Abscess and Hernia - 10yo (est) FS cat

[smithpd_3@yahoo_com]

Could you let me know if I'm on the right track with this or if there are other things we should be considering?  Our goal is to gently heal Chloe and prevent surgery for the hernia.

Here's the background:

My sister rescued a cat a few weeks ago (Chloe) who had a large abscess on the right side of her face and an inguinal hernia on her right side.  She also noticed that Chloe's right eye turns inward intermittingly.  Chloe was a stray from my sister's neighborhood and was covered in fleas and on the thin side when my sister found her.

Abscess:  Before my sister could do anything for the abscess it burst so she brought Chloe to the vet who drained it, scraped off the dead skin and gave her an antibiotic injection.  The vet also gave her a Capstar tablet to kill the fleas.  Chloe appeared to be in a lot of pain but was very docile through it all.  She tolerated all the handling well but didn't crave it.  This was about 3 weeks ago.  The abscess is healing well and the area is now about the size of a quarter (it was originally the whole right side of her face).  She's very touchy about anything around her face though.  Not sure if it's still painful or if she's still traumatized over the whole ordeal.

Hernia:  The hernia does not seem to bother her at all.  The vet said her intestines and possibly a kidney have breached the stomach lining.  The vet was able to push them back in without her reacting at all.  Chloe often lays on her right side.  The vet recommended surgery to fix the hernia.  My sister would like to avoid this, if possible, but is worried if she waits too long the surgery may become more complicated.

Chloe's right eye seems to turn inward intermittingly and may be compromising her vision although my sister hasn't noticed any particular issues (i.e., not running into things, can see to play and run after toys).

Temperament-wise, Chloe seems to be very passive and mild mannered.  She's cautious at first but friendly when she warms up to you.  She will swat if annoyed, though, and she goes ballistic when she see's another cat (hisses, spits, lunges and carries on even after the other cat has walked away).  She gets visibly anxious when her routine is disrupted and is timid in new surroundings.  Grooms herself obsessively.

Appetite is very good (she eats 3x a day and gobbles her food), stools are normal, water intake is normal.  Vet said blood work was very good and guesses she's about 10.  She's about 9 lbs.

I suggested my sister give Chloe Silicea 6c once a day and Rescue Remedy 3 or 4 times a day.  My sister is adding the Silicea to Chloe's food since Chloe doesn't tolerate her face / mouth being handled.  She started the Silicea on 7/5 and a few days later noticed Chloe  seemed a bit spunkier.  The abscess is healing well but it was doing well before the remedy too.  No change in the hernia.  No other changes noted in behavior.

Questions:  I understand that Silicea is a deep and slow acting remedy so is it OK that we aren't seeing many changes yet?  How long with this remedy should we wait until we try something else?  I also researched Belladonna, Calc Carbonica, and Lycopodium but wasn't sure if those remedies fit due to Chloe's temperament and also since she doesn't have any sensitivity around the hernia.  It's interesting to me that all her issues are on her right side but not sure if that means anything.  I did note that when I was doing research on remedies.

Thanks for your help with this!

Patti

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Patti-

Thanks for posting your sister's kitty's case Patti.

Yes, you are on the right track!

Inguinal hernias are pretty unusual in cats though. These are usually traumatic in origin. Perhaps Chloe had some right-sided trauma before her rescue?

Even more unusual is to have a kidney herniating into it. If indeed that is the case, that can become a medical emergency from blockage of the ureter that lets the kidney drain into the bladder.

Is the hernia in Chloe's groin or on her belly? Umbilical hernias are more common in cats.

Did you repertorize all of her symptoms to arrive at Silica?

Once you repertorize the totality of symptoms, a good place to read about the indicated homeopathic medicines is in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Practical-Materia-Medica-Set/dp/8131902617">Clarke's Dictionary</a> or <a href="http://www.homeoint.org/hering/s.htm">Hering's Guiding Symptoms</a>.

If your sister can hot compress the abscess, that will help it heal even faster by stimulating blood flow.

Also, repeated homeopathic dosing is most effective when each dose is succussed prior to use.

This can be done easily by adding a 6c pellet to water and banging the cup down on the counter (or banging a covered jar against her hand or a soft book) 10x prior to each dose.

Then put 1 tsp. mixed with a bit of milk on a saucer for Chloe to lick up.

Also, consider reading the materia medica for Arnica to look for patients with "fullness" in the groin (or actual hernias).

One other  tip is to include this rubric in your repertorization of her totality:

ABDOMEN - HERNIA; ABDOMINAL - Inguinal - protrusion: (50) Acon. alum. am-c. am-m. ant-c. arg-met. ars. Asaf. Aur. BELL. calc. cann-s. caps. carb-an. Cham. chin. clem. Cocc. coloc. graph. Guaj. hell. ign. kali-bi. kali-c. lyc. m-ambo. M-arct. mag-c. nat-m. Nit-ac. NUX-V. op. petr. phos. plb. rheum Rhus-t. sep. sil. spig. stann. staph. stram. stront-c. sul-ac. sulph. THUJ. VERAT. zinc.

Let us know what you find and how Chloe does over the next few weeks.

Dr. Jeff

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