Our world is full of subtleties that are often overlooked in the rush of modern life.  Oftentimes we see what is most evident and believe that to be all there is – we miss the web of more subtle events and objects that accompany the obvious but are hidden to the casual observer.  We are satisfied that the easily observable is the extent of what is and we fail to look “behind the scenes”. Continue…

The very best way to update Dr. Jeff prior to your appointment is to use the web update form. If for some reason you are unable to  submit it, and to help organize your thoughts prior to updating, you can also review the general guidelines below:

Writing complete and succinct updates during the homeopathic treatment of your pet will help ensure the best, fastest, and most gentle course of therapy. In addition, brief, well organized updates allow faster, and less costly, determination of the treatment.

Your updates will both provide important observations and become part of your pet’s medical record. The electronic record initially (before being double-clicked) only displays the first few lines of each entry. Therefore, please include the most important information at the beginning of your update (remedy name and doses and overall progress or new problems). In this way, the records can be most efficiently scanned to help determine your pet’s current overall level of health trend. Try to keep your updates short.

The following information will help the updating process. If you would like further clarification please feel free to either comment on this article, post a message in the homeopathy forum, or e-mail me directly. This document will be modified based on your feedback.

General guidelines:

• Please limit your updates to once weekly (unless we have decided that more frequent updates are needed due to your pet’s condition).
• Please write your update in the body of an e-mail.
• Use dates (not days of the week).
• No attachments.
• No formatting (bold, bullets, tables, etc.).

1-All updates should start with your date of last appointment, and which (if any) homeopathic medicines and what doses were given, and when.

If there is a new or particularly problematic symptom, please include it at the beginning of the update, e.g. recent vomiting, diarrhea, itching, etc.

2-Was there any immediate response to any of these doses?

e.g. “3/5/12 Sul 30c 10/1 (10 succussions of the bottle, 1 drop from it added to 1 cup of water)-5ml, after which he uncharacteristically fell deeply asleep for 3 hours and then woke and ran around energetically”, or “After the dose, the next day both eyes started discharging white mucus that had to be wiped out 3x a day”.

3-Since the dose(es) which symptoms are better, worse, or unchanged?

It is very helpful to report all of the relevant symptoms in each report. Use the 4 Ps (Problematic, Persistent, Prominent and Peculiar) to help determine which are the most important symptoms to report. Try to quantify the degree and timing of changes before and after the dose. For example, normal may be 100% or 10/10 vs. 50% or 3/10 before the dose.

Here is an example of a very useful actual update during the cure of a dog with pneumonia. The original version that follows is less helpful:

Here is the very helpful version: “Only 1 dose Phos LM 1 10/1-1 tsp. since our last appointment.  He is 75% better overall since the dose. A three minute coughing fit and restlessness were seen immediately after the dose.

Since the dose:

Better-cough (2x daily vs. 2x/hour), energy (8/10 vs. 2/10) and appetite (10/10 vs. 3/10). 
Worse-Diarrhea accident in house (first time ever for any accident) overnight @2am.
Unchanged-itching, ear redness, vomiting, drinking, clinginess”  

Following your summary you can include any germane details.

I will also probably ask (for almost every pet at every appointment): temperature preferences, change of favorite areas in the house , changes in sleep position (and dreaming), preferring to be alone or clingy, new cravings, aversions, fears, itching, discharges, skin rashes and eruptions, etc.

Below, is the original version. It is too long and detailed. Also note that the dosing info and overall update is buried within the text. Please keep the detailed  information in your home journal (or an online plog). That way it is available if I  have questions.

Pages: 1 2

Why does it matter whether symptoms are considered common or normal in dogs and cats?

“Harmony in life and living, homeopathy for health and healing”sm

In order to maintain our animal companions in optimal health, it is extremely important to understand the distinction between “common” and “normal”.

When the body is in a state of optimal health, all systems are in equilibrium and no external manifestations of disequilibrium (i.e., symptoms) are apparent.

Many of the subtle changes we observe in our pets are early warning signs that there is imbalance deep within the body. These are not “diseases” per se, but rather commonly observed deviations from this state of equilibrium.

Recognizing and treating these common, but abnormal, early warning signs is critical to preventing more serious problems in the future.

Some of these symptoms are as follows:

• runny or red eyes
• intermittent loose stools
• ”sensitive” stomach with vomiting, diarrhea and/or other gastrointestinal symptoms
• straining to defecate
• excess thirst
• runny nose
• red eyes
• red ears
• excess ear wax
• picky or excessive appetite
• fearfulness
• thin coat/excess shedding
• intermittent vomiting
• •eating stool/dirt/plastic
• gassiness
• gum redness
• frequent or difficult urination
• loss of pigment
• rough, dry nose or pads
• stiffness
• ear “infections”
• anxiety
• anal sac problems

If your pet has shown any of these symptoms and you would like to discuss treatment options, please submit the new patient or client questionnaire and then call me at 203.222.7979 to set up a consultation. You can also read the introduction to my practice by clicking here:

Your dog cannot explain his symptoms, so it’s the responsibility of you and your veterinarian to keep him healthy. Dogs are very good at hiding their illness so it is up to you to observe your dog for abnormalities. Continue…

To help me efficiently evaluate the prescription your pet has received, please monitor the following symptoms. Any or all of them may apply to your pet. Please keep all of the details in your journal, and send me a short update 24 hours before our appointment.

This list of potential symptoms was requested by some clients to help them keep track of their pet’s progress. There are other practice handouts to explain the updating process in more detail.

Please always list % improvement, worsening or no change of these symptoms in your update. In some cases (like itching) it is also helpful to quantitate the symptom on a 1 to 10 scale. 1 being normal. 10 being excessive. For example. If your pet is constantly itching to the point of bleeding and unable to sleep, play, or enjoy any of life’s normal activities, this would be a 10/10 itch level. A normal (occasional) itch level would be 1/10.

There are lots more. Some will apply to your pets’ current condition. Some will not.

I suggest keeping your own list to use whenever you update. Please review the other handouts in this area to learn more about monitoring your pets’ symptoms and progress during homeopathic treatment.

Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism) is the overproduction of the hormone cortisol by the adrenal glands that are located in the belly near the kidneys.

Cushing’s disease occurs commonly in dogs, but is rare in cats. Most dogs with Cushing’s disease are about 6 years old or older but sometimes Cushing’s disease occurs in younger dogs. Cortisol affects the function of many organs in the body, so the signs of Cushing’s disease may be varied. Some of the more common signs of Cushing’s disease include hair loss, pot-bellied appearance, increased appetite, and increased drinking and urination called polydipsia and polyuria (PU/PD). Hair loss caused by Cushing’s disease occurs primarily on the body, sparing the head and legs. The skin is not usually itchy as it is with other skin diseases. If you pick up a fold of skin on a dog with Cushing’s disease, you may notice that the skin is thinner than normal. The pet may have fragile blood vessels and may bruise easily. 

Please Read More

NB-Lifelong administration of a DDT derivative (Lysodren) is still commonly used for the mangement of this “syndrome” (first described by Harvey Cushing in 1932).  I am not aware of any studies that document prolongation of life with this standard conventional therapy. Many of my patients have laboratory evidence (mainly elevated SAP) and other symptoms (clinical appearance, UTIs, etc.) of Cushings dis-ease.  In my experience treating the entire animal (and not just the adrenal gland) is extremely satisfactory.–Dr. Jeff

Mammary gland (“breast”) tumors are the most common type of tumor in the unspayed female dog. Breeds at risk for developing mammary gland tumors include toy and miniature Poodles, Spaniels, and German Shepherds. The average age of dogs at diagnosis is 10-11 years. There can be a single or several tumors, and they can occur in one or more glands. The last two sets of glands (the 4th and 5th glands) are most commonly affected. The tumors can be firm or soft, well-defined lumps or diffuse swellings. Tumors can be attached to underlying tissues or moveable, skin-covered or ulcerated. They can be different sizes, and they may grow slowly or quite fast. Most dogs are seen by the veterinarian for signs associated with the primary tumor and are otherwise feeling well. A few dogs are diagnosed with advanced metastasis (tumors that have spread to elsewhere in the body, such as the lungs and lymph nodes) and might be feeling ill from their tumors when they come for treatment.

Please Read More

Most primary bone tumors in dogs are malignant, and approximately 85 % are osteosarcomas. Continue…