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Charlie's BEAM, Heart, Skin, Ears & More

kristen_acri

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I was going to wait to post on Charlie until after his appointment with a canine cardiologist on April 6 but decided to do it now.

Adopted 11-30-2019 – reported to be 8 years old; neutered in October 2019 and received all of his vaccines at once in October; one-year rabies; surgery to remove a large tumor at the same time; talked to the vet who did the surgery; she described the tumor as pendulous, possibly a sac of smaller cysts; no histology done; he had open, infected areas on his skin, looked like bed sores but they weren’t, skin scraping negative

Picture of Charlie's tumor; he looks like a much bigger dog in this picture compared to now.

Charlie's mass 10-21.jpg

BEHAVIOR: paces quickly to look for me when he can’t find me in the house--doesn’t respond to his name while looking for me, appears frantic until I can get his attention; looks for something to get into if left free in the house when I’m gone, also pees and poops inside if free and alone; calm when put in his x-pen (4-foot square with bed and rug) when I have to leave, seems to know that I’m gone but I’ll be back; appears bothered by wind during walks on windy days—zig zags, looks around as if thinking “what’s that? what’s that?”

ENERGY: very low energy; sleeps in my bed unless it’s time to walk, eat, or use his snuffle mat; he also stays by me during my morning meditation practice

APPETITE: I’ve put a lot into changing the proportions of ingredients to get his stools to firm up; increased the protein and decreased the pureed veggies; Charlie would love to eat all the time; doesn’t beg but if I’m in the kitchen prepping his food or mine, he’s there too, at my side; hearing me in the kitchen gets him out of bed two floors up; on a fresh, raw food diet with occasional meals of frozen raw—Answers and others; also feeding some of Judy Morgan’s recipes—Yin Tonic and Qi Tonic; feeding 3% of his body weight and he is LOSING WEIGHT; 41.2 pounds on Jan 2, 37.4 pounds on Mar 10; loves his food, eats raw faster than he did kibble; insatiable, ravenous, wanting???

Supplements: Squid oil, Thorvin kelp, OncoPLEX, Onco Support, CAS Options, Calcium supplement if bones not part of meal, Apocaps – just started 3/10; Answers fermented goat milk or other probiotic—have to go slow with goat milk; diarrhea with beef kefir; looser stools if I don’t give 1 tbsp pureed pumpkin with meals

decreased drinking, barely drinks, seems to drink a lot at one time when he does drink, drinks at night;

MOOD: gets excited for walks, when I come home, and for belly rubs; may chase his squirrel toy once but no real play; seems less excited than he was when he sees squirrels on our walks; loves people and greets nicely; always comes to see who’s at the door; wants to socialize with other dogs; Tricks Class planned; two or three walks a day, snuffle mat, another puzzle toy to find treats

Grade 3 heart murmur

January X-rays: enlarged heart; spondylosis of T2-T5; disc narrowing of T7-9; he’s tender to touch in these areas

January Digital thermo photography: cervical region, lumbar region and sacrum, lateral right and left femoral region and humerus region, rear hock all excess heat in these regions

January Blood work--not sure what all is important to list:

Low vitamin D level: 68ng/mL
T4: low end of normal, 1.0 ug/dL
ABS Eos: 1534 /uL
EOS: 13%
BUN/UREA: 30 mg/dL
B/C ratio: 50

SKIN: Scratches a lot on most transitions from sleeping to getting up and moving but will also start to scratch when he wakes up, early morning (4 a.m.) and when first lying down (transitions); stops during walks to scratch and shake; dander; fur loss on tail and a new bald spot on his belly; greasy skin; he scratches his throat a lot, hair loss there too; he scratches, licks, and chews anywhere on his body that he can reach

Has a papilloma behind his left ear so when he scratches there it bleeds, cleaning up blood spatters from him shaking his head

Has many small warts and other bumps, some on the external sheath of his penis; one has just appeared or it has grown; noticed last week

EARS: dry, flakey discharge; on second round of Zymax w/o steroids; digs in his ears at times; shakes his head

Other things:

Usually sleeps in a curled-up position

Ate snow when we had enough on the ground to eat; it was hard to get him to stop

Peculiar: Charlie sleeps with me and every night he rubs his face on the pillows next to me then crashes into me to lay down for belly rubs, and then licks his genitals for a while before going to sleep. This seems odd to me.

Also using Reiki, Healing Touch (no oils). and flower essences -- rescue remedy and star of bethlehem separately

Appreciate any feedback, questions, or is it time for an appointment?

Thanks everyone!

Kristen
 

Dr. Christina

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What wonderful case taking, Kristen. You have organized your astute observations so well that you and your veterinary homeopath will be able to select remedies and evaluate their results

Because of the pathology of the heart and back, I think you would be best to begin now with your veterinary appointment.

While scheduling that, I am sure you have started looking up symptoms in the repertory.

After great case taking, the next step is to list the symptoms in priority of those that are the 4 Ps - persistent, peculiar, prominent, problematic. At the end of the list would be those that are more common or general.

1. appears bothered by wind during walks on windy days—zig zags, looks around. this is definitely peculiar, and is one of the symptoms of Thuja.
2. Grade 3 heart murmur - possibly problematic - does he cough?
.....
towards end of list
Itchy skin

Everyone can practice using these symptoms to create the list, and to ask questions to clarify if needed.

And I would add Ubiquinol/CoQ 10.

This is a wonderful case for all of us to use to review the steps to select a homeopathic medicine.
Dr. Christina
 
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kristen_acri

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@kristen_acri Thank you for posting this....it's such a wonderful example for me to follow in case taking.

Please keep us updated on your sweet boy Charlie.

Thank you @kingsgrlie -- I check in often to see what's going on with Koby. Your posts have been helpful.

And thanks @Dr. Christina -- I realized after I posted that I forgot to mention Charlie's cough. Yes, he's coughing and the frequency is increasing. At first he used to cough after licking his coat. I thought he swallowed some hair and was coughing due to that! But now realize it's probably related to his heart. He's a quiet dog, rarely barks, but makes other odd sounds, especially when he wants something and can't get it fast enough or get to it at all. If I'm not getting his food together fast enough or when he sees another dog when we're walking and he wants to socialize with them. His cough is more like a hack.

I have started looking up the symptoms. I have to pull myself away from focusing on his skin. I'll use your ideas to continue and take a look at thuja. I immediately thought of all of his vaccines at once with the mention of this remedy.

Ubiquinol on the way!

Kristen
 

kristen_acri

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So...here's how I went about finding a remedy and what I came up with:

It was a little difficult to put the symptoms into the four P categories. I was surprised at this. Problematic and peculiar were easier. After that most symptoms seemed to be prominent and persistent.

Then I started looking for rubrics based on my symptom list. Well, I kept adding new symptoms while I was looking for the ones on my list. I guess the sub-rubrics described each symptom a little better. I was overwhelmed.
Finally I reached a point where I had to be done with it. I used the repertorization sheets from the tutorial workbook. Ended up using three!

For the shorter rubrics I filled in all of the remedies. However, if there were many, many listed, I didn't list them all. Only the ones in bold or sometimes just the bold and the italicized. I'm thinking this is like mixing apples and oranges and I'm sure it somewhat changed the outcome.

I chose three remedies to look at based on how many rubrics the remedies appeared in along with the number of grading points. The numbers for these three were significantly higher than the rest. There may be a few others to look at based on my way of selecting but the numbers are much lower. Arsenicum album, nux vomica, and sulphur were the top three. After reading about each one I think sulphur fits best.

I didn't consider BEAM or his Charlie's history. Just the symptoms that appear obvious to me.

Looking forward to seeing what @Dr. Jeff comes up with at Charlie's appointment on Friday!


Kristen
 

kristen_acri

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Charlie’s appointment with Dr. Jeff: April 10, 2020

Remedy prescribed: Nux vomica, 30C, succussed 10x, q-tip dose – given Friday, April 10

Dr. Jeff gave me a re-dosing schedule to follow if needed. I made the decision to re-dose when I did.

Observations Saturday and part of Sunday after dosing:
*slept soundly overnight (no itching) until whimpering early Saturday a.m.
*very, dry crumbly stool followed by a formed, somewhat firm stool (Saturday a.m. walk)
*more active in general, joining me more often during the day
*less itching

Symptoms started re-appearing Sunday afternoon:
*increased itching
*very restless overnight
*hacking coughs

*RE-DOSED Tuesday, April 14, Nux vomica, 30C, succussed 10x, q-tip dose

*Started Pimobendan 4/15/2020, 5 mg twice daily

Symptoms after second dose:
*itching through the night and coughing continued with no consistent pattern
*stools became soft and mushy (still formed) and liquid at the end
*energy increased; he jumped on my uncle’s bed--Charlie has never jumped on a bed!

*RE-DOSED Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (April 18 – April 20) Nux vomica, 30C, succussed 10x, q-tip dose

Symptoms after doses 3,4, and 5:
*increased energy—perkier step on walk
*last hacking cough 4/20 (three that day)
*last whimpering sounds during the night 4/20
*itching during the night some night; other nights no itching but starts on waking
*ran across yard to greet neighbor’s dog (new)
*strong alert to rabbits on walks (new)
*more playful
*no dandruff
*ITCHING FOCUSED MOSTLY ON THROAT AND BEHIND EARS; LARGE AREA OF HAIR LOSS IN THROAT AREA, 4 inches long x 2 inches wide
*STOOLS REMAIN FORMED BUT VERY SOFT, LIQUID AT THE END, SOMETIMES PUDDING CONSISTENCY
*staying with me longer after meals
*laying in second floor hallway more often than going to bedroom on third floor

Behavior: improving
Energy: improving
Appetite: good; always wanting
Mood: improving


Cardiology report (4/6/2020 appt):
Moderate mitral and mild tricuspid valvular endocardiosis
Grade V/VI systolic left apical murmur

Kristen
 

Dr. Jeff

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Great report, Kristen, thanks!

What's your next step?
 

kristen_acri

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Well, I'm going to wait, watch, and track. I hope this is an okay approach, thanks for asking.

Right now I'm focused on his stools and the itching. I don't know if I'll recognize if the increase in itching means something is moving out or something is getting worse.

I created a form I use to track BEAM, EWS, and some of his symptoms. There's also room to record new things that show up. I have to write it down or I'll forget and won't know how often things happen or how bad they are. I also have to tell myself not to panic when something new does show up. I write down the good things too! They typically relate to his energy which is increasing.

This is where I'm at this moment!!!

Thanks again!

Kristen
 

kristen_acri

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P.S. I'm strongly considering the AnimalBiome capsules to see what effect they have on his stools.
 

Dr. Jeff

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Perfect! :snowman:

Waiting and watching is also exactly what I would do.

Anytime there's evidence of internal change, which you can see through symptom shifts, waiting and watching is almost always the correct HA!

Outstanding work!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

The only exception is in fast moving or life-threatening dis-eases like pneumonias, etc.

If you could send me your BEAM form, I'll look at it then upload and share it for others to use.

Would that be OK with you?
 

kristen_acri

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Thank you @Dr. Jeff !

Attaching my BEAM form -- it's really simple, just a Word table (sent as a PDF). It keeps me on track though! I use the same type of table for his symptoms and I really like it for that purpose. I can look at the week at a glance and quickly see when there are few to no occurrences of a particular symptom. Like I said, I can't remember it all!

Grateful for all of the guidance received on the forum from all the vets and the other pet owners and their animals.

Kristen
 

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Dr. Jeff

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Thanks for sharing Kristen!
 

ChristineL

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Thank you @Dr. Jeff !

Attaching my BEAM form -- it's really simple, just a Word table (sent as a PDF). It keeps me on track though! I use the same type of table for his symptoms and I really like it for that purpose. I can look at the week at a glance and quickly see when there are few to no occurrences of a particular symptom. Like I said, I can't remember it all!

Grateful for all of the guidance received on the forum from all the vets and the other pet owners and their animals.

Kristen

Thanks for sharing this Kristen! Very helpful!!!!
 

kristen_acri

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I have a 15-minute call with @Dr. Jeff tomorrow. I updated him on Charlie's symptoms especially his stools and itching. I forgot to mention that he scratches under his chin A LOT. Here's a picture of what that area of his body looks like. This was before starting magnesium oil. No change yet.

Kristen

Charlie's throat from scratching.jpg
 

Dr. Jeff

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Hi Kristen-

Tonight's webinar discussion of case-taking is a perfect time to talk about Charlie's itch (and chronic diarrhea).

Continue to collect details about each symptom to review tonight.

For example, anything that fulfills 1 or more of the 4 Ps. The more Ps and the more details, the better.

For example, location of the itch, whether the itch manifests as scratching, licking, chewing, time of the day, triggers like eating/drinking coming inside or going out, etc.

The 4 p's.png
 

Dr. Christina

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Your BEAM tracking form is great, Kristen.
You mentioned shifting your focus more on the cough than the skin. The cough/heart is definitely more problematic than the skin, so that is good thinking.

When the vital force can shift to more skin symptoms than heart it is becoming more balanced.

I would definitely try either the animalbiome or Dr. Margo Roman's fecal transplants (from her poodles) - www.MASHvet.com. Have you already tried the fermented goat's milk?

Dr. Christina
 

kristen_acri

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Thank you @Dr. Jeff and @Dr. Christina -- at one point I was more focused on Charlie's cough as part of his heart issues, thinking problematic. Now, however, he rarely coughs and the itching and his stools have taken over...prominent and persistent!!! I started using the Poop Ranking Chart as I was getting frustrated in trying to describe the vast variations from poop to poop!

He started with white goop in either on eye or both started at the end of April, one week after his first round of nux. @Dr. Jeff , I may have missed this connection if there is one.

Now his ears have gunky stuff in them. This week he went from constantly scratching behind his ears to digging in them and shaking his head. Both ears are pink to red now. I started Zymox again three days ago.

The other thing I'm looking at is his blood work. I don't know how much consideration to give certain results. I only have two sets to compare.

His basophils and eosinophils are high. I may not be reporting this correctly but his abs basophils jumped from 236 to 744 and his abs eosinophils increased from 1534 to 3348. This is from January 2, 2020 to April 15, 2020. His neutrophils decreased from 71% in January to 49% in April. They were considered okay in January but were low in April. I'm thinking these blood values might be clues, especially what's high and what's low.

Oh, one more thing--a friend of mine muscle tests him weekly on certain things one of them being worms. This past Friday she said the worms are back. Sure enough, I found one in this morning's #5 poop. Started Para-Outta-Site.

@Dr. Jeff -- I scheduled a visit with you on June 9. He's due for a local vet visit early July. Wondering if I should reschedule your visit to after more blood work?

Thanks for any comments!!!

Kristen
 

Dr. Christina

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this shows that Charlie is healing himself in a great way -
"Charlie's cough as part of his heart issues, thinking problematic. Now, however, he rarely coughs and the itching and his stools have taken over...prominent and persistent!!! I started using the Poop Ranking Chart as I was getting frustrated in trying to describe the vast variations from poop to poop!"

Symptoms have moved from internal and life threatening (cough, heart) to bothersome but not life threatening - skin and stools. i would predict that with continued treatment the stools will first improve, then the skin.

Stool - what have you tried to improve the gut flora? I know you have posted it before and now with the stool focus it would be good to review what had any effect. And it may be just the worms and the flower essence will resolve it. Probiotics, digestive enzymes, answers fermented raw goat's milk, raw goat's milk, Dr. Roman's fecal transplant, animal biome, Kiefer...?

I will let Dr. Jeff address the blood work trends.

Dr. Christina
 

kristen_acri

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Thanks @Dr. Christina!

Charlie eats a raw, fresh food diet that has lots of variety. Sometimes vegetables are lightly steamed if he's eating veggies I cook for myself. I'm feeding him according to TCM food properties.

Sometimes he eats frozen raw, usually Answers. I try to give him a few meals a week of this food to add to his variety.

He tolerates raw goat's milk better than kefir. Close to diarrhea on kefir.

Goat's milk is not consistent due to availability. He likes and tolerates Answer's goat cheese, 2 or 3 pieces a day. He also gets raw fermented sauerkraut at each meal. This too has been inconsistent. The one farmer I deal with just re-opened and now it's available again.

He takes a probiotic every day.

No digestive enzymes or fecal transplant yet but I'm strongly considering.

Thanks again!

Kristen
 

Dr. Jeff

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Great Kristen that you are feeding fresh per TCVM.

An alternative to seeing a vet for a fecal transplant is an AnimalBiome stool test and their poo pills:

 

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