Inflamed right flank possible insect bite versus ?

[JeannieKayN]

Hi, I have a trauma sensitive Red Australian Heeler rescue for over a year. He is a male not neutered adult unsure of age, shelter listed 3yrs about 50 pounds. His BEAM until this morning was excellent, despite restlessness provoked by biting and licking at flank. He had 50 mg of Benadryl last night for incessant licking and biting at rear flank so his energy and behavior and mood are subdued but if I go outside he will happily get up to follow me and my other dog Bella around. He ate fresh cooked food as usual today, although a bit slower. He usually barks for me to come out and is more sleepy today but thankfully has a break from the incessant annoyance of his right rear flank and isn't biting at it every few moments. I was hesitant to use Benadryl but he needed respite.
Onset 10/18 after wake up with licking at the fur. I suspected possibly a fox tail although there have been rains and they aren't dry and stiff now. Then I thought I saw a dark spot the following morning after he removed some fur, it was round about 1 cm and I began to wonder if he had been bitten by a spider and has an allergic reaction. He sleeps on the porch( his choice) on his dog bed with blankets and a whelping heating pad set at 80 and put to one side of the large bed under the blankets.
He chooses not to be touched and I cannot leash him. I tried to apply a hot spot essential oil remedy but I am an elder, recovering from a broken leg and not quick enough to pat it on when he is close to me. He is very vigilant and coincidentally stays to my right or behind me so it is hard to get to his right side. I am giving him some of those essential oils internally with his food.
No other meds except Benadryl 25 mg, 10/21, and Benadryl 50 mg 10/22
I have some homeopathic remedies I ordered from Hahnemann Labs that just arrived.
APIS MELLIFICA, 30C, 1 oz, LEDUM PALUSTRE, 100C, 1 oz,RHUS TOXICODENDRON, 100C, 1/2 dram
I chose them because I thought it might be from an insect bite and searched Don Hamilton's book for remedies to try.
I will today's photo. I have a 15 minute with Dr. Christina tomorrow 10/23 at130.
I will watch the dosing webinar and wondering if I am on the right track with LEDUM PALUSTRE, and APIS, although APIS is recommended here for starting for insect bite so .
I would have to give with cream cheese as I can't put anything in his mouth.
I appreciate any guidance with these remedies especially dosing and timing for optimum effect. I would like to get started ASAP.
Thank you

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Jeannie!

Welcome to HA! and thanks for making your first post.

Thank you as well for adopting a rescue pup!!

a trauma sensitive Red Australian Heeler rescue

Yeah, that trauma creates "energetic entanglements" that can require a lot of presence, patience and perseverance to iron out.

I'm sorry that his skin is "bugging" him, and I'm super glad to hear that his most problematic symptom is on the outside of his body vs. liver, kidney, heart, etc.

Dr. Christina will certainly discuss your remedy choices when you speak today. And I wonder what your pup loves to do (or eat) more than anything in the world? The reason is that dosing a little bit of joy, fun, happiness, play, etc. will help his skin, his behavior, and his quality of life.

Just ask Maya, who is my trauma-sensitive rescue (11/22/24):

Let Dogs Be Dogs: Maya's Zone of Joy and Journey from Fear to Joy on

By Jeff Feinman, VMD, CVH. The tiny puppy trembling in the Tennessee shelter had already lived a lifetime of medical interventions before she was twelve weeks old. Vaccines, rabies shots, spay

happyhealthydog.org

 

[JeannieKayN]

RuRu is responding to homeopathic remedies and is much happier today. Dr Christina was very helpful and explained how to use the remedies and to be patient and let them do their job balancing his vital force. I felt so relived to be able to help him.
As to what makes him the happiest…you will think I’m crazy…he loves me to sing Lakota Sundance Ceremonial songs or chant Nam Myo Renge Kyo and he lights up and taps Bella my elder Queensland Heeler to play with him, and begins to playfully prance move his body in silly postures or run super fast to entice her to play, if she is not interested he settles for licking my toes. His most favorite food is chicken liver.
I read Maya’s story. So happy she has you to care for her.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

he loves me to sing Lakota Sundance Ceremonial songs or chant Nam Myo Renge Kyo and he lights up

I love it!!

BTW, have you watched the Grandmother Nancy and Allen Schoen series of webinars about connecting indigenous wisdom with modern vet med?

 

[JeannieKayN]

I love it!!

BTW, have you watched the Grandmother Nancy and Allen Schoen series of webinars about connecting indigenous wisdom with modern vet med?

I saw those on the webinar thread a few days ago and was very happy they were there and looking forward to watching.

 

[JeannieKayN]

I wrote this yesterday, Friday, and thought I posted it but apparently I didn't post it. I was a bit distracted.
Yesterday I was happy the lesion didn't look much worse but feeling stressed not really seeing improvement and noting an increase in itchiness. The overall size of the area concerns me as well, from the beginning to now. The involved area is the size of the palm of my hand. It has been 7 days since the first symptom presented, licking his fur.
The appearance of the lesion area is about same as yesterday, it doesn't look worse but then it does, it waxes and wanes, the area he is licking as a clearing appears to be increasing daily. That concerns me. I didn't give another dose Thursday, last dose and only dose of RHUX T. was at 8 pm on Wednesday for severe restlessness and biting and licking the lesion area.
I tried to figure this out the day before my call with Dr. Christina and gave LEDUM P. 100 # 2 for 2 doses and a few hours apart for insect bites and stings and saw improvement of the lesion, lightening of the inflammation being the most improved sign.

About 5 hours after the second dose of LEDUM P, I gave the RHUX T at 8pm thinking I was treating the severe itchiness of the inflamed area and that was the symptom that remained and I hoped he would have a restful night. He slept well or at least didn't bark during the night.

Dr. Christina explained homeopathy doesn't work the way I was thinking and I didn't have to change the remedy to RHUX T and the LEDUM P should have done it. I have a lot to learn.
She said since I changed the remedy to RHUX T and it helped with the licking biting I should continue with it if he needed it again for increased licking and biting. He didn't need anything yesterday but Friday his attention to the area increased over the morning till I could see it was disturbing him often.
Friday his BEAM was increased restlessness and licking otherwise energetic, happy, appetite good.
I gave him RHUX T 100C #2 at noon after he had began licking and biting more frequently and restlessness increased disturbing him with persistent licking lasting minutes.
Saturday will be a week since the symptoms began.
I used to be a home birth midwife and sometimes I had to make the decision to change course and take the laboring mother and her unborn to the hospital, for the best outcome to occur in the situation. I decided I was at that juncture with RuRu, after I did a risk / benefit ratio of continuing or changing course.
This is a high risk situation for him as a trauma sensitive dog that cannot be handled without re-traumatizing him. He chooses to be an outside dog and I can't confine him on the porch to keep him from laying on the ground, the lesion is not resolving and has grown significantly since the onset, and there is a darker red line now at the outer edge of the inflamed area.
I can't take him to see a vet and there isn't one who will come to where I live.
I messed up because I didn't have the homeopathic remedies available or a plan what to use at the onset, or understanding of how to use the remedies. I tried but I wasn't prepared as I should have been to give him the appropriate remedy at the onset.
I made the decision to start prednisone this morning when there was still no improvement. I hope to see visual improvement by tomorrow morning. He's a tough little guy who has had a hard week dealing with this but it is good to see his resilience and optimistic mood despite the discomfort he is experiencing.
I will make more effort to learn homeopathy and have what I need at home and arrange for him to be an online patient. I am also studying essential oils now and realized I can only diffuse or give the oils internally with him and that is a shortcoming for using them if you can't do anything topical with them. Flower Essences are on my list to learn more about also.
First I will learn what I can about homeopathy here in this incredible resource. I can give Ru little white sugar pellets. I need to learn how use this healing medicine for him.