Our new pup Mika

[Nicci]

Hi All!

Sorry for such a delay in posting about Mika! (Pics attached)

She came to us on June 22nd and started class with my husband on June 24th. This is a tracking class and she started off a fireball and was wonderful at home and in training. She integrated into our home well and we switched her to a raw diet right away.

By the end of week 1 however she was showing zero interest in tracking and was borderline lethargic. I took a good look at Mika when my husband told me and found some significant swelling, redness and ulcers in between her toes and in the bottom of her feet. Upon receiving her entire medical record we learned she has this continuous issue for several months prior - being treated with antibiotics often, even once being admitted to the hospital and for IV antibiotics.

Immediately I started some foot soaks and our local vet (who also has a tracking search and rescue dog) was almost positive it was fungal and suggested clorhexadine soaks. I also suspected that the food change potentially made this worse to begin with, as her body was trying to work through the process of changing from kibble to raw. She consumed almost 3 times her normal amount of food during this healing process, and I fell her body really needed the fresh food to help her heal. Within about 5 days her feet dried up and were nearly healed.

In the meantime the decision was made to wash her from the program and have her be a house pet ....

My husband kept bringing her to class in the meantime, not working her, instead just to get her out of the house. She really didn’t show any interest in working anyway so she was just hanging out.

Fast forward to Tuesday of this week she has been FULL of energy. My husband and one of his classmates decided to try her one last time and she has been a ROCKSTAR - even despite not getting as much time to practice. Her feet continue to look great, her pads are thickening up, her skin is warm, dry and pink and she’s very happy.

We have a follow up appointment to have her feet tested for mange. I found an article in pubmed that discussed demodex mange being missed in a large amount of dogs with consistent foot problems. Apparently it can isolate to the feet in some cases and it’s never thought to be be tested for since it’s usually not isolated.

Link here: Canine pododermatitis

Everyone is thrilled. She will probably graduate within 2-3 weeks!

 

[Dr. Christina]

Thank you so much, Nicci, for sharing this inspiring story demonstrating the power of your patience and of Mika's ability to heal with great food and some foot soaking. And this was after months of conventional treatment.

When I was in parasitology class in veterinary school, we scraped our own eyebrows and 70% had Demodex mites. Demodex can be completely normal on the skin and usually only cause problems if the vital force is not strong.

Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Go Mika!

And sorry for the delay in replying Nicci.

Yes, demodectic pododermatitis could very well have been associated with her foot problem.

However, I doubt whether any live mites would be found if your vet did a skin scraping.

Her dermal immunity has become too strong.

Thanks to increased Vitality from fresh food feeding and increasing her vital capacity and respiration.

You've done this through scent detection training but other forms of "pranayama for pets", like nosework and even sniff walks are healing as well.

Strong skin immunity makes the terrain of her paw skin less welcoming, similar to what this oncologist describes about invasive mussels and cancer metastasis.

Cancer’s Invasion Equation | The New Yorker.pdf

drive.google.com

May I include Mika in a JAHVMA article case series slated for late 2020?