Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (65 page)

These remedies all have usefulness in treatment of this condition. Try one, and if it doesn’t help after a few days, try one of the others.

V
ACCINATION

There is a vaccine for this disease, but research has shown it to be useless or even harmful if the cat is already has the virus in its body. Not recommended.

FELINE LEUKEMIA (FeLV)

This serious disease of cats is caused by a retrovirus similar to the ones that cause Feline Immunodeficiency Disease (see above) or human AIDS. About 21 percent of sick cats that are brought to veterinarians are ill from feline leukemia, which is the greatest killer of cats except for accidents. FeLV occurs mostly in cats aged one to five years. It affects males and females equally, but occurs more often in neutered animals (no one knows why).

The virus is spread from one cat to another through body fluids (saliva, urine, blood, feces). For the same reason, mother cats can give it to their young during pregnancy or nursing. Fortunately, it takes close or prolonged contact between cats for the virus to spread. Most contagion occurs from bites, grooming, or sharing water and food bowls. It is not transmitted through the air or via human handlers.

About 70 percent of all cats are exposed to FeLV, and nearly all of them recover spontaneously—most showing little or no illness. Those that are weak, however, are affected more severely. The incidence of serious illness is also much higher in multi-cat households.

There are several types of feline leukemia virus, which cause slightly different symptoms. The most common signs of illness, especially early on, are weight loss, fever, and dehydration (lack of water in the tissues). Other possible symptoms include anemia, immune suppression (like FIV, see above), bleeding disorders, kidney inflammation (and deterioration), arthritis, ulcers forming at body openings (mouth, anus, vagina, eyes), immune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease or eosinophilic granuloma complex, and persistent bladder inflammation (cystitis).

Other peculiar, less common symptoms are skin growths (like “horns”), deposits of cartilage, skin disease (with oily coats), and nerve damage (paralysis, urinary incontinence). With some cats, an odd symptom is that one pupil is smaller or larger than the other. Another odd symptom is the desire to eat clay litter or lick cement or mortar.

Many affected cats cannot reproduce properly, having spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, or what is known as fading kittens—kittens that waste away in spite of the best care.

As if this were not enough, many affected cats develop tumors or cancer. It is estimated that 30 percent of all cat tumors are a result of this virus.

Infection with FeLV progresses through six recognized stages.

• Stage 1—Infection of the mouth tissues. (The disease stops here in healthy cats.)
  
• Stage 2—The virus is spread from the mouth by certain blood cells.
  
• Stage 3—The virus infects lymph glands (such as the tonsils and glands under the throat or in other parts of the body—like when we get colds). Even if it reaches this point, most healthy cats can still block the infection from going further.
  
• Stage 4—Infection of the bone marrow. Once infection is established here, the cat will be infected the rest of its life, though the disease may still be controllable with proper treatment.
  
• Stage 5—The infection spreads again into the blood, through circulating cells.
  
• Stage 6—Various tissues in the body are persistently infected, especially the tear glands, salivary glands, and urinary bladder. These cats are now shedding the virus and are infectious to other cats.
  

P
REVENTION

Follow the same preventive guidelines given for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) (
view
), including testing and isolation of new cats coming into the home.

T
REATMENT

Nutrition:
This is a serious illness with many possible forms of expression, which means that complete guidelines for treatment could fill a whole book. Since the symptoms usually include loss of appetite, nutritional treatment is very difficult. You can force-feed your cat, however. It’s not pleasant, but it can be life-saving in a crisis (see “Appetite Problems” for guidelines). If your cat is still eating, then it is essential that you feed a raw-meat, home-prepared diet. I realize that your cat may not accept such a diet, so you will have to do what is possible. But this is the very best strategy.

Vitamin C can be very helpful to cats with this disease; give 250 milligrams twice a day. Often sodium ascorbate, the salt form of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), is best tolerated. Add the powder to food or, if necessary, dissolve it in water or broth and give it with a syringe. Pureed raw liver is often accepted by these cats and provides some very useful nutrition. Give several tablespoons a day if possible.

Other useful treatments include:

Homeopathic
—
Nux vomica
(poison nut) 30C: Use Schedule 3 (
view
). This is especially indicated for the cat that becomes irritable and withdraws to a quiet part of the house or apartment.

Homeopathic
—
Pulsatilla
30C: Use Schedule 3 (
view
). Most useful for the cat that becomes “clingy,” wanting a lot of attention and to be held. She will act sleepy and sluggish and perhaps vomit easily if the food is too rich. There may be a tendency to lie in the bathtub or other cool places.

Homeopathic
—
Phosphorus
(phosphorus) 30C: Use Schedule 3 (
view
). This remedy is indicated for the cat that is extremely lethargic, like a wet washrag, or vomits about 10 to 20 minutes after drinking water (but not after eating food).

Homeopathic
—
Arsenicum album
(arsenic trioxide) 30C: This cat will be very chilly, restless, and thirsty. What is most noticeable is how weak the cat is, barely able to walk, but
weaving as he does so. The body temperature may be low, below 100°F. (37.8°C.) and the coat very dry and sticking up.

Homeopathic
—
Nitricum acidum
(nitric acid, aqua fortis) 30C: This medicine is a good choice for a cat with a very painful, inflamed mouth. If she is also very irritable or angry when ill, then this medicine may be especially helpful. It is also suitable for lesions on the lips, anus, or eyelids. (The lesions look like ulcers or painful, raw areas.) Use Schedule 4 (
view
).

Homeopathic
—
Belladonna
(deadly nightshade) 30C: Use this if the mouth becomes extremely painful, the cat almost hysterical with the pain, the pupils dilated, perhaps even some fever. Use Homeopathic Schedule 2. If this helps, wait about 5 days and give one dose of
Calcarea carbonica
30C (one dose only).

There are many other remedies that can be used. Consult a trained homeopathic veterinarian. (See my Web site, www.drpitcairn.com, for a list).

V
ACCINATION

Only partially effective. In my experience, vaccination makes cats more likely to become ill with other diseases such as FIP (see above). Not recommended.

FELINE PANLEUKOPENIA

See “Distemper, Chorea and Feline Panleukopenia.”

FELINE UROLOGIC SYNDROME

See “Bladder Problems.”

FLEAS

See “Skin Parasites.”

FOXTAILS

See also “Ear Problems.”

The number-one enemy of dogs and cats could well be the numerous foxtails, plant awns, and wild oat seeds (or any other local name for these prickly plants) that get caught in the hair and crevices of their bodies. Because of the way these stickers are constructed, they will not easily dislodge. Instead, they tend to migrate through the skin or into body openings (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, anus, vagina, sheath), where they cause tremendous problems. If a foxtail works through the skin, the body cannot digest it; even years later it will look fresh on removal.

Thus, although the body makes every effort to eliminate the sticker, it clings tenaciously to the tissue. The result is a constantly inflamed tract that drains pus and never heals completely. The plant material can migrate a foot or more into the body, making it difficult, if not impossible, to find. Toes are a favorite lodging place, as are the ears (see “Ear Problems”) and eyes, where they can get behind the “third eyelid” and cause a lot of irritation.

P
REVENTION

Always check over your animal after it has run in fields, vacant lots, or other weedy places. Check all the body openings, and run a comb or brush through the hair. Be sure to check between the toes, too. If you clip the hair between the toes during foxtail season, your job will be much easier and your animal’s life much more comfortable. Also, have the hair coat trimmed to a short length, an inch or less, and trim away any hair growing around the ear hole or inside the ear flap. Stickers are much likelier to get into the ears of dogs with hanging ears. See “Ear Problems” for treating foxtails in the ears. Also, see “Abscesses.”

T
REATMENT

If your animal already has a foxtail under the skin, with chronic discharge from a small opening, and your veterinarian is not able to find and remove it, the following treatment may help as a last resort, only if surgery fails.

Homeopathic
—
Silicea
(silicon dioxide) 6C: Use Schedule 6(b) (
view
). This treatment can result in the body rejecting the foxtail through an opening in the skin. If you see that, you will know the problem is solved. It also helps to use hot compresses above the draining hole. The increased warmth will bring more blood into the area and more cells to participate in the healing process.

If the sticker does not work its way out, your veterinarian must keep trying to remove it surgically. Remember, in the case of foxtails, an ounce of prevention is worth at least a pound of cure.

HAIR LOSS

See also “Skin Problems.”

Hair loss is often the result of skin allergies and excessive licking and chewing. Sometimes, however, the hair falls out without any sign of skin irritation. This can signal inadequate protein intake, as in cats that eat poorly, or it can mean that the protein is not very digestible even when appetite is good. Other deficiencies, particularly of trace minerals, will slow hair growth.

There are two remedies that are especially useful for simple hair loss unaccompanied by other symptoms.

Homeopathic
—
Selenium
(selenium) 30C: Use Schedule 4 (
view
). If this treatment is successful, you will see signs of hair growth within a month. Do not repeat this remedy without supervision.

Homeopathic
—
Sepia
(ink from the cuttlefish) 30C: Use Schedule 4 (
view
). This remedy suits a female that loses hair after giving birth and nursing the young. This is not necessarily a nutritional problem; it’s more likely a hormonal imbalance, which can be corrected by this remedy.

HEART PROBLEMS

Disorders of the heart are relatively common in aging pets, both dogs and cats. They do not have atherosclerosis and the type of
heart attacks that afflict humans, however. Rather, the problem is usually a weak heart muscle, with enlargement of one or both sides of the heart. Sometimes there is inadequate heart valve action or a rhythm that is too quick or too slow. Cholesterol is not a factor in this condition.

Typical signs of a heart problem include one or more of the following: becoming easily tired by exercise, bluish discoloration of the tongue and gums upon exercise, sudden collapse or prostration, difficult breathing or wheezing, a persistent dry cough that produces little expectoration, and an accumulation of fluid in the legs or abdomen (a potbellied look).

T
REATMENT

Conventional veterinary treatment includes the use of a digitalis-type drug, a diuretic, and a low-sodium diet. The assumption is that the condition is progressive, and so treatment aims to control symptoms rather than to cure.

I prefer an alternative approach, emphasizing nutrition and homeopathic or herbal remedies. Though complete recovery may not be possible, these measures do more than just counteract symptoms; they can actually strengthen the affected tissues. Of course, the chance of help from any treatment depends upon the degree of tissue damage and the age of the animal.

The best route of all is prevention, in the form of a healthy lifestyle, with nutritious food and regular exercise. If symptoms have already developed, however, here is what I suggest.

Nutrition should emphasize the basic natural foods diet (chapters 3 and 4). Feed the meat raw, rather than cooked, for its superior nutrition. Do not add any salt, soy sauce, bacon, or other salty foods or flavorings to the food. Use spring water or other water that is nonchlorinated and not fluoridated. If the animal is overweight, slim it down with the diet under “Weight Problems.” Weight reduction is important, because more heart energy is required to pump blood through all that fat.

Supplement with a complete B-complex tablet with all the B vitamins, but especially niacin and pyridoxine. Major B-vitamin components should be at the 10, 25, or 50-milligram level (depending on animal size). It’s also helpful to give a trace mineral supplement containing chromium and selenium (scale the recommended human dose on the label to your animal’s size) and chelated zinc (5, 10, or 20 milligrams daily, depending on size).