BillyMalc Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Hiya, I really could do with your thoughts and advice on this, seeing as I’m a relative homeopathy newby, it is regarding Mal (in which case any sense of reality goes out the window full stop!) and there is so little available regarding the type of cancer that he’s got. One of the symptoms is a kind of ulcerating mass in his mouth, which is now approx 2 inches long. It doesn’t seem to bother him terribly during the day – he just uses the other side of his mouth when he has anything hard to eat, and is still partial to trying to ‘snack’ on bones that he finds on a walk At night it seems to bother him more, as he is lip licking and frequently wakes (me!) up, but in the morning he seems okay again. (I on the other hand seem to be keeping the coffee industry going singlehandedly at the moment!) Thing is, it is steadily getting bigger – I hardly dare look at it, because it seems to be bigger every time I look, although I’m not at all sure if half of it isn’t a figment of my imagination Last Saturday we had an appointment with a homeopathic vet, who has prescribed him Mercurius, one drop a day. She seemed to be quite positive about the state of his mouth, but obviously she’s seen it more often than I have. Any case, it seems to have gone bigger since Saturday, but I understand that homeopathic remedies might have the effect of making it worse first before it gets any better? Today my regular vet called, and we discussed treatment and all that. We’ve got an appointment with her on the 25th and she said that if the mass is growing the only option she would have is to prescribe more steroids. Now I’ve found out that steroids and homeopathy do not go together, i.e. it’s one or the other Mal seemed better on the steroids, but they might not be the best option in the long run. I’d love to have total faith in either one or the other (allopathic or alternative) but as things stand allopathic is very limited and my knowledge of alternative medicine is very limited too. What are people’s experiences/opinions on this? Give the Mercurius a chance – i.e. not get him the steroids – or wait a few more days and if it doesn’t make a difference stop the Mercurius and go back to steroids? In himself Mal seems to be an older but mostly happy dog, just want to do what’s best for him to keep him like this for as long as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheryl33 Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Billy If it were me - I'd carry on with the homepathic for a bit longer to see how it goes. If you see no noticeable results, perhaps go back to your vets I'm going to try Henry on homeopathic remedies after he has finished this course of tablets he is on now. I have no faith in vets anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACKYSIAN Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I'm no fan of steriods....BUT they have been the saving of Cromwell. I spent alot of time deciding if it was the best for him, but to be brutally honest at 14 the side effects are not going to be the cause of his death, and if I can make him more comfortable now but giving them to him, then so be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Why not phone the homeopathic vet and explain your concern about the ulcered area getting bigger? See if she can reassure you. I always found my vet was very willing to explain things fully, if I asked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carole Stitcher Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I have no doubts at all that the homeopathic treatment that Sooty had helped elongate her life, by how much, no-one will ever know. I'm a great believer in using every treatment available to be used safely, whether it be homeopathic, allopathic, herbal dietary, whatever. Sootys homeopathic vet knew she was on steroids, he certainly didn't say that they would conflict with his treatment, so ask your homeopath for an opinion. We used curcumin with Sooty too, I think it helped, I will never be sure. If you google it and read some of the stuff I did, you can make up your own mind. PM me about it if you wish. Most of all, do what Muriel would advise...... 'go with your gut'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona711 Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 No advice im afraid Billy i just wanted to pop in and say you are doing a great job with Mal and your for him shines through in every single post you do :GroupHug: Fiona xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houndzrus Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 No advice im afraid Billy i just wanted to pop in and say you are doing a great job with Mal and your for him shines through in every single post you do :GroupHug: Fiona xx That's what I wanted to say but couldn't find the right words. to you, Mal and Keira. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 No advice except to go with what feels right for you and Mal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careli Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Billy, if it helps, Bruno is on both Prednisolone and Homeopathic remedies. The homeopathic vet works closely with my conventional vet. The steroids are there in an atempt to keep the tumor in check. The homeopathic remedies are being used to boost his immune system, aid his digestion and also to help fight the cancer. Who told you that both can't be used together? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nouggatti Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Billy, if it helps, Bruno is on both Prednisolone and Homeopathic remedies. The homeopathic vet works closely with my conventional vet. The steroids are there in an atempt to keep the tumor in check. The homeopathic remedies are being used to boost his immune system, aid his digestion and also to help fight the cancer. Who told you that both can't be used together? Ditto here Billy, I used both to successfully treat a skin condition, and with my old Loppy who died almost six years after he first saw my homeopathic vet he was on a mixture of conventional and homeopathic meds, heart meds and steroids along with homeopathy for other symptoms. Your homoepathic vet may be like mine and prefer no conventional treatments such as steroids to be used at the start of a remedy, this is usually to assess the effectiveness of the remedy. Mal's been on the remedy now for three days? If there is going to be an improvement you should see it within the next couple of days and if not then give your homeopathic vet a call, the remedy may not be the right one, it may not be strong enough, it may be too strong Not wanting to teach you to suck eggs here, but were you advised to give the remedy with at least ten minutes after eating/drinking etc? I.e. that nothing has been ingested for ten mins before or after giving it? Best of luck, I've used homeopathic remedies via a vet for several years now and do believe that they have an effect where conventional meds may not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickentikka Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I have no advice Billy, you know Mal and will do whatever is best for him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyMalc Posted March 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I'm no fan of steriods....BUT they have been the saving of Cromwell. I spent alot of time deciding if it was the best for him, but to be brutally honest at 14 the side effects are not going to be the cause of his death, and if I can make him more comfortable now but giving them to him, then so be it. Last time I saw Cromwell he was doing great! Has he been on steroids all that time? Why not phone the homeopathic vet and explain your concern about the ulcered area getting bigger? See if she can reassure you. I always found my vet was very willing to explain things fully, if I asked. I will, but she is not going to be there until Saturday, and after that she's emigrating to Australia! Ditto here Billy, I used both to successfully treat a skin condition, and with my old Loppy who died almost six years after he first saw my homeopathic vet he was on a mixture of conventional and homeopathic meds, heart meds and steroids along with homeopathy for other symptoms. Your homoepathic vet may be like mine and prefer no conventional treatments such as steroids to be used at the start of a remedy, this is usually to assess the effectiveness of the remedy. Mal's been on the remedy now for three days? If there is going to be an improvement you should see it within the next couple of days and if not then give your homeopathic vet a call, the remedy may not be the right one, it may not be strong enough, it may be too strong Not wanting to teach you to suck eggs here, but were you advised to give the remedy with at least ten minutes after eating/drinking etc? I.e. that nothing has been ingested for ten mins before or after giving it? Best of luck, I've used homeopathic remedies via a vet for several years now and do believe that they have an effect where conventional meds may not. That's good to know Mal's been on it since Saturday, so today will be his 4th day. I've been told to leave 20 minutes between his dinner and the remedy, which I keep to to the minute. I rang the practice where I'd seen the homeopathic vet and the vet nurse who answered said that she didn't think that homeopathic remedies and conventional meds could be used together. I guess she was wrong there When I came home this afternoon I couldn't decide whether Mal was looking dopey because he'd just woken up or that he didn't feel well. So I did my usual trick and put my scruffs and coat on, and sure enough his head emerged round the door and he enquired about 'walkies' with a waggy tail! :) He's had a good walk, over an hour and he lot is now asleep in anticipation of their dinner. I guess I was panicking (again! ) after speaking to my vet, so called on you Fugees for feedback and support. You don't know half how much I appreciate it!. THANK YOU! :flowers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I used to think the same thing about steroids and homeopathy but my friend who is a practising human homeopath said it wasn't ideal but as long as you give the two a good time apart then it will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyMalc Posted March 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I used to think the same thing about steroids and homeopathy but my friend who is a practising human homeopath said it wasn't ideal but as long as you give the two a good time apart then it will be fine. How long would 'a good time' be though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pboae Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 (edited) I know it's not quite the same, but my OH has a long standing sore on his belly were Sully nipped him he's had a lot of problems getting it cleared up and the Dr has been prescribing all sorts for it. Recently the Dr asked us to take a photo of it every week with a ruler against it, so he could compare whether it was improving or not. I would have sworn it was still getting worse, but actually the photos show it is improving, it has definitley reduced in size since the first pic. So maybe if you could take a photo either once a week, or daily (depending on how quickly it is changing) it would give you a better idea as to what is going on, and help you make the decision as to what to do next. Edited March 19, 2008 by pboae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts