[BETTER BUT NOT CURED]  11/30/2010: Dave from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania writes: "I have 13 yr old Akita, that had a tumor on his tail and was the size of a half of a golf ball. Kimo is absolutley been the greatest dog I could ask for and was worried about the tumor, he's to old to get the tumor removed and my vet Dr Dave is the best vet in the area. Kimo is like a 1 yr old health wise, but I did what earthclinic said to do to cure Kimo's tumor and I gave Kimo blackstrap molasses and tumeric and the tumor got bigger and pinkish and then it started to bleed and started breaking open about 2 weeks ago, Kimo is taking cephlaxine and is still taking blackstrap molasses and tumeric and his tumor is is now shrunk about half the size and is clearing up, I wouldn't believed it if I didn't see it and it was nasty to look at and thank god for your website."

01/13/2011: Bonnie from Norwood, On Canada writes: "How much molasses and tumeric do you give to your dog, mine is a miniature poodle with fatty tumours, Thanks"

07/29/2011: Sal from Phoenix, Az writes: "How much turmeric and blackstrap molasses do u give daily"

11/13/2011: Elise from Edgewood, Nm, Usa writes: "Hi, my name is Elise. My dog max has 2 tumors right now. He is a parsons russel terrier and he is pretty small. His first tumor is on the left lymph node on his neck. It is the size, a little smaller than a baseball. The second is the size of a small grape on the bridge of his nose. With these tumors it is difficult for him to not make weird sounds while he breathes. He eats, but is constantly losing weight. The larger tumor recently started bleeding and reducing size, but my dad said that it was because the cells are dying on the inside and that's why the skin broke. My other dog, Moses just recently died so I want to find a way to help Max before its too late! Please help, thank you, Elise"

02/10/2012: Shaun from Los Angeles, Ca writes: "My 9 year old male boxer, 40 lbs, developed a tumor around his penis area. it has gotten bigger over the last week. I have taken him to two vets, who biopsyed him to see what kind of cancer it is. I have increased his dose of organic coconut oil and and have started giving him one teaspoon of tumeric for the last 4 days. Tumor is getting bigger, but I have been reading everyone's post that it swells before it starts shrinking. I hope this is the case."

02/08/2012: Dan from Dublin, Ireland writes: "I have an 18 year old jack russel that was diagnosed with cancer in November 2011. She was very weak and little appetite with at least 5 visible tumors, the vet said the only option was to put her down. Sooner rather than later.

I visited a chinese herbalist who recommended I feed her milk thistle, reishi mushroom and a herbal tea high in antioxidants (rooibos), I started giving her 5 drops of reishi liquid extract and 100ml of strongly brewed rooibos tea along with the milk thistle.

I can't put into words but the results were simply miraculous. Her tumours shrank and her appetite increased tenfold. After three weeks there was no visible tumours, the vet couldn't believe it when the MRI scan came back clear. Just wanted to share my story and hopefully you can add this to the pet cancer section."

02/08/2012: Marianne from Berlin, Germany writes: "Hallo, Dan: I live in Thailand and have no idea what milk thistle is and how to get it. Could you explain this for me? Also does any Rooibos tea do or must it be a special one? Reishi mushrooms I don't know either. Wouldn't they work on humans as well? I love this website but I always find it a little difficult to understand many of the great suggestions because they are either band names or keywords not known in other countries. So I would really appreciate an answer from you.

Thanks in advance and greetings

Marianne"

02/09/2012: Suzanne from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia (ns), Canada writes: "Hi, my name is susan I am the proud owner of an Akita. I adopted her a year ago & she has taught me so much about myself. Dan I am so happy to hear your Jack Russel is doing great, there is nothing worse thinking you are going to lose your pet. I just want to add that green tea also has great anti cancer properties & then some it is an all around great anti oxidant, I am from cape breton, nova scotia, canada I have no problem picking up a box or tin of green tea at my local grocery store I hope you have access to this tea it is one of the best teas that you can purchace for a reasonable price. Could you please tell me/post what you feed your fur-sib? Thanks Akita Lover from cape breton."

02/10/2012: Vince from Blooming Grove, Ny Usa writes: "My 11 year old shepard has mammary cancer. She has had 4 operations and 4 treatments of chemo. The doctor seen spots on her lungs and a tumor under her right leg. I have had her on Flax oil-cottage cheese program twice a day for 1 month. She seems to be doing well however, I see the tumor has grown a little.

My problem is I'm lost on her regular feeding. No carbs or No meats.... I'm lost. What supplements will or will not work with Flax oil? PLEASE HELP...."

07/20/2011: Kbreck24 from Pleasant Prairie, Wi writes: "GARLIC as well as onions, yeast, raisins, grapes, chocolate, coffee, alcohol and macadamia nuts are EXTREMELY POISONOUS to dogs and can cause death... Paralysis in the case of macadamia nuts. Check it out on www.nationalgeographic.com under 'canine taboos'."

02/10/2012: Sarah from Los Angeles, Ca writes: "Hi does anyone know what to do and what are the symptoms of vitamin poisoning in dogs? My 5 lb chihuahua started having neurological symptoms a small seizure and extreme disorientation at a hotel while here on vaca. We took her to ER the get thinks maybe she got some narcotic or toxin off the ground (we r in Vegas staying at hotel that hosts frequent parties) but I think my doggie got into my vitamin chews... Found dome wrappers. They were sweetened maybe w/ Erebus but no evidence of xylitol. Contained acai, zinc, b vitamins, vit c, goji... And some others. The dr refuses to believe that poisoning is from vitamins but I think it is. Does anyone know? She's at hospital tonight but want to be able to do anything I can for her... Worried the DR, even for the $1500 they are charging, is overlooking the cause. If anyone knows anything please email me at press_Sk(at)sbcglobal. Net. Thanks am praying for her- she's my everything."

06/25/2008: Suzy from Owensville, MO, USA writes: "My german shepard is very slow lately and acts like arthritis is just killing her. I have read quite a bit of remedies on your site and i love it and i cannot wait to see if it will work for us. The only problem is, I cannot get Princess, my german shepard, to drink the apple cider vinegar in her drinking water or any other way. I was wondering if you all would have any suggestions on how to get her drink the vinegar and also, how much do i need to give her. Would it be better to put the ACV in a syringe and just put it in the back of her mouth? And if so, how much do i put in the syringe?"

EC: Try mixing it in with her food. As a warning -- we used to put a teaspoon of ACV in our dogs' food each night, but stopped when each dog started to get an irritated rump (i.e., anal discharge and lots of licking). Make sure to start with a very low dosage and watch to see if Princess starts licking herself more than usual!

09/24/2008: Deb from Pleasant Grove, UT writes: "My dog gets ACV every day but sometimes she won't drink it in her water. She is picky. Soo... I just take a little piece of candy cane that she loves, let her sniff it and then let her watch me drop in the bowl of ACV and water. She trys to get around it but eventually to get the candy she laps up all the water. Just like a kid sometimes bribery works."

[YEA]  03/16/2009: Rachael from Collingswood, NJ writes: "This ACV remedy for arthritis is amazing. Yesterday my dog could barely get up and down. I was really starting to worry. (he's currently in natural healing and the arthritis began during this period). I didn't want him in so much pain but didn't want to thwart his healing process with drugs. I tried two of the suggestions on this page...Apple Cider Vinegar (2 tablespoons of ACV with food); and pure celtic sea salt in his water.

After his first dosage last night, he woke up a new dog today. Seriously, I'm amazed. Thank you sooo much.

Rachael Meehan"

04/28/2009: Diana from Hazel Crest, Illinois writes: "Relative to Rachael's (from Collingswood, NJ 3/16/09) email about her remedy, is the celtic sea salt in water a part of the remedy for arthritis, in addition to the 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar? If so, what are the proportions of sea salt to water and I wonder if dogs have a problem drinking it?

Thanks!"

01/24/2012: Liz from Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa writes: "What dosage of apple cider vinegar should I give a 14 year old daxie with real bad arthritis and in food or water? Please help, my poor baby is permanently on cortisone and dgp, but she still has really bad days, when she won't even get up from her bed."

02/09/2012: Suzanne from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia (ns), Canada writes: "So Sorry to hear about the pain your fur-child is in, I am in cape breton, N. S. Canada & I swear by glucosamine it is a human vitamin easily bought from any drugstore & it will bring her relief, hip dysplasia, osteoarthritis, this horrible pain hits the larger breeds & older breeds as well. Please do some research on your own about glucosamine so you will be better informed & feel better about giving this to her. Good-Luck"

02/05/2012: Suzanne from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia (ns) writes: "My name is Susan I live in Cape Breton, N. S. Canada, I adopted a 3 year old full bred Akita she is now 4. I took her off of commercial dog foods & started cooking steak, kidney livers, & just pkg liver with organic baby food veg, fruits, & sweet potato & she loves it but this is day 4 on her new diet & I think I pulled her old food too fast!

Last night she started having what I call explosive diarrhea she only vomited a tiny bit no more then 3 times last night, so the big concern is the diarrhea! (DEHYDRATION) She has never had this before & I am so terrified I am going to lose her! Last night I ran to the grocery store & picked up gatorade, water, & kaopectate, she started eating & drinking water today but still has diarrhea but it has slowed down. Does anyone know what I did wrong? The last thing I gave her before she got so sick was liver that wasn't cooked all the way, & steak that was cooked rare with a tiny bit of garlic powder ( I was told that her food is better if not cooked all the way) with organic baby food peas, carrots, blueberries & apples along with some organic sweet potato over a period of 2 days. Please keep in mind she runs over 80 lbs. PLEASE HELP! DID I GIVE HER TO MUCH TOO SOON & NOT COOKED ENOUGH??. FR: terrified Akita lover in cape breton.

For anyone that has a dog with itchy dry skin use cod liver oil human vitamin it works great with my Akita I also give her omega 3 fish oil vitamins- very inexpensive. Thanks, susan"

02/09/2012: Suzanne from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia (ns), Canada writes: "Hi, I want to thank you all for the excellent advice for dogs with diarrhea, I tried the white rice with boiled chicken & it worked! I just can't believe it, white rice & boiled chicken! Boiled hamburger will also work for bad diarrhea & vomiting but if nothing works take your fur-sib to the vet. Thanks Akita lover from cape breton"

02/08/2012: Dan from Dublin, Ireland writes: "I have an 18 year old jack russel that was diagnosed with cancer in November 2011. She was very weak and little appetite with at least 5 visible tumors, the vet said the only option was to put her down. Sooner rather than later.

I visited a chinese herbalist who recommended I feed her milk thistle, reishi mushroom and a herbal tea high in antioxidants (rooibos), I started giving her 5 drops of reishi liquid extract and 100ml of strongly brewed rooibos tea along with the milk thistle.

I can't put into words but the results were simply miraculous. Her tumours shrank and her appetite increased tenfold. After three weeks there was no visible tumours, the vet couldn't believe it when the MRI scan came back clear. Just wanted to share my story and hopefully you can add this to the pet cancer section."

02/08/2012: Marianne from Berlin, Germany writes: "Hallo, Dan: I live in Thailand and have no idea what milk thistle is and how to get it. Could you explain this for me? Also does any Rooibos tea do or must it be a special one? Reishi mushrooms I don't know either. Wouldn't they work on humans as well? I love this website but I always find it a little difficult to understand many of the great suggestions because they are either band names or keywords not known in other countries. So I would really appreciate an answer from you.

Thanks in advance and greetings

Marianne"

02/09/2012: Suzanne from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia (ns), Canada writes: "Hi, my name is susan I am the proud owner of an Akita. I adopted her a year ago & she has taught me so much about myself. Dan I am so happy to hear your Jack Russel is doing great, there is nothing worse thinking you are going to lose your pet. I just want to add that green tea also has great anti cancer properties & then some it is an all around great anti oxidant, I am from cape breton, nova scotia, canada I have no problem picking up a box or tin of green tea at my local grocery store I hope you have access to this tea it is one of the best teas that you can purchace for a reasonable price. Could you please tell me/post what you feed your fur-sib? Thanks Akita Lover from cape breton."

02/10/2012: Vince from Blooming Grove, Ny Usa writes: "My 11 year old shepard has mammary cancer. She has had 4 operations and 4 treatments of chemo. The doctor seen spots on her lungs and a tumor under her right leg. I have had her on Flax oil-cottage cheese program twice a day for 1 month. She seems to be doing well however, I see the tumor has grown a little.

My problem is I'm lost on her regular feeding. No carbs or No meats.... I'm lost. What supplements will or will not work with Flax oil? PLEASE HELP...."

02/08/2012: Dan from Dublin, Ireland writes: "I have an 18 year old jack russel that was diagnosed with cancer in November 2011. She was very weak and little appetite with at least 5 visible tumors, the vet said the only option was to put her down. Sooner rather than later.

I visited a chinese herbalist who recommended I feed her milk thistle, reishi mushroom and a herbal tea high in antioxidants (rooibos), I started giving her 5 drops of reishi liquid extract and 100ml of strongly brewed rooibos tea along with the milk thistle.

I can't put into words but the results were simply miraculous. Her tumours shrank and her appetite increased tenfold. After three weeks there was no visible tumours, the vet couldn't believe it when the MRI scan came back clear. Just wanted to share my story and hopefully you can add this to the pet cancer section."

02/08/2012: Marianne from Berlin, Germany writes: "Hallo, Dan: I live in Thailand and have no idea what milk thistle is and how to get it. Could you explain this for me? Also does any Rooibos tea do or must it be a special one? Reishi mushrooms I don't know either. Wouldn't they work on humans as well? I love this website but I always find it a little difficult to understand many of the great suggestions because they are either band names or keywords not known in other countries. So I would really appreciate an answer from you.

Thanks in advance and greetings

Marianne"

02/09/2012: Suzanne from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia (ns), Canada writes: "Hi, my name is susan I am the proud owner of an Akita. I adopted her a year ago & she has taught me so much about myself. Dan I am so happy to hear your Jack Russel is doing great, there is nothing worse thinking you are going to lose your pet. I just want to add that green tea also has great anti cancer properties & then some it is an all around great anti oxidant, I am from cape breton, nova scotia, canada I have no problem picking up a box or tin of green tea at my local grocery store I hope you have access to this tea it is one of the best teas that you can purchace for a reasonable price. Could you please tell me/post what you feed your fur-sib? Thanks Akita Lover from cape breton."

02/10/2012: Vince from Blooming Grove, Ny Usa writes: "My 11 year old shepard has mammary cancer. She has had 4 operations and 4 treatments of chemo. The doctor seen spots on her lungs and a tumor under her right leg. I have had her on Flax oil-cottage cheese program twice a day for 1 month. She seems to be doing well however, I see the tumor has grown a little.

My problem is I'm lost on her regular feeding. No carbs or No meats.... I'm lost. What supplements will or will not work with Flax oil? PLEASE HELP...."

[YEA]  02/05/2012: John Wood from Stanardsville, Virginia writes: "I need to share what happend to my black lab, Teddy Bear. Maybe some of you reading this will be able to help your pet recover. Teddy developed a knot on his rectum around age 9. I thought it was just a hemmoroid but after several weeks it began bleeding. The area around the opening took on a bruised appearance with yellow, orange, reddish, and black colors and he began to act like he didn't feel well. I took him to the vet and was told it was cancer. He had surgery but withing a few months it was back. I took him in for more surgery. They removed several thumb size tumors and stiched him up. I was told that they didn't think they got it all. At that point I began praying for his recovery. The next day I received a cassete tape in the mail about a product called Pycnogenol. I listened to the tape on the way into work the next day. The narriator talked about all these folks that had cancer and other serious diseases taking this stuff and recovering completely. I had bought some of this stuff for myself about a year earlier in the hopes it would help me with chronic fatigue. It did nothing so I put it in the medicine cabinet and forgot about it. Anyway I heard the narriator tell that the most important thing about taking Pycnogenol is to take it 1 mg per pound of body weight. Well I figured Teddy weighed 90 pounds so I did the math and found that 5 capsules were needed to get close to his weight. I sprinkled the contents of the capsules on his food. Honestly I could not believe what happened next. Within one day of consuming just the first dose his rear end began to turn pink. He began to act like he felt a bit better. I gave him a second dose the next day and again daily from then on. By the time a week had passed you wouldn't believe it was the same dog. He was running and barking like he was a pup again. I kept him on the product until the bottle ran out. Withing a couple of weeks he began getting another spot on his butt so I put him back on the product. The knot went away. He stayed on Pyconogenol the rest of his life but he lived to the ripe old age of 17. I had to put him to sleep because his hips gave out, he couldn't walk, and he couldn't control his bladder & bowels any longer. I hated to do it but I had tried all that I knew to do. I stiil miss him....... But he lived 8 years longer than he would have if I hadn't had my prayer answered. Thank you Lord.

Let me say that there are differences between Pycnogenol and pine bark extract. Pine bark extract is a little bit cheaper than Pycnogenol but did not produce any effects for Teddy. I did not notice any difference between Pycnogenol brands."

02/07/2012: Jr from Coloma, Mi writes: "John Wood from Stanardsville, Virginia, Thanks so much for sharing that information."

[YEA]  02/06/2012: Lokismum from Banbury, Oxforsshire England writes: "Please please feed your dogs raw. Both my dogs now seven and nine have been fed raw since very young pups. There is much advice online out there, and good books to read. It is so much less expensive than ccommercial so called food. Would a wild dog naturally eat cereals? Would a wild dog naturally eat processed cooked food? No, so why do humans think processed carbohydrates are good food for dogs? Feed as close to nature as you can and you will have happy healthy dogs. Raw meat, raw chicken carcasses with the bones, raw green tripe, offal, meaty bones, whole rabbits, and whatever you can get. Let them eat grass when they want. Supplement with a good brand of seaweed. If you love your dogs then you will feed them this way. Do please get as much good advice as you can. I now find that even the vets who always told me I was wrong, are now recommending raw!!!"

02/07/2012: Jr from Coloma, Mi writes: "Lokismum... I've been feeding my dog raw now for a couple of years. When I started I fed raw bones but then the homeopath that was treating the dog said, "no bones" unless she catches the animal herself. She said that carcasses we get from the grocery store already have rigor set in and can splinter and cause trouble. Since you have been feeding raw for so long, what kind of bones do you feed? Do you feed vegetables?"

[YEA]  02/06/2012: Deb from Wake Forest, Nc writes: "I should have done this long ago, since it was information I found on Earth Clinic, that saved my cat's life.

In late December 2010, my cat started having serious problems urinating, back and forth to the box, meowing, nothing happening. Occassionally a drop the size of a green pea, in the litter box. I had just moved, was completely broke and a vet bill was out of the question. I knew what was wrong with her, a bladder stone had all but closed off her urethra, tiny bit of urine tinged with blood was all she could pass. I had dealt with this many years ago with a male cat.

Having no $$ I hit the internet and found this wonderful site. I didn't have the 'organic' ACV that everyone said to get, but did have plain ACV from the grocery store. I started giving it to her in a dropper, 3 parts water to 1 part ACV. I'm lucky cause she's a feral cat, she'll eat anything. I bought some small cans of 'special diet' cat food, any brand that says Urinary Tract Formula, on it. I mix 1/4 of the food with 3 droppers of ACV and some warm water to make it soupy, she ate it all. In a couple days, her pea-sized drops became grape sized and continued to increase until back to normal. It took 2-3 weeks for her to be completely back to normal. It has been over 2 years, a couple times she has passed small stones and a very small amount of blood, but that was in the 1st 6 months. Since then, no problems what so ever. Once I missed giving her the ACV for a couple days and it started right back up, never did that again! So now she has the same food mix every morning, along with 1CC of the water-ACV mix 4to1 from a syringe slowly into her mouth before her breakfast.

She is fine and now 16 years old! I can't thank this site or all the contributors for helping me to save her, when there was nothing else I could do. Thank You to All of you!"

02/07/2012: Deb from Wake Forest, Nc writes: "Wanted to clarify, made a mistake on the measurement at the end of my post, it should be a 3 to 1 ratio and I checked my syringe and it's ML not CC, so its 1ml of the 3 parts water to 1 part ACV mix. Also, please do NOT give your pet straight ACV, its too strong and not necessary.

To the lady with the cat that has kidney stones, I don't see why the ACV wouldn't help, since it dissolves bladder stones, seems like it would do the same for the kidney stones. I know, the 1st couple weeks is hard, but after that, its smooth sailing! During the first couple months, I noticed occassional blood in the urine, common sense would tell me that she had passed a stone, as the ACV dissolves them to a smaller size, they can be passed, but will cause a small amount of blood in the urine. This hasn't happened in probably 18 months or longer.

My 'Shadow' has been fine ever since I got her back to normal with the ACV, its been over 2 years, she's still on the same thing and going great. But I will have to give her this for the rest of her life, it takes no time for the stones to come back, but as long as I am diligent, she's fine. Once you get it cleared up, you will have to continue it forever, but that's a small price to pay for a healthy, happy kitty. It's only 5 min of your day and I can't stress enough how well this works or thank Earth Clinic enough for the info.

Good luck with your kitty!"

02/06/2012: Dharmony from Orchard Park, Ny, Usa writes: "Help for a Jack Russell who has cluster seizures.

Diesel is 3 years old and the sweetest dog. He started his first seizure at 8 months old and has gotten progressively worse moving into cluster seizures. He has been on Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide which has not helped. We use intra rectal valium when he clusters. We added Keppra (levetiracetam) December 2010. After a year on Keppra, the neurologist said to come off because it was not helping. He is now on Zonisimide which doesn't seem to be helping either.

Unfortunately, he had many vaccines; rabies, distemper, parvo, corona virus, leptospirosis, lyme disease, bordetella. (I will never listen to a vet about vaccines ever again)

The seizures have changed, the cluster seizures turn into a long drawn out 45 minute or longer slow motion seizure that are not always the same. Sometimes it starts out with him running into a wall when he gets frantic. Other times he can't walk where he will take a few steps and drop hard to the floor get up and repeat and turns into start and stop without the drop. Other times he can't stand and his back legs draw up close to his body and shake and at the same time, his tail comes in close to his body and then relaxes. This happens rhythmically. A few times his front paws also turned under and curled in. Sometimes he foams at the mouth. A few times he clawed at his mouth. Lately he arches his head back, opening his mouth wide, paddling then getting up, walking a few steps, dropping down and falling over. He still also gets grand mals here and there.

Diesel doesn't like the cold and he also runs from the wind. Diesel's episodes seem to happen around the same time in the early evening. He will close his eyes to try to nap and his eyes pop open like he knows something is wrong and then he goes into the run and stop. Some of the time, he comes out of it without a post ictal period and other times he seems blind or has vision changes. You can tell because when he plays with a ball, if your hand moves he will grab at it instead of the ball and not realize it is your hand.

Sometimes you can tell by the look on his face that something is wrong. He gets a look like he has a headache. You can tell that by the eyebrows.

His thyroid has been tested by Dr. Dodds and is normal. Lead and zinc heavy metals – normal. The neurologist says it is not epilepsy, possibly a metabolic disturbance or brain degeneration. The metabolic urine test was normal but shows high levels of some amino acids which they say is probably from the Phenobarbital. A hair analysis shows rabies miasm. We have tried many different remedies through the holistic vet over two years.

We just want to get him under control so it is manageable. He has been having the run and stop type almost daily, then he will have a good week and then two weeks of almost daily episodes.

He has been on a species appropriate diet (raw) eliminating gluten, corn, soy, dairy and MSG for over two years. This has not had any noticeable effect on seizures (Although healthier otherwise).

Summary: Tried the following: Phenobarbital, Potassium Bromide, Keppra, Zonisimide, been to a neurologist, raw diet, many homeopathic remedies, herbs, chiropractic, heavy metal test, thyroid test…

Don't want to give up on this precious dog!"

02/07/2012: Marianne from Berlin, Germany writes: "Dear DHarmony: Please go on the following website:

http://www.post-vaccination-syndrome.com/3924/the-post-vaccination-syndrome.aspx

Dr. Smits was a homoeopathic doctor from the Netherlands. Unfortunately he died of cancer last year. He cured many children and adults who had all kinds of vaccine damages. I am sure it works with animals as well but I don't know if he worked with animals. Anyway, you can download his book which explains everything. There are many people who keep up his work and have been trained with his method so I am sure you can find answers. You wrote that you have tried many holistic methods as well as homoeopathy. Unfortunately there are a lot of people out there who call themselves homoeopaths but really don't go by the classical way which Hahnemann invented. So maybe this will help you and is a new approach for you.

Good luck. Marianne"

[YEA]  02/26/2008: Kathy from Morrice, Mi writes: "My cat broke her back 10 weeks ago and hasn't walked since. Her spinal cord was not severed but only had limited use of one back leg. I rubbed DMSO mixed with aloe vera 3 times daily and within 3 days, the leg with no nerve responses started twitching and she started moving it. On the 4th day, she stood up twice. Still not walking but getting more use of both legs and making progress. I don't believe it was coincidence. I started rubbing on peroxide over back today to oxygenate her system and help with regeneration. DMSO is miraculous and FDA should not stop it's use."

[WARNING!]  11/01/2008: Aja from North Plainfield, NJ writes: "Be very careful with DMSO (Dimenthyl Sulfoxide). As a chemist, I've used DMSO and it is a great compound because it is an EXTREMELY effective solvent.

The reason that the FDA is against DMSO for home use is because it basically dissolves almost anything and takes it along for the ride. Since it is readily absorbed into the skin, anything dissolved in it is also absorbed. This can be dangerous if you inadvertantly come in contact with a hazardous chemical while using DMSO. Many things that are safe when placed on the skin aren't necessarily so when they are absorbed into the body.

DMSO should be stored in glass containers (not plastic) and whatever area on the body it touches should be extremely clean. Be very conscious of not contaminating your bottle by dipping anything into it and make sure any container you use is also clean. As long as you're careful, you shouldn't have any problems."

11/04/2008: Anabelle from Denver, CO writes: "Hello everyone. Thanks for this great site, I have used many of the remedies posted here with success. My question is regarding the use of DMSO for cats. Has anybody used DMSO internally, if so what dosage would you recommend? My cat has been limping and has a hard time jumping and going up and down the stairs. I would prefer to use DMSO externally, but I don't know exactly where to rub it. He is very overweight (~25-30 lbs.), does not like being held, so if I pick him up I can not "look"/feel for what hurts, I just notice the limping and the discomfort. I was thinking about using a few drops in distilled water, down his throat. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!"

01/06/2009: MaryAnn from Dallas, TX writes: "This is in response to Ted from Bangkok:

First, please take into consideration that *most* chemical companies are not in business to provide ingestables, but rather chemical compounds for commercial use. Aja's comment about keeping DMSO in glass is quite appropriate, as many chemical compounds will leach chemicals out of plastic, although not necessarily dissolve it. I would hesitate to use a chemical bought such as you show in your picture for internal use, including something to be absorbed into the skin. Pharmaceutical grade is preferred.

Second, I do not consider this to be an appropriate place for you to vent against an entire nation. This is supposed to be a healing community. Do you truly believe your comments about Americans being bull****ers is in the best interest of healing the planet? Please add only positive to this list. (Oh, just so you know, I have travelled a bit and have found that there are people all over the world who give incorrect directions. You must have asked for directions at an American gas station, where most of the employees have English as a second language... misdirections given not on purpose, but misunderstandings occur.)

Help heal the planet... remain positive and act in love!"

02/07/2012: Col from Denver, Co writes: "Hey Ted - thanks so much for being you - we love you for all your amazing work and we need more innovative folks like you in this world - there will always be those who will want to take you the wrong way -(they don't see the forest for the trees) the "whiners" - - carry on and god bless you, - you are a very good man/genius and people like you make my life worth living. Thanks a zillion trillion!"

[YEA]  12/26/2009: Suzanne from Quebec, Quebec writes: "1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar and 3 tbsp of water mixed in with 1 large tbsp of canned cat food"

[YEA]  02/25/2010: Annie from Sydney, Nsw Australia writes: "Yes - this is a miracle cure!!! It is unbelieveable - and pure fabulous magic........it really really works. We have a brand new 2.5 month burmese kitten, and she has had chronic 'pink eye' (ala conjuntivitis / herpes), and we had been struggling with antibiotics and eye cream and not getting anywhere (never mind the cost of it all). So to find out about ACV (organic being the best) was just brilliant. A little on the back of her neck twice a day, and a cap in her water bowl......and she is so much happier now....... (from Annie, Sydney Australia)"

09/13/2011: Sheish from Cumbria, England writes: "hi my cat has got conjunctivitis as well please can you let me know if you diluted the Apple Cider Vinegar to put on the back of the neck or did you just put it on straight? Also do you put it on their paws as well or just the neck? I'm glad you cat is doing well now."

01/14/2012: Maya from New York, Ny writes: "What I am reading here is SHOCKING!

As a doctors daughter and a cat owner of 7 cats I am shocked to see how many lazy- cheap people own pets.

Would you play doctor with a baby? Sticking needle ACV into a cat's eye or even feeding her this? Have you discussed this with a veterinarian? You would be horrified to learn what these things actually do. I am ok with some Respo K for kennel cough or a common cold in a cat, but please don't try to play doctors if you don't have the schooling to back it up. These are living creatures and they feel pain and sometimes the effects don't show right away, so let professionals handle medical problems.

Also, this is not the kind of world anymore where pets can run around in nature and be healthy. There are a thousand diseases they can catch outside, from each other, birds, mosquetos and most of all get hit by cars. BE RESPONSIBLE Keep your animals indoors and if you can't afford a vet, tell yourself you are NOT in a position to own a living creature and pet a fluffy sweater instead or get yourself a webkin."

01/14/2012: Linda from San Francisco, Ca, Usa writes: "Maya, please stop the name-calling. No one but you has said a thing about needles.

Your "shock" and name-calling are out of line on Earthclinic. For the most part, we are people who love and care deeply about our own dear animals whom vets have (very expensively) not been able to help. Therefore we seek further, and share information about things we know have worked.

Read the book by Dr. Jarvis, MD, whose work with ACV saved many farm livestock and other animals and humans as well, in Vermont years ago.

Linda"

01/16/2012: Timh from Louisville, Usa writes: "I will add to Linda's comment by saying that annually in any country thousands of pets are diseased because they are not properly fed, are never wormed, and never given any attention. This is the rule rather than exception in low and low middle class districts. In other words pets are NEGLECTED and Maya seems to condone this behavior. Even in middle and upper class districts pets are neglected, particularly of attention. Then again, how can one love their pets if they have no love for with to give?"

02/06/2012: Teresa from Worksop, Nottinghamshire Uk writes: "I have a 16 year old cat just diagnosed with kidney stones last week I have been putting half teaspoon raw unpasteurised ACV daily in his food. However, I have had to leave him at the vet's again today as he had blood in his urine again. No blockage vet says, but has cystitis. Am I on the right track with the ACV? Has he not been on it long enough for it to make a difference yet or is it doing him more harm than good? I would appreciate your opinions."

08/16/2009: Stilifewatrcolr from Boulder, Co, USA writes: "Flower Remedies for Separation Anxiety in Dogs:

I adopted my 3 y/o dog from the Humane Society about 7 months ago. Adopted dogs will have their issues, and Sadie has hers. She is the sweetest thing, but she did have severe separation anxiety. Upon me leaving, she would scratch and tear at doors and windows. She knows to go outside, but continued to have housetraining issues. She escaped my house jumping through screens and windows a number of times and eventually ripped up the carpet and tore off the door frame in my room just trying to get out. She wriggles out of almost any collar or harness when left for even a minute to run into a store. She was obviously getting extremely stressed and, along with having huge bills to pay for her damages, I felt terrible letting her feel so anxious. Last weekend I went and got a mix of flower remedies specifically for separation anxiety and I have noticed a HUGE difference. She has calmed down so much. She still has energy and is excited when I come home, but is not so stressed. My roommate forgot to put her in her crate when she left the house the other day (which I had to resort to after all the damage even though Sadie was strongly opposed) and when we came home she was out, but was content and nothing had been damaged. I give Sadie 8 drops of the oil 2x/day directly on her food (since I feed her 2x/day).

The specific mix that I got includes: Aspen, Beech, Cerato, Chicory, Heather, Holly, Red Chestnut, 5-Flower Remedy, Sweet Chestnut, Vervain, Cat's Claw, Mariposa Lily, St. Johns Wort, Blackberry, Tomato, Snowberry, Cathedral Rock Vortex, Mt. Moran, Kinnickinnick, Fox.

Feel free to mix and match and research the purpose of each essence and how it relates to your pet. You can get essences separately, or already mixed.
I highly recommend!"

02/05/2012: Birdie from Calgary, Alberta Canada writes: "I think the root of the problem in dogs anxiety is how much heavy metals they have in their system due to vaccinations, generally. Mercury is present in vaccinations (thimoserol) and in dry dog food diets (sprayed on growing grain as a fungicide) and is not expelled but tends to accumulate. I used zeolite powder (healthforce brand) in my dobermans water, within a week, my dogsitter said the dog quit hiding under the table, now I notice she sits up in the car, looks out the window and takes an interest in the outside world, whereas previously she would just lay her head on the seat and not look out the window at all due to nervousness. Today I noticed at the dogsitter that she did not cringe going into the main dogplay area when all the other dogs charged up to her to say hi, previously she would curl into a ball, quivering; also when I picked her up she seemed quite happy instead of "take me home NOW! " Convinced?? YOU BET!! If you dont get rid of the cause you can forever just "treat" the symptoms. She prefers the zeolite powdered water and will ignore regular water! My friends baby DIED 5 hours after it received a vaccination! If THAT doesnt convince a person of the dangers of heavy metal shots, I dont know what would!"

10/01/2011: Rick from Hooksett, Nh writes: "MY BORDER COLLIE IS 12 YRS OLD. HIND LEGS HURTS. VET GAVE HER 100 MG OF RIMADYL. SEEMS TO WORK. BUT NOW HAS DIARRHEA. BEEN GIVING HER BOILED WHITE RICE AND BOIL HAMBURGER. IT'S BEEN 4 DAYS. CALLED VET THEY SAY GIVE HER THE BOILED RICE AND HAMBURG. ANY OTHER IDEA WOULD BE HELPFUL. THANK YOU."

10/02/2011: Diamond from Salisbury, Usa writes: "I would stay away from vets. And don't allow experiments with the drugs such as rimadyl, all bad experiments. Bad news. Continue with the rice which absorbs poison/impurities and hamburg; next meal cut up small pieces chicken also use organic chicken broth when cooking rice. Good luck & god bless"

02/05/2012: Socks' Mom from Cedar Hill, Missouri (usa) writes: "If there is even a remote chance that the problem is worms, give your dog a small amount of Diatomaceous Earth (DE). I read about it on EarthClinic and gave it to my Yorkie puppy right after I got her -- and before I took her to a Holistic Vet for the first time to get her puppy shots. (Because she was so very small, I just gave her a little more than a pinch of it mixed in with about a tablespoon of chicken baby food (the kind in the glass jars. ) DE (also known as 'dirt' among it's fans) works NATURALLY to kill worms in the digestive tract. Anyway, I told the Vet her stool sample would be clear (i. E. 'negative' for worms) because I'd already 'treated' her for it myself. She looked at me with an expression on her face like 'yeah, right'. I got the last laugh. Her fecal exam came back 'Negative'. Yes!

Now, I just give it to her occasionally to address any of the 'nasties' she might acquire from something she's eaten/ingested.

I purchased the Diatomaceous Earth at a health food store near me at a cost of about $5 for a one pound (lb. ) bag. You can also find it on the Internet, and, possibly, a feed store, because I understand organic dairy farmers give it to their cows.

[Note: My husband and I take it, too. About a teaspoon dissolved in 8 ozs. Of water. ] And no, I don't sell it or profit from it's sale in any way. Just wanting to help others who want to keep their pets, or themselves, worm-free. The only caution is that it's very, very fine and you don't want to inhale it, or allow your pets to inhale it. Just mix it in with moist, canned food, or water. "

[YEA]  11/11/2009: Forest from Las Vegas, Nv, USA writes: "Yogurt for my dogs colitis has work right away. I came to your site for suggestions and came across yogurt for colitis.

I have been giving my 9 year old dog pumpkin for fiber suggested by the Vet due to the dogs colitis but my dog after a year and half still was suffering with diarrhea off and on. I also tried Yams treats even purchase a dehydrator to make my dogs treats but the yam treats made the diarrhea worse. So I stop giving the yams.

Now I give my dog 1 tablespoon for yogurt morning and evening and Wala! It is gone now for 4 days! Yeah! It work over night. I will wait a week of no diarrhea then introduce the yam treats again and see what happens.

Thank you so much. I use this wonderful website often and tell clients who come from all over the world your great site here. Thank you!"

06/08/2011: Ellen from Clinton Township, Mi writes: "What kind of Yogart did you use? My dog has been on a really strong antibotic which isn't helping, he is still struggling with very loose stools and I would like to try yogart but want to make sure I get the right kind.

Thanks"

02/05/2012: Socks' Mom from Cedar Hill, Mo (usa) writes: "I use plain, organic yogurt that is available at most of the large chain grocery stores for around 3 dollars... The probiotics in it help to re-populate the digestive tract with good bacteria, which, in turn, restores the healthy balance between the good and bad bacteria. (It's HIGHLY recommended in conjunction with any antibiotics to prevent or combat yeast infections, too.)"

01/18/2012: Walter from Vancouver, Canada writes: "Any cures for this? Please, our dog has real trouble with her limbs. She also has cushings."

02/03/2012: Jmrusa from Buffalo, Ny Usa writes: "After my 10 year old shepherd was diagnosed in I blew up the internet looking for a treatment. On one site I saw that DM was being likened to MS in humans. So I went on a search for treatment for MS and found promising results from ldn, that is, low dose naltrexone. My dog went from being unable to stand or walk more than 2-3 steps without falling to walking unaided. He lived a great life for over a year and died from an apparent heart attack. You can find much info in the DM yahoo group and I believe Jake's story is there.

Best of luck in your journey."

12/01/2006: Laura from Hartford, WI writes: "We are having some other problems, she keeps getting pyoderma. The vet puts her on antibiotics and it clears, but when she is done the pyoderma comes back. Any suggestions? Thank you so much for the mange cure. I was so afraid of the dip."

01/14/2012: Sarah from Brooklyn, Ohio writes: "What is the exact mixture required? Do you rinse off the paste or leave it on to dry? My boxer mix's skin is infected and is turing black in spots. I have had her on and off Ketoconozole, but am afraid we are starting to tax her already low immune system due to allergies."

02/03/2012: Jane from Paramus, New Jersey writes: "My Spinone Italiano also keeps getting bacterial infections in the folds of her mouth. She's been on antibiotics throughout the year, it goes away and then comes back. Based upon where the infections are, she is not a candidate for the lip fold surgery. The doctors are looking for other alternatives. Any help is appreciated. She is only 7 years old."

10/03/2011: Elena Mcdaniels from Montezuma, In, Usa writes: "Our two dogs are chewing down near their tails real bad. We've gotten rid of their old bedding in the garage and replaced it with just a straw bed. They have had frontline-type flea medicine put on their skin. The black lab mix dog does it the worst. She scratches the worst and has sores from biting near her tail. I've scrubbed both dogs with pine-tar soapy water near their tails and have put tea-tree oil on the skin near their tails. None of this seems to be helping. I have not given them both baths yet, that will probably be the next thing I do for them. It'll probably be baths with soap-nut soap in it.

My family is planning on buying dog food in bulk for them here soon, to start off winter with. Would changing their dog food help them at all? At present we give them Dog Chow. We can't afford expensive dog food, that would cost more than Dog Chow. Any tips or good leads on wholesome, cheap, dogfood, would be helpful."

01/31/2012: Nicole from Sydney, Australia writes: "NO WHEAT for dogs... I've worked with dogs for many years in doggie daycare/boarding environments and found that a lot of dogs that suffered itchy skin issues would make a significant improvement once wheat was eliminated from the diet.

Most commercial (even premium/expensive) dog foods are made from up to 60% wheat and other grains which a dog would not naturally eat in the wild. Rice is an exception and is the most easily digested grain a dog can eat but wheat is often used as a cheap filler. Not too mention all sorts of other grisly things that may end up as dog food such as dead or diseased livestock.

MAKE YOUR OWN HEALTHY AND CHEAP DOG FOOD!

I make most of my dogs food myself - boil up brown rice, carrots, brocolli (most vegetables are ok but please do your research, onions or avocado for example are poisonous for dogs). Once the water is drained you can stir through a couple of eggs, these will cook through the hot rice as it's stirred.

Sometimes I will add the raw chicken skin from my dinner to the rice boiling which enhances the flavour or you can stir through a tin of tuna after the water is drained for a different flavour.

This makes up the base of the meals and then I also give him, importantly - protein. A couple of raw chicken wings/necks or a tin of tuna or lamb/pork/beef bones, my local butcher sells a bag of dog bones for $2 which can last a week or two.

I spend around $10 a week to feed my 35kg Dalmatian which would have been double or triple the cost if I purchased commercial dog food.

Also make sure that breeds such as Dalmatian, Beagle, Bulldog, Basset Hound, Cocker Spaniel, Bichon Frise, Miniature Schnauzer, Lhasa Apso, Miniature Poodle, Miniature Schnauzer, Yorkshire Terrier, Dachshund, Newfoundland, Irish and Scottish Terrier, and Irish Setter are on a diet of low-purine meat and vegetables to prevent kidney/urinary stones which they are susceptible to."

01/24/2012: Louis from Staten Island, Ny writes: "I have a pit- its a girl. She's my baby girl. I love her to death. I'd do anything for her. I can even walk outside with her with no leash- she will follow me into oblivion, lol.

But now, to the point, I am here because I've tried everything. I went to the vet only to recieve a temporary treatment. I've tried shampoos, change in food, I've even started to feed her raw diet which really helped her coat. I mixed chopped meat, garlic, anchovies, flaxseed oil, olive oil, garden of life multi vitamin, organic, all organic and eggs. It really improved her coat but still this problem where her ears are beet red and hot and she scratches until she bleeds. She scratches for days and days- nothing helps her. I've even tried to make her drink Apple Cider Vinegar. I put it in her food. I gave her the probiotic acidophilus for yeast. I'm not sure what is causing this irritation. Does anyone know is there any help? Do I have to look into the sad face of my beautiful little girl and just not do anything while she looks like she wants to cry? Is there any way in the world I could fix this? I will do anything and nothing will stop me. I will die for my bitch!!! Please help me I'm so sad and so is she."

01/25/2012: M.e. from Garland, Tx writes: "I have the same problems with my 2 rescued dogs. I recently read about the shampoo Malaseb (different thread on this site). I ordered it online and have only used it once so far on my 1 dog that has yeast problems - there was an immediate improvement in my dog's condition."

01/26/2012: Belenda from Galena, Oh writes: "I have been putting 1/2 teaspoon for every 2 cups of filtered water in my pets water bowl for a little over 2 weeks. At first they didn't like it, but, since it's the only option they have for water, they drink it. I can not tell you how awesome this has been for my little Shih-tzu. She has itched and chewed her backside and legs for the last 2 years and was driving us nuts, plus she itched so bad, that she shivered when you'd touch her back. She sleeps now, she doesn't itch now or bite or chew on her body anymore. I'm still stunned how good this has worked. I also have been giving all my cats and dogs 1 capsule a day of Salmon Oil. I had read that it would help with itch, but, it didn't affect my shih-tzu until I added the ACV in the water. The Salmon Oil in my cat's food has made their hair glossy, thick and healthy looking too. Please try the ACV if your pet is itching, scratching and chewing. They are miserable and this should help."

01/31/2012: Nicole from Sydney, Australia writes: "Hi Louie, We have a 14 yr old Border Collie who had suffered from itchy skin his whole life including being allergic to flea saliva and bouts of sebhoric dermatitis. He would spend his day rubbing his backside against a fence which resulted in him losing all his hair, he was constantly chewing on himself and never was at peace.

A few years ago I found this site and tried the apple cider vinegar treatment... Ratio of 1 cup ACV to 8 cups water. (Use it straight away, don't store the mixture for future use as the ACV will lose it's effect)

The easiest way to do this is to use a sponge and make sure her whole body has been wet with the solution and let her dry off naturally (if it's warm enough otherwise you may have to leave her inside in the laundry with a bone for an hour or two).

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acvinegar.html

Do this morning and night for the first week and then once a day after that. After a few days you will see an improvement and it cures most skin conditions (magical stuff really). If she is better stop using it and see if the condition comes back then start using it again if need be. We usually we do Buddys skin each summertime anyway as a preventative.

The smell goes once the dog is dry and it leaves the coat nice and shiny too.

I've recommended it to many people who have all had successful results and happy dogs because of ACV... I'm about to try it for conjunctivitis on my new rescue dog as I have just read about it on this site... the uses are endless and amazing.

Good luck :-)"

03/03/2010: Leslie from Helena, Montana writes: "Malassezia

I am thrilled I found your site. My poor dog is very ill with this skin afliction and I have spent hundreds of dollars with the vet to try to cure him and nothing has worked. His skin is so bad he has trouble laying down. He smells so bad it is hard to be around him. When I found your site and ACV/yougart treatment I called my husband at work and told him you need to pick these things up and bring them home tonight so we can start treating his yeast infection. I have put your site in my favorites to ck on other cures. Thank you very, very much."

[YEA]  03/08/2010: Christine from Vista, Ca writes: "I thank God that I found this site. My 8 year old male Shih Tzu, Sammy has been scratching and biting at his skin and paws incessantly for quite some time. I took him to the vet for an ear infection two weeks ago and it was yeast. They gave him antibiotic drops for the ears. I also told the vet about the scratching and biting. The answer once again was he has allergies. Give him a benedryl. My poor pup was miserable. I found this site last night and I am so thankful for all of the postings and suggestions. I decided to try straight ACV on his skin. I sprayed it on his body and paws. It seemed to relieve him instantly. He smelled like a salad but he didn't seem to mind.

I did not feed him this morning to make sure his food had left his stomach. He is on a national dry brand with salmon and yogurt but I think it is causing irritation. It is a lower brand of food. I have tried the higher brands but they irritate his skin more. Tonight I found a wet food that was mostly meat products no glueten or grains in it. I added a 1/4 of plain yogurt and a tablespoon of ACV. Mixed it up and he ate it all. Right now Sammy is sleeping peacefully in his bed for the first time in many, many months. He usually wakes up scratching and biting. I am going to continue with this diet and start to dilute the ACV with distilled water as we go on. I don't understand why Vets can't seem to figure out that yeast is the cause of most scratching and self biting in dogs. I makes sense that the yeast is spread to other parts of the dogs body by scratching. Treating Sammy's paws has made a world of difference."

08/16/2010: Lizzie from Clarksville, Tn writes: "My 5 yr old shih tzu, Roscoe, has had skin issues all of his life. When he was about 1, I noticed black rashed under his arms, it then moved on to his belly and neck. The hair then began to fall out. Of course allergies the vet said. After finally finding a vet that we felt actually cared, he took one look at him and said that's a yeast infection. We then came to the conclusion he is allergic to the yeast as well. He suggested putting athlete's foot cream on the areas. His neck is now cleared up but still has no hair. I started him on the acv, yogurt, and the a pill today. I am hoping this will help cure him. He has his days where some are worse, and he keeps us up half the night, but he seems to be doing better from the athlete's foot cream, but I hope this new remedies works! He has also suffered from chronic ear infections, I use drops the vet gives us, but they come and go about every month. He smells horrible so I bath him with the medicated shampoo as well. I hope he gets better soon. :("

[YEA]  08/18/2010: Gina from Iuka, Ms writes: "Our yorkie had a problem with yeast and pyroderma. We have tried many things but for three weeks we have been giving him a teaspoon of organic coconut in his food and using derMagic products on his skin (lotion, shampoo and conditioner) it has tea tree and peppermint in it. I still use vinegar/water in his ears. I am amazed the yeast and smell is totally gone. He still has a problem with allergies some days (red eyes, ears, and the top of his head) when this happens I give him a dose of benadryl. As an added bonus he used to spit up his food at least once a week and I had to give him a pepcid as he doesn't do that anymore. I dont know if it was the yeast in his system anyhow, it's gone. Hope this helps."

01/12/2011: Rosavan from Yuba City, Ca writes: "What kind of yogurt are you giving your dogs? I've heard that you need sugar free plain yogurt and I can only find plain with sugar. Thank you for your reply."

04/23/2011: Tweets22 from Seminole, Fl writes: "can I give my cairn a acidophilus pill instead of yogurt? And what food do u all recommend I use Blue of seniors thanks"

[YEA]  01/30/2012: Good Luck Dragon from Gosport, Hampshire, United Kingdom writes: "Hi there, I am over the moon with this site and the testimonies. I have a 6 year old westie who has recently developed an allergy to yeast resulting in spots and pustules in his back chest and stomach, and incessant paw licking , his summers were torture for him him being unable to swim as it cancelled out the effects of the shampoo; he was advised to be washed with Malaseb shampoo which does briefly, calm the symptoms down but not allieviate them it also make it hard to innoculate for fleas with a topical treatment because of all the washing. He was still left with the irritation, rubbing of his behind along the floor almost permanently licking of the paws and belly, a bald patch on his back from rubbing and scratching.

Then I saw this site- absolutely amazing. Did as the previous lady mentioned- shallow filled a bath to about an inch poured neat Apple Cider Vinegar over him then sponged him and left the dilute on him he didn't scratch for the rest of the day. Am now giving him a tablespoon of yogurt twice daily which he happily licks of the spoon, am making my own now for extra goodness and money saving, and I put a small amount of Apple Cider Vinegar in his water gradually building up to additional strength, and spray him with the 50/50 solution daily.

I am only on day three and he is virtually a different dog much happier 98 per cent less itchy it is early days. I am sooo thankful to all the people on this site for their insight, so pleased I stumbled across this site by accident when I typed in cheap alternatives to malaseb, v clever. I have done some research on Apple Cider Vinegar- amazing, his coat is so glossy, apparantly it helps prevent fleas and ticks which I think someone mentioned on this site so amazing, overjoyed.

Peace out."

[NAY]  07/13/2009: Wendy from Naugatuck, CT writes: "My dog had some signs of allergies (runny eyes, flaky skin) that were not helped by the vet's suggestions, so I did a web search and found the "ACV for dogs" site. It sounded like a harmless and potentially helpful remedy, so I tried it. It didn't do a thing for the allergic symptoms, and 3 months later, my (spayed) dog developed a bloody discharge from her urinary tract. Lab tests diagnosed struvite crystals in her bladder, which, the vet said, form when the urine is too alkaline. Some research informed me that apple cider vinegar has an alkalinizing effect in the body! After immediate cessation of the apple cider vinegar and a month of a prescription urinary acidifier, my dog's urine is now testing normal. Naturally, after this experience, I do not recommend apple cider vinegar for dogs."

08/12/2009: Cmassi from New York, New York writes: "When you add an alkali to something that is acidic, the acidity decreases and the alkalinity increases. I would never, ever give my dog anything on a daily basis (for three months) that changed her body chemistry.

Since most vets are urged to recommend certain brands of food, they are not always the most reliable advisors on the subject. If you haven't already tried eliminating foods with soy, corn and wheat (one at a time) you might find the solution. Soy can cause allergies in animals and people - processed the way it is in the US, it is not a form we should be ingesting.

Have just used a 50/50 mixture of ACV and water applied very small amounts onto two hot spots and it gave my dog immediate relief. Tested a small area on one first to be sure it didn't burn or cause more discomfort than she already had. It has worked wonderfully to give immediate relief. I will see if she shows signs of discomfort before using any more. Thank you!!!"

09/21/2009: Wes from Kansas City, Mo writes: "Regarding Wendy from Naugatuck's comment - vinegar, or acetic acid, is in fact an (weak) acid. If your dog had a struvite crystal blockage, it was due to one of two things - improper diet or not enough water, more likely the former than the latter. Most big-brand foods are absolute garbage and contribute greatly to health problems due to them being nutritionally deficient. The ACV would have had nothing at all to do with the urine being too alkaline and thus developing crystals in the urethra, and in fact would have HELPED the situation by lowering the overall pH of the urine, making it more acidic."

[WARNING!]  06/05/2011: Pets Inn from Pawleys Island, Sc writes: "Wendy,

The ACV works and one should remember everything in moderation. You may have given too much as it is oly 1 tsp for 50 lb dog and one should use it on and off not steady for 3 straight months. Foods have also caused UTI's."

[YEA]  06/13/2011: Toqueenelisabeth from Columbia, Sc writes: "Crazy fact!

I had heard of and began to utilize the benefits of old school uses with hydrogen peroxide. However, we always use Frontline for our critters. Never had I considered something as simple as ACV for treatment.

Flees and insects thrive in our hot/humid climate as well as allergies. In SC you can treat your pets but they always pick up insects from the outdoors and Frontline is/has been the only effective solution. Unfortunately and to my understanding the insect must get on your pet in order to kill it, thus ending life cycles. Plus if the neighbor does not effectively treat, the problem still surrounds your pet.

After making a comment to a friend about how bad flees seemed this year she said "ACV. " ……Seriously?!

Within a week of occasional use by 50/50 spray on the pets I have seen no indication of flees or itchiness. Makes perfect sense to deter flees from the animal altogether. Right?Our critters may not like the smell or taste but it is a small price "literally" to pay. Once again, thank you Old School! "

06/22/2011: Sal from Roodepoort, Gauteng, South Africa writes: "Hi there

Please can someone assist in explaining how I should use ACV for calluses on elbows and hock joints??? please! Is it good to pour a little ACV into the dogs drinking water? I have two large boerbulls that drink water by the gallon!! Thanks"

[YEA]  08/18/2011: Jyps from Landing, Nj writes: "Depending on the breed my friends dog had crystalized urine also because of all the medication. She did change her dogs diet to raw even though it was hard for her. Her dog ended up doing well with alternative methods. I mention this because apple cider vinegar also works for people.

2 teaspoons in a glass of water. It also kills any kind of worms that a person or pet can have. It should actually be 2 tsps either in their water or food. Once a day. Or every other day. You would need to change your dogs diet.

I think maybe you should read up on what your dog is really eating. There was a veterinary school who actually followed Purina and several other big dog companies and found that they were taking dead dogs and cats out of dumpsters (some that died of cancer or other illnesses) and they grind this into your dogs food.

Your dog is eating sickness and not good food. It even made news here in NJ. Be careful what you feed your dog. Apple cider will help with change of diet. If you can't do raw do an organic or kibble like evo or Abdy which are the better foods out there."

08/23/2011: Aimee from Manila, Philippines writes: "I plan to try the ACV treatment discussed in this website as a spray option for my 1-year old Golden Retriever's hot spots. Unfortunately, ACV is expensive here in the Philippines.

Has anybody tried using regular white vinegar (in our case, it will be cane vinegar) as a post-bath rinse or preventative spray against ticks or application on hot spots?

Thanks! Any feedback or information would help."

[YEA]  09/03/2011: Eve from Toronto, Ontario writes: "I use white vinegar on both my dogs and in my home, it is a natural Febreeze, my dogs do not smell like dogs. No odour at all. I bathe my little one in Water and vinegar for any bugs or cuts that might be on her and within 24 hours all problems are solved. ACV works well too but the odour is a little overwhelming."

01/29/2012: Waves4me from Los Angeles, Ca writes: "Very important fact people!!! Yes ACV is alkalizing to humans and benefits our health. Remember that our body maintains a blood Ph of 7.4

The human digestion system is very different than that of a dog. Their system is much shorter and more acidic. Seriously this is animal nutrition 101. Remember they are mainly carnivores. Check their teeth and then look at yours. DONT give them ACV for extended periods of time."

[YEA]  04/27/2008: Suzanne from Southeast, Michigan writes: "For those of you who have dogs with skin problems, skin allergies, anal gland issues, smelly coats, dirty or greasy feeling coat, smelly breath, please consider a raw diet. This is something that is becoming more well known and is growing in popularity. Commercial dog foods are the cause of so many health problems in pets. My dog had horrible anal gland problems(have you ever smelled anything so horrid?) Instead of having his anal glands extracted over and over, and for other health reasons that need to be addressed, I switched him to a raw diet. My three dogs and one cat have now been eating a raw diet for two years now. Raw meaty bones, some organ meat, and then a couple times a week, a few supplements like fish oil, yogurt, raw egg, kale. It's similar to something called the BARF diet for pets, but a simplified version. Two books by Tom Lonsdale, Raw Meaty Bones, and Work Wonders, are a good place to start reading about the diet. There are web sites and yahoogroups as well. There is a formula for percentage of meat/bones/organ, so it's important to read about the diet before jumping into it. It should also be a very gradual transition. My dogs teeth are super clean and white (even my 9yr old lab) because they're eating like their ancestors did; ripping the meat off bones, chomping on bone (raw bones only -- cooked bones are a choking hazard). Since starting this diet, besides being overall healthier pets, other benefits: clear anal glands because the poop is a bit harder, healthier skin and coat, no dog smell or doggy breath, much less poop because no fillers, etc., as in dry food I never have to clean up poop in my yard! Natural diet means natural poop; in a few days, it turns white and crumbles away. Also, my dogs are happier. They love the raw diet. I had one very stubborn cat who I just couldn't get to transition to a raw diet, so I fed her Evo, the more natural dry food. That did help her allergies, but I still would rather she went raw."

03/01/2009: Kim from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada writes: "My golden's anal sac issues were solved many moons ago by switching to a raw food diet. HOWEVER, my rott mix has been having anal sac issues for about a year now, regardless of diet. We've tried herbal fixes, grain free kibbles, raw foods (several varieties) and have actually settled on a less than ideal kibble. Still corn/wheat/soy/byproduct/chemical free, but my guys generally eat grain free human grade stuff. We're in the process of switching to morning feedings of this kibble and then evening feedings of Orijen again with added pumpkin, coconut and bran. Her issues are severe, and she required expression weekly, with copious amounts of fluid. Quite frankly, I've never seen anything like it. Cross your fingers for us!"

04/16/2009: Linda from Burlington, Ontario writes: "Hi Kim: How is you doggy doing with his anal sac problems. I am going through the same thing with my choc lab. I have to get them emptied every two weeks. He is on a high fiber diet, coconut and coconut oil I HAVE TRIED BRAN CARROT AND PUMPKIN. i AM THINKING ABOUT ADDING ENZYMES TO HIS DIET. hAVE YOU EVER TRIED ENZYMES. hAS YOU DOG EVER BEEN ON HIGH DOSES OF ANTI BIOTICS. I THINK THIS HAS CAUSED ALL OUR PROBLEMS BUT THAT IS JUST MY UNEDUCATED OPINION. i WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IF YOU ARE HAVING ANY SUCCESS."

06/18/2010: Cynthia from Chennai, India writes: "Oh gosh, Linda, I didn't think of the antibiotics causing the anal sac situation, but you are probably right. And to think I gave him another course of them out of desperation.

For your dog, since he's already on a raw meat diet, I would suggest that you see if you can find a classical homeopathic vet, or just a homeopath. Lots of homeopaths will take dogs as patients. You could even try an online homeopath since we have Skype these days. My advice: only deal with homeopaths that deal with the whole constitution of the dog. You can tell if he/she is a good homeopath because they will ask all sorts of questions about the character of your dog. Pray it all works out..."

01/29/2012: Liz from Grand Island, NY writes: "I am new to this blog. I was just reading your situations with your dogs. I am also having an anal gland problem with my little guy. He is a 3 year old Beagle mix. I have been having to express his anal glands nearly every 2-3 weeks, sometimes weekly. This has been going on for the past 4 months. I started him on canned pumkin and that seemed to be working, but lately we're back to having his glands expressed weekly. My vet has talked to me about surgery. I really hate to go tht way if there are other alternatives to try. I would really love any and all help. Thanks."

12/09/2011: Song from Orange County, Ca writes: "After reading all the posts regarding the use of ACV for urinary infection/incontincence on pets, I decided to try it. I gave my 11 yr old shih-tzu , 1 tsp with her food last night and I felt like it has gotten worst because the urine leak is the worst I've ever seen. Is this normal? I decided to try it again this morning, and again her urine leak is more than usual. Has anyone experience this?

My dog has been on other homeopatic medications from the vet, but it seems to not be working too. Any suggestions?"

01/29/2012: Teresa from Calgary, Alberta writes: "I have a 4 1/2 year old female chocolate lab, she developed urinary incontinence almost immediatley after being spayed at 6 months. We tried a couple chinese herbal remedies, but they didnt work. Finally after 6 months I put her on propalin. After years of constant ear infections, weight gain and low energy, I tried taking her off the propalin and all symptoms cleared up! I'll never have her on it again! However I am trying to find another solution to the dribbling, my vet is trying acupuncture, but too early to see results. I switched her to a homemade diet a year ago and she is doing very well, I like that I can tailor her food to what she needs, I avoid diuretic foods which increase urine. I will try the apple cider vinegar, and I'll look for corn silk. I'll re-post if I find something that works. I desperatley want to remedy this problem as our couch, carpet, her bed are ruined."

12/18/2009: Polly H from London, United Kingdom writes: "Feline Cystitis

I tried using organic cider vinegar on the suggestion of this site. My female cat Harry gets cystitis once or twice a year, usually when it's cold. She's very lazy and I think the cause may be related to the fact she doesn't like to go out for a wee in bad weather, holds it in and therefore gets cystitis.

The usual symptoms are grumpiness, sleepiness, lack of appetite, peeing in corners of rooms or in unusual places such as my bed or pillows, and being very very vocal.

So, I went and got some organic cider vinegar from a health food shop, and used at first 1/2 teaspoon diluted with 1/2 teaspoon water mixed in with her wet food to make a gravy. I feed her high quality biscuits but stopped these at first to give her a chance to rehydrate.

The vinegar seemd to work within 12 hrs or so. I made sure she had food available constantly with this soluton mixed in, as well as fresh water with 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar mixed in too.

After about 12hrs she seemed much more comfortable and fell asleep for a long time. After 24hrs she was back to her perky, silly self and asking to pee outside again. No more squatting for ages, no more moaning and general discomfort. Cider vinegar is a miracle cure.

I intend to use the cider vinegar solution in her food every few days, cut down her biscuit intake and see how things go. But so far so good. Thanks for the advice."

[YEA]  01/29/2012: Dahlia1 from Athens, Ga, United States writes: "I have 2 cats and a dog. Ezzie has been with me when she showed up at my doorstep screaming her head off, at 5 weeks old... Should have known then that any feral kitty that wasn't afraid of humans and would actually "knock" on my door because the whole outside thing just wasn't working for her I was going to have a hand full. Well, 6 years later, let me just say, no one is safe... Especially the dog. Anyways, I rescued an abused barn cat when I lived in North Carolina about 2 and a half years ago. It took 6 months for her to allow me near her but I kept putting out food and water and she crept closer and closer eventually I was able to make her a heated kitty house and pick her up.

She showed up one day with a huge gaping wound on her neck and by this time I had broken my neck, had surgery, and then was fired from my job... Long story, needless to say I had no money, let alone for the vet so I called my vet's office and they knew my situation so they only charged me $40 for the visit (she was a new patient) along with the antibotics to give her. It was an interesing game of take the pill for a week. But she healed up and that is how I found out she was a she and that she was estimated to be around 16 years old. So she went from Chairman Meow to Ingrid Birdman. Well, I now live in GA and she now lives inside... She spends most of her time in her "room", the utility room where I put her litter box, food on an elavated platform my step-dad made her, with her kitty bed underneath. Ezzie is a snot so Ingrid likes to be in her safe place. Yesterday, she started going to the cat box and back to the platform (which is white and the floor is white also), like she was doing wind sprints. She was leaving little droplets of peepee tinged with blood once in a while. I freaked, I have no money left of my own and am living off of my mom and she is retired... Vet bills aren't in the cards, and I don't have a vet here that will do me any favors like the nice vet in NC. I found this website and forum, after having read other stuff here and there about the ACV, but nothing specific enough, so I immediately put on socks and shoes and went to the grocery in my jammies (sweatpants and a long ugly t-shirt) and bought the ACV.

Ingrid stopped doing the wind sprints almost instantly after eating the soft food with the ACV in it, last night I put it in her water bowl and she drank that all up. No peepee droplets this morning, I am so thrilled! I hate stressing her out and car rides, vets, etc. Scare her... She's been abused horribly in her lifetime and now she is finally happy and comfortable and because of this forum she is already better and soon will be ALL better. Thanks so much everybody, you are lifesavers! "

[YEA]  01/23/2012: Deborah from Chino Valley, Az writes: "My 12 lb. Pekingnese recently went through some very frightening and life-threatening health issues related to his heart. He is doing terrific now, however I want to share a bit about what symptoms were manifesting and how we've managed to stop them.

In September of 2011, our sweet dog Mocha began having something akin to night screams/seizures. In the middle of the night, normally between 1 - 3am, he would wake from sleep with a horrific scream, then go immediately into a seizure. In all of our years with him he had never shown anything like this. His seizure would then last 7 -8 minutes. It was a terrible scene to witness and watch him endure. It happened again a month later, and as we began the process of veterinary visits, tests, etc. and were coming up with no answers. The veterinarian said these were not epileptic seizures, but he did not know what they were or where they were coming from. From his model of medicine he only had Phenobarbital to offer as a means to get control of the seizures. Although we took the advice at the time, my family and I all felt this was still an undiagnosed condition and the Pheno would at best offer us some time to get things figured out. We had to bring these episodes to a halt as soon as possible as each episode seemed to erode his overall health. We were watching our beloved pup drift away from us with each episode.

As we began our research, I started online with researching 'dog screams'. Although the veterinarian said perhaps this was a dream, or anxiety, he didn't feel the dog was in pain at the time of his episodes. We wholeheartedly disagreed. Although Mocha may not have felt pain during the actual seizure, the scream occurred just before and was absolutely horrifying. It was CLEAR that he was in wrenching pain before falling into a seizure. I was amazed to find online assorted threads of pet owner conversations on the topic of dog screams... Most of which indeed were followed by seizure activity, involuntary defecation, etc. In almost each case, the dogs in question were small dog breeds, just like Mocha. Also in each case, the owner knew the dog had a diagnosed heart murmur, as we did with Mocha.

Following this thread, I started to research heart remedies for dogs. Some were specific to murmurs, others were more generalized and in each small dog case, there was also an issue with keeping blood sugar balanced. We began putting together a small grouping of supplements to put Mocha on based on the information we were finding online.

At the same time that we were doing this research, we were giving Mocha the Phenobarbital. He had a terrible time adapting to it. Aside from being basically unconscious 90 minutes after the dose for approximately 9 hours, he was starting to urinate excessively and also to pant exactly 90 minutes after each dose. Sometimes the panting was excessive and frightening. We brought all of these topics up to the veterinarian who said that small dogs tend to adapt the least to this medication, and that whatever adaptation was going to happen would happen within the first two weeks. We were a month into it at this point and becoming very concerned. In addition, it was not stopping entirely his concerning episodes. We had his blood tested to see if he was at 'therapeutic levels' of the Phenobarbital and he was not. The veterinarian wanted us to go up in dose, but our instincts told us 'no'. This dog was losing quality of life on the dose he was already on, and we felt certain that increasing his dose would decrease his life expectancy and quality of remaining life. We decided at that point to trust our instincts and begin tending specifically to his heart.

I am happy to report that since we began adding in his natural heart and blood sugar supports, there have been no screaming/seizure episodes (6 weeks now). This is SIGNIFICANT, as Mocha had gotten to the point where he was screaming/seizing several times per day before beginning his holistic treatment. We have also decreased his Phenobarbital very slowly and safely and this, also, has improved his overall health and vitality. At this point we know we are substantially below 'therapeutic levels' and that the medication is doing next to nothing for him. We are taking him off slowly simply to be safe and gentle with is system. He should be off it entirely over the next week.

I am sharing this information because I know there are others out there who may have dogs with heart murmurs, small dogs, screaming/seizure dogs and the like. I was amazed at how frequent this problem presents based on what I found online, and yet could find NONE of this information via veterinarians or veterinary sites. It all came from pet owners who have had to research and address the issues themselves based on what others were doing. Thank goodness for sites like this one... I truly have no idea what Mocha's future would have been without them.

As for what supplements we have found which address his issues:

Hearty Heart (liquid drops) from Pet Wellbeing: Dosage is determined by pet's weight. This product has been developed by holistic veterinarians and veterinary herbalists. It is absolutely fantastic and useful for dogs and cats. Our 14 year-old cat has Cardiomyopathy and this has helped him so very much as well. Can't recommend it highly enough.

L-Carnitine (liquid) from Pet's Choice Pharmaceuticals: An essential amino acid designed to assist both the heart and blood sugar levels. Very helpful in healing the heart after functional disturbances and preventing future problems. Especially recommended for small breeds. Dosage determined by pet's weight.

FortiFlora (powder) from Purina Veterinary Diets: Probiotic supplement with beneficial strains of good bacteria designed to balance the digestive system and strengthen immunity. Excellent for blood sugar issues, allergies, skin and coat issues, etc. Mocha has been on this for years, as he has a long history of highly reactive/allergic skin, itching, blood sugar issues, etc. As a 12 lb dog, we give Mocha half a packet twice per day with his meals.

Magnesium mixed with Vitamin C: Both of these nutrients are excellent for the heart and safe for dogs. We buy tablets and then powder them together in our mortar and pestle. This allows us to sprinkle them onto his food. Again because Mocha is small, he only get 2 pinches of this mixture once per day. The ratio of his Magnesium to Vitamin C is 2:1. The dose, ratio, form of the nutrient may be specific dog to dog but there is helpful information online about dosing them.

Ubiqinone (CoQ10): An important antioxidant which helps with energy and heart function. It is potent so again, read up on dosage for your pet or consult with a holistic veterinarian. For Mocha, he only takes 1 drop from a 30mg capsule. Any more than that is too much, but we notice a difference when he doesn't have it at all.

D-Ribose: This is a metabolic sugar which is found within the body, but can also be supplemented. It is excellent for the heart, for recovery of the heart and for energy production... Of of which Mocha needed. Because of his small size he only takes 200 - 300 mg day. This product can be found in most healthfood stores.

So there you are. I hope you find this information helpful if you are searching for help for your dog. Most important lessons we have learned from the experince are 1) trust your instincts and 2) do your homework. If something doesn't sound right to you in terms of diagnosis, treatment, etc. , or if you simply feel you have not gotten sufficient answers, trust your instincts. There is an abundance of information available on the web today and tho, yes, sometimes that can be misleading, when you read over and over from owners about what works/doesn't work, TRUST it. In our case we were not able to get any answers from the veterinary community (in person or online) and ALL of Mocha's help came from dog owners like you. And, do your homework... Research what is going on with your pet, what others are doing for the same issues, safe dosage amounts, etc. Take charge of what is going on, have confidence in yourself and your instincts and take one step at a time. Don't wait passively for answers and don't continue with anything that just feels wrong or is causing clear harm... Even if that information comes from the medical community. They, like us, are all still learning but sometimes the life of a patient (human or animal) can't wait and you must strike out on your own. Work closely with professionals when and how you can, but don't linger with anyone who isn't providing help or cooperating with your desire to work holistically. Put your pet and his/her life first.

Good luck to you and I hope some little puppy dog and his family out there can be helped just like we have been. We are tremendously grateful to have been steered by others to the help Mocha needed and are enjoying seeing our sweet pup return to us in every way.

Blessings,

Deborah, Mocha and family...."

01/24/2012: Timh from Louisville, Ky, Usa writes: "Deborah, thanks for this detailed and informative post; and congrats on Mocha's recovery. If I might add the importance of omega 3 fatty acids like Flax and Fish oils for health of every cell in prevention and recovery of illness."

01/27/2012: Deborah from Chino Valley, Az writes: "Thanks Tim, indeed. We did have Mocha on fish oil at different time periods... Sometimes he did well with it, other times not so much. We switched his diet to a more fish-rich diet (fresh cooked fish) and that seemed to do the trick. Flax oil makes him itch terribly so we avoid that in his case. But excellent advice to others who may be researching for their own pets."

11/15/2011: Stephanie from Atlanta, Ga writes: "I'm confused, why do you put ACV on the scruff of cats neck for eye infection ? Is it absorbed through skin?"

[YEA]  01/27/2012: Arlyn from Nahant, Ma writes: "I'm not usually one for reviewing products/methods but this time I just have to. As an herbalist I'm quite open to experimenting with natural remedies on myself but have always been a bit hesitant when it comes to trying things on my cats. However, my elder male, Mr. Fitch, turned up with some variation of conjunctivitis this week that rapidly progressed to the point of gluing his eyes shut. Not having any eye ointment on hand and, as others here have mentioned, being very tight on finances I did some research and found the apple cider vinegar remedy here. Along with gently swabbing his eyes with a cloth soaked with warm water as frequently as possible without completely alienating him, I soaked the back of Mr. Fitch's neck with full strength organic apple cider vinegar twice, 3 hours apart, last night. I applied none during the day today prefering to see how he reacted to last night's dosing.

I have to say that we are not out of the woods yet, but the improvement between last night and tonight is quite noticeable and a relief, for me and him I believe. Mr. Fitch just received another ACV application a little while ago and Mr. Fitch willing I'm planning on two more tonight. He certainly doesn't seem to mind them very much. Here's hoping the improvement continues and he'll be clear again before the eye ointment I ordered arrives on monday.

At this point I'd say that, while certainly not guaranteed, this remedy is certainly worth a shot. Thank you Earth Clinic for making it available."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/15/2012: Pamela from Warrenton, Va writes: "I had my 11 year old dog vaccinated for Lyme's disease and 24 hours later, she is is lame. The vaccine was recommended by my vet, so I thought it was safe. Macy had Lyme's 3 years ago (which I told the vet) and was treated with antibiotics -- and has had no symptoms until now. I took her back to the vet today and they claim it's arthritis. I will get her on antibiotics tomorrow morning -- please give me some feedback on this vaccination. Thank you."

01/27/2012: Marianne from Berlin, Germany writes: "Hi, Pamela. Please, check out the following website: http://mythicaldanes.co./healthtraining/vaccsco.html. This is an article from Catherine O'Driscoll on the topic of vaccinations. I think after reading this you will not be surprised anymore where your pets lameness is coming from. Once you start don't stop researching this subject if you love your pet - which I am sure you do. Conventional medicine (human and animals) has nothing to offer for vaccine damages, only stupid excuses and ignorance. If you have a homoeopathic practicioner in your area, that's where I would go. Antibiotica will not do anything for vaccine damages, as a matter of fact it might stop even homoeopathic remedies.

Good luck."

01/24/2012: Louis from Staten Island, Ny writes: "I have a pit- its a girl. She's my baby girl. I love her to death. I'd do anything for her. I can even walk outside with her with no leash- she will follow me into oblivion, lol.

But now, to the point, I am here because I've tried everything. I went to the vet only to recieve a temporary treatment. I've tried shampoos, change in food, I've even started to feed her raw diet which really helped her coat. I mixed chopped meat, garlic, anchovies, flaxseed oil, olive oil, garden of life multi vitamin, organic, all organic and eggs. It really improved her coat but still this problem where her ears are beet red and hot and she scratches until she bleeds. She scratches for days and days- nothing helps her. I've even tried to make her drink Apple Cider Vinegar. I put it in her food. I gave her the probiotic acidophilus for yeast. I'm not sure what is causing this irritation. Does anyone know is there any help? Do I have to look into the sad face of my beautiful little girl and just not do anything while she looks like she wants to cry? Is there any way in the world I could fix this? I will do anything and nothing will stop me. I will die for my bitch!!! Please help me I'm so sad and so is she."

01/25/2012: M.e. from Garland, Tx writes: "I have the same problems with my 2 rescued dogs. I recently read about the shampoo Malaseb (different thread on this site). I ordered it online and have only used it once so far on my 1 dog that has yeast problems - there was an immediate improvement in my dog's condition."

01/26/2012: Belenda from Galena, Oh writes: "I have been putting 1/2 teaspoon for every 2 cups of filtered water in my pets water bowl for a little over 2 weeks. At first they didn't like it, but, since it's the only option they have for water, they drink it. I can not tell you how awesome this has been for my little Shih-tzu. She has itched and chewed her backside and legs for the last 2 years and was driving us nuts, plus she itched so bad, that she shivered when you'd touch her back. She sleeps now, she doesn't itch now or bite or chew on her body anymore. I'm still stunned how good this has worked. I also have been giving all my cats and dogs 1 capsule a day of Salmon Oil. I had read that it would help with itch, but, it didn't affect my shih-tzu until I added the ACV in the water. The Salmon Oil in my cat's food has made their hair glossy, thick and healthy looking too. Please try the ACV if your pet is itching, scratching and chewing. They are miserable and this should help."

01/31/2012: Nicole from Sydney, Australia writes: "Hi Louie, We have a 14 yr old Border Collie who had suffered from itchy skin his whole life including being allergic to flea saliva and bouts of sebhoric dermatitis. He would spend his day rubbing his backside against a fence which resulted in him losing all his hair, he was constantly chewing on himself and never was at peace.

A few years ago I found this site and tried the apple cider vinegar treatment... Ratio of 1 cup ACV to 8 cups water. (Use it straight away, don't store the mixture for future use as the ACV will lose it's effect)

The easiest way to do this is to use a sponge and make sure her whole body has been wet with the solution and let her dry off naturally (if it's warm enough otherwise you may have to leave her inside in the laundry with a bone for an hour or two).

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acvinegar.html

Do this morning and night for the first week and then once a day after that. After a few days you will see an improvement and it cures most skin conditions (magical stuff really). If she is better stop using it and see if the condition comes back then start using it again if need be. We usually we do Buddys skin each summertime anyway as a preventative.

The smell goes once the dog is dry and it leaves the coat nice and shiny too.

I've recommended it to many people who have all had successful results and happy dogs because of ACV... I'm about to try it for conjunctivitis on my new rescue dog as I have just read about it on this site... the uses are endless and amazing.

Good luck :-)"

[YEA]  11/10/2011: Deborah from Charlotte, North Carolina writes: "I have 11 cats. Needless to say I cannot afford my vet all of the time. I have had to find treatments on my own for some of our feline friends. Last month our Mouche had Cystitis. How do I know you say? Well the symptoms are urinating frequently on hard surfaces. Spotting of urine in a concentrated form. Painful sounds during the urination and constant licking of his bottom. If it is bad they can start to leak blood which means to me that their kidneys are affected.

Get some ACV immediately and some Cranberry juice, some plastic syringes from your pharmacy (which are usually free) and a big towel from your bathroom. Hydrating your cat is of most importance but this will get you going. Wrap your child in the towel so that his front paws are controlled. Give him a syringe of cranberry juice. He will start to salivate so be quick. If you can follow it by another syringe of water this will clear his palate and not be so uncomfortable... Then with the other syringe half full of ACV, put this on his hind quarters. This will make your cat lick it off thus ingesting the vinegar and will help in dissapating the crystals causing your cat so much pain. Do NOT give ACV orally all by itself. It can choke your cat. I then give him 3 to 4 syringes of water in the same day at different intervals in addition to the "distilled" water that you should buy also for this illness. The bleeding stopped almost immediately and I kept this treatment up for a month even tho he appeared to be just fine. He is back in the litter box and happy as he can be...

You can do it without going to the vet. I also bought an RX of Amoxil from a British pharmacy. I didn't have to use it. But if you do... Be careful... The pills come for human adults and you should talk to your vet before giving it to your cat."

11/21/2011: Karrie from Universal City, Texas, United States writes: "I am praying that this post will help my boy. He is a 11 year old male Himalayan and is my world.

Last year Mercury got blocked from bad food, namely Purina brand food, the stuff you get at the grocery store. That vet bill was 1,200 US with a 5 day ICU stay with our vet. Mercury did survive but for awhile there it did not seem like it, I was so grateful for his survival. Sadly Purina knows it's the ash content in their food. Comment to me was this is why they have created a brand for urinary issues. They make your cat sick 1st then give you and upgraded food to prevent it.

I swore never again... I have stuck to that no Purina, However recently I bought a brand of dry food and you guessed it- checked the bag, it's Purina... Due to the economic down turn I can not afford a huge vet bill. He has of 2 hours ago started symptoms again after only 3 weeks on this dry food. I noticed yesterday incessant cleaning of his privy parts, and 2 hours ago squatting and unable to urinate save for dribbles, I have given him the cranberry juice, and we have put the ACV on him as the post recommend, I have also put some in wet food for him hoping he will ingest it and that it will help him.

Please pray this helps him, I am sooooo scared right now.... treatment was given 30 mins ago...

If anyone can tell me how often to administer, I would really appreciate it. If this works, all of you will be my heroes. Mercury is family to us, and I feel so responsible. After reading these posts if he pulls thru Never again will he eat dry food!!!!

Praying for the best outcome, as my daughter and I sit by his side...

Karrie"

11/23/2011: Cindy from North Las Vegas, Nevada writes: "My eyes are tearing at your story! Mercury is also in most vaccines, but I read that we can request it without the mercury? I have to wonder if we can do the same for children's vaccines? Why would it be in the pet food? Sending prayers your way!"

01/26/2012: Dawn from Ottawa, Canada writes: "I have a female cat with urine tract infections too!! She used to get the infections often but now it has been at least 2yrs since the last one... What we did REALLY helped us was buying a small pet water fountain for drinking. Most pet stores and Wal-mart carry these and they are only about $30.00. The water in it is recycled and the cat loves it as it is always flowing water. I find my cat drinks way more water out of this small drinking fountain then before. It has really improved her infections, they aren't gone forever. But big big improvements!!"

04/09/2011: Caroline from Bournemouth, Uk writes: "Hi there I have a neutered male cat (11 years old) and almost overnight he has become very cautious jumping up/over anything or using his back legs, I have taken him to the vets and they have given him antibiotics for a possible urine infection and a suppository for possible constipation. However 3 days later and he appears to be just as cautious using his back legs - I am just concerned this could be a spinal injury/tumour/arthritis - do you have any suggestions or advice how long I should leave it, I want to do the best thing for him and am happy to pay but want to avoid unnecessary stress to him"

01/26/2012: Ds from Houston, Tx writes: "We have an 18yr neutered male, who had a diabetic problem, now resolved with non-wheat, corn, gluten, sugar, starchy, dry food. Fancy Feast has a few of their classic flavors that do not contain wheat gluten (have to check the label each time though). Anyway the high blood sugar caused neuropathy, which started off intermittently and gradually worsened, now he walks on his hocks completely, not like the usual high-heeled cats. This is the same results humans have. I figured out all of this via yourdiabeticcat.com - not through my vet and unfortunately, not until the biggest damage had been done. Like humans, cats with 150 glucose readings are considered abnormal and need treating if they have a diabetic history. If occassional, they keep an eye on it. Our vet didn't treat our cat or even mention it until he had gone for 6 months of readings over 200 . Unfortunately, I had no knowledge/experience of diabetes and trusted the vet. It was almost a year later until I took matters into my own hands, put him on the closest cat insulin PZI (no the dog insulin they normally give). Took him off the DM vet prescription of dry (expensive) food, and within 2 weeks got his glucose under 150, stopped insulin and never looked back.

But the back legs became weaker, which is also a common problem, so I've heard/read with many older cats, as their muscle mass deteriorates all over - but in our case diabetes contributed, and we had no signs of high glucose until our told us and he became quite ill because of it. I read and tried methyl b12 vitamins help in neuropathy, but you need to get a pure organic tablet, crush it and put it in their food. We had trouble because of the synthetic sweetener they used for the gel capsule some of which is poisonous to cats. (i forgot the name) - I research everything from several places before trying anything new, cat specific websites are better, as they are a little more special!!!"

01/24/2012: Louis from Staten Island, Ny writes: "I have a pit- its a girl. She's my baby girl. I love her to death. I'd do anything for her. I can even walk outside with her with no leash- she will follow me into oblivion, lol.

But now, to the point, I am here because I've tried everything. I went to the vet only to recieve a temporary treatment. I've tried shampoos, change in food, I've even started to feed her raw diet which really helped her coat. I mixed chopped meat, garlic, anchovies, flaxseed oil, olive oil, garden of life multi vitamin, organic, all organic and eggs. It really improved her coat but still this problem where her ears are beet red and hot and she scratches until she bleeds. She scratches for days and days- nothing helps her. I've even tried to make her drink Apple Cider Vinegar. I put it in her food. I gave her the probiotic acidophilus for yeast. I'm not sure what is causing this irritation. Does anyone know is there any help? Do I have to look into the sad face of my beautiful little girl and just not do anything while she looks like she wants to cry? Is there any way in the world I could fix this? I will do anything and nothing will stop me. I will die for my bitch!!! Please help me I'm so sad and so is she."

01/25/2012: M.e. from Garland, Tx writes: "I have the same problems with my 2 rescued dogs. I recently read about the shampoo Malaseb (different thread on this site). I ordered it online and have only used it once so far on my 1 dog that has yeast problems - there was an immediate improvement in my dog's condition."

01/26/2012: Belenda from Galena, Oh writes: "I have been putting 1/2 teaspoon for every 2 cups of filtered water in my pets water bowl for a little over 2 weeks. At first they didn't like it, but, since it's the only option they have for water, they drink it. I can not tell you how awesome this has been for my little Shih-tzu. She has itched and chewed her backside and legs for the last 2 years and was driving us nuts, plus she itched so bad, that she shivered when you'd touch her back. She sleeps now, she doesn't itch now or bite or chew on her body anymore. I'm still stunned how good this has worked. I also have been giving all my cats and dogs 1 capsule a day of Salmon Oil. I had read that it would help with itch, but, it didn't affect my shih-tzu until I added the ACV in the water. The Salmon Oil in my cat's food has made their hair glossy, thick and healthy looking too. Please try the ACV if your pet is itching, scratching and chewing. They are miserable and this should help."

01/31/2012: Nicole from Sydney, Australia writes: "Hi Louie, We have a 14 yr old Border Collie who had suffered from itchy skin his whole life including being allergic to flea saliva and bouts of sebhoric dermatitis. He would spend his day rubbing his backside against a fence which resulted in him losing all his hair, he was constantly chewing on himself and never was at peace.

A few years ago I found this site and tried the apple cider vinegar treatment... Ratio of 1 cup ACV to 8 cups water. (Use it straight away, don't store the mixture for future use as the ACV will lose it's effect)

The easiest way to do this is to use a sponge and make sure her whole body has been wet with the solution and let her dry off naturally (if it's warm enough otherwise you may have to leave her inside in the laundry with a bone for an hour or two).

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acvinegar.html

Do this morning and night for the first week and then once a day after that. After a few days you will see an improvement and it cures most skin conditions (magical stuff really). If she is better stop using it and see if the condition comes back then start using it again if need be. We usually we do Buddys skin each summertime anyway as a preventative.

The smell goes once the dog is dry and it leaves the coat nice and shiny too.

I've recommended it to many people who have all had successful results and happy dogs because of ACV... I'm about to try it for conjunctivitis on my new rescue dog as I have just read about it on this site... the uses are endless and amazing.

Good luck :-)"

12/10/2011: Kelly from Florence, Tuscany, Italy writes: "To everyone who has taken the time to share their stories on Earthclinic, THANK YOU. This is such an excellent website with a wonderful community. I read it all the time, and I came here looking for help immediately when my cat got sick, and thank goodness I did. The 65 reviews of Apple Cider Vinegar convinced me that it was the right thing to give him. So here's my story:

My cat, Aurelio, is 5 years old. He's a healthy inside-outside cat who lives in the country. Although Aurelio loves to be inside with us during the cold months, my husband and I noticed that he was spending less time inside recently (December). He would come home, beg for food, eat rapidly and practically scream to go back outside. When we wouldn't open the door right away he would run through the house, looking in corners, and behaving very strangely until we let him leave. This went on for about a week and then one morning I noticed spots of blood in the bidet and a strong cat-urine smell, but with no visible urine. It bothered me, but our cats often nick themselves while digging outside and I thought maybe he had cut his paw and maybe the litterbox had been full so he had used the bidet for peeing (this isn't unusual - this is a cat who has been known to use the people toilet). Three days later I saw the same thing again and then I got really worried and went online to research blood in cat urine. Meanwhile, my husband had left town for a week, leaving me with no car and therefore no access to a veterinarian. We live out in the country and it's the holiday season, so there weren't any friends easily available to help. Once I realized that Aurelio probably had cystitis, and maybe for longer than a week, I panicked. I was especially concerned by the warning that a male cat can become blocked, and I knew that I was working against time.

So this is what I did: As soon as Aurelio returned home for dinner on Day 1 I gave him 1/4 tsp. Organic ACV 1-1/2tsp water in his wet food. I took away his dry food. He actually seemed to really enjoy his dinner, so it was no problem. And only 15 minutes later he went to his litter box and peed a small amount, though I couldn't see if there was still blood in his urine. 3 hours later I gave him the same dose of ACV/H20 in a smaller amount of wet food. He ate it and within 20 minutes he went back to the litter box and peed again - this time slightly more and no blood that I could see. This happened once more that night and again the next morning. He seemed to be feeling better too - no meowing, no running around the house - he was calm and had a good night's sleep. In fact, he was so well in the morning that I let him go outside after eating his ACV breakfast. He returned home in the evening, Day 2, and I started the same routine again - this time his urine was significantly more - I'd say it was about half of a healthy pee, 2 times that night and again the next morning after I gave him his ACV breakfast. Day 3 was exactly the same. Aurelio was jumping around, happy, healthy and actually begging for his ACV food.

On Day 4 there was trouble. Foolish me thought that he was well enough that I could give him a tiny bit of dry food and it would be fine. It wasn't. After eating his meal (again, the same as before but dry food) he started behaving strangely. Screaming to go outside. Running to the bathroom every 5 minutes, trying to pee in the bidet (not the litter box). About the 4th try, a little bit of watery blood came out - maybe three drops. This happened again 10 minutes later, but only 2 drops. And then he couldn't go at all. He started to look really tired and he was breathing rapidly and had very alert eyes. I was so upset. How could I have done this?

It was 10pm and I had no choice but to increase the amount of ACV. So I took a medical syringe and mouth-fed it to him like everyone recommended. It was about 1/2 tspACV enough water to fill the syringe. It wasn't difficult as he actually seemed to like it. His first dose was at 10pm. I gave a second syringe at 1am and another at 4am, then we both fell asleep. At 7am he peed - but it was only 2 drops of watery blood. I gave him breakfast of his wet food with 1/2tsp ACV 2-1/2tsp H20 and then another syringe. He fell asleep again and woke up 3 hours later, asking for more. I continued to give him a syringe every 3 hours on Day 5 but by the afternoon it looked like he wasn't getting any better. He hadn't even tried to pee since that morning and I was worried that I was filling him up with water and creating a dangerous situation. So I called my husband. He told me: in 2 hours I'll call you back and if you think it's an emergency, I'll have someone come get him and take him to the animal emergency. So I waited. Aurelio was so lethargic he hardly seemed to wake up when I shook him. And I thought for sure I was on the verge of losing him. And then - miracle of miracles - at exactly 2 hours later, about 5pm on Day 5, just when my husband called me back, Aurelio jumped up, trotted to the kitchen, asked for his ACV meal, ate, took a syringe and then trotted to the bidet to pee. And this time he peed a full, clear stream with no straining whatsoever!! I nearly fell to the floor with relief. I continued on his syringe routine and he peed stronger and clearer everytime for about 5 times that evening and once again in the morning. He slept well, he looked healthy, and everytime he woke up, he asked for his medicine. Day 6 he was healthy and happy again and I cut back his syringes to 1 every 4 hours. Day 7 and he is back to normal, still continuing to give him syringes and ACV in his wet food. I won't be giving him any dry food for at least a month.

As far as I have seen, ACV is truly a miracle-cure, thank you all for this wonderful advice! I do, however, have one question about something that concerns me and that's Aurelio's rapid breathing for about an hour after having ACV. Is this normal? It seems to me that he goes through 3 stages after eating ACV food/taking an ACV syringe: 1) He's extremely energetic, like a kitten playing 2) settles down but seems uncomfortable or in some slight pain and has rapid breathing 3) about 1hour after taking his ACV he is back asleep again, settled and purring. This happens everytime like clockwork. Should I be worried that I am causing him some pain? And this might be unrelated but he also licks at his right side. Is this an indication of something else going on besides the cystitis? He is back to peeing normally again, and he really seems to like his ACV, so I'm confused. Again, THANK YOU ALL!! :D"

01/24/2012: Anoosh from Half Moon Bay, Calif. writes: "I am responding to all the ACV posts for cat ailments. I have a 4 year old sphynx that has has a chronic sinusitis or cold or something for the past 2 years. He has been through every medical regime possible for cats-including a round of antibiotics for fish. He has been on the traditional rounds of antibiotics, super power antibiotics, drops, double doses, double rounds, multiple antibiotics simultaneously and etc. Nothing made a bit of improvement and I was told it was simply going to be chronic.

I recently began making Kombucha for my own use and decided to give the cat 1 tbls. A day orally with a dropper. We are on about week 6 and this cat is cured. We went from him sneezing and literally blowing-sorry.... -great big gobs of snot everywhere-the walls, the windows, the furniture, our bedding (very very gross) to not one sneeze in over 3 weeks. It took about 3 weeks to see a difference, but I am more than hopeful that he will be cured. His breathing is clear and no longer has that gurggly sound to it. I suppose store bought Kombucha would work also and much cheaper than any vet bill."

06/25/2008: Suzy from Owensville, MO, USA writes: "My german shepard is very slow lately and acts like arthritis is just killing her. I have read quite a bit of remedies on your site and i love it and i cannot wait to see if it will work for us. The only problem is, I cannot get Princess, my german shepard, to drink the apple cider vinegar in her drinking water or any other way. I was wondering if you all would have any suggestions on how to get her drink the vinegar and also, how much do i need to give her. Would it be better to put the ACV in a syringe and just put it in the back of her mouth? And if so, how much do i put in the syringe?"

EC: Try mixing it in with her food. As a warning -- we used to put a teaspoon of ACV in our dogs' food each night, but stopped when each dog started to get an irritated rump (i.e., anal discharge and lots of licking). Make sure to start with a very low dosage and watch to see if Princess starts licking herself more than usual!

09/24/2008: Deb from Pleasant Grove, UT writes: "My dog gets ACV every day but sometimes she won't drink it in her water. She is picky. Soo... I just take a little piece of candy cane that she loves, let her sniff it and then let her watch me drop in the bowl of ACV and water. She trys to get around it but eventually to get the candy she laps up all the water. Just like a kid sometimes bribery works."

[YEA]  03/16/2009: Rachael from Collingswood, NJ writes: "This ACV remedy for arthritis is amazing. Yesterday my dog could barely get up and down. I was really starting to worry. (he's currently in natural healing and the arthritis began during this period). I didn't want him in so much pain but didn't want to thwart his healing process with drugs. I tried two of the suggestions on this page...Apple Cider Vinegar (2 tablespoons of ACV with food); and pure celtic sea salt in his water.

After his first dosage last night, he woke up a new dog today. Seriously, I'm amazed. Thank you sooo much.

Rachael Meehan"

04/28/2009: Diana from Hazel Crest, Illinois writes: "Relative to Rachael's (from Collingswood, NJ 3/16/09) email about her remedy, is the celtic sea salt in water a part of the remedy for arthritis, in addition to the 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar? If so, what are the proportions of sea salt to water and I wonder if dogs have a problem drinking it?

Thanks!"

01/24/2012: Liz from Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa writes: "What dosage of apple cider vinegar should I give a 14 year old daxie with real bad arthritis and in food or water? Please help, my poor baby is permanently on cortisone and dgp, but she still has really bad days, when she won't even get up from her bed."

02/09/2012: Suzanne from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia (ns), Canada writes: "So Sorry to hear about the pain your fur-child is in, I am in cape breton, N. S. Canada & I swear by glucosamine it is a human vitamin easily bought from any drugstore & it will bring her relief, hip dysplasia, osteoarthritis, this horrible pain hits the larger breeds & older breeds as well. Please do some research on your own about glucosamine so you will be better informed & feel better about giving this to her. Good-Luck"

[YEA]  01/23/2012: Deborah from Chino Valley, Az writes: "My 12 lb. Pekingnese recently went through some very frightening and life-threatening health issues related to his heart. He is doing terrific now, however I want to share a bit about what symptoms were manifesting and how we've managed to stop them.

In September of 2011, our sweet dog Mocha began having something akin to night screams/seizures. In the middle of the night, normally between 1 - 3am, he would wake from sleep with a horrific scream, then go immediately into a seizure. In all of our years with him he had never shown anything like this. His seizure would then last 7 -8 minutes. It was a terrible scene to witness and watch him endure. It happened again a month later, and as we began the process of veterinary visits, tests, etc. and were coming up with no answers. The veterinarian said these were not epileptic seizures, but he did not know what they were or where they were coming from. From his model of medicine he only had Phenobarbital to offer as a means to get control of the seizures. Although we took the advice at the time, my family and I all felt this was still an undiagnosed condition and the Pheno would at best offer us some time to get things figured out. We had to bring these episodes to a halt as soon as possible as each episode seemed to erode his overall health. We were watching our beloved pup drift away from us with each episode.

As we began our research, I started online with researching 'dog screams'. Although the veterinarian said perhaps this was a dream, or anxiety, he didn't feel the dog was in pain at the time of his episodes. We wholeheartedly disagreed. Although Mocha may not have felt pain during the actual seizure, the scream occurred just before and was absolutely horrifying. It was CLEAR that he was in wrenching pain before falling into a seizure. I was amazed to find online assorted threads of pet owner conversations on the topic of dog screams... Most of which indeed were followed by seizure activity, involuntary defecation, etc. In almost each case, the dogs in question were small dog breeds, just like Mocha. Also in each case, the owner knew the dog had a diagnosed heart murmur, as we did with Mocha.

Following this thread, I started to research heart remedies for dogs. Some were specific to murmurs, others were more generalized and in each small dog case, there was also an issue with keeping blood sugar balanced. We began putting together a small grouping of supplements to put Mocha on based on the information we were finding online.

At the same time that we were doing this research, we were giving Mocha the Phenobarbital. He had a terrible time adapting to it. Aside from being basically unconscious 90 minutes after the dose for approximately 9 hours, he was starting to urinate excessively and also to pant exactly 90 minutes after each dose. Sometimes the panting was excessive and frightening. We brought all of these topics up to the veterinarian who said that small dogs tend to adapt the least to this medication, and that whatever adaptation was going to happen would happen within the first two weeks. We were a month into it at this point and becoming very concerned. In addition, it was not stopping entirely his concerning episodes. We had his blood tested to see if he was at 'therapeutic levels' of the Phenobarbital and he was not. The veterinarian wanted us to go up in dose, but our instincts told us 'no'. This dog was losing quality of life on the dose he was already on, and we felt certain that increasing his dose would decrease his life expectancy and quality of remaining life. We decided at that point to trust our instincts and begin tending specifically to his heart.

I am happy to report that since we began adding in his natural heart and blood sugar supports, there have been no screaming/seizure episodes (6 weeks now). This is SIGNIFICANT, as Mocha had gotten to the point where he was screaming/seizing several times per day before beginning his holistic treatment. We have also decreased his Phenobarbital very slowly and safely and this, also, has improved his overall health and vitality. At this point we know we are substantially below 'therapeutic levels' and that the medication is doing next to nothing for him. We are taking him off slowly simply to be safe and gentle with is system. He should be off it entirely over the next week.

I am sharing this information because I know there are others out there who may have dogs with heart murmurs, small dogs, screaming/seizure dogs and the like. I was amazed at how frequent this problem presents based on what I found online, and yet could find NONE of this information via veterinarians or veterinary sites. It all came from pet owners who have had to research and address the issues themselves based on what others were doing. Thank goodness for sites like this one... I truly have no idea what Mocha's future would have been without them.

As for what supplements we have found which address his issues:

Hearty Heart (liquid drops) from Pet Wellbeing: Dosage is determined by pet's weight. This product has been developed by holistic veterinarians and veterinary herbalists. It is absolutely fantastic and useful for dogs and cats. Our 14 year-old cat has Cardiomyopathy and this has helped him so very much as well. Can't recommend it highly enough.

L-Carnitine (liquid) from Pet's Choice Pharmaceuticals: An essential amino acid designed to assist both the heart and blood sugar levels. Very helpful in healing the heart after functional disturbances and preventing future problems. Especially recommended for small breeds. Dosage determined by pet's weight.

FortiFlora (powder) from Purina Veterinary Diets: Probiotic supplement with beneficial strains of good bacteria designed to balance the digestive system and strengthen immunity. Excellent for blood sugar issues, allergies, skin and coat issues, etc. Mocha has been on this for years, as he has a long history of highly reactive/allergic skin, itching, blood sugar issues, etc. As a 12 lb dog, we give Mocha half a packet twice per day with his meals.

Magnesium mixed with Vitamin C: Both of these nutrients are excellent for the heart and safe for dogs. We buy tablets and then powder them together in our mortar and pestle. This allows us to sprinkle them onto his food. Again because Mocha is small, he only get 2 pinches of this mixture once per day. The ratio of his Magnesium to Vitamin C is 2:1. The dose, ratio, form of the nutrient may be specific dog to dog but there is helpful information online about dosing them.

Ubiqinone (CoQ10): An important antioxidant which helps with energy and heart function. It is potent so again, read up on dosage for your pet or consult with a holistic veterinarian. For Mocha, he only takes 1 drop from a 30mg capsule. Any more than that is too much, but we notice a difference when he doesn't have it at all.

D-Ribose: This is a metabolic sugar which is found within the body, but can also be supplemented. It is excellent for the heart, for recovery of the heart and for energy production... Of of which Mocha needed. Because of his small size he only takes 200 - 300 mg day. This product can be found in most healthfood stores.

So there you are. I hope you find this information helpful if you are searching for help for your dog. Most important lessons we have learned from the experince are 1) trust your instincts and 2) do your homework. If something doesn't sound right to you in terms of diagnosis, treatment, etc. , or if you simply feel you have not gotten sufficient answers, trust your instincts. There is an abundance of information available on the web today and tho, yes, sometimes that can be misleading, when you read over and over from owners about what works/doesn't work, TRUST it. In our case we were not able to get any answers from the veterinary community (in person or online) and ALL of Mocha's help came from dog owners like you. And, do your homework... Research what is going on with your pet, what others are doing for the same issues, safe dosage amounts, etc. Take charge of what is going on, have confidence in yourself and your instincts and take one step at a time. Don't wait passively for answers and don't continue with anything that just feels wrong or is causing clear harm... Even if that information comes from the medical community. They, like us, are all still learning but sometimes the life of a patient (human or animal) can't wait and you must strike out on your own. Work closely with professionals when and how you can, but don't linger with anyone who isn't providing help or cooperating with your desire to work holistically. Put your pet and his/her life first.

Good luck to you and I hope some little puppy dog and his family out there can be helped just like we have been. We are tremendously grateful to have been steered by others to the help Mocha needed and are enjoying seeing our sweet pup return to us in every way.

Blessings,

Deborah, Mocha and family...."

01/24/2012: Timh from Louisville, Ky, Usa writes: "Deborah, thanks for this detailed and informative post; and congrats on Mocha's recovery. If I might add the importance of omega 3 fatty acids like Flax and Fish oils for health of every cell in prevention and recovery of illness."

01/27/2012: Deborah from Chino Valley, Az writes: "Thanks Tim, indeed. We did have Mocha on fish oil at different time periods... Sometimes he did well with it, other times not so much. We switched his diet to a more fish-rich diet (fresh cooked fish) and that seemed to do the trick. Flax oil makes him itch terribly so we avoid that in his case. But excellent advice to others who may be researching for their own pets."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/23/2012: Steph from Elizabethtown, Nc writes: "I took my dog to the vet 2 weeks ago to get his yearly rabies shots. He was fine the first two days and on the third day something changed. He is not the same dog. He turns viscious in an instant, is cowering in the corner growling to himself. Urinating in the house then going into these fits of shaking uncontrollably. I called the vet and they said there is no side effects because it is not live and to give him benadryl. This is my companion and I do not want to put him down but that might be the next option. I do not know if it is a rabies shot or if he is just going mad, but he is only two years old."

01/24/2012: Timh from Louisville, Ky, Usa writes: "Steph, give Bentonite clay mixed in water. If she won't drink, give by dropper or syringe to help clear any contaminants like Mercury from the Vaccine. Sometimes the Vaccine can become outdated or overheated and could produce an infection, in which case a few drops Hydrogen Peroxide (3%H2O2) in her water bowl."

Please post results as this is a common occurence that needs precise remedy."

[WARNING!]  01/23/2012: Lindaatlanta from Woodstock, Ga writes: "I am having severe problems with my Maltese with his ears when I let him do his business in my yard. I have noticed that when I'm in the mountains or when I walk him up the street, not in my yard, that he does not come home with shaking and ear problems and itching and chewing and scratching. Last year, when I let him potty in my yard, he was going into shock... Breathing labored and basically like anaphylactic shock... It was horrible. I finally figured out this did not happen in my yard.

It has taken me a couple years to figure this out... I guess I could not imagine.. Though I knew in my gut this was the cause.... I used Scotts Weed Killer in 09... And I am certain this is what caused the problem. I am writing you because I will almost bet that is the problem with other writers. Now the poison is in my house of course.

I am going to try to put activated charcoal down in the yard since I don't know what else can neutralize poison. It could create a horrible mess, but I don't know what else will adsorb poison... any suggestions?

I wanted to tell you so you can warn others if you wish to. I have pictures of the bag and warnings if you want them.. If you can tell me where you would publish my discovery to warn others, I will greatly appreciate it.

I used on him a Far Infrared Lamp, activated charcoal last year to get him to breathe. It took an hour to get him somewhat back to normal.... Not shaking horribly, labored breathing, terror... Stiff as if he was going to die. This year for the ears I'm doing the items in the subject line.

Thank you."

01/24/2012: Timh from Louisville, Ky, Usa writes: "Lindaatlanta, to remediate your toxic yard (bioremediation), purchase 1 gal Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide (FGHP); mix 1/4 gallon to 3/4 gallon water (depending on the size of your yard) and spray it with same applicator you used with the weed killer. Depending on how long ago this occurred and how much you applied, the herbicide may be several inches deep now. After applying the FGHP you may actually see a "foaming", this is the toxins being "oxidized"."

12/26/2011: Sherri from New Enterprise, Pa, Usa writes: "Hello,

I just want to say the story " AMOS " was very sad story , My Puppie " HUNTER ", he is 4 yrs old, born right in my hands, he is my everything, I am disabled with a once a month income and I will give everything to my Hunter if need be, But I have asked my Vet also about him. His breath, teeth are loose, sometimes he vomits up yellow foam, and has had a lot of problems pooping. I have had his anal glads squeezed, medication, nothing is helping. I hope you can help me. My baby boy is all that keeps me goin we just lost his mommy about six months ago. And if that is still a problem for him & me but I can't lose him too. So any answers you may have please please e-mail me asap for Hunter & his Grammie- that's what he goes by as my name and it would be like losing a gradson.

" IN GOD WE TRUST "

GRAMMIE & HUNTER

E-MAIL ME AT : SLJjmj88(at)yahoo.com"

01/23/2012: Lizzy from Henderson, Nevada writes: "This is for hunter and his grammie and anyone else to whom it may help, and trust me it will!! My little 11 year old yorkie was always getting diarrhea and vomiting on and off for years, she had bouts of pancreatitis as well. I did not ever give her any treats or human food or let her get into anything outside. I finally found a food she could handle digesting and loves it. ( it is wellness canned chicken and sweet potato)

But the miracle was when my husband who is a doctor told me to try giving her doggy pre and pro-biotics. WOW!!!!! The probiotics work great if that is all you can find but if you can find them with the pre-biotics too it works even better!! My little yorkie has vomited maybe 2 times in the last 2 years, and when she does the pre/pro-biotics clear it up right away. I give it to her every other day, I open up the capsule and sprinkle it on her food. She gobbles it right up every time. I now can give her some other treats as well as I could not before.

Pre and pro-biotics aid in healthy digestion and kill bad bacteria in the stomach by replacing it with the good bacteria and live enzymes, people can take these too in a capsule form which I take or in the form of yogurt or dan-active. It is the same thing, not harmful to your dog, but just the opposite- sooo helpful!!! You can buy them at the pet store (petsmart, or petco) I buy mine at whole foods or online. The brand I like are called arknaturals gentle digest for dogs and cats, pre and pro biotics. Trust me when I say that this will 100 percent work wonders for your pet or any pet who has problems with vomiting and diarrhea for any reason at all, you will be shocked at how well this will help your pet and wish you had heard of it years ago like me!!

Also pet meds can be soo hard on your animals organs and stomach sometimes and often making them sick and even sicker than they were before you gave them meds. I stopped giving meds to my dog for anything and gave her the pre and pro biotics and it changed her life forever. It makes me mad that vets do not tell us this stuff when they know it. Even if we like our vets, they are going to sell you meds before they ever offer a natural way for your animals recovery.

I also want to tell you I give my llittle yorkie, goldy all natural pills and liquid for pain in her joints, and it works wonders!! When the vet gave me pain meds to give her it made her lethargic and was harmful and harsh on her organs. After trying many things I stuck with a pill called winstons pain formula, she eats this pill every time I give it to her(I think she must like the taste as she gobbles it up always)and she is picky with pills. Also she has never 1time got sick from it, and as I said before she has a sensitive stomach.

The other thing I give her is something calle HyaFlex for dogs and cats. I just order it from their website. This works Amazingly!!! It is hyaluronic acid which helps cushion around the joints and also helps with eyesight problems or just to keep the eyes healthy. It is safe and hyaluronic acid is naturally produced in animals and humans alike to help cushion the joints but as we and animals get older we do not produce as much if any, so the cushioning in between our joints becomes nonexistent which causes pain, stiffness, soreness and lack of mobility. This is great for humans as well, as I ordered me some from the website as well, they have liquid and it comes with a dropper and I just put into my little goldys food. It is odorless and tasteless, as I can attest.

Well anyway these are my helpful tips for anyone in need of all natural answers for their favorite furry ones!! Please know I have spent many hours online looking for answers as you all have and hope you will read this and have to look no further, as I have found the answers. Good luck to you and your furry friends!!!"

[YEA]  10/31/2011: Samson from Spring Valley, California writes: "OMG!! My 4 month old Boxer puppy Zeus was coughing so bad for 3days. My husband and I assumed he had gotten into something and was trying to bring it up, by the hacking and gagging noise he was making. He nor I could not sleep well at all because his coughing kept him awake. (needless to say my husband slept like a baby). I was determined to find an immediate remedy for my puppy and honestly stumbled upon this site. I went to the store got the Honey, peroxide and lemon juice, gave it to Zeus (and Samson as a precaution) and he stopped the loud honking noise and gagging immediately. I'm going to give them the water mixture for the next 5 days until he is completely healed. I might give to them for 2days every 3months. THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING MY ZEUS!! I am smiling ear2ear!"

[BETTER BUT NOT CURED]  01/22/2012: Monique from Virginia Beach, Va writes: "My 4 puppies weight 2pounds have discharge from there noses and cough my girlfriend said this was kennel cough or worst bronchitis so I tried the honey, hp and lime juice I didn't have a lemon and one of the puppy's threw up but is better now.

They have stopped coughing all but one puppy still sounds bad and coughing how long should I give this mix to them?"

07/18/2011: Pam from Wakefield, Ri writes: "My dog Prissy is 10 yrs old weighs 16lbs. Every infection she has had over the years was a yeast infection. Usually twice a year on prednisone. She has an infection that started as a small sore on her snout by the end of the week it was raw and she was shaking her head profusly. Back to the vet. She said it looks like a bacterial infection. Gave her a shot of antibiotics since I did not know if I could open her mouth without hurting her. Vet said if she is not better in 10 days it is probably cancer. I found your site while searching the web for any thread of help. Please tell me how to use the vinegar and if anything can be put on her snout since she licks it. Also how much yogurt. My family uses the briggs organic ACV for many benefits.

Thank you please respond ASAP to help save Prissy."

01/22/2012: Caren from Woodland Hills, Ca writes: "I need to know how much yogurt and apple cider vinegar you used to help your dog. Our dog is 9 years old and it is spreading all over his stomach. Please get back to me asap.

Thank you."

[YEA]  12/08/2009: Matoni from Buffalo, New York writes: "I recently started using minced fresh garlic on my 6 month old collie for fleas, heartworm. This was recommended by a friend whom is very knowledgeable on animal care. Just use very little (minced) from fresh garlic bulb, 5 times a week. You might want to use an eye drop of Black walnut from a health store to get rid of fleas with the garlic. Hope this helps."

01/20/2012: Doglover from Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia writes: "I would like to share my experience with you. My dog a Min Pin, female always had been a healthy dog without fleas ot ticks. We took her to a garden one day just to let her run around. When we returned she was her usual self, but the following day she started scratching. Whenever she does that, I always add a pinch of turmeric that I ground myself to her food. I did these for two consecutive days and on the third day, we found an onslought of dog ticks on the wall next to her bed. That's when we realised she had ticks from the garden. We then searched her for more and removed all the remaining ones.

I then searched through the internet for info after my daughter told me to give her garlic. I then cooked her food with 2 cloves of garlic and a pinch of turmeric. I smashed the cooked garlic together with her food. The following day we found the remaining ticks coming out and some of them had NOT drunk her blood as we found out when we squashed them. Her stomach did bloat a little though, I think garlic does it, but she was fine after that.

Now two days in a week I add two cloves of garlic and a pinch of turmeric into her food. In addition to this , I also add organic virgin coconut oil(2 drops) to her food every alternate day. This keeps her hair glossy and she does not constipate. Never overdose on garlic. And you don't have to give it everyday! But please stay away from ONION. It is definitely dangerous for dogs! Don't give left overs that have been cooked with onion and garlic as you do not know the amount that has been added.

Oh yes! I forgot! Whenever you remove ticks, rub the bite area with turmeric. Get whole dried turmeric and ground them yourself. That way, you get pure turmeric. Hope this helps."

[YEA]  07/20/2007: Alisa from Wheatland , Wyoming writes: "I make my own colloidal silver for my critters. I just want to rell you my little guy's troubles. He's a 5yr old ferret name Chewy. He just had his gallbadder & some of his liver removed on7-17-07 and when I got him home first thing I did was spray colloidal silver on his belly.and today I looked at it and wow its almost cleared up, back to his real color. Also Chewy has the best vet in this world! and this helped me to trust and love! thak you."

12/10/2008: Janice from Olathe, KS writes: "Please tell me how you make Colloidal Silver?"

01/19/2012: Amanda from Conklin, Ny writes: "My kitty has a hole on his upper left chest area by the leg... It's like bb size and puffy around the area... A lite colored fluid is leaking out of it... No blood.. Was wondering how to make colloidal silver and if you think this would help him... Thanks so much, amanda"

01/20/2012: Timh from Louisville, Ky, Usa writes: "Amanda, the CS would probably do best orally to beat any infection your kitty might incur from the wound. As for making CS there are a number of videos on YouTube detailing different methods. Some aren't so good and some completely and purposely misleading, like the guy making CS with tap water. Hydrogen Peroxide would work well on the wound itself."