Four cases from a Belgian practive

Case 1: Zoe

The first case is an acute case is of a female Pug dog named Zoe. Zoe’s owners frequently come to my clinic because they have a lot of dogs.

In early March this year, the owners brought Zoe in due to bloody diarrhea. The dog was also vomiting, sometimes frothy and sometimes white. Zoe’s temperature was 36.6; the normal temperature should be 38.5-39. She was thirsty but vomited immediately after drinking.

I took the following symptoms: Stool bloody; Stomach vomiting frothy, vomiting white; Stomach thirst large quantities and vomiting immediately after eating.

I gave Zoe Arsenicum album 200K in a syringe with water and asked the owners to give her 1 cc immediately, 1cc after 1 hour and then 1 cc the next morning.

I also asked them to phone me the next day because I found the case serious and I was very concerned.

The following day, Zoe was fine. The temperature was normal and the vomiting and diarrhea had stopped.

Case 2: Nelle

The following case is from 2007, a female German mastiff named Nelle. I had seen her only once, in 2006.

When Nelle came with her owner I wrote on my file “The woman is angry.” When I write this kind of detail it’s because it’s very important.

In fact, this woman was angry because her dog smelled bad and she said “I told you this before.” She seemed to think “You didn’t do anything for that!!!”

I reread the file and I did not see this problem noted anywhere. I examined the dog: she weighed 52 kg and she was in season.

I asked for more details and she said: “This dog is always close to me. She often whines and she is possessive. When she is alone, she barks. She attacks cats and could kill them. It’s a dog who feels that she is important. She always must be the center of the family. She is dominant with other dogs.”  The owner does not know why. Personally, I think this dog needs to be educated.

I asked more details about her behavior because until now, I had only behavioral symptoms due to a bad training. The woman said:  “My dog is a ‘General’ who gives orders to everybody. “Oh oh…” I said to myself, “it is starting to get interesting.”

The dog had a good appetite and ate well. The owner had two dogs, and Nelle respected the other dog. For example, she always waits until the other dog has finished eating; she never steals its food. When Nelle is taken for a walk, she always come back immediately when called. The owner recalled: “One day, when we were occupied with a sick calf, Nelle was so jealous that she became ill.”

I took the following symptoms: Perspiration odor offensive; Anger from contradiction; Company desire for; Jealousy. To decide between them, I also took: Fear of losing her social position. The following remedies remained: Lyc, Sepia, Ignatia and Veratrum Album. 

The famous Doctor Masi Elisalde said about Veratrum Album: “This kind of person wants to be at the right side of the father figure.” I found the same situation with this dog, who always wants to be with her owner. A General who gives orders to everybody but falls ill when her owner takes care of a calf. Prescription: Veratrum album 200 K in a bottle, 1 cc per day  for three days, and then 35 K afterwards, for one month. I received no news for three months.

Three months later, the owner came to see me with another animal but did not mention Nelle, so I inquired.  “Ah… everything is perfectly fine with Nelle.  Absolutely no problems with her.”

Lathout wrote about this remedy: “Fearful nature, timid, greatest disposition to fright. Aggitation, stressful, anxious, groaning, weeping. Melancholy with stupor. Can remain sitting for a long time with indifference to everybody.”

Mental symptoms with great violence: Excitement, he cries loudly. Madness, with desire to cut and to tear clothes, with indecent words.

This symptom found in Lathout Medical left me thinking about this dog when the owner explained the dog’s behavior.

Case 3: Caroline

The third case is lighter… in weight because Caroline is a guinea pig, 18 months old.

Caroline’s owner came urgently one evening in 2004. When she arrived home from work, Caroline seemed to be paralyzed. She drank but refused to eat, and she could not walk: her two hind legs dragged behind her. The woman was extremely worried and I could understand why.

I examined Caroline and was surprised by this sudden paralysis, which was seemingly painless. I palpated her everywhere to no effect.

 I was surprised by her eyes, though, which were protruded. I asked the owner if she found that strange, and she said: “Yes, it’s strange. Suddenly, her eyes have changed.”

I took the following symptoms: Extremities paralysis lower limbs painless; Stomach appetite wanting with thirst; Eye protruded exophthalmia.

Prescription: Phosphorus 30 K

I asked the woman to phone me the following day, as it was impossible to leave Caroline like that. We needed to take some X-rays.

The following day, I received a call saying that Caroline was healthy.

Case 4: Apollon

Next is the case of Apollon, a male dog crossed between a Pit Bull and a Labrador. He came to my clinic one evening in June 2008.

The owner said that Apollon ate normally the day before but today he vomited copiously and frequently. He also drank and urinated a lot.

He was sleeping all the time. Nothing interested him, which was not normal. The owner said: “One thing is really special. When he moves, it’s in slow motion. That’s not his habit either.” His temperature was 41°. Apart from that, I remarked nothing.

I took two important symptoms: Stomach, thirst large quantities for, fever during. Fever; wants to be quiet in every stage.

Prescription: Bryonia alba. I proposed to see him the following day for more examinations.

The day after, the owner did not come to the appointment but phoned me because Apollon was much better. He needed two days to return to normal.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons
Close-up of a Pug's face; Jina Lee; CC BY-SA 3.0
Great Dane isabelle; YourNetBuddy; CC BY-SA 3.0
Orange and white juvenile guinea pig; Gourami Watcher; CC BY-SA 3.0