When you suspect your dog or cat is vulnerable to or actively suffering from respiratory issues, including such concerns as asthma, kennel cough, and flu, it’s natural to be concerned and want to do everything in your power to help them feel better. Our team at Holistic Actions! is here to help you identify your pet’s symptoms, examine them in a larger context, and restore or improve inner balance. (Remember, symptoms are your friend —  they indicate that something is out of balance in your pet’s system, and it’s our job to help you restore this balance.) 

There are many situations that are appropriate for home care. Pets that are depressed, have laboured breathing, or pale or blue mucus membranes MUST be seen by a veterinarian.  If a pet’s condition fails to respond, they will require ‘in person’ evaluation.  Even if your pet will need direct veterinary care, you can help the vet and your pet by understanding what is happening and knowing how to describe the symptoms.  

Let’s start by taking inventory of your pet’s symptoms, understanding what’s causing or contributing to them, and determining what steps to take.

We need to know what is normal before determining what is abnormal.  

Some amount of watery nasal discharge is considered to be normal, though you may never notice this discharge as most pets lick it off their nose as it forms.

Remember that when your pet is exposed to airborne debris like dust or smoke, or to the odor of chemicals such as bleach or paint fumes, sneezing, coughing, and discharge are normal, just as in people.  These are short-term responses, intended to clear the irritating substances. 

When respiratory symptoms such as those listed below appear in relation to no known trigger, or become persistent, you should be concerned: 

• Nasal discharge  
• Expectoration (discharge coughed up from deeper in the respiratory system)
• Sneezing
• Snoring
• Wheezing or noisy breathing
• Panting (when clearly unrelated to exertion or warm temperatures)
• Gasping
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Coughing (wet or dry)

Abrupt appearance of these signs indicates that your pet is dealing with an inner imbalance. That means we need to understand why the symptoms occur, what they mean, and how to restore balance to your pet’s system. If we just stop the symptoms, the imbalance remains, and the symptoms will recur. 

The kind of discharge or expectoration you’re observing in your pet holds clues to the nature of their imbalance. Holistic practitioners will be particularly interested in your description, as the nature of discharges can provide them with valuable information for identifying the best treatment options for your pet. Take note of the following when you notice discharge or expectoration in your pet: 

• Consistency: Thick, thin, watery, gluey, or stringy?  
• Color: Clear, white, yellow, green, brown, solid red, or streaked with red?  
• Odor: Strong, mild, or offensive?
• Type:  Bland (no irritation) or acrid (irritation of tissues around the nose.) 
• Source: Nose or mouth? 

 Take note of what triggers or worsens the nasal discharge or the expectoration.  This could be exercise, anxiety and other emotions, changes to indoor temperature / humidity, and changes to the weather or season.

In the absence of clearly identified triggers, respiratory issues almost always indicate underlying imbalances. These imbalances may be related to diet and lifestyle factors such as the lack of fresh feeding, bacterial  and regular exercise. Anti-biotic use, which reduces beneficial bacteria in your pet’s system, vaccine reactions, and exposure to environmental toxins can also play a significant role in disturbing the balance of your pet’s system and dysregulating their immune response. 

Certain breeds, including Westies and other terriers, may be genetically predisposed to a severe manifestation of lung lining thickening called pulmonary fibrosis. Pugs, Frenchies, American Bulldogs, and other brachycephalic (short nosed) breeds are more vulnerable than breeds to respiratory issues, even when diet and lifestyle are optimized. However, no matter your pet’s breed or genetic predisposition, a holistic approach aimed at restoring or increasing balance and vitality will almost always lead to significant improvement in symptoms. Not only this, it will almost certainly prevent the progression of a respiratory issue to the status of a life-threatening illness.

The first premise of treatment is ‘do no harm’.  

Avoid the temptation to simply suppress discharge with drugs. Symptoms  tell you about underlying imbalances. Conventional drugs like anti-biotics and anti-histamines may result in symptom alleviation.  This could be necessary in an emergency situation, if conventional medicines are the only tools the veterinarian has.  Such ‘anti-’ drugs eliminate symptoms at a significant cost to your pet’s inner balance, potentially leading to future problems of increased severity. A respiratory dis-ease may have no definitive conventional treatment, and the conventional treatment simply suppresses the signs of the disease.  . 

When seeing a veterinary pet care professional, ensure your dog or cat is receiving individualized (customized) treatment. Consultations with your vet that last less than thirty minutes may indicate that your pet will not receive individualized treatment. Your holistic practitioner should want to know about the presenting complaint in detail, and about your pet’s lifestyle, and diet.

Upper respiratory problems respond well to a holistic approach that restores or improves inner balance and vitality.  Upper respiratory problems are conventionally categorized as allergic, infectious, or structural; all can be improved with holistic care.  Holistic care can prevent progression to other more serious and life-limiting diseases, and reduce your pet’s individual sensitivities to allergic triggers or susceptibility to infectious organisms.

As an example, holistic treatment of a coughing dog with bronchitis (inflammation of the tubes leading to the lungs) can prevent her from developing asthma and other allergies. When we treat the underlying imbalance we reduce the patient’s risk of getting pneumonia or other secondary infections. The same is true for progression of any disease. 

For dogs, infectious kennel cough responds to any number of holistic interventions, including, homeopatically prescribed Aconite, Drosera, Hepar, Ipecac, Lachesis, Mercurius, Pulsatilla, Spongia, Phosphorus, Sulphur. For prevention, the Kennel Cough nosode may be effective if you know your dog has been exposed, especially if you’re concerned they lack the vitality to ward off infection.

For cats suffering from upper respiratory “infections,” an appropriate homeopathic prescription of Aconite, Arsenicum, Belladonna, Euphrasia, Mercurius, Phosphorus, Pulsatilla, Sulphur, and Thuja are among an arsenal of effective holistic interventions. 

In addition to these interventions, there are other helpful approaches you can take for restoring your pet’s inner balance and promoting vibrant health. 

TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine)

TCVM, which includes acupuncture, can be used to stimulate your pet’s body to heal. However, like any treatment, it can be misused. One example is when points to be needled are chosen from a condition treatment chart, without evaluating the individual’s needs

Needling points based only on the current problem and pathology can decrease vitality and inner balance.  A holistic acupuncture practitioner will look at the individual traits of the whole animal, using the diagnostic tools of evaluation of meridians, pulse and tongue characteristics when formulating their needling plan.

Home Holistic Support 

The following supportive-care approaches can support your pets’ bodies while they heal, regardless of the treatment modalities you have selected to treat their respiratory issue.  

Supportive care includes optimizing nutrition and promoting fluid consumption or using subcutaneous fluids when needed. Gentle manual removal of discharges can improve breathing.  Humidity levels for the patient’s environment should be between 50-60% for maximum airway comfort, and to help discharges remain fluid.  Saline nose or eye drops can also be useful to help your pets comfort level and breathing, particularly when discharges are thick or acrid (irritating).  Probiotics can help resolve the bacterial imbalances created by antibiotics, as a healthy gut biota is essential for a healthy immune system. 

Other safe, supportive care treatments include…

• Diet (fresh feeding of varied foods)
• Weight loss (this goes hand-in-hand with dietary changes)
• Exercise (introducing regular exercise or increase the amount of exercise) 
• Energetic interventions like Reiki
• Flower essences
• Supplementation as appropriate for the individual

When you address the underlying imbalance behind your pet’s respiratory symptoms, these symptoms can almost always be dramatically improved or completely resolved.  Take steps to bring your pet’s system into better balance, and respiratory symptoms will tend to naturally disappear.  Your dog or cat will recover the vitality and energy for living the happy, healthy life that they deserve.