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Hot,painful Dog

by landauvet - July 20, 2009

Hi Steve,

I was hoping to get some input on a dog I haven't seen in a long while. "Cody" 9 Year old Lab mix. Presented for Right front limp, excessive shedding and whole body stiffness. Cody had a very large, doughy abdomen, was hot in mannerism, had lick granulomas, was stiff all over and limping on his RF. Tongue was thick and purple. Pulse was deep and wiry. This dog fit the description of Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin to a tee. He got horrible diarhea from even small amounts. I switched him to Si Miao San and he got diarhea again. I haven't seen them in literally 3 months. Here is her email to me:

Hi Dr. Landau: Update and question on Cody-the source of limping and discomfort was on his left foot...an interdigital cist that goes away then swells up like a small balloon, then bursts and then dries up.. It became infected and there was pain and infection in the pad of the foot. He has been on antibiotics for 2 months and I soak his paw 2 x daily in an anti-fungal, bacterial shampoo soak. He is also on flagil.

Still sounds like the perfect candidate for XFHMY. They feed Wellness Core and canned.
Please advise me on the best way to help this dog.
Kevin Landau

by naturevet

July 20, 2009

Hi Kevin,

A befuddling case to be sure. Besides XFHMY, another formula to address interdigital cysts is Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (Ginseng and Astragalus Combination). It also has roughly the opposite hemodynamic effect of SMS and XFHMY, in that it increases the Blood supply to the skin and digestive mucosa. The aggravation from SMS and XFHMY, which have an anti-inflammatory effect that takes blood away, tells us we need to enhance epithelial perfusion. BZYQT is one way to do that and addresses cysts, essentially by bolstering the immune response.

If the owners are burned out on herbs, they can look at some basic homeopathics like Silicea, which has the reputation for expelling foreign bodies. Use 30C potency once or twice daily.

Perhaps the dog has a grass awn and needs a surgical exploration. I haven't had to do that in the past several years, though - once I get the right formula going, the problem seems to go away.

Another final option is Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang, but while it can be theoretically appealling, it doesn't seem to pan out as effective all that option.

Lastly, I note the dog is on Flagyl. I presume they stopped the herbs, which means there may be another cause altogether of the diarrhea. Certainly I would have assumed the dog was a XFHMY case myself to start with. Maybe it is, and the herbs were unfairly accused of causing the diarrhea, which appears to be persisting these many months. BZYQT can be a help in stopping chronic diarrhea, if nothing else by slowing bowel transit time. If the dog's pulse is deep and wiry or weak, and if the paw feels a little coolish or looks faintly purplish, then BZYQT is especially well indicated.

Good luck!

Steve

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