One of the more common diagnoses with which pets come to my practice is
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A related problem that is also very common is
colitis. The typical symptoms of IBD are chronic diarrhea and/or vomiting.
Colitis generally presents with urgent, uncontrollable and frequent loose
stools. These diagnoses are generally made by ruling out other diagnoses and
confirmed by biopsy of the stomach or intestinal lining. I have seen many such
animals. The guardians of these animals have usually spent a lot of money to
find out what is wrong
with their companions only to be told that
medications may be able to control the symptoms but that this will be a life
long problem. As with many of the articles I write, I am here to shatter another
conventional medical myth. Colitis and IBD are both curable conditions.
Medicine tends to lump all of these animals together in terms of treatment.
Usually a special diet is prescribed along with anti–inflammatory medicines and
occasionally antibiotics. The diet is usually a high fiber formula for colitis
or a bland
, easily digested food for IBD. The anti–inflammatory
drugs range from Sulfasalazine to prednisone. Metronidazole (Flagyl) is a
commonly used antibiotic that also has anti–inflammatory effects. There are
other medications that are employed as well but these are the most common. As
with most conventional medical treatments, the symptoms usually improve very
quickly. Unfortunately, there are many potential side effects to these drugs and
the long term outlook is not very good. Rarely can animals get off the medicines
without having relapses.
To take a holistic look at these problems, we first need to step back and
think about the possible underlying causes. Veterinarians are correct to think
about the diet being a problem. However, high fiber diets are just the opposite
of what carnivores are designed to eat. Even though they may improve the
symptoms, especially the diarrhea, they are only masking the problem and the
animal will generally continue on a long slow decline in health. The so–called
easy to digest pet foods are closer to the target than the high fiber foods.
Carnivores naturally eat an easily digested, high protein (i.e. meat), low
carbohydrate, low fiber diet. The problem is that the commercial products are
NOT easily digested because they are cooked. I have discussed this in many
articles. Cooked pet foods are more difficult to digest than raw ones. In
addition, the bland
pet formulae have too high a carbohydrate
content for a carnivore. Again, while the symptoms may improve on these foods,
do not be fooled into thinking the problem is solved. Most animals' health will
continue to degenerate on these products with or without symptoms.
The best nutritional approach is a fresh raw food diet based on meat, bones
and vegetables. Pets with digestive problems often benefit dramatically from
digestive enzymes and digestive bacteria supplement. I know of one cat that had
been on medication for IBD for years when a new guardian adopted her. The cat
was changed to a raw foods diet and the problem completely resolved. The cat has
been taken off all of her medications. This cat's body suffered with years of
prednisone that was totally unnecessary. This is unusual in that diet changes
alone usually do not resolve IBD or colitis completely. Most of the time, the
symptoms improve but the animal still has a sensitive stomach or
intestines
. This is because the animal has a chronic disease process that
cannot be eradicated by diet. The diet changes strengthen the system so that the
symptoms are less life threatening but inklings of the problem remain.
The next step is to remove any toxic substances from the animal's regimen.
This means reconsidering any and all drugs being given as well as looking at the
environment for possible irritating factors.
To cure the chronic disease process, homeopathy must be employed. If the
correct, individualized homeopathic remedy can be found, the digestive function
will become much more stable. This is done by taking into account all of the
seemingly unrelated physical and mental symptoms. The history of the individual,
especially those procedures performed on the animal in the weeks preceding the
onset of symptoms, is also very important. If the correct remedy is found, other
changes can be seen. Emotional or behavioral improvements are not unusual. Other
problems e.g. skin eruptions or discharge from the eyes will clear up. A case
that comes to mind is a dog that we treated who was diagnosed by one of the
best
(or at least one of the most expensive) animal hospitals in
Florida. After THOUSANDS of dollars in tests, the diagnosis was colitis. The dog
was approximately 6 years old at the time and 30 or so pounds overweight. His
symptoms were very severe with frequent bouts of uncontrollable diarrhea. He was
placed on a couple of drugs and sent home to live on these for the rest of his
life. The guardian wanted something better and called me for a consultation.
Within two weeks of the diet change, the dog was 75% better in terms of bowel
function and was feeling better generally. No drugs were being given. After
awhile it was obvious that the improvement had leveled off. He was much better,
but still prone to bouts of diarrhea when stressed. At that point, a homeopathic
remedy was given and he improved further. He did extremely well until a
veterinarian convinced the guardian to give the dog his rabies vaccination
despite my warnings that the rabies vaccine was probably a factor in his
colitis. Within a day or two, the diarrhea was back. Another dose of remedy got
him back on track. The dog is now eleven years old, looks better than he has in
years, has lost the excess weight and only gets rare bouts of loose stools. I
wonder how many giant breed dogs look better at eleven than at six with
conventional medical care!
If you have a companion animal who has been diagnosed with IBD or colitis,
don't despair. Seek assistance from a practitioner with a full time commitment
to homeopathy. I suggest avoiding veterinarians with a mostly conventional
medical practice. They generally don't have the training, experience or
commitment to practice homeopathy. While homeopathy has the ability to cure
these types of conditions, it is important to remember that not every patient
can be cured. Individuals whose condition is very debilitated or who have had a
lot of toxic drugging may not respond completely. If the animal is kept on
commercial pet foods, the malnutrition may limit the healing response. Even in
these circumstances, homeopathy is worth trying. Often, the patient will
stabilize if not improve and the quality of life will be better.
- Russell Swift, DVM, Classical Homeopath