Dear Amy,

The conventional approach will be well covered by another, and probably will be to do a biopsy. The blood will probably show eosinophils so that may be the first thing to do.

I am holistically trained so I have a few different suggestions for you. We often find that any type of tumor is triggered by vaccines and toxins, so for now, avoid all vaccines and other toxins (flea control, house and yard chemicals).

We often see tumors resolve when you discover the ideal diet – usually a fresh meat (raw or cooked) and pureed vegetable diet.

Since the tumor stopped growing and may very well be benign, take a few days to research for an integrative veterinarian where you live (or homeopaths can help by phone) so you can be offered many different choices (mushrooms, Acupuncture and more (TCVM), supplements, homeopathy, essential oils, etc). We sometimes find that when a tumor is removed the overall may suffer. However, sometimes not removing a tumor can cause an increase in cancer if the underlying quantum field has not been healed. An integrative veterinarian can help you weigh the different choices. 

An integrative veterinarian is trained in many different approaches, including using conventional drugs only when absolutely needed. Working with one can increase the chance that your cherished companion can live a long and healthy life. There are good ones and great ones, and a few homeopathic veterinarians will consult by phone or email. You can go to the web sites for each type of holistic practice and use their referral list to find one near to you:

1. Wide range of other treatments: http://www.AHVMA.org – American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and http://www.civtedu.org

2. Homeopathic veterinarians (these can often help you by phone if no other holistic practitioners are nearby that you like): http://www.theAVH.org and http://www.DrPitcairn.com

3. Chiropractor – http://www.animalchiropractic.org

4. TCVM (Acupuncture and Chinese medicine):http://www.IVAS.org
http://www.avaa.org & http://www.TCVM.com

5. Herbal- http://www.VBMA.org

6. Postural rehabilitation – dogs and horses – http://www.posturalrehabvets.com/Postural_Rehabilitation/Find_a_Practitioner.html

I also have an article on my site (www.MyHealthyAnimals.com) on Selecting and Working with a Holistic Veterinarian.

Yep, fleas can find their way into your home . Many ways this is possible, visiting friends and family coming into your home may be coming from a home with pets that have fleas and the fleas simply hitch a ride with them. You can track fleas into your home if you’ve gone in a location where other pets have been, fleas can hitch a ride on your clothing and hop off when you get home. Fleas are great at location hopping. Also if you have carpet in your home and have had pets with fleas before, flea eggs can actually lie dormant for a long time and vibrations from a vacuum cleaner actually stimulate them to hatch… Lots of rental units stay infested this way.

It’s good to keep your cat on monthly flea control as a precaution because once you get them they are hard to get rid of. It’s easier to prevent them than get rid if an infestation. Hope this helps.

Also try no driving trips where you just have her get in and out of the car without it running,and give lots of praise. Such a cute photo!!

Thank you.  The Vet is who gave her the enema after 2 viewing x-rays.  He said Laxatone or the like each day.  She was otherwise normal. She had pooped a normal length that very morning.  However he viewed enough in her colon to give her the enema.  Today, she ate normally (so far) since last mid-week.  Hoping to see a poop sometime today or from overnight. Thank you so much.

Toby is a 3.5 month old tabby. It’s not too bright in my apartment. He’s eating well, pooping well, chasing around after things — seems to be in very good energy.

As Adam said, it could be an infection, or there could be an injury to the eye.  Eye problems can worsen very quickly, and taking Toby to a vet will keep things from snowballing!

Squinting indicates pain or discomfort…

I read your blog on Beau. It’s just a frustrating illness, because results take awhile. Ozzie is only our Veterinarians 2nd case of puppy strangles in her 30+Yr career. Her first case was just 6 mos. ago on an imported pup. Last night marked 1 wk. on prednisone & antibiotics, we 2 or those days being the double dose increase. Marked improvement over night last night! So thankful. His chops and eye area, have gone way down. And the fever has finally broke! I am thankful for your site Krista.

Would you recommend using a shock collar as a training aid?

Could you tell me what you are feeding, what supplements you give and how long the gas has been going on?  How are his/her stools – firm, soft?  When does the gas occur – anytime, or only after meals? If the stools are soft it would be good to have the stool checked for parasites by your local veterinarian.

The quick and easy answer is to begin using probiotics. My favorite is Mitomax, a super probiotic. I have had many animals’ smelly gas clear up while using
this, though sometimes they need to stay on it. Unlike other probiotics, it is
very stable and is ok at the low stomach pH.There is an icon on my home page for it (www.MyHealthyAnimals.com). You could also get other pet probiotics if near a pet health store. (by the way, if you put in your city, we can be more specific in our answers)

The longer answer is to generally improve health. There are 7 keys that can help you do this, with a link on my home page. 

Please let me know a little more and if you have questions about the holistic approach (7 keys to health). 

the small worms you saw were probably tapeworms, whose eggs may not show up on a fecal, so be sure the vet staff saw the worms that you saw. they could also just be fly larvae and not from inside the dogs. 

Tthere are a number of holistic approaches that could stop the gas and even firm up the stools (raw meat diet, other diets, marshmallow root, aloe vera, charcoal, slippery elm, Reiki, flower essences to name a few) and conventional drugs. 

Since this has been a chronic issue, the very best approach will be to address the underlying energetic imbalance (Qi/Vital Force/Pranna) causing them to have a sensitive digestive tract. This is best done by an integrative veterinarian (links at my site – http://www.MyHealthyAnimals.com) who has many options to cure the underlying issues so you will not be dealing with digestive issues for life. 

Health is a journey, and there is not one right approach, so you may need to try different modalities or different practitioners on the path to deep healing. 

In terms of food, I would seriously explore feeding a fresh meat diet. What
are the best diets for people or animals — the most processed or the freshest,
most organic? The best ingredients should be the most
consciously raised – local, organic vegetables, free ranging protein sources.
Dogs and cats have ripping and tearing teeth, bone crunching teeth, no
digestive juices in the mouth, jaws that do not chew, a stomach full of acid
where the food sits for 4-12 hours and a very short transit time in the
intestines. Dogs and cats do not pull out a knife to de-bone their prey and do
not pull out matches to light a fire to cook their meat and vegetables.
Therefore the best diet for dogs and cats is raw meat including raw bones,
pureed raw and cooked vegetables and a few supplements (Calcium if no bones are
eaten is critical). There are many good books to guide you along with integrative veterinarians. Some TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine) practitioners will suggest cooking meats or using specific foods as part of their food therapy. 

For processed foods, the Whole Dog Journal publishes a yearly review of the different brands. You want ones using organic sources, even to the point of organic grains being fed to the chicken and the beef not being finished with grains. The GMO and concomitant pesticides/fertilizers are causing a lot of intestinal distress in sensitive dogs.