Why I won't be going back to the Vets

Hi Everyone! I’m back to blogging....wooo..... it feels great :-D I have loads to talk to you guys about, so I have a few articles in the pipeline, but this is the most important one first.

Over the last 18 months or so I have been taking some time out, and re training. I’ve now fully qualified as a Canine Holistic therapist, an Animal Reiki Practitioner and in AnimalPsycAromatica which was a really in depth course about Essential Oils, Aromatics, Hydrosols, Chinese traditional Medicines: Five Element Theory, and the Role of Stress in Animal well being. So it's been a bit busy over here!

Last month I really had to put my learning to the test, as Ralph got sick. Not majorly sick, but he was uncomfortable and a little run down and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Earlier this year, I changed the flavour of food he was on (not the brand or type- just the flavor) He went onto Chicken and Sweet potato, as opposed to Lamb and rice or Duck and rice which he was previously on. I changed it over as he was having really loose bowels, and I found out that this was due to the brand changing the recipe.

So fast forwarding to October, he started to wee inside the house, in the night.

He would come and wake us and we would let him out. Occasionally he would come and get us after he went. This went on for about 4 to 6 weeks, not every night, maybe twice or three times a week. We thought it was behavioural, due to a slight change in my work routine (even though I was home more with him, not less) and tried other things like taking him out right before bed. But to no avail. I started reading up about it and a few people were directing this behaviour to health conditions, Diabetes or UTI’s. So I managed to get a couple of Urine samples and took these to the vets for examination.

I’m not going to go on about my trip to the vets, but it was extremely traumatic for Ralph and myself and we will not be returning for anything other than an emergency going forward.

I did get the urine samples back a few days later however, and they said he had strovites, and crystals so it could be a case of an infection, or inflamation. I never got to the bottom of this with the vets, but after not being happy with what their next steps would be, and them ignoring my request for antibiotics, I decided that I would manage this myself, in a natural and holistic way. This was such a pivotal moment for me, I was thinking why on earth am I not implementing what I have been learning for the last 18 months?! So, I used this knowledge, did lots of research around UTI’s, infections, inflammation and immune health. I diagnosed this as Inflammation, as he had slightly dirtier ears than normal, he was a little erratic in his behaviour, he was scratching a lot (which he rarely does) and of course the results the vet had given me.

I called Ralph's breeder and had a good discussion about this and she agreed that this sounded like inflammation. (Your breeder is a valuable source of information, they are highly experienced and its always good to get their opinion)

Inflammation can be acute or generalised, and I feel this was moving around his body due to the diet that he was on. The sweet potato in particular being the culprit here. Sweet potato is extremely starchy and is mostly unnecessary in a dog's diet, as their body can’t break down high amounts of starchy carbohydrates. So my first change was to change his diet, I found another kibble which was higher in protein and most importantly A LOT lower in carbs’.

Secondly, like I advise in my clients Holistic Health discoveries and consultations, I added appropriate vitamins to his diet, to boost his immune function, to be able to fight this inflammation himself.

I added:

• Vitamin C - (after a stressful bonfire night, and having had his regular worming tablet, I felt that Ralphs levels were low and therefor not aiding him in his own healing)

Stress is a well-known cause of low vitamin C in dogs. This includes physical stress (vaccinations, injuries, illness, growth, hard work, and more) as well as emotional stress (moving, demanding training, or weaning).

Dogs given vitamin C often show higher resistance to disease as well as a greater ability to recover from illness or injuries.

• Colloidal Silver- Anti-bacterial, Anti-inflammatory , treats UTI's, skin healing, ear infections.. and so much more. See this wonderful page

Where as prescription drugs are known to cause damage to the brain, liver, gastrointestinal tract, and kidneys, colloidal silver kills germs and pathogens without harming human tissue. Colloidal silver can be used externally, orally, or inhaled into the lungs. It is non-toxic, non-irritating, tasteless, and safe to drop in the eyes. It is safe and effective, even for children and pets.

Colloidal silver has the ability to suffocate bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Even in low concentrations, colloidal silver has reported to kill over 650 germ organisms in six minutes or less by blocking the germs’ oxygen-providing enzymes. In comparison, penicillin and amoxicillin are effective against only six to twelve types of germ organism.

• A Yeast based probiotic (Saccharomyces Boulardi) This was the exact one I used, from my local Health Shop, Health Conscious

Because friendly bacteria support your dog’s immune System , most dogs can benefit from probiotics and probiotic foods. But there are a wide variety of health issues that can be helped by probiotics.

Saccharomyces boulardii is a healthy yeast that’s considered a probiotic. Saccharomyces boulardii is used to treat acute and chronic diarrhea in humans … and a recent trial in dogs showed the same benefits. S. boulardii has also been successfully used to treat Candida and yeast. S. boulardii also helps with digestive issues caused by chronic inflammation … it can alter cell signalling pathways in the immune system.

What’s unique about S. boulardii is that it can’t be killed by antibiotics. It can be taken at the same time as antibiotic use to help protect the beneficial gut bacteria and prevent antibiotic-related diarrhoea.

• A specific blend of Essential Oils targeting inflammation

Within 24 to 48 hours of the changes being implemented, I could already see an improvement in his energy and wellbeing.

Writing this now, 4 weeks in, and he is near enough back to normal! I am still in the process of changing his food, as this, of course, needs to be done slowly and carefully, to ensure no other upset is caused.

His ear wax has reduced, he is at full energy, isn’t overly tired, and he is eating well. The peeing has basically stopped, he did have one accident last night, which was the first in a while. So he’s not 100% there yet, but he is massively improving. I will now always recommend a holistic approach, it will usually take longer to heal, because it's getting to the root cause, not just treating the symptoms. But if we had been to the vets for his symptoms it would have been for a mild ear infection and a UTI, he would have probably been given antibiotics and sent on his way. With the underlying cause of these never treated. I am so so happy that I decided to become a Holistic therapist, and this experience with Ralph has really set me on my way and taught me so much. As much as it was sad to see him in discomfort, I am unbelievably proud of myself for healing him in a way which worked with his body, which was natural and which will be long lasting and even improve his overall health.

The timescale is really important here as well, I think he must have been suffering very very mildly for around 12/16 weeks, with it getting progressively worse and noticeable to me, at around 6 to 8 weeks in. I started researching at about 7/8 weeks in and implemented the changes at 8 weeks. So for a good recovery timescale we would look at double the time that this began, due to it being such a deep set issue. So we are only ¼ a way through his healing phase, with these results. Which I am really pleased with. His diet will be fully changed over by the end of the month, so this will also increase the healing rate.

Thank you so much for listening to me! I’ll be back with another blog soon, on how I’m changing to natural worming and flea products.

Much Love to you all

Daisy (and Ralph)

P.S Doing this Holistically (looking at his whole health and emotional state) and Naturally, has been really affirming for me, and I would love to help you with your dog.

Check out my socials for the full list of services that I offer, and all about me :-)

Personal IG: @griffithsdaisy Business IG @dragonfly.holistic.therapy

Ralph’s IG: Ralph_Bloodhound