Q.
I recently got two six-week-old Manx kittens. One of the
kittens keeps leaking urine as if she has no bladder control. She also has problems with diarrhea and constipation and with her bowel movements not coming out on their own. Her groin got infected really badly. I got some spirulina, brewer's yeast, carob powder and cod liver oil for her. She finally produced solid bowel movements and her pot belly started to look normal. After about three days on these supplements, I stopped feeding them and her diarrhea and infection returned. I suspect that's because I fed the kitties a natural cat's canned tuna. The vet told me I shouldn't have fed them that. The vet also told me that the disorder in nerve control happens because the kitty is a Manx. She told me all about disorders that Manx cats are said to have if they are tailless. My kitty is completely tailless. The other kitten (from the same litter) has about a ½” tail and has no problems. I told the vet I wanted to give the supplements another chance and see if they would work. Would you know of any Manx cats with similar issues, and if there are any success stories using holistic treatments?

A.
Yes, conditions like this are reported in Manx cats and I have seen similar cases, but that was many years ago. I do remember those cats responding to high quality diets, supplementation and acupuncture. I would recommend going back to the supplements for which you observed a positive response. Also, the herb slippery elm would be the number one that I would recommend. You could add in Acetylator by Vetri Science Labs for extra support.

Q.
I have a ten-year old Siberian husky with a little smaller than golf ball-sized mast cell tumor (grade 2) inside his mouth (on his upper left lip). Since it seems to be bothering him, I ave decided to have it removed surgically. But I want to avoid chemo/radiation therapy and instead would like to treat him with alternative therapies. After removing the tumor, what should I do?

A.
As always, it's not advisable to try and treat a cancer patient via magazine column. With that said, I do advise surgical removal. At my facility, we would most likely use cryo-surgery, seeing as the tumor is located in the mouth. After that, some of the supplements we routinely use with mast cell cancer are the antioxidant querciten, Betathyme by Doctor's Mutual or commercially available Moduvet/Moducare, the Chinese herb artemisinin, and an herbal formula indicated for allergies containing nettles and Echinacea.

Q.
We have a lovely six-month-old purebred Bengal cat. She is healthy and playful but has never had firm stools. We have had her stool checked for parasites (negative) but de-wormed her anyway. She has had a course of Metronidazole and we have tried various diets, including raw, to no avail. We were told that these breeds do well on cheaper quality foods and have tried the store brands as well. She also had chronic conjunctivitis in her right eye and after two separate rounds of a topical eye ointment it still fills with goop daily and she sometimes favors this eye. Our veterinarian is at a loss. I had thought of culturing her stool but we have not done that as yet. Do you have any suggestions that may help us resolve both the soft stool issue and the chronic eye problem? The veterinarian did check for trauma to the eye but could not find any.

A.
The intestinal problem and eye discharge are actually related. Getting the intestinal problem resolved could hopefully resolve the discharge. We are starting to see problems like this in young pets, many related to inflammatory bowel disease. We have been quite successful in treating this at our clinic. Of the many therapies we use, here are some of our standards: Acetylator and/or Arabinogalactone by Vetri-Science Labs, colostrum, digestive enzymes (the ones we use are Vet Zimes V2 by NESS or Prozyme), homeopathic remedies like Diarrhea by BHI (Heel) or Diarrhea Aid by Professional Complementary Health. We have also seen a potato based diet work, consisting of white and sweet potatoes, meat and a slice of turnip boiled up together. Through research and personal observation, I feel there is a strong tie between vaccinations and the occurrence of these conditions, especially in very young animals.

Q.
My nine-year-old Rottweiler was diagnosed with meningitis in January of this year. She seemed to be responding really well on Prednisone and we tapered off per our vet's orders. Just last week she began to have her symptoms again so I called our vet and increased her dosage again. Prednisone makes her increasingly hungry and thirsty and I am trying not to feed her too much so she won't gain weight. Is there anything else we can give her?

A.
This sounds like inflammatory, not bacterial or viral meningitis. To help, you can try Betathyme by Doctor's Mutual Service or Moduvet, Neurotrophin by Standard Process Labs and a supplement by Emerson call Sphingolin that supports the protective coating of the nervous system. There are homeopathics and herbals that have a positive effect on conditions like this, but I would recommend making that choice and obtaining them by working with an experienced veterinarian. There is a natural soy-derived hydrocortisone that we use but it can only be obtained through a licensed veterinarian. Please check the possible correlation between her receiving a vaccine sometime prior to this condition; I would strongly advise researching this issue more before giving her any more vaccinations.

Other questions answered in this issue:

Q.
My cat Mr. Pookie was adopted during the hurricanes two years ago here in Florida. He was diagnosed in October as being FIV positive. He is tested and checked out every six months and was negative until this last test. He is full of energy and eats well. His weight has not changed. My vet said she won’t give him the FIV shot anymore because it is live. Could the vaccine have started this? Is there anything that could have been given to him that could have created a false positive? And is there anything I can do to keep his immune system strong? He is approximately five years old and when I took him in he had flukes, worms of all kinds and an infection in his paw. He also had scratches and his coat was in bad shape. He is now gorgeous, sleek black with long hair. I know it is immune system issues that cause the illness. What can I do to keep him strong and healthy? He is an indoor cat. Is there anything I can do to help keep him strong? My vet said FIV is not active AIDS and is not a death sentence.

Q.
I adopted a seven-year-old dog from the shelter who is lyme positive. His liver enzymes are fine except the alkaline phosphatase is 217. I presently give him Vetri Science multiple, Missing Link for his omegas, and Jointagen. Should I give milk thistle?

Q.
I am currently fostering a three-legged male cat from the shelter. Two vets have now confirmed he has a heart murmur (3 out of 6 severity) along with renal problems (bloodwork confirmed). The bloodwork also confirmed slight dehydration and anemia which supports the kidney problem. Thyroid problems were also ruled out by the bloodwork. The middle pads of his front feet are extremely swollen and my vet thought maybe he has podadermatitis. He eats tons of food, drinks lots of water and urinates large amounts. He constantly shakes and scratches his head although his ears are totally clean. He is now being tested for heartworm and will be seen by a cardiologist very soon. Are there any supplements you would suggest that might ease his kidney or itchy ears problem? The vet has him eating Hill's k/d canned but he is eating much less since I started giving him this. They also have me giving him clavamox liquid to see if that helps. It seems like a trial and error approach to treating him. I have tried to get him to eat some raw food (ground chicken/bones/ veggies) but have not had much success. Before I took him to the vet he was mostly eating canned food (Merrick, Solid Gold and Fancy Feast) and occasionally grain free dry food (Evo). Lastly, he is very inactive but looks pretty good (bright eyes, alert, affectionate).

Q.
I have a ten-year-old dog; she is half white shepherd and half Keeshond. Over the past two years she has gone through three operations for benign cysts. She had just had six removed over the past month, one of which burst and was bleeding. I do not want to keep putting her through operations. Is there anything you can recommend that I can give her for this? She is a very healthy and active dog. She eats a lot of vegetables, mainly carrots and broccoli.