Expert: Dr. Christina Chambreau - 8/6/2009

Question
My 10 year old little girl Kiya, a shepard/lab mix (we think) was diagnosed with IMHA a month ago on July 5th.  As I'm sure a lot of you can relate to, it has been a very difficult month to say the least that has taken us all on a roller coaster ride.  The day she was admitted her PCV was at 11.  She had three blood transfusions in the first few days and was discharged after 4 nights in the hospital and a week later she was at 33.8.  She's been consistently around that number with one drop to 31 2 weeks ago and then up to 38 last week and today she was back down to 33.  She has been on prednisone since the beginning, but has had SEVERE muscle loss to the point where she cannot get up on her own anymore and slides on our hardwood floors etc.  It is heartbreaking.  She has lost 12 lbs, down to 62 from 74 and has "pred head".  We have tried Cyclosporin and Azathioprine, both have caused her to not eat and the Azathioprine we think gave her Pancreatitis when she was hospitalized yet again last week.  After today's drop her internal medicine dr. is at a loss and gave us two options, 1. surgery to remove her spleen, which they aren't sure would heal right given the amount of prednisone she is on, and two try another more "experimental" drug called Leflunomide.  We meet with the surgeon tomorrow to discuss how she'd do with surgery in her condition.  She will only eat sometimes and her personality has totally changed and she seems non-responsive and depressed except for when we first come home, we'll get a tail wag.  I'm desperate for any feedback to hear if anyone else has a dog that is so sensitive to every medication and what other options might be out there.  I can't watch her suffer like this and listen to her pant all night long.  She was also diagnosed with Arthirits just a couple months ago and had reactions to Metacam with stomach ulcers and then seemed to be doing fine on Prevacox, until this.  She is now on Prednisone, Prilosec, Carafate, an anti nausea as of today to help her appetite.  She also can't eat anything fatty because of the Pancreatitis so the prescription food and chicken and rice is difficult to get her to eat and I can't mix it up and give her something she might like better.  We also started her on glucosomine on saturday to help with the arthritis and her joints in general on the prednisone, and now she has diarreah!  She just doesn't tolerate these drugs.  Any info you can give me would be much appreciated.  

Thank you,
Alyson

Answer
My apologies - I thought I answered you, but it just showed up as not sent.

How challenged you are right now, Alyson. Later check out my web site for general holistic options and education.

Right now, there are 3 options I can offer. Find an integrative veterinarian, learn Reiki yourself and have it done till you learn, I have seen homeopathy and good Traditional Chinese Medicine turn around sever cases like this and I have seen it not work. Because of the sensitivity to even glycofles, I think homeopathy would be your best bet.

FIND A HEALER

You can go to the web sites for each type of holistic practice and use their referral list to find one near to you:
1. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine: www.IVAS.org & www.TCVM.com
2. Homeopath (these can often help you by phone if no other holistic practitioners are nearby that you like): www.theAVH.org
3. Chiropractor - www.animalchiropractic.org
4. Wide range of other treatments: www.AHVMA.org, American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association
To become a homeopathic patient of Dr. Chambreau (me), email HealthyAnimals@aol.com for a handout on my practice or read it at my website. I can work by phone from anywhere in the US.  

There are also lots of practitioners and approaches that are used by trained people that you can find by searching the Internet.

YOU BE THE HEALER  

I also strongly recommend getting some training in understanding the wide range of approaches to health so you can be in charge of what you choose for treatments for your animals. This would include what I mentioned above: only vaccinating when young except for legally required Rabies (Do you get measles, mumps and polio every year of your life?  Did you know the package inserts say to only vaccinate healthy animals?) and exploring feeding fresh foods, not processed. What is best for you to eat – junky processed foods, or locally grown, fresh foods? Also, you can learn Reiki (which can take the "bad" out of vaccines and any needed drugs, or even make food healthier), massage, HTA, TTouch, flower essence therapy, aromatherapy, and many more things you can do to help heal your animals. In addition to classes (see below), there are many very good list serves filled with people experienced with not vaccinating and feeding raw meat diets. Go to yahoogroups.com and look for “Just say no 2 vaccs” and “Raw Paws”. As with human nutrition, there are many different opinions, so you need to experiment and see what makes your animals more or less healthy. Keeping a journal can help you decide what is working and what is not working (www.HealthyAnimalsJournal.com).

www.ChristinaChambreau.com has a listing of courses taught by her and others that may help you. You can do searches online for the many other classes and lectures available. Go to www.theAVH.org for classes every November as part of the annual conference.

REIKI:
From the book, Healthy Animal's Journal - "Reiki: Personally, I think every person who lives with or works with animals must know at least Level I Reiki. The practitioner places her hands upon the animal (or it can be done from a distance as some animals are too sensitive for direct touch) with the intent for healing to occur. The energy flows through the healer into the animal. This is based on directly applying Chi (energy) to rebalance the energy field so it no longer needs to produce the physical symptoms. It is a very good adjunct to any healing modality, especially to relieve pain and inflammation. It also "takes the bad out of" things. By doing Reiki on smelly water in restaurants I have been able to drink sweet tasting and smelling water. Use Reiki anytime that you must give injections, vaccines, drugs, flea or heartworm drugs, or other substances with potential toxicity. Hold the syringe or the drug in your hand until the heat clears, then hold your hand over the injection site, then daily offer the Reiki until your hands do not get hot (not needed any more).Do you work in a grooming salon, or kennel, or veterinary clinic, or barn or anywhere animals are being seen? Use your Reiki on any treatments to be given and to calm the animals. People have reported getting animals to eat by doing Reiki on their food.  http://www.reiki.org  . Get a free treatment at www.interdimensionalhealing.com. Great information on Reiki - http://www.reikicourse.orgKathleen Prasad is a wonderful teacher and works with my favorite sanctuary and holistic education center, BrightHaven www.brighthaven.org . Kathleen leads a free monthly telechat for anyone trained in Reiki and using it with animals. http://www.animalreikisource.com/ If you cannot find a Reiki Class near you (same class for people and animals as it connects you through an "attunement" to the healing energy of the universe, making you a channel of healing), three groups offer long distance, free, attunements. http://theholisticcare.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13" http://www.freereikiattunement.com   Another group that offers Reiki attunements, classes and training on-line www.ReikiBlessings.com and animal classes, too www.animalhealers.homestead.com/  A Reiki Class will be part of the PGFFD summer health classes in June in Bowie, www.HomeopathicAnimalCare.org