September-October201.. - Dogs Naturally Magazine

Teacher DogsTeacher Dogs is dedicated to the dogs that have broughtus to this point in our lives, the turning point to naturalrearing and raising of our beloved pets. These pets mayhave been with us only a short period but the lessonsthey brought last a lifetime. We want your stories. Wewill feature a special story in each edition of ourDogs...Naturally!TAJby Joanne SureshWe did not know what else to do as at that time all this wasnew to us and I was being advised by a vet recommended bythe breeder. So we went along with it and soon Taj starteddisplaying signs of itching! We took him back to her and sheinformed us that he was just being a boy and had nothing toworry about.A couple of weeks later we then saw what we thought was aworm in his stool. We brought him in and she gave him a doseof Panacur. The next day Taj refused to walk and we had tobring him his food and water. He would not get up for anything!We then contacted the vet and she informed us that hewas having a healing crisis!February 28 th 2009 was a joyous occasion: that was when webrought home our brand new Labrador puppy named Taj. Wehad been looking forward to this day for the longest time. Iwas very enthusiastic and wanted to provide the very bestcare for him so I followed the breeder's vaccine protocol ofparvo/distemper at 12 weeks and 16 weeks. In addition, shealso recommended we feed him on a BARF diet. Our breederalso strongly suggested heartworm prevention at the 9th weekmark.As soon as we arrived home, we searched for a vet nearby andbrought the pup in for an initial exam. He then tried to sell us apuppy package that consisted of all the various vaccinationsincluding rabies, spay/neuter surgery and a list of other medicaltreatments. He also advised us to start him on Interceptorright away. We informed him that we would consider it andwent home.I then started my research for holistic vets and found one inthe SF Bay Area. We made an appointment at the twelve weekmark for his scheduled vaccine per the breeder's protocol. Weprovided all Taj's information and told the vet that we wouldlike to use the same vaccine as the breeder. However we wereutterly disappointed when we saw the treatment on the invoicesaid DHPP, which meant a cocktail of vaccines. We wenthome utterly disappointed.The next day Taj was throwing up and had diarrhea which weassumed to be a reaction to the vaccine. We contacted the vetwho was not of much help. We then contacted the breederand asked if there was any vet she could recommend. Wewere informed there was one about a 45 minute drive away.When we contacted that vet however, she still recommendedthat Taj continue with his vaccine schedule as she did notknow when his immunity from the mother stopped. She alsomentioned to us that she does her protocol with only oneparvo or distemper at a time.That was when I started researching more into the dangers ofvaccines and allopathic treatments. I was really upset withmyself that I did not discover all this information sooner. Iwould have saved Taj! I then ordered some colostrum andelectrolytes for Taj as my mother mentioned she used to givecolostrum to our family dog. Within a few days he started beinghimself again and was playing like the puppy he was. Howeverwe still noticed him itching himself and chewing himselftill he was raw.By this time we were so disappointed in the vet industry butwe also knew we needed to do something. In the meantimewe had to put on a shirt, booties and e-collar on him till wefigured out a solution to prevent more damage.The vets we researched in the area all wanted to put him onrevolution, interceptor and one even went to the extent torecommend IV treatment and muzzling him up! We refusedeach and every treatment and walked out of the clinics. Wecame to the realization that certain vets are not as altruistic aswe seem to think they are. Hence, I took it upon myself andtried to research on the internet as to what Taj's conditionmight be and came up with the idea that perhaps it was somekind of mange.We tried taking him to the beach for the salt water and wecould see slight improvements and his coat started growingback, however his scratching habit was still present.At this point we had given up on finding a vet and I thenstarted researching for a good homeopath. We found one thatprescribed arsenicum and sulphur which seemed to help for ashort time but his habit did not disappear and the search continued.By this time Taj was no better nor was he any worse until oneday I left him without his protective gear on for about five toDogs...Naturally! September/October 2010