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Mitral valve disease in chihuahua- please help us to resolve cough!

SophiaL

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1. Sophie
2. 10 years old
3. Female
4. Spayed
5. Chihuahua
6. 5 lbs.
7. She eats well, is energized, active but does like to rest a lot (always has). That’s improved with Donna Eden energy work, supplements and daily sniff walks just in the past week but the cough is worse. She has some arthritis, licks her joints a lot and doesn’t love the stairs but sometimes she’s super energetic on them so it depends. I take her to a chiropractor every 3 months(increasing that to monthly) bc one of her hips gets slightly off then causes her discomfort in her back. This started last year.
8. 50% protein & 50% mixed veggies pureed
9. She is not on any medications and has not had vaccines since 2019. And she only had her first year round her 1st year then after that I did 2 rabies. I have done heavy metal detoxes & parasite cleanses to get the toxicity down from them.
10. Mitral valve disease diagnosed in February with X-ray seen of structural change to heart and has cough. Her liver was elevated last I checked in Dec. Hers was 263 instead of the normal 10-125. The doctor thought it could be her inflammation in the mouth which I agreed so we addressed the teeth first & all dead teeth removed. Have not tested it since. I signed up for HA, but I’m limited on resources and cannot spend hundreds more with a vet.
11. Taurine(250 mg), CoQ10(50 mg), Organic Hawthorne Berry(50 mg), L-Carnitine (300 mg), Vita E (10 IU). ION Gut support for digestion, kidney support & immune function. Fish oil on food. Donna Eden energy work. Minerals in water. Magnesium oil heart messages. 2 daily sniff walks. Half a dropper of organic dandelion root as a diuretic to help with fluid & cough. I’ve increased that to 3 times a day bc of the cough increase. I did notice it working til we took pimobendan.

Coughs like she’s hacking something wet up. Is there any reason I should think it’s something besides the heart? I’m certain with the change to her heart in X-ray, that’s what it is but curious.

Her cough has excelerated a lot in the past week since I had put her on pimobendan for 5 days then took her off bc the side effects were way too much in a short period of time. It was decreasing before pimo when I was giving dandelion but now when I up the dandelion I’m getting no changes so I’m pausing to try NAC and honestly the day I tried it(just 2 days ago), I noticed a decreased. Has anyone used NAC to decrease fluid in lungs?

*Update I noticed a decrease in cough but early morning & late night she’s coughing consistently.*

I’ve also heard from holistic vet Dr Jones on YOUTUBE “Vet Secrets” that if dandelion tincture doesn’t include dandelion leaf it doesn’t work as effectively so I may order a pet dandelion tincture with the leaf.

I’ve healed many things in my life with myself doctors said I couldn’t so I have faith in reversing this. But I’m concerned with the increase with the cough. Wish I had never chosen fear over my intuition to try that medication.

Our goals are to get the cough gone,
heart stronger, more energized for walks and happier/less stressed mood. Everything but the cough is improving, granted I just took her off the medication 05/15 and she started the 05/10.

I will say I see her eyes clearing up, healthier hair, muscle tone and even in the past few days she is much more alert, increased energy which I believe is because of the CoQ10. Just this cough.. I even feel her heart is pumping at a healthier pace, not as loud.

About to start Flow Free by Green Hope Essences to include homeopathic.
 

Dr. Jeff

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Hey Sophia!

Wow, it sounds like you’re doing a lot of great stuff for Sophie! Thank you. 🙏
Coughs like she’s hacking something wet up. Is there any reason I should think it’s something besides the heart
Great question! Yes, there is. How much was she coughing when she had the testing?

Has she had coughing in the past (such as last spring)?

What’s her BEAM now vs. before she started coughing?
Has anyone used NAC to decrease fluid in lungs
Not for decreasing fluids and more for helping break down mucus.

It’s a great thing to be using.

Perhaps also look into negative ion therapy using ionbox.net
Wish I had never chosen fear over my intuition to try that medication.
Yes! Our fear of symptoms, instead of listening to them (and our higher selves), accepting them and trusting that all living beings are designed to rebalance often pushes us to do things that don’t align with the universal flow.

Maybe keep doing what you’re doing and double the frequency of doing whatever makes Sophie the happiest. 2 weeks of extra sniff walks, Happy Meals and Happy Dances may be all you need to do to help her body heal the cough.

She can heal!
 

Dr. Jeff

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Oh, and maybe decrease the % of veggies in her food and start using the snuffle mat 3x a day.

Tiny pieces of freeze dried hearts are great to use in the snuffle mat.
 

SophiaL

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Oh, and maybe decrease the % of veggies in her food and start using the snuffle mat 3x a day.

Tiny pieces of freeze dried hearts are great to use in the snuffle mat.
I intuitively did that with the food! She actually likes me to separate her food now for choice. She cleans the plate. If I mix their food together after a couple days bc it’s the same, she won’t eat it. So I pre make foods we all can eat then make their plate new daily. Always with grass fed meat, Greek yogurt/pumpkin she loves best and a little fruit. I do puree greens too.

Doing that for her and her brother.

She’s also seeing the best response from CoQ10 and Taurine, so as we wait for the new dandelion supplement that includes the leaf and the Flow Free, that’s all we are taking. Simple is best for us. She responses better.

Cough has decreased since I posted this bc she’s detoxed more from pimo. I am ordering snuffle mat.

One thing she asked was to dress up again so I bought her a new summer dress and she wants more outings so we do 2 weekly explore “fun” activities out of the house. Tomorrow is a trip to the local beach for a picnic.

IMG_7979.jpeg

IMG_7962.jpeg
 

SophiaL

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Oh and I am studying spiritual meaning of coughing, it’s releasing grief from the lungs. I believe she’s releasing my old grief she took on because the first half of our life together was very traumatizing. I attempted suicide with her in the room when she was months old.

The flow free tincture is suppose to release energy emotional blocks stored in the body.

Her heart processed this way 6 months ago when I went through the biggest heart break of my life, my ex fiancé (her dad) kicked us out of our home. I know it hurt her and he’s no longer apart of their life. She took on my heart break and had her own. So I feel this is deeply emotional. Hence my focus for more joy and fun because we’ve suffered a lot of sadness together.
 

Dr. Jeff

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I'm super sorry to hear about everything that you've both been through Sophia. :confused:

Yes, the cough may be related to her healing and re-balancing.
Hence my focus for more joy and fun
Yay!!:snowman:😍:dog2:
 

SophiaL

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Hi Dr Jeff, have you ever heard of anyone being able to elevate the cough in their pet all together? Her energy levels are much better, eyes are clearer, hair is healthier but I’m not sure how or when to make her cough elevate? Is that realistic?

And what suggestions do you have for keeping a dogs teeth clean? Thank you.
 

Dr. Jeff

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have you ever heard of anyone being able to alleviate the cough
Yes!! 😍
I’m not sure how or when to make her cough elevate? Is that realistic?
Yes, it's realistic. Though I'd need much more context than I can get on the forum to give you more specific details about timeline of recovery or whether the cough is even something to focus on at this time (vs. BEAM).

In general though, physical symptoms improve later than improvements in BEAM. So it may just be that you keep doing what you're doing to keep her BEAM at 8 or above.
And what suggestions do you have for keeping a dogs teeth clean?
Fresh food in chunks, raw meaty bones, etc. We also have lots of resources about dental health in the HA! member resource area.
 

SophiaL

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Ok I think there’s an opportunity for a $30 appt with you this month I need to book. Isn’t that correct?
 

Dr. Jeff

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Isn’t that correct?
Yes! Currently, every month of HA! membership includes a 50% discount on a $60, 15 minute call to help with your Holistic Medical Decision Making.
 

SophiaL

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Ok. What other context did you need to know about Sophie to know if her cough can be healed?
 

Dr. Jeff

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This is a 2 hour+ conversation that can't be done on the forum.

That's why I say to just continue on the path of optimizing her BEAM.

It would involve review of all her records back to puppyhood and close evaluation of all of her symptoms throughout her life.

All of her symptoms are clues to her individuality. This is the kind of personalized medicine provided by an initial evaluation from a trained vet homeopath or TCM vet. :dog2: :dog2: :dog2: :thumbsup:
 

Dr. Jeff

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You're welcome Sophia!

Just keep doing whatever will help her remain joyful to keep her BEAM at 8 or above.

Then her body will work as well as it is able for her to have the best, and happiest life possible.

Under those conditions hopefully her cough will then resolve... ⚡⚡⚡
 

SophiaL

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Thank you and I apologize for not knowing this but have do I calculate her BEAM?
 

Dr. Jeff

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No worries!

Here's a bit more about BEAM score (1-10 scale with 10=100% normal for her):


If you have other questions about BEAM (or anything!) just ask.
 

SophiaL

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No worries!

Here's a bit more about BEAM score (1-10 scale with 10=100% normal for her):


If you have other questions about BEAM (or anything!) just ask.
Thank you so much. And I swear last question for now, there’s a heart supplement you shared on one forum that includes all the things. I can’t find it.
 

Dr. Jeff

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a heart supplement you shared on one forum that includes all the things
You might mean this one:

 

GinnyW

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I concur that the Formula CV looks to be a very useful and effective supplement. I'd not heard about this previously.
 

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