Cipro done.
We’ve finished giving Sasha the Cipro on Saturday. We’re on Day 4 Post-Antibiotic. She continues to be odor-free and there is no swelling or redness in her vulva area. The down side is that she continues to nibble and chew, not much scratching, and mostly on her back and hind quarters. And she continues to be sensitive when you pet her back or rub her belly, having the “wiggles.” Here’s a pic of a spot on her rear leg that she chewed at and now has a weird bump on it. We’ll be starting her detox so hopefully that will clear our whatever is causing this sensitive itchy stuff.
1/2 Way Through The Cipro
Halfway through the Cipro. Within a few days, the smell was completely gone, so that’s really good news. However, Sasha’s skin has become extremely sensitive. Every time you pet her back or hind quarters, she gets all wiggly and tries to scratch. She has also started “nibbling” again. We’re assuming this is a side effect of the Cipro, but it sure doesn’t settle well as this is where we started last fall. 
We’ve watched her closely, and she’s only had one spot where she chewed through her fur and skin and it’s already mostly healed back up. Of course, we’ve also started putting the Cone of Shame back on her when we’re not home. Bummer.
One more week of Cipro and then a full detox and we’ll see how she does.
The Antibiotic Approach
The results from UGA came in last week. Sasha tested positive for heavy growth of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Enterococcus Faecalis. Big words for bad stuff.
It has been difficult to find easy-to-read information about either of these bacteria that is specific to dogs, but what I have found is that they are both pretty nasty bugs. Pseudomonas Aeruginosa is a very common bacteria (found in soil, refrigerators, hospitals, etc.). It can live in pretty much anything with a carbon source. Often times, the issue is not the P. aeruginosa, but rather secondary infections that come with it. Dogs with compromised immune systems are more susceptible to secondary infections. Enterococcus Faecalis is a versatile and contradictory class of bacteria. It naturally inhabits the large intestine of most mammals, including humans and dogs and is also found in soil and plants, and is actually used as a probiotic. Both are extremely resistant to antibiotics, some resistance is natural, some is acquired.
After weighing out the pros/cons of the bacterias, the potential for secondary infections and the pros/cons of using an antibiotic, we decided it was time to use an antibiotic. This was NOT an easy decision for us. The risks of life-threatening secondary infections on an immune-compromised dog were the deciding factor. When your truly holistic vet says it’s time for an antibiotic…..
Dr. Parker had UGA do a sensitivity test on it to determine which specific antibiotic would be most effective against both bacteria. Ciproflaxin showed the most promise.
Putting her on the Cipro required some changes to her diet, and at the same time we wanted to be sure she’s getting the best immune boosters she can. We had to take her off of the goat’s milk (totally not happy about this, but Cipro cannot be taken with dairy products). We know that she does not have a food allergy, so we have added some other foods back into her diet (rather than just fish). We wanted to be sure we were still feeding her cooling, or at least neutral, foods. Sasha’s diet now consists of fish, rabbit, pork and raw tripe. While the raw tripe stinks, it is packed with chlorophyll (a great blood purifier and detoxer). Plus, we’re able to hide the antibiotic in her food. The first day she spit it out and we had to use the ugly “shove-it-down-her-throat” method. The next day, I hid it in some raw tripe….bingo!
I spoke with a new friend of mine who has a PHD in nutrition (and quite honestly, I believe is nothing short of a nutritional genius) regarding supplements for her during this time. He suggested several supplements that would be of benefit, and after some research, we decided to give Sasha the following:
- Astragalus – contains antioxidants, protects and supports the immune system, protects the liver, has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Ester C – supports the immune system as well as joint health (bonus for our senior girl!)
- Cordyceps mushrooms – strengthens the immune system, provides anti-aging and fatigue-reducing effects, enhances cellular oxygen uptake, protects the liver and kidneys (very good being that we’re giving her the antibiotic)
Sasha has been on her new protocol for two days and we’ve already noticed a dramatic decrease in the odor, which we have to assume means the bacteria is getting knocked out. I simply pray that we can knock this out with one round of antibiotics, and that the supplements are enough to keep her immune system strong so she fights off any other infections.
Cal Carb it is
I keep meaning to post, but keep getting distracted with other things. Here’s where we are.
At the time of my last post, we had just had a follow up visit with Dr. Parker. She had given her a dose of Cal Carb and things were quickly improving. And then as quickly as they improved, they fell. The smell began to come back and within 3-4 days, we knew we needed to go back to see Dr. Parker. By that time, she had also started to have redness on her vulva as well. Dr. Parker took a swab of the area to send it to UGA to get a confirmation of what exactly we’re dealing with. She gave us Oreganoil to place a few drops directly on the area 2-3x/day. This was to take the irritation away, plus oregano is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.
Dr. Parker was a bit perplexed by the Cal Carb not working as she was certain that it was what Sasha needed. So this time, she went back to what she did originally and let Sasha choose which remedy she wanted. To let Sasha choose, she brings out a couple of possibilities and holds one in each hand. Then tells Sasha to choose. Sasha then licks the hand of the one she wants. This time she brought out four remedies and switched them from hand to hand. Each time, Sasha picked the Cal Carb. So, we came home with Cal Carb in a lower dose that we give her nightly.
It’s been a week since we were there and I’m not sure I can say there’s much difference. Her smell is still there. Maybe it’s a little less, but it is masked with oregano now. Her vulva doesn’t seem to be irritated so that’s a good thing. We should get the test results from UGA in the next few days. Hopefully that will help Dr. Parker be able to specifically target that problem better.
One thing worth noting is that we treated the yard and all of the dogs (including Sasha) with Cedar Oil for fleas & ticks on Wednesday (4 days after our last vet visit). Some homeopaths believe that strong scented essential oils can interfere with homeopathic remedies; some believe it’s only certain oils with certain remedies; others don’t believe it’s a problem at all. Just to be safe, we’ve switched to using ACV on Sasha for now.
Follow up with Dr. Parker
About a week before our follow up visit with Dr. Parker, Sasha’s “girly odor” had started to come back, getting stronger each day. She also started to get some gunk in her ears, along with some inflammation. We talked with Dr. Parker about it and she said that the Pulsatilla she had given her should have lasted much longer than it had.
We had taken Naiyah (one of our rescues who is ridiculously clingy and stresses herself out because of it) with us. She hadn’t been to a vet since we got her 9 months ago so we wanted to have her checked out. While Naiyah was on the table, Sasha became her normal neurotic self – spinning in circles, chasing her tail and pacing. She does this all the time when she’s in unfamiliar places or situations she’s not comfortable with. Immediately, both Dr. Parker and her assistant both knew why the previous remedy didn’t last as long. They got some Cal Carb and gave her that.
I wish I could explain homeopathy to you better and why each remedy is chosen, but I can’t. This is a very complex (not necessarily “difficult” just very complex) type of medicine. There are more remedies than I care to count, and there are various doses that can be given. Then add in the fact that every tiny little thing about a dog’s (or person’s) behavior, emotional/mental symptoms, genetics, and health history is taken into consideration. Yep, complex.
The good news is that Sasha has begun to localize her problem to one area, which is a big sign of healing. We’re leaving her on the fish for now, along with the supplements (raw goat’s milk, E-mune Booster, Rentone, digestive enzymes & probiotics). We’ve stopped the colloidal silver for a week to give her system a break from it, but will resume that again in a few days. As of yesterday (3 days after her vet visit), we noticed a substantial decrease in the girly odor. And today, it’s pretty non-existent. Her ears have a little crusty stuff in them. I’m not sure if it’s old stuff remaining or new stuff. I’ve cleaned them with a little apple cider vinegar, and then rubbed a little coconut oil in them (moisturizing and antibacterial & antifungal).
On a side note, Sasha scratched my arm pretty badly during her treatment. It was one of those scratches that didn’t completely cut through the skin, but scraped it up and it looked like it was about to bleed but didn’t and there were pieces of skin just hanging there. (Gross, I know. Sorry.) Anyway, Dr. Parker gave me a quick dose of something (note to self: find out what she gave me) and I immediately iced it for 20 minutes. I put Dr. Harvey’s Healing Balm on it when I got home and then in morning after my shower on Sunday and Monday. By Tuesday, you could barely see it was there. I really wish I’d taken a picture of it when it happened. I’m amazed. In a “normal” world, knowing my body’s healing capabilities, it probably would have taken 10-14 days to heal to the point in which this did in 3. And I probably would have bruised from it too. If I was questioning the power of homeopathy before, I’m definitely not now.
Funnel Free!
Cone of Shame, Funnel, Party Hat…whatever you call it, Sasha slept without hers for the first time in MONTHS! Her itching and chewing has subsided greatly, so we decided to take a chance. We tried this about a week ago, and about 10 minutes in, we could hear her chewing so put the funnel back on. Last night was a HUGE success! She slept through the night, no chewing, no scratching. 
I have to admit, I won’t take the chance during the day while I’m at work yet. She’s too awake and active during the day, and we don’t have the option of putting it back on if we’re not home. But we are soooooo thrilled to be able to leave it off at night.
She still itches and chews a little. And she still has a few small yeasty spots on her body. Her ears have improved, although some days they flare up more than others. We have a follow up visit with Dr. Parker on Saturday.
Thanks for all of your prayers and well-wishes through this. I think we’re in the home stretch.
Here fishy, fishy, fishy.
As mentioned the other day, we’ve made some modifications to Sasha’s treatment plan.
She received a high dose of pulsatilla last week, and is no longer taking the thuja. The thuja did a great job of isolating some issues and helped Dr. Parker determine the next step.
She’s now taking the following supplements:
- Dr. Harvey’s E-mune boost – herbs and whole food vitamins and minerals to boost the immune system
- Acidophilus – probiotic to aid with digestion and boost the GI tract
- Animal Essentials Digestive Enzyme & Probiotic – exactly what it says to help with digestion and boost the GI tract
- Rentone – to aid with kidney function
- Colloidal silver – a natural antibiotic
- Apple cider vinegar added to her drinking water – to help balance her ph
Her diet consists of about 10-16 oz of Answers raw goat’s milk each day and raw whole fish. Yes, raw. whole. fish. This one has taken me some getting used to. I personally do not care for fish (the taste or the smell), so handing her a whole fish is a bit out of my comfort zone. However, she quickly knew what to do and has seemed to enjoy it.
A pill or a shot sure would be easier.
There. I’ve said it. See, I’m not a super-crazy-off-my-rocker-pet-owner. I’m human, just like everyone else. I have the same frustrations everyone else does. I’m impatient just like everyone else is.
But I know that a pill or a shot would not be the RIGHT thing to do. And I’m not in this for “easy,” I’m in it for “right.” The antibiotic, the steroid, the pharmaceutical drug would show us signs of improvement, and probably pretty quickly. But the only thing it would “improve” would be temporary relief of the symptom of a larger problem. And in the process, it would further mask the real problem.
Today we met with a new vet. Not because we didn’t like Dr. Loops in North Carolina. We love him and he’s been helping us tremendously! In fact, Dr. Parker (who we met with today) knows him and is simply helping us bring this battle to its finish. She is also a homeopath (like Dr. Loops), but is also an osteopath which will compliment the homeopathy nicely.
So what’s osteopathy you ask? This practice is based on the premise that movement is essential for life, and that any restriction of movement will affect health. So if you have limited mobility in one area of your body, it has an impact on other parts. It combines musculoskeletal adjustments (think chiropractic type stuff) with visceral manipulation (for simplicity’s sake, let’s just say this is like massage therapy for your insides).
She spent about an hour working on Sasha, and explaining to us everything she was doing as she did it. Needless to say, my brain was overwhelmed and I’m not sure how much I remember. But… it was pretty awesome to have her work in an area and explain to us that each particular organ is where certain specific emotions are and to watch Sasha’s reaction to it. For example, when our first dog Zoe passed, Sasha was devastated. She laid by the front door for about a month waiting for Zoe to come home. Dr. Parker had no way of knowing this – she didn’t even know we had a dog before Sasha came into our lives – and when she worked on the area of the body that holds grief, Sasha trembled and moaned & groaned a lot to release that pain. It’s all very interesting and it has sparked me to want to learn more.
It was a bit of a rough and bumpy ride for Sasha today. I asked Dr. Parker if I should expect Sasha to be more energetic when we got home, or if she would be super worn out. She said Yes. It was anyone’s guess what she’d be like after that treatment. When she got home, she seemed a bit more spunky. Maybe that’s just us being optimistic, but she’s definitely knocked out sleeping now.
We’ll be making some modifications to Sasha’s treatment and diet at this point. I’ll update you on that and how she’s doing in the next few days.
Thanks for following along.
Progress!
I am so happy to say it looks like we’re making progress. Finally. There has been very little redness/heat in her belly and inside of her legs for a few days now. It seems like our battle at this point is simply yeast. I say “simply” in jest as yeast in and of itself can be a huge battle, but I feel so much better tackling one problem instead of multiple.
Here’s what we’ve been doing. While it seems like a lot, it’s really not.
Here’s our current routine with her:
- Thuja (homeopathic remedy) every other day
- Apple cider vinegar (ACV) wipe on her stomach 2-3x/day (admittedly, some days we’ve only done once)
- We have been using Soother Plus by HealX after every wipe in one small area (this is the area that healed the fastest)
- To combat the yeast in her ears, we have been adding acidophilus directly to her ear, and then a few days later, doing an ACV rinse in the ear.
Feeding:
- Answers Pet Food Detailed Beef (10 oz) 2x/day
- Raw Goat’s Milk (1/3 – 1/2 pint) 2x/day
- Immuno-Vet C (immunoglobulin) 2x/day
- Acidophilus (probiotic) 2x/day
- Digest All Plus (digestive enzymes + probiotics) 2x/day
Because we’re now battling the yeast as our primary issue, we will probably change a few things up. Need to work through that still.
Day 61
It’s been a little over a week since we’ve been home and since we’ve started a new homeopathic remedy. And it’s been 4 days since Sasha started on the ImmunoVet C. I’m a bit hesitant to say that she’s looking better, because it seems every time we say we see improvement, something happens and she begins to decline again.
We mentioned previously that we were trying a topical in one specific area. Here’s a picture showing that area today and 15 days ago. The redness and irritation is gone and the hair is even regrowing in that area. While I know it would be easy to say “It’s been 15 days so it probably just healed because of time,” I don’t believe that’s the case. Based on what we see in other areas of her body, this is helping the healing process. For example the same area on the other leg looked the same (maybe even a little better) on Day 46, but today still has more healing to do – it’s still a little red and tender looking. And both areas have been treated identically with the exception of adding the topical.
