Integrative Treatment of Balance for Genetic Dis-eases of Dogs and Cats

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi everyone-

You're learning about optimizing your pets' balance.

This balance is a reflection of their response to internal and external stressors.

Such as response to normal skin bacteria like Staphylococcus or a yeast.

These organisms usually live quietly on your pets' bodies.

Unless there's an immune imbalance or some other predisposing factor.

Such as big floppy ears, like those of a Cocker.

Body part appearance, like floppy ears and pushed in faces, are breed characteristics determined by genetics.

Health challenges that are genetically determined are still treatable by improving balance with homeopathy.

Here's what our Empower Hour! webinar guest on Monday has to say about integrative treatment of genetic dis-ease:

Purebred dogs are more likely to have certain specific inherited diseases than dogs whose ancestors come from two or more breeds. But this does not mean all non-purebred dogs are healthier. They may inherit problems from all their ancestors. In addition, certain body shapes (as in the case of brachycephalic dogs) are associated with specific disease syndromes, regardless of whether a dog is purebred or crossbred. A survey at UC Davis involving dogs affected with 24 of the most common genetic diseases with major health consequences showed that for about half of them, there was no difference in occurrence between purebred versus mixed breed dogs.12,13

Popular breeds are more likely to have a longer list of inherited diseases than less popular breeds. There are a larger number of dogs among the popular breeds, so there will be more individuals with some of the less common forms of the disease, allowing more opportunities for the disease to continue within that breed. In addition, owners of popular breeds may be more likely to breed their dogs with the nearest dogs of the same breed without any genetic screening, increasing the chances of spreading undetected problems.14

One should not rely solely on official surveys of the incidence of inherited diseases. A breed that’s new to a country may not have been present long enough for any problems to become obvious. A rare breed may not have enough members to enable a good statistical sampling, or to show signs of the problem so it can be recognized as being breed-related.2 Pet owners may purchase a dog based on an internet search for “healthiest dog breed” and end up with a rare breed that has a number of unexpected problems.

Dr. Nancy will help us dive-deeper into this fascinating subject on Monday.

Then the week after we will be discussing specific genetic (and breed-related) dis-eases like heart problems in Cavaliers.

In addition, we'll research and discuss any breed-associated dis-ease you suggest.

Health challenges like kidney problems in Abyssinian cats, or the "new" myelopathy of Pugs.

This is one of this Spring-Summer webinars about learning how to help your pets' genetic dis-ease webinars that we'll have throughout the summer.

In the next few months, there will also be Empower Hour! webinar topics like a deeper-dive into fleas, training your rescue pup, etc. and a session with a vet geneticist from Embark.

In the meantime, do any of you have a specific genetic dis-ease you'd like to discuss 6/17?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

One other note is that even though the genetic and individuality information is important, it's only a piece of the picture.

The very best way to use this information along with your pets' Vitality and Balance is with homeopathy.

Take a deeper-dive into homeopathy during the 7/27-28 full weekend seminar.

 

[ckraham]

Great topic, and a puzzling one for me. For my breed (Saluki) DCM and cystinuria are a question. Also cystinuria (may have botched the spelling), as several Salukis have recently been diagnosed with this and we were not seeing it before in this breed. If there are "carriers" of these dis-eases in a line, can the bad gene be bred out with homeopathy or other natural methods rebalancing the system, and can we avoid turning on the bad genes if they are there?

Can you prevent manifestation of things like DCM, cystinuria, etc by early care and trying to cure the gene, or do you eliminate all related dogs from a gene pool (and eventually end up with either no dogs or new dis-eases?

A breeder friend once told me of a couple of dis-eases that were bred out of a breed--cannot remember the breed--and that the "bad" gene for that dis-ease actually prevented that population from getting another, worse dis-ease? Actually, this may have been in people, not dogs--something with the gene for sickle cell anemia I think?

"Auto-immune" dis-eases are another one I am puzzled about (like IMHA), polycythemia, and, I cannot recall the name exactly, but something like autoimmune polyarthritis

With so much genetic testing available now, and more breeders using these tools, are we doing good to use science alone? Or was it better when people worked off of observation and tuition and took the strongest dog from a line and bred it to the strongest and (often) most dominant bitch from a line?

(That is how my breed, the Saluki, has come to remain one of the breeds with the fewest heath problems--til recently-- for 15,000 years)

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Great questions Cassandra!

Since Dr. Nancy will be addressing this topic from physiologic (and supportive) perspective, I'd like answer your questions about homeopathic treatment.

Yes and yes. Homeopathy can be used to help breed out genetic defects (bad genes), and keep them from expressing (turning on). In addition, there's evidence that homeopathy can even change the genes so can help better with breeding programs.

Yes, dogs were healthier and lived longer when BEAM and quality of life was the focus rather than genetic or other test results.

 

[AliceR]

Can you address fear and anxiety that may have been passed on from a parent?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Alice.

Please give us more details like breed, age and how the anxieties manifest.

Dr. Nancy might not have time to address inherited fears and anxieties tonight, but we'll be discussing fears and phobias in more detail over the next 2 weeks.

 

[AliceR]

Hello,
I was just wondering about fearful dogs in general, where the fear might have a genetic component. Both of my dogs are anxious/fearful- but it may have been the environment before I had them. One of them, Reese, a 10 yr old English Shepherd, was found at 4 weeks in a hole, with presumed litter mates, they couldn't locate the mother. There were 200 dogs there and the adults were very fearful, feral, really. Reese (and the others) were in protective custody as court evidence until after the 9 mth trial. I realize lack of socialization is part of it, maybe most of it.

Reese is better now, but he definitely needs space from strangers (part of the herding dog breed), he would bark, lunge and nip. He is at first friendly, then becomes conflicted and might bark, air snap etc.

I was just wondering how much of that might be genetic, and if homeopathy could help that.
Thanks,
Alice

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Ah, thanks for sharing about Reese's difficult early life. I'm so glad that he's better!

Yes, his fear could be partially genetic and is definitely partially lack of early socialization.

Yes, homeopathy definitely could help the energetic part of his anxiety.

Does Reese have a "job", play nose work games or do agility?

 

[AliceR]

Yes, I became a trainer after the challenge of dealing with his unique life. I taught him nose work and he did do agility, but at age 7 (2015) he developed an autoimmune disease, he was not making rbcs and had severe anemia, my vet recommended a splenectomy and he is doing well, though hypothyroid and last August had a torn ACL- but learning about BEAM? his BEAM is great, but I stopped agility (and his agility teacher discontinued the business). We walk everyday in the woods and I play training games and some fetch. I keep telling myself to do the nose work, tho we do nose work but in a more informal way.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

WoW! It sounds like Reese has an awe-some life!

Exactly (do nose work but more informally).

 

[jumstead1023]

One other note is that even though the genetic and individuality information is important, it's only a piece of the picture.

The very best way to use this information along with your pets' Vitality and Balance is with homeopathy.

Take a deeper-dive into homeopathy during the 7/27-28 full weekend seminar.

 

[jumstead1023]

Many of us seem concerned about DCM as I am in Goldens, Labs or DANES. I’m thinking mostly about Golden with genetic physical problems like Healey.