1. Endy, 14.5 years old, male
2. neutered
3. black lab mix
4. 47 lbs.
5. Somewhat ornery, jealous of dog sibling, also sweet & sometimes needy. I have called him Jekyl & Hyde over the years because he can be so sweet & loving and then somewhat aggressive. Energy- he frequently jumps up & down the 3 steps to get in/out of the house, is happy to chase tennis ball for only 4 or 5 throws but then he's done, hasn't wanted to go for medium to long walks for several months- he'll walk for 10-15 minutes, and then cross the street to turn around and go home (he's on leash with some slack and I let him decide when he's done), excellent appetite, he wakes up with joy every day
6. mostly home cooked meals consisting of ground turkey, ground beef, brown or white rice or oatmeal, some black or pinto beans, table scraps, some blueberries
7. I adopted Endy on 3/17/2012, was told he was between 1-2 years old, and I think he was probably around 1. He came fully vaxxed then I scheduled initial appnt with my vet and they gave him more vaccinations. I should have asked what they were giving him and why since I thought he was up to date with everything but I just agreed to what was recommended. Shortly thereafter he had chronic itchy ears and skin. Took him to 2 different holistic vets over the next couple of years and when the first one reviewed all of his records (what I received when I adopted him and then from his initial appnt with my vet, she noticed that he was doubly vaxxed with everything. My vet actually didn't need to give him any vaccinations when I brought him in so he ended up receiving double the vaccines/toxins. I was told by both holistic vets to never vaccinate him for anything ever again (with the exception of rabies due to CT law). He also had aggression issues which both holistic vets believed to be related to the rabies vaccine. I have continued to give him the rabies vaccine when it has been due over the years though I know it is not good for him. He has not had any other vaccinations (other than rabies) since his initial appnt with my vet. The only medication that I think he was ever on was Denamarin (the one for large dogs), 1 capsule every day for 1.5 - 2 years. A couple of years ago, his liver enzymes were elevated when he went for routine blood work (geriatric) and the vet put him on it. I was initally hesitant but searched online and couldn't find anything bad about it. One of the natural dog publications online even recommended it. Anyway, I took him off it a few months back because sometime after starting it, long enough so that I never made the connection until recently, he started with this weird hacking thing. Almost like a cat trying to cough up a hairball. It started out just every once in a while and then progressively it became more frequent. Since I stopped giving it to him, he still does the hacking thing once in a while but its much less frequent and I'm hoping it will eventually stop the longer he's off of the med. Interestingly enough, I came across an article online, after taking him off of the medication, that said that liver enzymes in dogs often go up initially after starting a raw food diet and then they eventually come back down again. I had started him on raw food a few months before the lab work was done that showed the high liver enzymes and I was surprised by the liver enzymes being out of range as I had cleaned up his diet so much. I eventually ended up switching him to cooked food because he started vomiting up the raw food and looking back it was not long after starting the Denamarin so I think that may have been the reason that he started throwing up his food (I followed the directions and gave him the med at least an hour before or after meals which is supposed to prevent vomiting from this med so being too close to meal time wasn't an issue). Actually, I have also given him flea & tick meds intermittently over the years but not in awhile. He also took the monthly heartworm medication for at least a few months after I adopted him but then both of the holistic vets advised me to stop it. For a long time heartworm was not an issue in CT so I didn't worry about not giving it to him but over the last few years or so that has changed so I worry about not protecting him from it but at his age I also don't want to start giving it to him because it is such a toxic medication.
8. The primary problem is that just a couple of weeks ago, he started with itchy, inflamed ears again. He hasn't had this issue for probably 12 years. After working with both holistic vets many years ago, both of whom used homeopathic remedies with him, and not giving him any more vaccines aside from rabies, and a fairly high quality dog food (which of course has its own problems), his ears and skin cleared up and hasn't been an issue for him again until just a few weeks ago. So what changed? I think the itchy ears was caused by the calcium I started giving him. When I first started feeding Endy raw, I would give him bones but he is a fast eater (I feed him using a puzzle bowl) and not a very good chewer. A few times, he threw up after being given a bone and I was afraid that he might get a blockage from not chewing the bones enough so I stopped giving them to him. I thought the bones were needed just for pooping so I started giving him beans (maybe a tablespoon with each meal) or some oatmeal every day instead. i just found out recently that the bones also provide needed calcium so I started supplementing it. I think the calcium kicked up detox and the toxins are coming out via his ears. I've only been giving it to him intermittently since then. I'm sort of nervous about still giving it to him but also don't really want to stop because he's probably really low in calcium after switching from a commercial diet to a diet that does not have bones in it. Also, if he's detoxing through his ears there's probably stuff in his system that needs to get out.
9. Nothing seems to really change the condition at all.
10. No diagnostic testing has been done.
11. Years ago, a few different homeopathic remedies were used at the recommendation of the holistic vets that I worked with. I don't have access to those vets anymore so I have been cleaning his ears every day with a cotton ball and a mixture of apple cider vinegar & filtered water, but it doesn't really seem to be helping. I also tried one homeopathic remedy myself that I found online (pulsatilla). I gave him several pellets on 2 occasions, but nothing changed. I don't know if I gave him the right amount or the right frequency or even if it was the best remedy for him. I was too nervous to continue to give it to him without guidance.
11. The only other health concerns are the intermittent hacking, some occasional gas, and he has a few lipomas which I know is a sign of toxicity so it makes sense to me that the calcium may have started to detox things that he can't entirely get rid of in his poop so his ears are taking a hit.
I think that is about it. Thank you in advance for reading this through. Any guidance that can be provided will be greatly appreciated. Endy has his annual appnt coming up in another week or 2. I know the vet will want to give him something for his ears and I would like to avoid pharmaceuticals if possible.
@Dr. Jeff
@Dr. Christina
2. neutered
3. black lab mix
4. 47 lbs.
5. Somewhat ornery, jealous of dog sibling, also sweet & sometimes needy. I have called him Jekyl & Hyde over the years because he can be so sweet & loving and then somewhat aggressive. Energy- he frequently jumps up & down the 3 steps to get in/out of the house, is happy to chase tennis ball for only 4 or 5 throws but then he's done, hasn't wanted to go for medium to long walks for several months- he'll walk for 10-15 minutes, and then cross the street to turn around and go home (he's on leash with some slack and I let him decide when he's done), excellent appetite, he wakes up with joy every day
6. mostly home cooked meals consisting of ground turkey, ground beef, brown or white rice or oatmeal, some black or pinto beans, table scraps, some blueberries
7. I adopted Endy on 3/17/2012, was told he was between 1-2 years old, and I think he was probably around 1. He came fully vaxxed then I scheduled initial appnt with my vet and they gave him more vaccinations. I should have asked what they were giving him and why since I thought he was up to date with everything but I just agreed to what was recommended. Shortly thereafter he had chronic itchy ears and skin. Took him to 2 different holistic vets over the next couple of years and when the first one reviewed all of his records (what I received when I adopted him and then from his initial appnt with my vet, she noticed that he was doubly vaxxed with everything. My vet actually didn't need to give him any vaccinations when I brought him in so he ended up receiving double the vaccines/toxins. I was told by both holistic vets to never vaccinate him for anything ever again (with the exception of rabies due to CT law). He also had aggression issues which both holistic vets believed to be related to the rabies vaccine. I have continued to give him the rabies vaccine when it has been due over the years though I know it is not good for him. He has not had any other vaccinations (other than rabies) since his initial appnt with my vet. The only medication that I think he was ever on was Denamarin (the one for large dogs), 1 capsule every day for 1.5 - 2 years. A couple of years ago, his liver enzymes were elevated when he went for routine blood work (geriatric) and the vet put him on it. I was initally hesitant but searched online and couldn't find anything bad about it. One of the natural dog publications online even recommended it. Anyway, I took him off it a few months back because sometime after starting it, long enough so that I never made the connection until recently, he started with this weird hacking thing. Almost like a cat trying to cough up a hairball. It started out just every once in a while and then progressively it became more frequent. Since I stopped giving it to him, he still does the hacking thing once in a while but its much less frequent and I'm hoping it will eventually stop the longer he's off of the med. Interestingly enough, I came across an article online, after taking him off of the medication, that said that liver enzymes in dogs often go up initially after starting a raw food diet and then they eventually come back down again. I had started him on raw food a few months before the lab work was done that showed the high liver enzymes and I was surprised by the liver enzymes being out of range as I had cleaned up his diet so much. I eventually ended up switching him to cooked food because he started vomiting up the raw food and looking back it was not long after starting the Denamarin so I think that may have been the reason that he started throwing up his food (I followed the directions and gave him the med at least an hour before or after meals which is supposed to prevent vomiting from this med so being too close to meal time wasn't an issue). Actually, I have also given him flea & tick meds intermittently over the years but not in awhile. He also took the monthly heartworm medication for at least a few months after I adopted him but then both of the holistic vets advised me to stop it. For a long time heartworm was not an issue in CT so I didn't worry about not giving it to him but over the last few years or so that has changed so I worry about not protecting him from it but at his age I also don't want to start giving it to him because it is such a toxic medication.
8. The primary problem is that just a couple of weeks ago, he started with itchy, inflamed ears again. He hasn't had this issue for probably 12 years. After working with both holistic vets many years ago, both of whom used homeopathic remedies with him, and not giving him any more vaccines aside from rabies, and a fairly high quality dog food (which of course has its own problems), his ears and skin cleared up and hasn't been an issue for him again until just a few weeks ago. So what changed? I think the itchy ears was caused by the calcium I started giving him. When I first started feeding Endy raw, I would give him bones but he is a fast eater (I feed him using a puzzle bowl) and not a very good chewer. A few times, he threw up after being given a bone and I was afraid that he might get a blockage from not chewing the bones enough so I stopped giving them to him. I thought the bones were needed just for pooping so I started giving him beans (maybe a tablespoon with each meal) or some oatmeal every day instead. i just found out recently that the bones also provide needed calcium so I started supplementing it. I think the calcium kicked up detox and the toxins are coming out via his ears. I've only been giving it to him intermittently since then. I'm sort of nervous about still giving it to him but also don't really want to stop because he's probably really low in calcium after switching from a commercial diet to a diet that does not have bones in it. Also, if he's detoxing through his ears there's probably stuff in his system that needs to get out.
9. Nothing seems to really change the condition at all.
10. No diagnostic testing has been done.
11. Years ago, a few different homeopathic remedies were used at the recommendation of the holistic vets that I worked with. I don't have access to those vets anymore so I have been cleaning his ears every day with a cotton ball and a mixture of apple cider vinegar & filtered water, but it doesn't really seem to be helping. I also tried one homeopathic remedy myself that I found online (pulsatilla). I gave him several pellets on 2 occasions, but nothing changed. I don't know if I gave him the right amount or the right frequency or even if it was the best remedy for him. I was too nervous to continue to give it to him without guidance.
11. The only other health concerns are the intermittent hacking, some occasional gas, and he has a few lipomas which I know is a sign of toxicity so it makes sense to me that the calcium may have started to detox things that he can't entirely get rid of in his poop so his ears are taking a hit.
I think that is about it. Thank you in advance for reading this through. Any guidance that can be provided will be greatly appreciated. Endy has his annual appnt coming up in another week or 2. I know the vet will want to give him something for his ears and I would like to avoid pharmaceuticals if possible.
@Dr. Jeff
@Dr. Christina
