ year old safe, effective medical system.
Normally, HSC enrollment is $39, but starting tomorrow (Monday, 18 May), it’ll be reduced to just $20.
Keep an eye on your inbox, as this sale will start early Monday morning and have a limited run before the Alpha membership doors open on 27 May. If you wonder if you’re on my list to be alerted to courses or membership enrollment openings, you can sign up here to be double sure you don’t miss this.
So counterintuitive for those of us (all!) raised with Western view of medicine. Fascinating and so well written...interesting and understandable! -- Jan Elmendorf from HSC/What’s the Remedy for X?” (Jan is now a valued Alpha member)
Join up while this short course is on sale for 50% off. This offer won’t last long.
Tasty Tip: Feed Less Often
I mentioned in an earlier issue that a bowl of constantly refilled kibble is a bad way to manage feeding any pet, and most significantly, the cats in the family. Check out the lede story here, if you missed it:
Vital Animal News: December 14, 2025
When Phat Pharma comes for your feline, but Puff says No Way! to raw and you’re told your homemade food sucks; The real story of Canada’s wild over reach, trying to bury a bird flu fix with a secret slaughter; and keeping the good stuff away from your dog to avoid a Christmas ER visit, it’s the Holidaze!
If you are owned by some cats and haven’t read it yet, my post No Kibble for Kitty! is cornerstone material for you.
But let me expand a bit here, as that “No kibble” post was written before I found out I was insulin resistant, which led to high blood pressure which led me to early kidney failure and near rupture of tiny blood vessels in both retinas.
Yeah, serious business.
The Insulin Lens on Snacking
Insulin is the key to so many diseases, and the old school of medicine is only barely awakened to this fact. There’s a very approachable book from someone I consider the insulin expert today:
Ben Bikman, Ph.D. “Why We Get Sick.” Find it where ever you get your books.
In a nutshell, when food is offered free choice, especially carb laden food (like ALL kibble is), it results in never ending hyper-insulinemia, or high blood levels of this hormone.
As in people, that causes obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and more in our companion animals.
Key pieces of the puzzle of metabolism:
Insulin is a storage hormone, so fat cells grow under its influence
Chronically high insulin blocks fat break down and its use for energy
This also starts fatty liver, which can be a fatal acute event when a fat cat misses a meal or two, but even without the emergency, fatty liver is a huge drag on energy (again: my own experience).
Constant insulinemia can even push an animal toward certain cancers
The Natural Fix: Intermittent Fasting
So, my advice to clients over the decades, whether dog or cat, was always to mimic the wild ancestors and cousins, who never faced “a full bowl” all day long.
Dogs: one meal a day (OMAD) is adequate for most. Best fed in the morning.
As most are eager to eat (the natural state), let them eat to satiety in 5-10 minutes. Many will be done in less than 5 if you’re offering real food that mimics prey.
The teeny tiny dogs may do better with two meals, but spread them out like your breakfast and dinner time.
Cats: two meals a day works for most.
My long term rule: they get access to that lovely bowl of food for 20-30 minutes, then it’s lovingly picked up and refrigerated until meal time #2.
Too fussy to eat? That’s a whole post unto itself, but this limit feeding alone is one of the cures for that condition. Another comes from Kasie Maxwell’s episode on my podcast.
Follow Nature’s Example
Imitating wild cats, big cats, wolves and coyotes for cats and dogs respectively will never steer you wrong. Not only in feeding but health in general.
While we can love them as children or family members, it’s a mistake to think they are human.
It’s also a huge mistake to confuse food with love. Treats can kill this long term goal of Vital, long-lived wildly healthy animals.
Eons of evolutionary success have shaped who these guys are today, not the little tweaks of appearance that we may have genetically encouraged.
Along the Natural Path
I was happy to see my hill station street dog buddies remembered me from years past. Whether they were snoozing on the road, waiting for the morning sun to warm them, or already having a tussle with a buddy, my voice and countenance would provoke a tail wag.
Those two above had the best of worlds, a prior passerby left them some rice and the sky was clear, so the warm sun took away what ever chill they’d had overnight.
And these two, a famously raucous wrestling duo, pushed in for face to beard petting before launching into some flea scratching:
This Himalayan hill station is my happy place, and ever so soothing to my senses. Green slopes, deep valleys, and cool weather, especially compared to the Uttar Pradesh plains, where it’s regularly hitting highs of 108º!
And sometimes, without warning, we’re in the midst of a cloud.
As we do where ever our presidents are, we invited a bunch of school kids to the ashram to get school supplies, a warm blanket, and snacks last week:
When you opt to be a paid subscriber on Substack or enroll in a course or membership, the majority of your money works to support thousands of villagers, students, widows, and sadhus, many among India’s poorest.
I’ll leave you with a “money shot,” taken recently by a friend with a serious DSLR camera:
Where ever you find yourself on this amazing blue orb, rocketing through space at unimaginable speed, remember to make wise choices for those innocents in your care.
They will always gladly take what you offer, so lean into those decisions that remember who they really are: not children, but wild beings who’ve deigned to be “domesticated” and share your most intimate moments.
Until next time, drop a comment below and watch your inbox for the sale starting tomorrow morning,
Will Falconer, DVM
Could DMSO work for stomatitis? I’ve rubbed it over inflamed areas on my own gums with amazing results. Do you have an opinion on DMSO from a homeopathic perspective?
Apoquel, Cytopoint, Zenrelia oh my! The Unholy Trio. Great stack today Doc. Enjoy the hill station; what a gorgeous venue. I am jealous but in a very positive way, lol!