Is alternative or 'new age' medicine Hokum?

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Ok, long story but I'm going to try to make it short. Basically there's this man who brings his dog to the dog park who has recently been trying to give me (unsolicited) advice about Winston's allergies. I usually try to change the subject because he's one of these new age spiritual types, the kind I used to worship back when I was younger but have since become far more skeptical of. Talk of balancing energy fields through positive vibrations and what not usually makes me uncomfortable.

 

He says he's cured allergies and 'hot spots' and other such conditions in other dogs using his quantum rejuvination techniques. He did cure his own dog's hot spot as I saw the transition. He said he cured four different cancers in himself, and that this is the same science that Lance Armstrong used to cure his cancer (I googled around for Lance A. and alternative or new age medicine and didn't find much). From what I hear from the rumour mill this guy has a background in science and medicine and is also filthy rich. He has a website that I checked out and it seems rather bizarre, but if you're curious send me a message I'll give the address to you.

 

Anyway, after asking me a few times for a hair sample from Winston so that he can analyse it using his special technology or something, I finally gave in to morbid curiosity and said ok. I figure, what do I have to lose at this point since nothing else seems to work.

 

So he called me with the results of his analysis last night, and below are the notes I took on my computer as we were talking (keeping in mind that I was writing the notes down I was distracted by a pulsating pain in my head cause by a vicious cupboard door attack) - colour comment is mine.

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Worms – get deworming powder at the pet store - this will help with itchy butt. (hhhmmmmm... Winston had a negative fecal done very recently)

Grains &  Gluten intolerance (good thing Winston is now on grain free food)

Sprain or muscle spasms (his back leg has seemed quite stiff...)

Depression, rejection and some anxiety (no kidding)

Meridian system is over inflated (WTD???)

Spinal issues-compressed nerves (not sure about this but possible)

Dermatitis from allergies (I already knew this...)

Weak thyroid – medicine creating a dependency.  inconsistently give it to him. Break the cycle by stopping, then give it to him inconsistently so his body doesn’t get dependant on it. (I have a hard time understanding how stopping his thryroid pills will help him... but it is interesting that he noted the condition and he didn't know he was already diagnosed with it)

 

Allergies:(some of these foods are in his current kibble (orijen adult) or were in his past kibble (nutro lamb and rice and I have been giving him cookies that have some the ingrediants, like wheat, in them)

 

Acute:                                  

Bakers Yeast

Vegetables - only give him steamed as it is easier on his system (no wonder he doesn't eat his broccoli)

Chicken (this is the base protein of his kibble)

Wasps and mosquitoes

Tomatoes

Wheat

Grass

Chicken

Nuts

Broccoli

rapeseed (canola oil)

lamb

 

Chronic:

Shellfish

Whey (in a lot of dog food)

Bakers yeast

Mold

Animal hair such as cats - (Oh no! Penelope!!)

MSG (who isn't allergice to MSG and why would anyone give this to their dog anyway?)

Sweet Potatoes (interesting because he rejects these)

Aduki beans (funny, I had these for dinner the other night and had never heard of them before then)

Fish – particularly trout and cod (he did not do well on six fish orijen)

Coconut

Salmon

Egg whites (he rejects boiled eggs)

Peas that are raw

 

Iodine deficiency - feed him kelp or seaweed as it will help build the thyroid. (I should look into this, if this is true it couldn't hurt right?)

For his itchy Paws, use betadine (a diluted iodine). 2 minutes per paw. Half a capful of betadine in water. Dogs sweat through paws so betadine will absorb in his system – doing this on a daily basis will help. (I asked pharmacist about this and she thought it was nuts but admitted there could be something she doesn't know about it as she's not a dog expert)

 

Rhustox. 2 or 3 pellets – don’t touch, crush with spoon. Have Winston lick them. Sugar tablet. Stops itching. (this is some sort of a homeopathic substance)

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Ok, recognizing this guy might be completely out to lunch, I'm pretty skeptical. However, I'm wondering how much harm there is in testing some of his theories out given that nothing else I've tried works, including several different types of antihistimines, including the steroids and seasonal allergies are no longer the problem now that the weather is cold. He still knaws on his paws, and his leg-pits, as well as scratches his chin obssessively (I actually found scabs from where he must have broke the skin). I would never mess with his thyroid meds but is there any harm in trying out the homeopathic stuff and trying the de-worming powder and maybe making some dietary changes and trying out some sort of beef based diet?

 

On the other hand, I could make the two hour drive to Montreal and fork out the $300 to get a full blood work up for allergies as my vet had suggested as an option, which would be followed by $100 shots every 10 days which have only proved successful in about a quarter to half of her clients who have done this. I am not rich so I'm not sure this is an option right now...

 

So basically, Complete and total HOKUM, or is it worth a shot? I'm leaning towards Hokum, I'd bet my doodles that Karen and F will think so, but I thought this would make for an interesting discussion...

[Donna K & Quincy]

There as been a move away from Betadine for dressing changes and open wounds and we now use saline. The vet gave we Hibitane to use on Quincy when he had the cyst that ruputred.

[Donna K & Quincy]

We still use Mecurochome for severe burns that are in the final healing stages but are still a little weepy, it really seems to work. That is the only thing that I have seen it used for anymore.

[F, Calla & Luca]

For you Karen:

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2518/what-happened-to-merc...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

OMD! I was always wonderting what happened to it! I missed those little glass applicator wands!

Boy, it's too bad my parents died before I found out about this, I could have sued them for child endangerment or something! Or at the very least, when one of them asked me "What's wrong with you?", (as they often did),  I could have told them it was the mercury poisioning they gave me!

I do still have real glass mercury thermometers, and i do use them. I wonder if they'll be worth money some day.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Ha, we used it in the dark ages too.

[Cindy M, Zachary & the Frenchies]

Karen, I appreciate your confidence in your vet and the benefit that he has provided to JD. But his opinion is one of many. I have worked in health care my entire adult life and have a doctorate and study peoples experience with symptoms and health care. To assume that just becuase a provider has not mentioned a treatment does not mean that it is not useful and in my opinion is a limiting view. Many providers have a protocol that they use, that  is based on their evaluation of products that other similarly trained providers might disagree with. Neither is right or wrong - there are many veterinary opinions as to what is useful. I think they all merit consideration.The betadine solution is very dilute, but the purpose of the soak is to have enough contact time to actually disinfect, which is unlikely to happen with wiping off feet with soap and water. It is an option for owners - if they have concerns about the safety they can discuss it with their vet.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I too have worked in medical care my whole life. What is the purpose of disinfecting feet unless you have a particular pathogen you are trying to eradicate. Dogs walk inside and out on their bare feet and must harbor all sorts of bacteria there at all times. Yet some people, Dr. Becker for one advocates regular dilute Betadine soaks. I will have to go back and review her video on this to see if she gives a reasonable explanation.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Here is a different video by Dr. Becker with a transcript below. I think washing the paws and perhaps using something soothing might help. I don't think, for most dogs, the Betadine would be necessary. Certainly it's not necessary for removing allergens and contaminants.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/16...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with you on vet practices in general, Cindy, but in this case, the vet I'm referring to is JD's veterinary immunology specialist, and through the years we have worked together to help control his disease, she has proven that she is willing to use any and every means available to bring him some relief, including many that some people would think of as "alternative". She is truly what I would consider a "holistic" vet; she is  the one who told me to insist that my regular vet give JD the three year rabies shot and titer for the rest (years ago, I might add, before most people even knew of that option), she is the one who recommended whole foods rather than a straight kibble diet, she is the one who introduced me (and subsequently many DK members) to the benefits of evening primrose oil capsules, and she does not like to use Rx drugs if there is a kinder, gentler remedy available. But when drugs are needed, she reluctantly recommends them. She also doesn't sell anything. At times when JD has been in extreme distress, she has seemed as desperate to help him as I have been, and I don't think she's acting, lol. I have shared experiences with the other members of the Atopy Group whose dogs are also under the care of a specialist, and it really does seem that mine is..."better" in being more innovative and open to all types of treatments, and not just sticking to one fixed protocol. That's why I made that comment. I may be fooling myself, but I believe that if there was a simple solution that would have helped him with the paw problem, she would certainly have known about it and recommended it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sherri, I wish I had thought to look at this before. Here's a link to a scholarly article that discusses unreliable methods of testing for allergies, including hair analysis. While this applies to humans, the science behind it would also apply to dogs:

http://www.allergy.org.au/pospapers/unorthodox.htm

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I was thinking about Winston and the foot issue while I was walking JD earlier. I feel a little bad that in all the debate over whether or not Betadine soaks are a good idea, we are really not helping Winston. So I wanted to bring this back to Winston's issues specifically and take a "holistic" view, meaning let's look at the whole picture regarding the foot issue so that maybe we can help Sherri make a decision on that one part of the advice she received from the park bench practitiooner, at least.

Based on Winston's symptoms, we can be pretty sure that the itching is caused by an allergic histamine reaction, and that in turn is being caused by something that Winston is ingesting (food) and/or something he is inhaling (organic allergens in the air).

If the cause is food, washing the paws in anything for the purpose of removing the source of his discomfort is pointless. The itching is being caused bythe proteins he is ingesting, and not from anything that is getting on his feet.

If the cause includes substances he is inhaling from the air, like pollen, mold, dust mites, etc., those substances are all over his body, not just on his feet. They are entering his bloodstream through his respiratory system, and not through his feet or his skin. This is one reason that frequent baths are recommended for dogs with Atopy, along with wiping the dog down every time he comes in from outdoors, in the case of pollen allergies. So here again, just washing or soaking his feet will not help.

The feet are only one very common place where the allergic histamine reaction is causing him discomfort. His face and butt are others. This is typical. Most years, JD has more trouble with his feet. This year, it was his face. We don't know why , but we do know the cause is the same, regardless of where on his body the itching is most intense.

But, we do need to treat the problem. When the dog is licking and biting the feet due to the itching, it's common for them to develop a moist dermatitis, or fungal infection. There is also the possibility of a bacterial infection developing. Plus we need to relieve the discomfort.

Obviously, the area needs to be kept clean. But disinfectants alone, regardless of which ones we use, will not relieve the itching OR clear up the infection.

Typically, when the discomfort gets to the point of the dog infecting himself, the vet needs to prescribe something, either an antibiotic or an antifungal agent, and steroids to stop the itching and prevent any further damage may be needed. With a localized infection, topical steroids can be used. This poast year, we had to turn to oral steroids, because JD's reactions were systemic. It was the first time this has been necessary in three years.

OTC Cortisone sprays will temporarily relieve the itching, and if you can keep the dog from licking for 30 seconds or so, will dry so that the dog cannot lick them off. For this reason, prefer them to creams and lotions.

A foot soak might also relieve the itching temporarily. I am not sure that Betadine or other antiseptics are the best solutions to use for that purpose. Colloidal oatmeal baths can help, as can epsom salt soaks and I am sure there are other solutions that would relieve the itching.

As to "It might not help but it can't hurt" as it regards trying the Betadine solution, here is how I think it can hurt:

1. If it doesn't help, the dog is still suffering while you "try" this or that method. I did that for awhile back when I was in denial about JD's Atopy, and I will always regret it. I stongly believe that if you're going to "try" something, you owe it to your dog to use something that has the best likelihood of helping him, based on reliable and not anecdotal information. 

2. And (this is minor, but...) one way we monitor the severity of a skin or paw issue is by appearance. With this kind of foot issue, there is redness, even in darker colored dogs. As I said, this is minor, but i personally would not want to use anything that cause a red or brown staining of the fur or skin, as it might mask the severity of the problem.

These were my thoughts while JD and I took our morning stroll. Sherri, I hope it helps clarify things a little bit.

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Chamomile in the foot soaks has been recommended for soothing things-see video. I always think hydrocortisone helps with localized itching, whatever the cause and spraying that might help too.